Malware Removal Site

[fischlerpromo]

If you or someone you know gets hit with some Malware I have a good site to go.

I, myself, have been schooled in Malware Removal but am very rusty now, but these people aren't.

The two people that run the site are both Microsoft MVP's in Security.

With the infections that are floating around now infecting people you need people that are qualified and have good people skills also. It can be taxing at times communicating via email fixing these things but patience is a virtue they say.

Here's the site: SpywareHammer.com - Index

 

[CapStar362]

ill stick to www.malwarebytes.org and www.superantispyware.com

 

[fischlerpromo]

Both those sites are excellent and come highly recommend w/in the Security community. MB's Anti-Online Malware Removal Tool is second to none. It's not good it's REALLY GOOD.

 

[reconrider8]

Cap ya beat me to it malwarebytes is the best ive ever seen

 

[VE5JL]

I use ad-aware and HouseCall by Trend Micro system. That is about as good as it gets.

 

[fischlerpromo]

I use ad-aware and HouseCall by Trend Micro system. That is about as good as it gets.

Ad-Aware is so so in my opinion, there are much better tools out these days.. BUT, if it works for you that's all that counts.

You guys are talking about apps. I'm talking about sites where you get one on one help by experts in this field.
Some infections just won't go away using retail applications. They use programs made especially for certain kinds of infections, i.e. bad rootkits that kill the infection or find that rootkit. Some are basically reverse engineered by programmers that know how the hackers did it.. These programs are not available online and are updated as soon as the infection changes.

That's what I went to school to do, read HiJackThis logs and start from there.. but now with W7 HiJackThis is not useful anymore either.

 

[CapStar362]

SAS ( SuperAntiSpyware) has rootkit capability

 

[fischlerpromo]

So does Malwarebytes, but sometimes they don't get them.

Believe me, sometimes you do need a knowledgeable person to get that crap out.

 

[Drowsiness]

So does Malwarebytes, but sometimes they don't get them.

Believe me, sometimes you do need a knowledgeable person to get that crap out.

Nothing can ever be 100% so I agree with you.

However, having more than one on-demand scanning tool can usually catch almost everything. Also having a good antivirus with rootkit scanning that actually works can come in handy. For that, I would HIGHLY recommend Avira AntiVir.

 

[73cuda]

The best !

Both those sites are excellent and come highly recommend w/in the Security community. MB's Anti-Online Malware Removal Tool is second to none. It's not good it's REALLY GOOD.

Hey guys,

I know this thread was started for the SpywareHammer site and I have registered there but have not heard back from the admin there yet though but I got to tell you that I agree with you regarding Malwarebytes.org SW ! I got hit with the worst virus I've ever seen, I think it got onto my PC in the form of a Java update from hubtvonline (DON'T GO THERE). Absolutely nothing would work on my PC except shut down and every program I tried to open I got a pop up saying "program or file is infected" and wouldn't open, including My Computer, Control Panel, Task Manager, ETC. And a whole lot of other nasty things taking place too.

I was told by a computer repair guy that I MUST do a full format and loose everything. I do have many DVD's with backed up files for my most important things but I'd still have had to reload ALL my best programs and redo all my custom settings.

Well, after reading this thread ( I had read this thread about a week before the virus attack and remembered it) I took a small 250gb HDD that was not in use, reloaded XP with my recovery discs, downloaded MalwareBytes SW and installed it. Then I shut down and connected my 500gb infected HDD, booted back up and scanned that drive with MalwareBytes and it found the viruses and removed them.

I then unhooked the 250gb HDD and connected the formerly infected 500gb HDD as boot drive, rebooted and all seems to be perfect and the PC is running excellent and faster than it has in a while.

So thank you guys for making me aware of this excellent SW, it saved my PC and I will be purchasing the full version of Malwarebytes right away. It RULES !!!

BTW: Before I remembered this thread, I did the same scan routine with AVG and it found NOTHING at all.

So I can get my feed back up here on RR also.

Thanks again guys !

Steve

 

[Drowsiness]

AVG is terrible so of course it found nothing.

 

[SCPD]

Smart virus writers include a sub-routine that disables anti-virus programs. It isn't the quality of the anti-virus in question, all AV programs can be disabled as part of a virus payload, but rather the quality of writing in the actual virus yourself.

I saw the slam against AVG in this thread, and it just isn't so. AVG is one of the highest rated AV programs currently available. While you may be smug using your AV client, the right virus can render it useless in just a matter of seconds.

AV programs give users a false sense of security, and this is why people end up infected with a virus. They visit a questionable website, download questionable content thinking that their AV program will protect. It just isn't so folks. The best method to avoid viruses is to stop downloading questionable content.

One user noted he had to download a Java update from a website. Think about it! The only Java update is going to come from Sun itself, not some other website. Granted, a website may request to load a Java control panel or application, but this is the time to be proactive and say no, not blindly clicking on OK without thinking about the repercussions.

I hate to say it, but you had it coming and deserved getting a virus with your blind clicking on OK and trusting websites. I wouldn't even let RR attempt to install anything from its website to my system, as doing so is just not a good practice. It may be a trusted site, but anyone can insert a line of code into a site and install a virus on the unsuspecting.

I trust you did go back to the site where you claim you were infected from, and informed them of the infection. They may not even be aware that a third party has injected some type of viral code into their system.

The only way to stay virus free is to be paranoid about computer safety and stop clicking on things you think you can trust. While an AV program is a piece of mind, it is no guarantee that you won't get infected, especially when savvy virus writers can disable virus protection. People will let an unknown party into their computer, but they won't let an unknown person into their home. Its the same thing people, practice being safe, be safe and you will stay virus free.

 

[Drowsiness]

Smart virus writers include a sub-routine that disables anti-virus programs. It isn't the quality of the anti-virus in question, all AV programs can be disabled as part of a virus payload, but rather the quality of writing in the actual virus yourself.

Then it isn't a virus.

People nowadays continually confuse a virus with a trojan or other, similar types of what are called "malware." I know, I know... it's just easier to say "virus," but they are actually not the same thing.

I saw the slam against AVG in this thread, and it just isn't so. AVG is one of the highest rated AV programs currently available. While you may be smug using your AV client, the right virus can render it useless in just a matter of seconds.

It is only rated highly because it is free (well, the non paid one) and it's enjoyed mass marketing in the free AV world as well as word of mouth from people who do not look at the REAL comparatives for antivirus programs.

AVG, realistically, has some of the lowest detection rates for in the wild viruses and trojans that it is almost laughable. Better options are Avast! and Avira AntiVir (both have free versions) which have better detection of in the wild as well as heuristic scanners which just blow AVG out of the water.

AVG
------------------------
Script Malware - 60%
Backdoors/Bots - 94.7%
Trojans - 94%
Other malware - 75%

Avast
------------------------
Script Malware - 95.5%
Backdoors/Bots - 97.1%
Trojans - 97.1%
Other malware - 93.1%

Avira AntiVir
------------------------
Script Malware - 91.6%
Backdoors/Bots - 99.5%
Trojans - 99.3%
Other malware - 92.7%

Those differences are staggering in some areas. Recommending AVG is like recommending nothing at all because if it can't hardly detect what is already known and in the wild, then what do you think it is doing on a heuristic level?

AV programs give users a false sense of security, and this is why people end up infected with a virus. They visit a questionable website, download questionable content thinking that their AV program will protect. It just isn't so folks. The best method to avoid viruses is to stop downloading questionable content.

If their AV were any good, the infection(s) would be prevented a lot of the time. But I also agree with you on a level here... common sense and thinking before acting are the TRUE methods of not getting infected. An antivirus simply adds a level of protection which prevents things that it can detect.

Again, no AV is 100% as that would be impossible. However, for known and some unknown factors, they are a good tool to have. Not having one is a foolish thing.

Also keep in mind that not all content can be easily deemed "questionable." Most infections these days come from dubious emails and XSS anyway. So not clicking a random link is only really half the battle.

 

[73cuda]

Dak48, I had it coming ??? I don't think so sir ! I was trying to find an episode from NatGeo called Lightning Chasers and checked NatGeo's site and didn't find it so I googled for it. The second from the top was the site I posted above, hubtvonline.blogspot.com which you may like to know, AVG had the link marked as safe with the green check mark next to it in the google window. I did not say that I "had to download a java update" nor did I do so. While at that site, it was streaming something from ESPN or appeared to be and then a java update window popped up, I did nothing to invite this pop up and I think I've seen a java pop up before for video so I didn't think too much about it, I will from now on though.

I don't call "Lightning Chasers" questionable content nor did I "blindly click anything" ! And again regarding AVG, I think it has saved my PC before and I've been happy with it. I don't feel that I slammed it but while it was disabled by the virus or trojan or whatever you call that cr@p, The scan I refer to was done from a good, operational and clean HDD running XP ( the 250gb HDD I referred to) and AVG (up to date) did scan it and found NOTHING. Again, I then loaded MB and scanned the infected HDD with MB and it found it and eliminated it.

Saying I had it coming to me is like me walking onto what by all indications is a safe street and some SOB who doesn't even know me, takes a shot at me and I get wounded and some passerby stops and says "you had that coming to you".

So you can defend AVG all you want to but the fact remains, IT FOUND NOTHING !!!

And no, I didn't go back to that site to advise them what happened and I'm not going back to that site. Feel free to do so, just remember, you might have to blindly click on what AVG says is a safe site.

Keep in mind, I posted my experience here to help others that have or may have in the future the need for some AV to get rid of a "problem".

 

[owtlawatv]

Ive been a computer tech for 10 years now.
Malwarebytes has been the best and most effective software in my experiences.

my 2cents

 

[Drowsiness]

Ive been a computer tech for 10 years now.
Malwarebytes has been the best and most effective software in my experiences.

my 2cents

Yeah, Malwarebytes is great for trojans and other malware. However, Avast and Avira AntiVir remain the kings of detecting actual viruses. Also, to be honest, Microsoft's Security Essentials has great detection now and incredibly good removal.

 

[fischlerpromo]

Cap ya beat me to it malwarebytes is the best ive ever seen

This is apples and oranges..
MBAM is a scanner, and the best there is at the moment ....

Sypware Hammer is a forum where people will help you.. Not everything can be fixed by running MBAM.
I know these people and alot of them are Microsoft MVP's in Consumer Security.

 

[poltergeisty]

1) Firefox and the addon Noscript. NoScript - JavaScript/Java/Flash blocker for a safer Firefox experience! - what is it? - InformAction

2) Avira with heuristic set to high and the advanced process termination set to on. Virus removal, boot sector repair, system check - free tools download

3) Comodo firewall and a SPI firewall using DD-WRT with active X off. Firewall Software Download | Free Computer Protection--- www.dd-wrt.com | Unleash Your Router

4) Use hijackthis often. HijackThis - Trend Micro USA--- HijackThis Logfileauswertung

Never seen malware in over seven years.

http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php

http://www.av-comparatives.org/

 

[JokeInsurance]

As I posted in a different thread....

Microsoft Security Essentials is really good:

Microsoft Security Essentials - Free Antivirus for Windows

 

[fischlerpromo]

HiJackThis is basically useless theses days.

MSE, Malwarebytes, and a good firewall will help.

I have many years experience in MW removal....

The best defense against Malware is YOU!!!