Computer virus on forum

[deleted129840]

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My antivirus software detected a Trojan while browsing today's posts on this forum. It was, roughly,

4/24/2010 11:38:29 PM Detected: Trojan.JS.Pakes.br Internet Explorer
http://adnet.media.prananc.com/b/jx/cd/?rq=99999&sid=99999999&m=714&tn=4&d=s&ct=1&t=s//JSPack

(link has been changed in case anyone is tempted to follow it)


Does anyone know how to contact the forum administrators to track it down and have it removed?

 

[Style]

Same here. I came across a Trojan and thought it was odd.

 

[Sparda29]

Haha, you use Internet Explorer.

 

[johnep34]

Spybot or AVG, both free on net will get rid of these for you.
johnep

 

[All4MyDaughter]

That doesn't appear to be from our servers. Does anyone know what ads were displaying when this happened?

 

[orthomyxo]

Haha, you use Internet Explorer.

BURN!

 

[Style]

Nah, I always use Firefox. Luckily, my antivirus and spyware program caught it.

 

[Old Timer]

Nah, I always use Firefox. Luckily, my antivirus and spyware program caught it.

You need to have the NoScript and the AdBlock extensions or Firefox is only slightly safer than IE. This is a common problem as adds are not being served from this site..

 

[rphello]

You need to have the NoScript and the AdBlock extensions or Firefox is only slightly safer than IE. This is a common problem as adds are not being served from this site..

That's good advice, but good luck getting the average person to run noscript. We're a rare breed OT.

 

[Old Timer]

That's good advice, but good luck getting the average person to run noscript. We're a rare breed OT.

No we are the ones who don't get infected.....

 

[aboveliquidice]

That's good advice, but good luck getting the average person to run noscript. We're a rare breed OT.

No we are the ones who don't get infected.....

Use of porn / cracker sites aside, noscript / adblock simply prevents sites you use from earning revenue.

 

[Old Timer]

Use of porn / cracker sites aside, noscript / adblock simply prevents sites you use from earning revenue.

That is without a doubt the most naive statement I have seen in a long time. As long as sites allow adds that install spyware on your system I will protect myself and advise others to do the same. Java runs as a local program and I decide what runs on my PC, not any web site administrator who will not pay for me to clean my machine once infected nor will they pay for any money stolen from my bank account if I get the Zeus trojan.

 

[MyTalon4U2NV]

i have a mac... whats a virus?!

 

[rphello]

Use of porn / cracker sites aside, noscript / adblock simply prevents sites you use from earning revenue.

There's such a thing as a whitelist. As soon as a site quits serving infected content, I whitelist it. Sweeping generalizations won't get you far, especially when you don't have a clue. Take care.

 

[Old Timer]

i have a mac... whats a virus?!

This is the second most naive statement in this thread.....

 

[skeksis]

how far can one pee? 🙄

 

[IceScrewball]

You need to have the NoScript and the AdBlock extensions or Firefox is only slightly safer than IE. This is a common problem as adds are not being served from this site..

Wow, thanks for mentioning this! I just got hit by a virus two weeks ago, I even took my netbook to a shop to get fixed, but sadly I just had to wipe the hard drive clean and start over. I decided to get rid of IE and tried Firefox for the first time this weekend. I completely love it, but I'm still finding out all of its functionality. NoScript just became my first add-on!

 

[aboveliquidice]

That is without a doubt the most naive statement I have seen in a long time. As long as sites allow adds that install spyware on your system I will protect myself and advise others to do the same. Java runs as a local program and I decide what runs on my PC, not any web site administrator who will not pay for me to clean my machine once infected nor will they pay for any money stolen from my bank account if I get the Zeus trojan.

most naive??? I think not - and the ad space is not laden with those out for your information. Unless you've been surfing sites like piratebay or other less savory sites.

Legit sites do not do business with ad companies that run spyware. Stop watching the local news. It isn't hard to navigate the Internet without exposing yourself.

Worry more about what you download and phishing - these are far more lucrative ways of infecting your computer.

 

[Lee]

We've turned off Google Advertising until this issue is resolved. Please let me know if you are still getting the trojan warnings.

 

[Old Timer]

most naive??? I think not - and the ad space is not laden with those out for your information. Unless you've been surfing sites like piratebay or other less savory sites.

Legit sites do not do business with ad companies that run spyware. Stop watching the local news. It isn't hard to navigate the Internet without exposing yourself.

Worry more about what you download and phishing - these are far more lucrative ways of infecting your computer.

The trouble with the Internet is you don't know the person you are speaking to. In addition to being a pharmacist, I own my own computer business and I am a moderator at the PC-Guide Discussion forums. This is an area where I happen to have great deal of knowledge. Your assertion is that if you just stay away from porn, gambling, or pirate sites you will be safe is false. I don't know how many PC's you have cleaned of malware, but I am well into the hundreds and I can tell you unequivocally your assertion is incorrect. Additionally, the United States Computer Emergency Ready Team (CERT) recommends FireFox users install NoScript in their article on Securing Your Web Browser.

Also just Google Online Ads Malware and you will see this is not a new phenomenon and this is not panic from people reading the lay press. This kind of thing has been a problem for years. As recently as last month, CNET.com reported WhitePages.com had to suspend their add program for similar reasons. Digital Trends also reported on this problem in March. Finally Webmasterwrold.com is also reporting the same problem you are experiencing.

The decision to suspend the ads until you get to the bottom of this is the prudent thing to do while recommending people not install NoScript is the exact opposite.

 

[aboveliquidice]

I stand corrected... Thanks for the info

 

[MountainPharmD]

The trouble with the Internet is you don't know the person you are speaking to. In addition to being a pharmacist, I own my own computer business and I am a moderator at the PC-Guide Discussion forums. This is an area where I happen to have great deal of knowledge. Your assertion is that if you just stay away from porn, gambling, or pirate sites you will be safe is false. I don't know how many PC's you have cleaned of malware, but I am well into the hundreds and I can tell you unequivocally your assertion is incorrect. Additionally, the United States Computer Emergency Ready Team (CERT) recommends FireFox users install NoScript in their article on Securing Your Web Browser.

Also just Google Online Ads Malware and you will see this is not a new phenomenon and this is not panic from people reading the lay press. This kind of thing has been a problem for years. As recently as last month, CNET.com reported WhitePages.com had to suspend their add program for similar reasons. Digital Trends also reported on this problem in March. Finally Webmasterwrold.com is also reporting the same problem you are experiencing.

The decision to suspend the ads until you get to the bottom of this is the prudent thing to do while recommending people not install NoScript is the exact opposite.

Okay so I have also been effected by this. Everytime I logged on to SDN in the last couple of weeks I would get a fake Internet Explorer Security update warning. It took me countless hours to get my computer cleaned up. I run McAfee as my antivirus software. I also periodically use Malwarebytes anti-malwarwe, Spybot, Spyware Doctor, Iola system mechanic and CCleaner.

Should I stop using internet explorer? Is that my problem?

 

[rphello]

Should I stop using internet explorer? Is that my problem?

It's not helping. Windows is the OS for over 90% of computer on this planet, and each one has IE installed. It's a big target for the nasties. In XP, IE is intertwined with the OS, so it creates a huge mess when you use IE in Windows XP. Microsoft mitigated that risk a bit starting with Vista.

The popup you experienced is from javascript, which is why OT recommended Noscript. Noscript is only available for Firefox. Unfortunately, javascript is used all over, in good and bad sites, so using Noscript requires some effort.

http://noscript.net/

It's worth the effort to me, because I don't get weird popups. Check it out, and we can talk more if you'd like.

 

[joetrisman]

This is the second most naive statement in this thread.....

i have ubuntu.....what virus?!? 😉

 

[Moxxie]

This is the second most naive statement in this thread.....

I mentioned this to someone the other day - that simply being an Apple product does not disqualify your computer from getting a virus - it's just that virus programmers would rather target an OS with >80% of the market share. Her boyfriend, a self-proclaimed Mac expert, happened to call her right then, and she mentioned to him what I said. I could hear him through the phone when he said, "And what are HER credentials? That's not true. All macs are safe."

<sigh>

Anyway - as far as ad block and noscript go, do they prevent any and all activex and java? Or can I allow certain websites? Also, will they really prevent the annoying pop-up ads at websites like snopes.com? My husband has our network (4 PCs and a server) locked up and protected pretty tight, so I've never had any problems with malware, but snopes.com (which I love to read), still manages to pop up window after window in even the latest version of FireFox. It's to the point that I don't even include them in my daily-ish rotation of websites.

 

[Old Timer]

I mentioned this to someone the other day - that simply being an Apple product does not disqualify your computer from getting a virus - it's just that virus programmers would rather target an OS with >80% of the market share. Her boyfriend, a self-proclaimed Mac expert, happened to call her right then, and she mentioned to him what I said. I could hear him through the phone when he said, "And what are HER credentials? That's not true. All macs are safe."

All this means is her boyfriend is macboy Koolaid drinker who knows nothing about security. In realty right now almost all operating systems are very secure including Windows. The attacks that are taking place are being directed against browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari) and ubiquitous apps like Java and Acrobat. In fact for three years running at the Cansecwest security conference, the MAC was the first PC to be hacked, last year in 20 seconds. Mac's are safer because hacking is big business 100's of millions if not billions of dollars per year. They go where the action is and as long as MAC OS stays at <10% of desktop PC's it won't be an issue.

Anyway - as far as ad block and noscript go, do they prevent any and all activex and java? Or can I allow certain websites? Also, will they really prevent the annoying pop-up ads at websites like snopes.com? My husband has our network (4 PCs and a server) locked up and protected pretty tight, so I've never had any problems with malware, but snopes.com (which I love to read), still manages to pop up window after window in even the latest version of FireFox. It's to the point that I don't even include them in my daily-ish rotation of websites.

Yes. you can control what is blocked.....

 

[IceScrewball]

Also, will they really prevent the annoying pop-up ads at websites like snopes.com? My husband has our network (4 PCs and a server) locked up and protected pretty tight, so I've never had any problems with malware, but snopes.com (which I love to read), still manages to pop up window after window in even the latest version of FireFox. It's to the point that I don't even include them in my daily-ish rotation of websites.

I also like that website, so I just tried reading a couple articles on it. Without altering anything in AdBlock Plus, there were zero pop-ups. Also, if a page is designated as opening in a new window, it opens in the new window without asking me for verification, while at the same time NOT opening any ads. It's well worth the three minutes it takes to download and install.