Virus Pop-Up Question

[Fives]

Lately the computer I use has been having whatever site that I'm at change to a all white page with a pop up in the middle saying that your computer has viruses, and to click on it, and then Norton pops up in the bottom right hand corner saying that it's been blocked. When this happens I click the status report on the Norton pop up, and its listed as *High, and that it's been blocked or taken care of, but that hijacked page is still there, so I just go ahead, and turn off the computer because I don't want to have to click on the hijacked page, and let something in.

Is there a reason why this is happening? I've been checking all my sites I go too, and they all seem to be safe. It's been happening to me a lot here on the hype unfortunately, and also on Comicbookresources, and Newsarama for instance. The computer isn't infected, and it runs good, but this has been happening more frequently lately, and any help about why it happens, and if I'm donig the right thing would be appreciated.

[Midnyte_Sun]

You've got malware. Install MalwareBytes and see if it can remove the problem:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/

[Fives]

Originally Posted by Midnyte_Sun

You've got malware. Install MalwareBytes and see if it can remove the problem:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/

Thanks. Had that on the old computer. This one has Norton, shouldn't it have kept stuff like that away? Also since I already have Norton, is there anything I can do to get rid of it with just Norton?

[Midnyte_Sun]

I'm sure the Norton support site can help you out, they might even have a fix. But I find that a good Anti Virus or firewall can not detect or get rid of every malware. It's best to have a few lines of defense.

[Midnyte_Sun]

They help, but they are not fool proof. Sometimes they take advantage of a weakness in Windows that maybe your PC did not have an update for at the time. Sometimes, it's attached to a file that you clicked on by accident or even a file hosted picture loads.

Sorry to say, but some of the pics people upload on THIS site are loaded with Malware. Most likely stemming from the file uploading site they visit.

[Fives]

Thanks. The Pop-up hasn't been happening as much lately, but it still does happen. It's pretty crazy how easily that stuff can sneak into our computers.

I agree though, it's good to have a few lines of defense, and even with Norton I might need more.

[[rono]]

I found that even with an anti-spyware installed, some malware find a way through. they usually start after a reboot (they boot before the anti-spyware and block it from loading).

- Easiest way to completely clean your system is through Safe Mode, and trying to use System Restore to uninstall any malware by setting the system to an earlier date; this doesn't affect your data.

- Also, still in safe mode, browse to C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Local\Temp (Win7) and clean it (you an safely delete most files in there, those that aren't locked anyway). some legitimate apps put installation files there, but they should remove them after use. So any .exe file you find in there should be erased. Especially if the file name look cryptic or suspicious (names like sxdrgvsrgft.exe are a sign of possible foul play).

- still in safe mode check the following registry keys:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\W indows\CurrentVersion\Run (64-bit systems)
The same bogus file (sxdrgvsrgft.exe) might have an entry in there: delete it. Remember, no app should load from any Temp folder.
Note that, you can potentially cripple your computer by mishandling the registry. so backup first.

If a newbie, you might ask a more advanced user for help on doing these steps. Some malware even disable safe mode.

[Professional]

viruses and spyware both can be affected on your computer hard drive and result in pop-up ads and other behavior that drastically slow your computer's performance. If these programs are not removed quickly, they can continue to download more viruses and malware to your system, send viruses to others through your email, and possibly stop your computer from functioning. Fixing a virus-infected computer can be challenging depending on the virus that is causing the pop-ups.