google redirect virus

[GabrielsThoughts]

My webrowser redirects me (usually to tits, porno, movies etc) with this when I click on a link every third or fourth try  I can get the page I'm looking for... this would be the second, possibly third virus, within the last week that my  Cox/Macaffee has failed to block on my computer and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I tried visting Microsoft and allow them to scan my computer but it appears to be blocked or inneffective.  

[Tapewolf]

It sounds very much like this.

http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,6049.msg281539.html#msg281539

I do have a suggestion that would certainly fix it (I'm sure llearch can guess what it is) but since it's not especially constructive I'll hold back.

EDIT:

Check this out, it may help:
http://help.lockergnome.com/security/Google-Hijack-virus--ftopict10008.html

[bill]

Yeah, posting a HijackThis log to an anti-virus forum is the first thing you want to do when that happens. Probably should try alternate scanners as well.

[Teroniss]

Yea, umm, try a virus scanner called A-Squared. It has a free 30 Day Trial period, and it managed to get rid of the virus that was causing me to redirect in Google.

[Valynth]

There's a free anti-viruse called "Malware Bytes" which is both free now and offer free updates later.  The only problem is that in order to set it to automatic update/scan you have to donate to them.

The good news is, however, that it will clean damn near every virus off of your system, even viruses that other scanners can't find.

As an added endorsement, I use this on my machines.

[RobbieThe1st]

Personally, I like Avast!
Its free, though you have to register with them every year(put in your email, get a code, punch in the code). It seems to be fully-featured, and I haven't had it miss anything, so why not give it a try?

-Robbie

[Reese Tora]

Personally, I like Avast!
Its free, though you have to register with them every year(put in your email, get a code, punch in the code). It seems to be fully-featured, and I haven't had it miss anything, so why not give it a try?

-Robbie

I also recommend this.  I've only had it miss one thing (a variation of the false windows antivirus download and installer, which I recognized immediately and removed myself.)

[Alondro]

I found a program that was AWESOME!

It got rid of ALL the crafty viruses on my PC! 

Including this really cunning one disguised as an operating system: Vista.

(ba-dum-dum) 

[RobbieThe1st]

I found a program that was AWESOME!

It got rid of ALL the crafty viruses on my PC! 

Including this really cunning one disguised as an operating system: Vista.

(ba-dum-dum) 

What, Ubuntu? Or Redhat? Or...*insert other distro name here*?

[Cvstos]

I found a program that was AWESOME!

It got rid of ALL the crafty viruses on my PC! 

Including this really cunning one disguised as an operating system: Vista.

(ba-dum-dum) 

What, Ubuntu? Or Redhat? Or...*insert other distro name here*?

Or OS X Snow Leopard?

Barring getting a Mac, and as far as paid anti-virus goes, my personal favorite is Eset's Nod32. It's lightweight, super fast, heuristics-capable (meaning it can find viruses before it even gets the definition for the virus), and doesn't dig it's roots all over your machine. There's a full suite available or just the AV program (which is the one I use). Also, Nod32 regularly beats the pants off the competition in independent lab tests.

I've heard good things about the new Norton but I've been burned by them before so I'm staying far, far away. (I heard the new version is faster but still has install and uninstall headaches combined with other issues.)

Another good choice is Kaspersky. I don't like it as much as Nod32 but it's a solid choice as well.

You may want to take the opportunity to wipe your HDD and put in a fresh OS (maybe even the Windows 7 RC if your system can handle it). You DO have a backup, right?

If not, then things gets trickier. You might want to find a friend with a Mac (or Linux box) who is able to pull your data off the drive without spreading the virus. Then you can wipe and restore. And this time, run a good AV program (McAfee is terrible, don't trust it at all), even if you have to *gasp* pay money for it.

(Nod32 is $40 for one year, $59 for two. The full Smart Security Suite is $60 for one year or $90 for two. I bought the 2-year Nod32 pack. Worth. Every. Penny. It's the fastest, most effective AV program I've ever seen. And that's important when you're on a vulnerable dorm room network. People bring in nasty surprises all the time and Nod32 stops them all! Despite wave after wave of people getting infected PCs, I've never even been touched.)

[Tapewolf]

Or OS X Snow Leopard?

I don't think that's out yet...

But yeah, my 'non-constructive' advice would have been 'don't use Windows'.

[Cvstos]

Or OS X Snow Leopard?

I don't think that's out yet...

But yeah, my 'non-constructive' advice would have been 'don't use Windows'.

September, but it was just detailed at WWDC so I had to plug it. And if you're already running Leopard it's a cheap $29 upgrade when it hits. ($129 if you're still at Tiger, but most people who can upgrade to SL, that is, those running Intel Macs, are on Leopard. My system, sadly, is a PowerPC Mac so I'm still on Tiger and cannot upgrade beyond that.)

[Tapewolf]

September, but it was just detailed at WWDC so I had to plug it. And if you're already running Leopard it's a cheap $29 upgrade when it hits. ($129 if you're still at Tiger, but most people who can upgrade to SL, that is, those running Intel Macs, are on Leopard. My system, sadly, is a PowerPC Mac so I'm still on Tiger and cannot upgrade beyond that.)

Rats.  I'm still on 10.4 so I'll have to pay extra.  I have been pondering upgrading to Leopard in the meantime though.  The sticking point is that it kills Photoshop 7 and I doubt Snow Leopard will be better in that regard.

[Cvstos]

September, but it was just detailed at WWDC so I had to plug it. And if you're already running Leopard it's a cheap $29 upgrade when it hits. ($129 if you're still at Tiger, but most people who can upgrade to SL, that is, those running Intel Macs, are on Leopard. My system, sadly, is a PowerPC Mac so I'm still on Tiger and cannot upgrade beyond that.)

Rats.  I'm still on 10.4 so I'll have to pay extra.  I have been pondering upgrading to Leopard in the meantime though.  The sticking point is that it kills Photoshop 7 and I doubt Snow Leopard will be better in that regard.

Is it possible to find a used, not-current version of Photoshop that will work in 10.5 and 10.6? I'd imagine that would be WAY cheaper than even an academically-discounted Photoshop CS3 or 4.

Also, you have an Intel Mac? Lucky. I've been DYING to try out that iPhone SDK.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Is it possible to find a used, not-current version of Photoshop that will work in 10.5 and 10.6? I'd imagine that would be WAY cheaper than even an academically-discounted Photoshop CS3 or 4.

Also, you have an Intel Mac? Lucky. I've been DYING to try out that iPhone SDK.

Legally, it's questionable to sell old versions - it depends on precisely what the EULA says, (some of them specifically decline to allow you to transfer ownership) and how enforceable EULAs really are... which is something that has yet to be tested in a court of law, and promises to be expensive to decide.

[Cvstos]

Is it possible to find a used, not-current version of Photoshop that will work in 10.5 and 10.6? I'd imagine that would be WAY cheaper than even an academically-discounted Photoshop CS3 or 4.

Also, you have an Intel Mac? Lucky. I've been DYING to try out that iPhone SDK.

Legally, it's questionable to sell old versions - it depends on precisely what the EULA says, (some of them specifically decline to allow you to transfer ownership) and how enforceable EULAs really are... which is something that has yet to be tested in a court of law, and promises to be expensive to decide.

I've honestly never, ever heard of Adobe trying to enforce a "can't sell old versions" bit in the EULA. Or any non-subscription software trying that.

Really, EULAs needs to be reformed. Right now they might be able to include "You agree to give us your first born son" somewhere in there. Some of the demands in them are just insane. And if you go on eBay you can find old copies of Photoshop, I'm sure. Shoot, I've seen used MacBooks that come with used copies of Photoshop.

Unfortunately PS7 isn't eligible for an upgrade version to CS4. I'd say hit up eBay, but you're still going to be spending a few hundred. Sad, but that's what Adobe is all about: raiding your wallet.

I personally hope to get a 15" MacBook Pro this fall, at the end of August (when I get my financial aid check). It will then serve as my main computer, with the PC desktop moving to at-home Windows development, games, and a storage unit for larger quantities of data. (Let's face it, it's a lot easier to get a desktop to hold lots of HDD space, and with two hard drives, mine is at 800GB.) The laptop will also get access to my PC's big 22" monitor.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I've honestly never, ever heard of Adobe trying to enforce a "can't sell old versions" bit in the EULA. Or any non-subscription software trying that.

Let me rephrase, then.

Please do not, even by accident, breach rule 3 on this forum, to whit, supplying pirated software. Or inciting others to do so.

Whilst we might well be legally in the right, if someone were to contest it, we'd have to take the forum down, just to be safe, while arguing the point. And since I don't see any of you guys fronting up for legal fees, the forum would likely go down and stay that way.

I don't want that. I'd hope you don't want that either. Hence, we play it well on the safe side of the line.

Are we all clear? Good. If not, come and ask, and I will be happy to explain. At length, if necessary.

[Valynth]

I've honestly never, ever heard of Adobe trying to enforce a "can't sell old versions" bit in the EULA. Or any non-subscription software trying that.

Let me rephrase, then.

Please do not, even by accident, breach rule 3 on this forum, to whit, supplying pirated software. Or inciting others to do so.

Whilst we might well be legally in the right, if someone were to contest it, we'd have to take the forum down, just to be safe, while arguing the point. And since I don't see any of you guys fronting up for legal fees, the forum would likely go down and stay that way.

I don't want that. I'd hope you don't want that either. Hence, we play it well on the safe side of the line.

Are we all clear? Good. If not, come and ask, and I will be happy to explain. At length, if necessary.

Fortunately I know of a little program called "GIMP" which works just as well as photoshop and it's completely free!

...Does it make me a commie-libby-welfare riding bastard to know of all these free programs that do the same things as the expensive ones?

[Cvstos]

llearch: PM sent.

Back on topic, I've done some Google searches, and apparently this particular nasty little bit of malware is fairly common. Sadly, however, all the removal techniques are fairly complex.

It is best to have strong AV software so this kind of thing doesn't happen. Prevention is your first line of defense. A good backup of your files and a copy of your OS disk is the last line. Sadly, there isn't much in the middle and I don't have a lot of experience with fixing these things on the fly.

I do, however, have a lot of experience with OS installs and making sure these things never happen in the first place. I've already recommended Nod32, but sadly few AV programs work against viruses already in place. This is because many modern nasties are able to disable incoming new AV programs (and even some already in place!) once they get on your system. It's always best to have effective AV software running BEFORE you get hit, and McAfee is not a program I've ever had confidence in. This goes double for bundled stuff you get from ISPs, including my own school (which doesn't even give you a recent edition last I checked). There is a trail of Nod32 available though, and it's a rare enough AV program that it might just get rid of it. HOWEVER, from what I can tell about this particular piece of malware, it makes changes in the registry and such to keep the effect happening even if you remove the actual virus, so you'll still need to do some digging to clear out the problems.

If you want to try Windows 7, the 64-bit version of Windows 7 should be even more resistant to viruses than any flavor of Vista (or the 32-bit version of W7).

Right now I'm actually running the Windows 7 RC, and I rather like it. It's certainly better than Vista. My browser (Safari) is a little less stable and that stupid, stupid network gatekeeper software my school uses doesn't 100% work right, but that's to be expected in a RC. My school doesn't catch on to new OSes very fast. Also, the nVIDIA Dual TV Tuner drivers still don't work but at least Windows 7 stops their install when they fail instead of finishing the install and locking up the computer for good (the problem I had with Vista).

The interface is improved, even if the differences from Vista still trip me up from time to time. And most of the software I've installed works fine, even Nod32. Note, though, that I'm running the 64-bit version of Windows 7, which means I need to make sure to get 64-bit versions of my software if available.

If you want, you can try out the Windows 7 RC for yourself, for free, from Microsoft (all nice and legal): http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

All you need is a Hotmail account or Windows Passport account, which are also free. Microsoft will hook you up with a product key and download. You need something that can burn an ISO to DVD, and there are a few free open-source programs that can do it. Or, you can do like me and be ironic about it (I used Disk Utility, an app that comes with OS X, to burn it on my old PowerBook G4).

The trial will run through at least July and the RC won't expire until at least February of next year, with the real version of Windows 7 hitting Oct. 22.

Also, if you go this route make sure your system is able to handle it. I'd recommend at least a Core 2 Duo or equivalent processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, and a halfway decent graphics card with at least 256MB of RAM. If you are using an integrated card, it's a little fuzzier although one from nVIDIA or ATi will have a MUCH better chance of running it than anything from Intel.

Just remembered. There's a way to keep your files in a Windows 7 upgrade that also moves all the system stuff over. Viruses still need to get run to have an effect, and the upgrade might just break all the links to that, or halt any that remain with 7's enhanced security. Might. No promises there. But it's something to consider if you can keep all your stuff (shoved into a Windows.old file), get a new, better, more virus-resistant OS, and have a chance to install a real AV program before the virus knows what hits it. Plus it's likely to clear out all those registry issues. Again, no promises, because I don't know enough about to specifics for the upgrade or the virus's workings.

[Tapewolf]

Fortunately I know of a little program called "GIMP" which works just as well as photoshop and it's completely free!

No, it doesn't.  Not quite.  As a disclaimer, all of Project Future is done with Gimp.  I cannot stand Photoshop's user interface, it is horrible to me.  However, there are two important caveats which mean I'm stuck with the horrible thing:

1. GIMP still barfs on Turnsky's 'taur picture - though not to the extent that it took 50 minutes to open them and then turned it inside-out like it did two years ago, or goes into an infinite loop like KRITA did.

2. GIMP cannot CYMK export of PDF.  I may have a workaround for that now, but I haven't tried sending the results to the printers yet.  That could be... interesting.
At least one printer I've enquired about has some crappy print system that can only parse PDF files that Photoshop has created.  I'm not using them, but if I have to, it could be awkward.

Is it possible to find a used, not-current version of Photoshop that will work in 10.5 and 10.6? I'd imagine that would be WAY cheaper than even an academically-discounted Photoshop CS3 or 4.
Also, you have an Intel Mac? Lucky. I've been DYING to try out that iPhone SDK.

It's a mac mini.  Doesn't have a 64-bit core, though.  Which is a bit of a shame, though some people have upgraded them...

Legally, it's questionable to sell old versions - it depends on precisely what the EULA says, (some of them specifically decline to allow you to transfer ownership) and how enforceable EULAs really are... which is something that has yet to be tested in a court of law, and promises to be expensive to decide.

If I go that route, I always buy sealed unregistered ones.