I have an internet-STD. Help me find the cure.
November 13, 2010 9:48 AM Subscribe
I have picked up a virus of some sort that is redirecting me to other websites in Chrome. How do I get rid of this thing?
I most likely picked this us from surfing through some sketchy *ahem* adult-themed websites. Now when I browse the (non-porn) internet, 25% of the time I'm getting redirected to the same few spammy websites: celebrity-gossip.net, egotvonline.com, and a place called epoclick.com which appears to just be banner ads.
What steps do I take to get rid of this thing? What is the best free spyware removal software these days? What does one do if the spyware removal program doesn't work?
I most likely picked this us from surfing through some sketchy *ahem* adult-themed websites. Now when I browse the (non-porn) internet, 25% of the time I'm getting redirected to the same few spammy websites: celebrity-gossip.net, egotvonline.com, and a place called epoclick.com which appears to just be banner ads.
What steps do I take to get rid of this thing? What is the best free spyware removal software these days? What does one do if the spyware removal program doesn't work?
What you have might be (probably is) a rootkit. I've found that sometimes Malewarebytes isn't effective in removing some of these. TDSSKiller has always been very, very effective for me. It's small and incredibly easy to run.
If that doesn't do the trick, it's possibly your actual router has been infected. Are you on a laptop and do you connect to the internet wirelessly? If so, do you experience this problem when you connect to other wireless networks (i.e., a friend's house, the library, Starbucks)? It's nasty how viruses can now actually infect your actual router, but a system restore of your router to manufacturer settings should do the trick if indeed your router is infected.
posted by Detuned Radio at 10:02 AM on November 13, 2010 [3 favorites]
If that doesn't do the trick, it's possibly your actual router has been infected. Are you on a laptop and do you connect to the internet wirelessly? If so, do you experience this problem when you connect to other wireless networks (i.e., a friend's house, the library, Starbucks)? It's nasty how viruses can now actually infect your actual router, but a system restore of your router to manufacturer settings should do the trick if indeed your router is infected.
posted by Detuned Radio at 10:02 AM on November 13, 2010 [3 favorites]
Google Pack is a free bundle of software put together by Google and includes Spyware Doctor.
posted by w0mbat at 12:15 PM on November 13, 2010
posted by w0mbat at 12:15 PM on November 13, 2010
we had something similar - we tried everything we could think of - all the suggestions in this thread plus more - in the end, format/reinstall.
posted by nadawi at 12:29 PM on November 13, 2010
posted by nadawi at 12:29 PM on November 13, 2010
2nding what Felex suggested. I had the same problem in Chrome last month. I tried Ad-Aware, Spybot, and Malwarebytes (restoring to a previous point first) Spybot missed it completely, Ad-Aware found it but couldn't get rid of it, and Malwarebytes took care of it! Good luck!
posted by Cainaan777 at 3:51 PM on November 13, 2010
posted by Cainaan777 at 3:51 PM on November 13, 2010
I love Malwarebytes. But if you think you may have a rootkit, here are some suggestions:
GMER
FSecure Blacklight
Rootrepeal
If you aren't familiar with rootkits, they are malwares that are hidden from the Windows API, effectively making them invisible and hard to eradicate.
Also, my soapbox: Avoid this to begin with by using Firefox and the NoScript extension.
Firefox
NoScript extension for Firefox
NoScript is easy to use. When you come to a new site, all scripts are prevented from running. You choose to allow which scripts to run and NoScript remembers them. Generally, running "top-level" scripts is necessary for the site to format correctly. NoScript will also warn you when it stops something questionable, such as cross site scripting.
posted by Xoebe at 4:07 PM on November 13, 2010
GMER
FSecure Blacklight
Rootrepeal
If you aren't familiar with rootkits, they are malwares that are hidden from the Windows API, effectively making them invisible and hard to eradicate.
Also, my soapbox: Avoid this to begin with by using Firefox and the NoScript extension.
Firefox
NoScript extension for Firefox
NoScript is easy to use. When you come to a new site, all scripts are prevented from running. You choose to allow which scripts to run and NoScript remembers them. Generally, running "top-level" scripts is necessary for the site to format correctly. NoScript will also warn you when it stops something questionable, such as cross site scripting.
posted by Xoebe at 4:07 PM on November 13, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Felex at 9:57 AM on November 13, 2010