The Rogue Evolves

The malware programs that we have been calling "The Rogue" continues to plague our customers. I'm calling this a 'Critical Update' because it has evolved once again and has become much more dangerous.

If you are hit by this new version, no Antivirus product will stop it. However, Eset and Vipre will still clean it.

The new versions may cut your internet connection, or prevent your computer from booting into windows, some versions prevent any program from running and report the file is infected, offering to "activate" your antivirus protection. 

It is critical that you know what to do when it appears on your screen. If you take appropriate steps you can avoid a costly repair bill. Below are the steps to protect yourself:

When the Rogue presents itself the 1st time, a windows will pop up telling you that you are infected. It may appear to scan your computer and report multiple infections. Some versions ask you to "click here" to scan the system.

At this point YOU ARE NOT SERIOUSLY INFECTED. Shut your computer down immediately. Don't click anything in that window, don't acknowledge any pop up. If you click anything in that window, your system will be infected.

Use the Windows start button to shut the system down. If it won't let you, use the power button (hold it in for 4 seconds) to power the machine down. You will lose any unsaved open documents. If you can't manage that, pull the power cord.

Immediately restart your computer, and run a full system scan. Currently the only products that we know will suceed are Vipre, Eset, and Malwarebytes ( the free scanner works), be sure to run the software's update feature before scanning. Allow the software to do a full (or Deep) scan of all drives and remove any malware found.

Your system should be clean after these steps.

If you find your internet connection no longer works, open your Internet Explorer, then click on:

Tools>Internet Options>Connections>LAN Settings

Uncheck the box that says "Use a Proxy Server for your LAN" and check the box that says "Automatically detect settings", then close the Internet Explorer and restart the system.  If the internet still doesn't work, bring the machine to us.