trojans

bushranger31

is there any sites outthere that check and remove trojans on my pc for free as theyre making me :mad: and keep them away :eek:

danmanchester

bushranger31 wrote:

is there any sites outthere that check and remove trojans on my pc for free as theyre making me :mad: and keep them away :eek:

There are quite a few..I recommend you try first:http://www.windowsecurity.com/trojanscan/
and also you could download the free AntiSpy tool from the same website.

[edit] correction..the free Microsoft AntiSpyware tool can be downloaded from:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

bonzer

bushranger31 wrote:

is there any sites outthere that check and remove trojans on my pc for free as theyre making me :mad: and keep them away :eek:

If it's a Trojan in the sense of a program designed to act maliciously or let someone into your computer, then any good anti-virus program that is kept up to date should sort it out e.g. AVG:

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/Get+AVG+FREE/lng/us/tpl/v5

If your computer is currently infected, run the anti-virus program (make certain it is absolutely up to date) with Windows started in "Safe Mode". In many cases anti-virus programs can't fully remove nasties when Windows is running in normal mode. Safe mode stops the virus from running so the anti-virus can get rid of it. This is something the software vendors don't always make clear.

If it's ad-ware i.e. software that's just irritating and bombards you with adverts or invades your privacy etc then I would suggest Ad Aware:

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

The best way to stop Trojans/Viruses is to stop them getting onto your computer in the first place. There are three key ways they arrive these days:

[1.]Via e-mail attachments (usually sent automatically from other infected machines)
[2.]By convincing you to download them off the internet bundled in with other software.
[3.]By hacking into your computer due to bugs in Windows, Internet Explorer and other software you may be running.

To stop method 1 you need to run an anti-virus program and keep it religiously up to date (every day). Most virus scanners will check your e-mail both incoming and outgoing. Treat any e-mail attachments you get with suspicion unless you were expecting them.

To stop method 2 you need to virus scan every file you download from the internet. You can always get any anti-virus program to scan one specific file only. Some you can get to automatically check files you download.

To stop method 3 you need a firewall and to keep your copy of Windows (including your web browser and e-mail program) perfectly up to date to reduce the number of bugs in it. You do this through "Windows Update" in the start menu. More recent versions of Windows you can set to automatically update.

Regards

Bonzer

blinky

Most antivirus software will pick up trojans, but there are some highly recommended anti-trojan packages out there.

TDS-3 is available as a 30 day trial, and is a dedicated Anti-Trojan application. I think other than the 30 day limitation you have to manually update the database (not difficult to do).

http://tds.diamondcs.com.au/

It does have a lot of features, most of which you'll never use.

The other highly recommended anti trojan package is BOClean, but I don't think they have a trial. It isn't expensive though only £22 and no subscription charges.

http://www.nsclean.com/boclean.html

Having used both (got both licences), I prefer BOClean.

Fran

bonzer wrote:

If it's a Trojan in the sense of a program designed to act maliciously or let someone into your computer, then any good anti-virus program that is kept up to date should sort it out e.g. AVG:

As I understand it, antivirus programmes are not that good at detecting trojans.

Have a look at FAQ's - Internet Security, Free and What security do you use?

bonzer

Fran wrote:

As I understand it, antivirus programmes are not that good at detecting trojans.

Fair point, but even though they don't specifically advertise it, anti-virus software gets the prevalent Trojans which is mostly what you're likely to catch. The anti-trojan vendors have a vested interest in trying to scare you into not trusting your anti-virus vendors capabiltities. But then why would you trust the anti-trojan vendor any more? Because they just deal with Trojans? Hence implying they won't touch anything with a viral component so aren't they missing stuff as well?

So following that argument you've got to run both to be sure. But then where do you stop? There's a limit to how much security software I'd be prepared to buy in the same way there is a limit to how much insurance I would buy. I'd stick to the most likely risks and to me that means a good A/V vendors offering.

Regards

Bonzer.

Nex0

I agree I find norton great for viruses but rubbish for trojans so I run it side by side with Microsoft Antispyware and my system has never been happier.

fayraz

I've had a trojan on my system for ages now and I can not ged rid of it. I am running Norton, Norton detects it but cannot get rid of it for some reason.

Toxteth_OGrady

Try Ewido

:cool:

TOG

bonzer

fayraz wrote:

I've had a trojan on my system for ages now and I can not ged rid of it. I am running Norton, Norton detects it but cannot get rid of it for some reason.

Have you tried running Norton with Windows in Safe Mode? It's usually hard to get rid of this stuff while it's running. Safe mode tries to prevent the Trojan starting enabling the A/V to dispose of it.

Here's Symantec's instructions for Safe Mode (about half way down the page):

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/pfdocs/2002051411085406?Open

Bonzer