Database update problem

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Computer:

ASUS P4S533 with 1.6 GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512 MB RAM Nvidia GeForce4MX 440 display adapter, Win XP/Pro SP3, Avast 4.8.1229, and Spybot S & D 1.5.2.

Cannot update database from this computer. Error message is something like “cannot connect…” In fact, cannot connect to any antivirus website or Windows Update website. Tried to connect to a variety of antivirus websites from a Google search and also got the “cannot connect” message or ended up (randomly?) redirected to some other web site.

Tried to ping the Avast (and other) web site(s) from the command line of this computer and got: 127.0.0.1.

Searched this forum, but didn’t find this problem description, although did find other database update problems.

Any ideas on how to fix this problem?

2

Welcome twriterext

It sounds like an antivirus2008/2009 infection that is becoming quite tricky to remove.

You may have to go to an un-infected system and download SDFIX.EXE and put it on a CD or Flash card:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic131299.html

3

General cleaning procedures will be:

  1. Clean your temporary files.
  2. Schedule a boot time scanning with avast with archive scanning turned on. If avast does not detect it, you can try DrWeb CureIT! instead.
  3. Use SUPERantispyware, MBAM or Spyware Terminator to scan for spywares and trojans. If any infection is detected, better and safer is send the file to Quarantine than to simple delete than.
  4. Test your machine with anti-rootkit applications. I suggest avast! antirootkit or Trend Micro RootkitBuster.
  5. Make a HijackThis log to post here or this analysis site. Or even submit the RunScanner log to to on-line analysis.
  6. Disable System Restore and then reenable it again.
  7. Immunize your system with SpywareBlaster.
  8. Check if you have insecure applications with Secunia Software Inspector.
4

Thanks for your responses.

The Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware program was suggested to me, and I used it. It works. It found an assortment of 10 Trojans and Rootkits and removed them. Once removed, the web site access problem was fixed, along with other problems.

I had to download the Malwarebytes program to a different computer and then transfer it to the infected computer using a flash drive.

The Malwarebytes program is easy to use–much easier, I think, than SDFIx, as there is no issue of running in Safe mode or running from an external drive.

If you are interested, the Malwarebytes program can be downloaded from http://www.majorgeeks.com/Malwarebytes_Anti-Malware_d5756.html

5

Thanks for reporting back.
Indeed MBAM is doing a very good job :wink: