Corrupted Cloud files; can't download anything - help!

[pjbrubak]

I think my Creative Cloud has been corrupted.  Recently, I received a hacked Facebook message which I opened on my laptop.  Since then I've had many problems.  One indication is that the Adobe icon has disappeared from my taskbar for the first time ever, despite that I regularly use Premiere Pro.

My trash won't empty because it says certain files are in use.  I get messages saying that operations can't be completed (including emptying trash) because the disk is full.  I have 9GB of space left.

I want to uninstall all Adobe apps in order to attack the corruption, but when I open the Uninstall App files nothing happens.  Is that because they are aliases?  How do I get around that?  I can't download the Creative Cleaner files to wipe out Adobe because I get a browser error saying: "Cannot Create File".  I can't download any files for that matter, because I get the same message.

Can't download any files.  Can't empty trash.  Disk full messages. Adobe Error Message:

"Adobe Creative Cloud is needed to resolve the issue.  Please click "repair" to fix the issue.  If the problem persists, download and install the new copy from "http://www.adobe.com/go/adobecreativecloudapp"

But as I mentioned, I cannot download anything.  I need to find a solution where I uninstall Adobe Creative Suite without downloading anything.

Then I get this message:

"Repair is failing due to some error.  Please download and install a new copy of the Creative Cloud.."

But again, I can't download anything. 

HELP.

[Nancy OShea]

Yup, it sure sounds like you've been infected with a self-replicating trojan.  The last time it happened to me, I dumped my old computer and bought a new one.  In my case, the old PC had enough hours on it to justify retirement.  But if your laptop is newish, you should format C.  It's a drastic thing to do because it wipes out everything on your hard disk.  But it's the only reliable way of dealing with malware that has taken control of your computer.  Just be grateful it wasn't ransom-ware.

After formatting C, install your operating system and all the latest security updates.  Then get a good anti-virus and firewall.  You might want to add Malware Bytes too for good measure.  And then finally install Creative Cloud Desktop App followed by your other CC titles.

Good luck!

[pjbrubak]

Yes, it did seem like a virus and this is how I fixed it:

Rebooted my laptop in Recovery mode and performed First Aid on the drive in Disk Utility.  The corrupted files were detected and erased.  Now I can empty my trash, no problems with CC, either.

I am beyond relieved.

[Nancy OShea]

I'm glad it worked for you too.  But in my experience, a self-replicating trojan can come back to jaunt you later.  I tried every utility under the sun to get rid of it and still could not get it all.