Please help! Had Defender virus warning - Now desktop icons have vanished!

paddywak

Hi SaqibQ

Just getting on now. The computer seems fine now. No problems now. Do you think that Trojan has gone?
You mentioned some clean up - will I do that now?
What about the Anit-virus and firewall - does that need to go on now?

GunJack

Yeah, get the firewall and antivirus on, then....

My Computer/HDD - right-click, properties/disk cleanup, ensure all are ticked,let it do it's stuff, once this has done, go to tools tab and defrag your HDD...then reboot and it should be better...

SaqibQ

Hi paddywak,

Do you think that Trojan has gone?...

Yes, the logs are clean. And if the computer is running normal, then that's great!

What about the Anit-virus and firewall - does that need to go on now?

Yes, you can switch them on.

Now for the cleanup...

Click Start > Run > type combofix /u > press OK. This will uninstall ComboFix.

You can keep ATF Cleaner and use it when you need. Or you can simply delete it from your Desktop.

Let me know if you have any questions.

---

Now that your system is clean, kindly follow these simple steps in order to keep your computer clean and secure:

You may already have some of the following programs, but I include the full list for the benefit of all the other people who will be reading this thread in the future.
(Vista users must ensure that any programs are Vista compatible BEFORE installing )

Online Scanners
I would recommend a scan at one or more of the following sites at least once a month.

http://www.pandasecurity.com/activescan
http://www.kaspersky.com/kos/eng/partner/71706/kavwebscan.html

!!! Make sure that all your programs are updated !!!
Secunia Software Inspector does all the work for you, .... see HERE for details

AntiSpyware

• AntiSpyware is not the same thing as Antivirus.
  Different AntiSpyware programs detect different things, so in this case it is recommended that you have more than one.
  You should only have one running all the time, the other/s should be used "on demand" on a regular basis.
  Most of the programs in this list have a free (for Home Users ) and paid versions,
  it is worth paying for one and having "realtime" protection, unless you intend to do a manual scan often.
• Spybot - Search & Destroy <<< A must have program
  • It includes host protection and registry protection
  • A hosts file is a bit like a phone book, it points to the actual numeric address (i.e. the IP address) from the human friendly name of a website. This feature can be used to block malicious websites
• MalwareBytes Anti-malware <<< A new and effective program
• a-squared Free <<< A good "realtime" or "on demand" scanner
• SUPERAntiSpyware <<< A good "realtime" or "on demand" scanner

Prevention

• These programs don't detect malware, they help stop it getting on your machine in the first place.
  Each does a different job, so you can have more than one
• Winpatrol
  • An excellent startup manager and then some !!
  • Notifies you if programs are added to startup
  • Allows delayed startup
  • A must have addition
• SpywareBlaster 4.0
  • SpywareBlaster sets killbits in the registry to prevent known malicious activex controls from installing themselves on your computer.
• SpywareGuard 2.2
  • SpywareGuard provides real-time protection against spyware.
  • Not required if you have other "realtime" antispyware or Winpatrol
• ZonedOut
  • Formerly known as IE-SPYAD, adds a long list of sites and domains associated with known advertisers and marketers to the Restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer.
• MVPS HOSTS
  • This little program packs a powerful punch as it blocks ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and many hijackers.
  • For information on how to download and install, please read this tutorial by WinHelp2002.
  • Not required if you are using other host file protections

Windows Updates (a must!)
It is very important to make sure that both Internet Explorer and Windows are kept current with the latest critical security patches from Microsoft. You can either click on the link above and bookmark the updates page, or open Internet Explorer, then go to the Tools menu -> Windows Update, and follow the online instructions from there

Internet Browsers

• Microsoft has worked hard to make IE.7 a more secure browser, unfortunately whilst it is still the leading browser of choice it will always be under attack from the bad guys.
  Using a different web browser can help stop malware getting on your machine.
  • Make your Internet Explorer more secure - This can be done by following these simple instructions:
    1. From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
    2. Click once on the Security tab
    3. Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
    4. Click once on the Custom Level button.
       • Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
       • Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
       • Change the Initialise and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
       • Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
       • Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
       • Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
       • When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
       • If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
    5. Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.
  
  If you are still using IE6 then either update, or get one of the following.
  • FireFox
    • With many addons available that make customization easy this is a very popular choice
    • NoScript and AdBlockPlus addons are essential
  • Opera
    • Another popular alternative
  • Netscape
    • Another popular alternative
    • Also has Addons available

Cleaning Temporary Internet Files and Tracking Cookies

• Temporary Internet Files are mainly the files that are downloaded when you open a web page.
  Unfortunately, if the site you visit is of a dubious nature or has been hacked, they can also be an entry point for malware.
  It is a good idea to empty the Temporary Internet Files folder on a regular basis.
  
  Tracking Cookies are files that websites use to monitor which sites you visit and how often.
  A lot of Antispyware scanners pick up these tracking cookies and flag them as unwanted.
  CAUTION :- If you delete all your cookies you will lose any autologin information for sites that you visit, and will need your passwords
  
  Both of these can be cleaned manually, but a quicker option is to use a program
• ATF Cleaner
  • Free and very simple to use
• CCleaner
  • Free and very flexible, you can chose which cookies to keep

Also PLEASE read these articles: So How Did I Get Infected In The First Place and Malware Prevention: Prevent Re-infection

The last and most important thing I can tell you is UPDATE.
If you don't update your security programs (Antivirus, Antispyware even Windows) then you are at risk.
Malware changes on a day to day basis. You should update every week at the very least.

SaqibQ

That same entry turned up in your previous scan. You need to reboot (same as restart) the computer for the key to be deleted.

paddywak

Did another malwarebyte and it still hasn't shifted. Do I still continue with the clean up or does something else need to be done to that Trojan?

aliEnRIK

Did you REBOOT Paddy? (Sounded to me like you just restarted malwarebytes)

paddywak

Yes I restarted the computer - is that the same thing?
It won't allow me to delete it.

claire6hy

i cant get rid of it!!!
the system32 file wont budge

aliEnRIK

paddywak wrote: »

Yes I restarted the computer - is that the same thing?
It won't allow me to delete it.

what happened when you did restart? Did malwarebytes say 'unable to delete' or similar?

aliEnRIK

claire6hy wrote: »

i cant get rid of it!!!
the system32 file wont budge

You have the exact same problem Claire?