Remove the Facebook Virus (Koobface, video, caught on camera)

December 24, 2009 by admin
Filed under Internet Tips

Remove the viruses spread through Facebook

Remove the Facebook Virus (Koobface, video, caught on camera)

Have you received a virus (such as Koobface) through an email or post from a Facebook friend? If so, all hope is not lost. Here are some steps to help remove the virus and get control of your computer back for free.

Some examples of the email generated by the Facebook virus (these may vary with words or may be spelled wrong):

- You’ve been caught on a hidden camera
- You just look awesome in this new video

It helps to already have an antivirus program on your computer. If not, you can download and install a free version. See the resources below for a list of free antivirus programs and more info from Facebook.com on the Koobface virus.

Your antivirus may have already caught the virus and cleaned it out. Many people find that the virus keeps coming back and won’t go away. Here are some tricks that should let you get rid of the virus altogether.

Instructions

Step 1

Make sure your anti-virus program is installed and up to date with the latest virus definitions.
Step 2

Disconnect from Wireless Networks

Disconnect your computer from the internet by unplugging the network cable (like a big phone cord) or disconnecting from the wireless internet connection.

For a wireless internet connection, newer laptops have a switch or button that lets you turn off the connection. If you don’t have this, right click the computer-like icon in the bottom-right of your screen (by the clock) and click disable.
Step 3

Turn Off Windows System Restore

Next, turn off the System Restore setting in your computer. This is a feature that lets you restore your computer to it’s state at a previous date and time. The virus uses it to restore itself in your computer after an anti-virus program removes it.

Disable system restore in XP or Vista by clicking Start (or the Windows Vista icon at the bottom-right of the screen), then right-click My Computer, then choose Properties and click the System Restore tab. Click the “Disable System Restore” box and click OK.
Step 4

Restart your computer in “Safe Mode”. For XP or Vista, restart your computer. Once the screen turns black from shutting down, start pressing the “F8″ key on your keyboard repeatedly until you see some options in white text. Using your arrow keys, highlight the “Safe Mode” option (without network support) and press Enter.

It may take a few minutes to start up, be patient.
Step 5

Once your PC is started in safe mode, your screen will look odd, likely with large fonts. This is OK.

Open your anti-virus program and perform a Full Scan for viruses.
Step 6

After it’s finished scanning, look to see if it found any viruses. If so, try to permanently delete them through the anti-virus program (unless it already did this).
Step 7

Restart your computer (again in Safe Mode) and run another virus scan. If needed, choose to delete the infected files permanently from your computer and from the anti-virus’s Quarantine area.
Step 8

Restart your computer once more, this time in normal mode (without pressing F8).
Step 9

Run one more virus scan. If no viruses are detected, reconnect your computer to the internet.
Step 10

This should remove the viruses altogether. If your computer runs without any signs of viruses for a day or so, you can turn the System Restore back on.

Tips & Warnings

Restarting your computer in Safe Mode will keep the virus from running and slowing your system down.
In order to clean the virus out completely, you must disable the Windows System Restore feature.
If you receive an email from a friend’s Facebook account to see a video, don’t open it. Instead, delete it or ask them if the sent it.
If your PC is infected with a virus through a Facebook email, you will likely find several different viruses, worms or trojans from a virus scan. Following these steps should allow you to remove all of these.
When you realize you have a virus, it’s best to remove it as soon as possible. The longer they are in your system, the slower it will run and it may become more difficult to fully remove them.
See the resources below for a link to the Symantec Antivirus website. You can find an alphabetical list of viruses there with detailed information on each virus, what it does and even how to manually remove it. NOTE: To find W32.Koobface.A, look under the letter K.