Articles in Category: Malware
Can Malware Authors Hijack My Anti-malware Software?
Once a hacker has control of your machine they can do anything they want. So yes, they will try to disable your anti-malware… and more!
Should I Cover My Webcam When Not in Use?
Sure, you can cover your webcam with tape. But that won’t solve the real problem… you’ve got malware on your computer!
Can I get malware from a picture?
Typically there’s no need to be terrified of clicking on images… as long as you know what to look for and how to manage your protection.
Is the internet just full of scams?
Many advertisements of computer products include promises that they can’t keep, or know that they won’t keep. By making things seem much worse than they actually are they attempt to entice – or even scare – you into purchase tools you simply don’t need.
Should My Anti-virus Scans Include My External Drives?
Malware can certainly insert itself on external drives. The question is how high is the risk?
Why didn’t my firewall stop this malware?
Firewalls and security software are important tools to keep your computer safe. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as perfect protection from the variety of threats on the internet.
Can a flash drive that has a Linux install on it become infected?
Depending on the format of the drive, how the malware finds you, and how you access Windows, you may or may not have a problem! Does that sound vague enough for you?
Can I Be Sure My Machine Is Malware Free?
Believe it or not… you can’t prove that you don’t have malware. But when your computer slows down, it doesn’t necessarily mean malware.
Why Doesn’t Malware Appear in the Add/Remove Programs List?
Malware not showing up in the Add/Remove Programs list doesn’t surprise me at all. After all, malware’s success is based on its ability to hide from you!
What’s an Exploit?
Industry experts use the term “exploit” in several ways, which makes warning messages pretty unclear. Stay safe by assuming the worst.
How Do I Remove Ransomware?
Ransomware is often not easy to remove because it blocks you from your system. Restoring from a backup is the easiest recovery option, but I’ll look at a few more as well.
I Canceled a Suspicious Download. Am I Safe?
Cancelling a suspicious download in progress typically prevents any part of the download from impacting your machine. Unfortunately there are still a few problems we should look out for.
Why Can’t I Go To a URL that Avast Tells Me is Related to a Trojan Horse?
Sounds like Avast is doing its job and keeping you away from websites that are infected with a trojan.
Windows Defender Offline – Scan Your Computer for Malware Without Booting Windows
Windows Defender Offline is a free Microsoft tool to scan for malware before Windows boots or when it can’t boot at all. It’s can be a convenient approach to removing some stubborn malware.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware Removes Malware that Others Don’t
Even the best anti-virus and anti-spyware tools miss things. Malwarebytes Anti-malware has a good reputation for cleaning up some of the things that other tools don’t.
How to Safely Use Multiple Anti-Spyware Programs on Your PC
You need to be careful when using more than one anti-spyware tool. Used improperly more than one tool can cause conflicts.
Another Day, Another Panic
Thoughts on the latest virus threat, and the fact that some people will still get infected.
Watch the Cockroaches Scurry
I discuss a new effort to publicize spyware and its creators.
I Have Up-to-date Anti-virus And Anti-spyware Software. Do I Still Need Sp2?
In a nutshell: yes you do. Anti-virus, anti-spyware and even firewall software are only parts of the picture. Without staying up to date, you may still be at risk. Let me explain why.
Should I be worried about this “WMF Exploit” that everyone’s been talking about?
Yes, it’s serious. But, no, you don’t have to go through withdrawal. In an unprecedented move, Microsoft has released the patch for the problem ahead of schedule.
Spyware – is the crisis really that bad?
90% of all machines infested? That’s inflated and misleading – but the reality is bad enough.
Zotob Attacks! Who's to blame?
The Zotob worm recently brought down computers at several large corporations. Who should share in the blame?
