Adware, Spyware, Virus Removal and Prevention

At User Friendly Computers we have a lot of experience in dealing with: adware, browser hijacks, spyware, virus infections, Trojan Horse attacks and worm removal. All of these items fall under the general term called malware.

If you suspect your computer has a malware infection, the best thing to do is to turn it off immediately and seek an expert's advice ASAP. Turning off your PC will help to minimize any ongoing damage that is being carried out by an active infection and increase the likelihood of recovering your system and data intact after the infection is removed.

People often ask me: How do I know when my computer is under a malware attack? This is an excellent question.

• Sudden unexpected advertisement displays or popups opening up in your work screen.
  
• Unexpected or excessive hard drive, or network activity. Beware of flashing lights when you are not accessing anything.
  
• Icons, files or folders vanishing from your desktop screen. Files and folders disappearing from your hard drive.
• Your screen or mouse develops a life of its own. Your mouse cursor is working when you are not.
  
• A normally stable computer suddenly starts freezing up, or runs slower than normal, software programs fail to load, or flash out error messages while loading.
• Your PC takes longer than usual to bootup.
• Your browser home page is suddenly replaced by a new one that you don't recognize.
• Your Temp folder or Recycle Bin is constantly clogged with hundreds of files, only a few days or hours after you clean it out.
• New processes or programs appear in your task manager that you don't recognize.

While many of the above problems could be caused by other factors such as software corruption, faulty update patches, or due to a hardware problem. Why try to second guess what the problem might be and take a chance of suffering a system crash, or loss of data? If you experience any of the above warning signs your computer could have an active malware infection. Its in your best interest to play it safe and have the problem checked out by a professional as soon as possible.

Currently in our business we are seeing adware and spyware infections over-taking computer viruses as the number one problem plaguing our clients.

Spyware is the most serious type of malware because it collects and transmits personally identifiable information about the users and systems it infects. Spyware can easily harvest information from your hard drive, including user names, Social Security numbers, on-line banking logon names and passwords,  the mail and e-mail addresses of your friends, relatives and associates. With identity theft on the rise, why take the chance of being compromised.

A Trojan infection can easily spread beyond your PC and adversely affect your friends and business associates. If a hacker or spammer gets a hold of your friends or business associates e-mail addresses by compromising your PC, they can then use these harvested e-mail addresses to bombard your friends and business associates with Spam and popup advertisements. You owe it to your friends and business associates as a responsible user to keep your PC free of malware.

Adware is similar to spyware, but normally only transmits benign tracking data about your personal browsing habits. It is used by advertisers for targeted web advertising. Adware does not normally transmit personally identifiable information about you by definition, but can pose a nuisance by consuming your Internet bandwidth and by invading your privacy.

If you suspect you may have a malware infection, or feel your virus or firewall protection may not be adequate, please call for us for an inexpensive security audit and prevention program.

For a thorough computer system cleaning and abatement program, please call User Friendly Computers at 248-585-9132 and ask for Bill Woelk. 

Don't get caught with your defenses down.

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