silver
Hi steel316th,
The malware is not active or dangerous because it has been safely quarantined by Norton, however, it might be good to check the Norton history or activity logs to find out when it was originally detected so we know whether this is a new infection or something old.
There is some straightforward information on cookies from Microsoft here:
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cookies.mspx
This article covers cookies in detail and explains some of the privacy concerns associated with them:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/cookie.htm/printable
Generally speaking they aren't anything to be overly concerned about, especially if you are regularly scanning with your anti-malware products. However if you are concerned about cookies and wish to have more control over the cookies placed on your machine, let me know in your next response and I'll give you some further suggestions.
Something else to be aware of is that it's not advisable to have two antivirus programs installed at once as they can conflict and cause system problems. If you want a "2nd opinion", then using an online scanner is the preferred method.
We can do some checks to see if there is any further malware on your machine:
Download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to your Desktop (right-click the link, select Save Target As..., select your Desktop and press Save)
Download RSIT by random/random to your Desktop (right-click the link, select Save Target As..., select your Desktop and press Save)
Once complete, please post the Malwarebytes Antimalware report and both RSIT logs, you won't need to produce a new HijackThis log as RSIT produces one for you.
So, I decided to download the free antivirus "Avast Home Edition 4.8.1229.80923" and this program keeps getting a "Nutcracker Family" virus alert (everytime) and it's not able to delete/move/rename it ("access denied")It looks to me like Norton 360 has detected and quarantined something, and Avast has scanned the Norton quarantine area and found the same malware. Removal attempts have failed because Norton has somehow protected it's quarantine area.
The malware is not active or dangerous because it has been safely quarantined by Norton, however, it might be good to check the Norton history or activity logs to find out when it was originally detected so we know whether this is a new infection or something old.
I keep getting a "Tracking Cookie" virus everytime I run the antivirus program.Cookies are not malware and this particular detection does not indicate an infection. Cookies will usually be created on your machine whenever you browse the web and can be very useful, however advertising cookies such as you listed in your post do not help you and can be a privacy risk - this is why your protection software removes them.
There is some straightforward information on cookies from Microsoft here:
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cookies.mspx
This article covers cookies in detail and explains some of the privacy concerns associated with them:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/cookie.htm/printable
Generally speaking they aren't anything to be overly concerned about, especially if you are regularly scanning with your anti-malware products. However if you are concerned about cookies and wish to have more control over the cookies placed on your machine, let me know in your next response and I'll give you some further suggestions.
Something else to be aware of is that it's not advisable to have two antivirus programs installed at once as they can conflict and cause system problems. If you want a "2nd opinion", then using an online scanner is the preferred method.
We can do some checks to see if there is any further malware on your machine:
Download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to your Desktop (right-click the link, select Save Target As..., select your Desktop and press Save)
- Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
- At the end, be sure a checkmark is placed next to both of these options:
- Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
- Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
- If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
- Once the program has loaded, select Perform Quick Scan, then click Scan.
- When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
- Make sure everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
- When finished, a log will open in Notepad. Please save it to your Desktop, and post the contents in your reply.
- The log can also be found here if you need it:
- Start->All Programs->Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware->Logs
Download RSIT by random/random to your Desktop (right-click the link, select Save Target As..., select your Desktop and press Save)
- Double click RSIT.exe to start the program, and click Continue at the disclaimer screen.
- When the scan is complete, two text files will open - log.txt <- this one will be maximized and info.txt <-this one will be minimized
- Make sure Format->Word Wrap is unchecked
- Copy (Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V) the contents of log.txt and info.txt in your reply
Once complete, please post the Malwarebytes Antimalware report and both RSIT logs, you won't need to produce a new HijackThis log as RSIT produces one for you.
for now, please try running Malwarebytes Antimalware using the following instructions - they use a different procedure and different links:
I wish you and your family a safe and happy holidays!