XP SecurityCenter virus

Hi, new poster here. My home computer was recently infected by the XP SecurityCenter virus, and I found BleepingComputer's guide to removing it. (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/xp-securitycenter) I will try these instructions when I get home from work today, but I have some concerns:

1) I know this program fakes being an anti-virus program to trick users into purchasing it. Is this all it does, or does it have any other effects? I'm particularly concerned about keyloggers, as I'm a World of Warcraft player and a few of my guildmates have had their accounts hacked recently.

2) Assuming everything goes ok according to the removal guide, can I safely assume the virus is gone and go about using my computer like normal? A friend who works in IT told me I should reformat my computer to be on the safe side, but I really don't want to erase all the stuff I currently have on my computer. (On the other hand, I also really don't want to risk having a keylogger or other malware on my computer.)

3) I had a usb drive in my computer when I noticed the virus. Should I assume the usb drive is now infected?

4) I use Avast as my anti-virus. Should I be using something else instead?

Thanks.

Hi, new poster here. My home computer was recently infected by the XP SecurityCenter virus, and I found BleepingComputer's guide to removing it. (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/xp-securitycenter) I will try these instructions when I get home from work today, but I have some concerns:

1) I know this program fakes being an anti-virus program to trick users into purchasing it. Is this all it does, or does it have any other effects? I'm particularly concerned about keyloggers, as I'm a World of Warcraft player and a few of my guildmates have had their accounts hacked recently.

2) Assuming everything goes ok according to the removal guide, can I safely assume the virus is gone and go about using my computer like normal? A friend who works in IT told me I should reformat my computer to be on the safe side, but I really don't want to erase all the stuff I currently have on my computer. (On the other hand, I also really don't want to risk having a keylogger or other malware on my computer.)

3) I had a usb drive in my computer when I noticed the virus. Should I assume the usb drive is now infected?

4) I use Avast as my anti-virus. Should I be using something else instead?

Thanks.

1. I haven't seen any keylogging, personally. MBAM or Avast! would detect it, I'd assume.

2. Yes, once MBAM and the other newish scanners are done, you should be okay.

3. Yes, scan it.

4. Avast is good, for a free AV.

I agree with the poster above, but I would like to add Microsoft has recently released Microsoft Security Essentials (Http://Microsoft.com/Security_Essentials) and it is FREE, it updates automatically, scans automatically, and won't pester you to buy a full-version.

**edited:corrected spelling error**

Edited by esde, 02 March 2010 - 01:28 PM.

Hello from the Guide
What this programs does:

XP SecurityCenter is a rogue anti-spyware program that displays fake results that can only be removed if you first purchase a license of the software. XP SecurityCenter is as much of a scam as a rogue program can be. First, it is advertised through the use of malware. Second, it displays fake alerts stating Windows has detected malware activity on your computer. Last, but not least, it actually creates fake malware files on your computer that are then detected by XP SecurityCenter as security threats. These files, with names consisting of gulozerela._sy, wopok.exe, and sibufub.dll are actually all fake. They are not malware at all and are actually not even legitimate programs. They are just created on your computer to scare you into purchasing the software.


Spo after you run the MBAM scan post the log as you may also have other infections that do other things,.