Worm or adbot hiding on my S5

[1Coopgt]

Amen to Motorcycles. I'm 53 and this is my baby .

 

[AZgl1500]

I don't think someone has hacked his phone . I'm thinking he has possibly downloaded a malicious app. or visited a hacked website that has side loaded something onto his phone (ok hacked).

OP Log in to Android device Manage . Then when you are ready fire up your phone so it get it's data connection and then push the button .

Okay, did that and it did not find the phone.
So, I went into Google+ settings and turned on a few things, I had it all turned OFF. Verifyied that I had all of the Google Services enabled on the phone itself, and they were.

Restarted the phone and the phone started ringing and it showed my location.
I do not want to erase the phone right now, so I don't see what else Android device Manager is going to do for me at this point.

Clicked on Ring and the phone did ring, and the power button shut it up. So it is communicating now.

 

[Resendetra]

I've done a Google search on this and it seems a lot of people have had this problem, so you're not the only one. I found a post where someone had this hornyworm.apk and that resetting the configuration of their browser helped. Also, deleting cache and cookies also helped in getting rid of the Hornyworm.apk pop-up. So you could try that, it wouldn't hurt.

 

[AZgl1500]

I just went thru all of the recent apps that I had downloaded and dumped them all.

Then I looked at stuff that had not been used since I have had the phone, uninstalled them or disabled them. My theory is if it isn't available to be running, then it won't be slowing the phone down when I want to do something else.

However, there is one app that refuses to Uninstall and that is AirDroid. I have no use for it, never use it, it was downloaded, so why can't I get rid of it? In Application Manager the Uninstall button is 'grayed out'... now I do NOT remember this being on the phone when Samsung sold it to me in the Verizon box. Anyone?

 

[AZgl1500]

I've done a Google search on this and it seems a lot of people have had this problem, so you're not the only one. I found a post where someone had this hornyworm.apk and that resetting the configuration of their browser helped. Also, deleting cache and cookies also helped in getting rid of the Hornyworm.apk pop-up. So you could try that, it wouldn't hurt.

I was writing my post when you put that up.

I just hooked up to my PC and used the PC's file manager to delete all the folders relating to AirDroid and the damn app is still running! and when I Force Close it, it restarts!

I am going to clear out the Cache Partition, already cleared out AirDroid's cache. be right back.

 

[AZgl1500]

Gotta make a comment on battery use....

This is the first time ever I have used up all of the battery within a space of 5 hours!

I have been running all of the virus scanners I could find, adbot detectors, downloading, installing, etc..... all of that is CPU heavy and intensive and 5 hours of screen on-time at 100% brightness "auto level".... I use max brightness because I work outside in the sun.

The S5 has one heck of a good battery, but I can see that folks who push it hard are going to use a lot of battery. I usually get 2 or 3 days out of a charge :rofl:

 

[Resendetra]

I was writing my post when you put that up.

I just hooked up to my PC and used the PC's file manager to delete all the folders relating to AirDroid and the damn app is still running! and when I Force Close it, it restarts!

I am going to clear out the Cache Partition, already cleared out AirDroid's cache. be right back.

Remember to go into your browsers settings and clear the cache and cookies there, and like I said, resetting the configuration of the browser may help too. From what I was reading, it seems to not have anything to do with an app, but with the browser itself, kind of like annoying pop ups on a browser on a PC. It's different with a mobile phone though, it can take over that phone and show them without the browser being open, which is annoying.

 

[AZgl1500]

Remember to go into your browsers settings and clear the cache and cookies there, and like I said, resetting the configuration of the browser may help too. From what I was reading, it seems to not have anything to do with an app, but with the browser itself, kind of like annoying pop ups on a browser on a PC. It's different with a mobile phone though, it can take over that phone and show them without the browser being open, which is annoying.

Good point, I am using CM Browser, just now cleared out everything. I don't keep anything in a browser anyway that needs a password.

All that done, now to put the thing on a charger so it can be used again.

I have restarted the phone 3 times in the last 1/2 hour and so far, nothing pesky has showed its' ugly head.

 

[AZgl1500]

Well, so far, so good. Phone's been on the Qi charger and is just about topped off.
Had some text messages come in, so neat that you just pick the phone up like "normal", take care of the messages, and then just lay the phone down "like normal" and it starts charging again. No USB cords to fiddle with or get in your way.

Love wireless chargers.

No pesky popup messages, so I must have uninstalled the critter, or Ad Block Plus has stopped it while I am here at home. It only works with WiFi darn it according to the blurb that came with it.


Packing up my gear and stuff it in the m/c saddle bags. 0600 hours in the morning will see me "out of here" headed for Eureka Springs, AR to visit my friends.

Not even taking a laptop this trip, the S5 is just that good. Don't need one. Unless all previous trips I loaded the bike down to the ground trying to have "enough stuff". ;rofl;

Will report in Monday about how things went over the holiday.

 

[monsieurms]

Good thread on adbot problems here:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...store-opens-randomly-specific-games-apps.html

 

[Parham Goudarzi]

Haven't you encountered any more problem? This topic was really funny! Hornyworm ! YAY!

Posted via Android Central App

 

[AZgl1500]

Hi all....

I had a terrific Labor Day weekend and I hope all of you did also. I attended a motorcycle Rally in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and over 45 bikes showed up and booked into our host hotel.

BBQ hamburgers on the grill Friday night, did yours taste good? Mine did ;rofl;

Okay, back to the worm bot or whatever it was. When I left home Friday morning, Horneyworm had not appeared again with normal use of the phone for anything EXCEPT making phone calls. Well, arrived at the rally and started to use the phone to call the wife (SWMBO that is "She Who Must Be Obeyed") to let her know that me and the motorcycle under me arrived safe and sound. Good etiquette to keep the home base informed ya know.

Anyway, brought up the dialer and there it was again, wanting to sell me a Space Game this time. This time I clicked on the 'next' button to see where it goes, and it brought up the Google Play Store to sell me that particular game.

Hmmmmm, I decided to start unloading all of the most recent apps that were downloaded. Don't remember how many, or which one did it. The "which one" would be extremely hard to pinpoint because that bot waits and waits and hits at random times.

Anyhoo, I dumped everything except what came on the phone including all of the virus scanner apps. Reactivated the builtin virus scanner app "Verizon Security" and let it scan, it came up with zilch.

Okay, let's see if the "Big Boy" of the virus protection world says it is clean.... so I downloaded Lookout Security and let it scan. It also says the phone is clean. So far, I have about 36 hours of clean phone use on it, phones calls, lots of texting, lots of YouTube videos, lots of Facebook reading and posting a few comments, and a lot of news reading from CNN, BBC, FoxNews, USA Today, a couple home town news apps from TV stations.

Not once so far has that horneyworm reappered, nor has any offers to sell me a game, or a false Virus Warning overlay. Nothing at all.

Got my fingers crossed that I finally deleted the app that infiltrated my phone and caused me a lot of unneeded frustrations.

I'm going to leave Lookout Security enabled for the short term....

Any thoughts from ya'll as to whether their Premium Package is worth while? I keep backups with Kies 3.0 about every 3 or 4 weeks, I always transfer my photos straight to my desktop PC.... so far, I have not invoked the Premium Package.... I'm not real happy with that being a "lease program" that does not end..... make it a one time charge and I'd think a lot harder about buying it.

.

 

[Parham Goudarzi]

Good for you... Glad to see that your problem has been solved (at least so far!)

Posted via Android Central App

 

[mhaiderk97]

Have you tried using safe mode? Boot the phone is safe mode and see if these ads persist. If they Don't then gradually uninstall and check which 3rd party app seems to be the problem. Also, clear the DEVICE'S cache partition. Hope it helps.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[AZgl1500]

So far was the right term for it.

Took a nap, needed to send a text message and there it was.... "The Virus Warning" !!!

Just as soon as this post is done, I am reformatting the phone back to Factory virgin new territory.

I have had enough of this.

What ever Horneyworm is, it hides from the best virus detection packages there are out there for us. Just like the bots that hide in the boot partition on Windows PCs.

I did a total Kies 3.0 backup this morning and now it is totally useless. I don't think that I could even trust the pictures and documents stored in that backup.

I'm going to copy all of the pictures to my PC and reformat the phone.

!@#$%^&*

 

[bbmjack]

So far was the right term for it.

Took a nap, needed to send a text message and there it was.... "The Virus Warning" !!!

Just as soon as this post is done, I am reformatting the phone back to Factory virgin new territory.

I have had enough of this.

What ever Horneyworm is, it hides from the best virus detection packages there are out there for us. Just like the bots that hide in the boot partition on Windows PCs.

I did a total Kies 3.0 backup this morning and now it is totally useless. I don't think that I could even trust the pictures and documents stored in that backup.

I'm going to copy all of the pictures to my PC and reformat the phone.

!@#$%^&*

I've told you that since days ago

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[AZgl1500]

I've told you that since days ago

Posted via the Android Central App

You did and I do recall it w/o having to go back and read it.
As I said, this was an Ed U Kation trip......

The phone is reset to factory, now I'm going to get it restored a bit at a time.

I'm in no hurry, this is not an all out Emergency ER trip.

I saved the important file folders direct to my PC so I can pick and choose a few things.
I did not find a way to backup the Text Messages though.... that bugs me, but oh well.



ah, I knew this, but forgot it, Verizon can backup all of my messages..... bummer, forgot to do that.

 

[SWAG YOLO]

Oh boy, I've got the exact same problem...

 

[Mania Media Repair]

You've got to de-select it as an Android administrator in order to uninstall it.

Posted via the Android Central App