Over the past several months we’ve seen a particularly insidious piece of software infecting systems by the name of “Personal Antivirus.”  It seems to have grown in its proliferation in the past few weeks, as our techs are reporting a large number of infections.  The purpose of our e-mail is not to scare, but to encourage our valued clients to be vigilant concerning this malicious program.

 

Here’s what we’ve discovered about this program:  When a user visits a webpage infected with it, it downloads the Personal Antivirus executable and begins warning the user that they are infected with a Trojan virus.  They will most often see an icon in the system tray that warns them that they are infected.  Opening the icon reveals a fake antispyware program named Personal Antivirus, which promises the user that it can remove the infection that it is falsely reporting to have found.  It also requires the user to buy the program to be able to remove it.  Unfortunately, upon installing the program, the user will find themselves not only $59.99 poorer, but infected worse than before.  In addition, this Trojan puts the user’s private information at risk.    We have also found that not purchasing the program but clicking on its interface can also further infect a system.

 

What can I do to avoid infection?

 

1.        Maintain current antivirus definitions with your antivirus program.  However, we have found that not every antivirus program is catching PAV, because it is mutating at a very fast rate, and its debilitating effects are widely varied from system to system.

2.       Be extremely careful when doing web searches.  Examine the link that you are clicking on.  If it looks like it is linking to a dodgy website, it’s best to be safe and try a different search result.

3.       We have found that this virus is proliferating wildly via Facebook, and infected web sites.  Take great care before clicking on apps, banner ads, or private messages that don’t appear to be legitimate.

 

I have PAV on my system.  What can I do to remove it?

 

1.        We have seen some success with terminating the PAV.exe process through task manager and deleting it from C:\Program Files\Personal Antivirus\PAV.exe.  it does leave behind some other references, but in its initial state, you might be able to minimize its damage by deleting that file.

2.       We have found that MalwareBytes or Combofix are able to find and remove some strains of this virus.  However, it’s always advisable to allow a computer professional to help you before using these tools.  We can help minimize the damage that it causes.

3.       If you have purchased the program with your credit card, it is recommended that you call your credit card company immediately and have them cancel the charge while re-issuing you a new card.

 

We are quite confident that the antivirus companies will soon catch up to PAV and prevent its installation or download altogether.  But as we have seen with so many viruses through the years, sometimes it takes a bit of time for the antivirus definitions to be able to catch and remove these malicious programs.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. 

A serious vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer has been patched today. This vulnerability allowed for saved internet passwords to be stolen using malicious code.

 

Microsoft considers this risk critical enough to release a patch outside of their regular patch schedule.

 

This vulnerability was announced on December 9, and has been seen in the wild on some compromised gaming websites. The patch was just released.

 

There is always some risk associated with saving your passwords on  your computer, and if you choose to save your passwords on your computer, you should do so with caution.

 

Loading all available critical updates will resolve this vulnerability.

 

You know the routine. Go to:

http://update.microsoft.com and load all of the latest Microsoft critical updates.

 

If you have trouble with this, you are welcome to give us a call.

 

Thanks,

Vi

 

Vi Wickam

President

On-Site Computer Solutions / Principal Web Solutions http://www.424help.com / http://www.PrincipalWebSolutions.com

(812) 424-HELP (4357)

600 N. Weinbach Ave

Suite 940

Evansville, IN 47711

 

 

—–Original Message—–

 

 

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Out-of-Band Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for December 2008

Issued: December 17, 2008

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This bulletin summary lists an out-of-band security bulletin released on December 17, 2008.

 

The full version of the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for December 2008 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-dec.mspx.

 

With the release of the out-of-band bulletin on December 17, 2008, this bulletin summary replaces the bulletin advance notification originally issued on December 16, 2008.

 

The revised bulletin summary Web page includes the out-of-band security bulletin as well as the security bulletins already released on December 9, 2008.

 

For more information about the bulletin advance notification service, see http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/advance.mspx.

 

To receive automatic notifications whenever Microsoft Security Bulletins are issued, subscribe to Microsoft Technical Security Notifications on http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx.

 

Microsoft will host two webcasts to address customer questions on this out-of-band security bulletin: on December 17, 2008, at 1:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada) and December 18, 2008, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time. Register for these out-of-band Security Bulletin Webcasts at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/summary.mspx.

 

Microsoft provides the Exploitability Index to help customers prioritize monthly security updates in relation to the likelihood of functioning exploit code. Please see the full version of this security bulletin summary on the Web.

 

Microsoft also provides information to help customers prioritize monthly security updates with any non-security, high-priority updates that are being released on the same day as the monthly security updates. Please see the section, Other Information.

 

 

Critical Security Bulletins

============================

 

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-078

 

  - Affected Software:

    - Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 4 when installed on

      Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4

    - Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 when installed on

      Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4

    - Internet Explorer 6 for

      Windows XP Service Pack 2 and

      Windows XP Service Pack 3

    - Internet Explorer 6 for

      Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and

      Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2

    - Internet Explorer 6 for

      Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and

      Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

    - Internet Explorer 6 for

      Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and

      Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2

    - Internet Explorer 6 for

      Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and

      Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems

    - Internet Explorer 7 for

      Windows XP Service Pack 2 and

      Windows XP Service Pack 3

    - Internet Explorer 7 for

      Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and

      Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2

    - Internet Explorer 7 for

      Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and

      Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

    - Internet Explorer 7 for

      Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and

      Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2

    - Internet Explorer 7 for

      Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and

      Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems

    - Internet Explorer 7 in

      Windows Vista and

      Windows Vista Service Pack 1

    - Internet Explorer 7 in

      Windows Vista x64 Edition and

      Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1

    - Internet Explorer 7 in

      Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems

    - Internet Explorer 7 in

      Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems

    - Internet Explorer 7 in

      Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems

 

    - Note for Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2

      The vulnerability addressed by MS08-078 was reported after the

      release of Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2. Customers

      running Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 are encouraged to

      download and apply the update to their systems. Please refer

      to the bulletin for more information.

 

    - Impact: Remote Code Execution

    - Version Number: 1.0

 

 

Other Information

=================

 

Non-Security, High-Priority Updates on MU, WU, and WSUS:

========================================================

Please see:

* http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894199: Microsoft Knowledge Base

  Article 894199, Description of Software Update Services and

  Windows Server Update Services changes in content for 2008.

  Includes all Windows content.

* http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/wsus/bb466214.aspx: New,

  Revised, and Released Updates for Microsoft Products Other Than

  Microsoft Windows

 

Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) ===========================================

To improve security protections for customers, Microsoft provides vulnerability information to major security software providers in advance of each monthly security update release. Security software providers can then use this vulnerability information to provide updated protections to customers via their security software or devices, such as antivirus, network-based intrusion detection systems, or host-based intrusion prevention systems. To determine whether active protections are available from security software providers, please visit the active protections Web sites provided by program partners, listed at http://www.microsoft.com/security/msrc/mapp/partners.mspx.

 

Recognize and avoid fraudulent e-mail to Microsoft customers:

=============================================================

If you receive an e-mail message that claims to be distributing a Microsoft security update, it is a hoax that may contain malware or pointers to malicious Web sites. Microsoft does not distribute security updates via e-mail.

 

The Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) uses PGP to digitally sign all security notifications. However, PGP is not required for reading security notifications, reading security bulletins, or installing security updates. You can obtain the MSRC public PGP key at https://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/pgp.mspx.

 

To receive automatic notifications whenever Microsoft Security Bulletins are issued, subscribe to Microsoft Technical Security Notifications on http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx.

 

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