Member Avatar for Citrus_Crow

I had recently opened a link i thought someone had posted me while chatting on msn and suddenly ended up with a trojan horse stuck on my computer. While it was on my computer and before i could entirely remove it I had sent the same link to all my online friends without knowing it. After that, every time i opened firefox i would get loads of advertisements in a new tab.

Has anyone else encountered this self-spreading virus?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

Dani AI

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The behavior described by —automatic outbound IM activity plus persistent ad tabs in Firefox—matches a family of messenger-aware trojans that also drop browser‑hijack/adware components. ’s observation about socially engineered links fits the usual infection vector: the malware uses a trusted contact to spread, then installs modules that inject ads or change browser settings.

Immediate actions to limit damage: disconnect the PC from the network (unplug or disable Wi‑Fi). From a different, clean device change passwords for any accounts used on the infected machine and sign out all active sessions where possible. Warn contacts you may have sent them a malicious link and ask them not to click it until they scan their machines.

Cleaning checklist (practical, in order): boot Safe Mode or use a rescue/clean environment; run at least two different anti‑malware tools (a full AV scan plus an adware remover); inspect startup autoloaders with Autoruns or Process Explorer and delete unknown entries; check Scheduled Tasks for unexpected jobs. For Firefox, use about:support → Refresh Firefox, remove unknown extensions, reset the home/search settings and clear caches. To spot active network activity run:

netstat -ano

then match suspicious PIDs in Task Manager/Process Explorer to identify malware processes.

If the infection shows persistence (reappears after removal) or if sensitive accounts were used on the machine, back up only personal data (no executables), wipe, and reinstall the OS. After cleanup, enable two‑factor authentication where available, keep the OS and apps updated, and run periodic scans. As noted, prevention matters: combine updates, a reputable anti‑malware solution, and cautious handling of unsolicited links to avoid repeats.

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Member Avatar for ratchetclan4

yup but aint never clicked a link...i just see people sending them usally saying

is this picture of you?
http:// blah blah virus.com

or something similar
you click and BAM you fell for the same trick as them...anyway if you didnt downloading anything it might just be a cookie or temporary internet file

Member Avatar for jbennet

yeah

1) get better friends who dont go on msn when there infected
2) encourage such friends to get AV and keep patched and have the most recent version of live messenger
3) keep patched yourself

and most importanty,

4) dont click anything!

if a random guy came up to you in the street and asked if you wanted some chocolta you would say no, right? same thing on the net.

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