This summer in Austin has been a scorcher. To add to the misery, new types of malware and adware have been infecting our citizens’ computers in new and devious ways. Philtron has been on the front lines of the struggle, finding new ways to combat these machine-crippling issues. There are many stories, but some are unforgettable.
When I started my career in PC support, the creators of malicious software were no longer satisfied with just causing chaos on the internet, they were getting serious about monetizing their efforts. The various types of fake anti-virus software would lock up a user’s PC until they removed the software, or purchased it (for around $30) and opened another can of worms, ie full-blown identity theft. Since then, these wayward software developers have ratcheted up their game and are going after people’s deepest fears, not to mention far deeper in their pocketbooks.
The ICE or FBI Cybercrime virus, in any of its variations, has been the poster child for computer problems this year. Here’s how it works: A user opens an infected attachment in an email or clicks on a fake ad for legitimate-looking software while using the internet, or their computer is simply breached using an exploit in out-of-date software, like Windows, Flash player, or java. The program installs itself, and sooner or later you go to boot your PC and you are greeted by an official-looking page that denies access to normal computer functions. Ctrl-Alt-Del is disabled, and booting to safe mode causes an immediate reboot. It explains that your computer has been locked, and that you are being accused of viewing or disseminating things on the internet that will not be mentioned on this page.
For these acts, which are felonies in the United States, the penalty is $300 (inflation?!), payable by MoneyPak voucher at various outlets, like Walgreens and Wal-Mart. MoneyPak is a somewhat dubious way of passing money around the internet so it can’t be traced. YEAH RIGHT! People who commit these crimes in real life get a knock on the door and a long prison sentence. I have seen this software running on PCs belonging to women and men in both the professional and home environments, and I can say with confidence that none of my clients have been a party to any illegal activity or images on the internet, but they are still being infected. The methods described on the internet for removal are sparse, and I have had to come up with my own secret method for extraction. Posting it here might give the perpetrators too much information. I will say that I have seen more than one client overreact to this, one even called the police and they were obligated to confiscate and scan her PC!
Today’s infection really made me chuckle. The PC was booting to Windows, but right when the desktop appeared, audio clips started playing, like one of Robin Williams saying, “Let’s win one for Mother Russia.” They kind of sounded like ads, but I think they were really just movie and TV clips, and they kept looping all herky-jerky. It was certainly no joke, turned out to be the Harbinger rootkit, which hamstringed the entire operation of the computer, ruining the user experience in various ways. I smote its ruin on the mountainside. In conclusion, there is no substitute to keeping your software up to date, and performing regular maintenance scans. If you do not know what to do, or do not have the time, call today and Philtron will be at your door or on your desktop remotely. Computer dragons are out there, people. Philtron will slay them.