Member Avatar for k0rnyfr33k

Yes this is the first time this has occurred..
I will tell you what happened... Here i go
Ok tonight i sent an im over aim to somebody and they said i sent a link which i didnt and i send another im to another person and they also said i sent a link which i didnt. So i dont know what this is, is it a trojan horse, a virus, or just a worm? I would think it would be a trojan horse. But i asked them what did the link say and they sent it back to me but it didnt register. And she told me that she sent it... Andi didnt think about it being a virus/trojan/worm untill she exited out of the window. Well i asked her what the link was and she said she didnt know. So it i told her if she gets the link again just send it back to me with out the .com so it wouldnt be a link. I am worried that i got one b/c this is the first time this has happened to me since i had my expensive imac. I am running a mac os x version 10.3.9. And i ran a virus scan for my apps with ClamXav so far there hasnt been a virus detected. Can someone PLEASE help me becuase when i tell my dad he is going to kill me if i dont fix it....

Thx alot, Robby

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by crunchie

Dani AI

Generated

This thread describes a classic IM‑spread symptom: contacts report getting a link that appears to come from the OP’s screen name. That pattern (automatic forwarding or account hijack) was a common IM vector in the mid‑2000s and can still happen when credentials are stolen or a background helper sends messages on your behalf. Don’t assume permanent data loss, but treat it as a live account compromise until proven otherwise. (wired.com)

Actionable checklist (do these now, in order): change the IM account password from a different, known‑clean device and enable any multi‑factor option; sign out all other sessions if the provider allows it; ask the first person who received the link to paste the exact text (not the live URL) so you can investigate what was sent. Next, boot the Mac in Safe Mode and run a current malware scan from a reputable vendor; Safe Mode prevents most auto‑starting items from loading while you inspect the system. (cyber.gc.ca)

How to confirm whether the machine sent the messages: search the IM client’s chat archives and use the Console app to look for process/activity timestamps that match the outgoing messages; also inspect login items and the LaunchAgents/LaunchDaemons locations for unexpected plists (those are common persistence points for Mac malware). If the problem disappears under a new user account, it’s likely an account‑scoped item; if it follows the machine, it’s system‑wide. (support.apple.com)

Notes for later: Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) is long out of support, so it won’t receive security fixes — upgrading the OS or hardware is strongly recommended. Also, advice about AIM in older replies is historical: AIM itself was discontinued in December 2017, so follow current vendor guidance for any modern messaging service you use. Finally, notify your contacts (don’t send the live link), ask them to scan, and rotate any reused passwords used elsewhere. (en.wikipedia.org)

Relevant thread points: ’s concern is valid; ’s suggestion to test a separate account is a good troubleshooting step; informing buddies and changing credentials is the highest‑priority containment action.

Recommended Answers

All 12 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

Did you recently install a piece of software to know if people were blocking you? i did this with msn on windows and got the same thing saying "get blockchecker here"

Have you tried reinstalling AIM?

Member Avatar for John A

You could also try using a different instant messenger. Macs come by default, with iChat, which uses the AIM protocol, so you won't have to get a different screen name. Adium is another instant messenger you can try.

Member Avatar for jbennet

Or msn for mac

Member Avatar for TheNNS

i hate msn, google should make google talk for mac and linux. you can also try trillian.

Member Avatar for John A

i hate msn, google should make google talk for mac and linux. you can also try trillian.

Google Talk (the service) is for Mac and Linux. You just can't use the Google Talk client. But there's lots of other clients that support it and are perfectly good:

For Mac:
Adium
Gaim
For Linux:
Gaim

Well, not "a lot", but enough....

Member Avatar for twist2b

oeryone else is getting off topic.... let me explain your real problem...

you HAVE indeed been infected with a virus... this a really week virus though so no worries about your computer..... basicly if you got the usual... what happens is they will get a messege from you that says something like:
"click here to do something blah blah blah:*insert url link here*"
then when they click on the link.... there infected aswell....
download some virus scanner becuase norton is worth nothing (like ad-aware SE)
then basicly just quarentine the virus.... make sure you warn your friends that prob have the virus aswell of the situation..... no worries about your computer though its not goign to mess up your computer... good luck :)

ad-aware SE can be found here:

Member Avatar for TheNNS

I think you're a little late. This was posted over a year ago, so I think the person pretty much figured out the problem

Member Avatar for ayrtonsf1

I've used the services of after infecting my computer by clicking on things that I shouldn't have...

I was very happy that they cleaned my machine while I was at work. They also updated my xp pro, gave me full virus protection software for free. And I didn't loose one single pictures or documents on my desktop. Last year when I had my laptop brought to bestbuy to have viruses removed the idiots deleted my hard drive with all the data.

So don't experiment. These guys are awesome. Use 'em...lol

Member Avatar for crunchie

I've used the services of after infecting my computer by clicking on things that I shouldn't have...

I was very happy that they cleaned my machine while I was at work. They also updated my xp pro, gave me full virus protection software for free. And I didn't loose one single pictures or documents on my desktop. Last year when I had my laptop brought to bestbuy to have viruses removed the idiots deleted my hard drive with all the data.

So don't experiment. These guys are awesome. Use 'em...lol

Pretty good except for two things.
1. Thread is over 3 years old.
2. This is not the Windows forum.

Member Avatar for littlephoenix

Have run CCleaner, defragged and before I did these scans I ran malwarebytes full scan, then combofix. It was having issues where it would go into shutdown randomly but malwarebytes fixed that. It is just slow when opening applications, it has 2.5GB of RAM and XP so I don't think that's an issue. The account I did this on though is noticeably slower than the Admin account, is it because it has more stuff installed? Hope these help and if you need further free tips on keeping your PC free of spyware and viruses, visit <link removed> hope that helps and good luck

Edited by crunchie because: Keep it on-site and spam free.
Member Avatar for macmad

You are allover the place with this problem. I take it that you were a window user for a long time and then switched to mac. Number one, and this one is important, stop thing windows when dealing with a mac. If any one thing stands out dealing with someone from the windows world, is when something goes wrong, its a virus/worm/Trojan horse. Stop it now! Lets apply some simple troubleshooting techniques to this problem. Does this occur with other programs beside AIM. Try iChat and see if you get the same results. You get the same results, so the next step it to try it on a different account. Create a new account and see if you get the same results. Important: Logout off other account. Try these steps and see if your problem follows your troubleshooting. Either way post and we will react to your results. Defragging a drive in unix is a wast of time if you have more that 10% free. Some argue that it is simply a waste of time and I agree. Sorry, I did not want to confuse you, the Mac Os operates in a Unix environment.

Member Avatar for crunchie

OP had spam links removed, so I wouldn't worry about it :).

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