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ALERT! Malicious Spyware on the Loose!

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Second Self Virtual Assistance

This blog is being posted to alert you to some very malicious and aggressive spyware. Malicious Spyware

It seems there is no such thing as safe surfing anymore. According to one expert, one of every thousand pages on the web are infected with some type of spyware.  Neither the website owner nor the victim of the spyware even know that they have been infected!

It is more important than ever to have a good Anti-Virus program. In addition, however, you need to be sure you are protected from spyware as well. Because there are thousands upon thousands of spywares, no one product can fully protect you.

To me, spyware used to mean an innocent "little bugger" was watching what I surfed on the Internet and then sent me advertisements and pop-up ads that would appeal to me based on my web browsing. That may have been true at one time, but not any longer.

One of my assistants was infected with a Trojan (spyware) from the Zlob family. This particular spyware is very aggressive and malicious. It can hijack your homepage, hijack your search engine and it can hijack your IP Address as well.  This Trojan will change your dynamic network settings, taking control of your web browser and search engine. It will also block Windows updates and downloads as well as updates from your Anti-Virus provider.

After running several reliable and reputable spyware removal products (some free, some purchased) the Trojan remained and became progressively more malicious. This Trojan even knows when you are trying to remove it and it can be very vengeful!  While trying to remove the spyware via a removal tool, this Trojan crashed Windows which, in turn, "fried" the computer's mother board. 

After purchasing a new computer, my assistant found that as soon as she clicked on Internet Explorer, the culprit was back. Her IP Address had been hijacked so, even though she had a new computer and the computer was not infected, the Trojan still had control.

I am going to cut to the chase here as the details are like a Halloween movie - long and gory.

My assistant called a very reputable anti-virus company with a fine reputation and a great product for assistance. After 21 hours of intense system checks and fixes, the problem could not be corrected. By the way, the assistance from this company was not free, there was a charge of $99.

My assistant then called another anti-virus company. The problem was resolved in a matter of minutes and it was FREE! Who was able to provide the magic cure? Microsoft!

Microsoft provides free support to any Windows user experiencing a Virus or Spyware problem. For some reason, this is not a well known fact and the various computer service providers are certainly not sharing this information.

To be sure you are not infected with a virus or spyware, go to www.safety.live.com. This is a Microsoft site and provides a free scan that not only removes viruses and spyware, it will also check your registry keys and your hard drive for any problems. 

If you have a virus or spyware issue that is not resolved, then just call 1-866-PCSAFETY.

Don't suffer needlessly. Write that phone number down and save this site to your Favorites. You will be glad you did.

By the way, my assistant paid over $400 purchasing products and paying for the computer repairs that were recommended by the experts. She had to buy a new computer. No one was able to help or provide an answer until she found Microsoft's FREE service.

Vickie Nagy
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate - Palm Springs, CA
Vickie Jean the Palm Springs Condo Queen

Wow! I have never heard of an IP address being hi-jacked. Thanks for this valuable information.

Oct 16, 2008 09:53 AM
Tony DeLuke
Markley Realty - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
ABR, GRI, SFR

Pamela,

    Thanks for he heads up. You put a lot of good information out there for us. Thanks!!

 

Regards,

 

Tony

Oct 16, 2008 10:03 AM
George Tars
PalmHomes LLC - Palm Beach, FL

maybe they have a static IP and the person wanted to spoof it

Oct 16, 2008 10:07 AM
Evelyn Panning
Property Connections Realty Inc. - Alturas, CA

Can you imagine how much good could be done in the world by these creative geniuses if they focused on doing something positive for the world instead of using their talents to create grief for the rest of us. ~ Evelyn

Oct 16, 2008 11:03 AM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

Ok I bookmarked your post, incase I need it someday. Thanks for sharing. I had no clue either.

Oct 16, 2008 11:26 AM
Ilyce Glink
Think Glink Media - Chicago, IL
Best-selling author, award-winning TV/radio host.

Pamela- Thanks for the scary but true facts. Things are getting ugly on the Internet sometimes. I have a YouTube video called "Internet Safety Tips from Norton" on my YouTube channel. It has some good ideas about how to keep yourself safe while surfing. Thanks for the post!

Oct 16, 2008 12:17 PM
Anonymous
Dave Taylor

 

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Another way to protect your PC from malware is to monitor Windows and user applications for suspicious installations or changes. For example, WinDiagnostic Software’s PC agents automatically monitor both the Windows Registry and all file systems for changes that might accompany the installation of viruses, worms, and spyware. Using such tools, you can identify malware attacks even before anti-virus vendors identify the new virus.

 

And right now, WinDiagnostic is free—why not give it a try!

 

See http://www.WinDiagnostic.com

Oct 17, 2008 03:24 AM
#7
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Thanks for the information.

Oct 17, 2008 03:30 AM
Wendy Casey
A-List Home Staging & Decor - Surrey, BC

Thanks for the warning and the links to fix this potential threat. Cheers,

Wendy Casey - Surrey, BC

Oct 21, 2008 05:01 AM
Ronelle Schroeder-Hill
Vacaville, CA

Thanks for the info, my laptop went in two weeks ago. Apparently it was infected and after getting disinfected it was discovered the hard drive was shot. From the symptoms you described it sounds like that is what caused all the mess. So as soon as you see a problem get it addressed, you can't imagine how difficult it can be!

Oct 27, 2008 04:28 PM