Anatomy of a malware scam

[siljaline]

The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08...omy_of_a_hack/

Silj

--
siljaline

"Arguing with anonymous strangers on the Internet is a sucker's game
because they almost always turn out to be -- or to be indistinguishable from
-- self-righteous sixteen-year-olds possessing infinite amounts of free time."
- Neil Stephenson, _Cryptonomicon_

[Clark]

siljaline wrote:
> The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08...omy_of_a_hack/
>
> Silj

I love XP Antivirus 2008, This thing is everywhere, I have been getting
calls to remove it two three a day on a good week.
Well it is good for me but bad for my customers, I did not read the whole
article but, this thing comes in a few variations.
some are easy and just are removed with a scan in safe mode, others, disable
regedit, task manager, system restore, Windows update and control panel.
The latter is usually a 90 min removal, but only because most of my
customers have sub $800.00 PC's and they tend to be slow.
I charge $60.00 an hour, (around here that is almost half the charge of the
other local computer repair shops..
It is very easy to get infected with this one...
Clark...
WCFP.
--
I feel like sausage and eggs for breakfast

[Dustin Cook]

"Clark" <Clark_throwaway@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:rZTrk.13097$Is1.11858@newsfe04.iad:

> siljaline wrote:
>> The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008
>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08...omy_of_a_hack/
>>
>> Silj
>
> I love XP Antivirus 2008, This thing is everywhere, I have been
> getting calls to remove it two three a day on a good week.
> Well it is good for me but bad for my customers, I did not read the
> whole article but, this thing comes in a few variations.
> some are easy and just are removed with a scan in safe mode, others,
> disable regedit, task manager, system restore, Windows update and
> control panel. The latter is usually a 90 min removal, but only
> because most of my customers have sub $800.00 PC's and they tend to be
> slow. I charge $60.00 an hour, (around here that is almost half the
> charge of the other local computer repair shops..
> It is very easy to get infected with this one...
> Clark...
> WCFP.

90 minute removal? Malwarebytes AntiMalware can cut that down for you. Of
course, you wouldn't be able to exploit people so easily then...


--
Regards,
Dustin Cook, Author of BugHunter
BugHunter - http://bughunter.it-mate.co.uk
MalwareBytes - http://www.malwarebytes.org

[Clark]

Dustin Cook wrote:
> "Clark" <Clark_throwaway@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:rZTrk.13097$Is1.11858@newsfe04.iad:
>
>> siljaline wrote:
>>> The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008
>>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08...omy_of_a_hack/
>>>
>>> Silj
>>
>> I love XP Antivirus 2008, This thing is everywhere, I have been
>> getting calls to remove it two three a day on a good week.
>> Well it is good for me but bad for my customers, I did not read the
>> whole article but, this thing comes in a few variations.
>> some are easy and just are removed with a scan in safe mode, others,
>> disable regedit, task manager, system restore, Windows update and
>> control panel. The latter is usually a 90 min removal, but only
>> because most of my customers have sub $800.00 PC's and they tend to
>> be slow. I charge $60.00 an hour, (around here that is almost half
>> the charge of the other local computer repair shops..
>> It is very easy to get infected with this one...
>> Clark...
>> WCFP.
>
> 90 minute removal? Malwarebytes AntiMalware can cut that down for
> you. Of course, you wouldn't be able to exploit people so easily
> then...


Dustin,
#1 does Malwarebytes fix the disabled task manager etc? (I
honestly don't know, I don't use the product much) so I am looking for an
answer there... It would be a nice feature!!!!!
and #2 it is not exploitation, most of my customers have SLOW
computers (I mean pull out your hair slow)
#3 I do tell my customers, If you bought a faster PC, it
would be less costly to fix it. of course I do offer to sell them RAM etc,
as a matter of fact I have sold customers RAM and the difference in the
speed boost has saved them in labor cost ...
Seriously my favorite customer is the one with a $3000.00 computer where
everything goes really quick,(I can book more customers that way)
Clark...
WCFP

[Clark]

Dustin Cook wrote:
> "Clark" <Clark_throwaway@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:rZTrk.13097$Is1.11858@newsfe04.iad:
>
>> siljaline wrote:
>>> The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008
>>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08...omy_of_a_hack/
>>>
>>> Silj
>>
>> I love XP Antivirus 2008, This thing is everywhere, I have been
>> getting calls to remove it two three a day on a good week.
>> Well it is good for me but bad for my customers, I did not read the
>> whole article but, this thing comes in a few variations.
>> some are easy and just are removed with a scan in safe mode, others,
>> disable regedit, task manager, system restore, Windows update and
>> control panel. The latter is usually a 90 min removal, but only
>> because most of my customers have sub $800.00 PC's and they tend to
>> be slow. I charge $60.00 an hour, (around here that is almost half
>> the charge of the other local computer repair shops..
>> It is very easy to get infected with this one...
>> Clark...
>> WCFP.
>
> 90 minute removal? Malwarebytes AntiMalware can cut that down for
> you. Of course, you wouldn't be able to exploit people so easily
> then...

OH by the way thanks for accusing me of exploiting my customers, no wonder
folks don't like you...

Clark...

[Dustin Cook]

"Clark" <Clark_throwaway@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:c4Ssk.15035$Rs1.11133@newsfe08.iad:

> Dustin Cook wrote:
>> "Clark" <Clark_throwaway@yahoo.com> wrote in
>> news:rZTrk.13097$Is1.11858@newsfe04.iad:
>>
>>> siljaline wrote:
>>>> The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008
>>>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08...omy_of_a_hack/
>>>>
>>>> Silj
>>>
>>> I love XP Antivirus 2008, This thing is everywhere, I have been
>>> getting calls to remove it two three a day on a good week.
>>> Well it is good for me but bad for my customers, I did not read the
>>> whole article but, this thing comes in a few variations.
>>> some are easy and just are removed with a scan in safe mode, others,
>>> disable regedit, task manager, system restore, Windows update and
>>> control panel. The latter is usually a 90 min removal, but only
>>> because most of my customers have sub $800.00 PC's and they tend to
>>> be slow. I charge $60.00 an hour, (around here that is almost half
>>> the charge of the other local computer repair shops..
>>> It is very easy to get infected with this one...
>>> Clark...
>>> WCFP.
>>
>> 90 minute removal? Malwarebytes AntiMalware can cut that down for
>> you. Of course, you wouldn't be able to exploit people so easily
>> then...
>
>
> Dustin,
> #1 does Malwarebytes fix the disabled task manager
> etc? (I
> honestly don't know, I don't use the product much) so I am looking for
> an answer there... It would be a nice feature!!!!!

Yes, it will offer to do so, as it's a policy key.

> and #2 it is not exploitation, most of my customers have SLOW
> computers (I mean pull out your hair slow)

I'm sorry, on this we disagree. I was a pc technician at a computer
repair shop for 10 years or so, I've dealt with computers of all speeds,
and if it took you or anybody else in a technicial position 90 minutes to
kill XPantivirus, then yes, I personally feel your screwing them.

Clients/Customers don't pay you to learn how to fix something. They
brought it to you with the understanding that you could remove it.

> #3 I do tell my customers, If you bought a faster PC,
> it would be less costly to fix it. of course I do offer
>to sell them RAM etc, as a matter of fact I have sold customers RAM and
>the difference in the speed boost has saved them in labor cost ...

So, a slower pc requires more of a charge? Are you actually charging them
for scantimes too? Or the job itself?

> Seriously my favorite customer is the one with a $3000.00 computer
> where everything goes really quick,(I can book more customers that
> way) Clark...
> WCFP

I dunno man, I don't think I'd want you touching my things... 90 minutes
for a trojan...


--
Regards,
Dustin Cook, Author of BugHunter
BugHunter - http://bughunter.it-mate.co.uk
MalwareBytes - http://www.malwarebytes.org

[Dustin Cook]

"Clark" <Clark_throwaway@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:%EUsk.19942$9u1.9114@newsfe09.iad:

> Dustin Cook wrote:
>> "Clark" <Clark_throwaway@yahoo.com> wrote in
>> news:rZTrk.13097$Is1.11858@newsfe04.iad:
>>
>>> siljaline wrote:
>>>> The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008
>>>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08...omy_of_a_hack/
>>>>
>>>> Silj
>>>
>>> I love XP Antivirus 2008, This thing is everywhere, I have been
>>> getting calls to remove it two three a day on a good week.
>>> Well it is good for me but bad for my customers, I did not read the
>>> whole article but, this thing comes in a few variations.
>>> some are easy and just are removed with a scan in safe mode, others,
>>> disable regedit, task manager, system restore, Windows update and
>>> control panel. The latter is usually a 90 min removal, but only
>>> because most of my customers have sub $800.00 PC's and they tend to
>>> be slow. I charge $60.00 an hour, (around here that is almost half
>>> the charge of the other local computer repair shops..
>>> It is very easy to get infected with this one...
>>> Clark...
>>> WCFP.
>>
>> 90 minute removal? Malwarebytes AntiMalware can cut that down for
>> you. Of course, you wouldn't be able to exploit people so easily
>> then...
>
> OH by the way thanks for accusing me of exploiting my customers, no
> wonder folks don't like you...

Heh, some folks don't like me due to my past activities; and if it took
you 90 minutes to deal with a trojan, You'd really be screwed and out of
your league dealing with ANY of my former work.

And yes, As far as I'm concerned; and by your own post, You are
exploiting people. Personal Attacks aside. You remind me of one of those
punk ass college educated doesn't know a ****ing thing outside the
classroom technician that I once had to train to reload windows without
formatting the ****ing hard disk....

Seriously dude, if a trojan can beat you, your in the wrong field.


--
Regards,
Dustin Cook, Author of BugHunter
BugHunter - http://bughunter.it-mate.co.uk
MalwareBytes - http://www.malwarebytes.org