Avoiding a Malware Infection

Over the past several months we’ve seen a dramatic increase in malware infections. These viruses are often cleverly (and convincingly) disguised as Windows security alerts. Examples of this type of infection are Antivirus Live, Internet Security 2010, Antivirus 200x, etc. They masquerade as an antivirus program and tell you your computer is infected. The idea is to get you to enter your credit card information to clean these alleged infections.

While these viruses are particularly adept at getting past all the major anti-malware programs, there are some things you can do to help prevent becoming infected, as well as steps to take if you do catch a bug.

1. Make sure you have all the latest Windows security updates.
2. Internet Explorer tends to be more vulnerable to these kinds of attacks than browsers like Firefox and Safari. Using one of these can decrease your odds of becoming infected. Note, however, that some web-based applications are only compatible with Internet Explorer, so ask your Greystone Consultant before doing this.
3. Create a separate account without administrator rights to do your surfing.
4. Don’t open suspicious emails, especially attachments.
5. Perhaps the most important thing of all is to become well acquainted with all your programs, especially your anti-virus/anti-spyware application. If you know what programs are installed, which of them occasionally prompt you for updates, etc, you will more easily be able to identify an imposter early on and have better luck getting rid of it quickly. The real Windows security center will never tell you about a virus infection and prompt you to complete a scan, install something else, or enter a credit card number. If you have McAfee antivirus, you should expect only McAfee to alert you of a possible infection.
6. When in doubt ASK. If you are uncertain whether or not an update should be installed, DON’T DO IT. Instead, contact us as soon as possible.

If malware has already made its way through your computers defenses, usually it can still be cleaned. Bleepingcomputer.com is a great resource for instructions on how to get rid most viruses. Malwarebytes is a great free program that generally does a good job of cleaning things up. Keep in mind this program does not prevent an infection, but it can clean an already infected PC. If all else fails, contact us to get things up and running again