Virus warning ! - read this immediately -

1. Avast (top scores in free anti-virus tests)
2. Microsoft Security Essentials (basic functions but good scores in tests, does the job, hardly consumes memory)
3. If you must pay for your anti-virus, pay to ESET for Smart Security or at least NOD32.
4. Anything else, but McAfee.

 

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Thanks! But you mentioned problems with uninstalling? I found their removal tool but do I really want Norton to remove their own product?

http://majorgeeks.com/Norton_Removal_Tool_SymNRT_d4749.html

 

When my subscription ran out, I clicked the remove..........and that is when my problems began for a day or so. They claim they don't remove certain registry entries as you may have other Norton programs that need updating. But it killed my Vista networking and uncoupled other programs. It was only when I went to the registry and searched and removed every reference to norton. Reboot and all works again . I got the info from a security forum. Malwarebytes is my daily use, Kapersky for every 3 or so days as it has a huge library and takes hrs. for a complete scan.

Jim
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Are you saying that you used your OS to remove Norton or did you use Nortons separate uninstall program similar to what is in the link I posted?

I run weekly full scans 2 1/2 hours on close to a million files weekly, quick scans daily at 5AM its amazing to me how much Malwarebytes find that Norton doesn't. I have noticed that before and now it's clearly apparent that that is one more indication IMO that shows how poor Norton is.

 

I had the version, 8 or 9 , I forget, and it gave a screen: subscribe, remove, cancel, that popped up too often to be annoying, so I quit hitting cancel that time and hit remove. I think it was because I had Norton on my right-click button to check specific files. Who knows.

 

Boy I tell ya, this is one time I'm glad I'm so stupid. Sittin in my sandbox, I'm glad I can see all 4 walls.

 

Norton (Symantic) 360 is by far my best seller.
Steve

 

I've got it loaded on two laptops and have always been satisfied with it Steve. It's saved my bacon more than a few times.

 

That has got to tax the hey out of your processors. So with settings like you had on, Norton will go to every image file on a Photobucket server and scan every other part of the website regardless of the page you are on?

Or they had already scanned it and a script runs on your computer, because an update you got, loaded the photobucket website into your settings as a website containing virus(es)? Hence the warning?

And I thought my settings were set high. LOL

How does it get past albums that are private?

Frankly, that seems almost impossible? I see what they are trying to do but it doesn't really make sense. I mean it takes 3 hours for my anti-virus to scan my computer of 800,000 files. I am sure there are far more than that on any photobucket server.

What you are saying, must have a part of the process you are describing missing, or I don't quite understand what Norton could possibly see in an image file name without scanning the entire file.


Then again Google can produce millions of results in a fraction of a second. so okay.. I am still incredulous and a bit confused. Shouldn't Norton write up some exclusions for certain popular websites like Photobucket, flikr, tinypic etc etc? OR at a minimum your pop-up warning should have been more specific to what the problem is/was.

Still seems like Norton's Amateur hour hasn't ended.

 

As I understand it, Symantec (the company) keeps a centralized database of sites on which viruses have been detected, and your local Safe Web installation checks against that database periodically. No, your local Norton installation is not going out and scanning entire websites.

 

This shows that the threat was inside the web page where the image was located, not inside image itself. "IFRAME", "Redirect" and "JS" in virus names from different vendors all mean the same thing: a malicious code was inserted into the web page through an iframe method or using JavaScript, and the user was redirected from original page (Photobucket) into specially crafted page with exploits (anywhere on the web), all happening too quickly to notice actual redirection and infection.

This can happen through hacked Photobucket server, or through hacked Ads banner, when the code was inserted into advertisement and shown to users on known resource, like Photobucket. Its called "malvertizement" http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/malvertizement.html

Regarding Norton removal, it would be best to use their utility, as they know best how to install it and how to remove it, make sure you backup all you need before you proceed and remember there is Safe Mode for cases when you`re locked out of your system.

 

THANK YOU! too many indicators re: Norton that I am not liking. Where there is smoke, there is .........

I can't believe I am going to say that I like the idea of MS Essentials, well because it is MS - but times have changed and big brother is looking a lot more like Google these days.

 

Yeah. I kinda deduced that in my post as I was thinking/typing it. That makes sense. It would be nice to see that pop-up in a screen shot - since Photobucket keeps asking for it. They also want the source code of the first page that produces the warning.

 

Thats Not good!

 

I still don't understand, if that is what popped up when you clicked on my images, why did you say that my account had been hacked? I thought that was a random report of the bloodhound virus. That report had nothing to do with my photobucket account however I can understand how you thought it was, if you had clicked on my picture and that is what popped up.....

Hardly any point in forwarding that to Photobucket since it doesn't relate to me in anyway. Especially since all they send me is form letters in reply.

On second thought since there is a report number related to my Photobucket Pro Account, I might as well make that part of my report and the record.

 

I had an interesting incident just after this thread began. After I paid an very high tax bill, I made various transfers in my brokerage accounts. Yesterday my accounts were frozen after close of market, and passwords didn't work on a couple of accounts, and I called support and the woman said A Mauser keylogger virus was detected. So I checked the security forums and could find no such virus. Thinking it was new, I updated all of my scanners and for 6 hrs, I got negatives after negatives on all computers on my network. So I called back and they referred me to their security guy. By the way , all were very nice. He asked what scanner did I use, and I gave the whole list, and he said usually the customer doesn't use one. Surprise in a way when money is involved. Anyway he uses one that I had also used. I then asked about the Mauser keylogger, and he said, oh, she mispronounced it, it is Malware Keylogger. So I asked him, when did they detect it and which file, and could he run it again. Well to make a longer story short, He said he couldn't as they can't access user's computers ( that was good to hear) but I asked how they detected a logger then? He said in the signature of the virus. But I said , loggers just report the data to an outside source and they use normal internet access since they have the login and password. He admitted that was correct, and then said it was probably just abnormal activity between accounts and between accounts and banks that set off the alarm.

If they had asked in the first place, I wouldn't have wasted so much angst and time, but at least now I know my systems are clean, and they do try to limit malware and exploits.

Jim

 

I re-iterate my better safe than sorry. I once used my credit card instead of a debit card at a ATM. I realized my mistake, used debit card and came home. The credit card company called as I walked in the door - not more that 15 minutes after this. I told them I give them A+ for being on the ball.