Campus networks can be dirty places

Got your own spyware horror story?

It all began on the first day of university. Eager to see how my campus's Internet connection performed during online gaming, I grabbed my laptop and Ethernet cord and plugged directly into my room's router.

Big mistake.

My computer immediately informed me it was rebooting due to an error, and I had 60 seconds to save my work. I had managed to get the Sasser and Blaster worms, along with several other viruses, just by plugging in the cable. I spent hours running virus scans and eventually got everything cleared up.

With the virus problem solved and Windows all patched up, I plugged in to the network again. This time, rather than viruses, the network's gift took the form of spyware. CoolWebSearch, ISTbar, Gator, and others installed in a matter of seconds. I was hardly new to computers, but I had never seen such a malware problem appear so quickly. I cleaned the programs off, but they reinstalled themselves. I also tried manually cleaning them out in safe mode and then rebooting. In the end, it took a combination of Ad-Aware, HijackThis, Spybot - Search & Destroy, Webroot Spy Sweeper, CWShredder, and LSPFix to repair my computer. I also installed ZoneAlarm to prevent the malware from reinstalling, but even that didn't completely protect me. In the end, my solution was to install Windows 98 instead of XP, which did the trick.

A few days later I helped a friend with her computer and found thousands of infections on her machine. It just goes to show you the perils of plugging in to a network without the proper protection.

-Craig
Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada

Reply from the Download.com editors:

College campuses are well known as file-sharing hotbeds, so naturally their networks are often flooded with all kinds of nasty viruses, Trojan horses, and spyware. Your story is a perfect example of what can happen once you expose your computer to a network without a firewall. Most college students are bound to encounter spyware at some point in their scholastic careers, so it's a good idea to stock up on antispyware programs and make sure you have backup copies in case malicious software hoses your Internet connection.

Speaking of fixing Internet connections, we're glad you brought up LSPFix. We've used this application several times to get out of a jam. Some forms of spyware and adware break your computer's Winsock, leaving you unable to connect to the Web. With a few clicks, LSPFix can restore Winsock to its previous state so you can get back online and back to work. We highly recommend burning this freebie to CD and keeping it handy; you never know when you might need it.