HijackThis Log - completed 5 steps

[brandeewyne]

I suppose time to refuel is acceptable, just this once. All joking aside, no apology is necessary. You've been such a fantastic help already and I appreciate it immensely.

The scan popped up a window for immediate action on that file and wouldn't allow me to continue until I took action so I cancelled the entire scan until I heard back from you. I figured if I acted on my own no matter which I opted to do it would be the wrong choice and I'd blow something up. I'm smooth like that.

I'll rescan and get logs posted.

Thank you!

On a side note .. so far all instructions and guides have been very easy to understand and follow. But, I'm glad I asked about the firewall issue with the ComboFix utility. Hopefully updating the guide will help future users avoid the same confusion I encountered. Exceptional work throughout the entire process by everyone involved. Kudos to you all!

[tetonbob]

Cheers. Will be looking for the next logs when you post.

Oh....

wouldn't allow me to continue until I took action so I cancelled the entire scan until I heard back from you.

You could just let it sit there thinking, also. Won't hurt anything.

[brandeewyne]

Phew! That was one heckuva scan, took almost 4 hours! It still seems to be finding a virus or "unwanted" file.

Logfiles as follows:


AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic
Report file date: Sunday, January 13, 2008 23:30

Scanning for 1027920 virus strains and unwanted programs.

Licensed to: Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic
Serial number: 0000149996-ADJIE-0001
Platform: Windows XP
Windows version: (Service Pack 2) [5.1.2600]
Username: SYSTEM
Computer name: BRAN

Version information:
BUILD.DAT : 270 15603 Bytes 9/19/2007 13:32:00
AVSCAN.EXE : 7.0.6.1 290856 Bytes 8/23/2007 19:16:29
AVSCAN.DLL : 7.0.6.0 49192 Bytes 8/16/2007 18:23:51
LUKE.DLL : 7.0.5.3 147496 Bytes 8/14/2007 21:32:47
LUKERES.DLL : 7.0.6.1 10280 Bytes 8/21/2007 18:35:20
ANTIVIR0.VDF : 6.40.0.0 11030528 Bytes 7/18/2007 22:55:46
ANTIVIR1.VDF : 7.0.1.95 3367424 Bytes 12/14/2007 22:55:46
ANTIVIR2.VDF : 7.0.1.205 620544 Bytes 1/8/2008 22:55:46
ANTIVIR3.VDF : 7.0.1.227 161280 Bytes 1/11/2008 22:55:46
AVEWIN32.DLL : 7.6.0.46 3084800 Bytes 1/13/2008 22:55:47
AVWINLL.DLL : 1.0.0.7 14376 Bytes 2/26/2007 16:36:26
AVPREF.DLL : 7.0.2.2 25640 Bytes 7/18/2007 13:39:17
AVREP.DLL : 7.0.0.1 155688 Bytes 4/16/2007 19:16:24
AVPACK32.DLL : 7.6.0.2 360488 Bytes 1/13/2008 22:55:47
AVREG.DLL : 7.0.1.6 30760 Bytes 7/18/2007 13:17:06
AVARKT.DLL : 1.0.0.20 278568 Bytes 8/28/2007 18:26:33
AVEVTLOG.DLL : 7.0.0.20 86056 Bytes 7/18/2007 13:10:18
NETNT.DLL : 7.0.0.0 7720 Bytes 3/8/2007 17:09:42
RCIMAGE.DLL : 7.0.1.30 2342952 Bytes 8/7/2007 18:38:13
RCTEXT.DLL : 7.0.62.0 86056 Bytes 8/21/2007 18:50:37
SQLITE3.DLL : 3.3.17.1 339968 Bytes 7/23/2007 15:37:21

Configuration settings for the scan:
Jobname..........................: Complete system scan
Configuration file...............: c:\program files\avira\antivir personaledition classic\sysscan.avp
Logging..........................: low
Primary action...................: repair
Secondary action.................: quarantine
Scan master boot sector..........: off
Scan boot sector.................: on
Boot sectors.....................: C:,
Scan memory......................: on
Process scan.....................: on
Scan registry....................: on
Search for rootkits..............: off
Scan all files...................: Intelligent file selection
Scan archives....................: on
Recursion depth..................: 20
Smart extensions.................: on
Macro heuristic..................: on
File heuristic...................: medium

Start of the scan: Sunday, January 13, 2008 23:30

The scan of running processes will be started
Scan process 'avscan.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'avcenter.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'WLLoginProxy.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'iexplore.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'cli.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'cli.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'Hotsync.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'WMPNSCFG.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'ctfmon.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'SUPERAntiSpyware.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'FreeRAM XP Pro.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'avgnt.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'cli.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'jusched.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'explorer.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'ati2evxx.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'alg.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'wmpnetwk.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'svchost.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'hpzipm12.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'netdde.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'svchost.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'sched.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'avguard.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'spoolsv.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'svchost.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'svchost.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'svchost.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'svchost.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'svchost.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'svchost.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'ati2evxx.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'lsass.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'services.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'winlogon.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'csrss.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
Scan process 'smss.exe' - '1' Module(s) have been scanned
38 processes with 38 modules were scanned

Start scanning boot sectors:
Boot sector 'C:\'
[NOTE] No virus was found!

Starting to scan the registry.
The registry was scanned ( '31' files ).


Starting the file scan:

Begin scan in 'C:\'
C:\pagefile.sys
[WARNING] The file could not be opened!
C:\System Volume Information\_restore{B37680B2-BA0A-4E5D-BF30-83E44C588624}\RP566\A0064953.dll
[DETECTION] Contains detection pattern of the Windows virus W95/Blumblebee.1738
[INFO] The file was moved to '47bb15dd.qua'!


End of the scan: Monday, January 14, 2008 03:21
Used time: 3:50:51 min

The scan has been done completely.

7886 Scanning directories
429424 Files were scanned
1 viruses and/or unwanted programs were found
0 Files were classified as suspicious:
0 files were deleted
0 files were repaired
1 files were moved to quarantine
0 files were renamed
1 Files cannot be scanned
429423 Files not concerned
26249 Archives were scanned
1 Warnings
0 Notes



Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 10:59:37 AM, on 1/14/2008
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.6000.16574)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\avguard.exe
C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\sched.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\netdde.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\HPZipm12.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\jusched.exe
C:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI.ACE\cli.exe
C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\avgnt.exe
C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe
C:\Program Files\YourWare Solutions\FreeRAM XP Pro\FreeRAM XP Pro.exe
C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SUPERAntiSpyware.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\WMPNSCFG.exe
C:\Program Files\Palm\Hotsync.exe
C:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI.ACE\cli.exe
C:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI.ACE\cli.exe
C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\usnsvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\notepad.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://g.msn.com/0SEENUS/SAOS01
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Local Page =
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Local Page =
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Connection Wizard,ShellNext = http://www.dell4me.com/myway
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: Windows Live Sign-in Helper - {9030D464-4C02-4ABF-8ECC-5164760863C6} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live\WindowsLiveLogin.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Helper - {AA58ED58-01DD-4d91-8333-CF10577473F7} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar3.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Notifier BHO - {AF69DE43-7D58-4638-B6FA-CE66B5AD205D} - C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\2.0.1121.2472\swg.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Google - {2318C2B1-4965-11d4-9B18-009027A5CD4F} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar3.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IgfxTray] C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HotKeysCmds] C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\jusched.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask .exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ATICCC] "C:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI.ACE\cli.exe" runtime -Delay
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Adobe Reader Speed Launcher] "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 8.0\Reader\Reader_sl.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [avgnt] "C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\avgnt.exe" /min
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [swg] C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [FreeRAM XP] "C:\Program Files\YourWare Solutions\FreeRAM XP Pro\FreeRAM XP Pro.exe" -win
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [SUPERAntiSpyware] C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SUPERAntiSpyware.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [WMPNSCFG] C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\WMPNSCFG.exe
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-18\..\Run: [MySpaceIM] C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe (User 'SYSTEM')
O4 - HKUS\.DEFAULT\..\Run: [MySpaceIM] C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe (User 'Default user')
O4 - Global Startup: HOTSYNCSHORTCUTNAME.lnk = C:\Program Files\Palm\Hotsync.exe
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra button: Real.com - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\Shdocvw.dll
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {05D44720-58E3-49E6-BDF6-D00330E511D3} (StagingUI Object) - http://zone.msn.com/binFrameWork/v10...I.cab55579.cab
O16 - DPF: {17492023-C23A-453E-A040-C7C580BBF700} (Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool) - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=39204
O16 - DPF: {1754A1BA-A1DF-4F10-B199-AA55AA1A120F} (InstallerBehaviorFactory Class) - https://signup.msn.com/pages/MsnInstC.cab
O16 - DPF: {339234B4-4E14-4280-B8B4-8BAE5AF99063} (Chess Object) - http://zone.msn.com/bingame/zpagames...p.cab55579.cab
O16 - DPF: {3BB54395-5982-4788-8AF4-B5388FFDD0D8} (MSN Games – Buddy Invite) - http://zone.msn.com/BinFrameWork/v10...y.cab55579.cab
O16 - DPF: {406B5949-7190-4245-91A9-30A17DE16AD0} (Snapfish Activia) - http://photos.walmart.com/WalmartActivia.cab
O16 - DPF: {48DD0448-9209-4F81-9F6D-D83562940134} (MySpace Uploader Control) - http://lads.myspace.com/upload/MySpaceUploader1005.cab
O16 - DPF: {4C39376E-FA9D-4349-BACC-D305C1750EF3} (EPUImageControl Class) - http://tools.ebayimg.com/eps/wl/acti..._v1-0-3-48.cab
O16 - DPF: {4E888414-DB8F-11D1-9CD9-00C04F98436A} (Microsoft.WinRep) - https://webresponse.one.microsoft.co...veX/winrep.cab
O16 - DPF: {4ED9DDF0-7479-4BBE-9335-5A1EDB1D8A21} - http://download.mcafee.com/molbin/sh...1/mcinsctl.cab
O16 - DPF: {4F1E5B1A-2A80-42CA-8532-2D05CB959537} (MSN Photo Upload Tool) - http://gfx2.mail.live.com/mail/w1/re...s/MSNPUpld.cab
O16 - DPF: {5736C456-EA94-4AAC-BB08-917ABDD035B3} (ZonePAChat Object) - http://zone.msn.com/binframework/v10...t.cab55579.cab
O16 - DPF: {6E32070A-766D-4EE6-879C-DC1FA91D2FC3} (MUWebControl Class) - http://update.microsoft.com/microsof...?1124628481531
O16 - DPF: {6E5E167B-1566-4316-B27F-0DDAB3484CF7} (Image Uploader Control) - http://www.geni.com/ImageUploader4.cab
O16 - DPF: {7FC1B346-83E6-4774-8D20-1A6B09B0E737} (Windows Live Photo Upload Control) - http://brandeewynne.spaces.live.com/...d/MsnPUpld.cab
O16 - DPF: {95B5D20C-BD31-4489-8ABF-F8C8BE748463} (ZPA_HRTZ Object) - http://zone.msn.com/bingame/zpagames...z.cab55579.cab
O16 - DPF: {9A9307A0-7DA4-4DAF-B042-5009F29E09E1} (ActiveScan Installer Class) - http://acs.pandasoftware.com/actives...ree/asinst.cab
O16 - DPF: {A90A5822-F108-45AD-8482-9BC8B12DD539} (Crucial cpcScan) - http://www.crucial.com/controls/cpcScanner.cab
O16 - DPF: {B1E2B96C-12FE-45E2-BEF1-44A219113CDD} (SABScanProcesses Class) - http://www.superadblocker.com/activex/sabspx.cab
O16 - DPF: {B8BE5E93-A60C-4D26-A2DC-220313175592} (MSN Games - Installer) - http://cdn2.zone.msn.com/binFramewor...o.cab56649.cab
O16 - DPF: {BCC0FF27-31D9-4614-A68E-C18E1ADA4389} - http://download.mcafee.com/molbin/sh...26/mcgdmgr.cab
O16 - DPF: {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000} (Shockwave Flash Object) - http://fpdownload2.macromedia.com/ge...sh/swflash.cab
O16 - DPF: {DA2AA6CF-5C7A-4B71-BC3B-C771BB369937} (MSN Games – Game Communicator) - http://zone.msn.com/binframework/v10...y.cab55579.cab
O16 - DPF: {DF780F87-FF2B-4DF8-92D0-73DB16A1543A} (PopCapLoader Object) - http://zone.msn.com/bingame/popcaploader_v10.cab
O16 - DPF: {F04A8AE2-A59D-11D2-8792-00C04F8EF29D} (Hotmail Attachments Control) - http://by141fd.bay141.hotmail.msn.co...x/HMAtchmt.ocx
O20 - Winlogon Notify: !SASWinLogon - C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SASWINLO.DLL
O23 - Service: Adobe LM Service - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe Systems Shared\Service\Adobelmsvc.exe
O23 - Service: AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic Scheduler (AntiVirScheduler) - Avira GmbH - C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\sched.exe
O23 - Service: AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic Guard (AntiVirService) - Avira GmbH - C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\avguard.exe
O23 - Service: Ati HotKey Poller - ATI Technologies Inc. - C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
O23 - Service: ATI Smart - Unknown owner - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ati2sgag.exe
O23 - Service: Google Updater Service (gusvc) - Google - C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater\GoogleUpdaterService.exe
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\11\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: Pml Driver HPZ12 - HP - C:\WINDOWS\System32\HPZipm12.exe

--
End of file - 9916 bytes

[tetonbob]

Hi brandeewyne -

Only thing Avira found was in System Restore's cache.

How's the machine behaving now?

[brandeewyne]

Dare I use the word "normal" to describe the actions of a computer?



The machine seems to be back to it's old self; no pop-ups, no serious lagging, no blood curdling screams from the operator!



Everything look good to you?

[tetonbob]

Yep, pretty much. Good to hear.

This entry from the ComboFix logs:

"QuickTime Task"="C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask .exe" [ ]

Leads me to believe QuickTime was the only casualty of the Vundo File infector. It doesn't seem like ComboFix found an uninfected replacement for it. So, this one application would need to be reinstalled.

Other than that....

Your Java is out of date. Older versions have vulnerabilities that malware can use to infect your system. Please follow these steps to remove older version Java components and update.

Updating Java:

• Download the latest version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6u4.
• Scroll down to where it says "The Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) allows end-users to run Java applications".
• Click the "Download" button to the right.
• In the drop-down menu next to Platform select Windows
• Check the box that says: "I agree to the Java SE Runtime Environment 6 License Agreement"
• Click Continue
• Click on the link to download Windows Offline Installation and save to your desktop.
• Close any programs you may have running - especially your web browser.
• Go to Start > Control Panel double-click on Add/Remove programs and remove all older versions of Java.
• Check any item with Java Runtime Environment (JRE or J2SE) in the name.
• Click the Remove or Change/Remove button.
• Repeat as many times as necessary to remove each Java versions.
• Reboot your computer once all Java components are removed.
• Then from your desktop double-click on jre-6u4-windowsi586-p.exe to install the newest version.

• After the install is complete, go into the Control Panel and double-click the Java Icon. (looks like a coffee cup)
  • On the General tab, under Temporary Internet Files, click the Settings button.
  • Next, click on the Delete Files button
  • There are two options in the window to clear the cache - Leave BOTH Checked
    • Applications and Applets
      Trace and Log Files
  • Click OK on Delete Temporary Files Window
    Note: This deletes ALL the Downloaded Applications and Applets from the CACHE.
  • Click OK to leave the Temporary Files Window
  • Click OK to leave the Java Control Panel.

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

Your logs appear clean.You should be good to go. We still have a few items to address.

Go to -> Run -> copy/paste in the following single line command & click OK

combofix /u

This will uninstall ComboFix. It will also implement some cleanup procedures and reset System Restore points.

Now that your system is clean, to help protect your computer in the future I recommend that you follow these steps and use the following free programs:

• 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 to help prevent spyware from installing in the first place.
  • Install & update SpywareBlaster with the latest definitions.
    After you have updated, click the button - enable protection for all unprotected items
• IE-SpyAd - IE/Spyad places more than 4000 dubious websites and domains in the IE Restricted list. This severely impairs 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. An installation tutorial is available here.
  
  
• MVPS HOST FILE
  The MVPS Hosts file replaces your current HOSTS file with one that will restrict known ad sites form serving you unsolicited advertisements. Basically, this prevents your computer from connecting to those sites by redirecting them to 127.0.0.1 which is the IP of your local computer.
  • Download Host.zip to your desktop.
  • From your Desktop right-click (hosts.zip) and select:
    Extract All from the menu.
    
  • Click Next, click Next, select the option:
    "Show Extracted files", click Finish
    
  • This will open the newly created hosts folder on your Desktop.
    
  • Double-click on the included mvps.bat file, this will rename the existing HOSTS file to HOSTS.MVP, then it will copy the included updated HOSTS file to the correct location on your machine.
    
  • Once updated you should see another prompt that the task was completed.
• ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
  It is very important that you have anti-virus software running on your machine. This alone can save you a lot of trouble with malware in the future. 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 new malware that may have come out.
  
  Do not install more than one AntiVirus program because they will conflict with each other.
  
  
• FIREWALL
  Using a third-party firewall will allow you to give/deny access for applications that want to go online. Without a firewall your computer is susceptible 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
  
  Do not install more than one firewall program because they will conflict with each other.

Scan here http://secunia.com/software_inspector/ for out of date & vulnerable common applications on your computer

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. While 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.

In light of your recent troubles, I'm sure you'll like to avoid any future infections. Please take a look at these well written articles

• HOW DID I GET INFECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE?
• MAKING INTERNET EXPLORER SAFER

If you want to fight back the Malware Writers that have made your life a misery, please take a look here and read what you can do against it.

Please respond to this thread one more time so we can mark this thread as resolved.

[brandeewyne]

I've installed and updated as instructed and believe most everything to be complete. My only remaining question is in regards to The Software Inspector scan.

The following message came up for Windows updates:

This installation of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.x is insecure and potentially exposes your system to security threats!

Your system does not have all security related patches from Microsoft installed. Please see list below for details about the missing patches.

Update Instructions:
You do not have the following Microsoft security updates installed:
KB942615
KB939653
KB937143
KB933566
KB931768
KB928090
KB942615
KB939653
KB937143
KB933566
KB931768

Visit Windows Update to install the missing patches.

Installed on Your System in:
C:\9117bd82ac0576e01460\iexplore.exe

When I run an update to install the missing patches, nothing comes up. I've the updater set to automatic as well, so I'm not sure how to go about installing the mentioned patches.

It also found some outdated versions of Macromedia Flash Player on my system (I've d/l'ed the most current version) which need to be removed, I'm contacting the vendor on how to do so.

Thank you again for all of your help, you've done a spectacular job and it's highly appreciated!

[tetonbob]

Could be a glitch in Secunia Software Inspector. Did you use the online scanner? Did you check "Enable thorough system inspection". If so, try running it again without that check.

Or did you use the Beta download?

Visit Windows Updates, and choose Custom instead of Express. See if any come up. If not, either reboot the machine and visit Secunia again, or write it off to a glitch in their reporting. It's always been accurate for me. I just ran it, it showed I needed two critical updates.

KB941644
KB943485

Windows Update page confirmed that.

Also, your report seems to be referencing a backup version of iexplore

Installed on Your System in:
C:\9117bd82ac0576e01460\iexplore.exe

Since that's not the exe which should be called by using the IE shortcut, it should not be a concern.

[brandeewyne]

According to the Windows Update site, I'm all up to date and good to go.

Once again, I appreciate all the time and effort you've put in to helping me. I've learned a great deal.

Thank you so much!