slr2moons | Sometimes your intuition is RIGHT.

I only wish I'd listened to it sooner.

tl:dr: beware the fake anti-virus software ThinkPoint. It's fake and uses scare tactics. Don't install it--even if your offical legit anti-virus software program seemingly leads you to it!!

Full story: I decided to expand my knowledge of digital coloring, so I searched for a tutorial on DA, chose one from the search results, then glanced away to let it load. When I looked back, Explorer had shut down, and my anti-virus software, Microsoft Security Essentials (as recced by my computer doctor) told me it had closed the proggie to shut off a trojan. I click the offered more info, the program accessed a database, and told me to completely remove the problem, I needed to install something called "ThinkPoint".

Since this result came up through my legit and highly-recced anti-virus software program, I said okay, including the automated restart after DLing.

Usagi (my laptop) did indeed restart and ThinkPoint automatically launched. It scanned my computer, then complained it couldn't do anything about a fourth of my files (important stuff like Explorer and Adobe Reader) unless I paid for the full version. To paraphrase, "Your comptuer is badly infected and had been used to send out spam, of which I am legally viable even though I was unaware it was happening, but hey send us money and we'll fix it for you!!!" Hello, warning bells! Not about spam, but about the program telling me I had committed it. I told the program to continue w/o it, it told me the same thing. They want $69 for a year of "protection". I couldn't find a way to turn off the program. No file menu, no exit button to click, no quit option. I used the window's X button to close it--and again it complained that I needed to upgrade or WOE BETIDE THE CONSEQUENCES.

I decided I did NOT like this program that was so adamant about money, so I told my official anti-virus program to do a quick scan of my computer. When the scan finished, I started looking for ThinkPoint's program file folder so I could click on the uninstall option. Only I couldn't find its folder anywhere. Warning bells return! I looked at the desktop shortcut's properties for the destination path, followed it, and saw it pointed to one .exe file with a completley different name in my documents folder: 'hotfix.exe'. No dedicated program folder for ThinkPoint, no software company name folder, just that one file. Hello, the return of the returned warning bells!

I was just about to fire up my control panel for "add/remove programs" when my real anti-virus proggie popped up a window saying it found a nasty threat, and what did I want to do about it?? I clicked to REMOVE ITS ASS of course, then glance at my desktop and lo--the shortcut was gone.

I did some googling about what I expected was a fake antivirus program find it in a list on wiki of Rogue Security Software. A google of the specific name brings up this page that decribes what happened to me: (the Microsoft Security Essentials warning was FAKE FAKE FAAAKE!!) and how to fix it: http://www.spywareremove.com/removeThinkPoint.html

I'm crossing my fingers that Microst Security Essentials has solved the problem, and I will now be googling anything that I'm prompted to install before I do so, regardless of the program that suggests it. GAH!