Computer viruses

I need help...
can modems become infected with viruses?
I`ve had nothing but problems recently, I clean out my copmuters, do scans almost twice a day every day now, but as soon as I get rid of one virus POOF! instantly another attacks my computers, killing my CPU, causing freezes, crashes, slowness, and everything. Even have techs remotely fixxing it, but I cannot get rid of these viruses.
Am I gonna have to totaly redo my entire computer including windows? if so I`m screwed. I can`t get a CD for my desktop. XP service pack 3 I don`t know where to buy one, and I cannot upgrade at this time. is there a computer wiz in the house? plz help me...
:(

You may want to consider, if you can afford it sending it into a computer shop.
It sounds as if you may have a backdoor trojan. These viruses act as a "door opener" allowing other viruses to come in. Or the kind that dig all the way down into the BIOS.. Either way those types of viruses SUCK.
What kind of virus/spyware/firewall protection do you have?

As for getting a hold of win XP disk, unless you're lucky enough to find someone with the disks. The only other place(s) that I've found it are online - Ebay, amazon and the like.

Hope you get your comp fixed soon *hugs*

my antivirus is Cyber Defender, and anti malware is malwarebytes
I might just end up going out, and buying a new tower since my Windows is pretty much obsolete. might be smarter then spending the same amount to get this one fixed.:P had AVG, and even tried Microsoft security, and Panda, but none are working.

Once you are infected, you have to run an anti-virus from a separate OS (usually a boot cd) to get rid of it. They can hide from anything running on the infected system.

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Originally Posted by Theramin

Once you are infected, you have to run an anti-virus from a separate OS (usually a boot cd) to get rid of it. They can hide from anything running on the infected system.

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Not necessarily. Even the nastiest of viruses can still be removed from the OS running it so long as you're actually able to run the OS. Just like how nothing's 100% secure from viruses, viruses are not 100% secure from being removed. If there's a way for a virus to embed its self onto your computer, there's a way to get rid of it. Not always an easy way (as in you'll likely have to do it manually), but a way none the less.

Now, if your OS is completely compromised and you're unable to start the computer, then you'll need another OS/computer. But that's just because your OS/computer isn't in an operable state, not because you can't fully remove a virus with the infected computer.

If that was the situation in my house... I'd get one A/V updated, then disconnect the internet completely and physically (turn off the modem or disconnect ethernet cables etc). Deal with the virus, and especially any backdoor trojan if you can identify it ... then use that pc to fix hd's from other machines (using hd caddy's or connect as a second slave drive). Safe mode can be better for running a/v scans to avoid any files that may be locked.

If you have evidence of an infection that your a/v isn't finding (i.e. strange filename exe's or strange behaviour), use another source of internet (i.e. mobile if your call plan has it or a friends pc) to identify it yourself and try a manual removal.

Hopefully you won't have to reinstall. Good luck!

Rakku

Spirit's advice is pretty much spot on here, IMO.

Ah thank you all for your advice! I got my desktop clean, however my laptops got one of those backdoor ones it seems. I even tried a virus scan in safe mode with my wifi turned off. it still found nothing. Do unfortunately since it`s stuck running 70 processes, what they are besides my normal Windows programs, and antivirus I am unsure. But I`m afraid I`ll need to reformat the harddrive. I have no clue how to safely do that XD Also it`s Vista. :P So I`m thinking about upgrading at least my laptop to Windows 7 since it`s newer, and all the drivers are 7 compatible :D
don`t realy want to replace it, since it IS still under warrenty. unless the warrenty would cover virus removal O.o

It's generally impossible to make a running process completely invisible. I'd download Process Explorer (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s...rnals/bb896653) which gives you more detailed information than the task manager and look through the processes one by one, looking them up online with another computer if you have to. Checking the properties on a process will give you the location the process is running from, plus all kinds of other stuff.

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Originally Posted by Akrion

It's generally impossible to make a running process completely invisible.

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Nope! That's a bad assumption. Once the underlying OS has been compromised, anything is possible. Hiding a process is as simple as modifying the OS libraries to exclude a process from the process list if its executable contains a certain sequence of characters.

Malware can also be written to hide itself into your bios, as well as firmware on expansion cards, like network cards and vga adapters (which will survive a reinstall). So far, this type of malware is experimental and not seen much, if at all, in the wild -- there are too many platforms to support. Each device (and firmware revision) needs its own custom payload to work -- and that's not easy to make in comparison to a "universal" windows executable that will run on any x86 windows system.

In short, yes, malware can exist on hardware, but the chances of encountering such malware in the wild are extremely slim.

Trying to clean an infected OS from an infected OS is a bit futile for really well embedded infections. You need to mount the drive in a non-infected machine and do the cleanup there (and hope that whatever malware you have is detected by your AV solution -- no malware can be detected if a signature hasn't been derived for it).

One of these may prove helpful:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812156102

Remove the hard drive from your infected device, plug into the adapter, supply power if needed, then plug the adapter into the usb port on a protected, clean machine. The drive shows up as an external storage device (like a USB flash drive) and can be scanned without the malware covering its tracks.

Those sata/ide -> usb adapters are also useful for copying important data off a disk, making disk images, and temporarily attaching cdrom drives to netbooks to reinstall their OS.

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Originally Posted by Steelclaw

Nope! That's a bad assumption. Once the underlying OS has been compromised, anything is possible. Hiding a process is as simple as modifying the OS libraries to exclude a process from the process list if its executable contains a certain sequence of characters.

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It's not an assumption. A process must be running and managed in some way. Regardless of whether it's visible by default to the OS, it can't be completely invisible. If a process is running, it's using your CPU in some way, it's using your RAM in some way, it's using your computer in some way. The only way a process can be completely invisible is if it's not running at all. If it's not running, it's not using your hardware in any way. If it is running, it must be using your hardware in some way, and it's going to be using your hardware in a way that's abnormal to standard operation if malicious. So as I said, it's generally impossible to make a process completely invisible.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Akrion

It's not an assumption. A process must be running and managed in some way. Regardless of whether it's visible by default to the OS, it can't be completely invisible. If a process is running, it's using your CPU in some way, it's using your RAM in some way, it's using your computer in some way. The only way a process can be completely invisible is if it's not running at all. If it's not running, it's not using your hardware in any way. If it is running, it must be using your hardware in some way, and it's going to be using your hardware in a way that's abnormal to standard operation if malicious. So as I said, it's generally impossible to make a process completely invisible.

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Generally yes... but it is a valid point that a virus can compromise the tools that would let you see it. I've not had that myself thankfully... :|

It might be worth getting the laptop hd's out and put them in a caddy, and then scan them on your now clean desktop. Can't you use the same method to clean the laptop or do they have different viruses?

Good luck and keep us posted Darkwing. :)

Rakku

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Originally Posted by Spirit

Generally yes... but it is a valid point that a virus can compromise the tools that would let you see it. I've not had that myself thankfully... :|

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I wasn't suggesting that a virus can't. x3 I was simply implying that with enough effort you can find any virus, just alike with enough effort a virus can infect any computer.

Upgrading to Windows 7. my tech mentioned something about some important Windows files being missing, and I was never given the CDRom for Vista, besides I`ve had a lot of problems with Vista since I bought this laptop. maybe because I bought it early on when Vista was first released. if this doesn`t do the trick I`ll try what you suggested about taking the HD out. There`s no viruses, cuz the tech used every virus scanner under the sun, and only a few malware, and cookies popped up, and those are now cleaned out, however it`s still running 69 processes. :P
hehe next step, upgrading my desktop to 7 XD
waiting till my new graphics card comes though since my current ones tiny, and dying D:

Newwegg rocks! :D

hehe thats all some :D i wish u luck in upgarding your pc's XD hehe newegg is allsome hehe got my g-card from there yr's ago XD

Well sucessfuly upgraded my desktop to Windows 7 :D
it`s running much better now :)
just awaiting my new graphics card. that should help loads with my video freezes XD

Just got my new graphics card, and installed it! can`t wait to try out Istaria with it! EEEEEEE! :D