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Guest

I try to search on IE and I keep getting errors sayig
page cannot be found. It even does it when I hit the
seacrh icon on the tool bar. What is wrong, and how can
I fix it?
 
Hi Slij - You've apparently gotten infected with the QHosts trojan. Read
here for information:

http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.html
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=100719
http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virus.aspx?ID=37191


Try the following:

1. Be sure that you install hotfix 828750 which fixes the exploit that this
virus uses:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/828750/default.asp

2. Update and run a complete Anti-Virus software check of your system. Most
of the major AV companies have updated their latest signatures to detect
this virus (for Network Associates (McAfee), be sure to get the EXTRADAT.exe
update from the above page as well as your regular update).

3a. If running your AV doesn't clean it up, go to this page, read the
directions CAREFULLY (particularly about the Restore option) and download
and run the removal tool:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.removal.tool.html

3b. An alternative that by report may work better than the Symantec tool is
the Brown University Removal Tool, here:

http://software.brown.edu/dist/w-cleanqhosts.html THIS WOULD BE MY PRIMARY
RECOMMENDATION

If that still doesn't clean it up (and a number of people are reporting that
it did not with the Symantec tool), then follow the Manual Removal
instructions at the link in 3a. The following is courtesy of Mike Burgess:

"Does a HOSTS file still exist in Windows\Help?
Trojan Qhosts hijacks the HOSTS file, however unlike normal redirectors,
this one hides the HOSTS file in the "Windows\Help" folder. It then
creates entries that redirects all major search engines to a website.
Note: this website has now been removed, thus the DNS errors.
[more info]
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm (bottom of page)
Run the beta version of HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/beta/hijackthis.zip)
_______________________________________
Mike Burgess http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/
Blocking Spyware, Adware, Parasites, Hijackers, Trojans, with a HOSTS file
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm [updated 9-30-03]
Please post replies to this Newsgroup, email address is invalid"


Just to follow up on this - there may be multiple different HOSTS files on
your machine with the trojan's settings some of which cannot not be removed
by the Removal Tools, and you'll need to do a search to find and just delete
them all, or clean them per the manual directions at the Symantec site.

4. You probably will then need to restore your HOSTS file if you plan to use
it for DNS speedup and/or ad blocking. Download the Hosts File Reader:

http://members.shaw.ca/techcd/VB_Projects/HostsFileReader.exe

To create a new Default version of HOSTS, run the program, click the "Read
Hosts File" button, click the button labeled "Reset Defaults" and click
"Save Changes." Note that this is NOT a recreation of your original HOSTS
file, but a brand new "initialized" one. Now go to normal HOSTS file
location (Windows XP\2000 Location: - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC or
Windows 98\ME Location: - C:\WINDOWS) and rename the "hosts" file that it
created to "HOSTS" (no quotes, all caps, no extension). If you've been using
your HOSTS file for ad blocking (see
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm Blocking Unwanted Ads with a Hosts
File), then you'll need to reset the new default you've created up for that
purpose. (Recommended, BTW - it also blocks a lot of "malware" as well as
offensive advertising.)


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
 
Hi Jim,
I hgave had the same problem, was infected by the Qhost-
Norton did not clean the virus. I was still having
problems trying to view any web pages, same message"page
cannot be displayed", I followed the instructions, made
sure I did turn off the system restore and ran the
removal tool. It quaranteened the virus and I ran it a
second time and said virus not found. But I still had
the same issue trying to reach any web pages. I tried
your suggestions and still no luck. I finally did the
manual removal and edited the registry. I was then able
to reach all websites. Problem now is that I am unable
to open any email in AOL thru IE, but if I open the AOL
app. then I can open mail without a problem. DO you know
what could be causing this problem? I am also now
receiving pop-ups like crazy since this problem. I run
AD ware 6 and it removes progams that have been installed
without my knowledge, such as Lycos search, but upon
reboot the programs are there again....Can you help me
with these annoying issues...very frsutrated at this
point... I am running XP home edition,IE6 SP1, have all
the latest updates...
-----Original Message-----
Hi Slij - You've apparently gotten infected with the QHosts trojan. Read
here for information:

http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.html
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp? id=description&virus_k=100719
http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virus.aspx?ID=37191


Try the following:

1. Be sure that you install hotfix 828750 which fixes the exploit that this
virus uses:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/82 8750/default.asp

2. Update and run a complete Anti-Virus software check of your system. Most
of the major AV companies have updated their latest signatures to detect
this virus (for Network Associates (McAfee), be sure to get the EXTRADAT.exe
update from the above page as well as your regular update).

3a. If running your AV doesn't clean it up, go to this page, read the
directions CAREFULLY (particularly about the Restore option) and download
and run the removal tool:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/t rojan.qhosts.removal.tool.html

3b. An alternative that by report may work better than the Symantec tool is
the Brown University Removal Tool, here:

http://software.brown.edu/dist/w-cleanqhosts.html THIS WOULD BE MY PRIMARY
RECOMMENDATION

If that still doesn't clean it up (and a number of people are reporting that
it did not with the Symantec tool), then follow the Manual Removal
instructions at the link in 3a. The following is courtesy of Mike Burgess:

"Does a HOSTS file still exist in Windows\Help?
Trojan Qhosts hijacks the HOSTS file, however unlike normal redirectors,
this one hides the HOSTS file in the "Windows\Help" folder. It then
creates entries that redirects all major search engines to a website.
Note: this website has now been removed, thus the DNS errors.
[more info]
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm (bottom of page)
Run the beta version of HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/beta/hijackthis.
zip)
_______________________________________
Mike Burgess http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/
Blocking Spyware, Adware, Parasites, Hijackers, Trojans, with a HOSTS file
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm [updated 9-30- 03]
Please post replies to this Newsgroup, email address is invalid"


Just to follow up on this - there may be multiple different HOSTS files on
your machine with the trojan's settings some of which cannot not be removed
by the Removal Tools, and you'll need to do a search to find and just delete
them all, or clean them per the manual directions at the Symantec site.

4. You probably will then need to restore your HOSTS file if you plan to use
it for DNS speedup and/or ad blocking. Download the Hosts File Reader:

http://members.shaw.ca/techcd/VB_Projects/HostsFileReader ..exe

To create a new Default version of HOSTS, run the program, click the "Read
Hosts File" button, click the button labeled "Reset Defaults" and click
"Save Changes." Note that this is NOT a recreation of your original HOSTS
file, but a brand new "initialized" one. Now go to normal HOSTS file
location (Windows XP\2000 Location: - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 \DRIVERS\ETC or
Windows 98\ME Location: - C:\WINDOWS) and rename the "hosts" file that it
created to "HOSTS" (no quotes, all caps, no extension). If you've been using
your HOSTS file for ad blocking (see
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm Blocking Unwanted Ads with a Hosts
File), then you'll need to reset the new default you've created up for that
purpose. (Recommended, BTW - it also blocks a lot of "malware" as well as
offensive advertising.)


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
[email protected] said:
I try to search on IE and I keep getting errors sayig
page cannot be found. It even does it when I hit the
seacrh icon on the tool bar. What is wrong, and how can
I fix it?
Click to expand...


.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Chris - Well, did you run the Brown Removal Tool (as I recommended in
CAPITAL letters)? If not, try running that, first. As to your other
problems . . . Well, you kinda need to know what the parasite(s) is/are
before you can do much about fixing them except to apply some general tools
like AdAware and/or SpyBot S&D (see below).

Start here: Download HijackThis, free, here:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/hijackthis.zip

Unzip it to any convenient folder, start it then press Scan. Click on
SaveLog when it's finished which will create hijackthis.log. Now click
the Config button, then Misc Tools and click on Generate StartupList.log
which will create Startuplist.txt

Go to Spyware and Hijackware Removal Support, here:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/index.php?s=8a236cdf61469fbad3bddbe810be0374&act=SF&f=11

Sign in, then copy and paste both files a message asking for assistance,
Someone will answer with detailed instructions for the removal of your
parasite(s).



For the general hijack case, the best way to start is to get Ad-Aware 6.0,
Build 181 or later, here: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/.
Update and run this regularly to get rid of most "spyware/hijackware" on
your machine. If it has to fix things, be sure to re-boot and rerun
AdAware again and repeat this cycle until you get a clean scan. The reason
is that it may have to remove things which are currently "in use" before it
can then clean up others.

Another excellent program for this purpose is SpyBot Search and Destroy
available here: http://security.kolla.de/ SpyBot Support Forum here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi. I recommend
using both normally. After fixing things with SpyBot S&D, be sure to
re-boot and rerun SpyBot again and repeat this cycle until you get a clean
"no red" scan. The reason is that SpyBot sometimes has to remove things
which are currently "in use" before it can then clean up others.


Note that sometimes you need to make a judgement call about what these
programs report as spyware. See here, for example:
http://www.imilly.com/alexa.htm


Once you get this cleaned up, you might want to consider installing the
SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard here to help prevent this kind of thing from
happening in the future:
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/spywareblaster.html (Prevents malware Active
X installs) (BTW, SpyWare Blaster is not memory resident ... no CPU or
memory load - but keep it updated) The latest version as of this writing
will prevent installation or prevent the malware from running if it is
already installed, and it provides information and fixit-links for a variety
of parasites.
http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html (Monitors for attempts to
install malware) Both Very Highly Recommended.

See if any of this helps and post back with your results.


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
Chris said:
Hi Jim,
I hgave had the same problem, was infected by the Qhost-
Norton did not clean the virus. I was still having
problems trying to view any web pages, same message"page
cannot be displayed", I followed the instructions, made
sure I did turn off the system restore and ran the
removal tool. It quaranteened the virus and I ran it a
second time and said virus not found. But I still had
the same issue trying to reach any web pages. I tried
your suggestions and still no luck. I finally did the
manual removal and edited the registry. I was then able
to reach all websites. Problem now is that I am unable
to open any email in AOL thru IE, but if I open the AOL
app. then I can open mail without a problem. DO you know
what could be causing this problem? I am also now
receiving pop-ups like crazy since this problem. I run
AD ware 6 and it removes progams that have been installed
without my knowledge, such as Lycos search, but upon
reboot the programs are there again....Can you help me
with these annoying issues...very frsutrated at this
point... I am running XP home edition,IE6 SP1, have all
the latest updates...
-----Original Message-----
Hi Slij - You've apparently gotten infected with the QHosts trojan. Read
here for information:

http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.html
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp? id=description&virus_k=100719
http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virus.aspx?ID=37191


Try the following:

1. Be sure that you install hotfix 828750 which fixes the exploit that this
virus uses:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/82 8750/default.asp

2. Update and run a complete Anti-Virus software check of your system. Most
of the major AV companies have updated their latest signatures to detect
this virus (for Network Associates (McAfee), be sure to get the EXTRADAT.exe
update from the above page as well as your regular update).

3a. If running your AV doesn't clean it up, go to this page, read the
directions CAREFULLY (particularly about the Restore option) and download
and run the removal tool:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/t
rojan.qhosts.removal.tool.html

3b. An alternative that by report may work better than the Symantec tool is
the Brown University Removal Tool, here:

http://software.brown.edu/dist/w-cleanqhosts.html THIS WOULD BE MY PRIMARY
RECOMMENDATION

If that still doesn't clean it up (and a number of people are reporting that
it did not with the Symantec tool), then follow the Manual Removal
instructions at the link in 3a. The following is courtesy of Mike Burgess:

"Does a HOSTS file still exist in Windows\Help?
Trojan Qhosts hijacks the HOSTS file, however unlike normal redirectors,
this one hides the HOSTS file in the "Windows\Help" folder. It then
creates entries that redirects all major search engines to a website.
Note: this website has now been removed, thus the DNS errors.
[more info]
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm (bottom of page)
Run the beta version of HijackThis
(http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/beta/hijackthis.
zip)
_______________________________________
Mike Burgess http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/
Blocking Spyware, Adware, Parasites, Hijackers, Trojans, with a HOSTS file
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm [updated 9-30- 03]
Please post replies to this Newsgroup, email address is invalid"


Just to follow up on this - there may be multiple different HOSTS files on
your machine with the trojan's settings some of which cannot not be removed
by the Removal Tools, and you'll need to do a search to find and just delete
them all, or clean them per the manual directions at the Symantec site.

4. You probably will then need to restore your HOSTS file if you plan to use
it for DNS speedup and/or ad blocking. Download the Hosts File Reader:

http://members.shaw.ca/techcd/VB_Projects/HostsFileReader .exe

To create a new Default version of HOSTS, run the program, click the "Read
Hosts File" button, click the button labeled "Reset Defaults" and click
"Save Changes." Note that this is NOT a recreation of your original HOSTS
file, but a brand new "initialized" one. Now go to normal HOSTS file
location (Windows XP\2000 Location: - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 \DRIVERS\ETC or
Windows 98\ME Location: - C:\WINDOWS) and rename the "hosts" file that it
created to "HOSTS" (no quotes, all caps, no extension). If you've been using
your HOSTS file for ad blocking (see
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm Blocking Unwanted Ads with a Hosts
File), then you'll need to reset the new default you've created up for that
purpose. (Recommended, BTW - it also blocks a lot of "malware" as well as
offensive advertising.)


--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP



In
I try to search on IE and I keep getting errors sayig
page cannot be found. It even does it when I hit the
seacrh icon on the tool bar. What is wrong, and how can
I fix it?
Click to expand...


.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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