Ask Leo!: Viruses and Malware

Viruses: How do I keep myself safe from Viruses?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -08:00

Computer viruses are a fact of modern, internet-connected life. At best, they're annoying performance sucking beasts, but at worst ... kiss all your data, and perhaps your bank account or identity, goodbye.

We all need to take steps to make sure that our computers are safe, or we risk infection. Complacency is simply not an option.

And yet, even after all the news, all the horror stories, all the warnings, and even after all this time ...

complacency remains all too common.

What's the difference between anti-virus, anti-spyware and internet security software?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:23:00 -08:00

What is difference between antivirus and internet security? How to compare two products for their dependability when both offer same services?

]]> I'll start by saying that it's a confusing mess.

I'll also start by lumping them all together as "security software", and then point out that the confusion is really in some security software vendor's best interest.

Why? In the name of fear, people purchase more security software than they need.

So let's compare the various terms.

Is Windows Live Hotmail about to close my account?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:45:02 -08:00

I keep getting this email from Hotmail - is it legit?

Subject: Account Alert
From:  WINDOW TEAM (*****@hotmail.com)
To:  *****@hotmail.com

Dear Account Users

CONFIRM YOUR WINDOWS LIVE ACCOUNT SERVICES. VERIFY YOUR
HOTMAIL ACCOUNT NOW TO AVOID IT CLOSED !!!

...

]]> This is an old, old scam. Delete it. Ignore it. Do not follow its instructions or your account will be hacked or your identity stolen.

Clear enough?

Apparently not, since I keep getting asked about this scam over and over and over again.

And it's not even that good a scam.

Let me walk through the many ways it's so obviously bogus.

Can my computer get a virus from my camera?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:45:39 -08:00

Can my computer get a virus from my camera? I got a nasty virus on my computer and I couldn't send photos because the photos were failing the virus scan. I plugged my camera into my laptop thinking it was safe to send the photos through that computer to someone else in email but again I couldn't send the photos that I just took because they were infected. So my camera must now be infected. Does this mean I need a new camera and have to discard my memory card with all my photos of my son for the past 2 years. Is there any way to save them?

]]> I'm actually going to reverse a statement I made in an article over 4 years ago.

Yes.

Yes, it is possible that your computer can catch a virus from your camera's memory card.

We need to understand that, though, because I didn't say from the camera, I said from the memory card.

How can an infection like Antivirus XP 2008 happen?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:59:35 -08:00

Last night I was researching some information about Vista. I went to a legitimate help site I've used before. As soon as I clicked on the site my machine became infected with "Antivirus XP 2008". I have a current CA Antivirus 2008, Windows Defender, and my firewall is active. I immediately ran full system scans with CA and Defender in Safe Mode with Networking. Nothing was detected. I found removal instructions at bleepingcomputer.com using a free product called Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and it worked like a charm. Then I had to fix a missing Desktop Tab in my display dialog box as well as edit the registry to make the display wallpaper functional again. All of this leads up to my questions....

]]> I've been hearing a lot about "Antivirus XP 2008" recently, and it seems to be active out in the wild.

The questioner goes on to ask 4 very good questions about this particular attack, and web-site based attacks in general, and I want to address each one individually.