Got spyware!!! Or Not?? Win32/pepatch

I run the AVG free antivirus and have for over a year. I previously found only one 'hit' and that was an anomaly that seems to come with the free addition and sooner or later, AVG seems to take care of it. AFter maybe a year of scanning, I was feeling pretty smug....so....

Today it found Win32/PePatch. Which is variously described as a Trojan Horse or spyware. That doesnt make sense so I assume the ref to Trojan Horse meant 'how I got it'

I looked it up on Google and the news is not encouraging. Every reference that comes up details a massive cleanup effort and tasks that even stress me who has fiddled around with these things, before.

The only things I did since the last scan yesterday was to download/install a windows update and download a WMV file of a political speech segment and run it with WMP.

HEre is the HOW TO CLEAN AN INFECTED COMPUTER page.

Pettyfog - not a happy camper.

 

RE: Got spyware!!! Win32/pepatch

Sooooooooo, which one to use?

 

RE: Got spyware!!! Win32/pepatch

For CleanUp, the posts are pretty clear.. all of them. But you have to start with 'HiJack This' to get the info.

I dont understand why McAfee and Norton software havent been integrated into a suite of both spyware and virus prevention... instead of offered separately. In the end, the only difference is severity of impact.

 

RE: Got spyware!!! Win32/pepatch

What will happen if we don't "clean up"?

My computer seems to work fine, but I did notice some similar messages from AVG on my computer.

 

RE: Got spyware!!! Win32/pepatch

Well, I smell fish! Dead ones.

Google the thing and almost all the results have to do with AVG, searched on the norton site it didnt come up. a more broken down search gets me a thing/product/site called RegCure.

And PCB... here's something cute when I search 'regcure' I get google results that seem to be worded as 'warnings' but all link to 'review sites' that rate it highly.

I think Google ads are running amok. They've essentially set a standard that if you advertise with them, your result s come top.

Okay... but how you going to make sure they arent misleading?

I think I'm going to have to search MS knowledge base on this... google searches never seem to find MS sites anymore.

 

RE: Got spyware!!! Win32/pepatch

Inspector Pettyfog is on it!

And I am actually curious what your findings will show.

 

RE: Got spyware!!! Win32/pepatch

Only thing I could find on MS Support was reference to Groups posts outside MS that I'd already seen.

Ran another full scan after it was quarantined and it showed clean. The next week of scans will tell the story.