Detection of PUP.Optional.Push.Notifications recurrs after removal

[thedriver]

Detection of 13x PUP.Optional.Push.Notifications has recurred even after removal.

See attached scan from yesterday before removal:
Malwarebytes Scan Results 2020.09.21.txt

I followed instructions provided by Malwarebytes on the forum here to disable Chrome Sync, delete online data, remove the threats, then re-enable Chrome sync.
However, after a reboot and a new scan by Malwarebytes, the threats are back. See attached scan from today:
Malwarebytes Scan Results 2020.09.22.txt

Can you please advise how I remove these? Thanks in advance.

Malwarebytes Scan Results 2020.09.21.txt Malwarebytes Scan Results 2020.09.22.txt

[thedriver]

I also scanned with ADWCleaner whilst Chrome Sync was disabled and removed the threats it found (except for Preinstalled software).

See attached scan results from yesterday:
AdwCleaner[S17].txt
AdwCleaner[C17].txt
AdwCleaner[S18].txt
AdwCleaner[C18].txt
AdwCleaner[S19].txt

 

And then scan results from ADWCleaner again from today:

AdwCleaner[S20].txt

 

AdwCleaner[S17].txt AdwCleaner[C17].txt AdwCleaner[S18].txt AdwCleaner[C18].txt AdwCleaner[S19].txt AdwCleaner[S20].txt

[Maurice Naggar]

Hi,       
My name is Maurice. I will be helping and guiding you, going forward on this case.
Let me know what first name you prefer to go by.   

Please follow my directions as we go along.  Please do not do any changes on your own without first checking with me. 
Please only just attach   all report files, etc  that I ask for as we go along.

I would appreciate  getting some key details from this machine in order to help you forward.
 NOTE: The tools and the information obtained is safe and not harmful to your privacy or your computer, please allow the programs to run if blocked by your system.

Do have patience while the report tool runs.  It may take several minutes.  Just let it run & take its time.  You may want to close your other open windows so that there is a clear field of view.
Download Malwarebytes Support Tool
    
    Once the file is downloaded, open your Downloads folder/location of the downloaded file
    Double-click mb-support-1.7.0.827.exe  to run the report

Once it starts, you will see a first screen with 2 buttons.  Click the one on the left marked "I don't have an open support ticket".

        You may be prompted by User Account Control (UAC) to allow changes to be made to your computer. Click Yes to consent.
        
    Place a checkmark next to Accept License Agreement and click Next
Now click the left-hand side pane "I do not have an open support ticket"

    You will be presented with a page stating, "Get Started!"
    Do NOT use the button “Start repair” !   But look instead at the far-left options list in black.

    Click the Advanced tab on the left column
    
    Click the Gather Logs button
    
    A progress bar will appear and the program will proceed with getting logs from your computer.  Please do have patience.  It takes several minutes to gather.
   
    Upon completion, click a file named mbst-grab-results.zip will be saved to your Desktop. Click OK.  Then Exit the tool.

    Please attach the ZIP file in your next reply.

Please know I help here as a volunteer.  and that I am not on 24 x 7.
Help on this forum is one to one.   Again, please be sure to ONLY attach report files  with your reply (s)  as we go along.  Do not do a copy / paste into main body.

Thank you,
Sincerely.

[thedriver]

Thanks Maurice.

I can't run the MBSupport Tool to Gather Logs. When the FRST component runs, my computer blue screens; this happens every time I run the tool and always when FRST is running. 

[Maurice Naggar]

Hello.   I very much regret to hear all that.   Lets do as much as possible of all that follows.  Do all that you can.   Keep going down the list.

[      1     ]

Please download Rkill from this link and save to your Desktop:

http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/grinler/rkill.exe

 

• Double click on Rkill.
• A command window will open then disappear upon completion, this is normal.
• Please post the log   if you can

Just let me know if this did run.

 

Note: If your security software warns about Rkill, please ignore and allow the download to continue.

[    2    ]

Use Chrome browser   to go to https://www.google.com/settings/chrome/sync and sign into your account.
Scroll down until you see the "reset sync" button and click on the button
At the prompt click on "Ok".

[   3   ]

for Chrome, while Chrome is running:
Press & hold SHIFT+CTRL+Del keys  on keyboard to get menu for clearing browsing data:

Check mark the line  "Browsing history"

Check mark the line "Download history"

Check mark the lined "Cached images and files"
and press Clear Data button  ( in blue )

[   4   ]

After that, make real sure that Chrome is "NOT" set to reload the pages from the last session

Go into the settings menu of Chrome by first clicking  the control icon of Chrome on upper right of the adress bar

Then look deeper in SETTINGS

 

Make real sure it is "NOT" set to "continue where you left off"

.

[   5   ]

I suggest you install the Malwarebytes Browser guard for Chrome.

To get & install the Malwarebytes Browser Guard extension for Chrome,

 

Open this link in your Chrome   browser: 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/malwarebytes/ihcjicgdanjaechkgeegckofjjedodee

 

Then proceed with the setup.

[   6   ]

See this article on our Malwarebytes Blog
https://blog.malwarebytes.com/security-world/technology/2019/01/browser-push-notifications-feature-asking-abused/

 

You want to disable the ability of each web browser on this machine from being able to allow "push ads". That means Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browser (on Windows 10), or on Opera.

Scroll down to the tips section "How do I disable them".

[   7    ]

Please download MiniToolBox save it to your desktop and run it. 

Reply YES when prompted by Windows to Allow the program to run.
Reply YES when prompted by the tool to proceed.

Checkmark the following check-boxes:

Quote

Flush DNS
Report IE Proxy Settings
Reset IE Proxy Settings
Report FF Proxy Settings
Reset FF Proxy Settings
List content of Hosts
List IP configuration
List Winsock Entries
List last 10 Event Viewer log
List Installed Programs
List Devices
List Users, Partitions and Memory size.
List Minidump Files

Click Go and post the result ( MTB.txt ). A copy of Result.txt will be saved in the same directory the tool is run. 
Note: When using Reset FF Proxy Settings option Firefox should be closed. 
 

Let me know how things go after this.

Cheers.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Maurice Naggar
set download link for Minitoolbox

[thedriver]

Thanks Maurice

I've done all that.

MTB.txt Rkill.txt

[Maurice Naggar]

Thank you for those 2 reports.   Lets go ahead and now do these 2 thngs.

[     1     ]

I would like you to do a new scan with Malwarebytes for Windows.  One of the major goals here is to have it remove all that it detects.  If it finds anything that is.
Start Malwarebytes from the Windows  Start menu.
Click Settings ( gear icon)   at the top right of Malwarebytes window.   We want to see the SETTINGS window.
Then click the Security tab.   Look for the section "Automatic Quarantine".   Be sure it is clicked On   ( to the far right side)

Then scroll down to the section Potentially Unwanted items.   We need the next 2 lines   ( for P U P  & for P U  M)  to be set to "Always ( Recommended) ".
You can make the change by clicking on the down-arrow selection list-control.   We want all P U P  &  P U M to be marked for removal.

Next, click the small x on the Settings line   to go to the main Malwarebytes Window.
Next click the blue button marked Scan.
When the scan phase is done, be real sure you Review and have all detected lines items check-marked on each line on the left. That too is very critical.
You can actually click the topmost left  check-box  on the very top line to get ALL lines  ticked   ( all selected).

Then click on Quarantine selected.
Follow the prompts from Malwarebytes.    When done, Close the program.

[     2     ]

I would appreciate  getting some key details from this machine in order to help you forward.
 NOTE: The tools and the information obtained is safe and not harmful to your privacy or your computer, please allow the programs to run if blocked by your system.

Do have patience while the report tool runs.  It may take several minutes.  Just let it run & take its time.  You may want to close your other open windows so that there is a clear field of view.
Download Malwarebytes Support Tool
    
    Once the file is downloaded, open your Downloads folder/location of the downloaded file
    Double-click mb-support-1.7.0.827.exe  to run the report

Once it starts, you will see a first screen with 2 buttons.  Click the one on the left marked "I don't have an open support ticket".

        You may be prompted by User Account Control (UAC) to allow changes to be made to your computer. Click Yes to consent.
        
    Place a checkmark next to Accept License Agreement and click Next
Now click the left-hand side pane "I do not have an open support ticket"

    You will be presented with a page stating, "Get Started!"
    Do NOT use the button “Start repair” !   But look instead at the far-left options list in black.

    Click the Advanced tab on the left column
    
    Click the Gather Logs button
    
    A progress bar will appear and the program will proceed with getting logs from your computer.  Please do have patience.  It takes several minutes to gather.
   
    Upon completion, click a file named mbst-grab-results.zip will be saved to your Desktop. Click OK.  Then Exit the tool.

    Please attach the ZIP file in your next reply.

Thank you.     🤠

[thedriver]

Thanks Maurice, Attached.

Malwarebytes Antimalware has run and cleaned up the detections again.

MBST has run this time and been able to complete without blue screening (I did also get a Windows version update in the interim). 

mbst-grab-results.zip

[Maurice Naggar]

Good afternoon.   Thank you so much for the support-tool-file.   I do notice that the last scan with Malwarebytes  ( on the afternoon of SEP 24  ) ran, finished & reported no malware.

NEXT

I would suggest a free scan with the ESET Online Scanner
Go to https://download.eset.com/com/eset/tools/online_scanner/latest/esetonlinescanner.exe

 

It will start a download of "esetonlinescanner.exe"
Save the file to your system, such as the Downloads folder, or else to the Desktop.

Go to the saved file, and double click it to get it started.

When presented with the initial ESET options, click on "Computer Scan".
Next, when prompted by Windows, allow it to start by clicking Yes
When prompted for scan type, Click on Full scan

Look at & tick  ( select )   the radio selection "Enable ESET to detect and quarantine potentially unwanted applications"   and click on Start scan button.

Have patience.  The entire process may take an hour or more. There is an initial update download.
There is a progress window display.
You should ignore all prompts to get the ESET antivirus software program.   ( e.g.  their standard program).   You do not need to buy or get or install anything else.

When the scan is completed, if something was found, it will show a screen with the number of detected items.  If so, click the button marked “View detected results”.

Click The blue “Save scan log” to save the log.

If something was removed and you know it is a false finding, you may click on the blue ”Restore cleaned files”  ( in blue, at bottom).
Press Continue when all done.  You should click to off the offer for “periodic scanning”.
 

Also, let me know, at that point, the overall general status of this Windows system.

Regards.      😃

[Maurice Naggar]

Hello.   Good afternoon.  I hope you are doing well.   I have not heard from you in several days.   How is the situation at this point?

[AdvancedSetup]

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Tips to help protect from infection

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