Mal-ware Virus - Thinkpoint

[Bubba136]

I received an email from a friend of mine telling me about a new virus that he was called on to remove from a computer that he was working on. He said that it was called Thinkpoint that masqueraded as a Microsoft advisory about viruses. He said that it takes over your computer and hard drive and that, so far, it was one of the worst he's seen. This is the first I've heard of this particular virus. I know that we have a lot of members that are ITs. Has anyone come across this one before?

[ShockQueen]

I heard about this Thinkpoint virus too. It's a particular nasty little bugger that you really have to be on your toes for. If you have a good anti-virus program, it *should* stop it, but then again, no program is ever 100% effective.

[Kittyinboots]

Being in IT, had this problem on one of our laptops. You can download Malwarebyte Anti-Malware download link:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-thinkpoint

[Heelster]

Not sure of the name of the latest and greatest bug since I'm kinda out of the IT business, but in the last few days, I've been hounded by a lot of folks I know about some new bug. Seems the local computer shop has also been flooded with terminals with something new. He mentioned to one of his customers that there are some really sneaky new tricks out there that are using human nature tricks to infect users. One was a popup on a USPS page claiming a way to get free postage. One was imbedded in a product review page. (I believe he said it was a 'Ninja Mixer' review) One was on a page claiming to be able to eliminate advertising cookie tracking from history. Either way, there is something out their that is causing a lot of grief, and I haven't had the time to research it recently. I pretty much put on a T-Shirt that says "NO I will not fix your computer" While we are on the subject. two of the users who got hit were what I refer to as paranoid users. I got tired of fixing their terminals, and they learned to be extra wary, and have been lucky over the last couple years, but even they got slammed with this new bug. The other users who got tired of having to ask me to fix their terminals followed some buying advise and bought Apple systems, and have been happy about the move. Something to watch for if your interested in netbooks. Google released their new Chrome OS on an Asus netbook today. Now I know that may not mean much to some folks but consider this. Android is basically Google OS for smart phones. Chrome OS is simply a browser based OS with limited functionality offline. The real important aspect in my eyes is that Google also released the Chrome OS to the open source world. That means for some of the non techy folks here that it's like handing over the complete playbook for your football team to the opposing team coach before the game. It's basically handing all the source code for the complete operating system to anyone who can read. or write programming. There will be no insider trickery, no hidden agenda, and the most important part - a potential for no virus capability in the very near future. Releasing your source code to the open source community is the ultimate peer review.

[Heelster]

Being in IT, had this problem on one of our laptops. You can download Malwarebyte Anti-Malware download link:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-thinkpoint

Oh - - Yeah - - I remember reading about this one, but from the sounds of what the folks around here are complaining about, I'm kinda thinking it's not thinkpoint. I suspect we have a new bug.

I know three users who got scammed with this one shortly after it came out.

I will say one thing about all these little nasties. The local computer shop doesn't sell enough hardware or software to pay the rent, but he always has at least 30 systems in the cue for 'bug cleaning'. He's making good money on that alone. Most of his customers are those who really shouldn't be doing anything beyond simple tasks such as getting email and buying on eBay - - If you know what I mean.

[Tech]

Oh - - Yeah - - I remember reading about this one, but from the sounds of what the folks around here are complaining about, I'm kinda thinking it's not thinkpoint. I suspect we have a new bug.

I know three users who got scammed with this one shortly after it came out.

I will say one thing about all these little nasties. The local computer shop doesn't sell enough hardware or software to pay the rent, but he always has at least 30 systems in the cue for 'bug cleaning'. He's making good money on that alone. Most of his customers are those who really shouldn't be doing anything beyond simple tasks such as getting email and buying on eBay - - If you know what I mean.

Same here, one of my companies is an I.T support business, and even I have a constant conveyor belt of laptops/desktops awaiting some sort of virus removal/fix..

The best security software I've come across, to-date, for windowz, is Microsoft Security Essentials... It wipes the floor and pisses all over the Nortons, McAfee's, Caspersythingywhateveritscalled, and any others, paid or free...

To date, EVERY single virus or infected machine I've fixed, has had everything from Norton, McAfee, AVG (There software is particularly bad) and lots of others, come back time and time again, yet NONE of the machines I've put Microsoft Security Essentials on has ever come back...

Often, simply removing the paid for product, and telling the customers to ask for a refund on their subscriptions, often covers the labour charges of fixing the PC completely.

I did it for my neighbour too, he renewed his Norton 360 licence, and 3 weeks later, bam, infected PC, so I cleaned it up, fixed it, and within the same 3 hours in his house, got him to ask for a refund from Norton, and they refunded him, in full, his £62+, after a lot of "please stay with us, we give you discount".

So for all of you who do have a paid for subscription to any of those so called "Security software" products such as Norton or McAfee, un-install them, replace it with Microsoft Security Essentials, and get a refund of at least the remainder of your subscription time.(Push for more if you can)

You wont be sorry, honestly!

I'd love to know how many of you actually do this and how much money you all get back.. I've saved people a ton-o-cash in the last 12 months alone...

Forget the "Malware bytes too", that piece-o-junk is soo hit/miss its a waste of time, it "might" find things, it "might not", even on systems I've tested where I've scanned with Microsoft Security Essentials, and deliberately left the infections on there, then scanned with other app's, including Malware Bytes, Aware, Norton, and other such app's, and they turned up nothing, then they found half, then a bit, but never detected EVERYTHING, the first time, or anytime...

Until MSE arrived, the ONLY security software I found that really worked, was AVAST pro, and it seems the only one that can do a pre-boot thorough scan, before anything in windows even loads up, thus can detect and remove properly...

No offense Kitty, just giving experience based input on my own tests, when Microsoft security essentials came out, I wanted to push it to the max and see if it really was any good, or just another security app to let people down, but it truly is, better than brilliant... Free, no subscription required, you dont have to give them any information what-so-ever, and never have an expiry or renewal to think about.

[Heelster]

Tech: I've heard a lot of good things about MSE. I can see a system soon that will have to be MS online so we will see how it does. Can't be any worse than some of the others out there although I've had the best luck with AVG in the past.

[Tech]

Tech:

I've heard a lot of good things about MSE. I can see a system soon that will have to be MS online so we will see how it does. Can't be any worse than some of the others out there although I've had the best luck with AVG in the past.

You might be very surprised what you suddenly find starts working again if you remove AVG for MSE. People never realize what "Doesn't work" until its removed, especially when they suddenly see all of their system tray icons re-appearing for the first time in ages too.

Every computer I have removed AVG from, has had its applications spring back to life properly.

[Heelster]

You might be very surprised what you suddenly find starts working again if you remove AVG for MSE. People never realize what "Doesn't work" until its removed, especially when they suddenly see all of their system tray icons re-appearing for the first time in ages too.

Every computer I have removed AVG from, has had its applications spring back to life properly.

That's interesting - - I've never had any tray icons disappear.

[at9]

If Microsoft can do such a good job with MSE why the **** didn't they just build it into Windows in the first place. Or would that be construed as anti-competitive by Norton etc who have made a very nice living out of the failings of Windows. I'm using Avast Free but always open to something better. I'm told by some IT friends that the best "paid for" protection software is Eset NOD32. As for Norton, I really hate having to remove that from friends' PCs. It seems to hang around like a nasty smell. The best bit of advice that I can give is to ensure your backups are up to date. Then when the worst happens, and it can happen to the best of us, you don't lose your valuable data. I'm pretty anal about my own backups. I picked up an infection a few years ago and had to decide whether to clean or revert. Since I had a pre-infection disk image I reverted and then restored everything up to date from incremental backups. Even if I hadn't had a disk image I could have done a clean instal and restored all my data from backups.

[Tech]

That's interesting - - I've never had any tray icons disappear.

Depends if you install it before, or after other applications. Every time I have removed it froma computer, I've had tray icons suddenly appear that where never there before, as if AVG is surpressing them in some way.

If Microsoft can do such a good job with MSE why the **** didn't they just build it into Windows in the first place. Or would that be construed as anti-competitive by Norton etc who have made a very nice living out of the failings of Windows.

I'd say they made a nice living out of the failings of the users, not the software. It is also, as you say though, purely down to the BS anti-competitiveness laws, if they built it into windows, then you bet your life Norton, McAfee and the such like would be raising hell over it, as their only customers left would be corporate/businesses...

I'm using Avast Free but always open to something better. I'm told by some IT friends that the best "paid for" protection software is Eset NOD32. As for Norton, I really hate having to remove that from friends' PCs. It seems to hang around like a nasty smell.

Naa, sorry, that one is "as bad", only without the easy to use interface. Same performance, only harder to figure out, and you have to pay for it.

The best bit of advice that I can give is to ensure your backups are up to date. Then when the worst happens, and it can happen to the best of us, you don't lose your valuable data. I'm pretty anal about my own backups. I picked up an infection a few years ago and had to decide whether to clean or revert. Since I had a pre-infection disk image I reverted and then restored everything up to date from incremental backups. Even if I hadn't had a disk image I could have done a clean instal and restored all my data from backups.

Totally, I tell people daily, making a backup is as important as going to the toilet, because if it doesn't get done, the s**t will really hit the fan eventually, but hey ho, the very fact that people dont and wont listen, and wont take 60 minutes of their life to learn how to do it, keeps me in business.

I'm fairly retentive with backups too, I even had to lash out for a custom spec, self built Windows Home server just for the 3 PC's I have here, and that thing is a dream, it manages my backups, and I forgot I even have a windows home server, I hid it behind my TV downstairs, and its so quiet, you cant even hear it with the TV switched off...

I've had to restore my own outlook pst files a few times where I have accidentally deleted too many old emails, or piles of outlook notes and emptied the trash... Works a charm! So much so, I've installed several now in various business around my area, and haven't had any more of those really annoying "I've deleted something, how do I get it back" phone calls"

Given that they are also accessible remotely, you can access your crap from anywhere too, and use it as a remote desktop solution to login to your own PC's while out and about...

3 Good things MS has done in my book... Security Essentials, Windows Home Server and Windows 7... Shame it took so bloody long, but hey ho, they did make shite loads of mistakes along the way...

[partyshoes]

3 Good things MS has done in my book... Security Essentials, Windows Home Server and Windows 7... Shame it took so bloody long, but hey ho, they did make shite loads of mistakes along the way...

Amen to that Tech!! As you say, they've had so much bloody practive, they had to get it right sometime!

AVG - total heap of sheep. It killed my machine too - got rid of it for Avast and got another 2 years out of my XP machine!

Must have a look at MSE - am about to start taking AVG off all the HW at my daughters school, they are complaining that their machines are dying and want parents help replace all the machines. You wouldnt believe what a local IT company is charging them to keep the stuff going and they couldnt even be bothered to install a printer drivers because the school had run out of hours - it has to wait until next month!?! HW is in such a state, its not funny. Offered to go in and do the maintenance for nothing and asked them to try Avast first before replacing machines (we're talking P4 & Core2 in some cases ) but may go with MSE based on what I'm reading. You say its free? Just what schools need to hear.

[Tech]

Amen to that Tech!! As you say, they've had so much bloody practive, they had to get it right sometime!

AVG - total heap of sheep. It killed my machine too - got rid of it for Avast and got another 2 years out of my XP machine!

Must have a look at MSE - am about to start taking AVG off all the HW at my daughters school, they are complaining that their machines are dying and want parents help replace all the machines. You wouldnt believe what a local IT company is charging them to keep the stuff going and they couldnt even be bothered to install a printer drivers because the school had run out of hours - it has to wait until next month!?! HW is in such a state, its not funny. Offered to go in and do the maintenance for nothing and asked them to try Avast first before replacing machines (we're talking P4 & Core2 in some cases ) but may go with MSE based on what I'm reading. You say its free? Just what schools need to hear.

Yep, its free for all non-commercial use as far as I can tell, and once installed, its best to change the default setting of "quick scan" to "Full" just for the very first scan, or leave it, and its realtime protection will scan the entire drive anyway, but it just wont do it immediately, in my case I need to get machines turned around quick, so I full scan and guarantee it goes out clean, but leaving its defaults might be fine for your school.

There are so few settings on it, its great, but the one you might want to enable, given its a school, is to scan removable drives... Wouldn't want any nasties going from PC to PC.

Also, while your cleaning up their PC's, did you know that in your windows folder, you can safely delete ALL of those windows updates folders that appear at the beginning of the windows folder, and all the related .txt log files too, that will free up over a GB, and speed up the virus scanning too.

[at9]

My guess about anti-competition problems if Microsoft bundle MSE with Windows was correct.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/jun/11/microsoft-morro-antivirus

Don't just take Tech's word about MSE:

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3209444

About the only downside I can see is if you're not running a genuine licensed copy of Windows. In that case you're a naughty person and MSE might tell you so. That's according to the Wikipedia entry on MSE.

[Tech]

My guess about anti-competition problems if Microsoft bundle MSE with Windows was correct.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/jun/11/microsoft-morro-antivirus

Don't just take Tech's word about MSE:

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3209444

About the only downside I can see is if you're not running a genuine licensed copy of Windows. In that case you're a naughty person and MSE might tell you so. That's according to the Wikipedia entry on MSE.

ha ha, I've caught quite a lot of customers running dodgy installs, none of whom have any reasonable or logical explaination as to why they have no valid licence for their system, then they complain as to why its so expensive in the first place, like thats a good excuse... Damn theives...

I think its an excellent move by microsoft, because releasing an award worthy peice of software that will ctach out unlicenced users and make their life a misery until they purchase a licence will more than pay for itself.

Imagine if they were loosing $100million a year through software piracy...

Whats more cost effective, to release a great peice of saoftware and charge $30 for it, hoping you can make up those losses, or, release it for free, at a cost of $1million, then have those $100million shrink to half due to all those who "were" unlicenced, that now buy a licence for $70/£70?

Its a win-win, because buying the licence via that method is actually cheaper than buying retail, you get licenced, and can update your softtware, you get great security software, and MS claw back a huge amount of the losses suffered...

Another laptop just left here 60 minutes ago that "used to have" the full on McAfee suite on it, it had the works, firewall, antivirus, everything, yet was full of malware... MSE cleaned it all up in 1 scan, a slower than average scan, but a rigorous, and perfect scan...

That customer was sent home happy to apply for a refund on their £60 McAfee subscription too Win-Win...

[sendra45]

I have no Idea what you guys are talking about. viruses?

[at9]

ha ha, I've caught quite a lot of customers running dodgy installs, none of whom have any reasonable or logical explaination as to why they have no valid licence for their system, then they complain as to why its so expensive in the first place, like thats a good excuse... Damn theives...

They could always run Linux instead and not have to worry about either expense or malware. Mind you, if enough people started doing that the malware creators would find it a worthwhile target. Or get an Apple Mac. I'm not trying to start OS flame wars -all my PCs run Windows though I tried Ubuntu once for the hell of it. I was quite impressed that it installed and "just worked". Easier than a Windows instal on that occasion but there are so many flavours and so many potential problems with drivers that I'm not sure I want to go seriously down the Linux route.

[spikesmike]

sendra45. I'm with you. I am computer stupid. For the last week on three, I've ben hearing--Computer this--computer that--ipod,virus, softwear, microsoft crapola. I thought these forums were about high heel boots amd shoes. Where have I gone wrong? Are we off track or are we making some kind of change over? Mike.

[Tech]

sendra45.

I'm with you. I am computer stupid.

For the last week on three, I've ben hearing--Computer this--computer that--ipod,virus, softwear, microsoft crapola. I thought these forums were about high heel boots amd shoes. Where have I gone wrong? Are we off track or are we making some kind of change over? Mike.

No, this "section" is called "General chit chat" so you can chat about anything you like. Just because its a footwear forum, doesnt mean we cant chat about other interests too, so long as those dont stray into the sexual natured topics, then all is good.

[partyshoes]

There are so few settings on it, its great, but the one you might want to enable, given its a school, is to scan removable drives... Wouldn't want any nasties going from PC to PC.

Also, while your cleaning up their PC's, did you know that in your windows folder, you can safely delete ALL of those windows updates folders that appear at the beginning of the windows folder, and all the related .txt log files too, that will free up over a GB, and speed up the virus scanning too.

Thanks for all the info Tech - v good point about the removable drives - will make sure that gets turned on

All very useful info re update folders - dont know why but it just never occured to me. Consider it done!

[wood&metal]

I installed Ubuntu Linux on an old machine, just to play with it, and I've got to say that I was pleasantly supprised... The ability to boot the OS from a CD without doing an install is nice, and a it's a much safer way to pay bills and do online banking....

[Elegant]

Hey, Tech - thanks for the lowdown on MSE. I had a total software overhaul, and I *mean* it: backup, repartitioning and formatting, setting up FreeDOS, Windows 98, Windows XP and Linux [coming soon ]. You know, some older games don't run in XP even in compatibility mode, and using a virtual machine or DOSBox makes them run sluggish on my P4 3GHz HT and 2GB RAM. Installing MSE was a good move, cause it detected a rootkit right away, during the initial quick scan. Couldn't remove that, though - but a Kaspersky's solution worked. The system is undergoing a full scan now. Anyway, I hope that MSE will work better and use less resources than Comodo Internet Security I used to run before. That thing peed me off, really - it came to asking me whether I want to allow a program to run, even if I told it to remember my decision. Plus, it was somewhat memory-consuming, but way less than NOD32 + Sygate Personal Firewall I used to have some years ago.