Re: Anyone Have This Problem?

pokee@shaw.ca wrote in
news:1117077546.356382.263580@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> BUT - now when I start up my PC, after my wireless network connection
> is established, my internet explorer starts up and tries to connect to
> this website (with no luck I might add):
>
>
> http://www.freewebs.com/jodaaa%ad/happy.html
                               ^^^

CAUTION: DO NOT CONNECT TO THE FOLLOWING LINK:
http://www. freewebs.com/jodaaa/happy.html redirects to

            http://static.windupdates.com/prompts/<stuff>/<more stuff>.js

which contains the bridge-x malware installer.

<RANT> Malware has been on windupdates.com on peer-1 for damn close to a
year and I find it incredible that they have not removed it.</RANT>

It sounds like you have a com server installed on your PC. Some malware is
trying to get more malware installed on your machine. If it is making an
unsolicited attempt to get to the site you mentioned (without you clicking
on a web site of some sort), then you have malware activating at startup
time. A lot of malware is symbiotic - i.e., it needs other files to operate
properly. A lot of malware just loads other stand alone malware. Either or
both may be the case.

> Can anyone guess what may be happening here? It's not affecting
> anything on my PC, so I am not too worried. It's just pissing me off!

You do NOT know that. Malware can send out spam, try to crack other boxes
and if installed, a keylogger can report your banking transactions back to
some 14 year old kid who "ownz" your box and needs the money to buy Playboy
and Noxema. A firewall which blocks all incoming ports and all except the
essential outgoing ports will minimize the damage. However, the latest
malware is good at tricking the user into cooperating with it. Some malware
changes your hosts file, which connects you to spoofed sites (like banks)
rather than the real thing.

If you do not know how to look for and destroy the malware (few people do)
then it is best to get some qualified help to make another clean install
and fully patch the system before reconnecting to the net. You do not
mention which flavour of windows you are using, so I assume that it is XP.
Have the qualified person make sure that you are fully patched (SP1 and
SP2), have a current antivirus (and ideally one or two anti spyware
detectors) running and then set up your firewall per your needs. Install
Firefox and Thunderbird. Avoid Internet Explorer and Outlook except where
absolutely necessary (windowsupdates comes to mind among others).

Also, make sure that your Microsoft Operating System is genuine. There are
a few pirated copies from the Orient floating around which have some
unwelcome additions.

Anti-spyware was unimportant only two years ago. Now it is almost as vital
as antivirus. Perhaps more so.

Unfortunately, this isn't the old internet any more. It has been estimated
that well over half the PC's have either unwelcome adware, spyware, worms
or viruses installed.
Received on Thu Sep 29 19:52:58 2005