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An Italian software company that helps governments hack into computers to spy on people... has been hacked. About 400GB worth of data was stolen by hackers The Italian company makes surveillance technology for governments and private industry, although names and companies have never been formally disclosed. The company which makes spyware and malware designed to infiltrate a number of platforms, both desktop and mobile, to assist in surveillance. Its products can turn over instant messages and text messages, phone calls, and other data, all while slipping past most antivirus products. the company has provided sales to countries with poor records on human rights and civil liberties, such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Oman, Lebanon, and Egypt. source: http://www.cnet.com/news/hacking-team-maker-of-government-spyware-gets-hacked/ http://www.zdnet.com/article/hacking-team-hit-by-breach-files-suggest-it-sold-spyware-to-oppressive-regimes/

:mellow: I wanted to see how the "New Horizons" mission was coming along and came across this download site from JPL. I'm a little spooked about files and Windows right now because of the recent Adobe scare and how they still need to patch their 0-day vulnerability (as of 8 July.) The recent outing that the FBI was a paying customer of Microsoft remote-monitoring spyware called "Galileo" is making me paranoid about using Windows in general, because they can still do whatever they want (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?) and still call it the "Freedom Act" since it recently passed right? Is it time to just install FreeBSD over Windows and call it a day?

This post (http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/455131-lenovo-caught-shipping-yet-another-spyware-app-on-computers/) shows that Lenovo have put spyware on their laptops, again. The article shows where the spyware is on the laptop. To remove this software , do I just have to delete the folders or will that do nothing?

Ok, so my friend has a hard drive that is now really slow, obviously because it's an hdd, but slower than usual. He has an insane amount of pop up ads and banners on chrome, and stuff will pop up even when browsers aren't open. I need something that will remove EVERYTHING that could be causing this. I told him to just wipe the drive, but he doesn't want to. and hes not that great with computers and stuff. ANy suggestions?

Symantec just announced the discovery of Regin, a new kind of spyware that uses Stealth technology to hide itself and what it's doing on infected machines. So far it has been found on ISP servers, but appears to be targeting companies, governments, research facilities, etc. Apparently it's been active for a few years already. Considering the complexity of the thing, this is designed at great expense by a government. The question of course is which one. Source : Reuters UK http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/11/23/uk-symantec-malware-regin-idUKKCN0J70S920141123 Source 2 : deredactie.be (only in dutch unfortunately, but this was my first source) http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/binnenland/1.2157506

Hey, recently some spam bot been talking to me he sent me a photo of girl when i clicked to maximize the image i got an error sayin failed to load image anyway im so scared that i got virus from that ik its a stupid question but is it possible ?

Read on: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/05/spyware-used-by-governments-poses-as-firefox-and-mozilla-is-angry/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+ If I were Mozilla, I would be pissed too.

I currently run MalwareBytes PRO + BitDefender 2013 on all my PCs currently, but my BitDefener license is expiring soon. I'm curious if I should cancel and get something else or if I should renew it. I'll be honest and say I am not the most careful person when browsing/downloading, I can spot obvious scams from a mile away, but what I am trying to say is that I am a lot more prone to viruses than someone who browses Facebook all day. I have an unlimited budget as long as it's not something extremely expensive, say over $200. I'm fine with paying $100 for MalwareBytes and Bitdefender together. I also have a pretty good system (3930k + 32GB RAM) that can handle pretty much anything I throw at it.

This is my personal preference on removal or spyware and what I found to work the best. If you have a difference of opinion please keep it civil and don't post (while having a heartattack) to tell me how wrong I am. These are steps that I've done daily, for many years, while working in computer repair shops. These are also great steps for those of us that are more computer savvy, because the junk files still accumulate up on our computers even if were extra cautious. Step #1 - I prefer a clean boot into Windows NORMAL mode. You only need to boot into Safe Mode if there are things you want to avoid from opening at startup. Disable your anti virus to make sure no conflicts happen. Step #2 - Program time. I run a few different programs depending on what I need. They are all small programs and live on my flash drive. #0 RKill - http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/rkill/ - Mainly optional. It runs real quick and kills processes. #1 AdwCleaner - http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/ - Run this, it's a pretty fast scan that will restart your computer. #2 Hitman Pro - http://www.surfright.nl/en/downloads - Choose the 32 or 64 bit option. I run this as the second scan, it finds most of the things were searching for. I always enter a fake email for the 30 day trial version. Normally in a shop, I won't need to use it again. #3 JRT - http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/junkware-removal-tool/ - It's a basic command prompt tool, it's found things others have not and it made it's way into my tool kit. #4 TDSSKiller - http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/tdsskiller/ - Normal and quick rootkit scanner. #5 Combofix - http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/combofix/ - This is my last scan. It normally finds the rest and all of it. It's the longest scan and will also sometimes restart your computer. After it's done, press Windows Key + R and type combofix /uninstall Not badly infected? Do just steps #1, 2 and run CCleaner Ad Block Plus! This is a great browser extension that stops a lot of the ads, etc that lead to malware. For Chrome > https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock-plus/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb?hl=en-US For Fireox > https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/ For Internet Explorer > http://www.google.com/chrome Just install chrome already... Step #3 - Malwarebytes & Kapersky Rescue Disc @ Stubborn infections This is a great step if you have a USB dock or able to hook up a drive as a secondary drive. Malwarebytes Anti Malware Thisis where Malwarebytes shines in my book. Program can be found here > http://www.malwarebytes.org Being one of the few programs able to scan a chosen drive makes Malwarebytes a go to program when a drive is way to infected to even get into Safe Mode on. By clicking "Perform Full Scan" it gives you the option to choose which drive. So if you have a drive hooked up as G: by usb, you can elect to scan only that drive. This scan does take a decent length of time, but it's worth the wait when you need access to the drive. Kapersky Rescue Disc This is another great program to have, and since it's a bootable enviroment, it's a great CD to have in your arsenal. ISO can be found here > http://support.kaspersky.com/us/viruses/rescuedisk This boots into a comfortable setting where you can scan the drive without having to boot into Windows. All you need to do is down the 500MB or so ISO and burn it to a CD. Simply press F12 or your designated Boot select key, and boot to the CD. Wait for it to boot into a friendly UI. Open up the program "Kaspersky Rescue Disc" on the Desktop and hit Scan Computer Step #4 - Clean up time. This is the fun part of removing junk programs, temp files and the such. CCleaner - https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner - Great basic file system cleaner. Removes the junk temp files. Revo Uninstaller - http://www.revouninstaller.com - Program uninstaller. Pretty self explanatory. PCDecrapifier - http://pcdecrapifier.com - Great and fast tool to remove trash programs. Honorable mentions: Autoruns (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx) is another great tool to check the system auto runs as the name mentions. Lets you see some goodies Please do read up on how to use it before going and clicking on stuff. Web of Trust (https://www.mywot.com) Recommended by brownninja97 - WOT is a browser extension based on a review system for bad websites that will give informed decisions about whether to trust a website D7 (http://www.foolishit.com/d7/) is an all in one Windows malware/tweak tool that I've used like 3 times but it's still cool. That's it. Nice and simple malware removal for the every day person. There really isn't much to the process, takes a whole 10 minutes, maybe more depending on the speed of the system and how much Combofix finds.

I am looking for a new mouse and I really like the look of then Razer Basilisk mercury edition. I just want to make sure that I can change the RGB colors without letting Razer know EVERYTHING I do on my PC, I know that synapse 2 was deemed "Spyware" by the community because in the user agreement it states that Razer can collect any info about the computer and any web pages i visit. So that is why I am hesitant. Any help is much appreciated.

So this has been known for years that this launcher was a virus. But what do you guys think?

Malware Removal Guide This guide is designed to assist you in removing malware from an infected system that successfully boots, if your computer is completely unable to boot due to malware, please scroll down to the bottom with external links to assist you. If you follow the steps below, this will solve most of the problems you will experience, however there will be times where this guide was unsuccessful, if that is the case please post on the forums or send me a PM here. If you suspect to have Cryptoware (Cryptolocker etc.) please post on the forums and tag me. This guide is designed for Windows, if you are a Mac user you can mac user, try Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac. In the bottom you can also read about how to prevent future infections. I recommend you read the last part even if you do not have any infections. Disclaimer The following instructions are recommendations only, you are in full responsibility of any steps you choose to perform on your computer, the following recommendations have been tested several times previously and have proven to solve the problem, there is always a risk of damaging your Operating System or experience data loss on your machine, it is solely your responsibility to save all work and backup all important data on your system before proceeding Malware Removal Guide Before proceeding, please make sure to remove all suspicious items in your browser’s extensions, also go into your browser’s settings and remove any default search providers and unusual homepages. Download and run the following tools in this order, run all tools unless otherwise instructed. All tools should be run in Normal Mode (not Safe Mode) unless you are unable to boot in Normal Mode or the scans fail in Normal Mode. All tools must be run under an administrative account, do not remove the logs generated by these tools in case you need additional assistance. 0) Run Net Adapter Repair Tool as administrator (Only run if you do not have an internet connection) Right click the program -> Run as Administrator When opening the program, select all the different Additional Tools and click on “Run All Selected”. Reboot if told to. Check if your internet connection has returned and is working, if it does not work re-open the program and run the Advanced Repair If your internet connection does not return, do not worry, download the programs on another PC and tra Repair Buttons and Additional Tools Advanced Networking Repairs (WinSock/TCP IP, Proxy Clearing, Windows Firewall Repair) Release and renew DHCP Address Clear Host file 1) Download & Run Kaspersky TDSSKiller First step is to run a system scan with TDDSKiller to remove bootkits and trojans. When opening the program, click on “Change Parameters” and enable “Detect TDLFS File System” then click on “OK” Click on the “Start Scan” button and wait for it to finish. When the scan has finished it will display a result screen stating whether or not the infection was found on your computer, to remove the infections click on “Continue” and TDSSKiller will attempt to clean the infection, a reboot is required afterwards. 2) Download & Run Rkill Kills running malicious processes Removes Windows Registry entries to prevent the user from using normal security applications Repairs file extensions hijacks Read more about the program here 3) Download & Run MalwareBytes Anti-Malware Before running a scan Turn on “Scan for Rootkits”, afterwards run a Threat Scan Successfully removes vast majority of infections Industry-leading built in rootkit/bootkit scanning engine Built-in repair tools to fix damage done by malware If Malwarebytes Anti-Malware failed to launch or cannot run a scan, follow the next step, if the scan was successful you can skip this step 3.1) Download & Run MalwareBytes Chameleon Download Chameleon from the link above, unzip the contents to a folder in an convenient location. then open the included CHM Help File (As of 04-07-2016 the name of the file is chameleon.chm) If the program will not open, simply run the other files until one of them remains open. When the program has opened, click on the buttons starting with (Chameleon #1), continue until MalwareBytes Anti-Malware successfully completes a scan. 4) Download & Run ADWCleaner When opening the program, click on the “Scan” option under Actions, when it has finished the scan click on the “Cleaning” option under Actions beside the “Scan” option. Reboot your computer upon completion. Removes majority of adware, Toolbars and Browser Hijacks Removes non-default browser settings Fixes proxy settings changed by malware 5) Download & Run Malwarebytes Junkware Removal Tool When opening it, follow the on-screen instructions (Press any key to start etc.) and allow it to finish, reboot your computer upon completion. Removes PUPs, adware and other miscellaneous tools Removes unneeded AppData directories left behind by infections 6) Download & Run Emisoft Emergency Kit Then launching the program, it will extract to your specified location and open the folder. Once the folder is open, launch the “Start Emergency Kit Scanner.exe”. You will be prompted to update the program, please do so if you have an internet connection. Afterwards run the “Malware Scan” option which is under “Scan”. Once the scan has completed, click on “Delete Selected” if it found any malware. A popup from Emisoft Software might come suggesting you to give them your email for tech news, you can close this down safely. Can be run from an USB key Good at removing Ransomware, PuPs and Adware If Emisoft Emergency Kit did not detect any malware, reboot your computer and you should be malware free, if you are still experiencing problems refer to the next program or the external links at the bottom. 7) Download & Run HitmanPro (Only run if previous tools fail to solve the problem) When opening the program, click next and read the information stated, this is important if you only want to run a one-time scan or if you want to install the program permanently, I recommend selecting the one-time scan. The scan will continue when clicking next, let it finish. Once you click next after the scan has completed, it will ask for a product key, just click on “Activate Free license” to use a one-time license if prompted to. How to prevent future infections Be careful what you download and install. Keep programs like Java & Flash up-to-date, do this by using official websites or use Ninite. Unchecky can help you prevent accidental installations of adware & spyware during product installations. Make sure your Windows is kept up-to-date as well. Windows updates patches exploits and vulnerabilities in your operating system. Most infections are there because the user has unknowingly given them administrative rights to install and run. The first line of defense starts with you. Free Anti-Virus Suggestions BitDefender ESET Free Online Scanner Avast AVG (Not recommended! Please read comment by @Cosmopath) Helpful Tools MalwareBytes Anti-Exploit (Blocks exploits) MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (This would be my top choice if you were to purchase an Anti-Virus program) Unchecky (Unchecks unwanted PuPs in installers automatically) uBlock Origin Browser Extension (Blocks advertisements) TronScript (Automates malware removal and system cleanup) (Only recommended to advanced users!) CCleaner Revo Uninstaller Troubleshooting and useful information/links Kaspersky TDSSKiller Rkill Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Chameleon & Junkware Removal Tool ADWCleaner Emisoft Emergency Kit HitmanPro How do I run my computer in safe mode? Simultaneously press on the Windows + R keys on your keyboard, then in the run window type “msconfig” and press “OK”. Switch to the “Boot” tab and in the “Boot options” select the “Safe Boot” option and click “OK” You will need to reboot your device in order for the setting to take effect, if you have work to do/save you can select “Exit without restart” if not, you can restart now and your device will boot into safe mode. Note: If you want network on the safe mode, select “Network” under “Safe Boot” Can’t access Windows? Try using the Avira AntiVir Rescue System to install AV programs or fix possible issues restricting you from booting into windows. Please refer to this guide when using the program, it is not straight forward. How do I use Avira Rescue System? I will attempt to have this post updated if something should change or if something needs to be added. I hope this guide was of assistance to you, english is not my native language so if you do find any grammatical errors please do help me out! You can comment on this post or PM me if this did not resolve your issues, however I'd a post on the forums, since other people could find it to be helpful. If you should have any suggestions/corrections please do send me a PM and I will edit this post and credit you! Last updated: May 19th 2017