IE and Second Thoughts?

[nosmohtac]

My computer was displaying the "new updates ready to install" since before the blaster worm became well known. I was worried about letting the updates install, but everyone I talked to said to install them. I just installed the updates last night. I didn't get the blaster worm, but when the install said it was complete, I didn't get the usual message saying that I would have to restart my computer. I also noticed that there was a new shortcut, on my desktop, for "second thought". I looked in (add/remove programs), but there was nothing in there. I deleted the folder in program files where the shortcut was tied to, but since then I have had a bunch of pop up windows coming up. I restarted my computer, and went to bed last night. When I woke up, there were 62 IE windows open with a bunch of pop ups.

Anybody else have a problem like this or know what I can do to fix it?
I do have the firewall enabled within XP.

A lot of the pop ups appear as searches for one thing or another, but I haven't generated any searches of the sort.

[Janak Parekh]

Anybody else have a problem like this or know what I can do to fix it?
Sounds like spyware running in the background to me. Get something like Ad-Aware (www.lavasoftusa.com) (the free version) and scan your PC.

I do have the firewall enabled within XP.
Then you're invulnerable to Blaster, even if you hadn't patched. However, I do also suggest you run a manual Windows Update and make sure you have all the critical updates installed. BTW, Windows Update wouldn't have installed something called "Second Thought".

--janak

[maximus]

Anybody else have a problem like this or know what I can do to fix it?
Sounds like spyware running in the background to me. Get something like Ad-Aware (www.lavasoftusa.com) (the free version) and scan your PC.
--janak

Just a little sidetracked regarding this spyware, is it legal ? how come no one is filing a lawsuit against these folks ?

[qmrq]

Like Janak said, install, update, and run Ad-Aware. http://www.lavasoft.de/

As for the IE problem... http://www.mozilla.org/products/phoenix/why/ 8)

[qmrq]

Just a little sidetracked regarding this spyware, is it legal ? how come no one is filing a lawsuit against these folks ?

Most programs tell you when they're installing the stuff actually. But you'd know that. You read the EULA EVERY TIME you install a piece of software, right? We all do.. ;)

[nosmohtac]

Thanks. What's the best way to use adaware? It came up with 53 items. Should I let it delete them all, or spend some time and go through them to make sure they aren't something I need? Or, should I just quarantine them, and see if this nonsense comes to a halt, then start going through the list and delete the ones I know I don't need?

Many of the 53 had the name Cydoor on them. I think the one that was causing the problem was called STC.

[Janak Parekh]

Thanks. What's the best way to use adaware? It came up with 53 items. Should I let it delete them all, or spend some time and go through them to make sure they aren't something I need? Or, should I just quarantine them, and see if this nonsense comes to a halt, then start going through the list and delete the ones I know I don't need?
I generally quarantine them, and if the machine runs fine, I delete them later. By the way -- make sure you run the updater in Ad-Aware before running the scan. New definition files come out all the time.

Many of the 53 had the name Cydoor on them. I think the one that was causing the problem was called STC.
Cydoor is pretty evil. It might indeed be putting up the ads too.

--janak