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I was researching for an upcoming job Monday night via a google search and clicked on a video to watch. Got a dialog box telling me I needed some specific Active X control and to 'click here' to download. I'm always a little leary but I've seen this before and have had no problems in the past and it looked like Microsoft dialogue boxes are supposed to look like. Plus it was late, I'm tired so what the heck.. I have McAfee virus protection... As soon as I click on the button, the sirens go off. My virus software is capturing Trojan viruses by the dozens. Then I end up staring at a web site telling me that my computer has potentialy been infected with spyware... the bastards, and that I could scan for free thru their web site and then buy their virus/spyware protection. I know better, and I already have protection but buy this time it was too late. The software had already installed itself on my system. I'm not new to computers and have never been infected like this before. I've spent my late evenings this week cleaning out my computer. The name of the Website/spyware is VirusResponse Lab 2.1.
I researched this VirusResponse Lab 2.1 and discovered that it's a bear to remove. Developed by a Russian hacker, it dissables your ability to use your normal add/remove software programs. It's an identity theft scam.. If you choose to buy their software and give them your personal info... your screwed! I had to go into safemode DOS and use the old DOS commands to remove the directories and files and then spent hours cleaning up the registry.
I know what some of you are thinking.... I should own a Mac!!!
pj
-------------------- John Fiorentino DBA Painter John Jacksonville, Fl
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has nothing to do with MAC.. every thing to do with the malware deflector,,
MCafeee sucks
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5273 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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Curiosity kills the cat and the computer too. Don't click what you don't need.
Firefox....
Jack
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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if you would had a MAC would you NOT have clicked on it? Nope you would have still clicked on it.
2nd vote here for macafee sucks, but glad its working for you.
firefox rocks. hell i wish firefox would come out with an operating syatem.
there is so much crap out there its just ridiculous. download this download that. if you havent had it by now you dont need it. and what in the hell is up with all these vidoes on the internet that WMP cant open? and contantly needs a new codec, lol
-------------------- You ever notice how easily accessible people are when they are requiring your services but once they get invoice you can't reach them anymore
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I once heard a guy speculating about the relationship between writers of viruses, and makers of protection software/services. Maybe a job security thing.
Would Linux be susceptible to this? I just made a nifty little 512 memory Ubuntu box last night.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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I haven't been impressed with Mcafee and Norton products are absolutely not allowed on my computers. I spent an entire Saturday helping a friend remove a similar type of malware. It wouldn't allow the use of search engines, and it wouldn't allow programs to be removed. The pitiful, useless Norton Antivirus had been locked up in the basement somewhere, while the malware had the run of the place. I finally got rid of it, but it wasn't easy.
I have been using Avast for virus protection, and I've been impressed with the results.
SpySweeper (paid version) is the best anti-spyware program I have found. There are many out there, and most of them suck. SpySweeper has kept my system free of malware problems for years.
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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Next time something like this happens to me, I'm paying for their software on my AMEX card, getting rid of the trojans they installed, then file a dispute with AMEX and tell them what they did. I think that's better than spending a day doing it the hard way.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Although the AMEX idea sounds like a plan, some of those malwares don't uninstall when you pay the extortion fees for their "protection" and some install utilities to capture credit card info, etc.
A couple months ago, my daughter clicked on an email link and we got hit by one of those, even though we update our virus definitions daily with AVG and run spyware protection and regular sweeps. I spent six hours killing off all the nefarious things that rouge program installed. Among other things, it hijacked the web browser and wouldn't let me get to google to find a way to remove it. I finally accessed google searching through my gmail. The attached link shows how to remove this particular nasty. I followed the steps and it worked, but only after investing plenty of time and reboots.
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Russ said - "SpySweeper (paid version) is the best anti-spyware program I have found. There are many out there, and most of them suck. SpySweeper has kept my system free of malware problems for years."
Yes, and my Deer Whistles have kept me from hitting a Deer... so far. They obviously work for humans, bear, fox, turtles, and giraffes too - since I haven't hit one of those either.
Eventually, there WILL be a Spyware or Trojan to get through a few of those systems too. Then Spysweeper, or Spybot, or McAfee, or Norton, or Flavor of the Month will write a fix for it so you can upload it to protect yourself from the next one. But I'd bet that SOMEBODY took a hit for the team before there was a fix written.
-------------------- Gene Golden Gettysburg Signs Gettysburg PA 17325 717-334-0200 genegolden@gettysburgsigns.com
"Art is knowing when to stop." Posts: 1578 | From: Gettysburg, PA | Registered: Jun 2003
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I think the whole spyware/virus industry is mostly a marketing scam. I've run computers for years with absolutely no protection except what came pre installed before I knew much about computers (and still not a whizz) but I'm convinced that Spyware/virus protection is a game of percentages and they play on the whole fear factor to get people to cough up the dough. Also, who's writing these viruses? You think it's just some teenage hack in his moms basement? Sometimes....But sometimes it's possibly a very technologically advanced paid hacker to send viruses out into e-land waiting for the next sap with his credit card to come buy their remover that conveniently "cleans" the infection from their system that they "accidentally" caught. A close friend of mine writes code / software for a living who verified this happens and that the "spyware / virus protection" market was deliberately created by the same people who sell the protection.
I could be wrong, but stranger things have happened.
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