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After scanning my computer many times using big name anti-virus and malware programs I still had several problems. Finally "Exterminate It" found multiple infections from NetSky. I sent Exterminate It a sample and the next day I received an e-mail instructing me to update and rescan. After following the instructions ZAP the worm/trojan was gone. My computer seems to be completly back to normal now. Good Job Exterminate It!

Melvin

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hosts

Location of hosts and Associated Malware

Check whether hosts is present in the following locations:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
C:\WINDOWS\nsdb\hosts
C:\WINDOWS\hosts
C:\WINDOWS\WINDOWS\hosts
C:\Program Files\SpyKiller\hosts

If you find hosts in any of these locations, your computer is very likely to be infected with the following malware:

Notes:

You can check if hosts is associated with the malware listed above by running a Exterminate It! Free Scan.
You can easily remove all the files listed above with Exterminate It!.

IMPORTANT: Malware files can be camouflaged with the same file names as legitimate files. The hosts file is associated with malware only if found in the locations listed above.

Different Variations of hosts File

File Size	File Md5	Last Seen
4102	D06AB51DEBDD5CACA0BDC8928804402E	Feb 28, 2012
64	ED453CDE6D53DDD99B230503490F96E9	Dec 31, 2009
1161	81D6DE110C4F1A2BB9617E820474A9A1	Dec 8, 2010

Why Is It Important to Remove Malware Files?

It is imperative that you delete malware-associated files as soon as possible because they can be used - or are already being used - to inflict serious damage on your PC, including:

Disrupting the normal functioning of the operating system or rendering it completely useless.
Hijacking valuable private information (credit card numbers, passwords, PIN codes, etc.)
Directing all your Web searches to the same unwanted or malicious sites.
Dramatically slowing down your computer.
Gaining total control of your PC to spread viruses and trojans and send out spam.

How to Remove hosts

To enable deleting the hosts file, terminate the associated process in the Task Manager as follows:
- Right-click in the Windows taskbar (a bar that appears along the bottom of the Windows screen) and select Task Manager on the menu.
- In the Tasks Manager window, click the Processes tab.
- On the Processes tab, select hosts and click End Process.
Using your file explorer, browse to the file using the paths listed in Location of hosts and Associated Malware.
Select the file and press SHIFT+Delete on the keyboard.
Click Yes in the confirm deletion dialog box.
Repeat steps 2-4 for each location listed in Location of hosts and Associated Malware.

Notes:

The deletion of hosts will fail if it is locked; that is, it is in use by some application (Windows will display a corresponding message). For instructions on deleting locked files, see Deleting Locked Files.
The deletion of hosts will fail if your Windows uses the NT File System (NTFS) and you have no write rights for the file. Request your system administrator to grant you write rights for the file.

Delete hosts Automatically.

Deleting Locked Files

You can delete locked files with the RemoveOnReboot utility. You can install the RemoveOnReboot utility from here.

After you delete a locked file, you need to delete all the references to the file in Windows registry.

To delete a locked file:

Right-click on the file and select Send To -> Remove on Next Reboot on the menu.
Restart your computer.

The file will be deleted on restart.

Note: In the case of complex viruses that can replicate themselves, malware files can reappear in the same locations even after you have deleted those files and restarted your computer. Exterminate It! can effectively eradicate such viruses from your computer.

To remove all registry references to a malware file:

On the Windows Start menu, click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit and click OK. The Registry Editor window opens.
On the Edit menu, select Find.
In the Find dialog box, type FILENAME. The name of the first found registry value referencing hosts is highlighted in the right pane of the Registry Editor window.
Right-click the registry value name and select Delete on the menu.
Click Yes in the Confirm Value Delete dialog box.
To delete all other references to hosts, repeat steps 4-6.

IMPORTANT: Malware files can masquerade as legitimate files by using the same file names. To avoid deleting a harmless file, ensure that the Value column for the registry value displays exactly one of the paths listed in Location of hosts and Associated Malware.

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