Helt! About: Blank Virus is ruling my life!

[fredtam]

Pop N Wood, glad you got rid of your problem however both Adaware SE and Spybot S&D do not come bundled with any type of malware. To say "beware of the free stuff" is really misleading. There are far more pay programs advertising removal that just add junk to your PC. Adaware and Spybot are time tested reliable solutions.

 

As for Microsoft AS Beta it is probably the best single solution out although none are perfect by themselves. It was previously Giant AS before being sucked up by MoneySoft and had the highest detection rate among the malware detectors. What will happen now that MS has it is anybody's guess.

 

I saw a couple people suggest different AV software. This is always good advice but usually does nothing to prevent spyware/ adware/ malware. They are definately getting better but up until not too long ago it was a "that stuff isn't our problem" type of thing. It is good to have at least one anti-malware program with real time protection in addittion to your AV/ firewall software. Norton is the worst for letting in crap (malware ..not virii)

 

When it comes to AV software I suggest getting the most robust software your PC can handle. If you have an old system I suggest NOD32. Probably the best AV software out with all things considered and kind to low resource systems. If resources are not a problem then go with the highest detection rates. Norton, Mcafee, Kapersky. Some of the other AV solutions suggested in this thread are marginal at best with there only redeeming factor being that they are free.

 

Having said all that about AV solutions back on topic.... If you are running anything other than XP/ SP2 the best advice is simply not to use Internet Explorer or if you do completely disable ActiveX. Again it is best to use a more secure browser like Firefox or Opera. Oh and stop surfing pr0n.

 

Again an AV program would not have stopped (depending on the infection means) about;blank or its variants. So get yourself one of the malware detection programs in this post. If you get Hijacked the best solution is to run "hijack this" and post the log on a forum where people are familiar with reading them (see below). If you plan on diagnosing the problem yourself make sure you know what you are looking at. A tutorial/ BHO library/ startup list/ etc. can be found here:

http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/htlogtutorial.html

 

You can also email me the log (anybody) and I will review it for you. fredcordell@gmail.com.

 

Places to get your log reviewed:

http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?b=1

http://forums.anandtech.com

http://dslreports.com

 

If you happen to be a Comcast Cable customer there are two extremely knowledgable and helpful people on their help forums. JohnD and CajunTek (tell them I said hi, I'm no longer a CC customer).

 

Info on AV programs including detection rate, resources used, and scan times:

http://www.schadentech.com/Reviews/Antivirus/antivirus_roundup.htm

http://www.virusbtn.com/

 

More on malware/ spyware removal:

http://www.schadentech.com/Malware/removal.htm

 

Also Kazza is not the source of A;B. It is an easy way to get it though (not the program itself).

[awd92gsx]

You can also go to http://www.pandasoftware.com and get a free virus scan.

[Sparks280zt]

I broke down and bought the new McAfee, seems to work real nice.

[Pop N Wood]

Pop N Wood, glad you got rid of your problem however both Adaware SE and Spybot S&D do not come bundled with any type of malware. To say "beware of the free stuff" is really misleading.

 

My wife warned me about that comment. Don't tell her she was right.

 

We also loaded the free trial version of the Panda that awd92gsx recommended. Like Fredtam suggested it didn't help with the hijack problem (or whatever it is called). Trouble is the virus programs are so intrusive they are little better than viruses (IMO). The stinking MS AS program won't let different user accounts use different home pages.

 

FWIW all I ever surf is Hybridz, tool catalogs and the occasional google search. No Porn or MP3's. Honest. With that the MS antispyware stuff is still trapping things daily.

 

We are also going to upgrade our kid's computer from Window ME to XP home. Hate to tell you the type of crap that has spontaneously popped up on that one.

[Moridin]

Hey guys, some how I got the "about:blank" virus. I am pretty sure it is from downloading tons and tons of hot porno. Ok jk, I think I got it from KaZaa and downloading music and car videos. Anyways this is the one that makes your home page "about:blank" and will randomly take you to that page whenever it wants. I really dont have $40 to go by some anti-virus software so does anyone know how to get rid of this thing? Or where I can download some freeware antivirus? The worst part is.............this virus is limiting my time on HBZ!!!

 

AntiVIR. Do a search on google. Great program, continually updated, German made, and FREE.

[fredtam]

Yep. Antivir has a good detection rate for a free program but has (had) an annoying nag screen. It won't however stop most adware/spyware/hijacks. The best defense against these is adaware, spybot, MS antispyware beta and of course using something other than IE.

 

Also since it was the cause of the problem not using Kazza. It is flooded with garbage. I don't want to advocate piracy but you are much better off using bittorrent for your vids and music. Even better for music is allofmp3.com the current legal loophole in downloading music. It is a Russian site that charges $.02 per megabyte for music downloads and allows for many formats and quality settings.They also accept paypal.