Now that your system is clean, kindly follow these simple steps in order to keep your computer clean and secure:
- Uninstall ComboFix
This process will perform some post cleanup measures. (includes reseting System Restore)
Do this by going to to Start > Run & typing in ComboFix /u
- ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
It is imperative that you update your Antivirus software at least once a week (Even more if you wish). If you do not update your antivirus software then it will not be able to catch any of the new variants that may come out.
- FIREWALL
Without a firewall your computer is succeptible to being hacked and taken over. Simply using a Firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly. A tutorial on Firewalls and a listing of some available ones can be found here ? http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutorial60.html
- Microsoft Windows Update ? http://www.windowsupdate.com
Visit regularly. This will ensure your computer always has the latest security updates. If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.
- SPYWAREBLASTER
SpywareBlaster prevents the installation of malicious ActiveX, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software. Blocks spyware/tracking cookies & restricts the actions of potentially unwanted sites.
Unlike other programs, SpywareBlaster does not have to remain running in the background. A tutorial on installing & using this product can be found here ? http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutorial49.html
- IE-SPYAD
IE/Spyad places more than 4000 dubious websites and domains in the IE Restricted list. This severely impair attempts to infect your system. It basically prevents any downloads (Cookies etc) from the sites listed, although you will still be able to connect to the sites. A tutorial on installing this product can be found here http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm
Update all these programs regularly. Make sure you update all the programs I have listed regularly. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new malicious programs are released.
Follow this list and your potential for being infected again will reduce dramatically. Here are some additional utilities that will further enhance your safety.
- http://www.trillian.cc ? Trillian or http://www.miranda-im.com ? Miranda-IM - These are Malware free Instant Messenger programs which allow you to connect to multiple IM services in one program! (AOL, Yahoo, ICQ, IRC, MSN)
- http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ - Firefox - Use this alternate browser. Whilst Internet Explorer is not a bad browser, almost every exploit crafted is targeted to take advantage of an IE weakness.
- http://java.com/en/index.jsp - Sun's Java - It's much more secure than Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine.
- http://www.aumha.org/downloads/erunt-setup.exe - ERUNT - A useful freeware utility for users of Windows 2000/XP. It's made up of two parts - ERUNT & NTREGOPT.
ERUNT will create daily complete backups of your computer's Registry. Whilst System Restore does the same thing, a corrupt registry file may prevent Windows from booting & this effectively renders disables System Restore. With ERUNT, you're able to restore the damaged Registry.
NTREGOPT works by recreating each registry hive "from scratch", thus removing any slack space that may be left from previously modified or deleted keys. In other words, it compacts the Registry to a small size which allows Windows to load & perform faster.
To find out more information about how you got infected in the first place and some great guidelines to follow to prevent future infections you can read this article by Tony Klein -
http://computercops.biz/postlite7736-.html
After doing all these, your system will be optimised against future threats.
It's okay to delete the Hijack This folder in a couple weeks if everything is working okay.
Have a safe & happy computing day.
Kindly respond to this thread once more so we can mark this thread as resolved.
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