Computing problem

[VicS]

Something is making my browser (IE8) keep opening extra tabs. They all have the URL http://vcontent.ebuddy.com/banners/return/INTL_Adphilia_160x600.html and display banner ads from Alibaba, Dell, iPod, Halfords zwinky, cursor mania etc etc like those to the right of the forum.
9 extra tabs now open and rising fast!

Help!

 

[Blue5]

Had a similar problem last week with pesky adds that kept appearing using IE8, found a hidden ad programe called Favorit that I could not delete until another forumite Oldsaltoz came up with the only software to remove it, not sure if this is any help but the thread is:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213100

 

[shmoo]

zwinky web search bar is known for installing malware. Do you have kids? They could have installed it. Google "zwinky malware"
<edit> you will prob. find its go into Outlook too, if you use it. Look for a new cute (if under 13) or hideous (over 13) tool bar. </edit>

 

[cozzykim]

1.Try Ctrl-Alt-Del to get the win task manager.

2.Click on the "Processes" tab

3.scroll and find iexplore.exe

4.check that there's only one process with that name.

5.Right click on iexplore.exe and select "End process tree"

6.See whether IE8 closes

keep doing this until all the IE8 windows have gone.

If they keep coming back you probably have a malware infection.

You could use Hijack This to get rid, if you have the patience and knowhow.

If you post or PM your process list one of us may be able to spot the rogue.

There are many ways to get rid of malware, starting in safe mode and deleting all its executables and DLLs is probably the surest method once you know what it is.

Others may advise differently depending on their own preferences, go with whatever you find easiest/most comfortable.

HTH

P.S. Don't get me started on the best ways to stop this happening in future

Regards

Kim

 

[pappaecho]

simple solution switch to Firefox. They invented tabs and do not apparently have malware written for it. Simples?

 

[cozzykim]

simple solution switch to Firefox. They invented tabs and do not apparently have malware written for it. Simples?

Good idea

You see, you did it, you nearly got me started

 

[shmoo]

simple solution switch to Firefox. They invented tabs and do not apparently have malware written for it. Simples?

Not quite. If you go on the the zwinky site and click the stuff to say you want to build a cute (yuk) avatar you will be, whether you know it or not, installing the evil My Web Search plugin for Firefox (and IE and Outlook, even if you are using Firefox). These things are a bit like vampires: you have to ask them in, but they are skilled at getting you to do so!

I do most of my browsing in Firefox installed inside a virtual machine, and it gets all sorts of nasty stuff installed, including the zwinky/My Web Search service. I simply blow the whole VM away and start again periodically. This tactic has limited life though - viruses will be breaking out of VMs before long, if they haven't done so already.

 

[cozzykim]

Funweb? stuff

If the problem does turn out to be MyWebSearch or its variants then this may help.

Or this one

I usually also search for and delete any leftover lurky bits in safe mode just to be sure (not on my own PC I hasten to add).

 

[VicS]

Thanks for the responses.

The problem seems to have gone away. I went off and looked at a few other websites to see if the problem persisted or was in someway related to using these forums. No problems encountered so have come back here and all seems well here too now.

Odd. Just hope it does not reappear . It got to the point were it was opening new tabs so quickly that it became almost unusable.

For the record no small children and I am the only user!

 

[mjcp]

Download the free version of Malwarebytes and run until it comes up clean. (1 - 3 iterations normally): www.malwarebytes.org

Then run monthly or more often as needed.

It finds stuff the AV vendors miss and is more effective than the built in MS spyware remover.

(and it's free!)

mjcp

 

[Heckler]

Thanks for the responses.

The problem seems to have gone away. I went off and looked at a few other websites to see if the problem persisted or was in someway related to using these forums. No problems encountered so have come back here and all seems well here too now.

Odd. Just hope it does not reappear . It got to the point were it was opening new tabs so quickly that it became almost unusable.

For the record no small children and I am the only user!

Vic
when peeps brought in their computors to me 6 months ago with **** ware on like you describe I used to reload the OS. ( I spent many hours trying spybots hijackthis etc before coming to this conclusion) I posted many times on this with Brendan. Then malwarebytes got pretty good and was able to handle the **** and I have used this for the last 6 months with success HOWEVER the last couple of weeks it has started to fail, last week I spent hours on a couple of machines and failed so had to reload the OS, so brace yourself, run malware bytes and see what it finds. Make a note, switch on and off a few times then run it again, if it finds the same again you are stuffed, reload time unless you have many hours of non reaction time to spend!
Stu