My virus protection program said "Do you want to clean"

[truedelphi]

the contaminated files.

I hit yes, and it started to then "clean" not just the our bad files, but my whole system. Within ten seconds I shut the system down.

What does this "cleaning" mean? I know what it means to quarantine a contaminated file, or delete it. But I really have no idea of what cleaning my system was going to do to it...

As always, any advice deeply appreciated. (And "cleanly" appreciated, too, I imagine.)

[mockmonkey]

1. What virus protection do you use? n/t

[truedelphi]

5. To avoid re-typing my info, pls look at my reply below to

"J Boy" below.

Thanks!

[JBoy]

2. This sounds suspicious. What anti-virus program are you using?

[truedelphi]

3. Ad aware anti virus.

I agree it sounds suspicious.

The program has been on my computer some three weeks, and its "boxed in on screen presentation" announcing it looked different, and it has never asked me about cleaning anything until today. Not even when it found other nasty files.

[Pab Sungenis]

4. That was a trojan.

There are a number of them that mimic anti-virus programs.

[truedelphi]

6. So what did the fifteen seconds or so of its "cleaning" do to my system?

Even speculation would be useful, if labelled such.

[Pab Sungenis]

7. Usually, they scramble or encrypt your documents

and harvest whatever information they can from them, like banking data and passwords.

Change all your passwords immediately, and if you have a recent backup the best bet is to wipe and restore.

[truedelphi]

10. Thanks for your help.

Yesterday, I replaced the replacement Virus Program, AdWare or whatever it was. (It was my replacement for PC Tools, that I had paid for till the end of the year, but they went belly up earlier this year!)

Now I use something called "Malware" something, a virus program, and it is up and running.

I watched while it scanned my computer, and noted that there are a lot of files that suddenly have "safari" attached to them.

Which is not at all a possibility, unless they got hacked. For instance, let's say I had a file that was "TrueDAndPabS-emails" and it should be that name plus extension: "TrueDAndPabS-emails.txt"


I don't use Safari!

My files that are docs should read either extension "doc" or extension "txt." With nothing more AT ALL after that three letter extension. Now that file would read "TrueDAndPabS-emails.txt.safari.hgbvr.pseudo.html," or some such. (Part of the file seems to be a random assignment of letters.)


I think everything is backed up. But the password situation you describe worries me.

[PrestonLocke]

8. Sorry if this is not helpful

If virus scanners worked they would not come with "free" online backup.

It's a scam.

[truedelphi]

9. PrestonLocke - I appreciate your comments.

Often, I really truly feel that way myself. For example -- Any and everything offered by Norton , is useless.

Back in the nineties, a friend of a friend was a close acquaintance with one of the top computer reviewers (I know the guy had a column in the Chicago Tribune for a while, but can't remember his name.)

But that columnist would rant and rave about how awful Norton was. At the time I had Norton Utilities, so I switched to AVG, and immediately found bad stuff that the Norton U's had allowed on my machine.

Then I heard bad stuff about AVG, and switched to PC Tools, and PC Tools found bad stuff that AVG had overlooked. I really liked PC Tools, and felt they were worth the forty bucks a year or whatever that gets charged.

AVG had also pissed us off, as when we bought it we paid for it to be on extra computers, but it took over a year to get the other computers on the AVG system. Really seemed hard for us to do. (And M. is good at figuring out what I can't so I have no idea what all that was about. But of course, I strongly suspect that they figured that we would just re-pay another 69 bucks or something.

Again, I really liked PC Tools and adding extra computers was easy as well. Plus they seemed to have an easy to deal with support system. But then this spring, PC Tools said in a dialogue box that appeared on my screen one day that they would be being bought out - or maybe they were ceasing operations? And they recommended I use Norton!

Anyway all these friggin companies let the government spies in the back door. I am sure they do occasionally protect me from some 14 year old hacker in Dubuque Iowa, but I'd like the government out of my life, especially if I am paying someone some 39 to 69 bucks a year.

[TygrBright]

11. If you are running a Windows machine, try these:

Download and install Microsoft Security Essentials; use that instead of the virtually-useless Windows Defender. They make an effort to keep MSE updated and it works as a first line of defense.

Also download and install the freeware versions of:

MalwareBytes
SpyBot Search and Destroy

(Donating would be a nice gesture, once you get them up and running. They are both excellent tools and well-supported.)


These three together should manage to find and zotz most ickies, if you keep them updated.

I have MSE set up to run a full scan on a regular schedule, and I run a full scan of MB and SSD manually at LEAST weekly.

I usually run a "fast scan" of SSD last thing before I stop work at night, it only takes a few moments.

helpfully,
Bright

[truedelphi]

12. Thanks very much, TygerBright

You aren't the first person to mention how nice MalwareBytes happens to be - but why do I need it and ALSO MSE??

I put MalwareB on my injured system right before shutting it down the other night.

What is one doing that the other isn't?

[TygrBright]

13. Malware Bytes does not do the same things that MSE does.

MSE does firewalling and various levels of "on the fly" screening as files are downloaded, documents are saved, new ports (such as USB ports for thumb drives) are accessed, etc., to look for issues.

It's the difference between washing your hands and making sure your utensils are clean as you are preparing food, and inspecting the refrigerator and throwing out anything with green fur.

SSD and Malware Bytes are both in the "get rid of furry food" category, but they have different strengths and tools that they apply. I've frequently run them both to find that one found something the other missed.

helpfully,
Bright

[truedelphi]

16. Very Helpful if slightly

Corny explanation. (I am a cornball, myself, so it's good to meet someone else like that.)

I hate Microsoft with a passion, and will be updating to Linux by Febr 2014, yet I guess if the only way to be somewhat safe is to use the program, I will start doing it.

And nice that it is free.

[wandy]

15. I'll second you're recomendation. Also if you 'pick around' Microsoft enough..........

you should find a "standalone" version (boot from CD) of MSE.
Standalone virus checkers are nice to have around if something gets at the boot sector.

[PrestonLocke]

14. Microsoft has a decent free 'security suite'

It's called Microsoft Security Essentials. There is also malwarebytes which has a free version which is very effective. http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Other than not really being effective, one of the biggest downfalls of most virus scanners and live protection programs is that they are resource hogs. For us performance junkies that's really hard to come to terms with, haha.

If you are sure of your source and you're sure of what you're downloading you don't really need an anti-virus program. Even if you have the best anti-virus software in the world, it will not be able to detect or prevent zero-day attacks, or the biggest security threat to any system, the user. (guilty!)

Oh, I do agree about norton being less than useful. However, the company that makes norton, symantec does have some enterprise level software that is pretty good. I still do not know why they can't produce anything good for the home pc.

EDIT: I realize now that folks have already pointed you in the direction of mse and mb!