Malware attack through a .rar file & a disabled Task Manager

[videobruce]

I recently got hit three times (yes, I know, but please no "why didn't you questions) by malware. The third time was just by opening up a ".rar" file. What happened was it disabled Task Manager and put a icon in the System Tray that was a link to a anti-virus site which was actualy a virus in itself. My questions are:

1. How can Task Manager be disabled?
2. How can it be re-enabled?
3. How can just opening up a compressed ".rar" file run a executable? I did not run any file within the folder. WinRar is the program I have used for years (stopped using Winzip many years ago).
4. Can a virus, malware, trojan etc. be anything other than a ".exe" file? IOW's can a .jpg, .txt, .mpg or a doc (for examples) be one af the above??

Anyway, this program did the trick;
http://siri.urz.free.fr/Fix/Smitfrau...raudFix_En.php

Cleaned up what was added the the system and restored Task Manager.

[osprey4]

There are probably thousands of system policies that can disable just about anything. And if you think only exe files are capable of hosting malware, think again.

The emergence of .rar-packed viruses highlights the lengths to which virus writers are willing to go to evade anti-virus systems, as well as the limitations of those traditional signature-based defenses.

Experts say .rar files carrying viruses have been sailing past commercial anti-virus products and finding their way into the mailboxes of users, who are often unfamiliar with the file format. Administrators who have seen .rar-packed malware say that none of the messages have been stopped by their anti-virus defenses.

Scary, huh?

[RicheemxX]

4. Can a virus, malware, trojan etc. be anything other than a ".exe" file? IOW's can a .jpg, .txt, .mpg or a doc (for examples) be one af the above??

all of the above and just about any other file type you can think of!

[SeanC]

The best practice is to always run a virus scan on ANY file you download. Don't just rely on the resident scanner portion.

If you download torrents or p2p or from warez sites be extra careful with the files.