Warning!! Virus Alert Ads

[Criminal Mastermind]

Very Important!!

If you get a pop-up window informing you that you have a virus or a problem with virus protection, DO NOT CLICK ANY PART OF THE BOX! Not even to close it!

It will immediately install a virus on your computer that is very difficult to remove.

What to do:

Start task manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) and select "end task."

Then report the time, and thread where it happened here or via pm.

Thanks!

[anchoress]

Is there more information we can read somewhere on the net? What's the name of the virus?

[Criminal Mastermind]

Sorry for not being more specific. The advertisements that run on all Proboards message boards, not just this one, have included a malicious ad that is disguised as an official looking Windows alert box. If you click on the box anywhere, even to close it, it will redirect you to a website where the virus will be automatically installed onto your computer.

You would see something like this screen shot captured by a near victim ...

i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii310/bev_069/virus.jpg

The virus will lock up your browser so that you can't click away until the install is complete, and then not allow you to do anything but go to the virus creator's website to purchase the tool to remove the virus, a tool which is a double scam because it does not work. The only way to get rid of the virus is to 1) remove it piece by cleverly hidden piece, which will take even a professional several hours to do, or 2) do a full system restore which wipes your hard drive.

Please understand that Proboards did NOT install this ad. They have a company that manages the advertising, Rubicon Project. Rubicon has had similar problems in the past, and so has Google, Facebook and Myspace. This is a very clever virus and has been renamed and launched all over the web for the past year at least.

Proboards staff have been working round the clock to find the source of the bad ad code and to block it. Until then, there will not be any ads running on any Proboard forum.

I hope this helps. And do keep your eyes open for it elsewhere. My advice to everyone is that if you get a pop up that looks like it might be official, but you don't know for sure, manually disconnect from the interent before doing anything. The virus cannot install if it's not connected to the internet. At that point, you can use Control/Alt/Delete to start windows task manager and close your browser. Then you can run your own virus scan to make sure you're safe.

Any more questions, comments, concerns, please post them.

[outerbankschick]

Thank you so much for posting this warning. Last year at this time, that virus infected my computer through a "hole" in ProBoards and I had to wipe out my hard disk and rebuild my computer.

This virus is nasty. Never click the "OK" or the "Cancel" because that allows the virus access to your computer and it will disable your Task Manager as well. I have used the "X" at the top corner to close it with no problems, but it looks like they do not recommend doing that, so better do what the instructions say!

Lately, it's been trying to get in through Yahoo Groups, too. My McAfee snagged it that time and disabled it.

[Techguy]

Thanks for the warning CM.

There should be a special place in hell reserved for the selfish irresponsible idiots who create these insidious worm and virus attacks that wreak havoc on computers.

[outerbankschick]

TG, you took the words right off my keyboard! I volunteer to be an overseer of the special torture chamber for them.

[BegToDiffer]

Yes, a special place in hell with Nicole Wallace. (he he--I'm not goine yet.)