Instant Messaging Virus

[Webmaster]

Having spent most of the morning dealing with this, I thought I should let you all know about it. I'm very grateful that I have the tools on my computer to handle these things, and I would encourage everyone to keep their ant-virus programs up to date at all times.

This morning when I logged into my Yahoo messenger, there was a message waiting for me that appeared to come for a friend. It said, "Hey, I found this photo of you online and thought you should know it about. It's not a good thing to have out there." There was a link to click, the last part of it being a .png file.

Thinking it was coming from a friend, and trusting that friend, I clicked on the link. A page opened up and then my system went crazy. The anti-virus program went in to overdrive, and at least 10 new windows opened up. Having dealt with these kinds of problems before, I simply unplugged my computer from the wall. That's not really a recommended way to shut it down, but it's better than having the whole system crash.

I spent the next 3 hours running scans, cleaning the system, and finding over 2,000 worms and Trojan viruses on my system. When I did this I disconnected my computer from the internet since some of those programs are used to transmit all your personal information to somebody else.

After I was able to get back online safely, I did a search for this kind of thing. I found that this is new and works with any Instant Messenger program. Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Jabber, and more.

Should you get a message like this, or similar to it, don't click on the link. Instead ask the person that sent it to verify that they did actually send it. If not, they you saved yourself a lot of hassle. If they did, then you know it's legit.

God Bless!

[jochanaan]

Thanks for the warning! I haven't seen anything like that in my IMs, but I'll watch for it, or rather, against it.

[Dave]

I knew there was a reason I stopped installing Yahoo, MSN, AOL etc a long time ago.

[brumnude]

Quite a few of my friends have gotten this virus. If you do find one of your contacts has this problem MalwareBytes will get rid of it. http://www.malwarebytes.org/ is the direct website and is also listed on download.com

[bullet]

Actually, I think this has been around on email for a while as well. I've seen it mentioned on facebook also. Seems to be everywhere.

[minister72]

I have been thinking about this. I'm not so sure I haven't received such a message, but more likely in an email. But when I attempted to open it, nothing happened or it requested something to open it and closed, deleted and went on. My thought was I haven't had any unclothed pictures taken of me, at least not yet, and I don't involve myself in any illegal behavior (thinking Mr. Phelps) so I just assumed it was a joke or a scam. I should probably be more careful still.

[nubain45]

Thanks for the info, keep us aware and safe!

[jude700]

Because of s l o w typing, my tendency is to avoid im

jude

[naturelover]

Thanks, I have spent waaay too much time and money on virus prob.

[i am java]

It's actually not always just a virus. I have had this happen plenty of times, too. (Though I am always highly suspicious of links that friends send--especially when they go from having terrible grammar to excellent grammar overnight.) The problem is that sometimes it is 100% completely legal to do this. I once tested a link on a secure computer to see what was on the site. There was a signup form and it told you to check that you agree to their terms of service. Reviewing their terms of service and privacy policy, it actually states that by signing up, you agree to allow them to use your account to advertise their site to your friends via IM. This makes it 100% legal to do. However, the one link that was sent to you was obviously not legal.

My suggestion is that you speak to your friend about it. To test out whether or not he has a virus, simply tell him to change his password. If it doesn't happen again, then problem is solved.

[peacebwu]

Thank you for letting us know that. Actually, we do not know how to use Instant Messaging, but at least we know not to click on it and save ourselves a big headache.

[natman]

Thank you for letting us know that. Actually, we do not know how to use Instant Messaging, but at least we know not to click on it and save ourselves a big headache.

That is interesting, considering that you have a Yahoo Instant Messaging account listed in your profile.

[roltyde]

Even the best virus protection seems defeatable by thel latest scams.

[loki987]

It's amazing the people that come up with these virus' just to cause problems. I just don't understand.

[Bare_Truth]

It's amazing the people that come up with these virus' just to cause problems. I just don't understand.

That is somewhat ironic, as the namesake of you screen name loki is a troublemaker with a vicious criminal mind in norse mythology, (see at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki ). In fact your screen name may cause others to suspect duplicity on your part. I wonder what prompted you to choose such a screen name.