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Check Availability: Comcast.net Cox.net Quest DSL SBC / Yahoo DSL Wide Open West Microsoft Windows Update
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I hear it all the time...
You've just been to the computer store and bought that brand-new, high-tech computer. You brought it home, set it up and got it on the internet. You've transferred all your data to the new computer and used the machine for only a few hours before it seems your NEW computer is slower than your old one!!! Why does it take so long to start up and why can't you get on the internet anymore? All you did is hook it up the the internet for 20 minutes and a few hours later you can't surf anymore. The internet is broken. You call up your ISP and they tell you something must be wrong with your machine. You start your computer and suddenly you're completely inundated with pop-ups! Suddenly your opinion of your computer changes. What is wrong with your high-dollar box of junk??? How could your computer hardware be broken? Do you have to return the computer already?
The symptoms above are signs that you are a victim of malware. What is this malware I'm referring to? Malware is a term for Malicious Software that has installed itself onto your machine, often with the help of the users of your computer, for the purpose of doing the malware creator's bidding by using your computer connection to the internet and your computer resources.
You might respond: "But I didn't install this onto my computer!". If you haven't properly secured your computer against all known Microsoft Windows vulnerabilities before attaching your computer to the internet, you may have unknowingly opened all the doors and windows to your computer and handed cyber hackers the keys to all your surfing habits, credit card numbers, bank account information and other sensitive information.
"Who has time to sit at there computer and hack into people's machines? Why do these hacker losers do this? Why don't they get a job like the rest of the world?" you might ask. The answer is simple. Every time you accidentally click a pop-up or surf the net with a hijacked browser, the creators of the malware and the owners of the malicious websites make money by directing people on the internet to their websites. It's actually an extremely profitable profession. The worst part about it all is that no person actually needs to sit down and figure out a way to hack into your machine - their malicious software does the hacking for them - and actually INVITES more malware to install itself on your computer. An unprotected computer attached to the internet can be infected by viruses or malware from any computer in the world in approximately 20 seconds - and the owner of the computer doesn't have make a single click with his or her mouse.
Below is a list of topics that I'll be covering to help you win the battle against malware:
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"Isn't there a law against this stuff? Why doesn't anyone do something about it?" "How the heck to I keep this crap off my computer???" "I downloaded this free spyware program off the net and even went to the store and bought a popup blocker and spyware removal program - but I'm already infected and I can't seem to get rid of my popups, what could be wrong?" "My Antivirus program expired and now I can't install a new one - it keeps disappearing! What should I do?" "I changed my homepage to http://www.google.com but my computer keeps trying to go to about:blank and I can't surf anymore. What is this and how do I get my homepage back?" "I took my computer back to the place I bought it and they said I should do a "restore". I've done this "restore" over and over, but I'm still infested, now what?" "My computer's wallpaper says I'm infected with spyware and that I need to buy someone's spyware removal program to fix my desktop background, but I can't get to my desktop tab to change my wallpaper back - what do I do now?" "My computer genius neighbor said I could speed up my spyware infected computer by adding more RAM - is this true?" "I bought an extended warranty at the computer store where I bought my machine. The sales person says that the warranty covers everything. Should I take it to THEM and just and get this fixed for free?" "I gave up trying to fix my old computer and bought a new computer. I want to transfer my data from my old computer to my new computer. Will I get the malware back again with a file transfer?"
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- This article is a work in progress that may never be completed in the future.