Survey? Is this official?

BookCat · 02-12-2014, 12:29 PM

After going over to youtube for a couple of hours, I came back to the MR tab which I'd kept open, clicked on the CP and was hit with something purporting to be an official MobileRead survey. Feeling highly suspicious, but with time to waste while waiting for cats to come in, I filled it in. The promise of goodies wasn't a draw, more curiousity. I was asked how often I logged onto MR, how long per day I spent on the internet, and what sex I was. Nothing about age group etc.

The selection of goodies was poor, but I opted for some skin care products, necessary for us oldies. However, the amount of info required to obtain these 'gifts' just wasn't worth the fraud risk. So I closed the window.

Is this a legit MR survey?

I've noticed that I'm again getting that silly left margin thingy about related products and wonder if this is related to the download of an mp4 to mp3 convertor? I wanted to convert some whisper vids from youtube. I did a custom install to avoid the other stuff they wanted me to download with the gizmo.

Just wondering. It could all be perfectly legit..

HarryT · 02-12-2014, 01:45 PM

Sounds like Malware in your browser. Definitely no MR surveys.

WT Sharpe · 02-12-2014, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookCat

...The selection of goodies was poor, but I opted for some skin care products....

This has nothing whatsoever to do with MobileRead. We have had well-publicized contests in the past where ebooks, ereaders, and similar products were offered as giveaways, but we've never offered skin care products to our members.

I hope you didn't give them any personal information. All an identity thief needs to steal your identity is your full name, your social security number, and your date of birth. Be very careful!

BookCat · 02-13-2014, 05:33 AM

As soon as I saw the page which required too much info in order to be given the dubious goodies I got suspicious and clicked the X button.

All they wanted to know in the "survey" was the info I mentioned in the first post, they didn't want anything particular to an individual until you get to claim the 'goodies'.

I ran a scan on my pc. It found quite a bit of malware which it couldn't move to chest, repair, delete etc. I went to control panel at start menu and uninstalled the program I'd downloaded. This has got rid of the side panel which asks about related things, but I'm not sure about the other malware.

poohbear_nc · 02-13-2014, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookCat

As soon as I saw the page which required too much info in order to be given the dubious goodies I got suspicious and clicked the X button.

All they wanted to know in the "survey" was the info I mentioned in the first post, they didn't want anything particular to an individual until you get to claim the 'goodies'.

I ran a scan on my pc. It found quite a bit of malware which it couldn't move to chest, repair, delete etc. I went to control panel at start menu and uninstalled the program I'd downloaded. This has got rid of the side panel which asks about related things, but I'm not sure about the other malware.

Run Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware - the combination can usually clean out persistent malware - both have free versions.

BookCat · 02-13-2014, 01:58 PM

Thanks. The SuperAntiSpyware really helped.

poohbear_nc · 02-13-2014, 02:01 PM

If you think you might have gotten a root-kit be sure to run Malwarebytes too - it's much better than SAS dealing with root-kits.

BookCat · 02-13-2014, 02:10 PM

I ran that program also, but it was more confusing to use, leaving me to choose which items were removed. It then failed to remove many I chose. The other program gave a list and said which were necessary to be eliminated, which it then did at the click of a button.

CRussel · 02-13-2014, 03:40 PM

I hate to say this, but if MalwareBytes has failed to remove something, it's really time to WIPE your computer. And I mean wipe it completely. Totally. Boot from the installation DVD, and if it's an OEM distribution, they probably have a "reset to factory" option, or go in and delete all your current partitions and start over.

If you have no backups, you can try to copy all your _data_ to an external drive first. It's risky, and I'd be really, really cautious about what I let back on the PC after the wipe.

PeterT · 02-13-2014, 04:22 PM

If you want advice / help on removing Malware, DSLReports have an active forum for giving assistance. See http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup and be sure to follow the instructions in the sticky's in that forum.

BookCat · 02-14-2014, 12:31 PM

Apart from the survey and the now deleted side panel of stuff "I might also be interested in" nothing bad has happened to my pc. It's no slower than usual and all programs seem to be working normally.

I'll run an Avast scan and see what that turns up.

HarryT · 02-15-2014, 04:02 AM

I'd be worried about the fact that the Malware had been installed in the first place. What security software are you using?

BookCat · 02-15-2014, 09:24 AM

Avast anti virus and Windows firewall. I've now got a trial version of Malwarebytes running and have installed SuperAntiSpyware.

Rbneader · 02-17-2014, 10:01 AM

Modern malware is unfortunately much better at its job than older viruses. You often won't see anything slowing down your computer or otherwise causing problems. But the programs are still there and can still log everything you type, use your computer as part of a botnet or otherwise do illegal things with your PC.

If Malwarebytes can't remove things, it is definitely time to do a full wipe. Sorry, but it's like repainting your house. Needs to happen after a while.

I would get everything I wanted to keep onto a backup drive, do a complete reinstall, install Malwarebyes/other security software first thing and then scan all of your backedup files. Doing it in Safe mode might be a good idea too.

BookCat · 02-17-2014, 11:00 AM

What does:

Quote:

use your computer as part of a botnet or otherwise do illegal things with your PC.

mean?

There's no way I'm going to wipe my computer just because of a stupid survey which didn't do any harm; I was sensible enough not to give any personal info. There's also nothing vital, such as financial info on the computer. I don't do internet banking etc. At the worst, they could get debit card details via Amazon etc, but I'd soon know about this.

02-12-2014, 12:29 PM	#1
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	Survey? Is this official? After going over to youtube for a couple of hours, I came back to the MR tab which I'd kept open, clicked on the CP and was hit with something purporting to be an official MobileRead survey. Feeling highly suspicious, but with time to waste while waiting for cats to come in, I filled it in. The promise of goodies wasn't a draw, more curiousity. I was asked how often I logged onto MR, how long per day I spent on the internet, and what sex I was. Nothing about age group etc. The selection of goodies was poor, but I opted for some skin care products, necessary for us oldies. However, the amount of info required to obtain these 'gifts' just wasn't worth the fraud risk. So I closed the window. Is this a legit MR survey? I've noticed that I'm again getting that silly left margin thingy about related products and wonder if this is related to the download of an mp4 to mp3 convertor? I wanted to convert some whisper vids from youtube. I did a custom install to avoid the other stuff they wanted me to download with the gizmo. Just wondering. It could all be perfectly legit..

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02-12-2014, 01:45 PM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Sounds like Malware in your browser. Definitely no MR surveys.

02-13-2014, 05:33 AM	#4
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	As soon as I saw the page which required too much info in order to be given the dubious goodies I got suspicious and clicked the X button. All they wanted to know in the "survey" was the info I mentioned in the first post, they didn't want anything particular to an individual until you get to claim the 'goodies'. I ran a scan on my pc. It found quite a bit of malware which it couldn't move to chest, repair, delete etc. I went to control panel at start menu and uninstalled the program I'd downloaded. This has got rid of the side panel which asks about related things, but I'm not sure about the other malware.

02-13-2014, 01:58 PM	#6
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	Thanks. The SuperAntiSpyware really helped.

02-13-2014, 02:01 PM	#7
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,838 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	If you think you might have gotten a root-kit be sure to run Malwarebytes too - it's much better than SAS dealing with root-kits.

02-13-2014, 02:10 PM	#8
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	I ran that program also, but it was more confusing to use, leaving me to choose which items were removed. It then failed to remove many I chose. The other program gave a list and said which were necessary to be eliminated, which it then did at the click of a button.

02-13-2014, 03:40 PM	#9
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,159 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	I hate to say this, but if MalwareBytes has failed to remove something, it's really time to WIPE your computer. And I mean wipe it completely. Totally. Boot from the installation DVD, and if it's an OEM distribution, they probably have a "reset to factory" option, or go in and delete all your current partitions and start over. If you have no backups, you can try to copy all your _data_ to an external drive first. It's risky, and I'd be really, really cautious about what I let back on the PC after the wipe.

02-13-2014, 04:22 PM	#10
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,162 Karma: 73448616 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS	If you want advice / help on removing Malware, DSLReports have an active forum for giving assistance. See http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup and be sure to follow the instructions in the sticky's in that forum.

02-14-2014, 12:31 PM	#11
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	Apart from the survey and the now deleted side panel of stuff "I might also be interested in" nothing bad has happened to my pc. It's no slower than usual and all programs seem to be working normally. I'll run an Avast scan and see what that turns up.

02-15-2014, 04:02 AM	#12
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'd be worried about the fact that the Malware had been installed in the first place. What security software are you using?

02-15-2014, 09:24 AM	#13
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	Avast anti virus and Windows firewall. I've now got a trial version of Malwarebytes running and have installed SuperAntiSpyware.

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02-17-2014, 10:01 AM	#14
Rbneader Fanatic Posts: 500 Karma: 2661351 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: None	Modern malware is unfortunately much better at its job than older viruses. You often won't see anything slowing down your computer or otherwise causing problems. But the programs are still there and can still log everything you type, use your computer as part of a botnet or otherwise do illegal things with your PC. If Malwarebytes can't remove things, it is definitely time to do a full wipe. Sorry, but it's like repainting your house. Needs to happen after a while. I would get everything I wanted to keep onto a backup drive, do a complete reinstall, install Malwarebyes/other security software first thing and then scan all of your backedup files. Doing it in Safe mode might be a good idea too.