Nasty Virus Windows 7

[D.P.]

TLR, how can secure windows 7 because just got raped by a nasty virus.


Just had a very nasty virus in my windows 7 installation. I mostly use linux and so I'm not really up to date on what security software is needed for windows, I have AVG installed and all windows security options enabled as default and though i would be safe.

I was just starting to watch some family guy streamed through a common website. Illegal yes but a common activity. Nothing too dodgy.
All of a sudden a big screen pops up, fullscreen. I live in Swizterland and all the text was in German so I didn't understand it (I live in the french part) but I did read some lines land it seemed to be accusing me of possessing kinderpornographie, terrorist emails, drug paraphernalia etc. It seemed to provide some means of paying online through the post office, which is common here, and entering a pin code to unlock. Everything looking very official and well designed so it did scare me. Normally the language errors make these things dead give away but in german i had no clue. It knew my IP, location and ISP, but this stuff is relatively easy to get.

The fact is that if they thought had childporn on my computer or were sending terrorist emails they would not want me to pay 150CHF! So total scam.

Anyway, I could not close this window at all, no Alt+F4, couldn't bring up a task manager, nothing. Re-booting, same thing. Safe-mode, same thing. totally locked out. Manged to restore windows to an earlier restoration point and its OK now.

Did a complete scan with AVG and nothing. So how can I secure windows in the future?

 

[D.P.]

Welcome to Windows. The virus makers are always once step ahead of anti-virus software and windows updates so you will never be fully secure. Providing you keep your AV and windows up-to-date and stay on trusted websites you will usually be fine.

Linux is the safer option for your "nothing too dodgy" surfing

Honestly I don't go to anything particularly dodgy, certainly no warez sites and I don't use bit-torrent. Standard streaming videos sites like megavideo and I admit to the common youtube type sites for porn maybe once a week (hey, GF lives on a different continent...). I didn't think that such sites are particularly risky, even if watching TV is illegal this way (also something I'm kind of forced to do because watching something like family guy dubbed in french is horrific.)

 

[D.P.]

Avria, Zonealarm, MBAM, Spybot, backup images of the main HDD, a second operating system and Googlefu.

Generally the first four won't do much. Catch blatant and clumsy programs yes but can't do a dam thing against a decent rootkit which frankly can cripple them all.


So if things start acting unusual and they can't help, go to the second operating system and attempt to find and fix the problem from there.

If that doesn't work, nuke the drive and restore a stored image from a previous time.


That's for me though, for computers I set up for someone else I set it to auto login to a limited account and make sure its updated regularly.

will install the software and make a new backup.

I usually have a linux install on this computer which I do most of my work in but for the last months I've removed the linux install to free up some disk space and been using windows. Time to buy another HD an put linux back on, which I want to d anyway but i've been too lazy.

 

[D.P.]

same here
i cant remember the last time i had a virus
it must be well over 10 years

you have to be doing something, you dont just get them or we would all be getting them
all the time

I honestly haven't done anything particularly different to what many OCUKers would do.

I expect it is from one of he websites I use to stream TV shows. Ounce I move to the US at the end of the year I wont bother and will get cable + netflix, and treat myself to some bluerays of BBC documentaries.

 

[D.P.]

Have not had a virus in years. I thought it was only people like parents and sisters that got them by clicking anything that moves on a screen.

I never do that.

 

[D.P.]

Sure the screen wasn't a fakey windows popup? I never thought a website can install things on your system or infect it (unless you're using dodgy plugins or activex add ons from untrusted sources).

Wasn't a popup, was a complete fullscreen page that completely blocked my computer.

I'm trying to think if I have installed anything recently and the only thing i can link of is an xvid player.

 

[D.P.]

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[D.P.]

Thanks for the help everyone. i have taken on your advice and installed NoScript & WOT & Adblock Plus, malwarebytes.

Will look into buying Kaspersky but in a few days my computer will be shipped off to the US so I will wait and buy someonethign over there.