Dealing With Viruses and Spyware

Whether it's Conflickr or a new fake anti-virus program, it seems like spyware and viruses are inescapable for any PC hooked up to the Net. It's estimated that the amount spent annually on security software in the United States has risen to over $800 million in recent years, but computers are still getting infected daily. Why aren't we virus free yet?

The answer is found in the nature of malicious programming or greedy programmers. Computer viruses don't spring up out of nowhere, they are designed by programmers who either have nothing better to do and think it will be interesting, or pros who earn cash by abusing your computer. Whenever anti-virus vendors are told about a new virus, they create a new definition for their anti-virus software to help isolate and remove that virus if it is downloaded onto your computer. Once the new definition is widespread enough that a serious share of computers are safe against that virus, a newer one is made by the nefarious programmers and the cycle begins again. Just about 2000 new viruses were identified each day in 2007, and the difficulty isn't going away any time soon. This is why you want to allow your anti-virus software to download new virus definitions so often.

Frustrated hackers tired of the rapid turnover of "regular" viruses have graduated to attacking your computer's defences directly: your anti-virus software. Many new viruses include programming that either hides itself specifically from many popular anti-virus programs, prevents them from downloading new virus definitions, or shuts them down completely. Even if these new viruses are identified quickly, many computers will already be infected and the software on the machines will not be able to get rid of the virus. In circumstances where one virus shuts down the anti-virus software entirely, other viruses will often infect the machine and can render it inoperable in a couple of hours if not minutes. Still other nasty viruses employ tricks to avoid removal strategies, and will re-infect a machine after an anti-virus program or a user tries to delete them.

The battle against computer viruses is non-stop, but you can do something to help shield your system. Installing a good anti-virus program and permitting it to update frequently is just the 1st step, but be wary of fake anti-virus programs you may find online (many of these are viruses themselves). The fake anti-virus programs normally go by the names : Antivirus 2010 Pro, Windows Pro Police, System Guard 2009, Personal Antivirus, Antispyware XP 2009, and many more. You can see a pattern in how they name themselves. Never download anything from a person or website you don't trust, never open a suspicious email (you do not always have to open the attachments to get infected), and don't go to websites with a poor reputation. If you take these steps and your PC still gets infected, have a trained professional remove the virus for you instead of trying to remove it yourself. Modern viruses can be terribly difficult to isolate and remove, and it's very simple to hurt your system accidentally while trying to remove one.

If you have a slow computer and think you are infected, call Geek Choice today. Our techs have the tools needed for proper virus removal and have access to fast breaking reports about new types of viruses and their removal. Geek Choice is a national on-site PC service and repair company. If your computer has any of the following issues, we can help : Slow PC, Virus or Spyware, Computer startup problems, Printer not printing, Not connecting to the Internet, Scanner not working, or the "blue screen of death". We also offer other tech support services, including: New pc setup, Data Backup or Recovery, Wireless network setup, Business Network Firewall setup, Upgrading memory, cpu, hard drives, video cards, and more. You can pick up the telephone at any point and call us at 1-800-GEEK HELP (433-5435).

Gregg Housh holds the position of Technician Manager at Geek Choice. At Geek Choice we solve computer problems such as: Slow computer, Virus Removal, Spyware Removal, Computer startup problems, Printer not printing, Not connecting to the Internet, the "blue screen of death", and much more.