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Posts Tagged ‘Viruses’

A Computer Virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term “virus” is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by other computer.

Malware includes computer viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, spyware and other malicious and unwanted software. A computer virus may corrupt or delete data on a computer, use an e-mail program to spread the virus to other computers, or even delete everything on the hard disk.

Symptoms of a computer virus:

The computer runs slower than usual.
The computer stops responding, or it locks up frequently.
The computer crashes, and then it restarts every few minutes.
Disks or disk drives are inaccessible.
Flashing of unusual error messages.

Viruses can damage the hardware, operating system, motherboards, and hard drives, etc.

They can also slow down your system, corrupt important files, and even invade your privacy settings and damage sensitive data.

You can contact AKAL online virus removal support services to take care of virus related issues.

Our technical experts can also provide malware removal and adware removal support so that you a more secure computing experience.

AKAL’s technical support services include but are not limited to:

Installing, uninstalling and configuring internet security.
Configuring windows firewall and antivirus.
Removing spyware, adware and other malware.
Removing virus from USB drive.
Email virus removal service.
Removing virus from system registry

You can contact us through phone, email or live chat, and we will access your computer via the internet and repair it – much in the same way as an engineer would repair your computer in real time – and have it up and running as good as new in no time.

Call us now at +1 888 439 2525 for the best virus removal services at the most competitive price.

Our most complete security software product! In addition to protecting your PC against viruses, hackers, spam, and identity theft, this security suite keeps your data safe with features such as online backup and file encryption. It is the best security software because its system optimization and maintenance tools to keep your PC running at full speed.

Stop Viruses and Spyware Cold

Proactive anti-malware protection stops new viruses and malicious software that other products miss, making it the best security software.

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Eliminate the chances your data and conversations are leaked to others over e-mail, Facebook, IM, or websites that track your online activities.

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Easily back-up your photos, movies, music and other important files to a secure Internet server, where only you can access them.

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The Performance Optimizer is unique to this all-in-one security suite.

It helps you quickly identify the applications that are slowing you down and suggests corrective actions. Tune-up deletes the unnecessary files and registries that impact your PC’s speed.

Surf Safely

The ultimate in antivirus protection, Search Advisor gives advance warning of risky websites within your Google/Yahoo! search results.

Block Intruders

Establish a two-way firewall with just a few clicks, to continuously monitor your Internet connections and prevent unauthorized access-even over a Wi-Fi network.

Eliminate Spam

Send unwanted or malicious email and attachments straight to the trash, so they never reach your Inbox.

Uncover Viruses In A Flash!

QuickScan utilizes in-the-cloud technology to hunt down viruses, with minimal system impact.

Learn From Video Tutorials

Use the step-by-step videos, which are built right in to your BitDefender antivirus protection software, to easily navigate your way through the best security software.

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Activate Game, Laptop, or Silent Mode to minimize interruptions, prolong battery life, or reduce system load to ensure seamless and secure computing.

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Match the security suite program’s interface to your level of comfort by selecting between Basic, Intermediate, or Expert settings and quickly create shortcuts to frequently used controls.

Viruses, spam, spyware and other malware cost small businesses billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, stolen identities and IT support costs.
What small businesses need to understand is that these gremlins are easy to avoid when common sense and some simple precautions are applied. And ‘avoid’ is the key word; your strategy should be to stay as far away from these things in the first place so that you don’t have to experience the lost time and cost associated with cleaning up the mess they leave.
So how can a small business avoid viruses, spam, and spyware?
The following is a list of 10 best practices for small businesses:
1.Use antivirus software that is automatically updated on all machines
2.Use a hosted spam filtering service that filters the spam before it ever makes it to your local network
3.Make sure employees know that you have a policy that work computers are only to be used for work purposes
4.Don’t give your business email address to a non-business source
5.Don’t forward jokes, chain mail, etc. to other employees
6.Never open an attachment from an unknown source
7.Never open an attachment with an unknown file extension
8.Don’t download free toolbars, shopping assistants, weather bug, etc. on your work computer
9.Never give your information or download information from an unknown site
10.Never update banking or other sensitive personal information using a link sent to you via email â€âeuroœ always navigate directly to the site and log in there.
As you can see, most of these tips don’t require you to buy anything or use any special technology. Viruses, spam and spyware prey on human nature â€âeuroœ curiosity, laziness, etc. â€âeuroœ to get past technology-based defences, so you must educate yourself and your employees to know what to avoid.
One last tip: if you do feel like you have a virus or something else attacking your computer, unplug it from your network immediately. The last thing you want to do is give it to everyone else in your office â€âeuroœ that’s when things get really expensive.

Virus:

A Virus or Computer Virus is a self-replicating program or piece of script or code that make copies of itself and then either attaches itself to an existing file on the infected system or store copies of itself on the system with innocuous sounding names like ‘repair tool’.

The virus is limited to spread itself only by either being transmitted or sent by an unwitting user or carried on a portable storage medium from one system to another. However, if a virus gets embedded somewhere on a network drive then anyone who opens or clicks on the infected document or file can end up getting infected as well.

Spyware:

Spyware is software that gathers information about a users Internet habits, browsing patterns, email passwords, usernames and even credit card information, in essence, ‘spying’ on the hapless user.

This type of software usually gets installed without the knowledge of the user and can transmit the collected data to a third party over the Internet secretly as well.

Malware:

Malware can refer to any number of malicious forms of software or code that has been intentionally designed to perform one or more of the following malicious acts:

> Infiltrate a users computer system without their consent.
> Gather sensitive personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, birth dates, or system passwords.
> Create back doors or remote entry points to allow hackers access to the system.
> The destruction of critical data and/or corruption of system files.

Malware is a general term and is commonly used to include, Viruses, Worms, Spyware, Trojan Horses, and some forms of Adware.

The actual intention of malware can vary but by definition it is any software that is destructive by nature. Because the term Malware is so broad it is hard to cite one specific source for the most infections.

Worm:

A Worm or Computer Worm is a self-replicating piece of computer code that uses a computer network to spread copies of itself to the other nodes on the network. Unlike the Virus a Worm can accomplish this without any intervention or help from the user. Also unlike a Computer Virus the Worm does not have to attach itself to an existing computer program or file.

Many times a Worm will also be used to carry a ‘payload’. The ‘payload’ is code that is designed to perform some specific function. In some cases the payload allows the Worm to send documents through the email accounts of the infected system attaching itself and its payload to the email as an attachment. When the unsuspecting recipient of the email opens the attachment the process starts again.

Trojan Horse:

A Trojan or Trojan Horse Virus is a program that usually gets downloaded installed and executed on a computer system which then appears to be performing some useful function but is unknowingly allowing unauthorized access to the user’s computer system at the same time.

Hackers use Trojans to gain access to a user’s computer remotely and then perform any number of malicious activities. These nefarious activities can include but certainly are not limited to:

> Data Theft.
> Keystroke Logging.
> Downloading or Uploading Files.
> Viewing the Victims Screen.
> Crashing the Users System.

Adware:

Adware is advertiser supported software that displays, plays or downloads advertisements either onto the computer desktop or into the computers web browser as a condition of the software installation. Most Adware is free to use as long as you don’t mind annoying pop-up windows appearing at random intervals advertising some product or another. I have seen some Adware that opened a new window about every 1 to 2 minutes, making it nearly impossible to use the system at all until the software had to be removed.

Additionally, Adware will almost always be collecting data about your Internet habits and browsing behavior to tailor ads specifically to best match the data recovered. In that respect it is actually very similar to many types of Spyware. In most cases Adware is simply a way to place advertisements in the face of the user although it’s a fine line before you could also classify it as Spyware.

With Adware however, in some cases you may actually be given a chance to review and choose whether or not to accept the terms and conditions associated with the software before installing it.

IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE TO READ THESE TERMS VERY CAREFULLY BEFORE CHOOSING TO ACCEPT.

Symptoms of Infection:

> Very sluggish computer performance.
> Random system lockups or crashes.
> Browser redirection – you are taken to websites you were not searching for while browsing the Internet.
> Excessive number of popup windows appearing at random while surfing the Internet.
> You are informed that your system has ‘hundreds’ of active infections and you are redirected to a website that insists you pay for and download their specific software package to remove the infections.

Solution:

There are many good anti-virus / anti-spyware products on the market designed to detect and remove these types of infections. McAfee and Kapersky are good but AVG and Avast! have similar products and offer a free downloadable version. Be sure to complete a ‘Full’ system scan and quarantine and remove all active infections. Configure your anti-virus software to perform ‘active’ scanning or real-time system monitoring.

Prevention:

> Do not install software you have downloaded from the Internet unless it has come from a known, reliable source.
> Use caution if using file sharing platforms such as LimeWire or torrent sites to download files.
> Do not open any email attachments from unknown sources.
> Use a good anti-virus/anti-spyware application and scan your system at least weekly. Be sure your anti-virus software is totally up to date with the latest virus definitions.
> For Windows users: Be sure to visit the Microsoft update site and download all the latest Microsoft security patches.

Do Mac users need to start running extra security software to protect themselves from malicious software, aka malware?

The good news is that Macs will be unaffected by the Conficker worm you may have read about, which may be infecting Windows computers as you read this. However, Mac users can hardly afford to be complacent.

What Is Malware?

“Malware” is the general term for viruses, spyware, worms, and other digital nasties which Windows users are perpetually defending themselves against. It is, broadly speaking, software you didn’t intend to be placed on your computer. As with human diseases, symptoms may or may not be visible. But malware can steal your personal information, provide a conduit for spam distribution, attack websites in concert with other hijacked computers, or just simply wreak havoc on your computer while distributing itself to others.

Do not want.

How does malware get on to your computer? It can arrive transparently, via specially constructed web sites designed to exploit security flaws — aka bugs — in browsers. It can be inadvertently agreed to by you when you don’t read the fine print before clicking “Agree” when you install software. Most often, it is the result of a rogue email attachment, or a deceptive link to a web site that you click.

This is why it is absolutely necessary for Windows users to run security software products intended to protect their computer from these intruders. These require yearly subscriptions to stay up to date with the latest threats. The problem is that the medicine is sometimes as worse than the disease; most security packages make themselves all too visible, flashing incomprehensible warnings on a regular basis, slowing down your computer while they scan everything in sight, and generally keeping you in a constant state of alarm, which, of course, is intended to get you to resubscribe and upgrade.

(And don’t even get me started on the fraudulent “security” packages which are themseves malicious software.)

Malware and the Mac

But what does this have to do with the Mac? Well, once upon a time, before Mac OS X, when dogcows roamed the earth, there was in fact malware which targeted Macs, and many users did indeed use anti-virus software (which, it’s worth noting, was annoying and intrusive even then). But for most of this decade, Mac users have had the luxury of living in a state of blissful obliviousness to the unpleasantries of malicious software and the crud needed to avoid it. The fact is that in the nine years of Mac OS X’s existence there has simply not been any kind of major outbreak which has hurt Mac users. This was one of the #1 reasons to buy a Mac, even if you consider all other things being equal.

Lately, however, there’s been a lot of reporting that Macs are vulnerable and will be targeted by rogue software, if they haven’t been already. This year, pirated copies of Apple’s iWork ’09 infected a number of Macs, permitting them to be secretly controlled, under the hood, by unseen others across the internet. (This is an extreme example of getting what you pay for.) It’s not a real virus, in that it doesn’t spread or exploit a flaw in the system; it would never happen to you if you didn’t, ahem, install software you didn’t pay for. All the same, it means there are compromised Macs out there. Is it the tip of the iceberg?

Yes, it is, except that the iceberg will be more of a large popsicle. In other words, we really don’t see the Mac universe teeming anytime soon with the level of byte disease that the Windowsphere unfortunately does. But that doesn’t mean that Mac users can afford to be sanguine about their seemingly secure computers. Maybe Macs will never have the same quantity of evil software, but all it takes is one well-crafted piece of nasty code to cause a lot of users a lot of pain.

We’ve Changed Our Tune

Why have we changed our tune about this? Well, we believe Macs have remained off the bad guys’ radar screen all this time for two reasons. The first is the comparatively tiny market share. If the point of your software is to spread itself, why target 5% when you can target 90%?

But the second reason is that in order to write any kind of software for a Mac, good or bad, you needed to, well, buy a Mac. That’s means dropping real money just to be able to write some nasty software for it. You couldn’t just download a free copy of the operating system on the internet and install it on your PC…except that that’s no longer true. You can, in fact, find modified copies of Mac OS X which will install on ordinary PC’s. This means that as Apple’s brand visibility and market share grows, it is now much easier for malware creators in corners near and far to target their products.

Quite honestly, we still have a hard time telling Mac users that they absolutely have to have anti-malware software installed. The truth is that right now there is no genuine malware threat to mainstream Mac users. We’re still in Eden. You can still open your email without fear. But in our gut, we feel the coming of age of Mac OS X, into the mature operating system that it now is, comes with a loss of innocence. Yes, a Mac user can do without extra security software. But I can’t say with confidence that will be true in a year.

We hope we haven’t alarmed you — that isn’t our intent (to the contrary, we hate the way the manufacturers of security products stoke the coals of users’ technological fears). But we feel we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t let you know what was out there. We feel sure Mac users will never have anything approaching the depth and variety of malware problems that Windows users have had. But at the same time, it’s unlikely that Mac users will be able to live without anti-malware software indefinitely.

Software Solutions

If you have a Mac, and you are thinking that you want to start running security software, there are a few titles to choose from, and we don’t endorse any one of them (at least not yet). With that said, Intego VirusBarrier is the leader in the space; it’s been around for quite a while, is reasonably well received, and the company is exclusively focused on Macs. Some of the big guns from the PC world — Norton, McAfee, and Sophos — have also re-entered the Mac fray after dropping out for a bit. Finally, ClamXav is free, and performs basic scanning with quarantining of apparently infected files, though no actual file repair or virus removal.

A final word of warning to users who run Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion to run PC software on their Macs: you’re just as vulnerable as you would be on a real PC, and even your Mac files are vulnerable if you make use of shared folders to access the “Mac side” from within the PC. You should run anti-virus software in your virtual machine. A decent free one is at http://free.avg.com.

Copyright 2009 Ivan Drucker.