Potential Virus?

[Mr Grimm]

Hello there!

Today, I managed to get redirected to a website that I believe was dodgy. I used a link from Google to a website I've used before (to try to trace a nuisance phone number), and got redirected to a website called 'find-and-go'. Sophos have apparently classified it as a malicious website that might be distributing malware. I've run McAfee, MalwareBytes and HitmanPro scans, in addition to a scan with Sophos's free virus removal tool, and they've all come up with nothing. Is there anything more I can do to try to find out whether something actually made it onto my PC? If I run the scans in safe mode, will they potentially pick up something that might be missed?

I also tried a system restore to a few days ago.

Thanks for your help!

I hate viruses!

[Super Dragon 64]

1. Get rid of McAfee and Sophos
2. Install Microsoft Security Essentials
3. Run an MSE scan in safe mode if you're still worried

[Mr Grimm]

Is MSE really that good? I know that McAfee's supposed to be quite resource heavy, but I suppose I've always just got used to it. The Sophos thing is something that just runs on demand too. Would MSE pick up something that the others might have missed?

[Rax]

Is MSE really that good? I know that McAfee's supposed to be quite resource heavy, but I suppose I've always just got used to it. The Sophos thing is something that just runs on demand too. Would MSE pick up something that the others might have missed?

It might but its highly unlikely. for the most part an anti virus is an anti virus, there are some minor differences in what they detect but they all catch the most common stuff. The only big difference is speed and functionality, MSE is free, doesnt pester you and is quick when you actually run a scan, which is why its the current favourite.

Unless you know for sure you have a virus, youll just have to trust what the scan results say. If you are still worried then update MSE everyday to see if they added any new definitions and scan again.

[Mr Grimm]

Thanks. We use McAfee because it's free with BT Infinity. The extra resource it uses doesn't really hurt too much, as we tend to just use the PC for the internet anyway.

I'm not sure that we've caught anything, I'm just going on what a website said about the one we got redirected to, in addition to being redirected to it. I've not noticed anything unusual since then. I'd hope that whatever we might have caught would be detected by one of the virus scanners, but I'm not sure what I'm doing. Would running the scans in safe mode make a difference? We're using Windows 8, by the way, and use 'standard' user accounts, rather than admin accounts.

[Rax]

Safe mode usually only makes a difference if youre trying to remove something, I dont think it will help anything get detected. I have never used Windows 8 so I have no idea if that has any bearing. Youre fine though, the fact it flagged it as malicious is a good sign it stopped it from doing stuff.

[Errkal]

You cant install MSE in Windows 8, it is part of Windows 8 by default but called Windows Defender, it is automatically disabled when another AV is installed.

[Mr Grimm]

Safe mode usually only makes a difference if youre trying to remove something, I dont think it will help anything get detected. I have never used Windows 8 so I have no idea if that has any bearing. Youre fine though, the fact it flagged it as malicious is a good sign it stopped it from doing stuff.

Unfortunately I wasn't stopped from visiting it, as I don't have the fully paid for Sophos software, and the McAfee SiteAdvisor (which we also use) doesn't seem to have classified it yet. I only found out it was possibly dodgy when I searched for details about it. I'm hoping that nothing happened though.

[Super Dragon 64]

If you've scanned your PC in safe mode then you should be fine. I still recommend getting rid of McAfee and Sophos and letting Microsoft Security Essentials, through Windows Defender on Windows 8, look after your PC.

To prevent your initial problem arising again, you can check where links will take you by hovering over them with your mouse and glancing at the address that shows up at the bottom of your browser.

[Mr Grimm]

I haven't scanned in safe mode yet, but I might give it a try.

The link I was using was to a website that I've been to before, and the URL that popped up looked correct. I can only assume that the website had been hacked, and something on it was redirecting people to the dodgy one. I use SiteAdvisor, and it suggested that the link was OK.

[Mr Grimm]

I've now got another problem, in that my PC doesn't seem to want to start in safe mode. It very slowly builds the list of startup options, then switches itself off.