hyperlink spam

[dsiebbeles]

Good day,

Please see the print screen, do you have any advice on what to do about the hyperlink spam shown, random words will be turned into an hyperlink and when hovering above the link with my mouse will show the pop-up.

Really looking forward to your answer and hopefully solution.

I have tried several scanning/cleaning products.

Regards

attach.txt

dds.txt

[gringo_pr]

Greetings and Welcome to The Forums!!

My name is Gringo and I'll be glad to help you with your malware problems.

I have put together somethings for you to keep in mind while I am helping you to make things go easier and faster for both of us

• 
  
• Please do not run any tools unless instructed to do so.
  
  • We ask you to run different tools in a specific order to ensure the malware is completely removed from your machine, and running any additional tools may detect false positives, interfere with our tools, or cause unforeseen damage or system instability.

  [*]Please do not attach logs or use code boxes, just copy and paste the text.

  • Due to the high volume of logs we receive it helps to receive everything in the same format, and code boxes make the logs very difficult to read. Also, attachments require us to download and open the reports when it is easier to just read the reports in your post.
    

  [*]Please read every post completely before doing anything.

  • Pay special attention to the NOTE: lines, these entries identify an individual issue or important step in the cleanup process.
    

  [*]Please provide feedback about your experience as we go.

  • A short statement describing how the computer is working helps us understand where to go next, for example: I am still getting redirected, the computer is running normally, etc. Please do not describe the computer as "the same", this requires the extra step of looking back at your previous post.
  
  

NOTE: At the top of your post, click on the Watch Topic Button, select Immediate Notification, and click on Proceed. This will send you an e-mail as soon as I reply to your topic, allowing us to resolve the issue faster.

NOTE: Backup any files that cannot be replaced. Removing malware can be unpredictable and this step can save a lot of heartaches if things don't go as planed. You can put them on a CD/DVD, external drive or a pen drive, anywhere except on the computer.

NOTE: It is good practice to copy and paste the instructions into notepad and print them in case it is necessary for you to go offline during the cleanup process. To open notepad, navigate to Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > Notepad. Please remember to copy the entire post so you do not miss any instructions.

These are the programs I would like you to run next, if you have any problems with these just skip it and run the next one.

-Security Check-

• Download Security Check by screen317 from

here.

• Save it to your Desktop.
• Double click SecurityCheck.exe and follow the onscreen instructions inside of the black box.
• A Notepad document should open automatically called checkup.txt; please post the contents of that document.

-AdwCleaner-

• Please download

AdwCleaner by Xplode onto your desktop.

• Close all open programs and internet browsers.
  
• Double click on AdwCleaner.exe to run the tool.
  
• Click on Delete.
  
• Confirm each time with Ok.
  
• Your computer will be rebooted automatically. A text file will open after the restart.
  
• Please post the content of that logfile with your next answer.
  
• You can find the logfile at C:\AdwCleaner[s1].txt as well.
  

--RogueKiller--

• Download & SAVE to your Desktop RogueKiller or from here
  
  • Quit all programs that you may have started.
    
  • Please disconnect any USB or external drives from the computer before you run this scan!
    
  • For Vista or Windows 7, right-click and select "Run as Administrator to start"
    
  • For Windows XP, double-click to start.
    
  • Wait until Prescan has finished ...
    
  • Then Click on "Scan" button
    
  • Wait until the Status box shows "Scan Finished"
    
  • click on "delete"
    
  • Wait until the Status box shows "Deleting Finished"
    
  • Click on "Report" and copy/paste the content of the Notepad into your next reply.
    
  • The log should be found in RKreport[1].txt on your Desktop
    
  • Exit/Close RogueKiller+
    

Gringo

[dsiebbeles]

Gringo,

I have run your programs, and in between i checked if the 'hyperlink spam' problems were resolved, I still have the same problems as before, random words are hyperlinked to some i-pad winning site pop-up (some times another item is shown, not only i-pad). Attached are the log files of the seperate programs.

Thanks for your help so far!

AdwCleanerR1.txt

AdwCleanerS1.txt

checkup.txt

RKreport1_S_12042012_02d1208.txt

RKreport2_D_12042012_02d1209.txt

[gringo_pr]

Hello

I Would like you to do the following.

Please print out or make a copy in notpad of any instructions given, as sometimes it is necessary to go offline and you will lose access to them.

Run Combofix:

You may be asked to install or update the Recovery Console (Win XP Only) if this happens please allow it to do so (you will need to be connected to the internet for this)

Before you run Combofix I will need you to turn off any security software you have running, If you do not know how to do this you can find out >here< or >here<

Combofix may need to reboot your computer more than once to do its job this is normal.

You can download Combofix from one of these links. I want you to save it to the desktop and run it from there.

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

1. Close any open browsers or any other programs that are open.

2. Close/disable all anti virus and anti malware programs so they do not interfere with the running of ComboFix.

Double click on combofix.exe & follow the prompts.

When finished, it will produce a report for you.

Note 1: Do not mouseclick combofix's window while it's running. That may cause it to stall

Note 2: If you recieve an error "Illegal operation attempted on a registery key that has been marked for deletion." Please restart the computer

"information and logs"

• In your next post I need the following
  
• Log from Combofix
  
• let me know of any problems you may have had
  
• How is the computer doing now?
  

Gringo

[dsiebbeles]

Gringo_pr,

attached you can find the log, the pc still has the hyperlink spam, but as far as i can tell, besides that is working like normal. besides that i foud that the problem only excists with google chrome, via internet explorer is don't have the hyperlink spam. Might is be just as simple as to remove chrome and re-install it??

thanks in advance.

log.txt

[dsiebbeles]

Hello,

in addition i foud out that my administrator settings have been changed, eg, normally i could just move a file, now i need to click and click yes and ok to confirm that i am the administrator.

reg.

[gringo_pr]

If it is in just Chrome then go ahead and uninstall chrome and if asked about user data or settings then remove that also

restart the computer and reinstall chrome

gringo

[dsiebbeles]

Gringo,

After removing and reinstalling chrome, the hyperlink spam was gone for a while, however after a few hours it was back again. I noticed that the extentions in chrome were still there, even after removing history etc. I have disabeled the facebookzoom extention and for now it seems to have resolved the problem of hyperlink spam. For the upcoming time i'll keep an eye on this and if the problem does not return over the next few days i'll let you know.

For now thanks for all the effort and help!

Derk

[gringo_pr]

Greetings

At this time I would like you to run this script for me and it is a good time to check out the computer to see if there is anything else that needs to be addressed.

:Run CFScript:

Open Notepad and copy/paste the text in the box into the window:

 ClearJavaCache:: 

Save it to your desktop as CFScript.txt

Refering to the picture above, drag CFScript.txt into ComboFix.exe

This will let ComboFix run again.

Restart if you have to.

Save the produced logfile to your desktop.

Note: Do not mouseclick combofix's window whilst it's running. That may cause it to stall

Note 2: If you recieve an error "Illegal operation attempted on a registery key that has been marked for deletion." Please restart the computer

"information and logs"

• In your next post I need the following
  

1. report from Combofix
   
2. let me know of any problems you may have had
   
3. How is the computer doing now after running the script?

Gringo

[dsiebbeles]

Gringo,

The computer is running as i am used to, no more hyperlink spam. attached the combofix log.

Thanks for your help!!

combofix.txt

[gringo_pr]

Hello

:P2P Warning!:

IMPORTANT I notice there are signs of one or more P2P (Person to Person) File Sharing Programs on your computer.

Please note that as long as you are using any form of Peer-to-Peer networking and downloading files from non-documented sources, you can expect infestations of malware to occur

Once upon a time, P2P file sharing was fairly safe. That is no longer true. P2P programs form a direct conduit on to your computer, their security measures are easily circumvented and malware writers are increasingly exploiting them to spread their wares on to your computer. Further to that, if your P2P program is not configured correctly, your computer may be sharing more files than you realise. There have been cases where people's passwords, address books and other personal, private, and financial details have been exposed to a file sharing network by a badly configured program.

Please read these short reports on the dangers of peer-2-peer programs and file sharing.

FBI Cyber Education Letter
File sharing infects 500,000 computers
USAToday
infoworld

These logs are looking allot better. But we still have some work to do.

Please print out these instructions, or copy them to a Notepad file. It will make it easier for you to follow the instructions and complete all of the necessary steps..

uninstall some programs

NOTE** Because of the cleanup process some of the programs I have listed may not be in add/remove anymore this is fine just move to the next item on the list.

You can remove these programs using add/remove or you can use the free uninstaller from Revo (Revo does allot better of a job)

• Programs to remove
  
  • Adobe Reader 9.5.2
    µTorrent
    eMule
    J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 3
    Java 6 Update 37
    

• Please download and install

Revo Uninstaller FreeDouble click Revo Uninstaller to run it.
From the list of programs double click on The Program to remove
When prompted if you want to uninstall click Yes.
Be sure the Moderate option is selected then click Next.
The program will run, If prompted again click Yes
when the built-in uninstaller is finished click on Next.
Once the program has searched for leftovers click Next.
Check/tick the bolded items only on the list then click Delete
when prompted click on Yes and then on next.
put a check on any folders that are found and select delete
when prompted select yes then on next
Once done click Finish.

.

Update Adobe Reader

• Recently there have been vulnerabilities detected in older versions of Adobe Reader. It is strongly suggested that you update to the current version.
  You can download it from

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
After installing the latest Adobe Reader, uninstall all previous versions.
If you already have Adobe Photoshop® Album Starter Edition installed or do not wish to have it installed UNcheck the box which says Also Download Adobe Photoshop® Album Starter Edition.

• If you don't like Adobe Reader (53 MB), you can download Foxit PDF Reader(7 MB) from

here. It's a much smaller file to download and uses a lot less resources than Adobe Reader.
Note: When installing FoxitReader, be careful not to install anything to do with AskBar.

Install Java:

Please go here to install Java

• click on the Free Java Download Button
  
• click on Agree and start Free download
  
• click on Run
  
• click on run again
  
• click on install
  
• when install is complete click on close
  

Clean Out Temp Files

• This small application you may want to keep and use once a week to keep the computer clean.
  Download CCleaner from here http://www.ccleaner.com/
  
  • Run the installer to install the application.
    
  • When it gives you the option to install Yahoo toolbar uncheck the box next to it.
    
  • Run CCleaner. (make sure under Windows tab all the boxes of Internet Explorer and Windows explorer are checked. Under System check Empty Recycle Bin and Temporary Files. Under Application tab all the boxes should be checked).
    
  • Click Run Cleaner.
    
  • Close CCleaner.
    

: Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware :

• I would like you to rerun MBAM
  
• Double-click mbam icon
  
• go to the update tab at the top
  
• click on check for updates
  
• If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
  
• Once the program has loaded, select Perform quick scan, then click Scan.
  
• When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
  
• Be sure that everything is Checked (ticked) except items in the C:\System Volume Information folder and click on Remove Selected.
  
• When completed, a log will open in Notepad. please copy and paste the log into your next reply
  
  • If you accidentally close it, the log file is saved here and will be named like this:
    
  • C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Malwarebytes\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\Logs\mbam-log-date (time).txt
    

Note: If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts.

Click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process.

If asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately. Failure to reboot will prevent MBAM from removing all the malware.

Download HijackThis

If you have any problems running Hijackthis see NOTE** below (Host file not read, blank notepad ...)

• Go Here to download HijackThis Installer
  
• Save HijackThis Installer to your desktop.
  
• Double-click on the HijackThis Installer icon on your desktop. (Vista and Win 7 right click and run as admin)
  
• By default it will install to C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis .
  
• Click on Install.
  
• It will create a HijackThis icon on the desktop.
  
• Once installed it will launch Hijackthis.
  
• Click on the Do a system scan and save a log file button. It will scan and the log should open in notepad.
  
• Click on Edit > Select All then click on Edit > Copy to copy the entire contents of the log.
  
• Come back here to this thread and Paste the log in your next reply.
  
• DO NOT use the Analyze This button its findings are dangerous if misinterpreted.
  
• DO NOT have Hijackthis fix anything yet. Most of what it finds will be harmless or even required.
  

NOTE**

sometimes we have to run it like this To run HijackThis as an administrator, right-click HijackThis.exe

(located: C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HiJackThis\HiJackThis.exe)<--32bit

(located: C:\Program Files(86)\Trend Micro\HiJackThis\HiJackThis.exe)<--64bit

and select to run as administrator

"information and logs"

• In your next post I need the following
  

1. Log From MBAM
   
2. report from Hijackthis
   
3. let me know of any problems you may have had
   
4. How is the computer doing now?
   

Gringo

[dsiebbeles]

Hello Gringo,

attached you'll find the logs you requested, as far as i can tell the computer still runs as i'm used to. utorrent i want to keep, so i did not uninstall this, i've accepted the mentioned risks, thanks for the warning.

the upcoming weeks i'll not be able to work on my computer, after christmas i'll have a look if there are any e-mails from you.

thanks for the help so far!!

Derk

hijackthis.log

mbam-log-2012-12-10 (20-07-42).txt

[gringo_pr]

Greetings

These logs are looking very good, we are almost done!!! Just one more scan to go.

:Remove unneeded start-up entries:

This part of the fix is purely optional

These are programs that start up when you turn on your computer but don't need to be, any of these programs you can click on their icons (or start from the control panel) and start the program when you need it. By stopping these programs you will boot up faster and your computer will work faster.

If you have any problems running Hijackthis see NOTE** below (Host file not read, blank notepad ...)

• Run HijackThis
  
• Click on the Scan button
  
• Put a check beside all of the items listed below (if present):
  
  • 
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [startCCC] "C:\Program Files (x86)\ATI Technologies\ATI.ACE\Core-Static\CLIStart.exe" MSRun
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AppleSyncNotifier] C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\AppleSyncNotifier.exe
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [APSDaemon] "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Apple Application Support\APSDaemon.exe"
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files (x86)\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"
    O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [sunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Java\Java Update\jusched.exe"
    O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [msnmsgr] "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Messenger\msnmsgr.exe" /background
    O4 - Global Startup: HP Digital Imaging Monitor.lnk = C:\Program Files (x86)\HP\Digital Imaging\bin\hpqtra08.exe
    
    

  [*] Close all open windows and browsers/email, etc...

  [*] Click on the "Fix Checked" button

  [*] When completed, close the application.

  • NOTE**You can research each of those lines
  >here< and see if you want to keep them or not
  just copy the name between the brackets and paste into the search space
  O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IntelliPoint]
  

NOTE**

sometimes we have to run it like this To run HijackThis as an administrator, right-click HijackThis.exe

(located: C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HiJackThis\HiJackThis.exe)<--32bit

(located: C:\Program Files(86)\Trend Micro\HiJackThis\HiJackThis.exe)<--64bit

and select to run as administrator

Eset Online Scanner

**Note** You will need to use Internet explorer for this scan - Vista and win 7 right click on IE shortcut and run as admin

Go Eset web page to run an online scanner from ESET.

• Turn off the real time scanner of any existing antivirus program while performing the online scan
  
• click on the Run ESET Online Scanner button
  
• Tick the box next to YES, I accept the Terms of Use.
  
  • Click Start
    

  [*]When asked, allow the add/on to be installed

  • Click Start
    

  [*]Make sure that the option Remove found threats is unticked

  [*]Click on Advanced Settings, ensure the options

  • Scan for potentially unwanted applications, Scan for potentially unsafe applications, and Enable Anti-Stealth Technology are ticked.
    

  [*]Click Scan

  [*]wait for the virus definitions to be downloaded

  [*]Wait for the scan to finish

When the scan is complete

• If no threats were found
  
  • put a checkmark in "Uninstall application on close"
    
  • close program
    
  • report to me that nothing was found
    

• If threats were found
  
  • click on "list of threats found"
    
  • click on "export to text file" and save it as ESET SCAN and save to the desktop
    
  • Click on back
    
  • put a checkmark in "Uninstall application on close"
    
  • click on finish
    
  • close program
    
  • copy and paste the report here
    

Gringo

[dsiebbeles]

Good evening Gringo,

here the last report,

C:\Program Files (x86)\ArcSoft\TotalMedia Extreme\Digital Theatre\Plugins\VideoModule\PlayDVD\UI\Media_01.aui a variant of Win32/Packed.Themida application

C:\Users\Siebbeles\Desktop\done checks\installer_adwcleaner.exe Win32/Toggle.B application

geetz

[gringo_pr]

Hello

There are some minor things in your online scan that should be removed.

delete files

• Copy all text in the quote box (below)...to Notepad.

  @echo off
  del /f /s /q "C:\Program Files (x86)\ArcSoft\TotalMedia Extreme\Digital Theatre\Plugins\VideoModule\PlayDVD\UI\Media_01.aui"
  del /f /s /q "C:\Users\Siebbeles\Desktop\done checks\installer_adwcleaner.exe"
  del %0

• Save the Notepad file on your desktop...as delfile.bat... save type as "All Files"
  It should look like this: <--XP<--vista
  
• Double click on delfile.bat to execute it.
  A black CMD window will flash, then disappear...this is normal.
  
• The files and folders, if found...will have been deleted and the "delfile.bat" file will also be deleted.
  

The rest of the Online scan is only reporting backups created during the course of this fix C:\Qoobox\Quarantine\, and/or items located in System Restore's cache C:\System Volume Information\, Whatever is in these folders can't harm you unless you choose to perform a manual restore. the following steps will remove these backups.

Very well done!! This is my general post for when your logs show no more signs of malware - Please let me know if you still are having problems with your computer and what these problems are.

:Why we need to remove some of our tools:

• Some of the tools we have used to clean your computer were made by fellow malware fighters and are very powerful and if used incorrectly or at the wronge time can make the computer an expensive paper weight.
  They are updated all the time and some of them more than once a day so by the time you are ready to use them again they will already be outdated.
  The following procedures will implement some cleanup procedures to remove these tools. It will also reset your System Restore by flushing out previous restore points and create a new restore point. It will also remove all the backups our tools may have made.

:DeFogger:

Note** Defogger only needs to be run if it was run when we first started. If you have not already run it then skip this.

• To re-enable your Emulation drivers, double click DeFogger to run the tool.
  
  • The application window will appear
    
  • Click the Re-enable button to re-enable your CD Emulation drivers
    
  • Click Yes to continue
    
  • A 'Finished!' message will appear
    
  • Click OK
    
  • DeFogger will now ask to reboot the machine - click OK.
    

Your Emulation drivers are now re-enabled.

:Uninstall ComboFix:

• turn off all active protection software
  
• push the "windows key" + "R" (between the "Ctrl" button and "Alt" Button)
  
• please copy and past the following into the box ComboFix /Uninstall and click OK.
  
• Note the space between the X and the /Uninstall, it needs to be there.
  
• 
  

:Remove the rest of our tools:

Please download OTCleanIt and save it to desktop. This tool will remove all the tools we used to clean your pc.

• Double-click OTCleanIt.exe.
  
• Click the CleanUp! button.
  
• Select Yes when the "Begin cleanup Process?" prompt appears.
  
• If you are prompted to Reboot during the cleanup, select Yes.
  
• The tool will delete itself once it finishes, if not delete it by yourself.
  
• If asked to restart the computer, please do so
  

Note: If you receive a warning from your firewall or other security programs regarding OTCleanIt attempting to contact the internet, please allow it to do so.

:The programs you can keep:

Some of the programs that we have used would be a good idea to keep and used often in helping to keep the computer clean. I use these programs on my computer.

Revo Uninstaller Free - this is the uninstaller that I had you download and works allot better than add/remove in windows and has saved me more than once from corrupted installs and uninstalls
CCleaner - This is a good program to clean out temp files, I would use this once a week or before any malware scan to remove unwanted temp files - It has a built in registry cleaner but I would leave that alone and not use any registry cleaner
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware The Gold standerd today in antimalware scanners

:Security programs:

One of the questions I am asked all the time is "What programs do you use" I have at this time 4 computers in my home and I have this setup on all 4 of them.

• Microsoft Security Essentials - provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
  
• WinPatrol As a robust security monitor, WinPatrol will alert you to hijackings, malware attacks and critical changes made to your computer without your permission. WinPatrol takes snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without your knowledge.
  
• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is a new and powerful anti-malware tool. It is
  totally free but for real-time protection you will have to pay a small one-time fee. We used this to help clean your computer and recomend keeping it and using often. (I have upgraded to the paid version of MBAM and I am glad I did)
  Note** If you decide to install MSE you will need to uninstall your present Antivirus
  

:Security awareness:

The other question I am asked all the time is "How can I prevent this from happening again." and the short answer to that is to be aware of what is out there and how to start spotting dangers.

Here are some articles that are must reads and should be read by everybody in your household that uses the internet

internetsafety
Internet Safety for Kids

Here is some more reading for you from some of my colleges

PC Safety and Security - What Do I Need? from my friends at Tech Support Forum
COMPUTER SECURITY - a short guide to staying safer online from my friends at Malware Removal

quoted from Tech Support Forum

Conclusion

There is no such thing as ‘perfect security’. This applies to many things, not just computer systems. Using the above guide you should be able to take all the reasonable steps you can to prevent infection. However, the most important part of all this is you, the user. Surf sensibly and think before you download a file or click on a link. Take a few moments to assess the possible risks and you should be able to enjoy all the internet has to offer.

I'd be grateful if you could reply to this post so that I know you have read it and, if you've no other questions, the thread can then be closed.

I Will Keep This Open For About Three Days, If Anything Comes Up - Just Come Back And Let Me Know, after that time you will have to send me a PM

My help is free, however, if you wish to make a small donation to show your appreciation or to help me continue the fight against Malware, then click here --><-- Don't worry every little bit helps.

Gringo

[LDTate]

Glad we could help.

If you need this topic reopened, please send a Private Message to any one of the moderating team members. Please include a link to this thread with your request. This applies only to the originator of this thread.

Other members who need assistance please start your own topic in a new thread. Thanks!