Malke
Thu Apr 28 12:41:27 CDT 2005
Martin Spencer-Ford wrote:
>
> "Daniel" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:0b5501c54c15$390ec2a0$a601280a@phx.gbl...
>> Browser has been highjacked and I have tried the 3 most
>> popular spyware removal tools, Spysweeper,Spybot and
>> Adaware. To no avail. They each detect and remove
>> various spyware but they are all missing the same
>> problem. IE 6 is still being hijacked. Aside from wiping
>> the drive I need some advice or tools to get rid of the
>> malware. Any ideas?
>
> Hi there Daniel, try hijack this from
>
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html it requires you to
> know a little about the make-up of your machine, but will show
> everything you need to know in respect to startup applications and
> homepage settings in IE. Anything you are not sure about, remove with
> caution, make a restore point, or a registry back up, and those that
> you know are out and out obvious flaws, remove them.
>
> TpwUK
You've gotten good advice, but here are comprehensive malware removal
steps. It is crucial that you do everything with updated tools in Safe
Mode:
First delete all Temporary and Temporary Internet Files. To do this, go
to Control Panel>Internet Options>General tab. You'll see where you can
delete cookies and files. For Temporary files, Start>Run cleanmgr
[enter] and then:
1) Scan in Safe Mode with current version (not earlier than 2004)
antivirus using updated definitions.
Before you remove malware, get LSPFix or WinSockFix for XP - see links
below.
2) Remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware. These
programs are free, so use them both since they complement each other.
There is a new version of CWShredder from Intermute. I would not
install the other Intermute programs, however. Alternately, there are
CoolWebSearch malware removal steps at SilentRunners.
Be sure to update these programs before running, and it is a good idea
to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode. Make sure you are able to see
all hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder Options).
If the malware remains even after you used Ad-aware and Spybot, you can
scan with HijackThis. HijackThis is an excellent tool to discover and
disable hijackers, but it requires expert skill. See below for
HijackThis links, including sites where you can post your HJT logs. A
combination of HijackThis and About:Buster works well in removing the
About:Blank homepage hijacker. Again, this is an expert tool and
novices should get help with it.
3) If you are running Windows ME or XP, you should disable/enable System
Restore after the system is clean because malware will be in the
Restore Points. With ME, you must disable System Restore completely.
With XP, you can delete all but the most recent (presumably clean)
System Restore point from the More Options section of Disk Cleanup
(Run>cleanmgr).
4) Make sure you've visited Windows Update and applied all security
patches. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update.
5) Run a firewall.
Links to help with malware:
Software/Methods:
http://www.safer-networking.org - Spybot Search & Destroy
http://www.lavasoftusa.com - Ad-aware
http://www.intermute.com/products/cwshredder.html
http://www.tomcoyote.com/hjt/ - HijackThis
http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html
http://www.silentrunners.org/sr_cwsremoval.html. - SilentRunners
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm - Repair Winsock 2 settings after
removing spyware
http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html - WinsockXPFix.exe
HijackThis:
http://www.aumha.org/a/hjttutor.htm - HijackThis tutorial by Jim
Eshelman
http://aumha.net - forums
http://spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5 - Spyware Warrior HijackThis
forum
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/
General:
http://aumha.net - look under "Security" for various forums
http://rgharper.mvps.org/cleanit.htm
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm - The Parasite Fight
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User