Protect against AIM viruses?

[essential]

I have a friend who is constantly getting those AIM viruses. Everytime he gets one I have to take his machine and clean it out. He has Norton Anti-Virus 2005, and Webroot Spy Sweeper, but those AIM viruses still get on his machine. Are there any programs that specifically protect against AIM viruses? Anything I can put on his machine to help protect him?

Thanks.

 

[MrDudeMan]

norton 2k5 protects against viruses on aim, yahoo, and msn.

 

[mb]

I think some viruses can actually prevent a virus scanner from detecting it and/or future viruses. Perhaps he needs to reinstall Norton.
What he really should do is stop using AIM - there are plenty of free alternatives.

 

[MrDudeMan]

tell him to disable messages from people not on his buddy list first of all. that gets rid of those pesky "come watch me and my roommate give each other a rim-job" messages. ive never heard of getting a virus over aim. how does that work? that might be how i got the one a few days...i installed norton and it got it immediately and hasnt happened since.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
tell him to disable messages from people not on his buddy list first of all. that gets rid of those pesky "come watch me and my roommate give each other a rim-job" messages. ive never heard of getting a virus over aim. how does that work? that might be how i got the one a few days...i installed norton and it got it immediately and hasnt happened since.

Actually the aim virus speads to everyone on your buddy list. Even if you block people your buddies can still infect you if you are gullible enough to click the link, download the file, and then execute it.

 

[essential]

Yea, well he got it once ... and after I cleaned the machine I told him never to click on those links he gets through IMs. He claims this time someone IMed him with the buddy list virus, he says he didn't click it this time, just exed out the IM, and still got it, and it now sent it to everyone on his buddy list. I'll prob do what was suggested, uninstall Norton, reinstall, and then do a safe mode scan, see what comes up. I don't know how these get by Norton ... I put Norton on after a fresh format of that machine, so he should have been protected, but I guess these buddy list viruses aren't classified as viruses, cause others I know who have Norton on college campuses have got them as well.

 

[mechBgon]

Limited-user account ought to help. Also, may I suggest an antivirus product that updates more than once per week? Such as... oh... Kaspersky, with 24 updates per day?

Configuration is important too, max out the detection on both the real-time and on-access scanners, whatever you use. And enable any auxiliary detections (Extended Database options in Kaspersky's "Threats & Exclusions" panel, "Expanded Threats" for Norton, "Potentially-Unwanted Programs" for McAfee).

 

[John]

Originally posted by: essential
He claims this time someone IMed him with the buddy list virus, he says he didn't click it this time, just exed out the IM, and still got it, and it now sent it to everyone on his buddy list.

He's not telling you the whole story, or his pc was still infected. You can't get the virus by receiving the IM and then closing the window.

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: essential
He claims this time someone IMed him with the buddy list virus, he says he didn't click it this time, just exed out the IM, and still got it, and it now sent it to everyone on his buddy list.

He's not telling you the whole story, or his pc was still infected. You can't get the virus by receiving the IM and then closing the window.

That's what I was thinking.. and according to CNET even the latest tricky incarnation still requires the user to follow a link.

best advice: don't use AIM. I don't and seem to get along just fine..
2nd best advice: don't follow any links before you confirm independently w/ the sender that their message is actually legit.

 

[MrDudeMan]

telling someone to stop using a chat program is stupid and just plain bad advice. i use aim to talk to my friends and my family and so does pretty much everyone i know. your opinion is pretty much worthless if you have to claim it is better.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: John

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
tell him to disable messages from people not on his buddy list first of all. that gets rid of those pesky "come watch me and my roommate give each other a rim-job" messages. ive never heard of getting a virus over aim. how does that work? that might be how i got the one a few days...i installed norton and it got it immediately and hasnt happened since.

Actually the aim virus speads to everyone on your buddy list. Even if you block people your buddies can still infect you if you are gullible enough to click the link, download the file, and then execute it.

oh, then i didnt get it from aim. that is pretty stupid to even click one of those links lol.

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
telling someone to stop using a chat program is stupid and just plain bad advice. i use aim to talk to my friends and my family and so does pretty much everyone i know. your opinion is pretty much worthless if you have to claim it is better.

holy crap. you are one thin-skinned individual. you seem to get your wittle feewings hurt at least once a week around here. - so lemme get this straight.. first off, "AIM" is the only IM app that should be used for chat and further, advising a user (who came here asking for advice in the first place!) to avoid the behavior/specific application that can certainly be detrimental to their PCs health is "stupid and just plain bad advice"? not sure how that qualifies as "stupid" and/or "bad advice" (save for BizzaroWorld anyway) but "thanks" for that stroke-of-genius.

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
telling someone to stop using a chat program is stupid and just plain bad advice. i use aim to talk to my friends and my family and so does pretty much everyone i know. your opinion is pretty much worthless if you have to claim it is better.

Wow, retard, he doesn't have to give up chatting, he just shouldn't use AOL Instant Messenger. There are other free alternatives (GAIM, Trillian, etc) out there that are 100% compatable and will let him chat with the same (or more) people that he did before.

 

[hans030390]

He needs to run Antivir, spybot, ad-aware, spysweeper, microsoft anti-spyware, and some online virus scanner (and etc etc) to make sure its gone. also, check the startup items in msconfig, some viruses are in there, so you can turn them off.

Yeah...fun stuff cleaning out viruses.

 

[Vertimus]

Don't use the AOL client, use a different one, like trillian, miranda, gaim, etc

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: ValuedCustomer

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
telling someone to stop using a chat program is stupid and just plain bad advice. i use aim to talk to my friends and my family and so does pretty much everyone i know. your opinion is pretty much worthless if you have to claim it is better.

holy crap. you are one thin-skinned individual. you seem to get your wittle feewings hurt at least once a week around here. - so lemme get this straight.. first off, "AIM" is the only IM app that should be used for chat and further, advising a user (who came here asking for advice in the first place!) to avoid the behavior/specific application that can certainly be detrimental to their PCs health is "stupid and just plain bad advice"? not sure how that qualifies as "stupid" and/or "bad advice" (save for BizzaroWorld anyway) but "thanks" for that stroke-of-genius.

dude ive never even seen your name before. get lost.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: supafly

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
telling someone to stop using a chat program is stupid and just plain bad advice. i use aim to talk to my friends and my family and so does pretty much everyone i know. your opinion is pretty much worthless if you have to claim it is better.

Wow, retard, he doesn't have to give up chatting, he just shouldn't use AOL Instant Messenger. There are other free alternatives (GAIM, Trillian, etc) out there that are 100% compatable and will let him chat with the same (or more) people that he did before.

:roll: thanks captain obvious

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th

Originally posted by: supafly

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
telling someone to stop using a chat program is stupid and just plain bad advice. i use aim to talk to my friends and my family and so does pretty much everyone i know. your opinion is pretty much worthless if you have to claim it is better.

Wow, retard, he doesn't have to give up chatting, he just shouldn't use AOL Instant Messenger. There are other free alternatives (GAIM, Trillian, etc) out there that are 100% compatable and will let him chat with the same (or more) people that he did before.

:roll: thanks captain obvious

You're the one who seems to think if he stop using AIM he won't be able to chat online anymore :roll: