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View Full Version : IEXPLORE.exe Troubles


Zakling
02-23-2008, 10:06 AM
I have had some issues with my PC recently that started with the task manager being disabled (ctrl+alt+del simply gives the message: "Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator") and an audio clip being played randomly (it was like a radio advert). As soon as the audio clip played, I figured something was up so I disabled my internet connection and set Spybot S&D and AVG to work. They both found some spyware/malware entries (may or may not have been related, didn't save the logs), which were removed.

Upon reboot with restored internet access, I was able to access the task manager again, but another audio clip played. Again, I disabled the internet connection and this time took a look at the running processes; I notced IEXPLORE.exe was running and using ~50,000K memory, but I don't use Internet Explorer and it wasn't running at the time either.

I ended the process and installed ZoneAlarm so I could restrict in/outgoing connections and perhaps follow the IEXPLORE.exe process to it's source, but after another reboot instead of recieving any alerts mentioning IEXPLORE.exe was trying to connect, I noticed the process started and stopped itself several times after startup (it would appear and disappear in the processes window), then eventually it would stop altogether. This has continued to happen after each reboot, leading me to believe it is contained but not yet removed.

Any help to get rid of this once and for all would be appreciated.

Here is my HJT log:

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.0 (BETA)
Scan saved at 13:41:05, on 23/02/2008
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
Boot mode: Normal

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\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgwdsvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgam.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\PnkBstrA.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgrsx.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgnsx.exe
C:\WINDOWS\SOUNDMAN.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\taskmgr.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgtray.exe
C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgemc.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
C:\Program Files\mIRC\mIRC - English.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\Dave\Desktop\HiJackThis_v2.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\NOTEPAD.EXE

O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: BitComet ClickCapture - {39F7E362-828A-4B5A-BCAF-5B79BFDFEA60} - C:\Program Files\BitComet\tools\BitCometBHO_1.1.11.30.dll
O2 - BHO: WormRadar.com IESiteBlocker.NavFilter - {3CA2F312-6F6E-4B53-A66E-4E65E497C8C0} - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgssie.dll
O2 - BHO: Spybot-S&D IE Protection - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {7E853D72-626A-48EC-A868-BA8D5E23E045} - (no file)
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMan] SOUNDMAN.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [amd_dc_opt] C:\Program Files\AMD\Dual-Core Optimizer\amd_dc_opt.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG8_TRAY] C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ZoneAlarm Client] "C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe"
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {DFB852A3-47F8-48C4-A200-58CAB36FD2A2} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Spybot - Search & Destroy Configuration - {DFB852A3-47F8-48C4-A200-58CAB36FD2A2} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {17492023-C23A-453E-A040-C7C580BBF700} (Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool) - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=39204
O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - http://www.update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/v6/V5Controls/en/x86/client/wuweb_site.cab?1186316725125
O18 - Protocol: linkscanner - {F274614C-63F8-47D5-A4D1-FBDDE494F8D1} - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgpp.dll
O20 - AppInit_DLLs: avgrsstx.dll
O21 - SSODL: ComponentService - {159ebd67-4d5a-4c68-bf0a-ad28025fccde} - C:\WINDOWS\Installer\{159ebd67-4d5a-4c68-bf0a-ad28025fccde}\ComponentService.dll
O22 - SharedTaskScheduler: Browseui preloader - {438755C2-A8BA-11D1-B96B-00A0C90312E1} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\browseui.dll
O22 - SharedTaskScheduler: Component Categories cache daemon - {8C7461EF-2B13-11d2-BE35-3078302C2030} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\browseui.dll
O23 - Service: Adobe LM Service - Adobe Systems - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe Systems Shared\Service\Adobelmsvc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG8 E-mail Scanner (avg8emc) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgemc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG8 WatchDog (avg8wd) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgwdsvc.exe
O23 - Service: HP Port Resolver - Hewlett-Packard Company - C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\HPBPRO. EXE
O23 - Service: HP Status Server - Hewlett-Packard Company - C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\HPBOID. EXE
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\11\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: Pml Driver HPZ12 - HP - C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe
O23 - Service: PnkBstrA - Unknown owner - C:\WINDOWS\system32\PnkBstrA.exe
O23 - Service: Remote Packet Capture Protocol v.0 (experimental) (rpcapd) - CACE Technologies - C:\Program Files\WinPcap\rpcapd.exe
O23 - Service: TrueVector Internet Monitor (vsmon) - Zone Labs, LLC - C:\WINDOWS\system32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe

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End of file - 5151 bytes

Note: Just as I was about to finish up this post, IEXPLORE.exe has reappeared in the processes and ZoneAlarm has just told me winlogon.exe is attempting to connect to the internet. After denying the connection attempts the IEXPLORE.exe process stopped itself again.

classicsoftware
02-24-2008, 10:16 PM
Sorry for the delay in getting to you. It's my work weekend:

Please follow the instructions here (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix), and post a Combofix log and say how the system is running.