Windows Vista just popped up a warning message

[Orrex]

It said "Online Scan" but gave no information.

:wtf:

[Lethe]

1. try Ubuntu - i think it means freedom in swahili

[struggle4progress]

2. It was a pop-up? It said "Online scan" but nothing more?

[Orrex]

5. One of those gray message boxes

It had an "OK" button and that's it.

[struggle4progress]

8. Some similar pop-ups install malware. Is your virus/trojan protection up to date?

[Orrex]

9. Just updated Norton this week. I'll run a scan now.

Norton says I'm secure on all fronts, though.

[struggle4progress]

10. A place where I sometimes volunteer had some kind of infection that

resulted in pop-ups something like that. They were apparently randomized, the message wasn't always the same, and from time to time they encouraged you to buy some particular bullshit "virus protection" that didn't actually do anything but was a scam to separate suckers from $30 and their credit card numbers. Little frickin pop-ups were persistent, too: they became more and more frequent over a week or so until they popped up every couple of minutes. 'Warning: this detected' 'Warning: that detected' 'Warning: The only reliable way to remove this or that is to install such-and-such.' The malware was a resourceful little POS, too, that changed its name after installing itself -- and it made registry changes all over the place

You might want to find out if the Norton product you're using does any online scanning

[Orrex]

11. I sometimes get messages from the Norton software

Telling me that this or that suspicious file was blocked. I'll check on it.

A full scan takes a little while, so I'll probably set it to run before I go to bed.


Thanks for the input!

[hobbit709]

16. Norton is worthless-half the infected computers I see have Norton

Get AVG-it's free. Also get Spybot Search and Destroy and MalwareBytes Antimalware-they're all free.
http://free.avg.com/

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

[Muttocracy]

3. sorry, we'll all have to put you on ignore now - you've got cooties. nt

[Orrex]

14. Pfft. You were all just looking for an excuse anyway

So I'm going to put all of you on Ignore.

[flvegan]

4. Get a Mac.

Can't believe I was first.

:hide:

[Orrex]

6. I would, but I just can't afford the 'smug self-satisfaction' upgrade

Maybe after the next bail-out.

Hey, I hear they're looking for a CEO. I'm available--should I apply?

[NYC_SKP]

7. Not only are they virus resistant, you can run Windows on 'em now.

Why anyone would want to is beyond me, but for those nostalgic types...

[hobbit709]

17. They're not virus resistant

It's just that no one bothers to write viruses to attack Macs because of the low shock value. Even Linux systems can be infected if someone wrote viruses specific to those OS's.
Any computer that connects to the outside world is vulnerable. I know people that are capable of writing viruses specific to Macs or Linux-they won't do it just like they won't write them for Windoze. Any good programmer can write a virus.

[ghostsofgiants]

12. Might want to try some Google research of the popups.

[Orrex]

13. Yeah, I searched for some info there before coming here

Unfortunately, "Online Scan" returns almost as many hits as "boobs." Even qualifying it to include "Windows Vista," you still get as many hits as you get for "booobs."

[CraftyGal]

15. Try Spybot Search and Destroy.

TrogL says it is the best virus/spyware/malware finder out there.

Spybot Search and Destroy

[RandomThoughts]

18. Happens here before also.

I think it is a scam, like a pop up redirect to a web site trying to sell anti virus.

Check the URL, the one that popped on mine was not a MS URL.