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Spyware / Malware / Virus Removal

searchqu

43 min read

This thread's last reply is from . Advice, software, and links below may be out of date — treat specific steps and download links with caution.

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Hello Julie A,

We need to uninstall Spybot - Search & Destroy because it might be preventing us from making the changes.
When were done we can reinstall Spybot.
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Please do the following:

Hold down the Windows key and press R to open a run box
type the following text into the run box

appwiz.cpl

This will open your Programs And Features
A list of installed programs will populate
Remove the following programs:

Spybot - Search & Destroy
==============
NEXT

After Spybot is uninstalled please boot to Safemode and change your homepage and search providers.


Please reboot your computer in SafeMode by doing the following:

* Restart your computer
* After hearing your computer beep once during startup, but before the Windows icon appears, press F8.
* Instead of Windows loading as normal, a menu should appear
* Select the first option, to run Windows in Safe Mode.
* If you have trouble getting into Safe mode go here for more info.
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Please include in your next reply:
1. Any problem executing the instructions?
2. How is the computer now?
Hello Julie A,

That is fantastic . :woot: I'm so glad your computer is running better.
You can reinstall Spybot if you like here is the link.
Spybot

Update Adobe

Visit ADOBE and download the latest version of Acrobat Reader (version X)
Having the latest updates ensures there are no security vulnerabilities in your system.

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Time for some house cleaning

Follow these steps to uninstall Combofix

  • Click START then RUN
  • Now copy/paste Combofix /uninstall into the runbox and click OK. Note the space between the ..X and the /U, it needs to be there.

To remove aswMBR, right click aswMBR.exe on your desktop the click delete, do the same for aswMBR.txt
MalwareBytes and ESET are all good anti-malware programs you may keep, be sure to update before scanning.
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Clean up with OTL:
  • Double-click OTL.exe to start the program.
  • Close all other programs apart from OTL as this step will require a reboot
  • On the OTL main screen, press the CLEANUP button
  • Say Yes to the prompt and then allow the program to reboot your computer.


    If you notice any remaining tools or files you can delete them by right clicking and choosing delete.
    I would definitely keep Malwarebytes and run it weekly. SuperAntiSpyware is good to have too, but you don't have to keep it if you don''t want to.
    Any other tools we used can be deleted safely if they remain after these steps.

    ============================

    Now that you appear clean, :thumbup: please follow these simple steps in order to keep your computer clean and secure:

    Here are some tips to reduce the potential for spyware infection in the future:

    1. Make your Internet Explorer More Secure
  • From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
  • Click once on the Security tab.
  • Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
  • Click once on the Custom Level button.
  • Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt.
  • Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable.
  • Change the Initialise and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable.
  • Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt.
  • Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt.
  • Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt.
  • When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
  • If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
  • Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.

    2. Update your Anti-Virus Software - I can not overemphasize the need for you to update your Anti-virus application on a regular basis. With the ever increasing number of new variants of malware arriving on the scene daily, you become very susceptible to an attack without updated protection.

    3. Make sure you keep your Windows OS current by visiting Windows update regularly to download and install any critical updates and service packs. Without these you are leaving the back door open.

    4. SpywareBlaster prevents the installation of ActiveX-based malware, blocks cookies, and restricts the actions of "bad" sites. See tutorial here

    5. MVPS HOSTS FILE replaces
  • your current HOSTS file with one that will restrict known ad sites from serving you unsolicited advertisements. It basically prevents your computer from connecting to those sites by redirecting the attempted connections to 127.0.0.1, which is the IP of your local computer. See guide here and for Windows Vista here
  • Download Host.zip and Save it to your Desktop.
  • Right-click hosts.zip and select 'Extract all files' or 'Extract files…'.
  • Follow the prompts and click 'Finish'.
  • This will open the newly created hosts folder on your Desktop.
  • Double-click on the included mvps.bat file, this will rename the existing HOSTS file to HOSTS.MVP, then it will copy the included updated HOSTS file to the correct location on your machine.
  • Once updated you should see another prompt that the task was completed.

Finally, I strongly recommend that you read TonyKlein's good advice So how did I get infected in the first place?


Good luck, happy computing and stay clean! :)

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