Thread: win32cryptor help

Macca,
You might want to look here to get rid of your Win32cryptor which is apparently a trojan - http://www.precisesecurity.com/blogs.../win32cryptor/.

Regarding your Google installer message - you might want to take a look here - http://www.google.com/support/forum/...ba746ec6&hl=en

Ian

Thanks Ian,
I tried both but could not run either.

Macca

Macca,
Do you mean that the links I gave you don't work or that the suggested fixes were unsuccessful?
If the links don't work just try "googling"
(1) Win32cryptor
(2) Google Installer needs to close

If the suggested fixes don't work I'm afraid I can't help you

Good luck

Ian

An update on my win32 problems.

I could not rectify this at home so I took my computer to a computer repair shop.

They had it for over a week and could not get rid of this infection.

The final answer was to reformat the hard drive and to reinstall all of my programs etc.

A big job and I have still not got everything back to where it was, but am getting there. Luckily they were able to save all of my data and to put it back on the desktop in a folder called "old data" and I can access this to drag the old data back if I want it.

Is it true that Macs don't get infections.

Thanks Macca

Originally Posted by macca2

Is it true that Macs don't get infections.

Macca,
Good to hear you have backups.
I wouldn't have expected the computer repair mob to do anything other than a reformat - it's not worth their time and effort to try to fix it any other way

To answer your question - Yes and No

The only reason that Macs "appear" to be imune from malware is that most of the grubs who write the stuff can't be bothered with the Macs because the installed base is too small to make it worth their while.

If Macs were immune why is there anti-virus software specifically for them?
Just recently there was an article about this very thing:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/First...d-109663.shtml

It's exactly the same mentality as grafitti vandals- they don't tag walls that can't be seen

Ian

For macca2

What Ian forgot to tell you is that this botnet is spread through pirated (trojan) software, and this is botnet number one for the Mac. Nobody has ever said Macs are completely immune to viruses and other malware, all that is required is stupidity and dishonesty.

I have been using Macs for over 20 odd years and never used anti virus software. I did get a virus about 17 years ago (before Mac OSX), it did bugger all and was deleted without anti virus software in about 5 seconds.

Hey Ian, can you give us a count of how many viruses and other pieces malware are out there for the Mac OSX? I don't think so. So far you have shown us one. Mossberg (below) will give you another two to add to your count.

For your amusement check this out...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB8l2tZj1FY"]YouTube - Apple "Get a Mac" ad: Biohazard Suit[/ame]

It's the latest Mac ad about Mac and Microsoft viruses released a couple of days ago.

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Also, I read this some time ago and kept a copy. I tried to find the article again to link from here but the article has been removed ...

"The real reason no viruses exist for Mac OS X has little to do with its low market share... but rather its near-impenetrability," many of David Zeiler's readers pointed out in a barrage of critical email missives responding to Zeiler's inclusion of a quote from an anti-virus software firm's consultant. The quote intimated that Mac OS X has no more inherent security than Windows.

Zeiler reports, "Though many amateurs may be looking for, and finding, holes in Windows, the FreeBSD Unix code that forms the foundation of OS X has been prodded by legions of expert programmers for 30 years. Though a few hardy souls use the Unix offshoot Linux on PCs built for Windows -- they usually wipe Windows off the hard drive -- Unix typically is used in mission-critical roles, powering high-end work stations and file servers."

"And, as mentioned earlier, crackers prefer hitting targets that will cause maximum disruption. 'Many orders of magnitude more people look over the source code for OS X and the related BSDs than have access to Windows source code,' said John Klos, a developer of NetBSD, a flavor of Unix closely related to OS X," Zeiler reports.

"Thus, many of the obvious holes in OS X were closed years ago. That, some suggested, actually makes OS X a more attractive target. 'If I were a fame-driven cracker with solid technical skills, cracking a BSD-based system would be the fastest way to show off my capabilities,' said Rich Morin, a programmer and consultant based in San Bruno, Calif. 'My suspicion, therefore, is that many crackers have tried this challenge and failed,' Morin added. Still, he cautioned 'nobody has any way to know for sure,'" Zeiler reports.

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Also, you may remember that several viruses were out there ages before Vista was even released, so much for security by obscurity attributed to Macs.

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And, I posted this back in Oct 2007 and nothing much has changed much since. Mossberg is one of the (if not THE) most respected IT commentator there is. The full article is here....

http://mailbox.allthingsd.com/200605...-virus-threat/

Here is an exert...

Reader's question: There's been a lot of press lately about increased virus activity on the Macintosh platform. Should Mac owners now be running the same kinds of security software that Windows owners use?

Mossberg's answer: There is no sudden security crisis on the Apple Macintosh platform. In fact, for average Mac users, there isn't a security threat of any significance, at least not yet. It is laughable to compare the real, massive and burdensome security problems on Windows with the largely theoretical security problem on the Mac... As of today, there have been exactly two documented, successful pieces of malicious software -- viruses, trojan horses, worms -- that affected users of the Mac OS X operating system, since it was released in 2001. And these two failed to spread much, affecting probably a few dozen people, and doing no harm. I expect there to be a small number of additional Mac viruses this year.

By contrast, there are over 100,000 reported viruses for Windows, some of which have affected millions of people and have done significant economic damage. As for spyware, I know of no documented cases on Mac OS X, while there are certainly thousands on Windows. These Windows viruses and spyware can't run on the Mac operating system, even on Macs powered by the same Intel processors used by Windows PCs... Security firms are saying that the discovery of these vulnerabilities in the Mac has increased sharply lately. They say that based on past patterns, this should yield a sharp increase in the number of Mac viruses in coming years. But even a 'sharp' increase could well mean under 50 viruses by 2008. So my advice to Mac users is that at the moment, I see no reason to buy and run security software, which is in itself costly and can degrade your computing experience... Just turn on Apple's built-in firewall and relax. There is one exception: If you are running Windows on one of the new Intel Macs, you are just like a Windows user, and you must run Windows security programs when using Windows.

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Its now 2009, and there are far fewer than 50 viruses for the Mac that Mossberg hinted might be out there, its more likely to be less than 5.

Oh for goodness sake !! - What is WRONG with you Mac people??

Something akin to "little man syndrome" I'll warrant.

I'd probably buy a Mac tomorrow if they weren't so bloody expensive and there was such a limited choice of software - but that's always been the case

I've had a PC since 1987 and the only virus I ever got was from a Western Digital harddrive driver - straight out of the factory!!.

But you're right Horse - stupidity and dishonesty and, you forgot, ignorance will get you into trouble every time, be it Mac or PC, however if you think I'm going to read through your rant or engage in a Mac vs PC "debate"you out of your tiny mind.

Ian

For today's latest in a massive line of pee sea malware problems read this (just out today)...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8010729.stm

I would like to thank Microsoft (tongue in cheek) for all the viruses, trojans, botnets, spam, and all the other pieces of malware that's out there in the world that effect pee seas world wide. Always remember when you guys have malware problems that Macs are not affected. I hope that answers your question Macca2.

I am always amazed that pee sea owners with all their problems keep buying and using microsoft based products. It's been going on for years and years now. Talk about thick as a brick. Maybe I should not be so surprised - half the world's population has an IQ below average.

And, Ian, as for the cost of Macs, I quote Macca2 regarding pee sea problems...

I could not rectify this at home so I took my computer to a computer repair shop.
They had it for over a week and could not get rid of this infection.

Good luck (genuine) with your microsoft generated problem Macca2.

Ian and Horse...........an interesting debate re PC V MAC.

My PC is running as good if not better then when it was new, so I will stick with it for now.

Given what I know now, is a reformat of the HD and a reload of windows etc something I could do and thus about $200.

Thanks macca

Macca,
I'm not getting drawn into a full blown debate on the subject - it's a hiding to nothing.

Stick with what you think you need and what your budget can stand.

Like I said, I'd probably buy a Mac if they weren't so damned expensive and there was a larger choice of programmes available.

If you want to wade through Horse's diatribe you may find something that persuades you - Dunno, I'm not going to take the time - I've heard it all before

I presume you meant "save" $200 and I am assuming that's what the PC repair mob charged you to fix it this time around.

$200 looks like 3-4 hours so it's probably reasonable, chasing a virus and then doing a rebuild. Of course you would have had to load all you own programmes again yourself I presume. If the shop did that as well you got a bargain!!.

Reloading windows is no big deal if you know how to go about it, but if you have to ask the question I'm guessing it's all a bit foreign to you so the short answer is - no - leave to someone who knows what they are doing.

What I would be doing right now though is getting hold of some disc imaging software like AcronisTrue Image Home and taking a snapshot of your harddrive and tuck it away on a dvd. That way, if things go bad again, it'll take about 20 minutes to restore your PC to the way it was when it came back from the repair shop.

....or buy a Mac .. your choice


Ian

Macs are easier to upgrade

If you want to DIY your own reformat...here's what you should do:

Copy all your personal photos, videos and documents somewhere safe (DVD or external hard drive).

Find all the discs that came with your PC, including your programs; also chase up any serial numbers needed to re-install the software.

Follow this well documented guide...

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...p_sg_clean.asp

Whole process takes about 20-40 minutes...a good excuse to read a book in front of the PC as you will need to enter options as the install progresses.

Once you are at the Windows desktop, you'll need to load all the specific drivers for your motherboard and any other hardware (webcam, video card, network card or whatever) attached to your PC. (that's why you looked those discs out earlier...or if you couldn't find them, downloaded fresh drivers from the manufacturer's website).

Install the motherboard drivers first. This is the boring part, as you'll probably be rebooting quite a few times with all the drivers. (drivers are basically the instruction books for your hardware - Windows needs them in order to know how to use the hardware...no driver, no working hardware!)

When you have finally loaded everything, you can then use the Newtwork Setup Wizard to find your router and re-establish your connection to the real world!

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...p/homenet.mspx

Then....(and you thought you were done, didn't you) to keep you safe - download Firefox, add the Ad Block Plus and NoScript plug-ins, customise your hosts file to additionally block annoying sites (see http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm ), download and install Avast! anti virus (free and good) and Ashampoo Firewall (free and good) and you should be right to go! (By 'go', I mean 'right to install all your other programs').

Then Windows should go on an orgy of downloading all the patches issued since your install disc was pressed! (You didn't really have a better use for your download quota, did you?)

All in all, it'll wipe out your Sunday afternoon!

Originally Posted by Master Splinter

If you want to DIY your own reformat...........All in all, it'll wipe out your Sunday afternoon!

Which is why disk imaging is a good idea, and since he (Macca) has a squeaky clean install there is no better time

Ian

Thanks for all the advice fellas

I have (I think) loaded all my programs etc back onto the computer. Although I still sometimes get a message saying I need to download Flashplayer or Adobe or something, but I am getting there.

I can't believe what a difference a reformat has made to my computer.

I will take your advice Ian, and get some imaging software, just incase. I have been told that it is not a case of if the hard drive fails but when.

Once again, thanks
Macca