I completed a scan last night (VPS 0624-2) which detected this virus:
Win32:Trojan-gen {UPX!} in the file "browser.exe"
The file is located in C:\WINDOWS
I moved it to the virus chest, then moved it back so i could scan it with TrendMicro House Call to get a second opinion. It found nothing wrong with the file. I then moved it back into the chest while I investigated.
On a hunch, I rolled over to my other machine to see if the file existed there also. It did, and i got the same results. These machines are both WinXP SP2, with Avast 4 Home and Sunbelt Kerio Firewall. That is about all they have in common, except for an SBC Yahoo DSL connection.
On a second hunch, I popped in the SBC DSL installation CD into the old system and explored the CD for the file "browser.exe." There it was, and Avast freaked out once again. So, if it thinks its a virus on the CD, then it's not like the file on the system was infected later.
I can't recall whether I have scanned since I installed the DSL. It is very possible that I have not, as we have had a baby in the meantime and I have been rather distracted. If I have scanned, I wonder why Avast did not pick this up before. If I have not scanned, then why does Avast see this file as viral? Surely SBC would not include a virus on their installation CD, would they? Spyware, yes, virus?
I have a friend who also has SBC DSL and uses Avast. I will check with him tonight to see if a)he has the file and b)whether Avast finds it viral.
For now I have moved the file into the chest on both systems.
Any clue?
PK