Windows 10: Having concerns about security and feel like I've been hijacked....is this normal?

I feel like everything I know is telling me that my computer (Win10) has been taken over. While at the same time Windows Defender and even MalwareBytes software is showing no indication of any threat. First thing that caught my attention was that I could not MAXIMIZE any window. After maximizing any window, it fills the screen real estate edge to edge, but grabbing the title bar it can still be slid around like before it was maximized. Other strange things like users being added to both the \users folder, as well as security objects. Digging into this, are these normal desktop.ini entries?


[.ShellClassInfo]

LocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21762



[LocalizedFileNames]

ODBC Data Sources (32-bit).lnk=@%SystemRoot%\syswow64\odbcint.dll,-1693
Registry Editor.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\regedit.exe,-16
Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\System32\AuthFWGP.dll,-20
Task Scheduler.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\miguiresource.dll,-201
Computer Management.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\system32\mycomput.dll,-300


I know that something is altering my Windows Defender Firewall Inbound & Outbound Rules and there is not a single Connection Security Rule defined. Maybe I'm being overly suspicious (ok, paranoid), but something doesn't feel right, but all of the security applications are showing "thumbs up". While at the same time, the anti-virus apps are completing a 650,000+ file scan in minutes. As I am writing this I noticed that all of my subfolders under \windows\system\system32 have a create date of 10/12/19...my windows-10 has been installed for 2 years.


Are there viruses out there that can alter security apps like this? If so, what do I trust to remove the files effected. Many moons ago, to clean a system required clean booting from a known sterile boot disk and only then running removal-sweeping software. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

:)

 

Browser hijacked by safesurfs.com Malware

After reading what you went through I would strongly suggest you read the advice of Monkey57 and try his steps. Normally

Browser hijackers don't show this kind of behavior and more could be going on. Normally I don't suggest Resetting your computer but in this case....

 

Security Concerns

Not that there aren't better answers to security concerns. Which I'm sure there always are. But to protect my own mental health, I always feel better if I...




In other words...bad things are always happening to me and I can never feel 100% safe and secure no matter what I do...unless I just pretend they aren't. And do my best to not say the wrong things to the wrong people. Que sera sera. And all that jazz.

 

Corporate Security Solution

That made me so facepalm. Some people have absolutely no clue. I hope they don't take you for granted with all this you're doing for them.

SonicWall is a good security product, so Mindweaver's suggestion sounds like a good one and should make for a rather bigger baby step. Let's hope they take it.