Hi all,

I get the message that the webpage cannot be displayed on Internet Explorer. I scanned my computer to see if there were any viruses, and it turned out there was one, by the name of win32/sirefef, so I went to Microsoft's article "prevent and remove viruses and other malware" and followed the steps. One of the steps was to reset the Internet Proxy settings in order for me to download/install things that I needed, and so I manually reset it myself (since I couldn't run the "fix it for me program"). After I did this, the message still pops up. What can I do now? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

First use MalwareBytes antimalware (http://www.malwarebytes.org/)to attempt removal.

You need an antivirus software to remove the virus firstly.

Doesn't windows 8 have a built in anti virus?

Yes it does, Windows Defender is enabled by default. Unfortunately not all nasties are caught by any AV/AM app. They all are less than 100%. This is why we suggest a multi-layered approach.

Yes, Windows 8 RP does have Windows Defender, which I'm now using, that is until ESET is fully compatible with the OS, which is expected by the time of it's retail availability on 10/26. And it does provide "realtime" protection, as my nightly CCleaner scan reveals WD's automatic scan logs. These logs were after a cleaning that I performed after an online transaction & doesn't include the Full scan that I did earlier today (yesterday now).

916

So WD is doing it's job, though it would be great to see an icon in the Notification area as to what it's doing. Also, as mentioned, MBAM is an excellent addition to WD, the paid (Pro) version blocks malware ("mal"cious soft"ware") in real time. Slams the door shut on known malware infested sites, before they can open (Trial or Pro versions only).

MBAM Pro is often sold for far less than it's normal price of $24.95, by watching sites such as Newegg, Fry's or Amazon, there was a recent one on Fry's (the lowest cost that I've seen, $9.95 + shipping, $3 or so). Plus Newegg runs it on sale at least once a month for $14 to $15 & even throws in an extra at times, such as a Kingston Flash drive (the 4GB G3 version is worth $6 alone). Currently, I have 5 Lifetime versions of the app, covering different OS's.

Also, the ESET Online Scanner is a great option, as well as a "second opinion" virus scanner that finds things that others misses. This is the same scanning engine that powers NOD32 & ESET Smart Security, only it's not in realtime mode. It's best to run it from IE for it's extra options. Make sure to check "Scan for potentially unsafe applications" & "Scan Archives". There is a quarantine file generated for found threats, so it's best to leave the program installed, it uses no resources except while being ran.

This & MBAM, it's best to run a Full Scan monthly, it can be done about two weeks apart from the other, probably is best ran like that.

Those who are running WD should run a Full scan weekly. The great thing is, that in a dual boot setup, it's scanning both OS's (except Linux ones). The same with the other OS, whatever security is on that one, is scanning Windows 8 RP when running a Full scan, unless it's set not to, in the options. It's normally best to allow all drives/partitions to be scanned for best results.

Finally, there's a Free anti-rootkit utility that can be used to detect these, & it only takes a minute to run. Kaspersky's TDSSKiller. Get it here.

Anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller (http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208283363)

There's plenty of good, free tools at one's disposal to make sure that one has a clean, safe computer to run. There's also no reason that any user not use them, either, especially Windows Defender (Win 8 RP users) & MSE (Win 7/Vista/XP users). For Windows 7 users who are running another security app other than MSE, there's a built in WD for that OS (& optional download for XP), but it's not as complete as WD for Win 8 RP is. It's a good second opinion scanner for those OS's, but not meant to be one's regular AV.

Cat

Well if he has a anti virus with windows defender shouldn't he just get anti maleware not a second anti virus? Everyone should add anti malware in the first place.

Manual scans with AV/AM apps never hurt. Even having a AV installed (Win 8 RP does indeed have WD installed and enabled by default) does not prevent an online AV scanner from working. You just should not have 2 AV apps running in real time.

Your right you shouldn't have two anti virus running at the same time which is why I questioned your response to muff.

WD does include both AV & AM, but a single app cannot possibly find everything, which is why several of us runs apps like MBAM (preferably Pro) for manual scans. SuperAntiSpyware is another app, it comes in Lifetime Pro & free versions also, however my experience with the app suggests that the Free scanner is good enough. Most of what is found is tracking cookies & an occasional trojan, mainly ad cookies, the Free scanner will hunt these down. Sometimes, a reboot is required for removal.

There's another type of security app, known as "rescue" ones, Emsisoft has an Emergency Kit, though this is a lesser known brand in the US, it receives high rankings in Europe & parts of Canada. Receives a high one from me also, as it was the only tool that would clean a particular infected computer brought to me to attempt to fix at all costs w/o a reinstall. There were lots of family pictures, including the last known copy of a wedding video on there. I got it clean, was paid well, much more than I thought I'd receive.

Emsisoft Free Emergency Kit: portable malware scanner | Free removal of Viruses, Bots, Spyware, Keyloggers and Trojans (http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/eek/)

After I got it cleaned, I installed a copy of Todo Workstation 2.5 that I had, & showed them how to use it to backup their precious memories. As well as advised them to store these items on safer ground, such as high quality DVD's, & one more copy to an external drive for backup purposes.

Here's a portrait of Emsisoft:

Emsisoft Company Portrait - CEO: Christian Mairoll (http://www.emsisoft.com/en/company/about/)

And their full line of products. Note that some are free. Ad Muncher Ad-Blocker is a good one also. There Malware scanner is really good also, but it's hard to beat the promos found on MBAM. However, Emsisoft has a Internet Security pack that includes it. There's also a Freeware Web Malware scanner that can be ran from IE only (ActiveX required).

Emsisoft Product Overview - Anti-Malware, Mamutu, Online Armor Premium and ++ Firewall, Free Emergency Kit, HiJackFree, Anti-Dialer, BlitzBlank, MalAware (http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/)

One thing about this company, their large customer base is not far from where some really nasty viruses/malware comes from, Eastern Europe. Much of this crap comes from nearby Ukraine, from where very nasty malware is spread around the world.

File Hippo also offers what's probably a 30 day free trial of their Anti-Malware.

Download Emsisoft Anti-Malware 6.6.0.4 - Technical Details - FileHippo.com (http://www.filehippo.com/download_emsisoft_anti_malware/tech/)

This is one of several companies that offers quality products, along with some free solutions. If one plans to stick with WD, scanning with some of the reputable free solutions is a good thing to do. One should not place their entire security in one basket.

Cat

Muff.

You may have a conflict with Https sites. This is a function which is not really a virus, but has been altered by some software you have installed. Try this:

Open Tools - Internet options.
Open the Security Tab.
First, at the bottom, select "reset all zones to default level"

If this doesn't work for you, go to the same tab and select "Trusted sites"
Make sure you have the item "Require server verification...etc " ticked.

Final, more drastic method, is to open the internet options again, and go to the "Advanced " tab. Select "Restore Advanced settings"

This will do as it says, but also clear out all the site cookies, which could be the problem. Takes a few seconds so be patient. You will have to put all your access names and passwords back in for all sites you visit

I prefer to do this anyway (manually keying in usernames & passwords). Firefox used to automatically display the username, as long as an app such as CCleaner wasn't ran, or the option checked to clear these upon closing the browser.

I never liked this in a browser anyway, it only takes a few seconds to type in a username on a site. It's fine with me for the browser not to do this. Must be built in, as I haven't tampered with any settings to change this, just jacked IE's privacy settings to "Medium High", rather than "Medium", & have the Do Not Track option selected, though this was just changed since RP was released, the automatic username hasn't showed up for me much longer than that.

However, CCleaner is setup to allow cookies to be stored from frequently visited sites for quicker access.

Cat