Posted on 08/17/2008 1:24:34 PM PDT by AZFolks
Antivirus XP 2008 By: webmaster | Under: Unwanted Programs 26
Jun
Updated: July 30, 2008
Antivirus XP 2008 is a bogus antivirus application for Windows that was promoted and downloaded automatically by redirecting users internet browser to its predefined website.
Aliases: Adware.AntivirusXP2008
Risk Level: Medium
File Size: Varies
Affected System: Windows
Common Symptoms: 1. Redirects web broswser and pop-up scan results. It will then prompt the user to buy the licensed software.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix
Download, follow the directions, good to go.
I had to remove it from a couple of machines at work.
I apologize for the misspelling of belong and Republic.
It also goes by VISTA 2008. I googled it a found I website I trusted for removable instructions. It required editing the registry.
You do NOT turn off the computer once you see something is crazy, though you should pull out the Internet connection.
Do a search for new created files that day or so.
Look for especially .exe and .dll files newly created.
Hit Ctrl + ALt + Del and review running processes in task manager.
See particularly if any of the newly found files are running as processes.
Go to the internet and look the files up and see what they say.
Lastly close down, go to safe mode F8 key at startup and potentially delete the new files.
That would be an easily removable thing if caught like some viruses or ad ware.
It can get bad, once my niece asked me to check her computer. There were viruses going for many months, they corrupted the computer and I had to reinstall the operating system.
She had only 465 viruses found.
Got caught last month by a form set up to emulate Vista.It found its way into my system and would not allow access to uninstall. I’d get popups telling me I had 73 viruses and trojans. My virus pgm dtected nothing. I wound up isolating and shredding it with windows defender. No trouble since.
I believe in the death penalty for ——s who foist this crap on users who don't know any better.
Does this mess get downloaded from Windows XP automatic updates???
I would think though that if the computer was already compromised, all kinds of stuff could download at all times, including automatic update time.
It wouldn't be automatic updates doing it, it would be the hackers who send maybe a key logger as you use the Internet.
I don’t think so. My wife had it start it scan and install when she went to a web site. Some how she thought she was going to a sewing site and ... bang, this AV program shows up.
Put down the “beong” and step away from the Free Republi... :) Seriously, though, thanks for posting this.
My daughters’ computer got nailed by this thing.....finally crashed it....she spent 300 to fix it and blamed ME for it! So now I can’t use her laptop.....funny she forgets who bought the darn thing for her!
I’ve seen two computers eaten by this. It claims to be an antivirus program and convinces users to let it doa scan. and yes, if it gets far enough along it does require a Windows reinstall.
It doesn’t require reformatting, however, just a clean reinstall. That does mean you have to reinstall all your programs.
On the rare occasions when something like this has happened, I’ve just used the system restore feature and it worked like a charm.
Just got hit with this little b@stard two days ago after visiting the Pravda site after jumping over from the Drudge Report. Googled and found a lot of activity on this bugger. Went to the malwarebytes.com site and downloaded the free cleaner. It worked perfectly
The bugger disabled my system restore feature.
Spybot S&D is a good cleaner for this one.
How can I find out if this is on my system? This morning I turned it on and got busy elsewhere. I heard the system restart (a first without my being at the keyboard) and it came up the way it usually does.
I’ve got the Vista OS on my computer.
Thanks. I’m not a computer geek at all and the older I get the more I hate to deal with technical things.
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