Pop Goes the Malware
It's happened to almost everyone, regardless of what type of computer you have or how old it is. You are innocently surfing along and, POW! You are besieged with weird pop up windows. In some cases, you've won the lottery (congrats), in others it seems your computer has been infected with a terrible virus that only the "experts" at "Microsoft" can fix if you call their 800 number.
Seems legit...
The problem is that these pop ups are simply a symptom of a deeper issue - Malware. Malware is software that you never wanted or intentionally invited onto your computer.
What does it do?
At times, malware can serve no other purpose than to drive you to certain websites. Clicks = cash for the site owners and sending you to their sites against your will is easy money. In other cases, malware can be used to try and trick you into allowing someone to take over your computer and then holding it hostage until you pay up. Finally there are some types of malware that can be used to access your personal files or attack other's computers. Overall, this is bad stuff.
How do I get malware?
Sometimes it hitches a ride with free software (cursors, backgrounds, toolbars, etc) other times it arrives via websites that offer "free" streaming of the latest movies or downloads of "free" music. In these cases, you have to actively download or install something to end up with malware. There are occasions where you can pick up these uninvited guests simply by visiting a website.
I just got it set up the way I like it...
How can I prevent it?
Don't be lured by promises of freebies on the internet. If something sounds too good to be true - it is. Stay away from free downloads unless they are from very reputable organizations or unless they have many positive reviews on sites like www.cnet.com.
What do I do if I get malware?
Don't panic! It's not the end of the world and all is not lost. You'll want to quickly find a malware removal tool like Malwarebytes or Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool. After you download the tool, let it scan your computer and clean it up. If the malware persists, you may need to restore your system to an earlier point in time using System Restore or a Time Machine backup
Note - these thoughts are primarily geared to users working on the Windows platform as there aren't as many issues with malware on Macs. However, Mac users do run into these problems from time to time. Follow this link for good information on dealing with Macs and malware.
It's happened to almost everyone, regardless of what type of computer you have or how old it is. You are innocently surfing along and, POW! You are besieged with weird pop up windows. In some cases, you've won the lottery (congrats), in others it seems your computer has been infected with a terrible virus that only the "experts" at "Microsoft" can fix if you call their 800 number.
|
| Seems legit... |
The problem is that these pop ups are simply a symptom of a deeper issue - Malware. Malware is software that you never wanted or intentionally invited onto your computer.
What does it do?
At times, malware can serve no other purpose than to drive you to certain websites. Clicks = cash for the site owners and sending you to their sites against your will is easy money. In other cases, malware can be used to try and trick you into allowing someone to take over your computer and then holding it hostage until you pay up. Finally there are some types of malware that can be used to access your personal files or attack other's computers. Overall, this is bad stuff.
How do I get malware?
Sometimes it hitches a ride with free software (cursors, backgrounds, toolbars, etc) other times it arrives via websites that offer "free" streaming of the latest movies or downloads of "free" music. In these cases, you have to actively download or install something to end up with malware. There are occasions where you can pick up these uninvited guests simply by visiting a website.
|
| I just got it set up the way I like it... |
How can I prevent it?
Don't be lured by promises of freebies on the internet. If something sounds too good to be true - it is. Stay away from free downloads unless they are from very reputable organizations or unless they have many positive reviews on sites like www.cnet.com.
What do I do if I get malware?
Don't panic! It's not the end of the world and all is not lost. You'll want to quickly find a malware removal tool like Malwarebytes or Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool. After you download the tool, let it scan your computer and clean it up. If the malware persists, you may need to restore your system to an earlier point in time using System Restore or a Time Machine backup
Note - these thoughts are primarily geared to users working on the Windows platform as there aren't as many issues with malware on Macs. However, Mac users do run into these problems from time to time. Follow this link for good information on dealing with Macs and malware.
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