Sorry for the long post, but I want to be as detailed as possible.
Last week I was browsing Yahoo! News with Google Chrome on Windows 10, when the article redirected to a red screen. I tried to close Chrome but it wouldn’t close and at the bottom of the screen, I could see the flashing green ‘progress display’ indicating it was download something.
I had a USB flash drive plugged in at the time. I tried clicking on the “Safely Remove” icon in the task tray, but I couldn’t eject it.
I panicked and unplugged my computer to shut it down.
When I plugged it back in and started it up, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual. I cleared all the cookies, and deleted a strange numbered file (icon was a blank page, so I think it was incomplete) in the Downloads folder. I then ran a full system scan and a custom scan of the USB flash drive using Windows Defender. Both scans detected no threats, and I still haven’t had any problems yet.
I have another computer, a Windows XP, which has Avast Free Antivirus. I’d like to use the USB flash drive there, but I don’t know if it is safe to use (what if Windows Defender failed to detect a threat).
Should I plug the flash drive into the Windows XP and have Avast scan it or is this too big a risk?
Also, how good is Avast at detecting threats on a USB flash drive?
Also, how good is Avast at detecting threats on a USB flash drive?
Just as good/bad as other AV
No security program have 100% detection or zero false positives
Recomended: MCShield >> http://www.mcshield.net/
a FREE special tool that target malware that jump disk
program is install and forget, when a USB storage device is plugged in it is autoscanned
I’ve never heard of MCShield before. I checked out the website and it looks useful. I just have a few questions about it.
Does MCShield have any problems running with Avast Free Antivirus?
If I ever need to remove it, can MCShield be easily uninstalled? If so, how?
What are MCShield’s system requirements?
Does MCShield only work when I plug something into the USB port or does it constantly scan the computer? If so, does it cause the computer to slow down (especially on an old computer like a Windows XP?
According a forum poll I found (https://malwaretips.com/threads/mcshield-any-good.69581/), it seems some users were divided on how effective it is. If it hasn’t been updated since 2014, would it be able to defend against more recent forms of malware?
NO problem, and mcshield is not a antivirus, it ONLY target those malware types that jump disk
It is also used by this forums malware removal team, you find it listed at the bottom of the guide
scroll down to SPECIFIC INFECTIONS LOGS >> https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=194892.0
Yes, it is listed in installed programs and can be uninstalled the normal way
MCShield is sleeping, when you plug in a USB storage device it wake up and scan (clean if it find anything) and goes back to sleep
Latest program update was in 2014, latest signature was in 2016
MCShield work by behavior, there are only so many tricks malware can use to jump disk and all are known
The few signatures it containe are for avoiding false positives
This forum section (Viruses and worms) are full of cases where mcshield has been used with success cleaning computers and USB devices
If I ever run into a similar problem where Chrome can’t be closed and I see it has started downloading a file, does pulling out the power cord actually do anything to stop the download / infection?
So far there hasn’t been any strange activity on the Windows 10 and Windows Defender scans have detected no threats, but I’m guessing I probably didn’t handle the situation the right way.
I’d pull the power/disconnect [to] the router first and then do a force shutdown by holding the power button down on the computer, if needed. You’ll need to depress the button for about 10 seconds or so. Wait 30 seconds or so before turning it back on and hold your breath for a bit.
Reason for a forced shutdown is the downloading file is in memory and restarting will corrupt it.
I’m not very tech savvy. If I understand you correctly, I should always disconnect the router before holding the power button to force a shut down.
Did I do any harm to my computer by yanking out the power cord?
Also, will pulling the power cord stop the download of malware / viruses? I think I managed to interrupt the download from the red screen redirect, and if Windows Defender is correct, it didn’t leave any traces.
winXP and up