Yeah but some viruses are entirely malignant, random evil bits of code, little ghosts in the machine.

It's not a virus, it's an active phishing script.

Oh I suspected that, but I was throwing that out there too

Virus != phishing script, which this is. It's a script that randomly selects usernames and leaves comments pointing to said phishing site, then collects data based on the target's input, logs into target user's dA account and generates another username selection.

actually, it's not a virus... it's just people stealing accounts with some phishing immitation of the DA website... people basicly "willingly" give out their User and Password because they don't know they're on a phony site...

i'd say don't worry... and be careful!

I hear you - been trying to pry that @#$% WinCtrl32.dll virus out of my mom's computer for two weeks now - the @#$% thing hijacked the search engines, blocks access to anti-virus sites, blocks the installation of anti-virus programs, blocks installed virus programs from updating themselves and even put a lock on itself so that I can't even delete it now that I've found it.

What the hell's the point to writing these things?

"Hahaha - I cost 100k complete strangers time and money trying to clean out my virus - I'm k00L."

I ever get my hands on one of these little @#$%s I'll cut his fingers off one joint at a time with rusty bolt cutters.

Try out Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. It should be able to clean out this nasty. Install the software and let it update when finished. Running the quick scan should be enough to remove it.

If it doesn't work, try out these instructions to get the software running.

Let me know how it goes, I haven't run across one bad enough yet to have to fall back on the advanced instructions yet so I'm curious how it fares if needed.

If he's having issues installing it might be prudent to download the install files from another computer, burn to CD and then load from Safe Mode.

As it's been stated by even such computer experts as Leo Laporte, it's just never worth bothering. You can never trust that computer even after you think you clean it out because Malware is so insidious and you can't really tell what's been compromised. Format and reinstall...it'll save you lots of time.

If I were to ever write a virus, it'd probably be something random and amusing. For me, at least.

Like something that would execute, change the user's home page, then delete itself. Nothing malignant or anything. Just a prank.

As for why people do it, I have no clue. I'm just glad I no longer use Windows.

I generally don't click on links at DA unless they go to another submission or users account. If they go somewhere else I'm suspicious. I don't think I have the virus......... but I will scan my computer just to be sure. Fucking computer nerds and their viruses.

i think the people who made computers are the ones who make malicious viruses to break down you PC so you need to buy another from them

I recomment the "Gdata total care anti-virus program" to protect a Windows-PC. I use it myself (how surprising! ), and since I do, I´ve no probs anymore with viruses.

Myself, to protect against viruses i just run Linux
that and use a good firewal, plus remove all the auto-install backdoors that malware uses on firefox
i think there's a few addons for that

They do it for the LULZ...