It is currently Sun Jun 07, 2020 5:30 pm

All times are UTC




Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 35 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:37 am 
Offline
Division Commander
Division Commander

Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2008 3:45 pm
Posts: 2898
Location: LANDAN M8
A flawed signature update to AVG Technologies' antivirus software over the weekend crippled some Windows XP PCs by mistakenly deleting a critical system file, the company has confirmed.

According to AVG, an update released late Saturday fingered the "user32.dll" file as a Trojan horse. As per the program's settings, the AVG software, shut the .dll away in quarantine, then deleted it. "A number of users who installed the update mistakenly received a warning that the Windows system file user32.dll product version 5.1.2600.3099 was infected with a Trojan virus and were prompted to delete a file essential to the operation of Windows XP," a company spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Users of the newest AVG Antivirus 8.0 and its predecessor, AVG Antivirus 7.5, were affected. The AVG spokeswoman claimed that only users running Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish language versions of Windows XP were impacted. Computerworld was unable to confirm that, however.

"If you have chosen 'heal' or 'quarantine,' your PC will no longer restart," said a panicked user named "pa3bar" in a message Sunday . "It shows a blue screen at start up and tells you it cannot find winsvr, error c0000135. System recovery has no effect."

On its support site, AVG posted instructions that involved running Windows XP's Recovery Console, disabling several AVG services and restoring the user32.dll file by copying it from the operating system's install CD. For users unable to locate their installation disc, AVG offered a utility that fixed the problem; those users also needed to create a bootable CD or USB drive.

The utility work-around was for AVG Antivirus 8.0 only; a similar utility for AVG Antivirus 7.5 will be available "soon," according to a message posted by a support forum moderator today.

AVG released a follow-up signature update to correct the problem, but that solution only worked if the user had not turned off his or her PC, or rebooted it, after installing the buggy update and then deleting user32.dll.

"Affected users unable to use their PCs should contact their AVG reseller or ask a friend to download the information and fix tool for them," the spokeswoman suggested. "AVG sincerely regrets the inconvenience users have experienced. We are working to remedy the problem and ensure that any other potential vulnerabilities are identified and eliminated before they can impact users," she continued.

Although AVG posted workarounds on its support site, it did not publicize the problem on the front page of its Web site.

This wasn't the first time that AVG has been in the limelight. Last summer, the LinkScanner Search-Shield component of its antivirus software triggered a flood of bogus traffic to Web sites, angering site operators.

Nor is AVG the only security vendor to issue a damaging update. Only last September, a Trend Micro Inc. signature mistook several critical Windows XP and Vista system files for malware, blocking the PCs from booting.

Code:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9119848&source=rss_news

_________________
Member since Jan 12, 2007
Image
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:37 am 
Offline
Recruiter
Recruiter
User avatar

Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:12 am
Posts: 1260
Location: EWOK LAND!
[oh]

if you can't be assed to read all that, if AVG asks you anything about user32.dll, ignore it [giggle]

_________________
Image
Image
Joined: 23/12/05


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:51 pm 
Offline
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:32 am
Posts: 2236
Short version:


If you use AVG, kill yourself
[Mexinoes]

_________________
Turdburglar


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 5:38 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:31 pm
Posts: 2605
Location: Cookieland / Germania
Kimberdon wrote:
Short version:


If you use AVG, kill yourself
[Mexinoes]


agree [steam]

_________________
Hardknocks

Image

Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:17 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2008 4:43 pm
Posts: 40
Wow really I must have got lucky.
Cause I use AVG, and McAfee(One hell of a team)
And I got that message and I actually infact did delete it, and the thing did get messed up, but fortunately I was able to use System Recovery to put my computer as it was 2 days ago.

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:37 pm 
Offline
Recruiter
Recruiter

Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 4:04 am
Posts: 2375
StatusQ3 wrote:
an update released late Saturday fingered the "user32.dll" file


Lol. Fingered [boogie]

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:56 pm 
Offline
Division Commander
Division Commander

Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2008 3:45 pm
Posts: 2898
Location: LANDAN M8
Well don't you have an advanced sense of humour [roll]

_________________
Member since Jan 12, 2007
Image
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:13 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:23 pm
Posts: 2258
Location: New York
Im too lazy to read all that can you sum it up for me LOL ;P

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:52 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:31 pm
Posts: 2605
Location: Cookieland / Germania
the_Sith_God wrote:
Im too lazy to read all that can you sum it up for me LOL ;P

here, for the ppl, with the slower brain:

Myst wrote:
[oh]

if you can't be assed to read all that, if AVG asks you anything about user32.dll, ignore it [giggle]


and
Patrick wrote:
Wow really I must have got lucky.
Cause I use AVG, and McAfee(One hell of a team)
And I got that message and I actually infact did delete it, and the thing did get messed up, but fortunately I was able to use System Recovery to put my computer as it was 2 days ago.



ts ts, dell computer just suck...

_________________
Hardknocks

Image

Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:59 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2008 4:43 pm
Posts: 40
I don't have a Dell?
I have an HP

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:09 am 
Offline
Recruiter
Recruiter

Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:23 pm
Posts: 579
Location: The Netherlands
i have a sony vaio with avg on it in dutch :o
and it didnt start up 1 time my dad told me but now i dont have any problems :S

_________________
Image
RedCell 2012 Most Improved
WarZone Battle Moderator


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:17 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:31 pm
Posts: 2605
Location: Cookieland / Germania
Patrick wrote:
I don't have a Dell?
I have an HP



bs too, no one would buy mcafee o.o

_________________
Hardknocks

Image

Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:26 am 
Offline
Division Commander
Division Commander

Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2008 3:45 pm
Posts: 2898
Location: LANDAN M8
Kaspersky and BitDefender ftw.

_________________
Member since Jan 12, 2007
Image
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:20 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:31 pm
Posts: 2605
Location: Cookieland / Germania
<3 kaspersky

_________________
Hardknocks

Image

Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Warning to all AVG Users!
PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:35 am 
Offline
Recruiter
Recruiter
User avatar

Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:12 am
Posts: 1260
Location: EWOK LAND!
yay for avast ;D

_________________
Image
Image
Joined: 23/12/05


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 35 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next

All times are UTC


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group