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Spy Axe 3.0
My PC ^ | 12/6/05 | Me

Posted on 12/06/2005 8:16:34 PM PST by Carling

I hate vanity posts, but I am wondering if anyone in FR land knows anything about the Spy Axe 3.0 virus. It has set up shop in my toolbar and has hijacked my home page.

eTrust isn't touching it. Help?!?!


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: exploit; getamac; lowqualitycrap; malware; microsoft; securityflaw; spyware; tech; trojan; virus; virusbait; windows
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To: FEARED MUTATION
I wonder about those joining up for the 37th time?

Yes, we wonder about you, too...

Todd, is that you? :-)

41 posted on 12/06/2005 8:49:08 PM PST by Ramius (Buy blades for war fighters: freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net --> 1000 knives and counting!)
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To: Carling; FEARED MUTATION
I notice you posted the porn comment in another thread. I also notice you are a FR newbie. Hmm...

It's a good post. Cruising questionable sites is a darn plausible explanation for where people get this stuff!

42 posted on 12/06/2005 8:49:31 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: COEXERJ145

I had one that I could not remove (and nothing would detect).

However it could not hijack Netscape nor Firefox so I used those browsers until my harddrive died.

Unfortunately there are websites that DO NOT work with Netscape and even more that don't work with Firefox.

So much for industry standards.


43 posted on 12/06/2005 8:50:50 PM PST by weegee (Christmas - the holiday that dare not speak its name.)
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To: Riley

Well, goody for you. :-)


44 posted on 12/06/2005 8:51:28 PM PST by Ramius (Buy blades for war fighters: freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net --> 1000 knives and counting!)
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To: Riley
I don't get spyware. I get paid to remove it.

HA! So it's in your interest for people to think it's everywhere! :~D

45 posted on 12/06/2005 8:51:45 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: Carling

If you are having problems removing it from your computer, I have found this site VERY helpful...

www.techsupportguy.com

Go to the security section of the forum...they will help, and if you feel like it after they help you out, you can make a donation to help them keep the assistance free.

Check it out....there seems to be a lot of 'SPYAXE' going around...


46 posted on 12/06/2005 8:52:37 PM PST by Ethrane ("semper consolar")
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To: HairOfTheDog

Except that this poster is probably a retread. :-)


47 posted on 12/06/2005 8:52:55 PM PST by Ramius (Buy blades for war fighters: freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net --> 1000 knives and counting!)
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To: Riley

Besides my Anti-Virus program and Firewall I have 9 anti-spyware programs installed but 'Counter-Spy' is still my favorite.
Problem I've found is people d/l programs but don't install, update or run them till it's too late.
We have 5 computers in the house and they're all as clean as a whistle.


48 posted on 12/06/2005 8:53:33 PM PST by AmeriBrit (HILLARY's1974 Watergate Crimes: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/925684/posts)
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To: AmeriBrit
We have 5 computers in the house and they're all as clean as a whistle.

Except for the 9 spyware programs ;~D

49 posted on 12/06/2005 8:56:05 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: HairOfTheDog

It's the most likely source of infection - of course, as the revenue numbers indicate, very few people visit such sites.


50 posted on 12/06/2005 8:59:47 PM PST by FEARED MUTATION
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To: Carling

I have had more viruses intercepted in my email in the past 2 weeks than in the past 2 years combined. Norton has done an outstanding job so far. As for yours, I have no idea.


51 posted on 12/06/2005 9:01:14 PM PST by o_zarkman44
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To: HairOfTheDog
HA! So it's in your interest for people to think it's everywhere! :~D

No, honestly it's just a pain in the fanny to me. I sometimes enjoy playing cat and mouse with it though on a corporate system where a reimage isn't the best option.

The worst ones are where the system is convinced that the spyware files are critical to Windows' continued function. I use a live CD to go in and smoke the little ba$tard.

And- I get the call when the user is complaining about it- I don't have to 'suggestive sell' the idea. There are *oceans* of this crap out there. I love it when they tell me that they 'have no idea how this got on thier machine', when all over the place I see blatant evidence that they spend the day entertaining themselves with it, instead of working. LOL!

52 posted on 12/06/2005 9:01:26 PM PST by Riley ("Bother" said Pooh, as he fired the Claymores.)
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To: Carling

And I forgot to mention zone alarm pro does a real good job on spyware, way above ad aware which I also have.


53 posted on 12/06/2005 9:03:22 PM PST by o_zarkman44
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To: Carling

My wife had her computer loaded with Spyware a couple months back. I cleaned it up using the instructions found here:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/How_to_remove_a_Trojan_Virus_Worms_or_other_Malware-tut101.html


54 posted on 12/06/2005 9:03:24 PM PST by Avenger
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To: Aaron0617
bookmarking because it's hard to believe anything could be worse than winfixer. Finally got rid of that trojan by using Webroot Spysweeper.
55 posted on 12/06/2005 9:06:33 PM PST by Aaron0617
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To: Carling
Carling I did not read many of the replies but none I read mentioned what is probably the most important thing. Print this out.

Download spybot search and destroy. After you install it check for updates again. Now go to "Mode" and select "Advanced". Then go below to select the "Tools" option. Then either a list or icons will come up over on the right. Check "Hosts".

Now click on "Hosts" to being up a different screen. At the top will be a choice to "Add Spybot S&D Host List. Click on that. Now go back to the left side and click the Tools Button again. On the right check the "IE Tweaks" box then click on the IE Tweaks icon or name. Check the box that says "Lock Hosts File Read-only as protection against Hijackers"

Now go back over to the left and click on the Spybot S&D button. Now you will see a choice below to "Immunize" Click on that. Now on the right.. about middle of the screen there will be a button to "+Immunize". Double click that.

These instructions should prevent most spy's from going out to get more spys on the Internet by locking setting up known bad sites as unreachable by your browser. The immunize will help to protect against known spys. The IE Tweaks change I had you do will not allow any program to hijack your browser again.

You should also get Ad-Aware and spyware blaster. All programs can be gotten at www.zdnet.com. When you get there select downloads and type in the names of the programs.

Good luck. It is not hopeless. You can go this.
56 posted on 12/06/2005 9:10:34 PM PST by JSteff
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To: Carling

Also download the trial version of Window Washer. It is not a Spyware removal program, but once you have removed it with something like Adaware, it cleans the slack space of your drive ( a section that the spy removal programs don't touch ). These things could be hiding there until they are overwritten by everyday use.


57 posted on 12/06/2005 9:11:43 PM PST by Codeograph
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To: AmeriBrit
Besides my Anti-Virus program and Firewall I have 9 anti-spyware programs installed but 'Counter-Spy' is still my favorite.

Good deal. CS is one of the better ones. Here's a less-known one that I use from time to time, as well.

Ewido

Problem I've found is people d/l programs but don't install, update or run them till it's too late.

AMEN!! Download it, the update it and run it from time to time!

We have 5 computers in the house and they're all as clean as a whistle.

Excellent. Good browsing habits contribute a lot to not having to deal with this sort of thing.

58 posted on 12/06/2005 9:18:15 PM PST by Riley ("Bother" said Pooh, as he fired the Claymores.)
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To: Riley

Spyaxe is a "RAT", not adware so to speak and not a virus.

It will morph, it will regen, it protects itself from deletion. It will cause pain.

It's the first infection of any sort I've had in 6 years. It withstood every spyware removal program I threw at it, including symantics.

I back up weekly, so I didn't waste a lot of time with it. It's a doozy and hopefully causes someone some jail time.


59 posted on 12/06/2005 9:19:34 PM PST by JoeSixPack1
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To: JoeSixPack1

Try running your removal tools in Safe Mode. If they'r worth anything they will kill it.


60 posted on 12/06/2005 9:22:24 PM PST by js1138 (Great is the power of steady misrepresentation.)
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