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Jun 19, 2009 3:45 PM in response to Rawool Dukeby Klaus1,If you allow a Trojan to be installed, the user's DNS records can be modified, redirecting incoming internet traffic through the attacker's servers, where it can be hijacked and injected with malicious websites and pornographic advertisements. The trojan also installs a watchdog process that ensures the victim's (that's you!) DNS records stay modified on a minute-by-minute basis.
You can read more about how, for example, the OSX/DNSChanger Trojan works here:
http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/trojanosxdnschanger.shtml
SecureMac has introduced a free Trojan Detection Tool for Mac OS X. It's available here:
http://macscan.securemac.com/
The DNSChanger Removal Tool detects and removes spyware targeting Mac OS X and allows users to check to see if the trojan has been installed on their computer; if it has, the software helps to identify and remove the offending file. After a system reboot, the users' DNS records will be repaired.
(Note that a 30 day trial version of MacScan can be downloaded free of charge from:
http://macscan.securemac.com/buy/
and this can perform a complete scan of your entire hard disk. After 30 days the cost is $29.99. The full version permits you to scan selected files and folders only, as well as the entire hard disk. It will detect (and delete if you ask it to) all 'tracker cookies' that switch you to web sites you did not want to go to.) -
Jun 19, 2009 4:04 PM in response to Klaus1by Rawool Duke,I've tried this tool, unfortunately it doesn't solve the problem. The full scan (with upgraded definitions) reports no issues. -
Jun 19, 2009 4:13 PM in response to Rawool Dukeby Klaus1,Delete all cookies as well as URLs for the sites in question, i.e. the ones you are trying to get to and the ones you are redirected to.
Restart Safari. -
Jun 19, 2009 4:16 PM in response to Rawool Dukeby nerowolfe,What are your DNS?
Check both your computer and your router.
Find out what sites your "friend" visited and determine what malware they "offer"
Your console logs may be useful here.
Never never use your computer with an administrator account unless you are actually performing administration activity. Casual browsing does not fall into this category.
Never never let anyone use your account. Always create a standard account for other users or let them use the guest account. -
Jun 19, 2009 4:22 PM in response to Klaus1by Rawool Duke,Cleared all cookies in Firefox and Safari - does not seem to fix the problem.
FYI - the browser in question is Firefox, although Safari seems to be affected as well. -
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Jun 19, 2009 6:26 PM in response to Rawool Dukeby nerowolfe,Create a new user account and see if that one works properly. -
Jun 20, 2009 4:13 AM in response to nerowolfeby Rawool Duke,No, it doesn't work on the new user account either.
Ideas? -
Jun 20, 2009 4:17 AM in response to Rawool Dukeby HyperNova Software,No idea what you might do now other than an Archive and Install.
But in the future, use a non-admin account for guest access. -
Jun 20, 2009 5:42 AM in response to Rawool Dukeby Barney-15E,★HelpfulTry flushing the DNS cache. In Terminal, type this command:
If that doesn't work, check the hosts file. In the Finder, type cmdshiftg and enter /etc in the path.dscacheutil -flushcache
In that folder is a file called hosts. Open it with a text editor and make sure there is nothing else but:##
# Host Database
#
# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface
# when the system is booting. Do not change this entry.
##
127.0.0.1 localhost
255.255.255.255 broadcasthost
::1 localhost
fe80::1%lo0 localhost -
Jun 20, 2009 3:12 PM in response to Barney-15Eby Rawool Duke,The flush cache did not work, however, in my hosts I also have one random entry:
##
# Host Database
#
# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface
# when the system is booting. Do not change this entry.
##
127.0.0.1 localhost
255.255.255.255 broadcasthost
::1 localhost
fe80::1%lo0 localhost
127.0.0.1 activate.adobe.com
I checked the hosts earlier before I rebooted, and also noticed this activate.adobe.com. How do I remove this from hosts? -
Jun 20, 2009 5:42 PM in response to Rawool Dukeby Rawool Duke,Anybody, anybody, Bueller, Bueller...? -
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Jun 21, 2009 3:05 PM in response to Rawool Dukeby Barney-15E,You can use a text editor to edit the file; however as it is a system file, you need a text editor that can authenticate as an admin user. There are other ways to move the file, edit it, and then move it back.
However, I just use Bare Bones' TextWrangler. It's free and will let you Unlock the file for editing.
Regardless, that line just redirects the Adobe activation site back to your computer, thus causing it to fail to connect to the server. It is not the cause of your problems.