Constant popups and redirects, no traces of malware

[Pepian]

Howdy!
I'm pretty sure this is nothing new, but since a couple of weeks i've noticed my browsers behaving in a strange way. Sometimes when i search for something using the adress bar i get instantly redirected to other "search" websites such as nova rambler or plus network. I get popups or ever straight up redirects when i click a random spot on any page. Also sometimes when i'm watching a video on youtube the title appears as a hyperlink to another popup. 
Now for the interesting part: there is absolutely no trace of any malware running on my pc. There is nothing going on in registry, startup or browser extensions. Scans with AdwCleaner revealed nothing as of now (previously it found like 10 threats which had since been deleted. Is there anything I can do to fix it? 
Thanks for help guys

[Pepian]

Alright since i was prompted to attach farbar files here they go: 
I hope you find something useful

Addition.txt

FRST.txt

[Aura]

Hi Pepian

My name is Aura and I'll be assisting you with your malware issue. Since we'll be working together, you can call me Aura or Yoan, which is my real name, it's up to you! Now that we've broke the ice, I'll just ask you a few things during the time we'll be working together to clean your system and get it back to an operational state.

• As you'll notice, the logs we are asking for here are quite lenghty, so it's normal for me to not reply exactly after you post them. This is because I need some time to analyse them and then act accordingly. However, I'll always reply within 24 hours, 48 hours at most if something unexpected happens;
• As long as I'm assisting you on Malwarebytes Forums, in this thread, I'll ask you to not seek assistance anywhere else for any issue related to the system we are working on. If you have an issue, question, etc. about your computer, please ask it in this thread and I'll assist you;
• The same principle applies to any modifications you make to your system, I would like you to ask me before you do any manipulations that aren't in the instructions I posted. This is to ensure that we are operating in sync and I know exactly what's happening on your system;
• If you aren't sure about an instruction I'm giving you, ask me about it. This is to ensure that the clean-up process goes without any issue. I'll answer you and even give you more precise instructions/explanations if you need. There's no shame in asking questions here, better be safe than sorry!;
• If you don't reply to your thread within 3 days, I'll bump this thread to let you know that I'm waiting for you. If you don't reply after 5 days, it'll be closed. If you return after that period, you can send me a PM to get it unlocked and we'll continue where we left off;
• Since malware can work quickly, we want to get rid of them as fast as we can, before they make unknown changes to the system. This being said, I would appreciate if you could reply to this thread within 24 hours of me posting. This way, we'll have a good clean-up rhythm and the chances of complications will be reduced;
• I'm against any form of pirated, illegal and counterfeit software and material. So if you have any installed on your system, I'll ask you to uninstall them right now. You don't have to tell me if you indeed had some or not, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Plus, this would be against Malwarebytes Forums's rules;
• In the end, you are the one asking for assistance here. So if you wish to go a different way during the clean-up, like format and reinstall Windows, you are free to do so. I would appreciate you to let me know about it first, and if you need, I can also assist you in the process;
• I would appreciate if you were to stay with me until the end, which means, until I declare your system clean. Just because your system isn't behaving weirdly anymore, or is running better than before, it doesn't mean that the infection is completely gone;
  This being said, I have a full time job so sometimes it'll take longer for me to reply to you. Don't worry, you'll be my first priority as soon as I get home and have time to look at your thread;
  

This being said, it's time to clean-up some malware, so let's get started, shall we?

Please give me a few to review your logs and get back at you.

[Aura]

Thank you for waiting.

Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST) - Fix mode
Follow the instructions below to execute a fix on your system using FRST, and provide the log in your next reply.

• Download the attached fixlist.txt file, and save it on your Desktop (or wherever your FRST.exe/FRST64.exe executable is located);
• Right-click on the FRST executable and select Run as Administrator (for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 users);
• Click on the Fix button;
  
• On completion, a message will come up saying that the fix has been completed and it'll open a log in Notepad;
• Copy and paste its content in your next reply;
  

fixlist.txt

[Pepian]

Hi there Aura,
Thanks for the reply. I ran the frst with the fix and it seems to have worked. If the problem persists i'll be sure to bump you here again. On my way out, could i ask what exactly was the source of my problems?

Fixlog.txt

[Aura]

You had a proxy set up using a malicious config file hosted on a website.

Also, let's run Malwarebytes and JRT to make sure that there's nothing left.

Malwarebytes - Clean Mode

• Download and install the free version of Malwarebytes
  Note: If you have Malwarebytes already installed, you don't need to install it again. Simply start from the next bullet point;
• Once Malwarebytes is installed, launch it and let it update his database. You might have to click on the little arrow by Scan Status in the middle right pane for it to do so;
• Once the database update is complete, click on the Scan tab, then select the Threat Scan button and click on Start Scan;
• Let the scan run, the time required to complete the scan depends of your system and computer specs;
• Once the scan is complete, make sure that the first checkbox at the top is checked (which will automatically check every detected item), then click on the Quarantine Selected button;
  
  • If it asks you to restart your computer to complete the removal, do so;
    
• Click on Export Summary after the deletion (in the bottom-left corner) and select Copy to Clipboard. Paste the content in your next reply;
  

Junkware Removal Tool (JRT)

• Download Junkware Removal Tool (JRT) and move it to your Desktop;
• Right-click on JRT.exe and select Run as Administrator (for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 users);
• Press on any key to launch the scan and let it complete;
  
  Credits : BleepingComputer.com
• Once the scan is complete, a log will open. Please copy/paste the content of the output log in your next reply;
  

Your next reply(ies) should therefore contain:

• Copy/pasted JRT log;
• Copy/pasted Malwarebytes log;
  

[Pepian]

So the first time i used malwarebytes my pc crashed to bluescreen during file system scan, some cache file to be exact. Then i repeated the scan after restart and it continued, finding 4 total threats which i handled as advised.
Here is the exported scan log:
 

Malwarebytes
www.malwarebytes.com

-Log Details-
Scan Date: 6/26/17
Scan Time: 9:30 PM
Log File: 
Administrator: Yes

-Software Information-
Version: 3.1.2.1733
Components Version: 1.0.141
Update Package Version: 1.0.0
License: Trial

-System Information-
OS: Windows 10
CPU: x64
File System: NTFS
User: DESKTOP-DN27DMU\Piotrekt

-Scan Summary-
Scan Type: Threat Scan
Result: Completed
Objects Scanned: 508058
Threats Detected: 4
Threats Quarantined: 4
Time Elapsed: 3 min, 41 sec

-Scan Options-
Memory: Enabled
Startup: Enabled
Filesystem: Enabled
Archives: Enabled
Rootkits: Disabled
Heuristics: Enabled
PUP: Enabled
PUM: Enabled

-Scan Details-
Process: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Module: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Key: 2
PUP.Optional.Plumbytes, HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\TRACING\Plumbytes_RASAPI32, Quarantined, [9084], [396951],1.0.0
PUP.Optional.Plumbytes, HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\TRACING\Plumbytes_RASMANCS, Quarantined, [9084], [396951],1.0.0

Registry Value: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Data: 1
PUP.Optional.MailRu, HKU\S-1-5-21-2736502030-2744969338-629009255-1002\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\MAIN|START PAGE, Replaced, [1020], [382916],1.0.0

Data Stream: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Folder: 0
(No malicious items detected)

File: 1
PUP.Optional.Plumbytes, C:\USERS\PIOTREKT\DOWNLOADS\ANTIMALWARESETUP.EXE, Quarantined, [9084], [123575],1.0.0

Physical Sector: 0
(No malicious items detected)

(end)


yeah, that plumbytes thing is pretty embarrasing, but I had the same problem before trying it.

Anyway, jrt scan didnt reveal anyhting new thankfully:

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Junkware Removal Tool (JRT) by Malwarebytes
Version: 8.1.3 (04.10.2017)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home x64 
Ran by Piotrekt (Administrator) on 26.06.2017 at 21:39:58,13
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

File System: 0 

Deleted the following from C:\Users\Piotrekt\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\7gd710db.default\prefs.js
user_pref(browser.urlbar.suggest.searches, true);

Registry: 0 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scan was completed on 26.06.2017 at 21:41:40,16
End of JRT log
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


And i suppose thats it. Is there anything i Should do about these threats found by malwarebytes?

[Aura]

From what I can see, Malwarebytes handled these, so there's nothing else to do

Now, we can leave this thread open and I'll check in sometime tomorrow to see if the pop-ups and ads are back, is that fine with you?

[Pepian]

Of course I'm fine with that! I'm so glad you could help. If I don't forget I'll write here tomorrow to report any problems or just to say it's all working properly.
Have a good day until then

[Aura]

Have a good day too

[Pepian]

Alright its getting late over here and after the whole day of using my pc i havent encountered anything suspicious. Everything is working fine, thanks to you!
I'd like to thank you for helping me out with this stuff. On one hand, I hope I'll never have to use your help again, but on other I really liked your patience and kindness. So we'll se what time brings, until next time! 

[Aura]

That's awesome news, thanks for letting me know Pepian!

Since there are no signs of infection anymore in your logs, and you just told me that there are no more issues left to address, I guess we're done here. We'll wrap it up by running DelFix to delete the tools and logs that were used in this clean-up.

DelFix
Follow the instructions below to download and execute DelFix.

• Download DelFix and move the executable to your Desktop;
• Right-click on DelFix.exe and select Run as Administrator (for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 users);
• Check the following options :
  
  • Activate UAC;
  • Remove disinfection tools;
  • Create registry backup;
  • Purge system restore;
  • Reset system settings;
    
• Once all the options mentionned above are checked, click on Run;
• After DelFix is done running, a log will open. Please copy/paste the content of the output log in your next reply;
  

Tips, tricks, advice and recommendations

Now it's time to give you some tips, tricks, advice and recommendations on how to protect your system and prevent you from being infected in the future. This is where I'll explain basic security measures that you should take to protect and harden your system, and also make sure it stays as safe and secure as possible against hackers and malware. You are free to ignore the recommendations listed below, although I obviously do not recommend it. If you have any questions about one of the points covered in the speech below, feel free to ask me your questions here directly so I can answer them and guide you.

Windows Updates

Keeping Windows up to date is one of the first steps in having a safe and secure system. The Security Updates that Windows receives are meant to fix exploits and flaws in it that makes it more secure and not exploitable by hackers. In order to do that, you should always install the Security Updates, known as "Important Updates" on your Windows system. These updates are released on the second Tuesday of every month, but some are also released before if they are emergency/critical Security Updates. Let's make sure that you have all your Important Updates and Recommended Updates installed and that your Windows Updates are set to be installed automatically.

• How To Change Windows Update Settings
• How To Check For & Install Windows Updates
  

Keeping your programs up-to-date

Like keeping Windows updated, keeping your installed programs up-to-date is another important step in having a safe and secure system. Outdated programs can be exploited by hackers and malware to infect a system and take it over. This is especially true today with the rise of Exploit Kits which is one of the biggest attack vectors to distribute malware. Therefore, you should always keep vulnerable programs like Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player, Java, Silverlight, etc. updated to their most recent version (even better, you don't have to install them if you don't use them). Programs like SecuniaPSI and Heimdal Free will scan your system for outdated programs, and help you identify them, as well as update them.

Antivirus, Antimalware, Firewall and Anti-Exploit/Ransomware

Having a decent security setup (led by an Antivirus) is the most crucial step to protect a system. These programs are a layer of defence that will prevent a system from being infected, or if it somehow ends up infected, help mitigate the infection and remediate it. Ideally, you should have on your system one Antivirus (never more than one installed at the time), one Antimalware (you can install multiple of these, assuming they do not conflict with each other and the other security programs installed), one Firewall and if you wish, one Anti-Exploit and/or Anti-Ransomware (since Ransomware are currently the most dangerous threat around and it can hit anywhere). Here are a few programs worth checking out if you don't have one yet.

Note: The programs listed below are all free to use or they have some sort of trial. Some of them have a paid version that provides more features, while a lot of other good programs only have a paid version but aren't listed there (such as Kaspersky and ESET Antivirus products).

Antivirus

• Sophos Home
• Bitdefender Free Antivirus
• Emsisoft Anti-Malware - Free 30 day trial. Once it expires, EAM enters into a freeware mode where it is still considered an Antivirus program, but without real-time protection;
• Avira Free Antivirus
• avast! Free Antivirus
  

Antimalware

• Malwarebytes - Has both a free and paid version;
• HitmanPro 3 - Free 30 day trial;
• Zemana AntiMalware - Free 30 day trial;
  

Firewall
Starting in Windows Vista, the Windows Firewall greatly improved and will satisfy the needs of most users. If you do not have an Internet Suite Antivirus program (which includes a firewall) and you want to use a 3rd party firewall, you can consider the options below.

• GlassWire - Has both a free and paid version (with different packages);
• Windows Firewall Control - Gives you more control over your Windows Firewall;
• TinyWall - Lightweight firewall implementing the Windows Firewall and giving you more control over it;
  

Anti-Exploit/Anti-Ransomware

• Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Beta - In a perpetual beta state, and entirely free;
• HitmanPro.Alert - Free 30 day trial;
• CryptoPrevent - Has both a free and paid version;
  

Web Browsers and Web Browsing

Web Browsers could be considered as the closest door between a malware and your system. This is where most malware goes through to infect a system, and therefore it should be the program(s) you want to secure the most. There are two ways of going about it: hardening your web browser via extensions, and having good browsing habits. 

Hardening your web browser means to install extensions that will help it protect itself (and your system on the same occasion) against Exploit Kits, MiTM attacks, etc. but also you at the same time. Here are a few extensions that I recommend you to install.

• uBlock Origin: Efficient multi-purpose blocker that is lightweight on RAM and CPU usage (Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, called uBlock on Opera);
• HTTPS Everywhere: Extension that converts your HTTP (unencrypted) requests to HTTPS (encrypted) ones (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera);
• Web of Trust: Website reputation, rating and review extension that will help you quickly identify bad and suspicious sites from good ones (every web browsers);
• NoScript: NoScript is a script blocker (Java, Flash, JavaScript, etc.) for Mozilla Firefox and Firefox-based browsers (Mozilla Firefox and Firefox-based web browsers);
• uMatrix: For advanced users, a point and click matrix-like extensions that allow you to control requests done on a webpage (based on source, destination and type) (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera);
• LastPass: Secure password manager allowing you to create, manage, and use passwords you save in your LastPass account (every web browser);
  

As for safe browsing habits, you can find tons of guides, tutorials, articles, etc. online that will highlight the basics you need to follow (only visit websites you trust, do not click on ads, do not download files from untrusted sources, use a password manager, always verify the URL of a website and make sure it's correctly typed, etc.), and even what you can do if you want to take it a step further (create a fake email address for spam emails, browse the web in a privacy mode, etc.). Here are a few:

• The Ultimate Guide to Secure your Online Browsing: Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer on Heimdal Security
• Seven Useful Habits For A Safer Internet on Kapsersky Blog
• Tips for Secure Web Browsing: Cybersecurity 101 on VeraCode
• Safe browsing habits on Internet Safety Project Wiki
  

As you can see, there are plenty of resources out there. Simply Googling "good browsing habits" or "safe browsing habits" should allow you to find a lot of them.

Other recommendations

Even if you follow every recommendation that I listed here, in the end, it's also your job to be careful when browsing the web and downloading files if you don't want to get infected. Therefore, if you use your brain (common sense) when browsing the web, downloading programs and files, etc., you have far less chances to get infected by a malware. If for example you're not sure if a website is legitimate or not, or if a file is safe to download and execute, or if a program looks "too good" to be free, I suggest you to avoid going to that website, downloading that file or using that program.

Here are a few guides, tutorials, articles, etc. that you could read in order to learn more about computer protection and security to improve your current computer protection setup but also improve your good web browsing and computer usage practices :

• Answers to common security questions - Best Practices by quietman7
• How Malware Spreads - How did I get infected by quietman7
• Simple and easy ways to keep your computer safe and secure on the Internet by Lawrence Abrams (aka Grinler)
• How to Prevent Malware by miekiemoes
• Tips & Advice on StaySafeOnline.org
  

The End!

And that's it! Now that you know more about how to protect your computer and secure it, you're good to go back to your online activities, but in a safe and secure way! You are also free to stay on the forums and ask for help in different topics if you ever need to. Just make sure that you post your question/issue in the right section to get the best assistance possible. And if you ever get infected again (which I hope you wont!), you can always comeback in this section to get another checkup with one of our trained malware removal member.

Do you have any questions before I close this thread?

[Pepian]

So this is what DelFix spit out:

# DelFix v1.013 - Logfile created 28/06/2017 at 11:11:35
# Updated 17/04/2016 by Xplode
# Username : Piotrekt - DESKTOP-DN27DMU
# Operating System : Windows 10 Home  (64 bits)

~ Activating UAC ... OK

~ Removing disinfection tools ...

Deleted : C:\FRST
Deleted : C:\AdwCleaner
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Desktop\Addition.txt
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Desktop\AdwCleaner.exe
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Desktop\Fixlog.txt
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Desktop\FRST.txt
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Desktop\FRST64.exe
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Desktop\JRT.exe
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Desktop\JRT.txt
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Downloads\adwcleaner_6.047.exe
Deleted : C:\Users\Piotrekt\Downloads\JRT.exe

~ Creating registry backup ... OK

~ Cleaning system restore ...

Deleted : RP #24 [JRT Pre-Junkware Removal | 06/26/2017 19:39:58]

New restore point created !

~ Resetting system settings ... OK

########## - EOF - ##########

No, I have no further questions. Just wanted to thank you again and thats it, I think we can close the case now.

[Aura]

Good! No problem Pepian, you're welcome  

[Aura]

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!