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FBI ALERT SCAM - Malware or Virus ?

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crabby3:
Did I get help removing the virus?  If you mean tech-support... no.  I'm a computer novice, at-best, but was able to access a friends computer (novice also) and print 22 pages listing several ways to fix this issue.
-crabby3 (January 20, 2013, 12:48 PM)
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mine required about 15 different steps using 7 different apps - we didnt find anything more after step #8 or so, and most of the steps at the end were precautions to help avoid recurrence (e.g. disabling java).

Changing to Classic theme will speed Vista up - you can make the classic theme look a lot better than it's default if you make the grey background very light and mess around with titlebar colours.

RE checking what starts with windows, there's a few apps out there that show you what does:
    Autoruns (free)
    WinPatrol (the Plus version will give you info about apps - I'm not sure about the free version)
    Codestuff Starter (free)

I hate doing that on laptops cause they always have so much 'stuff' starting up and you've got to look up a lot of them to see if they're important (be careful here too! I mean dont just stop everything or your pc might not work any more...). Maybe it's just as bad on PC's with pre-installed OS, I dont know any more (thankfully).
-tomos (January 20, 2013, 01:44 PM)
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I didn't count the steps over those 5 miserable days but it was probably way more than 15.  I don't just click stuff because it's there to click; which is probably why it took so long.  But... if nothing else, Tomos, we've supplied other possible victims of this scam ways to fix this.  Instead of just giving up and buying another machine... which crossed my mind a few times.  :(

Malwarebytes offers a download called StartupLite that "provides a safe, easy, and efficient way to eliminate unnecessary applications that start when you turn on your computer."   They used 2 of my favorite words... safe and easy.  ;D  So I'll try this first.

My machine is a laptop, BTW, so StartupLite may help.  If it doesn't I may just try to be more patient during startup because the slowness goes away after about 15 minutes.  And... I probably won't switch to Classic Theme... IMO it's too boxy looking and plain.  I don't need pretty but plain is too plain.   ;D

---------------------------------

Why is Java so easy to exploit?  Almost all of my AV scans, that find a virus, have something to do with Java.  I have a Java Update, sitting in my tray right now, waiting to be installed.  I put it off because I figured... what's the hurry.  This update may patch a few holes... but what about the other five million.   :P

mwb1100:
However... Malwarebytes Anti-Malware's Chameleon 'killed the process' and I haven't found any traces left behind.
-crabby3 (January 20, 2013, 09:58 AM)
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I'm glad to hear that MBAM worked to clean this up for you.  I have MBAM so this gives me hope that it may actually help save my bacon someday and that the small amount I paid for the Pro version wasn't a waste.

crabby3:
However... Malwarebytes Anti-Malware's Chameleon 'killed the process' and I haven't found any traces left behind.
-crabby3 (January 20, 2013, 09:58 AM)
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I'm glad to hear that MBAM worked to clean this up for you.  I have MBAM so this gives me hope that it may actually help save my bacon someday and that the small amount I paid for the Pro version wasn't a waste.
-mwb1100 (January 20, 2013, 03:50 PM)
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I agree, mwb1100, it's hard to believe how well it works to block or kill this stuff for a one-time-charge of less than $30 USD.   :)

app103:
Why is Java so easy to exploit?  Almost all of my AV scans, that find a virus, have something to do with Java.  I have a Java Update, sitting in my tray right now, waiting to be installed.  I put it off because I figured... what's the hurry.  This update may patch a few holes... but what about the other five million.   :P
-crabby3 (January 20, 2013, 03:12 PM)
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My recommendation is that if you do not need Java installed for one of your desktop applications, uninstall it. And if you do need it, make sure you disable Java from running in any of your browsers. Any website that needs Java to work properly, you probably can live without. And I know you can live without the malware that will seek to exploit Java to get on your system. Malware is a heavy price to pay for viewing an occasional website that might depend on Java to work.

IainB:
...My recommendation is that if you do not need Java installed for one of your desktop applications, uninstall it. And if you do need it, make sure you disable Java from running in any of your browsers. Any website that needs Java to work properly, you probably can live without. And I know you can live without the malware that will seek to exploit Java to get on your system. Malware is a heavy price to pay for viewing an occasional website that might depend on Java to work.
-app103 (January 20, 2013, 04:19 PM)
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Yes, I reckon that's good advice.
This is the Firefox warning (Java disabled):



- and also at the Mozilla blocked add-ons page: Java Plugin 7 update 11 and lower (click-to-play), Windows has been blocked for your protection.

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