Spyware / Malware Article

[anonemouse]

A couple of people have posted questions about antivirus popups etc. on here.

For the IT / Geeks out there, I found something worth sharing:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/22/anatomy_of_a_hack/

This is exactly how the programs work. You don't need to be an IT guy to read it. The conclusions on the last page are worth reading for anyone that surfs the net. Especially any porn sites, where these malware programs are usually lying in wait for you to clink on the wrong link....

 

[CapitalGuy]

Amateur questions

Is it worthwhile for me to take my laptop into a computer store to have them clean it up? In addition to the installed firewalls I have (Toshiba) I use a couple free products (AVG Free as my anti-virus, and ATF and Windows Washer as my cleaners), but I know they are weaker products. I don't notice any slowdowns in my system but I am of course worried about personal information being stolen.

So is it recommendable that I leave the machine with a service tech for a day or so to have him run some more powerful scans and clean up the system? What should I expect to pay for such a service?

Finally (so many questions), if I buy an anti-virus, is it really going to provide that much more protection than what I already have for free?

Forgive me if the questions seem pedestrian. I am NOT a computer dude at all. Use them for work and for a bit of play, but have no background knowledge of what makes them tick. Thanks.

 

[WoodPeckr]

AVG AV is top rated, I use Avast. There is no need to pay for AV.
All I've used with windows is Adaware, Spybot Search & Destroy and CCleaner.
These apps have protected me well over the years. Nothing is perfect and something can always get through. Once you get familiar with those apps and how to use them they will take care of your PC as well as paying someone to clean out your PC.

If you really want to surf the net worry free try linux. With Ubuntu you can hit all the 'suspect sites' worry free and there's no need to waste hours running any of those above mentioned spyware/malware/AV scans and apps.