Problem with a malware virus on my desktop

Jack Watts

Hi there !!

Need help to find malware virus on my desktop computer, it keeps opening my firefox browser and going to this site.

Bitdefender does not pick it up on my system, which is a Win 7 OS any help would be very much apprceiated

Thank You .

Gjoksi

Hello.

You might be a victim of adware, so do the steps below.

1) Start your PC in Safe Mode, by following these steps:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234

2) Open the Run command:

https://www.makeuseof.com/windows-open-run-command-dialog-box/

and run the below commands one by one:

temp - delete all the folders/files in the folder

%temp% - delete all the folders/files in the folder

prefetch - delete all the folders/files in the folder

3) Restart your PC in General Mode, by following these steps:

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-restart-a-computer-in-normal-mode

4) Reset/Refresh your browser:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/refresh-firefox-reset-add-ons-and-settings

5) Run a System Scan with your Bitdefender program.

6) Restart your PC.

7) Scan (and disinfect, if needed) your PC with Bitdefender Rescue Environment:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/29132/

8) Restart your PC.

9) If the steps provided above didn't help, do the following steps:

Take screenshot(s) of the issue,

create a log file on your Windows device using Bitdefender Support Tool, by following these steps:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/1733/

and

create a log file on your Windows device using BDsysLog, by following these steps:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/1922/

Next, contact Bitdefender Consumer Support by e-mail:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/help/

with short description of the issue.

After that, you will get an automated reply by the Bitdefender Customer Care Team, with your ticket number.

Now, in reply to that automated reply, you can send the screenshot(s) you already took and the log files you already created in the first step.

Since you are all done, just wait for the support engineers to investigate your issue and find a solution to fix the issue.

Remember that the screenshot(s) and the log files will help a lot to the support engineers for better and faster investigation on your issue and finding a solution.

Regards.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @Jack Watts,

Check this article as well:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/2574/

Regards

Jack Watts

Hi there,

Wondering what type of stuff is in these Temp files, and Perfetch files

Start your PC in Safe Mode safe mode and run the below commands one by one:

temp - delete all the folders/files in the folder

%temp% - delete all the folders/files in the folder

prefetch - delete all the folders/files in the folder

Alexandru_BD

Hello @Jack Watts.

Windows creates all sorts of temporary files on your hard drive. Although these files aren't harmful, they may be hogging up precious hard drive space. Prefetch files are created by the operating system each time an app is launched for the first time. These files are designed to make apps open faster and don't use too much disk space, but you can delete them without causing any problems.

Regards

Jack Watts

I,am using Ccleaner to clean my system, does that do the same as manually deleting the temp files and perfetch files, also would this Iktoday.ru & horux.cz infection hide in any of them files.

What's the best way of tracking down where the infection is hiding, when browser opens with Iktoday.ru is there way

to find the sources of this where it's coming from ?

Alexandru_BD

Hello @Jack Watts,

First of all, you should know that not all pop-ups or browser redirects happen because of a browser infection, sometimes less than reputable sites can display malicious ads that redirect your browser to unwanted sites to generate advertising revenue. If this happens, you can close the page and install an ad blocker like AdGuard to block the malicious ads.

However, if you continuously see pop-ups or your browser is being redirected to suspicious sites, then your computer might be infected with a malicious program, and you need to scan your device for browser hijackers and remove it.

A browser redirect virus is a type of malware that is designed to redirect your web browser to a different page or site than the one you intended to visit. It can do this in a number of ways, such as modifying your browser’s settings or inserting code into the pages you visit that causes them to redirect to a different site. These viruses can be annoying and disruptive, and they can also pose a security risk by redirecting you to malicious sites that may try to steal your personal information or install more malware on your computer.

Taken from this article that also provides a detailed guide to remove them:

https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-browser-redirect-virus/

Regards

Jack Watts

Hi There,

Are these Products RKill, and Malwarebytes Safe to use, and how do they work with Bitdefender on you system,

can they coexist on the same PC or do you have them, (RKill - Malwarebytes) disabled why Bitdefender is enabled

and is it Vice-a-Versa for Bitdefender ?

Thank You !

Alexandru_BD

Hi @Jack Watts,

Generally speaking, it's not a good idea to have multiple security products installed on the same device. As this independent tester points out, this can have a negative impact on system performance. Having multiple antivirus programs running at the same time will not make your computer more secure. It may degrade performance and even prevent proper malware detection.

https://www.av-comparatives.org/why-you-should-never-have-multiple-antivirus-programs-on-your-computer/

I think it applies vice-versa, since multiple solutions will compete for the same resources on that PC.

Regards

Scott

Hi @Jack Watts

I very much agree with Alexandru's above post, let alone as he's an employee of Bitdefender and has more background knowledge and understanding of how best to use Bitdefender.

And from my experience on this forum with members who have tried running two real-time AV types of products, has caused some conflicts and grief. An option would be to occasionally use an online scanner for a second opinion, or MBAM free version, and have it disabled from start up with Windows, and again use that for a second opinion scan once in a while. If you run a secondary scan, I would disable Bitdefender's Antivirus and Advanced Threat Defense during the scan, so they're both not scanning the accessed files during the scan.

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28557/

Scott

Jack Watts

So you can have Bitdefender and another program of a similar type existing on the same system, as long as one is in disable mode while the other is work to protect your system, is that right ?

Brings me to the next question, if Installing another program of a similar type on your system, is there any way it could damage, or change setting of Bitdefender in the process of setting it up ?, while Bitdefender has been disable and the other program is being installed, and are you recommending Malwarebytes as best fit for what i'am trying to achieve, and also what are the safe online legit scan sites you recommend ? Thank You !

Scott

Hi @Jack Watts

As far as myself, I'm not recommending it, but was just trying to answer your post as far as a possible option.

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/328471#Comment_328471

Personally, I just run Kaspersky's virus removal tool once in a while. It runs from the cloud, so there is no install. Another option is EEK, from Emsisoft, which again, is a non-install second opinion scanner. ESET online scanner is a one-time deal, but at least that's another option.

Regards

[Deleted User]

@Jack Watts

I have used Bitdefender Total Security (BDTS) and Malwarebytes Premium (MBP) for years together. While there is an overlap in the functionality, MBP is not a true anti-virus program, despite the advertising, and BDTS is not really focused on Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) and Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs), which is something at which MBP does excel.

You always have to install BDTS first. It will not install if it finds another security product, excluding Windows Defender. Then, you install MBP. You must configure exceptions in both programs to avoid potential conflicts.

Exclude the following folders in BDTS: (The complete folder):

C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes\Anti-Malware

C:\ProgramData\Malwarebytes\MBAMService

Exclude the following files in BDTS:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\mbae64.sys (mbae.sys for x86 systems)

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\mbam.sys

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\MBAMChameleon.sys

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\MBAMSwissArmy.sys

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\mwac.sys

C:\Windows\system32\Drivers\farflt.sys

Within MBP, add the following BDTS exclusions:

C:\Program Files\Bitdefender

C:\Program Files\Bitdefender Agent

C:\ProgramData\Bitdefender

C:\ProgramData\Bitdefender Agent

C:\ProgramData\Bitdefender Device Management

I have run this combination with excellent results for many years. Security does depend on "layers" and good computing practices by the user, who is usually the weakest link in the chain.

Regular system images, with corresponding boot media, are also necessary to be able to recover from computer hardware failures or potentially from a successful "zero day" malware attack.

This is my opinion only. Your mileage may vary. BD does not recommend using other security products. Certainly, MB Free will not conflict with BDTS because there is no real-time protection. MB Free scans must be initiated manually.

Stay safe in cyberspace. Have a great day.

Regards,

Phil