Re: registry cleaner
- From: "S S" <nonsense@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:48:39 GMT
Its on my father inlaws PC and it has just recently been installed with XP
and AOL I tried to put on a firewall (sygate) but when I do that AOL
broadband keeps disconnecting despite allowing access for AOL, so had to
uninstall it. Yes you are right this needs correcting, I am trying to find a
free download for a firewall that will work with AOL to install for him.
From memory I think it was `messenger service of windows` or very similar.impression of coming from messenger yet asking to contact a website.
From my own experience the message didnt look genuine as it gave the
"Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uZvr2d$OHHA.320@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
S S wrote:
Several times a day I get a pop up message asking to connect to
`www.registrycleaner.exe` as there is a registry error I havent done so
but is this a genuine message or a virus, if so how do I eliminate it?
The PC is working ok and I have xp pro and using AOL. I have run a scan
with spybot but nothing found.
Any advice appreciated
thanks
It sounds like a common scam, but your description is a little vague
about the precise circumstances under which the pop-ups appear.
It's most likely from a very unscrupulous "business." They're trying
to sell you patches that Microsoft provides free-of-charge, or a useless
"product" that will install adware/spyware, and using a very intrusive
means of advertising. It's also demonstrating that your PC is very
unsecure. The presence of that message on your desktop is proof that your
machine is still infested, as the message *is* malware.
What specific kind of pop-ups are you seeing? There are at least
three varieties of pop-ups, and the solutions vary accordingly.
1) Does the title bar of these pop-ups read "Messenger Service?"
This type of spam has become quite common over the past few years, and
unintentionally serves as a valid security "alert." It demonstrates that
the computer user hasn't been taking sufficient precautions while
connected to the Internet. The user's data probably hasn't been
compromised by these specific advertisements, but if he/she's open to this
exploit, he/she may well be open to other threats, such as the Blaster
Worm that swept across the Internet years ago and the Sasser Worm that
followed shortly thereafter, both of which can still be contacted.
Install and use a decent, properly configured firewall. (Merely disabling
the messenger service, as some people recommend, only hides the symptom,
and does little or nothing to truly secure the machine.) And ignoring or
just "putting up with" the security gap represented by these messages is
particularly foolish.
Messenger Service of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;168893
Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement
Appears
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904
Stopping Advertisements with Messenger Service Titles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp
Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Oh, and be especially wary of people who advise the user to do nothing
more than disable the messenger service. Disabling the messenger service,
by itself, is a "head in the sand" approach to computer security. The
real problem is not the messenger service pop-ups; they're actually
providing a useful, if annoying, service by acting as a security alert.
The true problem is the unsecured computer, and the user's been advised to
merely turn off the warnings. How is this helpful?
2) For regular Internet pop-ups, you might try the free 12Ghosts
Popup-killer from http://12ghosts.com/ghosts/popup.htm, Pop-Up Stopper
from http://www.panicware.com/, or the Google Toolbar from
http://toolbar.google.com/. Alternatively, you can upgrade your WinXP
to SP2, to install IE's pop-up blocker. Another alternative would be
to use another browser, such as Mozilla or Firefox, which has pop-up
blocking capabilities. (But I'd avoid Netscape; it carries too much
extraneous AOL garbage.)
3) To deal with pop-ups caused by any sort of "adware" and/or
"spyware,"such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Xupiter, Bonzai Buddy, or
KaZaA, and their remnants, that you've deliberately (but without
understanding the consequences) installed, two products that are
quite effective (at finding and removing this type of scumware) are
Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search & Destroy from
www.safer-networking.org/. Both have free versions. It's even
possible to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your system
against most future intrusions. I use both and generally perform
manual scans every week or so to clean out cookies, etc.
Additionally, manual removal instructions for the most common
varieties of scumware are available here:
PC Hell Spyware and Adware Removal Help
http://www.pchell.com/support/spyware.shtml
More information and assistance is available at these sites:
Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
The Parasite Fight
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
Neither adware nor spyware, collectively known as scumware,
magically install themselves on anyone's computer. They are almost
always deliberately installed by the computer's user, as part of some
allegedly "free" service or product.
While there are some unscrupulous malware distributors out there,
who do attempt to install and exploit malware without consent, the
majority of them simply rely upon the intellectual laziness and
gullibility of the average consumer, counting on them to quickly click
past the EULA in his/her haste to get the latest in "free" cutesy
cursors, screensavers, "utilities," and/or wallpapers.
If you were to read the EULAs that accompany, and to which the
computer user must agree before the download/installation of the
"screensaver" continues, most adware and spyware, you'll find that
they _do_ have the consumer's permission to do exactly what they're
doing. In the overwhelming majority of cases, computer users have no
one to blame but themselves.
There are several essential components to computer security: a
knowledgeable and pro-active user, a properly configured firewall,
reliable and up-to-date antivirus software, and the prompt repair (via
patches, hotfixes, or service packs) of any known vulnerabilities.
The weakest link in this "equation" is, of course, the computer
user. No software manufacturer can -- nor should they be expected
to -- protect the computer user from him/herself. All too many people
have bought into the various PC/software manufacturers marketing
claims of easy computing. They believe that their computer should be
no harder to use than a toaster oven; they have neither the
inclination or desire to learn how to safely use their computer. All
too few people keep their antivirus software current, install patches
in a timely manner, or stop to really think about that cutesy link
they're about to click.
Firewalls and anti-virus applications, which should always be used
and should always be running, are important components of "safe hex,"
but they cannot, and should not be expected to, protect the computer
user from him/herself. Ultimately, it is incumbent upon each and
every computer user to learn how to secure his/her own computer.
To learn more about practicing "safe hex," start with these links:
Protect Your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/default.asp
Home Computer Security
http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/
List of Antivirus Software Vendors
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;49500
Home PC Firewall Guide
http://www.firewallguide.com/
Scumware.com
http://www.scumware.com/
--
Bruce Chambers
Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand
Russell
.
- References:
- registry cleaner
- From: S S
- Re: registry cleaner
- From: Bruce Chambers
- registry cleaner
- Prev by Date: Re: Vista Newsgroups?
- Next by Date: Re: Do NOT use Vista!
- Previous by thread: Re: registry cleaner
- Next by thread: Re: registry cleaner
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
Loading
