Questions from someone who knows very little

MrsNut

I'm hoping someone here will be able to advise me, in words of very few syllables.

This morning , my son found 'Total Security' was asking us to update - he thought 'this looks funny' and brought it to my attention. When asked, my husband said he 'may have' allowed it to download last night, thinking it was part of our anti-virus protection (we have Norton 2009) but stopped when it started asking him for money. It's sitting there on the toolbar, glaring at me.

Having looked through this website for advice, it looks like it can be dealt with. However, can someone answer the following questions please?

1. What exactly is Total Security trying to do (apart from extort money from us)?
2. What can it do to my computer?
3. Is getting rid of it possible for someone who doesn't know a lot (I've looked at the threads about it, but i'm not certain I fully understand what I need to do)?
4. Why did Norton not say 'Don't do this' (or is it possible that my husband overruled it?)
5. Is there any way I can stop my husband from doing this sort of thing again? (I've warned my sons not to do anything like this without consulting me, but his excuse was 'I couldn't consult you, as you'd gone to bed')?
6. Anything else I need to know?

Thanks!

Baldur

Reading this link may help with at least some of your questions http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-total-security

Have you run a full scan with Norton?

kev1n3

Total Security is a rogue spyware.. You prob have a virus.. Download malwarbytes, install, update, run a scan.

The rogue program is a clone of a fake spyware remover called System Security. Usually, Total Security is installed through the use of Trojan viruses. Total Security access the system without user's knowledge or permission.

aliEnRIK

1 - make itself very difficult to remove using 'normal' methods
2 - Slow it down, tell you the systems infected to atempt to scare you into paying for it to remove the (bogus) infection
3 - Hopefully it should be easy enough (See below)
4 - Because its cr*p at detecting/removing malware
5 - If anyone in your family is willing to press buttons 'wlly nilly' then no
6 - see below

Download MALWAREBYTES (Click 'DOWNLOAD LATEST VERSION')
http://www.filehippo.com/download_malwarebytes_anti_malware/
UPDATE and FULL scan
Post the log here after its deleted everything

Download HIJACK THIS (Click 'DOWNLOAD LATEST VERSION')
http://www.filehippo.com/download_hijackthis/
reboot
SCAN and post the log so we can see whats running

HTML200

I've just found the same link as Baldur, and I recommend it, it's got step-by-step instructions for getting rid of it.

enigma52

download and run roguefix from here this usually sorts it out