Member Avatar for bwanajim

whenever i open the internet a caption at the end of the e icon appears thus;- Hacked by sam 2008-feb-14 . please help me on how to remove it since my anti virus and spyware are not equal to the task.

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As suggested, a full anti‑malware scan is a good first step. The visible tag "Hacked by sam 2008‑feb‑14" can come from several different places: a renamed or modified IE shortcut that launches a defaced local/remote page, a changed homepage or injected HTML that alters the browser title, or a persistent toolbar/BHO/startup script that inserts text. The fix depends on which of those is responsible.

Simple, targeted checks that often resolve this quickly include: inspect the Internet Explorer shortcut Properties and the Target field (it should point to C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe with no appended URL or local HTML file); create a fresh shortcut from the actual iexplore.exe if the desktop/taskbar icon looks altered; temporarily set the homepage to about:blank and view the page source to see whether the caption comes from the HTML title; and review Manage Add‑ons in the browser to disable unknown toolbars or BHOs. Also examine the Startup folder, Scheduled Tasks and the hosts file for unexpected entries or redirects.

For deeper inspection use Microsoft Sysinternals tools to enumerate autostart locations and running modules. Autoruns is useful for spotting persistently installed helpers and nonstandard startup items (Autoruns). Process Explorer helps identify suspicious running processes and injected DLLs (Process Explorer). Running these from Safe Mode (or using a rescue/bootable scanner if the system appears actively compromised) gives the best chance to remove stubborn components.

After removal, apply Windows and browser updates, scan again with a second opinion scanner, and change account passwords only once the machine is confirmed clean. If the defacement persists despite cleaning efforts, a clean OS reinstall is the most reliable way to ensure full removal.

Member Avatar for PhilliePhan

whenever i open the internet a caption at the end of the e icon appears thus;- Hacked by sam 2008-feb-14 . please help me on how to remove it since my anti virus and spyware are not equal to the task.

Please download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBA-M) to your Desktop.

  • DoubleClick mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install MBA-M.
  • Be sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
  • If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
  • Once the program has loaded, select Perform full scan, then click Scan.
  • When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
  • Be sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
  • When MBA-M finishes, Notepad will open with the log. Please save it where you can find it easily. The log can also be opened by going to Start > All Programs > Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware > Logs > log-date.txt.



REBOOT after running MBA-M


-- Download DDS by sUBs and save it to your Desktop
-- If your AV has a script blocker, please disable it
-- DoubleClick on dds.scr to run the tool

* A command box will open, displaying added information for your reading pleasure while DDS completes its scan.
* Upon completion, a Dialog Box should open instructing you to save and post the TWO resulting logs (DDS.txt & Attach.txt).

- Copy&Paste the DDS.txt into your next post.
- Please post Attach.txt as an attachment to your post - there is no need to Zip it. If you don’t know how to post an attachment, please Copy&Paste it along with the DDS.txt scanlog.


Cheers :)
PP

Edited by PhilliePhan because: n/a
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