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First of all, since I am asking for help with viruses, let me say that I am posting this from my husband's computer! My IP uses McAfee, I have Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware in my PC. So I felt pretty safe. Fri morning, I was reading Jewish World Review when a pop-up claiming to be MSE claimed my PC was infected. It was not one of those pop-ups you can X out from. In my panic, I could not remember what someone here, at FR, had told me in the past that I could do. So I turned...

I thought I'd share this with you all, as some may benefit from this. Today, I was called by Wells-Fargo's fraud protection department to let me know my online ID and password had been compromised. Not only could they not tell me when exactly this occurred, or for what reason, but I was also told, I would have to run a full virus scan before they could restore my access. Now I could easily lie of course, although they make a point of saying that if an online scan truly was not performed, then they are not responsible for any...

Millions of sites hit with mass-injection cyberattackBy Sarah Jacobsson Purewal April 1, 2011 10:37 AM ET PC World - Hundreds of thousands -- and possibly millions -- of websites have been hit with a cyberattack that some are calling "one of the biggest mass-injection attacks we've ever seen." The attack was discovered on March 29 by security firm WebSense, and the injected domain was called lizamoon.com -- thus, the name of the mass-injection is "LizaMoon." According to WebSense, LizaMoon uses SQL Injection to add malicious script to compromised sites. While the first injected domain was lizamoon.com, additional URLs have since...

My computer is infected with malware that hijacks Google. I have swept with Webroot and Avast! No luck. Help? I prefer not to get into the registry - I lack the skills. I will be out for awhile, so thanks to all in advance.

Just wondering about Microsoft Security Essentials. How does it compare to Norton, AVG etc? Often when its free you tend to get your money's worth. Is that the case here? Should I use it in conjunction with other anti-virus software?

From somewhere, this horrible rogue "antivirus" software called XP Smart Security is managing to install itself. It completely takes over my system and won't let me do anything while constantly displaying messages that I should purchase their scam product to clean up my computer. The only way I can get rid of it is to completely wipe out my hard drive and then reinstall the operating system. However, even after I do this, I can't access the "add or remove programs" section in the control panel. And a few days later, this scam software shows up again and I have...

One of the Internet security companies (McAfee) that monitors hacker activity (by compiling data on attacks their clients have suffered), estimates that more computers are being turned into zombies in China, than in the United States. At least during the last three months of 2009. Both countries have about 12 million zombie computers. Many of 1.5 billion computers in the world are infected with secret programs that enable criminals, or intelligence agencies, to control these PCs, turning them into "zombies". These captive computers are organized into "botnets" of thousands, or even a million or more, PCs that do the bidding...

Somehow I picked up this beauty. I had Avast and old Norton which I need to remove. I am now trying to remove it with Avast on a reboot scan. I tried to download Malware Bytes on this machine but this awful virus sucks up everything on the machine. Avast is at 10%. I am not sure it will get it.

I had the free version of AVG on my computer but these past few days things started messing up all over the place (processes getting slower and slower, couldn't download, mouse right click stopped working, among others). Went online and followed the suggestion on one site to remove AVG, which worked! Everything is running blazing fast, no hiccups, mouse is working again. Only problem is my computer isn't protected from viruses, malware, etc. Looking for a FREE product that works without all the unnecessary bells and whistles. Any recommendations, FReepers? TIA!

There’s a particularly nasty virus making the rounds right now. It’s informally known as the Antivirus Live virus, as it bombards your PC with scary, real-looking security warnings and masquerades as a program — Antivirus Live (pictured) — that can protect and repair your system.

I'm no computer expert, but I have Trend Micro Internet Security installed in my PC (renewed subscription yesterday) and scan the whole thing once a day (it takes over an hour, but I think it is worth). This morning, when I turned on my PC I got a warning from "website" that my PC is infected with a trojan and asking me to click and install some program. I did a quick scan of my PC, and Trend Micro says it is clean. When I tried to X out of the warning, it refused to go away, it kept demanding...

Tomorrow there will be free one year licenses for security software! Coiciding with W7 release of course. http://us.pandasecurity.com/windows7party/index.html http://usa.kaspersky.com/shakeitup/ I don't know panda security, but Kaspersky, cool! One day only, for one year free! I'll try to ping this tomorrow.

You paid for your antivirus software? Why? Good free options have been available for years, mainly from no-name companies. Nervous consumers figure they’re better off buying major brands, like Norton security software from Symantec Corp. Well, here’s a major brand for you: Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft today lifted the curtain on its Microsoft Security Essentials, the free successor to its OneCare security program. MSE uses the same antivirus engine as the phased-out OneCare, but the new free program focuses only on malware blocking. It doesn't include a firewall, system optimizer or other security suite-type features......

A trial version of Microsoft's free anti-virus software has been launched in the US, China, Brazil, and Israel. Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) promises to provide people with basic protection against viruses, trojans, rootkits and spyware. The software giant has been criticised in the past for failing to include free security software with Windows. Its first security package, Windows Live OneCare, failed to attract many customers and will be discontinued. Microsoft is hoping that MSE, available as a free download from its site, will prove more popular. It has said it will automatically update it for users. However, rival security vendors...

BOSTON (Reuters) - A malicious software program known as Conficker that many feared would wreak havoc on April 1 is slowly being activated, weeks after being dismissed as a false alarm, security experts said. Conficker, also known as Downadup or Kido, is quietly turning thousands of personal computers into servers of e-mail spam and installing spyware, they said. The worm started spreading late last year, infecting millions of computers and turning them into "slaves" that respond to commands sent from a remote server that effectively controls an army of computers known as a botnet. Its unidentified creators started using those...

Researchers have discovered another feature of the Conficker worm that provides an additional clue about the intent of the creators--the worm installs malware that masquerades as antivirus software, Trend Micro said on Friday. The worm, which has infected millions of Windows-based computers on the Internet, is downloading a program called Spyware Protect 2009 and displaying warning messages saying that the computer is infected and offering to clean it up for $49.95, according to the Trend Micro blog.

"What is PIFTS.exe?" or How Symantec Turned A Simple Mistake Into Corporate Disaster.First posted: March 9, 2009Updated: March 10, 2009 On March 9, 2009, Norton Internet Security users around the world encountered a suspicious message which indicated that an unsigned program, PIFTS.exe, was trying to connect to the Internet. Users quickly turned to Google where they only found other users looking for the same answers. Next they began posting questions on the official Norton Internet Security message board. Here is where the situation quickly deteriorated. Forum moderators began pulling every single post which mentioned PIFTS or merely alluded to...

Sorry to post a vanity but I got the parite virus that somehow got on my laptop. I rarely use it for too much and rarely surf the web with this laptop. I lost my desktop icons and was stumped. I have AV programs I have bought for my other machines like Spybot and PC Tools and Iolo System Mechanic to name a few. I was just lazy on this machine because it came with Norton. The machine is about 2 years old so my mistake.

Apple Macs have long had a reputation for being free of the viruses and malware that often plagues Windows. But even Apple is now admitting that its users could benefit from protection from security threats.

UPDATE .BIN error information... Aug 16th 2008Posted by: rdsok - Moderator (IP Logged) Date: August 17, 2008 12:07AM Currently the update for AVG Free v8 is corrupted... you will have to wait for AVG Technologies to address the issue with the update. Reporting the issue again by other users here will not do any good until it is resolved. The updates that your AVG currently have will still provide the protection it is setup to detect. In otherwords, not being able to get this update will not make your AVG Free ineffective and as soon as AVG Tech resolves the...

Exclusive AVG has rejiggered the fake traffic it's spewing across the internet, causing new headaches for the world's webmasters. In late February, AVG paired its updated anti-virus engine with a real-time malware scanner that vets search engine results before you click on them. If you search Google, for instance, this LinkScanner automatically visits each address that turns up on Google's results page. According to the company, more than 20 million people have downloaded the new AVG 8, and this has caused a huge up-tick in traffic on sites across the web, including The Register. Because the scanner attempts to disguise...

Ex-CEO charged in fake anti-virus software scheme March 01, 2008 The former CEO of a Korean anti-virus software company was indicted yesterday on charges of distributing a fake virus-detection program to 1.26 million Internet users. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday that Lee Shin-ja, the 41-year-old former head of Media Port, was indicted for cyber fraud. Two other computer programmers were also charged for participating in the development of the software. The businesswoman earned more than 9.2 billion won ($9.8 million) by cheating Internet users since 2005, the prosecution said. Lee told reporters she had already left the...

I currently have Norton as a firewall and the subscription runs out in 3 days. I will not be renewing it. I have downloaded a program called Comodo Firewall Pro but have not run the install yet. Comodo is a free and completely functional version of the product. I will also want to install the free version of AVG. I also run Spybot Search & Destroy regularly. My OS is Win XP. I have a couple of questions: 1. Can I run AVG with a firewall that also includes virus protection? 2. How do I completely delete the Norton product?...

vanity post (McAfee)

The Mozilla Foundation has released security updates to fix multiple flaws that could result in system hijacking in its open-source Firefox browser, Thunderbird e-mail client and SeaMonkey Internet applications suite. The bugs, deemed critical, are detailed in Mozilla's Security Advisory 2007-12. They include multiple vulnerabilities in Mozilla's Layout Engine and in its JavaScript engine that can result in memory corruption and lead to system takeover or DoS (denial of service). The function of a layout engine is to handle content such as HTML, XML, image files and applets as well as formatting information including CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and presentational...

I run Windows 98 (I hate change), and I've had AVG from Grisoft since 1998 ... a free anti virus that is no longer supported for Win98.Is there another freeware antivirus program anyone will recommend?Thanx.Yes, I'm logged in and I'm watching my sister and a moose eat cheeze in the shower ... stuning!

My computer used to be really zippy. 1 1/4 gig Ram, fast processor, etc. But then I installed symantic and that slowed it somewhat. Then all the Windows updates. Now it's actually pretty slow, sometimes. Anyone else have this problem?

"When you have a few minutes," my father asked me on the phone last night, "could you help me with my antivirus stuff?" The trial version of Norton AntiVirus 2006 on his three-month-old Lenovo laptop was expiring, and he was bit confused by the upgrade warning, so he wanted me to help him through the transition. One of the options was to upgrade to Norton AntiVirus 2007, for $39 (after the $10 promotional coupon he got in e-mail). Sounded good to me. "Sure," I said. "It should only take a few minutes." I took control of his computer via LogMeIn...

Pardon the Vanity, but I thought it might be good to post for not only myself but for others that did the same thing. Last night, when the link was posted on this forum, I went to see what Ahmadinejad's blog looks like. Only after I clicked on the thing and let it load did I happen to think -- wait a minute, I just clicked on a terrorist's website. What's to keep him from being a cyber terrorist. Then, today, I see this from Little Green Footballs http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=22093_Ahmadinejads_Blog_is_Dangerous&only Last night, after I clicked, I deleted all cookies, offline content,...

A faulty definition update from Symantec left vicars in a quandary after it identified a popular ecclesiastical application as spyware. An 8 July update to Norton Anti-Virus identified a key component of Visual Liturgy - a component called vlutils.dll - as a piece of malware called SniferSpy. Visual Liturgy is a legitimate application used by Church of England vicars to plan and deliver church services. Symantec said a subsequent update to Norton Anti-Virus fixed the SNAFU. However, Church House Publishing, the publishers of Visual Liturgy, said they have received no such assurances. Church House has advised users to ignore warnings...

I have been a big user of Norton Utilities & Anti-Virus in the past. Nowadays I don't use NAV anymore as I use AVG Free Edition. I also don't use Norton Internet Protection as I use ZoneAlarm. I want to finally drop NU but I don't know of a suitable replacement. I am dropping all Norton products because they want to take over the entire system. I also get these crazy messages that keep telling me that AVG isn't compatible with their programming and that I need to run Norton Clean-Up and turn on my Automatic Updates so it downloads...

WASHINGTON -- Symantec Corp.'s leading antivirus software, which protects some of the world's largest corporations and U.S. government agencies, suffers from a flaw that lets hackers seize control of computers to steal sensitive data, delete files or implant malicious programs, researchers said Thursday.

In another example of "ransomware," a new Trojan horse threatens to delete files unless the victim pays up, security experts have warned. When activated, the Trojan horse, dubbed Ransom-A by antivirus company Sophos, displays some explicit images. It then shows an expletive message that demands a US$10.99 payment, or it will delete one file every 30 minutes, security experts at SophosLabs said in a statement published late last week.

Seeking FReeper opinions on best Computers,and Antivirus software...Please Help!

What does this mean? When my AVG did a quick scan, a warning came up saying that the Windows system32 Shell32.dll size had changed. Is this of major significance?

London - Collateral damage? Virus slayer McAfee admitted on Friday that an error in its definition file meant its security tools had flagged a few harmless good eggs along with its usual horde of saboteurs as it policed the cyber-streets. Antivirus software detected Microsoft Office components--Excel.exe and Graph.exe--and Adobe Systems' (nasdaq: ADBE - news - people ) AdobeUpdateManager.exe--an application installed alongside Adobe products that deals with software updates, as a virus called W95/CTX. According to a media report, W95/CTX is an obscure Windows 95 virus that McAfee first identified in 2004. A malicious flag was even applied to updaterui.exe, McAfee's...

Microsoft's Anti-Spyware program is causing troubles for people who also use Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus software; apparently, a recent update to Microsoft's anti-spyware application flags Norton as a password-stealing program and prompts users to remove it. According to several different support threads over at Microsoft's user groups forum, the latest definitions file from Microsoft "(version 5805, 5807) detects Symantec Antivirus files as PWS.Bancos.A (Password Stealer)." When Microsoft Anti-Spyware users remove the flagged Norton file as prompted, Symantec's product gets corrupted and no longer protects the user's machine. The Norton user then has to go through the Windows registry and delete multiple...

Users running Windows will be charged almost $50 each year for having their PCs protected by Microsoft against attacks from hackers. Microsoft's Windows OneCare Live program will be launched in June and made available online and via retailers for an annual fee of $49.95 on up to three machines. Customers who beta test Windows OneCare Live between April 1 and April 30 get to take advantage of a special $19.95 promotional price.Microsoft's pricing means Windows OneCare subscribers are likely to pay less up front than if they bought traditional anti-virus software like Symantec, for example, whose Norton AntiVirus 2006 protection...

Microsoft will omit anti-virus protection in Vista, the next version of Windows, which it plans to ship late this year. As with previous versions of Windows dating back to Windows 2000 at least, Redmond is promoting Vista as a landmark improvement in Windows security. Jim Allchin, co-president of Microsoft's platform products and services division, told reseller magazineCRN that safety and security, improved user experience, and mobility features will be key additions in Vista. But there will be no anti-virus software, the Windows development supremo said during a questions and answers session with CRN. For unspecified business (not technical) reasons, Microsoft...

Sony BMG has struck a deal with the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit over copy-restriction software it used in music CDs, according to a settlement document filed at a New York court Wednesday. The record label has agreed to compensate buyers of CDs that contained the XCP and MediaMax DRM programs and to provide software utilities to allow consumers to uninstall both types of software from their computer. The furor over Sony's DRM software began at the end of October when a U.S. programmer discovered that XCP software on a Sony music CD had installed copy-restriction software on his...

A critical software bug has been discovered in several of the most widely used anti-virus programs. It could be exploited to take control of a computer or to steal information, according to an analysis produced by the independent security analyst who made the discovery. The glitch affects 39 different Symantec products - including both home and enterprise versions of its anti-virus software. It resides within the Symantec anti-virus library, which is used by all of the packages. The analyst, Alex Wheeler, discovered that a critical error occurs when the Symantec anti-virus library decompresses files from "RAR" format for analysis Symantec...

When the news first broke in the mainstream press that Windows expert and blogger Mark Russinovich (he wrote a book about Windows for Microsoft) had found that Sony's anti-piracy efforts had gone too far and that Sony's DRM was installing an undetectable rootkit on customers' computers which they couldn't safely remove, the first reaction from Microsoft was guarded. They were concerned, they said, and were evaluating what, if anything, to do: Microsoft, which also ships an anti-spyware program, recently renamed "Windows Defender," hasn't yet decided whether it will also flag the Sony DRM software as malicious code, the spokesperson said....

The past ten days I have been getting ad windows while my hard drive spins up and I can only see the ad when I exit. I downloaded and paid for Spyware Doctor after it told me that I had 166 "infections" and set the "on guard" function assuming it would remove the infections. They are still there and every time I try to find a removal tool it only gives me the option of scanning. Have I been had?

Here is where I am. Running XP Home. Was surfing a sports board. Got a BSOD. And since then cannot boot at all. lsass.exe system error invalid parameter Did enough searching to convince me I got the Sasser worm or some variation thereof. Booted from CD; tried repair console. No success. So I am ready to hopefully reinstall. I want to save my programs. Data I need is backed up on a second hard drive. So when I get to the point of selecting which drive to install on. I get the message that I will lose data, apps, etc....

Kaspersky Lab is expanding further into the American market with the U.S. debut of its antivirus software for Linux and Unix e-mail servers, file servers and workstations. Moscow-based Kaspersky announced Monday that it has launched the corporate products in the United States. It has sold them in Europe for the past six years. "Linux products are much more prevalent in Europe. But as Linux comes more and more online in the United States, there is a greater need for protection against malicious code," said Randy Drawas, a Kaspersky Lab spokesman. Treasure hunt sees Net gain Web video set to get...

Microsoft is readying a new consumer security product that offers virus and spyware protection, a new firewall and several tune-up tools for Windows PCs, a move that pits the software giant squarely against traditional security software vendors. The product, dubbed Windows OneCare, will be tested internally at Microsoft starting this week. A public test, or beta, version is scheduled to be available by year's end, Microsoft said in a statement this week. The final product will be offered as a subscription service, the Redmond, Washington, software maker says. OneCare marks Microsoft's long-anticipated entry into the antivirus space, until now the...

It uses a new technique to avoid virus software scans The longevity of the current Sober worm may be largely due to a new technique it uses to evade virus scans, according to antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab Ltd. The worm, variously labeled Sober.P, Sober.S, Sober.O and Sober.V by different companies, continues to circulate in large numbers; it made up 84% of all virus traffic as of Monday, according to Lynnfield, Mass.-based virus lab Sophos PLC. While researchers have attributed its success to the fact that it circulates in both English and German, and to its use of free World Cup...

Computer local area networks at East Japan Railway Co. and some media organizations were inaccessible Saturday morning, apparently due to a bug in antivirus software made by Trend Micro Inc. "A bug was detected in a file (designed to detect viruses), and it is highly likely that computer networks that were updated (with the file) encountered a system failure," the software company said. Trend Micro said its virus analysis and support center in Manila released the file worldwide at around 7:30 a.m. Saturday as part of an update for its Virus Buster software. It said the file was replaced by...

For the benefit of myself and others with the same problem, do any of you know of a good, free virus protection program I can download from the internet?