What to do when infected with spyware/adware

[tags]adaware, adware, asquared, computer, hijacker, hijackthis, hosts, infected, infection, log, maliciouse program, malware, popup, redirect, scanner, spybot search and destroy, spyware, trojan, virus[/tags]

We all have had infestations, pop ups that never go away, something that changes your home page, or something that redirects the site you type to a totally different site. Even worse than all that, when there is a combination of those problems.

Well, I have some good news and some help for you.

Next time, you might want to consider this stuff first before you even go anywhere on the internet.

For starters, I would begin stopping most malware from even connecting to the net from your computer, this step stops your computer from ever going to the sites where malware is created, uploaded, and/or updated. Fix your “hosts” file by going to MVP’s site and reading up on the subject. I actually just scroll down like 20 lines and he has a zipped file with 5 or so items in it. Extract the contents to the desktop, double click the batch file, and in a blink, I am Protected from tons of malware servers. http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Please read mvps site to get a full understanding and to be on the same page as me. Yes the hosts project started out as a way to block banner ads, but it was later found that you can do much more. PLEASE READ THE MVPS SITE.

Before installation of new “hosts” file, I head to my existing “hosts” file and open it with Notepad to see if there are any changes made to it that are located here “C:WINDOWSsystem32driversetc”

There is a line that should say “127.0.0.1 localhost” which means local host is YOU. If it says anything other than 127.0.0.1, then your machine has been routed to someone else’s server and everything you do and type is being passed through them first. They filter through it and crack what they want. If you have anything different there, please post it here as a comment so I, and others, can help take care of someone like this.

Next, let’s go scan your machine. If you can, install this, “http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/download/” and install a-squared Free 3.1

Run that program and remove anything and everything it finds. Let the scan finish before you start the next step. If both scanners try to remove the same files, it could cause problems.

Next, go get Spybot-Search and Destroy, you will find it here “http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html” spybot – Search & Destroy 1.5.2

Now, go get Ad-Aware “http://www.lavasoftusa.com/single/trialpay.php”

Run Ad-Aware after Spybot. The same rules apply.

If your issue persists, HJT that stands for “hijack this” found here “http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/programs.php”

You can join their forums “http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/forums.php” and get help from people who spend all day, every day just helping people decipher what HJT finds in it’s logs. They all will tell you what to keep and what to kill. They are an excellent group.

In most cases, you would have prevented this from ever happening if you would have started with MVP’s “hosts” file. That is a very good practice. Also, it would be wise prevention to not install anything and everything you find on the internet. First thing you must always do when you download anything is scan it with as many virus scanners as possible. I use Jotti’s site for the online single file scanner. It scans with like 20 different virus scanners at one time and shows you a real time results area at the bottom of the page. If you watch the scan result, you can see what scanners are worth a darn and what scanners are worth being cup holder….. AVG is garbage.. See for yourself. “http://virusscan.jotti.org/”

If anyone has protection tips of the malware kind, drop a note here ..

Good free firewall to prevent this kind of thing:

Sygate firewall:

http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm

Trojan killers:

http://swatit.org/download.html

Trojan Hunter trial version:

http://www.misec.net/

Do this immediately:

Disabling system restore in Win Xp
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001012513122239?Open&src=sec_doc_nam&docid=2001111912274039&nsf=tsgeninfo.nsf&view=docid&dtype=∏=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl

More Xp resource:

XP resource info:

www.blackviper.com

http://grc.com/dos/xpsummary.htm

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp
If you do not have SpyBot and Adaware, do this:

Spybot:

Download and Read the SpyBot tutorial here:

http://s89223352.onlinehome.us/mirror/spybot/index1.php

Download it, Unzip the program, and immediately check for updates, install the updates and then do the scan.

Let it fix everything marked in red. Reboot but not with restart, shut it down for two full minutes. You�ve got two measely minutes and it�s worth it, and let Spybot run if it indicates.

To add an item to your �Ignore List� click on the little �+� sign next to the item and left click it to highlight it, then right click it and a menu appears, select the function you want.

When you are done reboot again same way. Two full minutes shut sown is best.

Tea Time discussed by designer here:

http://forums.net-integration.net/index.php?showtopic=13433

Also, go to the update page. Notice 3 icons across the top. Between “Search For Updates” and “Download Updates” there is an icon for the download mirror location. After you click on �search for updates,� the one in the middle will change. If it doesn’t say “Spybot.US by Rootboxen.net USA” click on the dropbox arrows and click on Rootboxen, and use only that one. If you got a “checksum error” trying to download –that’s why.

Ad-Aware:

Download AdAware from http://www.lavasoft.de/

check for updates at “webupdate”.

I use these settings (green check)

From main window click “Start” then make sure ” Activate in-depth scan” has a green check next to it.

Put a black dot nest to “Use custom scanning options� and click Customize” next to it, then green check these options:
“Scan within archives” ,”Scan active processes”, “Scan registry”,
“Deep scan registry” ,”Scan my IE Favorites for banned URL”
“Scan my host-files”

At the top of the �STATUS� page notice the Tweak (gear) icon. Click on it.

The first setting is �Scanning Engine.� Click on the little plus sign next to it, and in the drop-down green check “Unload recognized processes during scanning”, and �include basic Ad-Aware settings in log file�. Next click on the �+� next to “Cleaning Engine” and in the drop-down green check “Let windows remove files in use at next reboot” and Delete quarantine objects after restoring�

Click “proceed”, that will save those settings.

Click “Scan”

When the scan finishes, mark everything for removal and delete it. Right-click the window and choose “select all” from the drop down menu, press �next� and then �yes� to the prompt: �remove all these entries�.

However, if you have certain programs running that will give a false indicator of a browser hijack attempt, such as Script Sentry, which places a monitoring function in the registry and looks like a browser hijacker but is not, then you may want to add that to the ignore list because you want to keep it there to do it�s job. To add an item to the ignore list, put the a cursor on the file it reveals and left click it to highlight it, then right click it and a menu appears. Click on �ignore list.�

Shut down, two minute shut down is best, and let Adaware run on reboot if it indicates.
When you are done all that, go into Safe Mode and run Adaware, SpyBot, and Av. Then go to ‘search files and folders’ and search for the file name of the trojan and delete it in Safe Mode. If you are clean there, that’s about it. Re-enable your system restore.

I also use these:

Spyware Blaster

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

MRU Blaster

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.html

and Script Sentry.

Run Adaware, SpyBot and your AV in normal mode. Clean? good. Go here:

Jason�s Browser Security Test:

http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/

Gibson tests:

http://www.grc.com/default.htm

I use LeakTest, DCOMbobulator, ShieldUp, and plugnpray.

Love for the tech community.