devdrago12 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 *whew* good to know. Still though, sucks you can get malware unsuspectedly downloaded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilneko Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Sounds like a malware-infested ad ("malvertisement") got into whatever ad network TPB uses. It can happen anywhere. This is the primary reason why I use a HOSTS file and Privoxy to filter out ads. My dad once got infected by a malvertisement going to a local news channel's website. It can happen anywhere, but the seedier the site, the more likely the site operators are to turn a blind eye to it. Besides -- TPB should be treated as typhoid mary ever since the original creators attempted to sell out, and walked away afterward. I've actually got their servers blocked in my router -- couldn't browse there if I tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ub3rman123 Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 I think I managed to get the same thing myself. I was browsing Failblog and one of those ads started talking at me, then 0.5 seconds later a giant screen popped up and said I needed to buy their anti-virus software to remove it. I, with usual internet sense, used the 'x' button to close it. Somehow, the little buggers wired the 'x' button to install the program. I managed to get my mod off the comp (The one thing I value on my computers), then just wiped it. Later the worm sent itself to my other computers and probably anyone trying to steal my internet connection. At least I used ctrl-alt-del on those. On the talking ads: Even when they aren't trying to destroy your computer/the world, they are still ridiculously annoying. I'm thinking I'll become a premium member just to get rid of those accursed ads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkleiss Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 I got the Virtumonde virus from an ad on the Nexus page. At least that's when it manifested itself. I worked for three days with SpyBot S&D, Malwarebytes and CCLeaner, but to no avail. So I just wiped my HDD clean and started over. There still (IMHO) is not better way to rid a PC from trojans than a fresh OS install. I partition my HDD into two just for this reason. Now a bit of negativism. The main reason that malware goes mostly unchecked is two-fold: 1) Anti-virus SW is big business, if there were no viruses, there'd be no anti-virus software and many a company would be out of business.2) Many anti-virus SW companies actually contract out to third parties to create malware. I know of such an individule who worked under contract for Sun-Micro Systems, which is not know as a criminal enterprise. AFAIK creating malware is not illegal in most countries. Just my 2 cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bben46 Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Or: get some kind of ad blocking software - I use Firefox and an add on for it is called Adblock Plus - it blocks over 95% of the ads. Plus I also use Noscript - which blocks sites from running scripts to install anything unless you allow. I am sure there are similar products for other web browsers - but M$ will probably charge you for them on IE. And Google Chrome will be a beta. While the FireFox add ons are FREE and have been around for long enough to have most of the bugs worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craigsters Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 Yea I installed firefox 3.6 and Wot, NoScript and adblock late Sunday evening and decided to leave torrent surfing and downloading to my old PC, which I'll get out of the pawn shop at the end of March!.. Owe since installing NoScript and adblock the download section for Fallout 3 loads faster and no 90 second wait for ads to load anymore!.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ub3rman123 Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Is anyone else thinking these talking ads are a sinister plot to get more people to swap to premium? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craigsters Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 If my credit card wasn't 200 dollars over it's limit, I'd get a premium account in a second, it's going to take me years to get my $1.700 credit card dept down!.. I'm only allowed to charge up to $1.500 on my VISA and I'm over by $200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilneko Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 IE8's InPrivate filter can supposedly be used as a sort of adblocker. Best solution is HOSTS file + Privoxy though. Just configure your browser to use Privoxy as a proxy server, and boom - ads disappear, no matter what browser you use. Proxomitron is similar, but filters for it are harder to write and tweak than Privoxy filters IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talonkarrde Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Yeah, I got the exact same thing on my Inspiron 530, only instead of acting as XP Antivirus, it was Vista Antivirus. The moment it showed up, I knew something was up. I started task manager, ended the process, and deleted the file. For me, it was pretending to be a system file, therefore hidden. I deleted it but the troubles did not end. Now, whenever I try to open a program [that wasn't included with the system] it asks me what I want to open it with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts