Epic Battle Against Malware

[robby]

Somehow, a phony security program called "XP Antivirus 2012" got onto my system and I spent hours battling it. It disrupted Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer, and made it impossible to use the computer. They wanted me to "register" their product, with a credit card payment, so I could clean my system and be able to use the computer again. I fought back, and learned how to temporarily disable it, and then used Goggle Chrome to download some free software. Thank you, Symantec.

These people could be traced very easily, through the credit card processing, and I think they should go to jail.

Comments

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

They got my 16 year old's computer about a year and a half ago. He's the only PC user in the family, and I keep trying to persuade him to go with Apple computers because they're so much harder to infect. But he won't do it. I ended up having to reformat his disk to get rid of it. Scam is almost admirable in its perfection -- or at least it would be had it not been targeted at me and mine. :-)

[robby.livejournal.com]

It was a clever program, almost an artificial intelligence. It kept changing it's file names as it loaded and blocked me from getting online or accessing programs already installed. I eventually got to the Symantec website, and downloaded a free and powerful program that killed it.

[a1icey.livejournal.com]

i had two of these in the last year. they are called "ransom viruses." windows 7 had a feature where it reverted to an earlier version of the operating system, which i used once, and the other time i used a usb drive to run a specialized antivirus program. i can't remember any more details than that, unfortunately.

[robby.livejournal.com]

Someday, I'll find a good internet lawyer, and we'll go after these miscreants. I can't understand how they can get away with this. Someone has traced the IP addresses to Florida, as well as the Netherlands, but they could also be traced through their bank accounts.

[a1icey.livejournal.com]

there are actually a lot of ways to conceal the path of money. anonymous/lulzsec use money too. so i am not entirely sure it will be possible.

[robby.livejournal.com]

I was lucky to have a second browser installed. Once I got past it blocking me from opening programs, I realized Internet Explorer was crippled. I opened Google Chrome instead, and downloaded Norton Power Sweep.

[sammason.livejournal.com]

Yes that's vile. Is it criminal? I understand why you say it should be so. Well done for overcoming the virus and not handing over your credit details.

[robby.livejournal.com]

The company infected my computer, and made it absolutely unusable, and wanted me to pay them to get it back into order. What if a mechanic had done the same to your car? Come at night and disabled the engine and in the morning offered to repair it for 50 pounds?