| Fightng Malware! |
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| One of the biggest problems people have with computers today is malware (viruses, spyware, worms, trojans, etc.), the fight to rid a computer of malware is time consuming and can be very frustrating... especially when you feel that you have accomplished getting rid of the malware only to reboot and find that it is back full force. |
| First get the tools to fight malware, there is a vast amount of free tools you can use, so it will only cost you time. If you can't download with the infected computer use a different computer and save the tools to a USB (Flash / Pen) drive or burn them onto a CD-Rom. |
| If you don't use or can't find the tools I suggest, be sure the software you use is not malware itself... type it's name into Google's search and see what comes up on the first page. If the first 10 hits in Google show something like "how to i get rid of" you should assume it is not something most people want. |
| The tools I most often use are ComboFix, AntiMalware and SuperAntiSpyware. I only use the FREE versions, and if there is no other AntiVirus software installed (or it is outdated) I suggest using AVGFree edition. |
| 1) ComboFix - the quickest way to remove most rootkits on your system, when started will ask if you want to download and install the recovery console. That is up to you, but it's not necessary and I always skip that part. Once running it will take about 15 minutes and not need any input from you, it will restart your computer and finish by showing you the log of it's actions. |
| 2) Malwarebytes-AntiMalware - will try to update itself and then scan your computer for malware... I use the 'quick scan' option. Once finished it will display a message of instructions, typically you will view the results and then remove all found infections. |
| 3) SuperAntiSpyware - will try to update itself and begin the install, it ask you to provide an Email address and submit information to them, I always opt out of doing either one. I run the Complete scan (it's faster than AntiMalware's), and usually the computer will be cleaned of malware when finished. |
| 4) GMER - detects rootkits that other programs can't detect, including the big name anti-virus programs. GMER is not for everyone's use, for that reason I am only linking to the GMER website rather than the files. Follow the instructions given to download and use GMER. |
| If you continue to have problems try typing the symptoms you experience into Google's search and educate yourself on what you can do, or get the computer to someone who can help remove the malware, or simply re-install Windows if you have backups of your data.. |
| Don't be an idiot... just because some webpage has a pop-up that claims you have a virus... it DOES NOT mean you have a virus! Many viruses are installed by the user who clicks on a pop-up that claims a virus was found on your computer and you need to click to remove it, when you click - it installs Malware onto your computer. |
| The Malware installed leads to more malware and viruses infecting your system, the longer you wait to clean it up (with your machine connected to the Internet) the worse it will get, so take heed and clean it up as quickly as possible. |
| Don't believe the scams that are presented to you, no matter how real they appear! If you have an antivirus program running make sure that the message you believe is presented by the antivirus software you use. Don't purchase anything on the internet that says it will fix your computer, some of the best software is completly Free! |
| For information on browsing the internet virtually safe from malware see my page on Linux Live CD's. |
