Chinese Virus----beware

[vc10man 732]

A word of warning. Beware of getting this virus/malware----TPS.Ink---- into your system. Out of the blue it infected my system this morning as it hijacked my blank browser homepage. It then displays a webpage all in Chinese. It then takes over and disables access to the Registry,---- which was working fine yesterday,------ if one tries to remove it from there. It sits in the Startup folder and all efforts to remove it via CCleaner proved useless. It sits on the desktop as a Browser icon(in my case Firefox) with garbled letters. Try to delete it and it just self-resurrects in another spot on the desktop.

 

I thought I had Windows Security Essential running in the background to protect my system. Turned out to be it was disabled. Trying to re-install it proved a total failure with an Error Code that when searching the Windows website offered workarounds that did not workaround(thanks MS!!). In the end, I downloaded the latest AVG, updated the definitions, and ran a scan and it found the Trojan and several others and successfully healed it.

 

So, beware of this virus/malware.

[maple-syrup 40]

Dang... Glad you fixed it!

[signmanbob 592]

Ouch!! 

[g_precentralis 191]

CCleaner is not supposed to kill that kind of garbage.

[shamrockflyer 647]

Glad you fixed it!

 

About the Chinese - some person from China attempted to hack into my Google Account, beware of that also! I had to change all of my passwords related to my Google Account. Google are very good though, they emailed me and messaged me on my phone telling me someone attempted to access my account, they gave me their location and ip address. Excellent service!

 

I hope all goes well for you from here. Stay safe out there :wink:

[mgh 89]

A  System Repair Disc can be very helpful in these cases. It's quick and easy to create one - just type "System Repair" in Help & Support to find out how. 

[vc10man 732]

Thanks for all the support, and encouragement.

 

@g_precentralis

CCleaner in fact can disable or delete Start-ups as I have been using it for eons to do that, except in this instance, this pesky Worm would not let CCleaner do it.

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

What did you download that had this file in it?

[vc10man 732]

What did you download that had this file in it?

I cannot remember, but I was surfing late at night and do not think I was downloading anything but had plugged-in a USB pen-drive that I had used in the USA on my recent trip to upload photographs, shut the system down, woke up next morning to find that virus. I thought I had MSE covering my back. Obviously not as I discovered. I will not trust it again.

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

Obviously not as I discovered. I will not trust it again.

You said that you had it off, though. It can't be claimed "unreliable" if you don't have it on.

[Overload 91]

I use some well known backup software, I'm sure the other back-up software's are just as good. I back up 2 or 3 times a week, it's saved me many times from add-ons that messed up my system, duff windows updates, duff graphic cards update, sudden surge of CTD's for reasons unknown, for around £30 it's money well spent. Takes me about 45 minutes, and then it auto shuts the PC down.

So many of the problems I see regularly on the forums like this Chinese threat, could be dealt with easily, but back up software rarely gets a mention...

Just my 2c...

[vc10man 732]

 

 

You said that you had it off,

I did not have it off per se. I thought it was loaded and running as it's supposed to do in the background. It was only later that I discovered it had somewhere along the line got corrupted and was not loaded in the background, and when I tried to re-install it it kept throwing up an Error Code and directing me to the MS website for a workaround solution which, inevitably, did not work.

 

 

back up software

Name of that Back-up Software which seems good value for £30, please?

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

Name of that Back-up Software which seems good value for £30, please?

Carbonite, maybe? Or just Windows Backup...

[Overload 91]

The only reason I didn't mention the name of the product, was the last time I did Tom A thought it was a bit too close to product placement for comfort, and I was asked to desist on pain of suspension. When I explained my post was in keeping with the thread (a guy reluctant to try some suggested software because of bad software experiences in the past), he was OK about it, but suggested I should have pasted the previous relevant points in my thread, I agree, would have been a good idea.

But as this thread is clear in its context, I use Acronis, just checked on ebay, 2013 editionis available for £25 in the UK. I'm certain that the major competitors are just as good, it's just that Acronis was the first one I've tried. I'm sure that there are good freeware versions around, it's just that when my hard drive is going to be re written byte by byte, and there's no turning back, I want something with a track record, it's scary stuff. Whenever I use it in anger, my heart's in my mouth, but it hasn't let me down yet...Touch wood.... I don't want to take chances by doing it on the cheap.

Another thing to consider for simmers, when stuff goes wrong like controls, is it hardware or software? Well with an image backup, you can go back to a state when the hardware definitely worked, if it's still faulty, it must be hardware.

Also any file or directory can be restored from a backup file individually, without doing a full restore. When I read the horror stories on Avsim of lost weekends doing full FXS installs plus all the tweaks and add-on software, my heart sinks for those guys. For the price of an add-on airport or modest aircraft, it could all be avoided...

Eugene

[vc10man 732]

Thanks for that, Eugene. I already have Acronis, not sure which version it is. But as I backed up everything such as My Docs, etc onto the Samsung SSD drive, I opted for Samsung's Data.Migration.

 

I don't think you will land in hot water with Tom. He is a pretty reasonable guy and you are not blatantly product placing here in this thread. Only snag was when I tried to boot off the SSD drive, Windows 7 immediately kept taking me to an Activation screen. Eh? What gives? Okay to boot the same Windows 7 installation  from a HDD that has already been activated yet the same OS image cloned onto an SSD is not okay? Makes no sense at all.

 

When I build my new rig, having obtained the hardware on my recent US trip, I will fit a 2nd SSD drive, I will then start the whole shebang from ground zero.