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Graueradler

Graueradler

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Apr 11, 2005
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Graueradler
Twice in the last couple of days, I've got an alert pop-up while using Firefox. It shows to be some online virus scan and tells me that my computer appears to be infected and then starts an apparent scan. I kill it as fast as I can. Yesterday, I mades sure that AVG was updated and did a complete scan. It found no threats., just a bunch of tracking cookies. What is going on??
 
Are you using Firefox in Linux? One of my instruments (linux based) popped up a firefox window indicating there was a problem and offered to report back to some web site. Turned out the problem was a bad memory socket. New motherboard, same hard drive fixed the problem (at least I haven't seen it again nor has the dealer we soldthe instrument to).

The point I'm making is the issue may possibly be hardware. The UI for this instrument is really a web browser window- the message the browser displayed was so poor I thought we somehow got a Linux virus at first. It looked like someone was trying to sell me something!
 
Graueradler said:
Twice in the last couple of days, I've got an alert pop-up while using Firefox. It shows to be some online virus scan and tells me that my computer appears to be infected and then starts an apparent scan. I kill it as fast as I can. Yesterday, I mades sure that AVG was updated and did a complete scan. It found no threats., just a bunch of tracking cookies. What is going on??
Click to expand...

Sounds like a scam. Does the window have the same look and feel as Firefox, i.e. it's a web page?

You can trigger a pop up by mousing over an ad or a hidden webbug.

Try installing Adblock.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865

You can also use No Script, although it can drive you nuts when things don't work. http://noscript.net/
 
Graueradler said:
Twice in the last couple of days, I've got an alert pop-up while using Firefox. It shows to be some online virus scan and tells me that my computer appears to be infected and then starts an apparent scan. I kill it as fast as I can. Yesterday, I mades sure that AVG was updated and did a complete scan. It found no threats., just a bunch of tracking cookies. What is going on??
Click to expand...

Sounds like a scam. Does the window have the same look and feel as Firefox, i.e. it's a web page? Next time you get the window, try closing Firefox and see if it goes away.

You can trigger a pop up by mousing over an ad or a hidden webbug.

Try installing Adblock.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865

You can also use No Script, although it can drive you nuts when things don't work. http://noscript.net/
 
mikea said:
You can also use No Script, although it can drive you nuts when things don't work. http://noscript.net/
Click to expand...
That's true. Especially on the sites that have scripts from 10 ad servers and 2 content servers.

I like No Script now that it knows about most of the websites I trust. It takes the don't do anything unless you explicitly allow it but that works for me.

Joe
 
Areeda said:
That's true. Especially on the sites that have scripts from 10 ad servers and 2 content servers.

I like No Script now that it knows about most of the websites I trust. It takes the don't do anything unless you explicitly allow it but that works for me.

Joe
Click to expand...

I still can't figure out how to get some embedded video sites like The Daily Show to work. The Flash and crosscript controls are killing something but it ain't easy to back off.
 
This is the way alot of malware and spyware get installed. They tell you you have an infection and to click to fix or install the program to fix it. The worse ones even have the close button set to install the software and all you can do is close the browser to stop it from installing.
 
I just installed adblock. I'm running Vista, not Linux. The pop up looks like a website and isn't easy to shut down. I don't remember the name exactly, something like "onlinevirusscan.com". I'm in too much of a hurry to shut it down to make notes or print screen. I'm using the full paid version of AVG with a firewall. Just added "NoScript" also. Now to figure out how to use it.
 
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Graueradler said:
I just installed adblock. I'm running Vista, not Linux. The pop up looks like a website and isn't easy to shut down. I don't remember the name exactly, something like "onlinevirusscan.com". I'm in too much of a hurry to shut it down to make notes or print screen. I'm using the full paid version of AVG with a firewall. Just added "NoScript" also. Now to figure out how to use it.
Click to expand...

I suspected as such. You shouldn't have a problem because Adblock alone should lock it out. If you find a lot of sites that don't work (and you will) uninstall NoScript.

What is scary to me is you'll have sites give a page like "Error. Sorry. Please contact an administrator" only because NoScript stopped some script the site depends on. Don't be calling your bank and yelling at them when you did it. :nono:
 
Unless it's a legitimate virus warning from your security software, it sounds like a smitfraud or vundo variant to me. Some of these are quite nasty, even to the point of rootkitting your machine.

Running Combofix would be a good place to start.

-Rich
 
The next time this happens take a screen shot. Just press the PRINT SCREEN button on your keyboard and then open MS Paint and click Edit then Paste. Save that image.

You've either got some form of spyware or you're just hitting sites with annoying pop-up advertisements that try to scare you. May I ask what websites you were looking at when these popped up?
 
It hasn't happened again since I first posted. I think the web site(s) was/were linked from Google News or may have been Google News. The cursor may have passed over an ad. Except for clicking on headlines in Google News, there are very few websites that I visit. Others are POA, NWS Radar, FlightAware, YouTube when linked out of POA or Google News.

I just reviewed History for the day I posted. It was probably this:

"My computer online scan"

Not something I am familiar with, asked for, or went to on purpose.
 
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Oh, good grief...

First of all, do us all a favor and remove that link. The site reeks of malware. It's nominally owned by a notorious miscreant who goes by the name "Aleksandr Rozanov," but it's probably is owned by the Russian Mob in realty.

The domain is a marketing tool for a rogue (phony) virus scanner called "Personal Antivirus," which actually is the umpteenth incarnation of the notorious "Internet Antivirus Pro." It's actually a conduit for the Zlob Trojan, which in turn serves as a conduit for other malware.

If you ran the online scan, it's likely you're infected. If you actually installed the PAV program, then you almost certainly are.

This one can be a little tricky to remove because it stashes guard files that attempt to reinstall it after removal. Probably you should consult a local pro who is skilled in Malware removal.

Rich
 
Graueradler said:
I just reviewed History for the day I posted. It was probably this: http://secured virus scanner.com
Click to expand...

RJM62 said:
The site reeks of malware. ... If you ran the online scan, it's likely you're infected. If you actually installed the PAV program, then you almost certainly are.
Click to expand...

What Rich said - only I'll bet you certainly are infected. :)

Here's the finger results: http://samspade.org/whois/securedvirusscanner.com

Since you asked to run it, your antivirus may well think this is a trusted application - even with the latest definition files. However, there is a tool that does a good job of removing this and other particularly nasty malware: http://malwarebytes.org

It's worked great for removing Zlob and others from several PCs I've been called to clean.
 
Which post are you replying to?
 
RJM62 said:
If you ran the online scan, it's likely you're infected. If you actually installed the PAV program, then you almost certainly are.

Rich
Click to expand...

Did not run the online scan. Did not install the PAV program.

It popped up telling me that my computer had a problem. On trying to shut it down, it went into a simulated scan. I say simulated because it was popping up results faster than possible. Stopped it by shutting down Firefox.

Installed the two recommended programs, ran a full
AVG scan which found nothing and have had no further problems since the date of my first post
 
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