In recent months there's been a spate of virii attacking users. Yet some simple sense & precautions can help you avoid these situations.

Sections: 1. Online Scans. _ 2. What to avoid. _ 3. Other Tools to have handy. _ 4. Reports of Virus / How to elimate files that refuse to delete / Rootkits. _ 5. Specialist forums for help.

Precautions:

1. Keep your anti-virus program active & keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Online scans: (i) Trend Micro HouseCall (ActiveX), . . . . (ii) Trend Micro HouseCall (Java), . . . . (iii) BitDefender Scan online ,

(iv) eTrust AntiVirus Web Scanner, . . . . (v) McAfee FreeScan, . . . . (vi) RAV AntiVirus Scan online ,

(vii) Panda ActiveScan, . . . . (viii) Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool Run an Online Scan of Your PC for Malicious Software. Windows Live OneCare safety scanner. (for removal of Malware.)


2. Avoid downlding exe files. And if you decide to downld zip files, be careful of their size & scan them before opening. Ignore files less than 1 MB (1,000 KB) in size. See Arrange search results by size (click on link). Some common trojan sizes are as found:
(a) Beware of files sized 851.7 KB, _______ (b) Most of them are 765.5kb & 399.0kb,
(c) I open the folder there are about 800+ .Rar files all at the size of 765kb, _______ (d) Beware Of This Virus!!!,
(e) Warning: Trojans And Spyware, _______ (f) Gnutella W32.Alcra.B Virus/Trojan Migration & advice!,
(g) unwanted downloads Mass of zipped files,
(h) growing number of ZIP files all the same size & Free ANTI-VIRUS programs
(i) viruses, spyware, and other nasties (precautions to take & free AV programs)
(j) Follow steps here & choose your alternative help site. Steps to take are detailed!, __ (k) The easy fix for Limewire popping up every few seconds (try this first), _____ (l) To fix when limewire keeps popping up / no taskmanager bug do the following, ______ (m) Limewire Acting Wierd (PLEASE HELP!!!) - Has easy to do instructions & answer too,
(n) Music files changing from mp3 into zip-exe: some info; Caused by a worm.


3. Other tools to have handy:

A: Ad-Aware __(FREE)

B: Spybot - Search & Destroy __(FREE)

C: Peerguardian __(FREE)

D: Malicious Software Removal Tool for removal of Malware. Malware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


4. Known Reports of Virii & their FX:

(a) Known Peer To Peer Worm (copying itself to the startup folder), (b) LimeWire continually Popping up every few seconds & also Opening at System Startup, (c) How to get limewire to quit popping up every few seconds This is malware has been identified as Sdbot.worm.gen, Worm.Win32.VB.an, the "AN Worm", sometimes called the "Zodiak Worm", (d) I exit the limewire program, it refuses to stay shut down and will restart its self on it own. The virus is known as w32.Acan, (e) WORM_VB.AS, (f) Files downloaded contain W32 virus or the like

Other known names for these virii (different AV companies may have their own names for the same virus):
worm_bagle.AH, TROJ_INOR.A, TROJ_GLITCH.B, TROJ_SMALL.LI, WORM_CYDOG.B <- Forum posting about worm -> WORM.BAGLE.AH Aliases: W32/Bagle.ai@MM, Win32/BAgle.AI@mm, I-Worm.Bagle.ai, Win32/Bagle.Variant.Worm, Win32:Beagle-AH, Worm/Bagle.AI, W32.beagle.AG.mm, Bagle.AI, W32/Bagle-AH, Bagle.AE <- trendmicro search page, VName=WORM_BAGLE.AH&VSect=T -> Forum posting

Trojan.ByteVerify - Symantec.com
Trojan.ByteVerify, Exploit-ByteVerify [McAfee], Exploit.Java.Bytverify [KAV], JAVA_BYTVERIFY.A [Trend]

Some of the items carrying these virii were like this: -> ??? ****** Crack, ??? Source Code, ??? Beta

* Obviously virii can have variants so always play it safe. And use some common sense when downlding files. Check the file size & if it's obviously much smaller than what it should be. Most legitimate files are larger than 1 MB (1,000 KB), so don't get confused. See Arrange search results by size (click on link) Be very wary or & better to leave it alone. Remember: take precautions.

(g) How to eliminate files that refuse to delete: Incomplete Download File won't delete at all (click link)

(h) Music files changing to zip or exe: some info

(i) Rootkits *** WARNING ***, - (ii) What does a rootkit look like? (iii) Rootkit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


5. (a) And even more help? Follow steps here & choose your alternative help site. (click link) Those sites will help you combat & eradicate the virus.
... (b) NorbiesWorld (click on link) A very helpful forum that helps you get your computer back in shape or/& busting the above issues. (Warning, Norbie himself no longer helps on that forum. Thus check some of the other forums just in case. Register & follow their directions for posting very carefully. Also try out some of the online scans in point #1. above.)