CoolWWWSearch, Backdoor.Agent.BA and Incredifind.

The first Incredifind removal tip in the Links list has been changed. It is still a manual removal tip. Several virus/trojan scan sites now offer solutions to this malware. Please make me aware of any removal tools. These jerks should be thrown in front of a bus.

Here is an excerpt from a thread concerning Backdoor.Agent.BA. A-squared has also started a forum concerning this trash. Tom did remove the problem from a machine this past week after some research. Followed one of the formulas for changing the attributes of the file and deleting it. If I can find out any more it will be posted!

CyberTechHelp has more info on the CoolWWWSearch problem. Be sure and check out the Similar Threads section at the very bottom. Southernphried has a post from Thursday concerning this garbage. Beagle is diligently working on this problem as is Ashby Rhett Culpepper, III.

Do your Windows Critical Updates. If you have some "guru" telling you these are not important seek help elsewhere. For some unknown reason there is a faction that thinks there is no need to install these CRITICAL Updates. Do your Windows Critical Updates.

Use a browser other than Internet Explorer like Mozilla or Opera. Understand that Microsoft does not really give one big fat rat's ass about your online safety. They are aware of a security flaw that presently exists in IE and are not "fixing" it. Sorry Bill, get your people to do their job and quit writing such weak applications. I love Windows, but FreeBSD and Linux become more attractive every day. If someone ever finds a way to make popular applications run efficiently in an alternative OS, Windows will perish.

Please don't bother recommending OSX. Darth Jobs wants wayyyy too much money for those tired, weak orchard varieties. Such a sweetheart. Takes FreeBSD, which is opensource, codes it proprietary, and asks a fortune for it. Right! Expensive and antiquated machines are not the answer.

Download, install and use Spybot S&D version 1.3. When installing, do the registry backup, immunize, check the TeaTimer box and just deal with it telling you every time something attempts to change your registry. Use your head. If you are installing a program, the registry will need changing. Allow these changes. If you are surfing the web and see Keenvalue or CoolWWWSearch show up in the TeaTimer window, deny such changes. There are tutorials in English about Spoybot S&D on the site.

Learn to use Google. Research your problem. Share the results with others. If your machine is down, find the local library and use their PCs to help resolve problems. Be sure and disconnect your PC from a network when applicable.

The most important action one can take concerning these problems is to contact your Congressperson and encourage HARSH laws and penalties when dealing with any malware. IMHO, the penalty of death is too good for these cretins. If you have info please comment or email. I'll gladly post credit or keep identity anonymous if desired. Testing several applications and will let everyone know the results.

"Remember, we are all in this together."
-Red Green, Canadian TV philosopher