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Interactive help with Vundo like Malware

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Re: Interactive help with Vundo like Malware

Unread postby michaelbaxter » February 2nd, 2008, 3:41 pm

So far, so good. I've been cleaning it up. I just fixed the red X icon for the hard drive.

Question. There is a IE browser extension named "Resource" listed. Do you know it? I tried some search strings, but there are lots of hits thanks to "Resource" not very descriptive.

Exiting IE occasionally produces an error message. Something like:

IEXPLORE.EXE application error - The instruction at <offset> referenced memory at <offset>. The memory could not be read. Ok to terminate or Cancel to debug.

I've disabled "Resource" for now. All the other BHO's, extensions and ActiveX I recognize. I haven't rec'd the error again, but it hasn't been very long and it doesn't always occur.

Thanks, Michael Baxter
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Re: Interactive help with Vundo like Malware

Unread postby ndmmxiaomayi » February 3rd, 2008, 12:25 am

I'm unable to find information on this addon because its name is very common.

What company does this addon belongs to? You can tell it from the Publisher column.
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Re: Interactive help with Vundo like Malware

Unread postby michaelbaxter » February 4th, 2008, 2:10 pm

The "Publisher" and "File" columns were blank for "Research." They are blank for some others like Windows Messenger too. Research appears to be from Office 2003. A serach string that worked better for me:

"Browser Extension" Research Publisher

A website with many BHOs and browser extensions listed, but not "Research":

http://www.castlecops.com/CLSID.html

I disabled Research and uninstalled Spybot S&D which also had a browser extension and the error didn't repeat for me.

The computer has been returned to the owner. It went home with a 30 day trial of Kaspersky installed. She indicated she'll pay for a license.

Thank you very much for your commendable help. I'm still amazed at the noble servcie being provided here in the forum. The computer's owner indicated she will make a donation to the website. I put a shortcut to the donation page on her desktop. Plus, I'll follow-up and ensure one is made. I'll hound her until she does or I'll make one myself. :twisted:

Michael Baxter
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Re: Interactive help with Vundo like Malware

Unread postby ndmmxiaomayi » February 4th, 2008, 4:20 pm

Glad that everything works out fine. :)

Double click on OTMoveIt2.

Click on CleanUp!.

You will receive a prompt that it has finished downloaded a list. Click OK.

Please also install a firewall since McAfee Security Suite has been removed. Unless she buys Kaspersky Internet Security Suite.

Here are 4 free firewalls to consider.

Online Armor
Comodo Personal Firewall
Sunbelt Kerio
Sygate Personal Firewall Free

After this, it will prompt you to restart your computer. Please restart your computer.

Flush the system restore points

  1. Right click on My Computer and select Properties.
  2. Select the System Restore tab.
  3. Check (tick) Turn off system restore on all drives box.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Restart your computer.

After restarting your computer, follow these steps:

  1. Right click on My Computer and select Properties.
  2. Select the System Restore tab.
  3. Uncheck (untick) Turn off system restore on all drives box.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Restart your computer.

Note: Do this only ONCE, don't flush it regularly.

Here are some ways to prevent an infection again.

Keep your system updated

Microsoft releases patches for Windows and Office products regularly to patch up Windows and Office products loopholes and fix any bugs found. Please ensure that you visit the following websites regularly or do update your system regularly.

Install the updates immediately if they are found. Reboot your computer if necessary, revisit Windows Update and Office update sites until there are no more updates to be installed.

To update Windows

Go to Start > All Programs > Windows Update

To update Office

Open up any Office program.

Go to Help > Check for Updates

Alternatively, you can visit the links below to update Windows and Office products.

Windows Update
Office Update

If you are forgetful, you can change some settings so that you will be informed of updates. Here's how:

  1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Automatic Updates
  2. Select Automatic (recommended) radio button if you want the updates to be downloaded and installed without prompting you.
  3. Select Download updates for me, but let me chose when to install them radio button if you want the updates to be downloaded automatically but to be installed at another time.
  4. Select Notify me but don't automatically download or install them radio button if you want to be notified of the updates.

Besides Windows that needs regular updating, antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall programs update regularly too.

Please make sure that you update your antivirus, firewall and anti-spyware programs at least once a week.

Be careful when opening attachments and downloading files.

  1. Never open email attachments, not even if they are from someone you know. If you need to open them, scan them with your antivirus program before opening.
  2. Never open emails from unknown senders.
  3. Beware of emails that warn about viruses that are spreading, especially those from antivirus vendors. These email addresses can be easily spoofed. Check the antivirus vendor websites to be sure.
  4. Be careful of what you download. Only download files from known sources. Also, avoid cracked programs. If you need a particular program that costs too much for you, try finding free alternatives on Sourceforge or Pricelessware.

Stop malicious scripts

Windows by default allow scripts (which is VBScript and JavaScript) to run and some of these scripts are malicious. Use Noscript by Symantec or Script Defender by AnalogX to handle these scripts.

Backup regularly

You never know when your PC will become unstable or become so infected that you can't recover it. Follow this Microsoft article to learn how to backup. Follow this article by Microsoft to restore your backups.

Alternatively, you can use 3rd-party programs to back up your data. One example can be found at Bleeping Computer.

Make your Internet Explorer safer

For Internet Explorer 6

  1. Open Internet Explorer. Click on Tools > Options.
  2. Click on the Security tab.
  3. Click on the Internet icon.
  4. Click on the Custom Level button.
  5. Under Download signed ActiveX controls, select Prompt.
  6. Under Download unsigned ActiveX controls, select Disable.
  7. Under Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe, select Disable.
  8. Under Installation of desktop items, select Prompt.
  9. Under Launching programs and files in an IFRAME, select Prompt.
  10. Under Navigate sub-frames across different domains, select Prompt.
  11. Under Allow paste operations via script, select Disable.
  12. Click OK to apply these settings.
  13. If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
  14. Press OK to exit the Internet Properties page.
For a pictorial guide, please refer to this article.

Avoid P2P

P2P may be a great way to get lots of stuffs, but it is a great way to get infected as well. There's no way to tell if the file being shared is infected. Worse still, some worms spread via P2P networks, infecting you as well. If you do need to use them, use them sparingly. Check this list of clean and infected P2P programs if you need to use one.

Prevent a re-infection

  1. Winpatrol
    Winpatrol is heuristic protection program, meaning it looks for patterns in codes that work like malware. It also takes a snapshot of your system's critical resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without you knowing. You can read more about Winpatrol's features here.

    You can get a free copy of Winpatrol or use the Plus version for more features.

    You can read Winpatrol's FAQ if you run into problems.
  2. Spyware Blaster
    SpywareBlaster is a program that is used to secure Internet Explorer by making it harder for ActiveX programs to run on your computer. It does this by disabling known offending ActiveX programs from running at all.

    You can download SpywareBlaster from Javacool.

    If you need help in using SpywareBlaster, you can read SpywareBlaster's tutorial at Bleeping Computer.
  3. SpywareGuard
    Just as an antivirus program scans a file for viruses before opening it, SpywareGuard does the same thing, except that it scans it for spywares.

    You can download SpywareGuard from Javacool.

    If you need help in using SpywareGuard, you can SpywareGuard's tutorial at Bleeping Computer.
  4. IE-SPYAD
    IE-SPYAD adds over 5000 sites to your Internet Explorer restricted zone so that you will be protected if the website turns out to be a bad one. Sites that are in the restricted zone of Internet Explorer can't have any scripts ran, no downloads and cookies. However, you can still connect to these sites.

    You can download IE-SPYAD from Spyware Warrior. Be sure to read the whole website carefully for instructions on usage of IE-SPYAD.
  5. Hosts File
    A Hosts file is like a phone book. You look up someone's name in the phone book before calling him/her. Similarly, your PC will look up the website's IP address before you can view the website.

    Hosts file will replace your current Hosts file with another one containing well-known advertisement sites, spyware sites and other bad sites. This new Hosts file will protect you by re-directing these bad sites to 127.0.0.1.

    Here are some Hosts files:

    MVPS Hosts File
    Bluetack's Hosts File
    Bluetack's Host Manager
    hpHosts

    A tutorial about Hosts File can be found at Malware Removal.
  6. a-squared Free
    a-squared Free is also another program for scanning spywares and adwares. It doesn't have preventive features like Spybot Search & Destroy though.

    You can download a-squared Free from here.

    Before downloading any anti-spyware programs, always check the Rogue/Suspect list of anti-spyware programs and Malwarebytes RogueNET. This will save you from a lot of trouble. If in doubt, don't ever download it.
  7. SiteHound Toolbar
    SiteHound is a toolbar that warns you if you go to a site that is known to scam people, that has potentially lots of viruses or spywares or has questionable contents. If you know the site, you can enter it; if you don't, it will bring you back to the previous page. Currently, SiteHound works for Internet Explorer and Firefox only.

Here are some more things to read about:

List of clean and infected download managers
Configuring Skype
Greater email safety
Phishing - what is it?
Configuring Outlook Express
The Unofficial Cookie FAQ
Securing your home wireless network
80 Super Security Tips
The different classes of security softwares
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Re: Interactive help with Vundo like Malware

Unread postby Gary R » February 11th, 2008, 4:27 am

This topic is now closed.

If you are the originator of this topic, and you need it re-opened please send an email to 'admin at malwareremoval.com', including a link to this topic.

If you have been helped and wish to donate to help with the costs of this volunteer site, please read Donations For Malware Removal

Please do not contact us if you are not the topic starter. A valid, working link to the closed topic is required along with the user name used. If the user name does not match the one in the thread linked, the email will be deleted.

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