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A new found threat for all computer users!

sassy_one
sassy_one Posts: 2,688 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
edited 5 November 2010 at 7:49AM in Techie Stuff
Hi all :wave:

I would rather not be posting this thread under these circumstances but feel I should warn you all of a new virus (Trojan).

I turned on my computer a little while ago and after browsing online for 5-10 minutes a rather official looking Microsoft warning appeared on my screen saying I had a 'Serious threat' of a Trojan that and my computer was infected and Internet Explorer had to be closed to protect my computer.

Not knowing what else to do I allowed the rather official looking software to install and carry out a scan, where by it needed to reboot the computer.

After the computer reboots it goes into an 'alleged' safe mode state and you cannot stop the scan, well that's what the makers of this software want you to believe ;)

At start up press F8, then 'Start Windows in Safe Mode with Networking'

Simply press 'Ctrl Alt and Delete' at the same time to bring Task manager up, once you have, go to process's and click 'Hotfix2.exe' and stop the program from running, this will cancel the software.
Once you have done this, simply carry out a 'System restore' to an earlier point before you had this infection.

This worked for me.

I highly recommend after you have done the above to perform a full system scan with your Anti-Virus software.
If you don't have any, I seriously recommend you get some.


Should you get this Trojan, follow the steps above to gain back access to your computer, but what ever you do, don't pay for the software as requested to do, it is not proper scanning software and is fake by all means, all the infections it finds are 'made up' to gain your money.

I hope the above advice helps you if you have a 'Think Point' infection, however I hope this has found you before Think Point has and warns you not to intsall it, simply click 'X' to cancel any warnin you should receive.


:)

Have you had the Think Point Trojan 45 votes

Yes
13% 6 votes
No
84% 38 votes
Unsure
2% 1 vote
Yes but managed to resolve it
0% 0 votes
«1

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 178,380 Community Admin
    10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    There are also some registry keys that need to be removed.

    See full removal instructions here
    This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • sassy_one
    sassy_one Posts: 2,688 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    !!!!!! wrote: »
    There are also some registry keys that need to be removed.

    See full removal instructions here


    That is what I just had to do as shortly after posting my opening thread 'Think Point' came back up on my screen, have now removed it from the registry and completed three different scans and they have cleaned the computer up and is working fine again!
  • JJ_Egan
    JJ_Egan Posts: 20,281 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Sack your security team .

    jje
  • esuhl
    esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    sassy-one wrote: »
    Not knowing what else to do I allowed the rather official looking software to install...

    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! :eek:

    Maybe worth switching to Firefox (which doesn't use ActiveX), and installing Spybot (with the SDHelper feature turned on - it blocks certain malware downloads in IE) and SpywareBlaster (which blocks malware domains in IE and FF). A quick scan with MBAM wouldn't hurt either.
  • davester
    davester Posts: 4,079 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    was going to say use Firefox with script blocker, ever since I did what seems to be a millenia ago I have not seen a fake trojan popup

    Not to mention I have not had any viruses since installing Avast and Comodo. AVG let a pathetic one in a while back, which did nothing as it targeted windows 95.
    Survey earnings total 2009 £417, 2010 £875, 2011 £574
  • sassy_one
    sassy_one Posts: 2,688 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    My machine is completely clean now and runnig somewhar faster than before the virus even infected the computer!

    I was using Firefox when it happend!
  • esuhl
    esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    sassy-one wrote: »
    a rather official looking Microsoft warning appeared on my screen saying... Internet Explorer had to be closed...
    sassy-one wrote: »
    I was using Firefox when it happend!

    Weren't you suspicious that a message appeared saying that IE needed to close when you weren't using it? Or were you using both browsers simultaneously...?
  • sassy_one
    sassy_one Posts: 2,688 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    esuhl wrote: »
    Weren't you suspicious that a message appeared saying that IE needed to close when you weren't using it? Or were you using both browsers simultaneously...?


    No, not really.
    The messaged looked so official from Microsoft and I have something active on my computer where it won't even let me run a program on BBC iPlayer without asking me first, but this just popped up and closed Firefox.

    Really nasty, took me a good few hours this morning to clean the system and thought was going to need to take it to a shop for repair!!

    All working perfect now, lucky :)
  • tronator
    tronator Posts: 2,859 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Can we expect a new thread/poll for every new virus/trojan? :eek:
  • chunter
    chunter Posts: 2,023 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I've seen 7 pcs infected with thinkpoint in 3 days.
    Common denominator seems to be gumtree though I can't get it pinned down.

    Before today I thought it was a spoof Facebook email.
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