Is this possible?

Hello Go90West,
 
Welcome to the Webroot Community,
 
If you have Webroot you will be protected, Look here at What Happens if Webroot Misses a Virus
 
As stated over at the Webroot site:
 
Get protected against the latest known and unknown threats:

• Viruses and Spyware
• Anti-Ransomware
• Phishing Attacks
• Identity Theft
• Social Network Threats
• Unsafe Websites

Essentially WSA is an anti malware application where malware encompasses all forms of threats faced via a set of 'Shields', and to quote further from the help text:
 
"Types of Shields
 
SecureAnywhere includes the following types of shields: 

• Realtime shield — Monitors unknown programs to determine whether or not they contain threats. Blocks known threats from running on your computer that are listed in Webroot’s threat definitions and in our community database. You should never disable this shield.
• Rootkit shield — Blocks rootkits from being installed on your computer and removes any that are present.
• Web shield — Blocks known threats encountered on the Internet and displays a warning. The Web shield maintains information on more than 200 million URLs and IP addresses to comprise the most accurate and comprehensive data available for classifying content and detecting malicious sites.
• USB shield — Monitors an installed USB flash drive for threats, blocks and removes any threats that it finds.
• Offline shield — Protects your system from threats while your computer is not connected to the Internet.

The Shields are preconfigured, based on our recommended settings. You do not need to configure any settings yourself unless you are an advanced user and would like to change the settings." Webroot also has free Technical Support with a active Webroot subscription.;) Edited: ? do you have any advice that you would like to add for Go90West?   

Hi ? and ?,
 
I think Sherry has pretty much covered all the bases, so to speak. The only additional thing I can think of would be to look at your programs in the "Control Panel" and look for programs that seem unfamiliar or that you don't recall installing. Particularly "Remote Access" software like "Team Viewer", "RemotePC", or "Any Desk", which would allow remote access to your computer. You can also check your Windows settings to be sure you have remote access turned off (Control Panel>System>System Protection>System Properties "remote" tab. (for Windows 7)
 
Other than that I believe Go90West can be confident in Webroot's ability to catch any malware that they encounter, even if lying dormant on their PC for two years. :)
 
Hope this helps,
 
bd

Thankyou so much for that information ? That was very helpful for me too!!:D

 ? Despite my protections, do you think that whatever it was two years ago is gone now? It just freaks me out that I never figured out what it was. I had submitted a ticket for it back then and they couldn't find anything. 
 
No-one in my family has noticed anything wrong with their online accounts or anything, but I still don't know if there's a possibility whatever that was is still connected to my computer. I did just look in the System properties and Remote access was enabled for some reason.

? while ? & ? are far more expert when it comes to WRSA then i am and they have covered you pretty well here ( and my absolute faith in the powers of Secure Anywhere ) i have learned to believe that nothing's allmighty besides that which we cannot see. I've been into the computer & networking support for the better part of my life so i can tell you this. Nothing's absolutely sure. The only way you can be absolutely sure is if you ( when you are computer savvy enough )  or a tech you trust with enough knowledge securely wipes your machine and then reïnstalls it from a trusted media ( DVD or whatever holds the operating system you have a license for ). Don't ask me for explanations here in the open on the community as that's going a bit beyond what's accepted in the community. I've seen things that are very able to hide themselves and don't show up in your list of installed programs. Other critters have the ability to hide & morph very well.
So my advise if there is even the slightest doubt about that machine is to wipe it & reïnstall it ( and don't copy your data back to that machine untill it's properly checked ). I've been using all sorts of products from WR's competitors and none's as good as what we have here. Too bad my superiors dont allow me to set up a test case at work to prove them WRSA is better ( company policies & global software decisions & so )...

? Yeah... I can't do that. It's a family computer and there's too much stuff on it. How do I properly check it? I've heard of SuperAntiSpyware, but apparently it comes up with a lot of false positives. 
 
Can people only be connected to my computer with a file?

I would also like to add that later that month with the FBI MoneyPak Virus apparently I did find spyware and had a lot of my browsers hijacked, so maybe the two are connected in that way.

Hi ?,
 
Like ? has said, nothing is absolutely certain. However, having said that, you mentioned that you submitted a ticket to Webroot support back when this happened and that they found nothing, and that is a good thing. If you couple that with the fact that your computer hasn't repeated the suspicious behavior and you're using Webroot, I personally would feel confident that things are OK. We had the FBI MoneyPak virus hit two laptops at work. By removing the hard drives, attaching them to another computer as external hard drives, and scanning them with an AV program (not Webroot, not my call) IT was able to rid them of the virus and neither have shown any signs of re-infection since. If you still feel uncertain then by all means submit a ticket to support and have them take a look. I would also recommend a good ad blocker because some malware use pop-up ads as a way of inflicting damage. These pop-ups can easily be confused with an actual Windows notification or error, or claim that your computer is infected in hopes that you'll click on a link, or call a fake Microsoft number, thus exposing you to malware.
 
Here are some of the Ad Blockers we recommend here in the Community:
 
For Internet Explorer Ad Block Plus: https://adblockplus.org/
 
For Firefox uBlock: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/?src=ss or Privacy Badger: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/privacy-badger-firefox/

 
Google Chrome uBlock: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm?hl=en or Privacy Badger: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/privacy-badger/pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp
 
Also, please be extra careful when downloading any programs, toolbars, coupon printers, etc. Often times PUA's (Potentially Unwanted Programs) will piggy-back themselves to other programs/Apps. These can hijack your browser, change your homepage and search provider and cause unwanted pop-ups. Carefully read the EULA (End User License Agreement) and uncheck any boxes that offer to install additional software. Downloading software/apps from the source and not a third-party vendor also reduces your chances of encountering PUA's. Please see this post regarding PUA's
 
The fact that Remote Access was enabled shouldn't cause you too much concern. Perhaps in was enabled inadvertently or enabled for legitimate reasons such as previous remote tech support.
 
And finally, if you haven't already, please do have a look at the video, What Happens if Webroot Misses a Virus , posted by ?. This can go a long way in easing you fears as well.
 
Hopefully something we have posted here for you can help dispel your fears. I know you said you wouldn't be able to do a clean install of Windows as ? has suggested, but with the help of an external hard drive or USB flash drive  to transfer your important files to beforehand it really isn't that difficult, just a little time-consuming, but I totally understand your reluctance to do so, especially if you've never done so before. While this would eliminate all doubt, I'm not sure it's necessarily needed here.
 
Regards,
 
bd
 
 
 
 

? if you are reluctant to do so cause you think its too difficult give me a nudge and i will in a simple way guide you in the beginning of 2016

Hi Go90West
 
Look, the simplest solution, if you have any qualms or concerns, is to let the professionals deal with this and so open the Support Ticket that both Sherry & BD have suggested. If you link this thread in the support ticket they will be able to see everything that has been discussed and therefore pick up on your concerns/issues and investigate.
 
If there is no underlying issue they can reassure you as to that but if there is indeed a nunderlying problem then they can look to deal with it for you and resolve it.
 
In all honesty, that is the very best course of action given your concerns.
 
Regards, Baldrick