SysSecure.Exe Part Two

Sys Secure. Exe

Following up on an earlier post; I had originally reported that this virus was pretty easy to defeat. I discovered that it was not. This virus, this file would randomly pop up in “Programs and Features”. I knew when it would become active again because my system would slow to a crawl. Browser pages would either not load or would load incompletely.
To remove this virus I went through my usual steps. I identified the file through Control Panel and Programs and Features. I uninstalled the file after confirming that this was a viral program. I also did a search of computer files and removed two more instances of this same file. I understood at this point that the file had probably written itself to the Windows Registry. The registry is a list of files that windows uses to start services and processes when your computer reboots. Out of curiosity, I decided to let the virus run its course and took notes of its characteristics as it advanced. I had at that time two active antiviral and antispyware programs running.
At first the file would surface once or twice a week. The frequency increased over time. This file also updated itself to a newer version. It is possible that this file was not a virus itself, but a program that would allow viruses into the system. The end result was a complete hard drive failure due to a corrupted Master Boot Record or the MBR. I keep critical data backup on removable devices and I have several Operating Systems disks. I was able to restore my data to a larger hard drive with a new OS.
The old drive remains unreadable and un-writable. The conventional means of reformatting this drive have proven to be fruitless. I will attempt a low-level format to make the drive useable again; but that will be for another blog.