Tech: MS Antivirus 2008

Subject: Tech: Help! MS Antivirus 2008
From: Janie
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 12:02 AM

Help! My son's computer is infested with this thing and I can't seem to get rid of it. A google search indicated spybot would do it, but it hasn't. (I've been having trouble with the spybot on that computer doing what it is supposed to do for awhile.   Have uninstalled and reinstalled it, but it still isn't working quite right.) Spybot said it removed the trojan zlob (or something like that) which I guess is how this bogus program got installed to begin with. But there is still a win32:zlob in what I think is the registry.

Other sites that pop up on google for removal tools are sites I don't know about, and I'm afraid to use them.   There is one site that offeres instructions for removing it manually, with all kinds of notations that you can really screw your computer up if you don't do it exactly right, so you really ought to by their removal tool.

Subject: RE: Tech: MS Antivirus 2008
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 12:22 AM

Go to http://www.symantec.com and let their system scan your computer, if they still have that service available. They may be able to offer a remedy. If they don't scan, then search by name and see if they offer a downloadable remedy or again, maybe they'll scan remotely and clobber it.

Also you can look at places like http://www.cnet.com or PCworld, etc. for reviews of antivirus software and removers. Do you have something in use like AVG? You could download it and let it scan. AVG (used to be called Grisoft).

Good luck!

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: MS Antivirus 2008
From: GUEST,Ravenheart
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 01:16 AM

I can recommend the Security Cleanup forum at www.broadbandreports.com for some expert guidance.

Subject: RE: Tech: MS Antivirus 2008
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 02:42 AM

Good luck, Janie -
I'm pretty sure it was zlob I had on the computer at the Women's Center. It kept installing bogus antivirus programs that encourage you to pay for them.
I finally saved the data, did a system restore and wiped all information off the computer, and reinstalled the programs. Now it's like new. Every antivirus remedy I tried, didn't work for me.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: MS Antivirus 2008
From: scouse
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 05:35 AM

Why Not use "House Call." it works well for me!! Google it.
As Aye,
Phil.

Subject: RE: Tech: MS Antivirus 2008
From: Zen
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 08:15 AM

I've had to remove this from two computers recently and it's a pervasive and nasty infection and tricky to remove. Some of the well-known antivirus and anti-malware programs do not seem to be effective. I used a program called MalwareBytes AntiMalware which worked very well. The free evaluation version will work OK. I believe the program Spyhunter also works but can't verify it personally.

Further details on removal are available at Bleeping Computer.

The various windows that the malware causes to popup, including a convicing-looking "Blue screen of death", are mostly enticements to purchase a non-existent antivirus program that will cost you $70 if they get hold of your credit card details.

Also further discussions and suggested solutions here

Zen

Subject: RE: Tech: MS Antivirus 2008
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 10:31 AM

I've hit "Bleeping Computer" a few times in Google searches--they do seem to have some useful information.

Janie, any idea how your son picked this up? Does he download a lot, or browse promiscuously? Now is the time to make him start paying attention to the maintenance and repair end of computer use.

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: MS Antivirus 2008
From: Janie
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 11:27 AM

I think he probably picked it up from addictinggames.com, or a linked site from them, which he had been told to stay off of because it has caused problems in the past. I'm about to block the website. I just got the computer back 6 weeks ago after spending $120 to clean it up from his poor judgement. He has been told the next time, it comes out of his pocket.

One of the websites talking about MS Antivirus and the zlob trojan say they are likely to be picked up from bogus video codex. I'm not sure what that means. He is on YouTube and Facebook alot, as well an Airsoft blog, and the American Parkour website. Both have links to videos, but when I have watched them with him, the video links are aways to YouTube.

I also realized that the regularly scheduled symantec and spybot scans were scheduled for times the computer is nearly always turned off. I know I can not count on him to remember to run manual scans. I ran a Symantec scan overnight. It has disabled MS Antivirus so it is not constantly popping up, but there is still an icon for it. It also identified another trojan, but is reporting it can not complete the remediation. I went ahead and purchased Malwarebytes Anti-malware and the browser unexpectedly quit before I could follow the download instructions. The confirmation e-mail says to go to their site and click on the protection tab to register and download the program, only, there is no protection tab that I can find, so I am waiting for a reply from tech support. I can not get the free version to download, so there is still something pretty screwy going on.

I hate computers 'cuz I don't have the kind of mind that groks the problem-solving process with them, and I can not learn the language of tech talk well enough to understand what the problem-solving sites and blogs are saying.

Subject: RE: Tech: MS Antivirus 2008
From: Janie
Date: 15 Sep 08 - 09:21 PM

Zen sent me a link that allowed me to download and register the Malbytes Anti-Malware program and it did the trick for me. The freeware would probably have worked fine too, but I decided the active monitoring on my kid's computer is worth paying for.

Thanks all.

Janie

Subject: Tech: Antivirus XP2008
From: GUEST,buspassed
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 12:04 PM

Anybody now how to get rid of this piece of malevolent s**t?

Better still does anyone where the originators live? I'd like to show them a little trick involving bolt croppers, a specially blunted bread knife and their chest cavity!!!!!!

---

I moved your post in here to refresh the previous discussion.