There’s a particularly nasty virus going around these days. It goes by the name of Internet Security 2010. This virus, if left unchecked, will progressively inject itself into running processes, block internet access, prevent you from accessing certain Windows features, and eventually render your computer unusable.
Internet Security 2010 infects your computer with the Vundo virus. This virus is often missed by the latest anti-virus programs, meaning even if your anti-virus software is up to date, you may still get infected by the virus.
So, how do you know if you’re infected with Internet Security 2010, or another wrapper for the Vundo virus? First of all, you will see a screen showing a fake security scan. This scan will purport to have found several viruses, with an option to purchase the program and correct the issues. Don’t fall for it. This screen is a fake. Yes, you have a virus (most likely, at this point, several) but IS2010 won’t fix them. They will take your money and pretend to fix the issues, but in reality, you will be more infected than ever.
Other symptoms of IS2010 may or may not include:
- Your desktop wallpaper changing to simple text telling you that your system has been infected and will be suspended.
- You may be unable to access certain web sites
- Windows update may be disabled
- Your current anti-virus program may be suspended
- You cannot access the registry
- You cannot boot into safe mode
- If you can boot to safe mode, you may receive these same fake virus warnings
- Your firewall may be disabled
Internet Security 2010 often looks different on different systems. Depending on how long it’s been in your computer, you may not see all of the above symptoms. The longer it’s active, the more infected your computer becomes. In addition, it acts as a “gateway” allowing your system to become further infected with other viruses.
So, it’s a nasty virus, it injects itself in many parts of the system. The question is, how do you remove it? Since it disables many anti-virus programs, removal can be problematic.
First of all, try to boot into safe mode. (Restart the computer. While the screen is still black – before it says Starting Windows – press the F8 key. You will see a menu with various safe mode options select Safe Mode with Networking.) If you can’t boot into safe mode, go ahead and boot into regular mode.
Download and run rkill.com by clicking this link. This app will attempt to stop all IS2010 processes.
Now download and install SuperAntiSpyware free edition by clicking this link. Important: be sure to check the option telling SuperAntiSpyware to automatically download the latest virus definitions and updates.
Once SuperAntiSpyware is installed, go ahead and run a quick scan. Once it’s done it will present you with a list of infections. Click the button to fix the issues.
After SuperAntiSpyware has performed it’s magic, restart the computer, in normal mode. Now run SuperAntiSpyware again, this time doing a full scan, just to make sure everything has been removed.
Just like that, Internet Security 2010 is removed. So, how did you get it, and how do you prevent further infections? The most common way of getting infected is from the internet. You are contentedly visiting a website and you see a popup saying words to the effect of, “Warning. Your computer is infected with spyware or adware. Click here to download the latest version of Internet Security 2010.” (Keep in mind, the message may vary.) There will be two buttons, one labeled OK and one Cancel. Or maybe one labeled Yes and one labeled No. Or Install and Don’t install. You get the idea. There’s one that says Do It and another that says Don’t. The thing is, no matter which button you click on, the virus will be downloaded. The code behind the two buttons is identical. The only way to safely close this window is to click on the X in the upper-right-hand corner of the window. If there is no X, you can use the Ctl-W keyboard combination to close the window. Or Alt-F4 to close the internet.
So, in a nutshell, be aware of what you’re clicking on when browsing the internet. Keep your anti-virus software up to date with the latest virus definitions, and you’ll greatly reduce the chance of getting infected by malware.
This article is provided by Steve Smith, The Computer Psychic. All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.
The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content. It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use. As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.
