Virus, Spyware, Adware & General System Alerts

Free Online Virus and Security Check by Symantec Click Here
Symantec's removal tools for popular viruses - Click Here
Read About Expanded Threats Click Here
Top Virus Fighting Sites - McAfee/Network Associates | Symantec | Trend Micro

SBC announces a fix for those downloading Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
Click here - this is a popup

08.17.04
IEPlugin slows your system to a crawl and burdens your PC with unwanted ad's and BS. Here's are a few links that describe it, and how to remove it:
http://www.mvps.org/inetexplorer/Darnit.htm#ieplugin
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/adware.ieplugin.html

Search your PC for these files to see if you have it on your hard drive. systb.dll, winobject.dll, wupdt.exe, winserv.exe, lycos.exe, bargains.exe, sidesearch1211.dll, apuc.dll. you can cut and paste these into your search box.

Here's a Google search for you to start your research - http://www.google.com/search?q=%22intelligent+explorer%22+ieplugin

08.08.03
Blaster Worm detection and removal by MikesHardware.com
If your system will still boot up, follow the instructions below:

1) Kill the program. Do a CTRL-ALT-DELETE and find MSBlaster.exe in the list of running programs. Click it once with your mouse and then click on "end process." If unable to do so, restart your machine, and repeat the process.

2) To stop it from starting again requires a registry change. Click Start then Run, type RegEdit, hit enter. In left panel, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Run. Locate and delete the entry:
”windows auto update" = MSBLAST.EXE. Close the editor

3) Search your computer for copies of the file msblast.exe and delete them. To do that, click on Start then Search then Files or Folders.

4) Download the Symantec tool (it's my favorite) [FixBlast.exe] and save it to your desktop or other convenient place that you can remember. DON'T RUN IT YET! This tool will detect and remove the critter for you. If you haven't already got it, get Symantec's Norton Internet Security with Anti-Virus version 2003 to keep these buggers at bay in the future.

5) Close any programs that are running.

6) If you are running Windows XP Home or Professional you'll need to disable System Restore. To do that, right-click on My Computer, and click on Properties. Click on the System Restore tab and put a check mark in the Turn Off System Restore on all drives checkbox, and click then OK.

7) Now run the FixBlast tool from Symantec...

If you see a message that the tool was not able to remove one or more files, then you'll need to run your computer in Safe Mode to complete this process. For detailed instructions on running your computer in Safe Mode, click here...

If you didn't see that above message then go to Step 5.

8) Download and run the Microsoft Blaster Patch. Once you're finished installing the patch, you can reboot.

Your system is all clean and safe now... but... hold on a second... you and I both know there are other nasties out there. If you want to keep these types of buggers from getting you again, then read on...

Other links I found concerning the Blaster Worm: Microsoft - What You Should Know About the Blaster Worm Blaster Worm on the move MSBlast echoes across the Net <<Security Notice From Microsoft>> 08.11.03 On August 11, 2003, Microsoft began investigating a report of a worm, known as W32.Blaster.Worm, that exploits the vulnerability addressed by Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026. Microsoft originally released this critical security bulletin and corresponding patch for Windows operating systems on July 16, 2003. While you may not notice the presence of the worm infection at all on your computer systems or your customers' computer systems, typical symptoms may include Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems rebooting every few minutes without user input or Windows NT4 and Windows 2000 systems becoming unresponsive. If you or your customer applied security patch MS03-026 prior to the discovery of the Blaster worm, your system is secure from the vulnerability that W32.Blaster is using. For the most current information on determining if your systems are infected and how to recover from the infection, please visit the following Web site and perform the prescribed steps: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=220723. This site will be updated as more information regarding the W32.blaster worm becomes available. Our goal is to provide you with the information and tools you need to help run your company safely and reliably. When we become aware of these types of vulnerabilities, it is our goal to share protection and remediation information with you as quickly as is possible. In order to help protect your computing environment from security vulnerabilities, we encourage you to use the Windows Update service by going to http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=220724 and also subscribe to Microsoft's security notification service at http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=220725. By using these two services you will automatically receive information on the latest software updates and the latest security notifications, thereby improving the likelihood that your computing environment will be safe from the worms and viruses that occur.

Antivirus companies warned of a new virus that communicates through digital images, but security experts aren't sure how much of a threat this latest evolutionary branch of malicious code poses. Dubbed the first "JPEG infector" by security company Network Associates, the W32/Perrun virus has two parts: infected JPEG images that contain the virus's payload and a viral program that extracts the code from the images and infects other JPEGs on the system as they are opened. Because PCs have to be infected by the extractor virus before any code hidden in image files can affect them, the program is more a computer-science curiosity than a threat.
Link

This is a hoax that tries to persuade you to delete a legitimate Windows file from your computer. The file that the hoax refers to, Jdbgmgr.exe, is a Java Debugger Manager. It is a Microsoft file that is installed when you install Windows.

NOTE: If you have already deleted the Jdbgmgr.exe file, some Java applets may not run correctly. This is not a critical system file. The file version may vary with your operating system and version of Internet Explorer.

So visit this Microsoft site to fix it http://www.microsoft.com/java/vm/dl_vm40.htm.

Here is a Symantec link that better describes this hoax.

You can lookup information about more hoaxs at these leading websites:
U.S. Dept. of Energy at http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html
Symantec hoax & virus encyclopedia at http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html
Stiller Research at http://www.stiller.com/hoaxes.htm

If you have problems contact MH for help [EMAIL].

08.31.01
KaZaa Warning!

A reminder to be careful ...

Why do my web pages have all those ugly yellow links on them?
Oh, you must have downloaded a program called KaZaa. While you thought you're getting a cool MP3 sharing tool, they thought that it'd be even cooler to mess with your browser and sell advertising through your computer. The program comes with a little Trojan friend called TopText that is also installed on your PC. Of course you must have known this, cause you choose to install it, didn't ya ?

Read the full Story

http://www.spychecker.com

BTW, AdAware is a great program, it has found many spryware programs on my computers: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/downloads.html
This handy tip submitted by Jeff Haas

McAfee/Network Associates | Symantec | Trend Micro

Computer Associates InnoculateIt free personal, resident virus scanner (cleanup and protection)

MooSoft The Cleaner: Trojan Detection and Removal (cleanup)

Symantec How to configure shared Windows folders for maximum network protection (protection)

Zone Labs Zone Alarm personal firewall (protection)

Gibson Research Shield's Up vulnerability scanner (protection)

Trend Micro Virus Alerts

More Alerts...