Can't remove Trojan.SmartService igfxmtc.exe, possibly others

[Aedomon]

I ran a fake installer on 2017-23-12 that came bundled with a variety of malware.  Initially I ran Malwarebytes 3.0, Malwarebytes AdwCleaner, HitmanPro, and Malwarebytes Anti Rootkit, and was able to get most of it out, but one piece of malware seems to be able to persist though multiple attempts to purge it.

c:\users\rchan\appdata\local\igfxmtc\igfxmtc.exe (Trojan.Smartservice)

I couldn't delete the igfxmtc folder directly.  I also found several other folders that seem suspicious as they were all created around the same time or after the infection time and act similarly to the igfxmtc folder as I can't access or delete them.

c:\users\rchan\appdata\local\dtdizvc

c:\users\rchan\appdata\local\vddmwst

c:\users\rchan\appdata\local\brsg <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<(I actually can access and delete this one but it has nothing in it so I still question it)

Most notably this malware causes the computer to boot up and run much more slowly than it should, which matches an internet search of the trojan.  Task Manager shows that often, the CPU or Disk usage will run up to near 100% (sometimes both at once).  It comes and goes at frequently. 

There's a few other minor problems I've noticed too:

1. I can't type into the Windows search box (Cortana).  Keyboard inputs just don't work there.
2. There's a Windows notification in the Action Center that keeps telling me to restart the computer to disable User Account Control (I just ignore it, but it shouldn't be there)
3. When I used the "Search Online" option in Task Manager on igfxmtc.exe, the search engine being used was bing.  Normal internet searches don't get hi-jacked though.

This all seems very similar to the problem in this thread if it helps.

Attached are the FRST and Addition files as requested.  Also a few logs from Malwarebytes.

I would greatly appreciate it if anybody could help out with resolving this.  I really need this to be done before Thursday, 2017-28-12, as I won't be able to access this computer anymore beyond that time.

FRST.txt

Addition.txt

Malwarebytes Results 12252017.txt

system-log.txt

[AdvancedSetup]

Hello @Aedomon and

It's quite late for me here so I'm heading off to get some sleep. Please follow the directions below and I'll check back on you again tomorrow some time. You will need access to another CLEAN computer in order to remove this infection.

 

If your computer does not have the Windows Recovery Environment installed and available you can use the following method to run the Recovery Environment from a bootable USB disk.

NOTE: This USB disk needs to be created from a clean computer. You cannot use an infected computer for this process

NOTE: An 8GB USB 2.0 stick is required or at least recommended. In some cases a USB 3.0 disk can be used but some computers have issues booting from USB 3.0 disks.

Example drive (no endorsement implied, example only) - This drive example has not been tested by me. It is an older 2015 model with many good reviews though.
Amazon: Kingston 8GB DataTraveler 101 G2 USB 2.0 Flash Drive (DT101G2/8GBZ)
NewEgg: Kingston 8GB DataTraveler 101 G2 USB 2.0 Flash Drive (DT101G2/8GBZ)

STEP 1
Download a Windows 10 ISO image from Microsoft.

Method A: Using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
Download the Media Creation Tool: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209

Follow the instructions displayed on the tool to download the Windows 10 ISO image.

In my testing I was not prompted for a license key to download the latest Windows 10 ISO image.
At the time of this writing 2017/12/21 there was only one ISO image offered. Windows 10

32-bit x86  or  64-bit x64

Note: You need to run the version compatible with your system.
You can check here if you're not sure if your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit
 

Method B: If Method A: above is not working for you then you can try the following method
Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool (this is not an authorized Microsoft tool, but appears to be legal)
https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/technology-science/microsoft/67-microsoft-windows-and-office-iso-download-tool
Download: https://www.heidoc.net/php/Windows%20ISO%20Downloader.exe

STEP 2
If you were unable to use the Windows Media Creation Tool in STEP 1 to create a USB disk then you can use this tool to burn the Windows 10 ISO image from STEP 1 above.

Download the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool from Gitbub and save to your computer.
English version: https://github.com/mantas-masidlauskas/wudt/raw/master/Downloads/Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool-Installer-en-US.exe

Then install the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool and run it to burn a bootable USB disk from the ISO image. Browse to the location where you saved the Windows 10 ISO image in STEP 1
Note: This tool should work on XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 10 - it is simply used to make a bootable USB disk. Remember, all of this needs to be done on a clean computer.

 
STEP 3
Please download the Farbar Recovery Scan Tool and save it to your desktop or other location you know where it's saved to. Then copy it to the USB disk you just created.

Note: You need to run the version compatible with your system.
You can check here if you're not sure if your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit

STEP 4
Shut down the infected computer. Do Not insert the USB disk you created until the infected computer has been shut down.
Once the computer is shut down then insert the newly created Windows 10 USB disk into the infected computer and power it back on and press the appropriate key to bring up the boot menu. The link below will help show you which key for various computers manufacturers is used to bring up the boot menu. Most will be either USB or UEFI depending on hardware and settings. If the computer boots up into the Normal Windows instead of the USB stick it may become infected and need to be completely redone again. Make sure you select the correct boot option.

How to Boot Your Computer from a USB Flash Drive

STEP 5
Once the computer starts to boot up from the USB disk, follow the screens and directions below.

You will need to open NOTEPAD.EXE to help find out which drive is your Windows drive and which drive is your USB disk drive you just created

For the more advanced user you could also use DISKPART to help locate which drive is mapped to your USB disk. In most cases the USB disk will be either D: or E: but depending on hardware the drive could be a much higher level such as H: or higher.

Example only - your hardware will look different

DISKPART> list volume
	  Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
  ----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
  Volume 0     Z                       DVD-ROM         0 B  No Media
  Volume 1     C                NTFS   Partition    931 GB  Healthy    System
  Volume 2     Q   SEA-USB-4.0  NTFS   Partition   3725 GB  Healthy
  Volume 3     D                NTFS   Removable   7636 MB  Healthy

Go back to the DOS Command Prompt (if you used DISKPART type in Exit and press the Enter key) and type in the following and press the Enter key.

CD /D  D: (or E: or whichever drive letter the USB stick is on)

Then type in CD\
and press the Enter key to get to the root or top of the USB disk.

Then type in FRST   or   FRST64  (depending on which version your computer uses) and click the Scan button.

A log called FRST.txt will be saved on your USB Flash Drive. Attach it in your next reply.

If all went well you should now be able to boot into Normal Mode and run Malwarebytes and run a Threat Scan to have it finish the removal process.

 

Thank  you

Ron

 

[Aedomon]

Hi Ron,

Thank you for your quick reply.   I just wanted to check and make sure if a 32GB flash drive would work, or if it has to be specifically 8GB.  I'm out with my family shopping for a large portion of the day but will be working on the issue later when I can.

Thanks.

Jeremy

[AdvancedSetup]

Hi Jeremy, @Aedomon

Yes any size 8GB or larger will be okay. Just a reminder the drive will be formatted so if there is data on the drive it will be deleted.

Thanks

Ron

 

 

[Aedomon]

Hello again Ron.

It took a while but I finally made it through the steps.  Attached is the new FRST file that was created.

I am currently running Malwarebytes to see if the threat can be removed.  Afterwards I will also check to see if all the problems I mentioned are resolved and let you know the results before I sleep so there is as much time as possible to work further with you if there are still issues.

I'm sorry for the delay, but I should be freer to communicate for the remainder today, 2017-27-12.

 

FRST.txt

[Aedomon]

So when I ran Malwarebytes it detected that there are no remaining instances of malware on the computer.  So unless something goes wrong again I think the main issue has been resolved.  Thank you for that!

However, some problems still exist .

1. Most importantly, the start up time for the computer is now still very slow in comparison to it's near instant boot time before any of this occurred. Beyond the boot time, the computer's performance is back to normal though so I can say with some confidence that this is not entirely the same problem as before.
2. Also, I still cannot type into the text field in Cortana / the Windows search bar.
3. Bing is still used as a search engine when enacting an internet search from the Task Manager.  The only thing I could think of was to check to make sure that bing was not listed in the set of search engines in Google Chrome's settings (Chrome is the main browser that opens, and it is not)

In the case of Problem 1, I'm hoping that this is not some kind of lingering malware that hasn't been detected, but I suspect it is not.  Problems 2 and 3 seem to be residual symptoms that should be easy to fix with the right knowledge.

It might be worth mentioning that I went and did a little more cleaning after testing for these problems, though I don't think are related in any way.  I was able to delete the igfxmtc folder, as well as the others mentioned in the initial post.  I also went to deleted some other folders and files that didn't seem to be causing any problems but I'm sure had to be linked to the malware, as all the files/folders were created on 2017-23-12 at the appropriate time within minutes of each other.  If you need a list I can provide one.

All that said, thank you again Ron for the help in resolving the main malware issue (hopefully I am not speaking too soon about that).  I look forwards to hearing from you regarding the other matters.

Jeremy

[AdvancedSetup]

Hi Jeremy @Aedomon

Well, just an FYI for future reference. Deleting files, folders, by name or date alone as a reference is not wise. Having old files or folders even if they were part of an infection is not necessarily bad. As long as the offending head of the snake if you will, has been removed it cannot do further harm. Removing a valid file or folder could cause issues or even boot problems. So always better to err on the side of caution and if not sure, ask.

Let's go ahead and have you run the following and we'll see what else we can find if anything to be causing you any issues.

 

 

Please run the following steps and post back the logs as an attachment when ready.

STEP 01

• If you're already running Malwarebytes 3 then open Malwarebytes and check for updates. Then click on the Scan tab and select Threat Scan and click on Start Scan button.
• If you don't have Malwarebytes 3 installed yet please download it from here and install it.
• Once installed then open Malwarebytes and check for updates. Then click on the Scan tab and select Threat Scan and click on Start Scan button.
• Once the scan is completed click on the Export Summary button and save the file as a Text file to your desktop or other location you can find, and attach that log on your next reply.
• If Malwarebytes won't run then please skip to the next step and let me know on your next reply.

STEP 02

Please download AdwCleaner by Malwarebytes and save the file to your Desktop.

• Right-click on the program and select Run as Administrator to start the tool.
• Accept the Terms of use.
• Wait until the database is updated.
• Click Scan.
• When finished, please click Clean.
• Your PC should reboot now if any items were found.
• After reboot, a log file will be opened. Copy its content into your next reply.

 

RESTART THE COMPUTER Before running Step 3

STEP 03
Please download the Farbar Recovery Scan Tool and save it to your desktop.

Note: You need to run the version compatible with your system. You can check here if you're not sure if your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit

• Double-click to run it. When the tool opens, click Yes to disclaimer.
• Press the Scan button.
• It will make a log (FRST.txt) in the same directory the tool is run. Please attach it to your reply.
• The first time the tool is run, it also makes another log (Addition.txt). If you've, run the tool before you need to place a check mark here.
• Please attach the Additions.txt log to your reply as well.

 

Thanks

Ron

 

[Aedomon]

Here are the test results, Ron.

There were actually a few items detected by Malwarebytes, though they were not related to the previous issue.  Earlier today I was attempting to fix the problem of not being able to type into the Windows search bar, and though I was able to solve the issue following what others have said has worked online , the solution seems to have been detected as malware.  Prior to this everything was clean and this does not seem to be as serious of an issue as the last one.

Let me know if there is anything else you need.

 

Malwarebytes Results 20172712.txt

AdwCleaner Results 20172712.txt

FRST.txt

Addition.txt

[AdvancedSetup]

The solution by Abdul Malik could not be detected as malware. Possibly it might alert one of the protection modules but that would be odd.

What is this? Did you install this?

Startup: C:\Users\rchan\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\lucluc.lnk [2017-12-23]
ShortcutTarget: lucluc.lnk -> C:\Program Files (x86)\underspending\shoot.exe

Overall the computer does not appear to be infected at this time. Any ongoing fixes would be Windows fixes (do not download programs claiming they can fix it, almost certainly will install malware)

 

Please run the following fix. It will run a Full Disk Check on your computer. Depending on the speed of your computer it may take a couple of hours to run. If it does not run or does not take more than 10 minutes please let me know on your next reply.

 

Please download the attached fixlist.txt file and save it to the Desktop.
NOTE. It's important that both files, FRST or FRST64 and fixlist.txt are in the same location or the fix will not work.

NOTICE: This script was written specifically for this user, for use on this particular machine. Running this on another machine may cause damage to your operating system.

Run FRST or FRST64 and press the Fix button just once and wait.
If the tool needs a restart please make sure you let the system restart normally and let the tool complete its run after restart.
The tool will make a log on the Desktop (Fixlog.txt). Please attach or post it to your next reply.

Note: If the tool warned you about an outdated version please download and run the updated version.

fixlist.txt

 

Thanks

Ron

 

 

 

[Aedomon]

Hi Ron,

40 minutes ago, AdvancedSetup said:

Startup: C:\Users\rchan\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\lucluc.lnk [2017-12-23]
ShortcutTarget: lucluc.lnk -> C:\Program Files (x86)\underspending\shoot.exe

Just wanted to let you know while waiting for the Full Disk Check to run that I did not install this directly.  This was something that was linked to the original mess of malware that was installed and cleaned before I posted anything on this forum.  I recall shoot.exe was located in the same folder as something called Sandspit.exe that was cleaned by Malwarebytes.

I will get back to you again when the disk check is done.

 

[AdvancedSetup]

Okay, sounds good. I'm heading home but will check back on you a bit later tonight

Ron

 

[AdvancedSetup]

The disk check still running?

 

[Aedomon]

Yes, it seems to be stuck at 10%.  I've been checking online to see what estimates people give.  I don't know the computer's specifications, but It's worrisome that a lot of people seem to reference the process taking over 12 hours in their experience, with some claiming that it took up to a week.  At the most there would be about 13 hours before I would be forced to stop the process if it is not done.

I was wondering if it would be possible to interrupt the disk check without causing any problems.  I have just found this video describing a method of using chkdsk that claims to circumvent the long run time.  Do you know if Is it legitimate?

[AdvancedSetup]

No harm comes from forcing a restart, but I'd let it run for a couple more hours. Just want to try to rule out any disk issues that might be causing your slowness.

 

[Aedomon]

Well Ron, it seems the worry about having to run things overnight was baseless.  The disk check finished, and I am happy to say that the boot time seems to be faster now.  The problem with the Windows search bar not responding to keyboard inputs still exists, but if that is the only remaining problem that is perfectly fine.  It is not essential.

Here is the fixlog.  If you see anything else wrong let me know.

Fixlog.txt

Edited December 28, 2017 by Aedomon

[AdvancedSetup]

Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type powershell.exe and press Enter.

In PowerShell, copy and paste the command below, and press Enter

get-winevent -FilterHashTable @{logname="Application"; id="1001"}| ?{$_.providername –match "wininit"} | fl timecreated, message | out-file Desktop\CHKDSKResults.txt

CHKDSKResults.txt file will be created on your desktop, that is the log file of your chkdsk scan results from Event Viewer.

Please upload that file on your next reply

 

Please try using DISM to repair the computer.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/7808-use-dism-repair-windows-10-image.html

You may need to run it more than once.

 

Ron

 

[Aedomon]

In the interim while I am going through the steps for DISM, here is the CHKDSK file.

CHKDSKResults.txt

[AdvancedSetup]

Good, it found issues with the file system and was able to correct them.

 

TimeCreated : 12/27/2017 9:29:04 PM
Message     :
              
              Checking file system on C:
              The type of the file system is NTFS.
              Volume label is Windows.
              
              A disk check has been scheduled.
              Windows will now check the disk.                         
              
              Stage 1: Examining basic file system structure ...
                450816 file records processed.                                                        
              File verification completed.
                16746 large file records processed.                                   
                0 bad file records processed.                                     
              
              Stage 2: Examining file name linkage ...
                537440 index entries processed.                                                       
              Index verification completed.
                0 unindexed files scanned.                                        
                0 unindexed files recovered to lost and found.                    
              
              Stage 3: Examining security descriptors ...
              Cleaning up 3922 unused index entries from index $SII of file 0x9.
              Cleaning up 3922 unused index entries from index $SDH of file 0x9.
              Cleaning up 3922 unused security descriptors.
              CHKDSK is compacting the security descriptor stream
              Security descriptor verification completed.
                43313 data files processed.                                           
              CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal...
                39229488 USN bytes processed.                                                           
              Usn Journal verification completed.
              
              Stage 4: Looking for bad clusters in user file data ...
                450800 files processed.                                                               
              File data verification completed.
              
              Stage 5: Looking for bad, free clusters ...
                226819342 free clusters processed.                                                       
              Free space verification is complete.
              Correcting errors in the Volume Bitmap.
              
              Windows has made corrections to the file system.
              No further action is required.
              
               963280359 KB total disk space.
                55261576 KB in 205613 files.
                  145572 KB in 43316 indexes.
                       0 KB in bad sectors.
                  595839 KB in use by the system.
                   65536 KB occupied by the log file.
               907277372 KB available on disk.
              
                    4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
               240820089 total allocation units on disk.
               226819343 allocation units available on disk.
              
              Internal Info:
              00 e1 06 00 1b cc 03 00 fd 36 07 00 00 00 00 00  .........6......
              85 01 00 00 57 75 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ....Wu..........
              
              Windows has finished checking your disk.
              Please wait while your computer restarts.
              

 

 

Edited December 28, 2017 by AdvancedSetup

[Aedomon]

Ok Ron,

Sorry for the delay.  I hope it's not too late for you.  DISM said that it was able to restore the component store corruption it found.  I'm not sure what exactly it fixed, but as far as I know the only problem I can see is that the Windows search bar still remains somewhat broken. But as I said before, I think it is fine if that functionality remains broken.

If there is anything else that you think it would be reasonable to do, let me know.  However, considering the time I understand if there is not much more assistance you can offer.

[AdvancedSetup]

Have you tried this type of fix?

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-fix-taskbar-search-not-working-windows-10

 

[Aedomon]

None of those options worked.

[Aedomon]

Ron,

I will be heading off to sleep as I believe you have already.

I have to thank you for directing me in how to remove the malware that was affecting this computer.  Not to be a broken record, but using the Windows search bar is non-essential, and since it seems as if this issue will not cause further serious problems, though it was not resolved I have to thank you for you additional help making the effort to make everything work.  You have really streamlined the process, and despite some steps taking a while to complete the overall procedure was as painless as it could be.

Thank you for taking the time out of your holiday schedule and work days to examine these issues.

Jeremy

[AdvancedSetup]

I'm sure we can probably get it working Jeremy if we find the right fix. If you're satisfied though I'll go ahead and close your topic and mark as completed.

Let me know

Cheers

Ron

 

[Aedomon]

Yes, Ron.  That should be all.  You can go ahead and close the topic.

[AdvancedSetup]

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 topic 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