What is Adobe Flash TSS?
The Malwarebytes research team has determined that Adobe Flash TSS is a Tech Support Scam. These so-called "Tech Support Scammers" try to trick you into calling their phone number for various reasons, all of which turn out to be fraudulent in the end.
How do I know if my computer is affected by Adobe Flash TSS?
You will see this screen as soon as the executable is run:
and this screen if you click on the highlight part of the blue bar, marked "Security":
How did Adobe Flash TSS get on my computer?
Tech Support Scammers use different methods for distributing themselves. This particular one was offered as an installer for Adobe Player.
How do I remove Adobe Flash TSS?
Our program Malwarebytes Anti-Malware can detect and remove this potentially unwanted application, but due to the nature of the infection thiks will require a few extra steps.
- When confronted with the lockscreen shown above, use the key combination Ctrl-Alt-Del
- From the menu choose "Task Manager".
- In Taskmanager select the process called "Adobe Flash Player" with the description "Shell".
- Click on "End Process" to stop the screenlocker.
- When you return to the desktop, you may see this site open in your default browser:
- Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to your desktop.
- Double-click mbam-setup-{version}.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
- At the end, be sure a check-mark is placed next to:
Launch Malwarebytes Anti-Malware - Then click Finish.
- Once the program has loaded, select Scan Now. Or select the Threat Scan from the Scan menu.
- If an update is available, it will be implemented before the rest of the scanning procedure.
- When the scan is complete, make sure that all Threats are selected, and click Remove Selected.
- Restart your computer when prompted to do so.
- No, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware removes Adobe Flash TSS completely.
We hope our application and this guide have helped you eradicate this hijacker.
As you can see below the full version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware would have protected you against the Tech Supprt Scam.
Technical details for experts
You may see these entries in FRST logs:
HKCU\...\Winlogon: [Shell] C:\Users\{username}\Desktop\Adobe Flash Player.exe [354816 2016-10-27] () <==== ATTENTION () C:\Users\{username}\Desktop\Adobe Flash Player.exeAlterations made by the installer:
Registry details [View: All details] (Selection) ------------------------------------------------ [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon] "Shell"="REG_SZ", "C:\Users\{username}\Desktop\Adobe Flash Player.exe"Malwarebytes Anti-Malware log:
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware www.malwarebytes.org Scan Date: 10/27/2016 Scan Time: 12:17 PM Logfile: mbamAdobeTSS.txt Administrator: Yes Version: 2.2.1.1043 Malware Database: v2016.10.27.04 Rootkit Database: v2016.09.26.02 License: Premium Malware Protection: Disabled Malicious Website Protection: Enabled Self-protection: Enabled OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 CPU: x64 File System: NTFS User: {username} Scan Type: Threat Scan Result: Completed Objects Scanned: 326781 Time Elapsed: 9 min, 48 sec Memory: Enabled Startup: Enabled Filesystem: Enabled Archives: Enabled Rootkits: Enabled Heuristics: Enabled PUP: Enabled PUM: Enabled Processes: 1 Rogue.TechSupportScam, C:\Users\{username}\Desktop\Adobe Flash Player.exe, 880, Delete-on-Reboot, [78b8841a7e1c5bdba839f92506ffc53b] Modules: 0 (No malicious items detected) Registry Keys: 0 (No malicious items detected) Registry Values: 1 Trojan.TechSupportScam, HKCU\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS NT\CURRENTVERSION\WINLOGON|Shell, C:\Users\{username}\Desktop\Adobe Flash Player.exe, Quarantined, [cd63d9c55941ca6c00c763b15da83cc4] Registry Data: 0 (No malicious items detected) Folders: 0 (No malicious items detected) Files: 1 Rogue.TechSupportScam, C:\Users\{username}\Desktop\Adobe Flash Player.exe, Delete-on-Reboot, [78b8841a7e1c5bdba839f92506ffc53b], Physical Sectors: 0 (No malicious items detected) (end)As mentioned before the full version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware could have protected your computer against this threat.
We use different ways of protecting your computer(s):
- Dynamically Blocks Malware Sites & Servers
- Malware Execution Prevention