After I ran Ad Aware with updates, I removed 57 more files.
Posted on 06/22/2004 4:07:02 PM PDT by Dog Gone
Heh, no. Nothing of the sort. I've been around on Usenet since about 1989 and on Fidonet back to about 84 or so. Spam wasn't much of an issue until about 1994 or 95 when AOL started dragging in masses of people. But, that's not what's so funny.
Zombies are NOT old folks or the uninformed. The mental image of a bunch of geezers causing this problem is quite funny. In reality, Zombies in this instance simply means trojaned computers controlled by hackers and spammers. It all started with the Sub-Seven trojan or at least that was the first widely used one. The controller tricks people into installing the trojan and the trojan contacts a private IRC chat room and awaits commands. Once enough trojan'd machines (zombies) are available, the hacker can then do many things(spam, DOS attacks, smurfs, syns you name it). There are guys out there with networks of hundreds or thousands of zombies that do his bidding. Virtual Zombie armies.
The fact that you thought that the article was calling the newbs, old folks and uninformed as Zombies cracked me up. LOL. Why, mostly because I call several family members zombies, but for the reason you stated, not as to what the article was referring to. Heh.
While they're at it, how about getting a rebate for every time one logs on to their ISP and it is down, or you're booted off in two minutes?
After I ran Ad Aware with updates, I removed 57 more files.
Grrr, I hate internet terrorists and the attacks they make. Beheading is too kind to them.
holy toledo.
Oh and if you click on my profile, I go into it in a bit more detail.
I also found two viruses, when I looked in his quaratine file, Norton had already isolated 75.
There is one little file somewhere on his hard drive that I can't find that is still generating spyware. If I can't find it the next time I visit him, I am going to fdisk him and start over.
I work cheap, a twelve pack will get several hours out of me....lol
I have put all my security stuff on flash media or CD, and I install Zone Alarm and Ad-aware before going to get updates. I also install Nortons before going online.
Tex you might want this info before you redo your computer.
Anyone got any recommendations for a freeware email client to avoid all the Outlook Outlook Express flaws?
Ideally one which can import old Eudora or Outlook files would be good.,...
>> There is one little file somewhere on his hard drive that I can't find that is still generating spyware.<<
Turn on view hidden files, look in the system32 folder. I'll bet you find 6-8 files of recent date(I.e. likely the most recent files in the list). It's the Peper trojan and it drags in other spyware. You have to clean it in safe made.
I don't know how people get this one, but I'm seeing it regularly now from people who did nothing to get it. I think it's a popup vector, but I'm unsure.
-Mal
Care to drive to Houston this weekend for some refreshments? ;-)
That sounds like good advice. I'm using Black Ice instead of Zone Alarm, but that probably should protect me during the process. I hope.
I just bookmarked your homepage. I feel pretty smart knowing I am doing about 85% of what you recommend. I have no formal training with computers.
You are an excellent source of info.
Thanks!
I was able to delete one folder in Safe Mode that kept reappearing. He had to go to work and I will follow up with him in the next week.
You have to shut down all the Services you don't need. There are a lot if you aren't on a home network. You don't need netbios on an outside line, for one. There are websites that tell you what you don't need. Then turn on the firewall.
Why not free up a partition and dual-boot with ME? If one system goes bad, you have the other! All you get is a startup screen for 25 seconds with a choice.
...way to go, Microsloth. The plan would disconnect most Windows computers from the Internet. Viruses set more MS Windows computers up to relay spam than most users have any idea of. This is because most crackers/virus writers use Windows machines. And that is because Windows GUIs for programmers allow such malicious programs to be written most easily (and with less education) on those machines.
Now MS and its henchmen want to cut their own customers off of the Net. ...real swift.
I think you should get your provider to change your IP address or change your email address or both. You have a nasty problem. A switch is the only answer.
Hmmm, I've never considered that. In fact, I've never heard of it being done. Would that automatically give me a choice of OS, or would I have to change my BIOS settings after I encountered problems to boot from the other OS?
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