Virus?
April 11, 2009 8:01 AM Subscribe
Is this a computer security issue?
I get this popup on my desktop within a minute of turning on my computer. It only recently started occurring.
I Googled the text and other folks have it too, I took this image from one of those sites but could find no info about if it is malicious or not.
If it is a known security issue what can you tell me about it, and if I am just dealing with a regular feature of this magic box how do I turn it off? I am on windows vista and use AVG free for security and am very computer non-literate.
I get this popup on my desktop within a minute of turning on my computer. It only recently started occurring.
I Googled the text and other folks have it too, I took this image from one of those sites but could find no info about if it is malicious or not.
If it is a known security issue what can you tell me about it, and if I am just dealing with a regular feature of this magic box how do I turn it off? I am on windows vista and use AVG free for security and am very computer non-literate.
Do you have google mail, sync, toolbar, or any other google software running on your computer?
Check your startup folder (All Programs -> Startup) for an entry for the program. Failing that, go to Start-> Run and type "msconfig" go to the startup tab and see if there's anythign in there.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 10:03 AM on April 11, 2009
Check your startup folder (All Programs -> Startup) for an entry for the program. Failing that, go to Start-> Run and type "msconfig" go to the startup tab and see if there's anythign in there.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 10:03 AM on April 11, 2009
That is a security concern of some kind. Note the language carefully:
"the server www.google.com at Please log onto your Google account requires a username and password"
What it is saying is "the server [servername] at [domainname] requires a username and password"
So someone created a server named "www.google.com" on a domain named "Please log onto your Google Account". Danger!
posted by gjc at 10:34 AM on April 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
"the server www.google.com at Please log onto your Google account requires a username and password"
What it is saying is "the server [servername] at [domainname] requires a username and password"
So someone created a server named "www.google.com" on a domain named "Please log onto your Google Account". Danger!
posted by gjc at 10:34 AM on April 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
if you have provided this dialog box with your google userid and password, I strongly suggest digging up a friends' trustworthy computer ASAP and changing your google password. If you have a friend with a mac, that's probably the safest course. This assumes you are using gmail or other google services that you would prefer not to share with pirates.
Once that's done, I'd recommend backing up your data, wiping your computer, and reinstalling everything from scratch. If you have a more technical friend, ask them to do this for you- and bribe them with something nice (a sixpack of good beer is my going rate for friend's spyware infections).
posted by jenkinsEar at 1:42 PM on April 11, 2009
Once that's done, I'd recommend backing up your data, wiping your computer, and reinstalling everything from scratch. If you have a more technical friend, ask them to do this for you- and bribe them with something nice (a sixpack of good beer is my going rate for friend's spyware infections).
posted by jenkinsEar at 1:42 PM on April 11, 2009
Seconding Ferrari328.
This looks like the prompt from Gmail Notifier.
posted by mathlete at 2:19 PM on April 11, 2009
This looks like the prompt from Gmail Notifier.
posted by mathlete at 2:19 PM on April 11, 2009
Google stuff comes bundled with lots of other things. Have you recently installed new software of any kind? If so, what?
posted by flabdablet at 5:46 PM on April 11, 2009
posted by flabdablet at 5:46 PM on April 11, 2009
Response by poster: Hi folks, well these answers are all over the spectrum but that's OK with me.
I looked in my programs box and there was a Gmail notifier program and I uninstalled that, rebooted and the popup did not come back. I am semi sure I never put any info into the little popup so if it is fishy I should be semi safe. I may do the due diligence of looking into a backup and wipe as soon as I can figure it all out.
Well,thanks for all the answers and any to come, I do feel a bit better now about it all
posted by Iron Rat at 7:21 PM on April 11, 2009
I looked in my programs box and there was a Gmail notifier program and I uninstalled that, rebooted and the popup did not come back. I am semi sure I never put any info into the little popup so if it is fishy I should be semi safe. I may do the due diligence of looking into a backup and wipe as soon as I can figure it all out.
Well,thanks for all the answers and any to come, I do feel a bit better now about it all
posted by Iron Rat at 7:21 PM on April 11, 2009
It is fishy. It's a windows authentication box, and why would windows try to authenticate itself against google I don't know. I reckon it's malware trying to grab your gmail account details. gjc is right. The text is suspiciously worded in such a way to trick you.
posted by mattoxic at 7:48 PM on April 11, 2009
posted by mattoxic at 7:48 PM on April 11, 2009
If it went away after you uninstalled Gmail Notifier, then it was probably that. The people saying it's fishy obviously don't use it. Yes, I read gjc's response. Yes, that's the prompt it uses.
posted by mathlete at 8:44 PM on April 11, 2009
posted by mathlete at 8:44 PM on April 11, 2009
Granted, much of what Windows does is mysterious and inscrutable, and granted, once bitten twice you can't get fooled again; but honestly, if your reflexive response to any unexpected behavior from a Windows box is "Wipe and reinstall! Wipe and reinstall!" then you need a cup of tea and a nice lie down, or to think about moving to a less alarming operating system, or both.
What the OP was experiencing is the normal behavior of the Gmail Notifier. Anybody who doesn't believe that is welcome to install the product for themselves and try it out. Uninstalling Gmail Notifier made the behavior stop. End of issue.
That's not to say that periodic Windows wipe and reinstall is a bad idea (personally I favor the wipe and don't reinstall, but I'm still in the minority there) but the occurrence of this popup, on its own, is absolutely not a reason to contemplate doing that.
posted by flabdablet at 5:56 PM on April 12, 2009
What the OP was experiencing is the normal behavior of the Gmail Notifier. Anybody who doesn't believe that is welcome to install the product for themselves and try it out. Uninstalling Gmail Notifier made the behavior stop. End of issue.
That's not to say that periodic Windows wipe and reinstall is a bad idea (personally I favor the wipe and don't reinstall, but I'm still in the minority there) but the occurrence of this popup, on its own, is absolutely not a reason to contemplate doing that.
posted by flabdablet at 5:56 PM on April 12, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Ferrari328 at 8:09 AM on April 11, 2009