Active X control????

[ausgirl]

I keep getting emails with a link telling me I've received an ecard from a friend, every time I try to view it - the link comes up and says click to run ActiveX control on this page - which I do and then it comes up with an error message - something about a plug in error on the page. What does all this mean? I have yet to view the so called postcard.
AGV free also came up with a message that it had found a virus - trojan horse - did I get this virus from this link? AGV says it's not healable.


Huh?????

[Jason]

Here's an article:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47004.asp

Do you have anti-spyware software or just anti-virus?

[The Unknown Gomer]

I've been getting FLOODED with those "you've received an e-card from" so and so emails. Fortunately, my yahoo-prodigy online server already classes them as spam and boots them to my online spam directory, assuming I check my webmail and filter them out before downloading with Outlook.

But even when I don't, if I see something like that's worded not quite right, like with odd capitalization "You've received an e-card from Classmate" or "from Worshipper" or "from FamilyMember", and it comes in via my prodigy email account, I just delete it, even if it looks like a legit site, like Blue Mountain or whathaveyou.

If you've already clicked, definitely run SpyBot or one (preferably 2 or 3) of those other spyware checkers and see if it can't weed out and delete what got dumped onto your computer.

[middletree]

I keep getting emails with a link telling me I've received an ecard from a friend, every time I try to view it - the link comes up and says click to run ActiveX control on this page - which I do

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUU UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGG GHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Please don't do this. It's a recipe for disaster. Your browser, whether it's FF or IE, has some built-in protection against bad guys. One way the bad guys can mess up your machine, or steal info from it, is to run a little program on it, using an Active X control. The browsers won't let programs from web pages or emails run, but just in case it's legit, the browser asks you if you want to run it. If you say "yes", then you have opened the door for some bad stuff to open.

As a general rule, never open an email like this one if you don't know who it's from, and never, ever click on something that asks if it's OK to run a little program on your computer, unless it's from a very trusted website.

[ausgirl]

Okay, thanks for the info - seriously I know very little about computers. So do I have a problem or not? How do I know if I have spyware? I do internet banking, do I need to be worried - the whole passwords thing got me scared!

[mindyhere]

I'm betting that you have a problem now if you ran the ActiveX. If I were you, I'd install a spyware removal program. I use AdAware - it's done the job for me. It's hard telling what you've got on there now.

Next time you get your AVG pop up that says you have a trojan, write down the entire message - it should tell you what trojan it found. Post it here and I'll try to help you get rid of it.

:)

[middletree]

Well, you could always baptize your computer. That would take care of everything. ;)