Solved Browser Hijacker still present after completing MalwareTips removal guide

[mupaco007]

First time posting to this forum, so I'm just going to copy/paste from the questions above to summarize the problem:

Based on browser history, Dec. 4 is the first day the virus hit. Symptoms are that after clicking legit links in both IE and Chrome, the browser redirects to random sites unrelated to any of the site content. When the browser redirects, the URLs "find-all-you-want.com", "search.beesq.net", or "rd-direct.com" are seen before being redirected to the random site. The redirect always seems to happen when clicking on a legit link on any site (including malwaretips.com), but it only happens every 5-10 clicks.

To give the full backstory, we first saw this behavior while we were in the middle of a separate malware removal process due to a Cryptowall / Poweliks infection we got in Novemeber. That process is now complete (worked with Quads from qmalwareremoval.freeforums.net), but the browser hijacker still remains. Before creating this post, I completed all steps in the "Remove BeesQ.net redirect (Virus Removal Guide)" post (http://malwaretips.com/blogs/beesq-net-removal/), but the symptoms remain. We also have Webroot Secure Anywhere antivirus installed (admittedly AFTER the Cryptowall/Poweliks debacle) as well as the free version of MalwareBytes AntiMalware.

The scan logs for FRST, AdwCleaner, and aswMBR are attached to this post. Thank you in advance for your help with this browser hijacker virus!

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Hello,



They call me TwinHeadedEagle around here, and I'll be working with you.



Before we start please read and note the following:

• At the top of your post, please click on the "Watch thread" button and make sure to check Watch this thread...and receive email notifications. This will send an email to you as soon as I reply to your topic, allowing me to solve your problem faster.
• Please do not install any new software during the cleaning process other than the tools I provide for you. This can hinder the cleaning process. Please do not perform System Restore or any other restore.
• Instructions I give to you are very simple and made for complete beginner to follow. That's why you need to read through my instructions carefully and completely before executing them.
• Please do not run any tools other than the ones I ask you to, when I ask you to. Some of these tools can be very dangerous if used improperly. Also, if you use a tool that I have not requested you use, it can cause false positives, thereby delaying the complete cleaning of your machine.
  
• All tools we use here are completely clean and do not contain any malware. If your antivirus detects them as malicious, please disable your antivirus and then continue.
• If during the process you run across anything that is not in my instructions, please stop and ask. If any tool is running too much time (few hours), please stop and inform me.
• I visit forum several times at day, making sure to respond to everyone's topic as fast as possible. But bear in mind that I have private life like everyone and I cannot be here 24/7. So please be patient with me. Also, some infections require less, and some more time to be removed completely, so bear this in mind and be patient.
• Please stay with me until the end of all steps and procedures and I declare your system clean. Just because there is a lack of symptoms does not indicate a clean machine. If you solved your problem yourself, set aside two minutes to let me know.
  
• Please attach all report using
  
  button below. Doing this, you make it easier for me to analyze and fix your problem.
  
• Do not ask for help for your business PC. Companies are making revenue via computers, so it is good thing to pay someone to repair it.
• If I don't hear from you within 3 days from this initial or any subsequent post, then this thread will be closed.

Scan with ZOEK

Please download ZOEK by Smeenk and save it to your desktop (preferred version is the *.exe one)
Temporary disable your AntiVirus and AntiSpyware protection - instructions here.

• Right-click on
  
  icon and select
  
  Run as Administrator to start the tool.
• Wait patiently until the main console will appear, it may take a minute or two.
• In the main box please paste in the following script:
  

  createsrpoint;
  autoclean;
  emptyalltemp;
  ipconfig /flushdns;b

• Make sure that Scan All Users option is checked.
• Push Run Script and wait patiently. The scan may take a couple of minutes.
• When the scan completes, a zoek-results logfile should open in notepad.
• If a reboot is needed, it will be opened after it. You may also find it at your main drive (usually C:\ drive)

Post its content into your next reply.

 

[mupaco007]

TwinHeadedEagle - thanks for the quick reply! I've attached the "zoek_results" log to this post.

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Very good. Any progress?

Scan with Farbar Recovery Scan Tool

Please re-run Farbar Recovery Scan Tool to give me a fresh look at your system.

• Right-click on
  
  icon and select
  
  Run as Administrator to start the tool.
  (XP users click run after receipt of Windows Security Warning - Open File).
• Make sure that Addition option is checked.
• Press Scan button and wait.
• The tool will produce two logfiles on your desktop: FRST.txt and Addition.txt.

Please include their content into your next reply.

 

[mupaco007]

Unfortunately, no - I actually got redirected when clicking on the thread to look at your reply! Here are the new FRST logs.

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Can you try to restore your router to factory settings?

 

[mupaco007]

Done - still redirected after a couple tries though.

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Scan with TDSSKiller

Please download TDSSKiller by Kaspersky and save it to your desktop.

• Right-click on
  
  icon and select
  
  Run as Administrator to start the tool.
• Click on Change parameters and put a checkmark beside Loaded modules. A reboot will be needed to apply the changes, allow it to do so.
• Your machine may appear very slow and unusable after that - it's normal.
• TDSSKiller will run automaticaly. Click on Change parameters and click OK.
• Click the Start Scan button and wait patiently.

If anything will be found follow this guidelines:

• If a suspicious object is detected, the default action will be Skip, click on Continue.
• If malicious objects are found, they will show in the Scan results - Select action for found objects and offer three options.
  Ensure Cure (default) is selected, then click Continue > Reboot now to finish the cleaning process.
  If Cure is not available, please choose Skip instead.
• Do not choose Delete unless instructed!

A report will be created in your root directory, (usually C:\ drive) in the form of TDSSKiller.[Version]_[Date]_[Time]_log.txt. Please include the contents of that file in your next post.

Scan with Farbar Recovery Scan Tool

Please re-run Farbar Recovery Scan Tool to give me a fresh look at your system.

• Right-click on
  
  icon and select
  
  Run as Administrator to start the tool.
  (XP users click run after receipt of Windows Security Warning - Open File).
• Make sure that Addition option is checked.
• Press Scan button and wait.
• The tool will produce two logfiles on your desktop: FRST.txt and Addition.txt.

Please include their content into your next reply.

 

[mupaco007]

I ran TDSKiller with the loaded module option checked - but no threats were founds. I also ran FRST again (logs attached).

Also, here is a screen shot of my Chrome history just to reinforce what I'm seeing.

 

[mupaco007]

** Bumping this post since my last one didn't take it to the top of the queue for some reason **

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

How is the situation now?

 

[mupaco007]

Still redirecting (since TDSKiller found no threats, I guess this is expected).

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Fix with AdwCleaner

Please download AdwCleaner by Xplode and save the file to your Desktop.

• Right-click on
  
  icon and select
  
  Run as Administrator to start the tool.
• Wait until the database is updated.
• Accept the Terms of use and click Scan.
• When finished, please click Clean.
• Upon completion, click Report. A log (AdwCleaner[S*].txt) will open.

Please include the contents of that file in your reply.

Note: Reports will be saved in your system partition, usually at C:\Adwcleaner

Scan with Farbar Recovery Scan Tool

Please re-run Farbar Recovery Scan Tool to give me a fresh look at your system.

• Right-click on
  
  icon and select
  
  Run as Administrator to start the tool.
  (XP users click run after receipt of Windows Security Warning - Open File).
• Make sure that Addition option is checked.
• Press Scan button and wait.
• The tool will produce two logfiles on your desktop: FRST.txt and Addition.txt.

Please include their content into your next reply.

 

[mupaco007]

The AdwCleaner scan completed, but during the Clean phase, the application became unresponsive (and is still unresponsive after 30 minutes - see screenshot below):



It did generated a log, so I attached that. I was also able to run the FRST scan afterwards, so I attached those as well.

As for the AdwCleaner (still unresponsive...) should I end the process? Or how should I handle that?

Also, we're still getting the browser redirects.

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

In which browser is it happening?

 

[mupaco007]

Both Chrome and Internet Explorer are redirecting.

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Can you make a picture how it looks like?

 

[mupaco007]

I'll do my best

I go to click a link on a page (any page)...


And after I click, I see a URL like "find-all-you-want.com" or "rd-direct.com" (couldn't capture that because it's too quick). Within less than a second, I am then on a page that I did not want to be at...


From the random site that I end up at, I click the back button, and then I end up at the original page I started from (in this case, the MalwareTips Malware Removal Assistance forum). Then when I click on the same link, everything is fine...


The Chrome history shows that a couple different sites are accessed after I click the first time...


The Internet Explorer history doesn't have the timestamps, but I pointed out the sites that were accessed after clicking a legit link on one of the other sites...



Also, the AdwCleaner application is still unresponsive (in the same state as the last screenshot I sent a couple hours ago). Should I end the process? It was in the "Clean" process, so I don't know what the implications could be.

Finally, even though I have the Webroot Antivirus turned off, it looks like it detected at least one threat...


Let me know if I should look into that or if we should just stick with the third-party scans for now.

Thanks for your help so far - I really appreciate it!

 

[TwinHeadedEagle]

Can you try to reinstall Chrome?

 

[mupaco007]

Done. After the installation, I was able to click on maybe 10 links without the symptoms, but eventually I got redirected again :-( When I type in the URLs, I've never been redirected....only when I click on a link within a site.