A Few Tips On Removing Malware

First of all, it appears that a lot of people have questions regarding malware on their computer. Most of them are unaware of the risks they're exposed to, nor do they realize how there are free tools out there that will take care of these problems for you in most cases. I'm currently a PC technician and have been servicing PCs for a few years. Majority of my calls are based upon virus removals. I can't stress how many times I've gotten a PC and simply ran a malware scan with one of the free tools out there and got rid of this computer. I believe if I was able to broadcast my information across the world, I'd become rich off this simple task.

The first thing you should do when you realize you have malware is to download a malware scanner immediately. The one I prefer and use the most is Microsoft Security Essentials. I use this malware scanner because it detects many things that other malware scanners do not detect. Some PC technicians have their own preference and would prefer something different I'm sure, however, that's just me. I've always had success using this software. MSE is pretty simple and very user friendly for anyone who's struggling on trying to remove a virus. If you're dedicated enough to find out how to remove infections on your own, you'll be pretty successful. I say that because a lot of people figure that computers are too complicating and they'd much rather pay $200 for a virus removal at an expensive company who use nothing but free tools.

All it takes is downloading one file and going on for weeks without realizing you're infected, and your life could turn upside down. There are cases where people accidentally download a keylogger without the user's knowledge, and the keylogger records all of the strokes that the user types on their keyboard. All of this data is then sent back to the hacker and the hacker can do whatever he wants with it. For example, I actually have a friend who posted a keylogger on a forum and many people downloaded it. Majority of them either did not have a malware scanner or had their scanners turned off. This resulted in many infections being spread around the forum. Within a few days, he was checking logs on a remote server and determining that many infected people were using paypal, facebook, twitter, gmail, and personal banking accounts. They were all typing in their credentials as if there's nothing to worry about, not even realizing that they're infected. This could lead to a total disaster and nightmare.

Usually, I would recommend someone run a malware scan at least weekly at the max. I really don't feel as though a regular user is safe if they go over a week without running scans. I say that because majority of the people who aren't tech savvy usually go to all these different websites assuming they're safe. They end up downloading a fake trojan and it leads them into buying software that really don't exist. I've had some customers who constantly did the same thing over and over and over to get the infection, not realizing that they were being mislead by a fake virus scanner.

Posted in: Tips And Tricks