I never get a cold. Worked outside most my life and always thought as i do not mix with many people that is why i have never been struck down. But my throat is sore,my beak is running and my eyes are streaming,so i have taken to my nest. For a few days at least. It must be a strong one to catch the owl out. I have just wondered how it is in your area.Are you struck down by the virus from hell. Many maybe are laid low as perhaps a cold virus is running rampant Have you any remedies wise ones out there.Even my ears are itching. Good grief it may be a door that gave it to me,can you believe such a thing. Or maybe a supermarket trolley. Everything may be contaminated.Putting protection on. Oh,it is to late i am contaminated already. From a scientist at Cardiff University. Have you caught the virus and who gave it us.Who was the little devil who caught it first. And how did they catch it.There is a question to answer for the wise ones out there. OOPS I hope it was not me,going undercover in my nest.Pulling twigs over me and some down feathers.

We all (hopefully) know that continuing to use Windows XP is a risky business. The operating system stopped receiving security patches from Microsoft in April 2014, which means anyone still relying on the platform is at risk of being impacted by vulnerabilities that are being fixed in more modern versions of the operating system. In other words, XP users are living in a state of perpetual zero-day. But, perhaps you decided to persist with Windows XP, despite the pleas from Microsoft to give it up, and the advice of security professionals. Maybe you decided to run a freebie anti-virus solution like Microsoft Security Essentials on your XP computers in an attempt to protect yourself from the uptick in vulnerability threats and malware attacks. Well, now you have an additional problem. Because Microsoft officially ends XP support for its Malicious Software Removal Tool and updates for Microsoft Security Essentials today. Actually it ended on the 14th

Dear Conniff, This is to inform you to appear in the Court on the April 15 for your case hearing. Please, do not forget to bring all the documents related to the case. Note: The case may be heard by the judge in your absence if you do not come. The Court Notice is attached to this email. Sincerely, Thomas Morton, Court Secretary. This is a spam, (change the p to a c), email with an attachment. On no account open the attachment, it contains a Virus You will know if you have any court appearance due or have done anything wrong and got a summons or even a divorce or custody battle. You will never ever receive an email like this to notify you. It is not addressed to a person but to Conniff and that would never be done.

Just been sent this by my local neighbourhood watch coordinator >VERY URGENT!!! PLEASE CIRCULATE to your friends, family and > contacts. > > > > > > > > >In the coming days, DO NOT open any message with an attachment > called: BLACK MUSLIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE ,regardless of who sent it > to you. It is a virus that opens an Olympics torch that burns the > whole hard disk C of your computer. This virus comes from a known > person who you have in your list. Directions: You should send this > message to all of your contacts. It is better to receive this e-mail > 25 times than to receive the virus and open it. If you receive a > message called BLACK MUSLIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE even if sent by a > friend, do not open, and shut down your machine immediately. It is > the worst virus announced by CNN. This new virus has been > discovered recently it has been classified by Microsoft as the virus > most destructive ever. This virus was discovered yesterday afternoon > by McAfee.. There is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This > virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the hard disk, where vital > information function is stored. I hope this stops anyone being caught out.

Chinese Language keeps popping up in my browser alongside the searchbar for no apparent reason. It is spontaneous, in that it disappears but then comes back. I have run both Anti-virus and Ad-Aware, both of which have failed to pick it up Any suggestions ?

Hi Guys Could someone please set up an announcement regarding emails received by Lowell last night? I would like to see how many people were affected. If they could please let me know the would be great. Quote Lowell "We were attacked last night and out IT team switched off the exchange server to prevent other emails being sent. We have not been able to confirm numbers of people affected and if any data was compromised. If you have been affected please contact Lowell directly and they will put you in contact with their IT team who will endeavour to help you remove the virus if you have opened the affected attachment"

Below is a Warning from the UK Government. This the full content of their page warning of the Gameover Zeus, GOZeus, or P2PZeus virus which aims to steal your finance details. If it cannot find any, it will encrypt every file on your computer with instruction on how to pay for the key to unlock the encryption. If you do not pay within a set time, it will delete all files on your computer making it completely unusable and the only way back then is to clean the hard drive and reinstall windows. This page has been created to help you protect your computer, your finances, your identity and your family against a new global online threat. The threat is targeted at random private individuals and small businesses, so it is critical that you read this page and apply our advice immediately if you have a computer running any version of the Windows operating system – including Windows running as a virtual machine on an Apple Mac, any server running Windows and Windows embedded. This is not a case of isolated attacks, as over 15,000 computers in the UK alone are thought to have been already affected. What you need to do NOW... Go to one of the links to internet security software companies at the bottom of this page to download a free tool to scan for Gameover Zeus and CryptoLocker, and remove them from your computer. We advise you do this even if you haven’t had a communication from your ISP. Do not open attachments in emails unless you are 100% certain that they are authentic. Click for more info. Make sure your internet security software is up-to-date and switched on at all times. Click for more info. Make sure your Windows operating system has the latest Microsoft updates applied. These normally include the latest security precautions. Click for more info. Make sure your software programs have the latest manufacturers’ updates applied. These normally include the latest security precautions. Click for more info. Make sure all of your files including documents, photos music and bookmarks are backed up and readily available in case you are no longer able to access them on your computer. Click for more info. Never store passwords on your computer in case they are accessed by Gameover Zeus or another aggressive malware program. Click for more info. This warning is not intended to cause you panic but we cannot over-stress the importance of taking these steps immediately. This is because the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has taken temporary control of the communications used to connect with infected computers, but expects only a very limited window of opportunity to ensure you are protected. There is a set of links at the bottom of this page to tools that will check your computer for the presence of this malware. If you do nothing else. please use one of these tools immediately. The threat Cyber criminals are constantly devising new types of malware to commit financial theft, fraud, identity theft and other crimes against ordinary people. The proceeds of their crime are also used to fund further organised crime. This latest threat is particularly insidious as it uses two different types of malware to infect your computer in order to commit these crimes: 1. A virus known as Gameover Zeus, GOZeus, or P2PZeus This is a type of aggressive malware which infects your computer so that it can effectively be ‘taken over’ by the criminals. It can be used for a number of different criminal activities such as viewing your files, monitoring your bank accounts, sending emails in your name and even using your webcam to physically spy on you. 2. Ransomware known as CryptoLocker CryptoLocker is a virus which criminals use to prevent you opening any files – effectively locking down your PC – before issuing you with a ransom demand. If you pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that it will be unlocked. Once your computer is locked, it is effectively rendered useless as you cannot access your email, files, photos, music or bookmarks. How computers get infected You probably receive many emails claiming to be from your or another bank, a government body or other official source, urging you to check your account, claim a refund or other action. Many of these are phishing emails containing links to bogus websites, or attachments which you are told to open, which actually contain malware hidden in what is known as a Trojan. In this case, the criminals have also stolen or hacked email lists and can make it make it appear as if these are spam emails coming from a friend's email account. In this particular attack, the act of opening the attachment in such an email automatically ‘tells’ the Trojan to download the Gameover Zeus and CryptoLocker from a server normally located abroad, of which there are thousands which exist purely for criminal purposes. How does the attack work? If Gameover Zeus cannot ‘find’ enough on your computer to make a profit for the criminals, CryptoLocker will take over, effectively lock down your machine and demand a ransom. What you need to do NOW Your internet service provider (ISP) may have sent you a letter or email warning you about this threat. They will know that your computer is infected because the NCA – working with other law enforcement bodies around the world – has taken over thousands of the criminal servers and examined the records. You must follow the advice on this page straight away. Even then, if your computer has been locked down by CryptoLocker, it is too late. Remember that making sure that updating your operating system and software are good habits to get into so you should be doing this on a regular basis. Important warning about emails Cyber criminals will also exploit this situation by sending out further phishing emails claiming to be from your ISP or a law enforcement agency, urging you to click on a link or open an attachment for the remedy. You could also receive a similar email which appears to have been sent by a friend, family member or colleague, but which has actually been sent automatically by a computer infected with the malware and ransomware. Read our advice on spam and [problem] emails at www.getsafeonline.org/protecting-your-computer/spam-and-[problem]-email Scan for and remove Gameover Zeus malware and CryptoLocker software Free tools have been specially developed and made available to you by a number of internet security software companies. You can use any of these tools regardless of the make of internet security software you normally use. Symantec http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/international-takedown-wounds-gameover-zeus-cybercrime-network F-Secure F-Secure Online scanner (Windows Vista, 7 and 8) http://www.f-secure.com/en/web/home_global/online-scanner F-Secure Rescue CD (Windows XP systems) http://www.f-secure.com/en/web/labs_global/removal-tools/-/carousel/view/142 Kaspersky http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/utility#kasperskyvirusremovaltool (if you think your computer is infected with malware) http://support.kaspersky.com/8005 (WindowsUnlocker utility for if your computer is infected with CryptoLocker) Sophos http://www.sophos.com/VirusRemoval (Windows XP (SP2) and above) Heimdal Security http://goz.heimdalsecurity.com/ (Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1.) Microsoft Microsoft Safety Scanner (Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP) McAfee www.mcafee.com/stinger Trend Micro www.trendmicro.com/threatdetector (Windows XP, Vista, Windows, Windows 8/8.1, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2). Report a loss If you think you have lost money through malware such as Gameover Zeus and CryptoLocker, you should report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Hi everyone, I thought I would post this in case it happens to anyone else on CAG. Yesterday evening my daughter was going on about the "bearded lady" who was going to be on Eurovision so I googled Eurovision and went on to the Daily Mirror site. I was looking at the running order, saw a picture of the "bearded lady", clicked on it, and immediately a "Cheshire Constabulary" website appeared with a box telling me I had accessed child pornography and that my computer was locked, my files encrypted, I had committed a criminal offence and been reported. I couldn't believe it. Over the website was a grey box with two options. I can't remember what the top one said, but the bottom one said, "Leave this page," so I clicked on that and it wouldn't leave the page at all. I wasn't going to hit anything else so I just closed the computer down directly, waited few minutes, started it up again and it was fine, but I was still worried sick. I was half expecting the police to turn up at he door. Actually it made no sense because my computer is protected against any nasty stuff including viruses but I was still absolutely shocked and logic had flown out the window. Anyway I decided I would contact Cheshire Constabulary and as soon as I googled that I could see there were loads of postings about a virus or [problem] and from what I have read I think if I had clicked on the other option (whatever that was) I would have been asked for money to pay a "fine" in order to get the computer unlocked. Obviously I would have realized at that point that it was a [problem] and not paid them, and thankfully there are instructions for removing the virus yourself available on the internet. I thought I would just post this in case anyone else gets it coming up on their computer so you won't be as shocked as I was! DD

Hi all. I am trying to repair a friends laptop. When you sign in, the welcome sign appears and the blue circle spins round. But that's it. It will not go any further. I have started in safe mode with command prompt and done sfc /scannow and get this message afterwards:- Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations. I have also tried to do a clean install of Windows, but the CD drive seems to be broken. It makes a strange clicking sound but doesn't seem to kick in properly. The laptop just boots up normally because of this. I have made sure that the CD drive is number 1 priority in the boot order, but that doesn't help either. Any ideas?