[Leica] OT: A pox on all virus and malware writers

[mark at whitedogs.co.uk (Mark Pope)]

Today started fairly well.  A spot of gentle exercise and then, as I 
stepped out of the shower, a voice said "Avast has come up with a 
message saying there's a problem"....

There were also warning balloons appearing from an icon in the system 
tray on our XP system as well as a also a very convincing dialogue box 
which said that Anti Virus Pro 2010 had detected.  The dialogue box 
invited me to download some software to remove the virii and trojans.

I smelt a rat, not having loaded anything called Anti Virus Pro 2010 
onto the system.  At first I thought it was a Microsoft Utility, but on 
further investigation, it turned out to be 'scareware'.

So I have now spent the last five hours trying to clean my system and 
I'm not there yet...Avast has now detected some sort of root kit virus 
and is running yet another scan.  I estimate it will take at least 
another three or four hours to complete the system scan and even then I 
don't know whether I will have a clean computer.  So I am already 
resigning myself to a disk reformat, OS and software reinstall - so 
that's tomorrow taken care of if I have to do that!

I have always been very careful with respect to the security of my 
systems - apparently, I wasn't careful enough as it appears we have been 
the victim of a "drive by" attack.  Lord knows how!

So, I can't post my PAWs or process any pictures until I have finished 
this activity.  To say I am unhappy, would be an understatement.  You 
have no idea what I would like to do to these low-life if I could get my 
hands on them...

Good job I have Linux and Mac computers as well.

Like I said - a pox (and a very nasty, painful one at that) on all virus 
and malware writers.  I hate them with a passion.

Mark
-- 



Mark Pope,
Swindon, Wilts
UK

Homepage               http://www.monomagic.co.uk
Blog                   http://www.monomagic.co.uk/blog
Picture a week (2009)  http://www.monomagic.co.uk/index.php?gallery=paw/2009
                (2008) 
http://www.monomagic.co.uk/index.php?gallery=paw/2008