Scary Computer Hiccup

[Delta Echo]

Well, that was scary...

When I plugged in my network cable today, the (very old, as in hasn't been updated since we got this WinXP computer) Norton Firewall popped up a High Risk box saying "Blai Trojan is attempting to access this computer". (A quick Google turns up nothing by that name so I might have misread it in my bleariness/surprise.) AVG, which I just installed and more just updated, said nothing...

At first I was going to GoBack, but then decided just to unhook and rehook the network cable. And I get a "Local Connection Only" situation.

Uh-oh.

After a moment's panicking I decide to GoBack, and after taking an extra moment to connect after doing so, it's working fine...whew!

I figure it was something confusing the touchy firewall and/or something on "their" (the provider's) end, but still, that wasn't the way I wanted to wake up. o.O

[mannik]

Hmm...that doesn't sound good at all. At least you were able to save the situation with GoBack. But if your antivirus/firewall was worth anything it should have removed it from your computer on sight...or at least tried to. In the case it didn't though, then the virus/trojan you had might of tinkered with the install of the second, marking itself as a trusted file or something.

You said you use WinXP, so incase you haven't already, I would look into installing Avast! anti-virus. If nothing else for the fact that its free and can perform boot-time scans. In all actuality its really good. It updates its virus definitions like twice a week and when it catches a malicious connection via internet activity, it automatically blocks the connection to said web page.

Link to avast.com

[Delta Echo]

Hmm. Well, it did the same thing again (exactly) when I turned on the computer this afternoon (it was Bla Trojan, it claimed)...and the same fix worked. I installed Spyware Doctor and scanned, and (after giving up after 2 hours when it reached 92%...) it only found cookies and an adware. I'm wondering if it's simply Norton Firewall fritzing.

Yeah, I figured AVG should have caught it - the only thing I did different last night was visit Hulu for the first time on this computer. I might well try Avast if another AVG scan tonight turns up nothing...

Edit: And you have to pay before SpywareDoctor will remove anything. Grrrr! *goes to redownload MalwareBytes he used to have*

[Oniya]

Might want to check the 'Resources for a Healthy Computer' thread that Veks has up in Elliquiy U.  Lots of good freeware anti-bad-stuff programs, as well as a few recommended commercial programs.

[Delta Echo]

Thanks. I'll give MalwareBytes a whirl later tonight and see what it catches.