Security Certificate

All of a sudden on the following sites:

Fidelity.com

Yahoo.com

Google.com

I am getting the following message:

There is a problem with the website Security Certificate.

The security Certificate presented by this website was not issued by a trusted certificate authority.

All my other websites work properly.

I have searched the internet but can not figure out how to fix it.

Your help is greatly needed.

Thank you,

Philip said:

All of a sudden on the following sites:

Fidelity.com

Yahoo.com

Google.com

I am getting the following message:

There is a problem with the website Security Certificate.

The security Certificate presented by this website was not issued by a trusted certificate authority.

Click to expand...

Your hosts file has probably been modified by malware. See my other post responding to your questions about popups here (with instructions on removing malware and resetting your hosts file back to defaults):

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/54540112

Your DNS settings could also have been changed causing the same type of issues (redirecting you to a DNS server with rogue sites associated with names like google.com, etc.).

I included a link to a page on how to check for that in the other post, too.

I'll repeat the same instructions here:

Use adwcleaner for removing most common adware that can cause issues with browsers and extensions. Use it's scan choice, then mark everything found and use the clean button to remove the adware found during the scan.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/

Then, run Malwarebytes Free. It's a super product that can find and remove many common malware and adware infections that many other products will miss (but, run adwcleaner first):

https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

Make sure to mark everything that malwarebytes finds (including PUPs, which are Potentially Unwanted Programs like adware that could be causing issues with your browsers) for removal, as they're not always flagged for removal by default and you have to check the boxes beside them in the scan results. IOW, if you've been using it and only cleaned the default choices, you may have left adware installed.

Then, I'd run a followup scan using Hitman Pro. It's a great scanner using multiple scan engines, and you can use it for free and remove any malware (and adware) found for up to 30 days after you install it, without anything running in the background that could interfere with the antivirus products you're already using. Same deal... remove everything it identifies. Get it here:

http://www.surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro

But, run those 3 products in the order mentioned (adwcleaner first, making sure to use the scan then clean choices to get rid of the adware; then malwarebytes free, making sure to mark everything found, including PUPs before using it's remove choice, then Hitman Pro (same deal, let it remove everything found).

After your get rid of the malware, you'll want to reset your hosts file to defaults, too (as it sounds like it's been modified by malware to redirect you to other sites, based on your posts about security certificates. See this page:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972034

Your DNS settings could also have been changed causing the same type of issues (redirecting you to a DNS server with rogue sites associated with names like google.com, etc.). See this page for more info:

http://www.dotfab.com/resources/how-to-check-hosts-files-dns-and-proxy-settings/

Jim,

Thank you for your reply. As in the past you always seem to come through.

I own Malware Bytes Premium and it is a great product.

I solved the problem by doing a restore to an earlier time.

All is working well now.

Do you use any pop up blocker? If yes, which one. I am using Windows 7 Ultimate and my browser is IE 11

Thank you again for sharing your vast knowledge concerning PC's

Philip said:

Jim,

Thank you for your reply. As in the past you always seem to come through.

I own Malware Bytes Premium and it is a great product.

I solved the problem by doing a restore to an earlier time.

All is working well now.

Do you use any pop up blocker? If yes, which one. I am using Windows 7 Ultimate and my browser is IE 11

Thank you again for sharing your vast knowledge concerning PC's

Click to expand...

I use AdBlock Plus with Firefox, and AdBlock with Chrome.

But, if you're still seeing pop-ups, you probably still have adware running (even after going back to a previous restore point).

So, I'd run the programs I suggested in my first post to this thread for starters, as Malwarebytes will not always flag some PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs like Adware) by default, so using tools like the free adwcleaner I mentioned is best for adware removal, followed by a scan with other utilities like Hitman Pro is a better bet.

See links in my first post to this thread.

--
JimC
------