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“Security Tool“virus

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Old 25th Feb 2011, 20:23
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“Security Tool“virus

I got infected with this security tool virus yesterday, its a bit of a bugger “cos it blocks everthing on the computer, but seem now to have got rid of it.

This virus is fairly old, and as i“m running Microsoft Security Essentials- totally up to date- I wonder how this virus got through? Surely the dfinition updates would cover this virus?

This is the 1st virus I“ve been hit with so just curious that even with updated antivirus how these óld“viruses can still get through
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Old 26th Feb 2011, 00:59
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The rogues are being updated/morphed all the time. Almost all AV's, by nature of their reactionary process, will only detect the latest variant when they have a sample of same, and add it to the database. By which time a new variant is released.

This is multi million dollar business. The only way to prevent such things is to use a good behaviour blocker, and/or have a multi-layered security approach that you understand and can manage.

As you see, just an antivirus is sometimes not enough.

With your specific recent infection, I'd be inclined to download the free version of MBAM (get it here) Malwarebytes install it, update it, and run a quick scan. Remove anything it finds.

Mbam is a very good demand anti malware scanner. Like Spybot or AdAware, but updated.
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Old 26th Feb 2011, 11:00
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Sorry to bang on about it, but don't run as an administrator or equivalent.

Viruses and other nasties mostly operate with the privileges of the logged-in user, so if you have no ability to modify the OS and / or install nasties, neither does the malware.

SD
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Old 26th Feb 2011, 15:52
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Something I found strange after reading the OP was the results I found after doing a google search on the issue.

I found a HELL of a lot of IDENTICAL posts on various forums, including Microsoft's, with the wording being identical to the original post here.............



Just sayin
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Old 26th Feb 2011, 22:29
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Being using the internet for nearly 20 years so getting my first proper virus came as a bit of a surprise. I appreciate now the comment that a virus has to be released before a solution can be found, so I“m guessing I was just unlucky.
I changed from AVG to MSE only about a week before (“cos it seemed to slow my “puter down) and was thinking initially that MSE was maybe not so good.

@ hellsbrink

Really not sure what you are getting at?? Identical, I doubt it, but very hard not to describe the problem without it sounding similar to other peoples experience, i would assume.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 00:09
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AVG isn't bad, pretty good detections, about the same as most other AV's, including MSE.

People sometimes blame the AV for letting one through, and change to something with a better reputation. This usually makes little difference; almost all of them will let one through, on the wrong day. So what MSE might block on one day (and AVG, or Avast, or Norton fail to block) the others might block on another day, a different variant, and AVG (say) lets through.

If you're otherwise happy with MSE, and it doesn't slow the 'pooter down like AVG does (it has that reputation with a lot of users) I'd stick with it.

Or try Avast.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 15:10
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Interesting since I got nailed by this yesterday! It totally disabled my
McAfee and even after I got rid of the virus, McAfee kept switching off. I'm currently with AVG which seems to have sorted the problem.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 15:37
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I had the same problem about six weeks ago and it disabled my laptop,getting past Spyware Doctor and Avast,it disabled both!!My local computer doctor recommended downloading Malwarebytes via the Safe mode with networking route.It worked a treat and all is now well.
Colin.
This same virus wanted me to pay $59.95 for their security programme.

Last edited by KING6024; 27th Feb 2011 at 15:40. Reason: Afterthought.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 15:41
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I'd be interested to hear HOW you victims were caught!
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 15:46
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Snoop

I've just spent an interesting couple of hours getting shot of this from a friends PC. It had crippled the desktop and Avast (first failure I've ever had after loading Avast free for a couple of dozen people). A 'safe mode' scan with MBAM found nothing!!! I then tried RKILL which gave me back control. Another scan with MBAM didn't find anything either. I also ran CCleaner. However on a complete restart it's now gone and I cant find any lingering trace?
I thought RKILL just gave back control while the infection was dealt with, so I'm at a loss as to where the files and reg entries are. Any idea anyone?

@BOAC
So would I! The lady in question had OE open at the time (minimised) and was uploading to ebay at the time when everything closed down and the desktop appeared with all that scaremongering crap on it!
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 16:21
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Snap,I had IE open when a blue screen superimposed itself on my PC,it had large red message on it which told me I had become infected with a virus and I should download their System Tool at a cost of $59.95.PC totally frozen,all I could do was switch off the power and try again with the same result.Thats when I rang our local computer expert and he told me what to do and he didn't charge.His home visits are £20.00 an hour on a no cure no pay basis.
Colin.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 16:21
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Mine was also whilst working with Ebay!
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 16:26
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Originally Posted by gas path
I've just spent an interesting couple of hours getting shot of this from a friends PC. It had crippled the desktop and Avast (first failure I've ever had after loading Avast free for a couple of dozen people). A 'safe mode' scan with MBAM found nothing!!! I then tried RKILL which gave me back control. Another scan with MBAM didn't find anything either. I also ran CCleaner. However on a complete restart it's now gone and I cant find any lingering trace?
I thought RKILL just gave back control while the infection was dealt with, so I'm at a loss as to where the files and reg entries are. Any idea anyone?
Safe Mode MBAM needs to be done in Safe Mode with Command Prompt, as most of the newer variants of virus embed themselves in explorer.exe and hence are active even in safe mode. Hence you need to manually start MBAM.EXE from the command prompt.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 16:32
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Alternatively schedule a boot time scan with AVAST or AVIRA .(yes, or run these from a DOS prompt)
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 17:23
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Snoop

Did a boot time scan with Avast, still found nothing
The other option I might look at, although at the moment after switching off and on again all appears to be ok.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 17:34
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This 'System Tool', rather than Security Tool, hit my laptop while using Google. After reading here and online I fixed this as follows:

Press F8 while starting to get to safe mode. Go to system restore and restore to recent date.

Why doesn't McAfee pick this up?
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 18:35
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Thats how I did it but I could not recover my McAfee
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 18:35
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I had this last week took me 2 days to find it, as none of the common virus/malware software got rid of it! It was hidden as a Java plug in, found and disabled it in safe mode. The only way I found it was going to the microsoft website and running a full service scan (free) that detected it after several hours but could not remove it! but at least it showed me were it was.

I tried so many different methods but none of them touched it, but stumbled across the Java thing and follwed the posters on screen resolution and its fixed it.

This nasty little bugger starts off as a Spy Tool trying to sell you software whilst disabling your installed antivrus, after a while it stops this and starts redireting your google searches, no idea were it came from though.

The claw, thats because you have not got rid of it, just doing a recovery still leaves the trojan on your PC.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 18:40
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You folk who got the infection, are you using the latest Java?
Current version is 6, update 24.

I have seen the exe (of the variant I saw- there will be many different variants) run from a temp folder in the Java cache. Maybe that's why running Ccleaner (in one case above) seems to have helped remove it.
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Old 27th Feb 2011, 18:50
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Part of the removal for me included deleting that file in the cache.
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