There are other versions of this destructive "ransomware" floating around posing as US Homeland Security, FBI, RCMP, etc., typically demanding some kind of payment through a 3rd party. My 4-year-old Vista machine was infected 2 months ago after this virus easily ****** through the updated (?) MacAfee protection which my ISP provides. Initially, my browser screen was locked, and when the computer was turned off (and turned on later) the virus spread and disabled the MSIE browser and most Windows functions. The MalBytesWare free trial download could not detect anything. Windows System Restore using 1-week-old and 2-week-old restore points would give temporary relief for only a few days before the problem returned as a locked browser and disabled functions. My Vista machine eventually expired from other causes.
SOLUTION: A drastic one. Windows 8 on my replacement computer solved the problem. When infected, I left the locked browser window open, and within a minute or 2, a little black box popped up in the upper right part of my screen saying the Windows Defender was fixing the problem. I then ran scans with MalBytesWare and Windows Defender and when nothing showed up, shut down and restarted the computer. Problem solved.
SOURCE OF THE VIRUS: PinkPornstars.com both times.
TECHNICAL MOMENT: In Windows 8 for Dummies, the author deems Windows Defender as the first Microsoft anti-malware program worthy of the name, and recommends disabling all other protection. He justifies his faith in long technical discussions in Book IX Chapters 2 and 3 in which rootkits, blended-threat malware, UEFI vs. BIOS, etc. are discussed. So I let Windows 8 do its stuff, and ignore fly-by-night software that pops up on Google claiming to fix this problem for only (insert number here) dollars or euros.
Sorry I can't offer better news.
SOLUTION: A drastic one. Windows 8 on my replacement computer solved the problem. When infected, I left the locked browser window open, and within a minute or 2, a little black box popped up in the upper right part of my screen saying the Windows Defender was fixing the problem. I then ran scans with MalBytesWare and Windows Defender and when nothing showed up, shut down and restarted the computer. Problem solved.
SOURCE OF THE VIRUS: PinkPornstars.com both times.
TECHNICAL MOMENT: In Windows 8 for Dummies, the author deems Windows Defender as the first Microsoft anti-malware program worthy of the name, and recommends disabling all other protection. He justifies his faith in long technical discussions in Book IX Chapters 2 and 3 in which rootkits, blended-threat malware, UEFI vs. BIOS, etc. are discussed. So I let Windows 8 do its stuff, and ignore fly-by-night software that pops up on Google claiming to fix this problem for only (insert number here) dollars or euros.
Sorry I can't offer better news.
)I restored and ran malaware bytes, and Spybot for good measure. Both infections gone easily.
