Possible email virus

Some while back my brother told me about an email/computer virus. It arrives with just the senders name (my brothers name) and no subject, when opened it has a website address which is supposedly a link but it's in black so the link doesn't work. My brother says that he thinks it's working it's way through his personal contacts list and apart from it being passed on to the names listed it doesn't seem to be affecting anything else. His problem is he doesn't seem to be able to get rid of it and it's continuing to send to his contacts more than once.

Now the problem is, I received it today and opened it. Assuming it's now going to work it's way through my contact addresses is there anything I can do to stop it? I haven't sent any emails since I opened it but I don't think that will make any difference. I'd be grateful for any ideas please.

 

Thanks FC. Yes I have AVG anti virus so will get on and do that, although it automatically ran this evening after receiving the email. It didn't show any problems.

Sorry, you need to give me idiots instructions please......download Malwarebytes?

I've already fully deleted the email. My emails come directly from/through my Manx server and Windows Livemail.

 

You'll get Malwarebytes here Sheal >
https://www.malwarebytes.org/free/

It's very good, I've got it and run it from time to time in addition to my main anti-virus software. I used it on a friend's PC to get rid of a nasty she'd acquired. It will detect and remove viruses that other AV software has missed.

 

Thanks Dave, I'll run it later.

 

When I click on the Malwarebytes download button a box appears at the bottom asking me if I want to run or save, what do I answer please?

 

Save (but remember where it saved to).
Once the download is complete, then go to where it's saved, double click on it and the installation process will begin.

 

Thanks Dave. It said something about the installation taking six hours or so, surely that can't be right, or have I got things muddled in my computer illiterate mind again?

 

Hi @Sheal

If you are referring about the time it will take to completely download, then 6 hours is far too long unless you have a real slow internet connection.

What I think is more likely, is that it will take 6 hours to scan all the files on your computer, although even that sounds way too long unless you have set it (or it's set by default) to be in "ultra paranoid mode" where it scans all files (even the ones like jpegs and bitmaps) for possible virus even though files like jpg, bmp, txt and so on cannot have an embedded nasty.

 

Hmmm, I'll have to go back and study it a bit more before I hit the download button, as you say 6 hours plus is a bit excessive for whatever it may do. Thanks.

 

No problem, let us know how you get on.

 

I've run the virus scan, very nervously, as I'm not used to delving into the depths of my computer, I'm mechanically minded not technologically minded unfortunately. Anyway, expecting it to take up to six hours it only took twenty minutes and showed up one virus which it duly dealt with. Hopefully it was something to do with the above mentioned issue and I've nipped it in the bud! My computer is faster now as well, coincidence or not it had slowed with the incoming of the dodgy email. Eyes still peeled though, just in case.

Thanks all!

 

Hi @Sheal

Well done.
Perhaps you should set the anti-virus software to automatically run every day at a predetermined time when you are not using the computer.
In this way you won't experience a possible slow down (depending on your computers resources) whilst the anti-virus software is doing a full scan.

 

Thanks Dave. I will think on what you have said, this download was free and a fourteen day trial, so I'll make my mind up after the time lapse.