Windows Fake "Security Center" Malware

[enforcer]

I have had two computers which became infected with the phoney malware "Windows Security Center".  Sometimes I don't know how it finds its way onto a computer, but if it does, it completely hijacks your computer - no other prgrams or the internet work.  It tries to force you to purchase their software program to fix your computer or rmove all these supposed viruses on your computer.  It starts popping up porno web sites on your screen.  It looks so much like a genuine Microsoft product, it is scary. 

Here are the steps to remove the malware.  By the time I figured out how to remove it, it took about 8 hours to undo what it had done to my computer.  Even after I got rid of it, my Internet Explorer needed fixing !

How to Remove Fake “Windows Security Center� Malware from Computer (I was running Windows XP Media Edition)

1.   Unplug networking device to stop internet connection.
2.   Shut off computer (do not log off – just hit the computer’s off button).
3.   Reboot computer – as computer starts to reboot repeatedly hit the  “F8â€� key to enter into the computer’s “Safe Modeâ€�
4.   Once in Safe Mode, scroll down to Enter Windows without networking
5.   Go to an uninfected computer and download “SuperAnti-Spywareâ€� for free from cnet.com.  Load this file onto an SD card or other portable memory device.
6.   Go back to the infected computer which should now be in “Safe Mode.â€�  Put in the portable memory device into the computer card reader.  Go to the “Startâ€� menu and using “My Computer,â€� double click on the new portable drive. 
7.   Copy the Super Anti-Spyware file (drag the file) to the desktop of the infected computer. 
8.   Once copied, double click the file and install the SuperAnti-Spyware program. 
9.   Run a full scan (this can take upwards of an hour).  Once it identifies spyware, remove anything that it has checked off as malware/spyware in order to remove the files.
10.   Reboot the computer.
11.   Check your network status – you may have an internet connection, but are unable to load Internet Explorer.  The malware can also mess up your Internet Explorer, so you need to re-set it.
12.   To reset Internet Explorer, go to “Start,â€� then “Control Panel,â€� then “Internet Optionsâ€� then the “Advancedâ€� tab.  Hit the “Resetâ€� Internet Explorer Button at the bottom of the open dialog box.  Check off the box for “Delete Personal Settings.â€�  By checking this box, you will NOT lose your internet history or saved favorite sites.  It can, however, change your homepage.  If you installed the SuperAnti-Spyware to your computer, however, a dialog box should pop up asking you whether you want it to change your homepage.  Even if you answer “yes,â€� you can always go into “Internet Optionsâ€� on the “Generalâ€� tab and change your home page to the web address you want in the first box on this tab.

Good Luck !

[StatFreak]

Thanks for the heads up and the fix! K+

[staz]

i had a similiar virus i just did a factory reinstall today on my puter just hit f11 then did a full reinstall i think i got rid of it ....puter runs fine now....

[laneman]

K+

[reho33]

In my job I have reloaded about 5 computers with this, reason that I reloaded is because after I did fix and clean, it came back. Don't know why just did.

[rickhunter]

When you get the fake windows security scan pop-up window, you cannot "close" the window, it will install the payload.  You need to Ctrl-Alt-Del and kill the internet explorer process, or if you don't want to do that, cut power to your PC.  It's best to not let it in.

[FOXSSLOTS1]

thats why I have a MAC - how many malware issues with MACS?  NONE.

[StatFreak]

thats why I have a MAC - how many malware issues with MACS?  NONE.

Only because no one owns them. 

Seriously, it's not worth the hackers' time to develop malware for the MAC because there aren't enough of them in use -- same for linux users. If everyone switched from PC to MAC, you'd be as inundated with viruses as PCs are now within a couple of years.

It's got nothing to do with the "security" of the MAC operating system.

[staz]

install AVG its the best security software out there and its free..... it blocks anything that pops up thats a possible infection..... i been using it for over 3 years never had a virus......

[Neonkiss]

thats why I have a MAC - how many malware issues with MACS?  NONE.

Only because no one owns them.  

Seriously, it's not worth the hackers' time to develop malware for the MAC because there aren't enough of them in use -- same for linux users. If everyone switched from PC to MAC, you'd be as inundated with viruses as PCs are now within a couple of years.

It's got nothing to do with the "security" of the MAC operating system.

I've heard that hackers write this crap to attack windows for their complete hatred of Bill Gates......
He's not real liked in the computer world, unless you draw a paycheck from him.

[StatFreak]

thats why I have a MAC - how many malware issues with MACS?  NONE.

Only because no one owns them.  

Seriously, it's not worth the hackers' time to develop malware for the MAC because there aren't enough of them in use -- same for linux users. If everyone switched from PC to MAC, you'd be as inundated with viruses as PCs are now within a couple of years.

It's got nothing to do with the "security" of the MAC operating system.

I've heard that hackers write this crap to attack windows for their complete hatred of Bill Gates......
He's not real liked in the computer world, unless you draw a paycheck from him.

 

[channelmaniac]

install AVG its the best security software out there and its free..... it blocks anything that pops up thats a possible infection..... i been using it for over 3 years never had a virus......

I removed AVG from my wife's PC after her PC was trojanized and connecting back to a machine in Estonia. That crap software wasted 12 hours of my life.

[Foster]

Oh Macs can get a virus, they are rare though.

No one owns a Mac. I hear they have over 10% of the market.
I own one and will always have one.

Except for some special applications, or unusual peripheral and software.
I can not think of anything I cant do on my Mac that a Windows PC can do better than a Mac, other than Windows getting another virus, etc.

I can even run Windows XP and 7 on it, in VirtualBox or selecting to boot Windows 7.
My Mac did not cost anymore than a decent PC, and it is a Intel Quad Core.
IF you want details you may PM me.

[StatFreak]

Oh Macs can get a virus, they are rare though.

No one owns a Mac. I hear they have over 10% of the market.
...

You just made my point. When 80-90% of personal computer users have Macs, the viruses will follow. Sometimes it pays to go against the majority.

[result1]

Myself- I don't worry about a virus - anything goes bad, I just reboot
Best $30 program I every got - been using it for well over 6 years now

 http://www.faronics.com/

Deep Freeze instantly protects and preserves baseline computer configurations. No matter what changes a user makes to a workstation, simply restart to eradicate all changes and reset the computer to its original state - right down to the last byte. Expensive computer assets are kept running at 100% capacity and technical support time is reduced or eliminated completely. The result is consistent trouble-free computing on a truly protected and parallel network, completely free of harmful viruses and unwanted programs.

While Deep Freeze provides bulletproof protection, its non-restrictive approach also improves user productivity and satisfaction. Placing no restrictions on a user's ability to access all system resources, users avoid the frustration of downtime due to software conflicts, operating system corruption, virus attacks, and many other problems. Users are always assured of computers that are consistently operable and available

[Foster]

It is way easy to write viruses, mal-ware, etc for windows.

it is 1000 times harder to write one for the different flavors of Unix out there, Mac OS X being one of them.

I am sorry but Windows is not a as secure as people would like to think it is.

[proten]

Microsoft has allways  been

" Hurry up and get the program out and the money coming in,
 we will fix the holes and problems later when the customers
and hackers find them".

[brichter]

Oh Macs can get a virus, they are rare though.

No one owns a Mac. I hear they have over 10% of the market.
I own one and will always have one.

Except for some special applications, or unusual peripheral and software.
I can not think of anything I cant do on my Mac that a Windows PC can do better than a Mac, other than Windows getting another virus, etc.

Off the top of my head -
Email and calendaring (especially in the enterprise, Exchange or Domino)
Excel
Powerpoint
Visio

If you have need to use any of these applications, you'll still need Windows around.

[brichter]

Microsoft has allways  been

" Hurry up and get the program out and the money coming in,
 we will fix the holes and problems later when they find them".

The problem with Windows has not been as you state, it's the fact that Windows started as a non-networked OS, and was not designed with ANY security. They have been adding security since the advent of networking and NT (we won't discuss 3.11 as there was no real security to speak of), but when your base structure isn't designed with security as a priority, it's hard to add in at a later date.

*nix operating systems have been networked since their beginning in the 60s, so the security framework was designed in from the start, and OS X is based on that model of OS (not actually on Unix), so it is more resistant to the type of attacks that Windows is not.

Foster, if OS X is so secure, why does Apple release security updates that range up to the hundreds of megabytes every cycle?
The fact is, there are security issues with OS X, but few exploits. As their market share grows, the number of exploits will also increase. Google "os x code execution" if you want to see examples of these issues...

[brichter]

I removed AVG from my wife's PC after her PC was trojanized and connecting back to a machine in Estonia. That crap software wasted 12 hours of my life.

Been there, done that, too. @#$$#$ crap! 

[stormrider]

I removed AVG from my wife's PC after her PC was trojanized and connecting back to a machine in Estonia. That crap software wasted 12 hours of my life.

Been there, done that, too. @#$$#$ crap!  

LOL....AVG (Free Edition) pure crap runs to many processors for one
Ad shield,email,pop up blocker,and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head
which in turn none of it works not to mention the fake virus alerts it gives at times
and the slower page loads you get.

I did use it along time ago before they added all the stuff that don't work
I now use NOD32 not the best but ranks high on the list.
Free is Free I guess but you should always back up the important stuff
no matter what you have.

Tim


Oh !!! I forgot AVG a poor man's Norton..Blah nuff said

[brichter]

Norton is another company whose products I love to hate...

[Brianzz]

Norton and Microsoft are notorious for bloatware. I have Norton only because it's free with Comcast, which incidentally I cancelled about 3 years ago

[Foster]

I have MS Office for Mac 2008 Professional, which has Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage (e-mail), and few other programs.
Also have MS Office 2007 Professional on Windows 7 Ultimate. but I have not needed to boot into it.

Mac OS X is based on Open or Free BSD, which is based on unix.
Apple has probably modified many parts of it as they see fit.

And if I need some hardware or program that only works in Windows, I restart the computer in Windows 7.
I have Mac OS X, Windows 7, Open Solaris, and Linux installed on my computer.

Also when have you seen a Windows 7 PC have or use 2 or 3 Quad Core CPU's.

[StatFreak]

NAV was my AVG. I spent hours going through the registry cleaning up the dozens of turds that company left on my system after it had been "officially" removed. 

Back in the DOS days, the Norton Utilities were one of the best tools around. I taught myself how the FAT file system worked by looking at the FAT tables and the directory structure using the NU suite. I also used to use it as an old hex editor to look at data. I hacked a few video games that way.   But that was a very long time ago, and I have nothing good to say about Norton's current AV/AS (spamware) products.

Another one that's gone downhill this year is Ad-Aware. I still have it installed, but the last major release (v8) months back that changed the entire program interface is a kludge. It has become a resource hog, it should be removed by its own standards (it puts up pop-up balloons advertising their for-profit products), and they made the interface too user friendly: They no longer show you the detailed information of what they find, so it's very difficult to make an intelligent decision as to what action to take. It has also given me some false positives. I'll be removing it soon.