Warning wowwiki.com or break.com virus

[Kayley]

Doesn't sound very pleasant. Although the file names are cute.

[Suvega]

Na every once and a while (just to make sure ) I use online virus checking tools like Trend Housecall, or Kapernsky.

[Caspian]

Sorry I don't mean to derail the Firefox VS. IE debate but the OP made one comment that was a lot more worrisome to me then that he was using IE (and I ride on the firefox bandwagon).

For some reason the resident scan was not on

This is what a large number of viruses and worms do, they shut down your AV scans. It is possible that you have been infected for longer then you think and through that infection your AV stuff was disabled and likely being prevented from updating. It is also possible that this is where the two viruses you did find came from.

I would clean like crazy at this point if I was you.

[Gaffy]

The moral of this thread, run whatever. Just make sure it's up to date.

[Suvega]

The moral of this thread, run whatever. Just make sure it's up to date.

I like this guy.

[Tonuss]

If I start using firefox is there anything special I need to setup within firefox?

Firefox with NoScript and AdBlock+ addons make the web a beautiful place to visit.

^ ^ ^ This.

What I like about NoScript is that it defaults to not allowing scripts to run unless you allow them. It's not 100% foolproof, but it can block a lot of content if you're willing to take the time to properly configure it as you visit websites.

[Kayley]

Na every once and a while (just to make sure ) I use online virus checking tools like Trend Housecall, or Kapernsky.

Figured as much I just wanted to do the scooby doo 'RUH ROH' :love:

[pinotnoir]

I ran avg to clean the viruses. It found them all and said it cleaned them. However, they were right back after the clean. I said screw it and reinstalled my OS. The laptop is using xp. Dispite the Foxfire vs IE fight here there has been some good info. Thanks for the suggestions.

BTW that damn virus erased all my system restore points.

[Catamer]

it was probably the Warhammer ad

[Vyndree]

While I may not agree with Suvega's "just make sure you update" philosophy, I'd say I'd agree with the argument that...

"Just run x browser" <-- bad argument.

"Make sure your computer is up-to-date" <-- good advice, but not 100% either

NO browser is foolproof, and putting all your eggs in the browser fanboi basket (whether you prefer one or the other) is generally a dumb idea. Using your browser (whichever it is) PROPERLY and utilizing proper 'netiquette is the REAL solution -- though, like Fur said, the chances of that happening is pretty slim given the typical "I want it, I want it now, I don't care" attitude that we've grown into thanks to having everything on the 'web just a click away.

So yea, I'd agree with Suvega that "Just use firefox" was bad advice -- I also agree that "Just use IE8" would be similar bad advice -- regular virus scanning, safe browsing habits, and a proper backup plan when viruses do happen is a more realistic solution.

I think Firefox's reputation as the anti-virus browser is a bit of a stretch -- it may be slightly better or slightly worse, but let's remember that the current state of affairs in the virus world is dynamically changing, so the percentile rate of infection may be low now, and may not be in the future -- we don't know. Telling someone "If you use Firefox, you won't get viruses" is just false advertisement. "Firefox has a x% smaller chance of virus infections over the past y months" is more appropriate -- I honestly don't know the numbers here, nor how they relate to IE/Safari, but at the very least "Firefox has a history of fewer/more viruses compared to x browser" is still more appropriate. Regardless, it's totally irrelevant to the OP's problem since we neither know which browser they're using nor whether the issue was related to browser insecurities or something else -- the OP's trying to help people by giving them fair warning, so dragging your favorite browser advertisement speech is a bit off-topic.

Unless you're totally unplugged from the outside world, the reality is that viruses continue to adapt and that, sometime and someday - IE or Firefox - scripts or noscripts, you will probably get one even with careful planning. So, like the OP seems to be doing with reimaging his machine, it's best to make regular backups of important files and be prepared when that sneaky little virus does rear its ugly head on your system.