MS Removal tool malware

-Loki-

This shit just installed itself to my PC via Adobe Reader. Looking around, I can see some different ways to remove it including tools and booting in safe mode to manually remove files. What's the safest way to do this?

-Loki-

Appears to be resolved. Installed and ran Malwarebytes Anti Malware, which found the offending exe.

Effef

-Loki- wrote: »

Appears to be resolved. Installed and ran Malwarebytes Anti Malware, which found the offending exe.

I was going to suggest this.

99% of the time if Malwarebytes can't get rid of it then its a lost cause and you are better off reformatting.

HooverFan

word of advice to everybody... DO NOT EVER USE ADOBE READER.. EVER EVER EVER EVER...

Use something like foxit or something not god-forsakenly shitty as that virus/malware laden offender

-Loki-

Yeah, Adobe Reader will be coming off tonight.

Is there any way to make sure I don't have this shit still on my PC? I don't want to, say, buy something online with a fucking keylogger on my PC.

Abracadaniel

I don't think I've ever seen a scenario where a legit download of adobe reader somehow installed malware.

But yeah, MSE and Malwarebytes ought to do the trick.

TetraNitroCubane

It's not that Adobe contains the malware when you run or install Reader/Acrobat. It's that the integrated plugins and browser defaults will load and open PDF files in Adobe without asking you, usually - and this allows malware to leverage security flaws in Adobe's software, so as to do its nasty work.

So it's more a situation where you visit a webpage, which downloads and opens a PDF file, that launches the attack on your machine. And usually all of it happens without your knowing. It's a pretty popular vector for drive by attacks - It's how Google got slammed in the Aurora debacle.

The latest Adobe X comes with a sandbox feature to prevent this. Not sure exactly how well that will hold up in the long run.

Tofystedeth

You can also disable the browser plugin portion of Adobe, which will cause it to to either not download the malicious pdfs, or open up a file download prompt instead of automatically downloading it, so you can cut it off there.

For the record, I think Foxit, or Sumatra, has had similar problems with their browser plugins as well. Ditching Adobe is not a panacea.