How to Remove Dialer Virus

Dialers are a type of Trojan horse malware that disconnects the infected computer's modem from its dial-up ISP, replacing the connection with one to a premium or international phone line. The victim may not be aware of the infection until receipt of the phone bill containing multiple charges to the host company that has rented the phone line to generate revenue at a rate of $5 to $10 per minute.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Personal computer
• Dial-up modem

Instructions

1. Turn off System Restore while this fix is being implemented if the operating system of the infected computer is either Windows Me or Windows XP. Otherwise the Trojan may hide within the System Restore data and not be affected by the removal process.
   To turn off System Restore in Windows Me, click "Start," "Settings" and "Control Panel." Double-click on the "System" icon and select "File System" from the "Performance" tab. Left-click on the "Troubleshooting" tab and check the "Disable System Restore" box. Click "OK."
   To turn off System Restore in Windows XP, log in as an administrator and click "Start." Right-click on "My Computer," and select "Properties" from the shortcut menu. Check the "Turn off System Restore" option for each drive on the "System Restore" tab. Left-click "apply" and "yes" to confirm when prompted. Click "OK."

2. Download and install the AVG free antivirus program. Go to http://free.avg.com/. Click the "Get it now!" button. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click "Download." Click on the "Download now" button. Once you arrive at the CNET AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition page, click "Download Now." Click "Save File" on the Windows dialog box and save AVG to your Desktop. Upon completion, double-click on the downloaded file, select "run" and follow the software prompts to install the software.

3. Restart your computer in safe mode and log on as an administrator. Press "F8" after the first beep occurs during startup, before the display of the Microsoft Windows logo. Select the first option, to run "Windows in Safe Mode," from the selection menu.

4. Double-click on the "AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition" icon to open the software.

5. Left-click on the "Computer scanner" selection and select "Start scan" from the bottom right corner of the software window.

6. Reboot the PC normally.

7. Double-click on the "AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition" icon to open the software and run the scan a second time to ensure complete removal of the software.

Tips & Warnings

• If the computer does not utilize a modem for Internet connection, remove it or disconnect the phone line from the modem. Install antivirus software, e.g., AVG, Trend Micro or Symantec's Norton AntiVirus. These are designed to prevent these types of malware attacks. Keep the subscription current and configured to automatically download and install the most recent updates. Run some type of adware protection solution regularly, e.g., Spybot Search & Destroy.
• Read pop-up messages before clicking "OK" to avoid inadvertently downloading malware programs.

References

• AVG Free Virus Protection
• Trend Micro HouseCall