Hello all,

I've got a sticky problem here. My ISP shut off my internet access due to SPAM. It appears that one of my svchost.exe processes is sending out TONS of it! I've scanned my system with Computer Associates Antivirus and Trend Micro Internet Security Pro and they say everything is fine. Windows Defender (for what it's worth) says everything is fine as well.

I have blocked port 25 at my router so that my ISP would turn my internet back on, but now I'm having some problems cleaning it up. Here's a screenshot of it in action:



Notice it is using svchost.exe with a PID of 856.

Here's a screenshot of Process Explorer showing what is running with this svchost.exe.



I tried killing the process, it forces a reboot of the computer because Plug and Play has stopped. I changed the Plug and Play service to Restart instead of Reboot. If I kill the process now, it wants to reboot because the DCOM Server process has stopped. I am unable to change the recovery for this service to anything other than reboot the computer.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? Does anyone know how to get rid of it? I am officially stumped and am open to suggestions.

Thanks,
Marty Westra

If you're using Windows 2000/XP, please print out and follow the instructions for using SDFix in BC's self-help tutorial "How to use SDFix". This program is for Windows 2000/XP ONLY.
-- When using this tool, you must use the Administrator's account or an account with "Administrative rights"
-- Disconnect from the Internet and temporarily disable your anti-virus and any anti-malware real time protection before performing a scan.
When done, the SDFix report log will open in notepad and automatically be saved in the SDFix folder as Report.txt. Please copy and paste the contents of Report.txt in your next reply. Be sure to renable you anti-virus and and other security programs before connecting to the Internet.

Please download AVG Anti-Rootkit and save to your desktop

• Double click avgarkt-setup-1.1.0.42.exe to begin installation.
• Click Next to select the Normal interface.
• Accept the license and follow the prompts to install. (By default it will install to C:\Program Files\GRISOFT\AVG Anti-Rootkit)
• You will be asked to reboot to finish the installation so click "Finish".
• After rebooting, double-click the icon for AVG Anti-Rootkit on your desktop.
• You will see a window with three buttons at the bottom.
• Click "Search For Rootkits" and the scan will begin.
• You will see the progress bar moving from left to right. The scan will take some so be patient and let it finish.
• When the scan has finished, if anything was found, click "Remove selected items"
• If nothing is found, a message will appear "Congratulations! There were no installed rootkits found on your computer."
• Click close, then select "Perform in-depth Search".
• When the scan has finished, if anything is found, click "Remove selected items"
• Again, if nothing was found, you will see the message "Congratulations! There were no installed rootkits found on your computer."
• Exit AVG ARK.

Note: Before performing a scan it is recommended to do the following to ensure more accurate results and avoid common issues that may cause false detections.

• Disconnect from the Internet or physically unplug you Internet cable connection.
• Close all open programs, scheduling/updating tasks and background processes that might activate during the scan including the screensaver.
• Temporarily disable your anti-virus and real-time anti-spyware protection. (Re-enable when done)
• After starting the scan, DO NOT not use the computer until the scan has completed.

Thanks for the reply.

This is a Vista Business machine, so I did not run SDFix.

I did install and run the AVG Anti-Rootkit program. It came up with 1 file. C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\a8uelrxs.SYS as a hidden driver file. I chose to remove the file, it asked me to reboot. Upon rebooting, it popped up a box saying that the file has been successfully removed.

I re-ran the AVG Anti-Rootkit software again. This time I came up with C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\afgaxvnl.SYS.

I checked the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers directory and can not find either of the files it comes up with and unfortunately, the computer is still trying to send out spam. I also searched the registry for the filename as well and came up empty.

I'm assuming some other program is creating this random file at bootup.

Any suggestions on how to clean this up?

Thanks,
Marty Westra

This infection will require further investigation and probably the use of more powerful tools than we recommend in this forum. Before that can be done you will need you to create and post a hijackthis log.

Please read the pinned topic titled "Preparation Guide For Use Before Posting A Hijackthis Log" and complete all the steps. There are instructions for downloading and running Deckard's System Scanner (DSS) which will create a hijackthis log for you, or automatically download and install the most current version of HijackThis if it's not already installed on your computer.

When you have done that, post your log in the HijackThis Logs and Malware Removal forum, NOT here, for assistance by the HJT Team Experts. A member of the Team will walk you through, step by step, on how to clean your computer. If you post your log back in this thread, the response from the HJT Team will be delayed because your post will have to be moved. This means it will fall in line behind any others posted that same day.

Start a new topic, give it a relevant title and post your log along with a brief description of your problem, a summary of any anti-malware tools you have used and a summary of any steps that you have performed on your own. An expert will analyze your log and reply with instructions advising you what to fix. After doing this, we would appreciate if you post a link to your log back here so we know that your getting help from the HJT Team.

Please be patient. It may take a while to get a response because the HJT Team members are very busy working logs posted before yours. They are volunteers who will help you out as soon as possible. Once you have made your post and are waiting, please DO NOT "bump" your post or make another reply until it has been responded to by a member of the HJT Team. Generally the staff checks the forum for postings that have 0 replies as this makes it easier for them to identify those who have not been helped. If you post another response there will be 1 reply. A team member, looking for a new log to work may assume another HJT Team member is already assisting you and not open the thread to respond.