http://websearcher.info

hey all, every so often my IE gets redirected and the homepage in my Internet options is set to websearcher.info from my default.

I've run adaware numerous times, ran its updates but it hasnt managed to find anything. I've run numerous antivirus and online scans and the same result happens...nothing is found but i still get redirected.

I've tried CWShredder and have tried updating it as well but no luck. his spyware has also managed to add sites to my favourites such as medicine resources and power cleaner and teens dream TGP porno sites etc...

HELP i've tried all i could to get rid of this thing!

 

Get the current version of Hijackthis (quicklinks in my signature), run it, have it create a log file, and post that here for us. It's a good starting place to help you finish cleaning your PC.

Spyblaster and Spybot Search & Destroy are also good to have since these days, no one program can possibly find all the baddies.

CWShredder is only effective against some of the CoolWebSearch infestations. That's what it was designed to remove and that's all it will deal with.

 

here is my log:

Logfile of HijackThis v1.98.2
Scan saved at 11:02:38 PM, on 11/21/2004
Platform: Windows XP SP1 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcvsshld.exe
c:\progra~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcvsescn.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\rmctrl.exe
C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\rnathchk.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\agent\mcagent.exe
C:\Program Files\WinZip\WZQKPICK.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\System32\devldr32.exe
C:\Program Files\Executive Software\Diskeeper Home Edition\DKService.exe
c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcvsrte.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\nvsvc32.exe
c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcshield.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE
c:\progra~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcvsftsn.exe
C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msnmsgr.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\martin w\My Documents\HiJACK\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://find-on-the-net.com/search.htm
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://web-searcher.info
R3 - Default URLSearchHook is missing
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx
O2 - BHO: IE Search Toolbar Helper - {2C5175A2-ADF3-4F57-AB70-BA90FD60A383} - C:\Program Files\IESearchToolbar\IESearchToolbar.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Helper - {AA58ED58-01DD-4d91-8333-CF10577473F7} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar2.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msdxm.ocx
O3 - Toolbar: McAfee VirusScan - {BA52B914-B692-46c4-B683-905236F6F655} - c:\progra~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcvsshl.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Google - {2318C2B1-4965-11d4-9B18-009027A5CD4F} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar2.dll
O3 - Toolbar: IE Search Toolbar - {EB381422-F797-4A98-A266-9DC490821907} - C:\Program Files\IESearchToolbar\IESearchToolbar.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [xdkcimsk] C:\WINDOWS\System32\wmwlnhq.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [VSOCheckTask] "c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcmnhdlr.exe" /checktask
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [VirusScan Online] "c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcvsshld.exe "
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RemoteControl] C:\WINDOWS\System32\rmctrl.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\System32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\System32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MCUpdateExe] C:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\agent\mcupdate.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MCAgentExe] c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\agent\mcagent.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [DELDIR0.EXE] "C:\DOCUME~1\MARTIN~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\DELDIR0.EXE" "C:\Program Files\McAfee\McAfee Shared Components\Guardian\ "
O4 - Startup: Drempels Desktop.lnk = C:\WINDOWS\drempels.exe
O4 - Global Startup: WinZip Quick Pick.lnk = C:\Program Files\WinZip\WZQKPICK.EXE
O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\OSA9.EXE
O8 - Extra context menu item: &Google Search - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmsearch.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Backward Links - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmbacklinks.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Cached Snapshot of Page - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmcache.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Similar Pages - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmsimilar.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Translate into English - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmtrans.html
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msjava.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msjava.dll
O9 - Extra button: Yahoo! Messenger - {E5D12C4E-7B4F-11D3-B5C9-0050045C3C96} - C:\PROGRA~1\YAHOO!\MESSEN~1\YPAGER.EXE
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Yahoo! Messenger - {E5D12C4E-7B4F-11D3-B5C9-0050045C3C96} - C:\PROGRA~1\YAHOO!\MESSEN~1\YPAGER.EXE
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\MSMSGS.EXE
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\MSMSGS.EXE
O16 - DPF: ppctlcab - http://www.pestscan.com/scanner/ppctlcab.cab
O16 - DPF: {2FC9A21E-2069-4E47-8235-36318989DB13} (PPSDKActiveXScanner.MainScreen) - http://www.pestscan.com/scanner/axscanner.cab
O16 - DPF: {4E888414-DB8F-11D1-9CD9-00C04F98436A} (Microsoft.WinRep) - https://webresponse.one.microsoft.com/oas/ActiveX/winrep.cab
O16 - DPF: {74D05D43-3236-11D4-BDCD-00C04F9A3B61} (HouseCall Control) - http://a840.g.akamai.net/7/840/537/2004061001/housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/xscan53.cab
O16 - DPF: {9A9307A0-7DA4-4DAF-B042-5009F29E09E1} (ActiveScan Installer Class) - http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/as5/asinst.cab
O16 - DPF: {B38870E4-7ECB-40DA-8C6A-595F0A5519FF} (MsnMessengerSetupDownloadControl Class) - http://messenger.msn.com/download/MsnMessengerSetupDownloader.cab
O16 - DPF: {F58E1CEF-A068-4C15-BA5E-587CAF3EE8C6} (MSN Chat Control 4.5) - http://chat.msn.com/bin/msnchat45.cab

 

First you need to turn off system restore so these things don't spring right back from cached information.

If the below does not give a long term cure, you might have some critters that are better hidden but this should help.

Run Hijackthis again. Do a scan and then check the following for removal. Note that the items in green are not malware but are certainly things you don't need running at startup.

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://find-on-the-net.com/search.htm
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://web-searcher.info
R3 - Default URLSearchHook is missing
O2 - BHO: IE Search Toolbar Helper - {2C5175A2-ADF3-4F57-AB70-BA90FD60A383} - C:\Program Files\IESearchToolbar\IESearchToolbar.dll
O3 - Toolbar: IE Search Toolbar - {EB381422-F797-4A98-A266-9DC490821907} - C:\Program Files\IESearchToolbar\IESearchToolbar.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [xdkcimsk] C:\WINDOWS\System32\wmwlnhq.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [DELDIR0.EXE] "C:\DOCUME~1\MARTIN~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\DELDIR0.EXE" "C:\Program Files\McAfee\McAfee Shared Components\Guardian\ "


This item is one you may or may not want. It allows for use of IR Remote Control so if you are using that, keep the entry. Otherwise you can remove it. Legit item but you don't want it running at startup unless you need it.
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RemoteControl] C:\WINDOWS\System32\rmctrl.exe

When that finishes, go to control panel and to add/remove programs and look for IESearchToolbar or similar. Remove it. If you don't find it, delete the entire C:\Program Files\IESearchToolbar folder.

Open IE, dump your TIF files. Close IE.

Using Windows Explorer, set 'view' to show hidden files & folders then under documents & settings\username\Local Settings for all active user accounts, delete the contents of your temp folders. Do the same for c:\temp if present and for c:\windows\temp.

Reboot and re-enable system restore.