CC Cleaner modified my Word, Excel, Adobe,Txt,Jpeg,HTML

CCleaner for Windows
1

I am using CC Cleaner Version 2.15.815.

I ran CC Cleaner at 23.12.2008 5.28 pm and all of the Word, Excel, Adobe,Zip,Txt,Jpeg,HTML files on my C drive and the My Documents drive were all modified and all of them were given the modified date of 23.12.2008 5.28 pm. None of these files will now open.

Error messages as follows:

1. Excel - This file is not in a recognisable format

2. Word - Microsoft Word cannot import the specified format. This feature is not currently installed. Would you like to install it now?

3. Adobe - Adobe reader could not open file either it is noty a supported file type or because the file has been damaged.

My D drive was not affected and all of the Word, Excel, Adobe,Zip,Txt,Jpeg,HTML files on that drive still have their correct dates and all open OK. Hence, Word, Excel, Adobe etc are working OK on my computer.

During the CC Cleaning, I saw that it was taking longer than normal and I could see it was doing something with the files on my C drive but I did not realise that it was modifying them.

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The sequence of events is as follows:

My PC became infected with Malware (Zlob and Rooings) a few days ago. Symptoms were that using Google Search in Internet Explorer was being redirected to incorrect sites (advertising sites). Google worked OK in other browsers (Firefox, opera, Netscape).

I downloaded and used CC Cleaner without any problems in normal mode and a number of on-line Malware scanners and removed the malware with 3 of them that located it (Malwarebytes, Trendmicro Housecall, a-squared, Bitdefender, Ewido and Panda Active Scan 2). The Malware returned the next day (in the Restore section) so I then downloaded and installed a-squared Anti-Malware Version 4.0. and re-did all the Malware scans with Restore off and again removed the malware. The problem then occurred with CC Cleaner. The a-squared log shows the CC Cleaner being initaited at 23/12/2008 5:37:59 PM so there isn't any doubt that the problem occurred during the CC Cleaner scan.

The significance of this is that using CC Cleaner as part of the Malware removal process is commonly done.

There is one other reference to something similar occurring with CC Cleaner back in Feb 2006 on this Forum (Corrupted files) but they weren't certain that CC Cleaner was involved. In my case, there is absolutely no doubt.

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Any thoughts, similar experiences,suggestions?

2

Hello Ashdown,

Welcome to the forums !!! :D

Wow, it sure sounds like you have some serious problems involving malware.

You need help from the experts before doing anything else.

Start at this link and follow the instructions.

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=17457

Good luck,

:) davey

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Deleted by Disk4mat

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I haven't tried opening the files on another system but I made back-ups of all my files before I started CC Cleaner.

The files don't appear to be encrypted.

CC Cleaner had run OK on earlier occasions - very fast and no problems.

However, your suggestions prompted me to remember that I had made 1 (significant) change prior to this problem scan - I had gone into the Tools section and changed the security setting to the more secure one of "Overwrite once" instead of the default "delete". It does say there that this method does take longer. I have also read that overwriting makes the files totally inaccessible (good for anyone selling their PC so that files are totally inaccessible). That was obviously a factor in what hapened because that is what happened to my files that were modified and then became inaccessible.

I took up your suggestion and ran CC Cleaner again.

I tried to reproduce what had happened by first doing the normal delete and it worked perfectly OK - very fast and deleted the temporary files etc.

I also tested the "overwrite once" which previously had resulted in a problem but it also worked OK this time.

It is possible that while CC was scanning through folders, a security application was scanning all the files within those folders, links were created from the temporary files and the affected files modified and overwriiten.

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It is possible that while CC was scanning through folders, a security application was scanning all the files within those folders, links were created from the temporary files and the affected files modified and overwriiten.
Thats what Im thinking.

The good news is that you had a backup of the files. Something we often neglect. Since you havent been able to reproduce the problem it must have been a combination of circumstances. We can only hope it dosent happen again.