I chose the “delete” option (only available, in fact) and Avast said it needed to restart the computer with a boot-time scan. I let the boot-time scan run, but then I got the same “rootkit found” message. I did this three times and shut down my computer thinking it was infected.
Today I did (as usual) a quick scan first and then a full system scan… and got a “no threat found” message! Now I wonder if my computer has or doesn’t have a virus.
The only thing that makes me suspect it has one is my Yahoo toolbar. It’s a mess - with apps missing and some added.
I also scanned the Intel folder, but got another “no threat found” message, and visited virustotal.com, which gave a “probably harmless” message.
I got exactly the same message and did exactly the same as Andy did with exactly the same results. I spent 3 hours this morning trying to understand why this came up as a “serious” infection on the one side and then “no threat found” when you scan the “intel” folder directly.
By the way Andy, I do not use Yahoo at all, so it is not linked to that.
I think we need some Avast expertise to check this out.
Rene
You can use mail
send to virus@avast.com in a password protected zip file
mail subject: False Positive / undetected sample (select subject according to your case)
zip password: infected
@Renedes
Perhaps I expressed myself wrongly. I never thought there was a connection with Yahoo. You know when you ask yourself, how can I tell if my computer has a virus? As viruses can make changes without permission, and I found myself with a toolbar full of applications I didn’t select, chances are I have a virus (I thought.) BTW, did you notice something unusual in your computer?
@Pondus
Thanks for your answer. So no doubt it was a false positive??? The toolbar mess was just a coincidence? I freaked out for nothing? :o (I’m not complaining. Just would like to make sure it was a false positive.)
Anyway, there’s nothing in the virus chest because, as I said in my first post, the only available option was a “delete” one. The only record of the virus is in the scan log, clicking on “detailed report”.
I said Avast didn’t give me the option to move it into the virus chest. The file apparently was deleted, though I never got a “virus deleted” message, or something of the sort. That’s why I’m asking if there’s something else I can do. How can I be sure it was deleted if I didn’t get a message?
With me, this problem disappeared the same way it appeared… suddenly and traceless. Maybe the bootscan did solve the problem, but then without a clear indication. Maybe Avast was silently updated without letting us know. For the last couple of days I have had no warnings about this any more and everything seems to work properly. Happy.