Trojan won't go away, what can I do?

Question

I'm using AVG Anti-Spyware and the Trojan Sinowal keeps coming back no matter how many times I remove it. What can I do?

Answer 1

oh my god...

Trojans are considered Viruses/worms and must be purged with anti-viruses, not anti-spywares.





Some pieces of adware or spyware have their own built-in uninstaller (though most won't advertise this fact), allowing you to eliminate them in the same way you'd remove any other program. Since this is by far this easiest way to get rid of adware and spyware, you'll want to check for an uninstallation wizard before you take a more time-consuming approach.



First, navigate to Windows' Start Menu and select Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. A pop-up screen will appear, listing all programs installed on your computer. If you know the name of the pest you're dealing with, look for it in the list; if you find an entry for it, hit the Remove button. If you're not sure of your enemy's name, browse the list for any unfamiliar programs. Before you remove any suspected piece of adware or spyware, type its name into Google or another search engine to make sure you're not deleting a useful or necessary program. Spyware Encyclopedia from Computer Associates is also an excellent resource to tap when researching adware and spyware.



If the aforementioned method fails, continue your search for an uninstaller by heading to Windows' Start Menu and selecting Programs, which will also list programs on your computer. Again, search for the adware or spyware component by name, keeping an eye out for programs that you don't remember installing. When you have located a suspect, mouse over its name to see if it includes an uninstaller (some programs will make you access a drop-down menu to see all of your options).



Finally, you'll want to check for an uninstaller that may be buried from plain sight on your hard drive. In Windows Explorer, browse to your computer's C drive, and then open the Program Files folder. If you know the name of the adware or spyware application you want to eliminate, look for a similarly named folder. If you don't have any idea what the application is called, sort the folders by date (right-click Arrange Icons By > Modified) and look for recent additions.



If you happen locate a suspicious folder, open it and look for a file named something like "uninstall.exe". This file will usually remove the offending program, but before you click it, do some online research to make sure you're not uninstalling a crucial system component.



After you've uninstalled the potential offender, restart your computer and check for suspicious behavior such as multiple pop-up ads or redirected search engine results. If your computer still has issues, it's time to scan your machine for viruses, Trojans, or spyware using a specialized piece of software.



If you want software to do that,

then,

download

Spybot Search and Destroy

Ad-Aware SE Personal

Superanti-spyware,



Only use Stopzilla if the infection is really bad,

Buy Spy Sweeper,

and either buy McAfee VirusScan, or download AVG Home



Even if you were able to successfully stop the malware from running, stubborn forms might reappear the next time you start up your system. But where is the problematic program located? Is it in the registry? Is it in the Startup folder? It could be any of a number of places, and it's your job to find it.



If you're running Windows 2000 or XP, you can use Windows built-in tool for removing programs that launch when you start your system. First, go to Start Menu > Programs and look for a menu item called Startup. If you see the offending program listed under this menu item, right-click its name and choose Delete.



However, some sneakier forms of malware might hide their automatic-launch components quite well; in such cases, a free application called Autoruns can help you find them. Autoruns displays most of the places where a program can be automatically set to run in Windows, including the Registry and the Schedule Tasks folder.



If you find the malware after launching Autoruns, delete it by unchecking the box next to its name. Be careful not to delete a program just because it has a cryptic name. Conduct Web research to confirm that the file or registry entry is actually part of your problem, or you might accidentally end up removing a valid portion of your system.



If all is lost,

run Hijack This!

Only use Hijack this! as a last resort because hijack this is kinda hard to control. After finding programs that may cause the infection, it'll display a log. Most of those programs are legimate and may be necessary for you. If you don't know which one is which and just click clean/delete, then your "goodies" are purged.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

You got a nasty Trojan Sinowal PSW (Password stealing ) particularly targets banking web sites and also has the ability to steal other locally stored passwords.



1. Turn off System Restore.

http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/sfc_dis1.shtml



2)Download the Malicious Software Removal Tool manually from the Microsoft Download Center.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AD724AE0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en

Description

http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx







2) Do at least 2 online anti virus scan

http://securitynewsfromthenet.blogspot.com/2007/05/spyware-fighter-essentials.html



what anti virus program do you have?

http://securitynewsfromthenet.blogspot.com/2007/03/list-of-free-anti-virus-software-free.html

Answer 4

You may need to use another program. Spybot Search and Destroy is a good Trojan hunter as well as CWShredder. You can download them free from http://doxdesk.com. You may also want to download adware from lavasoft. This link is also on this site. Lastly, after downloading these programs, put your system in safe mode when running the programs. Hope this has helped.

Answer 5

For all computer related problems please check out

http://computer-probs.blogspot.com/

It not only gives complete solutions but also offers

free downloads of effective softwares which can detect

and eliminate all spy ware /virus /ad ware /Trojans completely.

Answer 6

Try a online antivirus scanner and a online anti-adware/malware/spyware scanner in safe mode with network to clean up your computer before you download anything.



To get in safe mode tap F8 when booting you computer.

Choose "Safe mode with network".

Go to Start – Run - type iexplore http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html Enter(ok).

Do a full system scan. If something is found, delete it, reboot and do the same again in safe mode with network.

When that scan does not find anything you reboot again in safe mode with network.

Go to Start – Run – type iexplore http://www.ewido.net/en/ Enter(ok).

Do a full scan. If you find something, delete it, reboot and do the same again in safe mode with network.



**NOTE: Do NOT do anything else with your computer when scanning. This because you can start virus/adware/spyware/malware manually.



When no one of these scanners are showing anything your computer is clean and you can reboot back to normal mode.

------------------

Now you need to get a antivirus program, a firewall and some spyware/adware/malware removers if you don't have it.

I use Norton Internet Security on my desktop running XP Home SP2.

On my laptop i have Ubuntu 7.04. No security needed in Linux, but i have antivirus and firewall.



Here are some free programs.



Antivirus Protection.

BitDefender Anti-Virus Free. http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en--BitDefender-8-Free-Edition.html

Avast Anti-Virus Free. http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

AVG Anti-Virus Free. http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5

Avast Virus Cleaner - free virus removal tool. http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-virus-cleaner.html



Firewall Protection.

ZoneAlarm Firewall Free. http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?dc=34std&ctry=&lang=nb&lid=trial_zaFamily

Easy-to-use firewall blocks hackers and other unknown threats.

* Systematically identifies hackers and blocks access attempts.

Automatically makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet.

Use ZoneAlarm if you normaly use Windows Firewall.

Disable Windows Firewall after downloading ZoneAlarm if it's not done automatically.



Ad-Aware 2007 Free. http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

Ad-Aware 2007 Free remains the most popular anti-spyware product for computer users around the world, with nearly one million downloads every week. Our free anti-spyware version provides you with advanced protection against spyware that secretly attaches and takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity, even identity theft through stolen bank details, passwords, and credit card account numbers. If you want real-time scanning capabilities, consider upgrading to Ad-Aware 2007 Plus for real-time protection against spyware, all the time.



AVG Anti-spyware Free. http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tpl/v5



Spybot-S&D Free. http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.



AVG Anti-Rootkit Free. http://free.grisoft.com/doc/39798/lng/us/tpl/v5

AVG Anti-Rootkit is a powerful tool with state-of-the-art technology for detection and removal of rootkits. rootkits are used to hide the presence of a malicious object like Trojans or keyloggers on your computer. If a threat uses rootkit technology to hide itself it is very hard to find the malware on your PC. AVG Anti-Rootkit gives you the power to find and delete the rootkit and to uncover the threat the rootkit is hiding.



CCleaner free.

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast and contains NO spyware or adware. http://www.ccleaner.com/



*NOTE: Only have one antivirus program and one firewall installed on your computer.

Anti-adware/malware/spyware are ok to have more of.

Also scan with online scanners sometimes.



Hope it helps you.

Good luck.



JTB