Email bug, sending out emails. How to get rid of

Just got a post on another forum (non security) from a friend whose computer has been infected by a bug that's sending out emails to people in her address book, and who knows what else it's doing.

She downloaded Windows One Care which, not surprising to me, found nothing. I recommended Avira and AVG antispyware. Was I right?

These folks aren't terribly computer literate. Even I know a bit more than they do, which says how bad they are. I tried to keep the advice simple.

If neither Avira or AVG antispyware find it, what else is available for computer illiterates. Maybe I can even learn something from this.

 

Hello Chuck57

That sounds like one of those Messenger Infections and it definitely needs to get taken care of.

You can also try SuperAntispyware and run the scans from safemode also. If the infection remains, have her download and run HiJackThis, save the log and post it at my site. I will help her remove it.

 

I put your suggestion on the other board and we'll see what happens. Her computer, she says, has slowed down to the point that she can get online for only a few minutes at a time, then has to reboot.

Sounds like more than just an email bug to me.

 

Yes, i would have to say her system is now among the millions of Bots.

 

Hmmm as she has connection problems an online scanner won't really work for her this moment, but that could be a next step after the Hijackthis - action.

See also this Cleansing instruction thread
Here is a list of online scanners which can be trusted, but she'll need to be able to stay online a while!

 

I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to this sort of thing, but Wilders has been a godsend for me, and I like to think I'm at least learning something from reading all the posts each day.

If we don't hear from her soon, we'll call and see how things are going, and tell her to keep her kids on their own computer and to leave hers alone. I'm betting that's where this thing, whatever it is, came from.

She can stay online, she says, about five minutes before things get so slow she has to reboot. Not enough time for an online scan. Not enough time to even download the stuff I told her about even though she has broadband.

 

If she has problems downloading things, use the kids computer to download Dr. Web Cureit and 'HJT'. Burn it to a CD and then transfer it to her system. Dr Web Cureit is ready to go and needs no updating.

 

Duhhh, why didn't I think of that? Thanks, tobacco. Never even thought of Dr Web's Cureit or about using the other computer.