[Caffeine_Powered]

I'm at my sisters house.
She called me over because the computer set it's own password to her username (the only one).
I figured, no problem I'll boot into safe mode and go through the administrator and fix it. But that had a password on it as well.
Now i'm the only one who does any "tech" work to this computer, and I know i didn't set the admin password.

I know G2G's policy on asking about Password recovery, which is why i'm not asking how to fix that (I'm doing it on my own with a bit of my own research).

What I want to know is, when i finally get in what am I looking at??

I unhooked it from the internet immediately on the off chance it is a hacker (unlikely i think but very possible).

But any ideas?

She said something about AntiVirus 09' but even supposing she had that I don't think that password reset is a symptom, is it?

*Sry for any grammar mistakes, doing 3 things at once *

[Advertisements]

The computer is most probably infected by malware. Use the link in my list below and repost in the malware forum.

[The Skeptic]

The computer is most probably infected by malware. Use the link in my list below and repost in the malware forum.

[Caffeine_Powered]

The computer is most probably infected by malware. Use the link in my list below and repost in the malware forum.

Thanks for the response you didn't provide a link, but i'm familiar with the forum you speak of....

If anybody else has anything to add i'm all ears. When i get in i'll check for malware.

[Major Payne]

Best advice to date is The Skeptic's, but I'm curious as to why you couldn't reset PW in Safe Mode. Sure that was the basic Admin account?

Additional Info

Edited by Major Payne, 16 February 2009 - 05:26 PM.

[Caffeine_Powered]

Best advice to date is The Skeptic's, but I'm curious as to why you couldn't reset PW in Safe Mode. Sure that was the basic Admin account?

Additional Info

None of the password crackers I tried worked :/ - Again to re-itterate i'm not asking for help with cracking the password just saying I tried it on my own in accordance with the TOU.

For your basic Admin account, I believe I did try to access the basic Admin account in safe mode, but there was a password slapped on it. I have no idea why.

Just to make sure it was the basic admin account i tried the stuff in your link, and no go. Whatever put this password up it did it well because I'm near out of ideas.
Even the Password Crackers i used came up "password not found".
It's really off the wall.

The only thing I can think of doing, besides a format, would be to partition the HDD and put windows (Windows 7 beta maybe) and see if there's any malware in there. Ya know like scan the other partition.

As for the malware forum, i'm not sure how they'd be able to help considering I'm more or less blocked out of Windows Explorer.

I'm gunna boot into Ubuntu (live cd) and see if i can dig something up.

Edited by Caffeine_Powered, 16 February 2009 - 06:14 PM.

[Caffeine_Powered]

I'm gunna tinker around in the system recovery partition see if that helps any.

[The Skeptic]

AntiVir2009 is known to be malware. The link is in my list of programs below. I don't see much point in repairing a system before removing tje malware which almost surely crippled it in the first place.

[Caffeine_Powered]

AntiVir2009 is known to be malware. The link is in my list of programs below. I don't see much point in repairing a system before removing tje malware which almost surely crippled it in the first place.

No she mentioned something about AntiVirus 2009...not necessarily having it but a pop up or something..

Anyway It was getting late so I did a system recovery on her computer (HP partition) which kept everything intact and gave me access to the computer - removed all the passwords.

I ran some programs and the only thing that came up was a few trojans and adware.minibug (i believe it was called)...I got rid of it, and everything seems to be fine. I'm gunna go back and do a more thorough check, but she has to update all her antivirus (the system recovery wiped alot of it out - Like she has Norton2006 instead of 360 2.0). I put Avast! on her comp and left her to use it.

I don't think she had AntiVirus 2009 to begin with but the other thing I think you fail to realize is I was entirely cut off from the computer at the time. I couldn't get into Windows Explorer at all, everything Idid had to be from boot anyway. So my prime concern was getting into the computer.

Still completely lost on what the heck was wrong. I've never heard of anything changing passwords that well (can't be cracked at all). I changed all her network stuff in case it was an outside hacker.

Edited by Caffeine_Powered, 18 February 2009 - 02:10 AM.

[Major Payne]

Sure sounds like you are on the right track, but you might run a post by the Malware Section and see what they can find. They're very good at this so it's worth the effort.