[Dx-qsl] QRZ.com virus?

[N3XX]

Same thing happened here sometime between Christmas eve and Christmas 
morning, but mine was claimed to be XP Antivirus 2012.  My antivirus 
software did not detect this thing.  I don't think it came from qrz.com in 
my case though.  I believe it happened here as a result of answering yes to 
a fake Adove Acrobat update.  That's also how many others had this happen to 
them.  My computer was pretty much unuseable, but I found plenty of 
information by using another computer and googling "XP Antivirus 2012".

The problem was easily fixed here by just using System Restore to go back to 
a restore point from Dec. 24.  I have been to qrz.com and most of the sites 
I use often, and no sign of the problem here now.

If you start your computer in safe mode (F8 while booting, then select safe 
mode) then start System Restore and try a restore point from a date before 
the trouble showed up, you will probably be back to normal.

I think from now on I will request updates manually, and not answer yes to 
any automatic updates question.

73,
Tim - N3XX

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Don W5FKX" <w5fkx at cox.net>
To: <dx-qsl at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, December 26, 2011 3:16 PM
Subject: [Dx-qsl] QRZ.com virus?


> 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/
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