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Microsoft Releases Malicious Software Removal Tool

Posted by michael on from the now-everything's-all-better dept.

DaHat writes "Hot on the heels of their release last week of Microsoft AntiSpyware, Microsoft today released their very own Malicious Software Removal Tool with the claim that it will detect and remove infections from specific pieces of malware, including those in the families of Berbew, Doomjuice, Gaobot, Msblast, Mydoom, Nachi, Sassier, and Zindos from your Windows 2000, XP or 2003 machine. Microsoft also promises to release an updated version of the tool on the second Tuesday of each month."

9 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. updates by SpongeBobLinuxPants · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Microsoft also promises to release an updated version of the tool on the second Tuesday of each month.

    Does that mean we may have to wait up to 1 month for a fix for the newest exploit? Meanwhile a whole bunch of computers could be infected within 30 days...

    --
    hack a day
  2. So far so good with both by EvilAlien · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I'm fairly impressed with my tests of the AntiSpyware product. Its pretty slick, seems much more well-rounded than Adware Pro as a comparison. The depth is there too, its not just a mindless GUI app. The configurability and insight into the various bits of registry fiddling that spyware gets up to is cool... and good for a mostly-Windows Ignorant like me.

    The malware removal tool is pretty simple. It installs, scans, gives you a clean bill of health or tells you what a dirty infected whore your PC is.

    The auto-update features in both applications is nice to see too... Grandma and Grandpa Internet need something to spoonfeed them like this, and if Microsoft keeps them free then grrreat. Now if only we could get them to fix IE so it isn't such a steaming pile...

    --
    perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10)'
    1. Re:So far so good with both by Ark42 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You saw that MS has removed definitions from the antispyware program already, right? WeatherBug complained and MS removed it within a few days from the list of detectable things.

      --
      Morphing Software
  3. ...and other grammatical anomalies by mblase · · Score: 5, Interesting

    When I read that headline, I thought it meant Microsoft released a malicious tool for removing (non-MS) software. I don't know if that's a result of my own prejudices or just the kind of thing I've come to expect from Slashdot headlines....

    1. Re:...and other grammatical anomalies by DaHat · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The difference between VNC and RDS is quite simple... you can easily change the source code of one and make it into your own malicious application.

      Years ago, when I first was introduced to VNC I flew through the source code to create a modified server binary that would not show up in the system tray, did not disable the hosts background picture, and selected from a list of names that would be displayed to the OS. I admit it, this modified version had only evil purposes in mind... installing it on a friends PC... and secretly playing around with WinAmp when he was on the other side of the room... or even having a browser window pop up to goatporn.com.

      The possibilities were endless, and remember, this was long before spyware and adware were the known threats they are today (even by the savvy of us back then). Sure enough, Microsoft Antispyware picks up even my modified version. I would call that a good thing for the innocent bystander who wants nothing but to keep their system running clean and efficiently... and a bad thing for those evil doers who want to steal credit card numbers or play jokes on the user.

      --
      Help Brendan pay off his student loans
  4. XP Activation cracks. by salvorHardin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder if cracks for their software would be considered malicious. I can just imagine hundreds of people running this, and then finding out that Office doesn't work anymore and they only have another 28 days in which to activate Windows XP before it'll only boot in safe mode. Don't have a cracked machine to try it on, unfortunately, but I think maybe MS missed their chance by allowing everyone to bypass windows validation before downloading the anti-spyware. Perhaps this is another chance to rid the world of a few 1,000 pirates. Or perhaps I should get more sleep and/or consider Occam's Razor a little more..

  5. MS flunks basic hyphenation by Phong · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's apparently a result of MS flunking out of their English-syntax classes. The title of their page clearly states that their software is "Malicious" (and it's refreshing to see them freely admit that). It also claims to be a tool that removes software, though the title doesn't tell you what kind. Judging from the text of the rest of the page, the title should have been this:

    Malicious-Software Removal Tool

    A dropped hyphen often makes a big difference in the meaning of a sentence.

    --
    ..wayne..
  6. *bzzzt* by uhlume · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...Somebody may have flunked basic English grammar, but it wasn't "MS". "Malicious software" is not properly a compound word, nor does it belong to any other category of construct requiring hyphenation. Hyphenation in this case is not only unrequired, but would in fact be awkward -- and, arguably, ungrammatical.

    --
    SIERRA TANGO FOXTROT UNIFORM
  7. Interesting. Indeed a pest rm tool may be a pest! by zijus · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Interesting posts. They confirmed what first thing which came to my mind: Oh! One more pest!

    Seriously. No later than yesterday I ran VNC viewer (without install) on a win box. The "pest patrol" software reported VNC as a pest. The machine was slow to death, crimped with soooo many anti-anti-plus-plus-ad-on-little-nice tools.

    I don't use pest removers. I look at what starts up, which services, use safe-ish Internet browser, use my brain and I have no pests.
    Zijus.