Adware Problem

[Yamer]

Usually I don't have any trouble removing this #### when it crops into my system through various unsuspecting people clicking yes/approve on everything they see, but for some reason I have run out of possible solutions to removing some adware that's operating under the name dns unlocker. It has totally infested Google Chrome.

I have also had very little success in finding solutions on the net (as most results are sponsored, so they direct you to buy some sort of completely unneeded software). I've tried a couple of approved free options (ADWCleaner, etc.), tried uninstalling all dodgy programs, and even tried a system restore point (which, in the past as a last resort, has always worked).

I don't have any anti-virus or malware protection, and haven't for years as I am extremely careful and very minimalist with my system.

If anybody can help me out it would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance. I can provide any additional information that I'm capable of.

[DoubleF]

Did you try malwarebytes? 30 day trial should be good enough. Nod32 trial is a good one too.

Also, consider using adblockplus and noscript in chrome after successfully fixing the issue?

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Did you try malwarebytes? 30 day trial should be good enough. Nod32 trial is a good one too.

Also, consider using adblockplus and noscript in chrome after successfully fixing the issue?

Thanks.

Just running a scan with malwarebytes. It has already caught 3 threats that I wasn't aware of. These a-hole wastes of life are getting trickier.

That said, it may be time to invest in some better protection. While we are on the topic, would anyone be willing to offer some suggestions on security software? Something light weight and effective?

[Vulcan]

I like the free version of Bit Defender. It's highly rated, stays in the background and just seems to work.

I also have the free versions of Malwarebytes and Superantispyware. I don't trust any one security software to pick up everything.

[Yamer]

Thanks for the input.

Malwarebytes caught a bunch of stuff, but unfortunately did not solve my browser issues. I just uninstalled both browsers and deleted all of their system files, then reinstalled. It seemed to solve the problem, but it was a little inconvenient.

[rbochan]

The irony is delicious.

[DoubleF]

I use avast with silent (Gaming) mode on. Seems to work fine and doesn't use too many resources. That coupled with adblock plus and a quick check via malwarebytes and Nod32 trial 2-3 times a year seems to work well for me. Noscript is great too, but then I have to go through the annoyance of individuals confused my "computer isn't working". So I stopped using it.

Avira and Panda are light weight as well, but I am not sure of their effectiveness. It seems the "best" program changes every few years. As someone has already mentioned, relying solely on one program isn't recommended anyways.

Now, one thing I have noticed... some programs (legit ones) have offers attached to them. Those are nasty programs and usually ones that are tool bars to browsers and whatnot. Some of them are pretty obvious with words like "Free, shopping, etc." Some of them are more confusing with names like conduit or X search engine and wording that almost makes you think it's necessary part of the program being installed. One even tried to mask itself as adobe flash!

Let's just say I know a bunch of individuals for whom I am more than happy to segregate them to their own computers and even with anti-virus, malware programs on it, they still find ways to install dumb things on the computer. It turns out, flash game sites and streaming sites for gossip girl are by far the worst offenders for putting crap on a machine.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by rbochan

The irony is delicious.

How so?

[jschick88]

I've had good luck with combofix. http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/combofix/

ComboFix is a program, created by sUBs, that scans your computer for known malware, and when found, attempts to clean these infections automatically. In addition to being able to remove a large amount of the most common and current malware, ComboFix also displays a report that can be used by trained helpers to remove malware that is not automatically removed by the program.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I've used avast for years, had no issues at all. I'll use Malwarebytes once in a while just to make sure nothing sketchy's going on.