Threat "Resolved" Clarification

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

Hello, I'm running Norton V5.1.0.29, updated to it today and I had Norton go through all the scans and even had it do the application trust scan. I was looking over my resolved security risks (and saw the Norton Power Eraser) and saw the quarantined section, and I have developed a few burning questions.

 

The first question is: Several security resists have been labled as "Resolved - No action nessecary" and the "status" of the risk (a trojan) is labled as "Quarantined". Under the details window of the risk it gave a line of what program it was as well as "removed" I'll copy down an example.

Infected file: c:\program files\starcraft\bnupdate.exe

   Removed

 

This threat is sitting in my qaurantined section of my security history. Now the question is, is this file no longer a threat? Its done? Water under the bridge? Sleep well at night? Is it completely removed or is there some final step I need to take?

 

The second question is: I clicked the link that lead me to the Norton Power Eraser and recovery toolkit. I read the little bit on the page about the Norton Power Eraser and wasn't quite answered. Is it a good idea to download the Norton Power Eraser and let it run a full scan? I don't think I have any spyware (but I'm always a tad nervous or paranoid) or malware, but I'm curious if downloading it and running a full scan with it anyway is a good idea.

 

The final question is: I have run a secondary scan with MalwareBytes, and a full scan with Norton 360 v5, both say there isn't any spyware. If I'm informed that a Norton Power Eraser scan is a good idea, and it shows up nothing, I can rest easy?

 

I ask this because my friend got a thing called (after submitting a help request to microsoft) "advanced pc care" and they went into their computer and cleaned out a bunch of files including a data miner (and since they use the same Norton I have, its easy to see my paranoia).

 

2

 

Hi Mechy,

 

FIles in quarantine are no longer threats to your PC.  They are inert copies of removed files that are retained in case you need to restore them, which might occur if the removal had caused instability or other serious issues on your system.  After a period of time, if your system continues to run normally you can clear the entries in Quarantine and this will delete the copies.

 

You should not run Norton Power Eraser as a tool for routine diagnostics.  It is a specialized program that is designed to be aggressive against hard-to-remove threats.  There is a real possibility of removing legitimate files by using this program, so it should only be run when you are sure that your computer is infected and other attempts to fix the problem have been unsuccessful.  It is not a scanner for everyday use.

3

Ah, thank you for that. I didn't realize it made a backup of the file. Alright, I just found it a tad confusing.

 

Again, thank you for the information over the Norton Power Eraser, I wasn't entirely sure and you have made it perfectly clear.

 

Thank you so much.

4

 

You're welcome.