[Dx-qsl] QRZ.com virus?

[Don W5FKX]

Wonder if anyone else has had this experience? While doing some QSL work last week, I picked up a malicious bug claiming to be "Vista Antivirus 2012", that completely interrupted my pc function with exclamations that it was protecting me from multiple attacks as displayed by a "scan" showing all of these, and blocking access to the internet by other programs while offering to protect my pc for a sign-up fee! Researching with my laptop, I found that it is variously called "XP Antispyware 20YY", "Vista Antispyware ...", "Win7 Antispyware ...", depending upon your OS, and apparently the "YY" began in '09 and is now '12.  After some tedious cleanup, I got rid of it. Some more poking about brought me to the conclusion that it probably came from QRZ.com. After several days of "clean" operation, I returned to QRZ.com today to lookup another callsign, and  ... bingo!! ... back came the virus! 

My browsing exposure to malicious software is probably exacerbated by the fact that I run as Administrator, allowing a greater degree of exposure. Unfortunately, my anti-virus program, Zone Alarm, did absolutely nothing to protect me on either occasion. A complaint to them elicited the comment ".. we can't always keep up with permutations ...".  Guess I will have to quit using QRZ.com ... sigh!

73,
Don W5FKX
http://www.deltadx.net/