Luckily it hasn't infected my PC, but my antivirus software keeps stopping it from taking root.

It happened earlier this week, but I had some other windows open so I figured it was one of them. But then it happened twice again whilst browsing this site.

It appears that it is the Vundo or Virtumonde virus trying to do the dirty work. For those who may be in the same boat, it takes over your browser and randomly generates popups for various services from virus removal (lol) to online MMOs.

It exploits a security hole in older versions of java so if you haven't updated java in a while that should help. I wager that it's trying to piggyback in on one of the banner ads.

Anyone else having this happen?

If you are using IE it's most likely that the viruses are being re-triggered by browsing.

I have previously had experience with those viruses, they are a real pain to remove.

Oh, one more thing:
http://xkcd.com/272/

If anything like this happens, please, let me know. Throw me the URL to the ad in question doing it and I will let the ad company know to block it.

I ditched IE years ago. I use FF exclusively now. I've had to remove this one from friend's PCs as well. S&S did a good job of getting it out, just took a couple rounds in safe mode to clean EVERYTHING.

Arcturus said:
If anything like this happens, please, let me know. Throw me the URL to the ad in question doing it and I will let the ad company know to block it.

I'll try to remember what's going on whenever it pops up again (if it pops up again). I've since updated my java to the "safe" version so it might be a thing of the past.

This is happening to me now. The ads are trying to transmit a virus.

Kitsu~ said:
Oh, one more thing:
http://xkcd.com/272/

Linux wont be safe for long.

I have seen this kinds of ads, when using fire fox and IE.
But when using opera i dont see them at all. Download zone alarm pro get the fake key and enjoy safe browsing.

Fox2K9 said:
Linux wont be safe for long.

I have seen this kinds of ads, when using fire fox and IE.
But when using opera i dont see them at all. Download zone alarm pro get the fake key and enjoy safe browsing.

Lets all take tech advise from someone who can't spell Firefox correctly :)

Fox2K9 said:
Linux wont be safe for long.

It's reasonably difficult to hit a small moving target. Is there stuff that targets linux? Sure. However it doesn't make a lot of sense configuring malware to specifically target the 2-3% market share that is desktop linux. Too much work for too little reward, and an increased chance that your tactics will be largely ineffective due to user vigilance.

I have seen this kinds of ads, when using fire fox and IE.
But when using opera i dont see them at all. Download zone alarm pro get the fake key and enjoy safe browsing.

No browsing methods are 100% foolproof, nothing is totally safe, and more importantly, nothing will save you if you don't have safe browsing habits to begin with. Firefox is VERY easily configurable to disable ads, scripting and such, but I'm not going into all that, since it's how the site generates revenue. ;)

Kitsu~ said:
Lets all take tech advise from someone who can't spell Firefox correctly :)

Ok kitsu dont be a bitch. :)
**Text below is useless**
Also i dont know how you spell shit where you live, but here if there are two words you write them seperately. Or not. Well... Its up to you how you write...
So i was writing like that ever sence. But since i see here you cant write like this(You look like an idiot) i will write the way you people do...

cannibalkitteh said:
It's reasonably difficult to hit a small moving target. Is there stuff that targets linux? Sure. However it doesn't make a lot of sense configuring malware to specifically target the 2-3% market share that is desktop linux. Too much work for too little reward, and an increased chance that your tactics will be largely ineffective due to user vigilance.

Our good old Microsoft is slowly getting out of buisniss. Soon the Linux will take over as a primary operating system.
It will probably improve over the years but there will defenetly be Avast for linux xD

Also fuck you spell police!

buy a mac. <3 =P

FauxPaws said:
buy a mac. <3 =P

And be fucked ever sence.

Kitsu~ said:
If you are using IE it's most likely that the viruses are being re-triggered by browsing.

I have previously had experience with those viruses, they are a real pain to remove.

Oh, one more thing:
http://xkcd.com/272/

Personally I prefer this one. http://xkcd.com/350/

Fox2K9 said:
Ok kitsu dont be a bitch. :)
**Text below is useless**
Also i dont know how you spell shit where you live, but here if there are two words you write them seperately. Or not. Well... Its up to you how you write...
So i was writing like that ever sence. But since i see here you cant write like this(You look like an idiot) i will write the way you people do...

Our good old Microsoft is slowly getting out of buisniss. Soon the Linux will take over as a primary operating system.
It will probably improve over the years but there will defenetly be Avast for linux xD

It's called App Armor and Clam Anti-virus. Both are very real, and working perfectly fine now. There are even check root kit software. Getting the root account in most linux systems is very hard, especially because remote attacks are denied by strong and broad service port protection and filtering most administrators make. The only place Windows belongs is a virtual machine in my honest opinion for legacy software that does not run on wine, or new software that is poorly made.

FauxPaws said:
buy a mac. <3 =P

OS X is Unix. Being Posix complaint puts it in the same boat for interoperability ( command line wise, and to some extent X11 ) with linux. Linux is not posix complaint but understands Posix standards without modification.

Hehe, does Windows even have anything like AppArmor?

Kitsu~ said:
Hehe, does Windows even have anything like AppArmor?

AppArmor is dead already :(

Kitsu~ said:
Hehe, does Windows even have anything like AppArmor?

A couple of things behave like AppArmor in windows. I'd say some firewalls monitor ports and processes for known attacking methods ( aka smashing feng shui ) and things like that. Another open source method, which I have never actually gotten to work, is a program called WinPooch, uses clam av and acts as a go between the kernel and user space.

The truth be told that Windows was not made to protect processes from one another, and has leaks everywhere because of legacy cruft. It is so bad that Microsoft is abandoning starting to windows. Both Midori (operating system) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midori_%28operating_system%29 and ServiceOS are in fact not windows NT based. http://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/microsoft-shows-off-experimental

Windows NT was doomed the second they split off of the sane design of OS/2.

Jazz said:
AppArmor is dead already :(

Nothing open source is EVER dead... just sometime sleeps for a while.

Besides there is still the TOMOYO linux project. It's also mainlined in the kernel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOMOYO_Linux

And we still have SELinux.

Jazz said:
AppArmor is dead already :(

Wha? Dead as in installed by default in several popular distros? Realistically, the manner it operates in, it shouldn't need active development, just the occasional bugfix. Sure, the Novell team may not exist anymore, but that matters little in the long run.

Oh, and as a note, clamav is mostly for cleaning up windows fail. ;)

Oh, come on. AppArmor latest release was in 2008. Yes, there are few lifeforms spotted committing in svn.

Anyways, all that SELinux & ClamAV stuff only for public machines or paranoids.

One thing Windows xp is the ultimate operating system.
And no Linux, Mac os or shit like that can change that.

Thank you Bill, you rich fuck.

Windows 98 was better

Hope I won't get shot for going roughly off-topic

Jazz said:
Windows 98 was better

Hope I won't get shot for going roughly off-topic

I remember having driver problems with my S3 Virge graphics card xD Damn BSOD.

I like win 95 with USB support < 1997 edition.

Geeky thing: still there is a way to ruin Windows session running on it an 15 kb executable, invisible to any anti-virus software.

OS/2 was better. The 9x and NT system later based off of it are complete tripe, especially XP. I admit I have a certain fondness for 98 se, 2k, and 2k3, but they all end up having huge design flaws and are out of support or on their way there. Thier largest fundamental flaw is that they are closed source, and when Microsoft ends their life does not release their source for those who still need that version of software. In summary their shit stays broken forever.

Linux is grown up now. XP is on it's death bead. 98 is dead. Live with it.

VulpesFoxnik said:
OS/2 was better. The 9x and NT system later based off of it are complete tripe, especially XP. I admit I have a certain fondness for 98 se, 2k, and 2k3, but they all end up having huge design flaws and are out of support or on their way there. Thier largest fundamental flaw is that they are closed source, and when Microsoft ends their life does not release their source for those who still need that version of software. In summary their shit stays broken forever.

Linux is grown up now. XP is on it's death bead. 98 is dead. Live with it.

You are right but XP wont die so easly.

Just because XP hit in a PC boom, or something like that.

Fox2K9 said:
You are right but XP wont die so easly.

No, When Microsoft drops support for XP, It's going to shatter when it hits the ground. They have been half assign patches and intentionally sabotaging their own system to get people off XP and onto Vista and 7.

XP is going to die a horrible and painful death, and take down all the users who are still using it with it.

VulpesFoxnik said:
No, When Microsoft drops support for XP, It's going to shatter when it hits the ground. They have been half assign patches and intentionally sabotaging their own system to get people off XP and onto Vista and 7.

XP is going to die a horrible and painful death, and take down all the users who are still using it with it.

Linux user i see xD

Till there are programers windows will NEVER die. We wont let it go.

BUt that doesnt meen it wont be use less when linux takes over... :(

Fox2K9 said:
Linux user i see xD

Till there are programers windows will NEVER die. We wont let it go.

BUt that doesnt meen it wont be use less when linux takes over... :(

I do use linux, but it is just one solution to the problem. Projects like Freedos and ReactOS are vital for legacy software use.

And What the hell are you talking about. The open source community has more programmers than it knows what to do with.

If your talking about games, you must realize games are a legacy niche market. They are legacy because games take 3 to 5 years to come out. TES: Oblivion is an example of just this. It's still a fairly new game, however it no longer runs in Vista 64 bit SP 2 because vista is too different than the 9 year old operating system it was targeted for as an after the fact matter. The majority of XP machines are BUSINESS computers. In fact most bot-nets infect business networks faster than a home network, and many of these systems are too old, but good enough on thier own merit, to run Vista or Windows 7. And why would you intentionally put yourself back onto that treadmill anyway when you could run a virtual machine.

VulpesFoxnik said:
I do use linux, but it is just one solution to the problem. Projects like Freedos and ReactOS are vital for legacy software use.

And What the hell are you talking about. The open source community has more programmers than it knows what to do with.

If your talking about games, you must realize games are a legacy niche market. They are legacy because games take 3 to 5 years to come out. TES: Oblivion is an example of just this. It's still a fairly new game, however it no longer runs in Vista 64 bit SP 2 because vista is too different than the 9 year old operating system it was targeted for as an after the fact matter. The majority of XP machines are BUSINESS computers. In fact most bot-nets infect business networks faster than a home network, and many of these systems are too old, but good enough on thier own merit, to run Vista or Windows 7. And why would you intentionally put yourself back onto that treadmill anyway when you could run a virtual machine.

Time to end this before some one gets hurt...
I like windows, i am one of those Wintards as the call them.
All i care is having software that suports my hardware, and windows did that perfectly... You should read one article i found quite cool. I just need to find it...

Its about the 32 core intel cpu for which no one wants to make software... How sad...