By MIKE, “THE COMPUTER GUY”

Help, my computer is infected and I don’t know what to do next!!

Malware malicious software , adware and spyware are pervasive on the internet. To prove this point you have to go no further than our computer shop here in Pahrump, where everyday people bring in computers infected or hijacked with some form of malware. I recently talked to a credit card merchant to find out how these guys get approval from Visa and MasterCard. His explanation was that the purveyors of malware make about $100,000 per day and use off-shore banks. That’s why they do this?

So, what can you do to prevent from becoming infected in the first place?

First, always make sure you have your Windows operating system set for automatic updates. Microsoft is very good about preemptively detecting these threats and providing a “patch” that will block the malware from infecting your computer.

Secondly, make sure you have an anti-virus program that is updating daily. This is critical. With an average of 5 new serious threats per day, keeping your anti-virus program updated is essential.

Next, you should avoid any programs or websites that would be considered high risk, such as peer-2-peer, Limewire, Kazaa, and Bearshare , adult content sites and sites that offer you “cracks” to download free software. Never download anything that offers to speed up your computer. Most of these programs are scams and do little to improve the performance of your computer. In fact most will slow your computer down and then try to convince you that if you pay them some amount of money usually between $50 and $100 they’ll clean and speed up your computer. When in fact all that happens is their product simply deactivates the pop-ups for several weeks or months. Later they reactivate them in an attempt to convince you that you’re going to need to pay them more money to stay protected.

How can you tell if you are infected?

First, one of the most obvious ways you can tell is if you are experiencing annoying pop-up ads as soon as you start your computer. These pop-ups are difficult to remove and in most cases will return within a few minutes even if you’re successful in shutting off the pop-ups.

Second, if you try a web search and you are being redirected to a different website. Most malware programs will prevent you from using your favorite search engine, such as Google or Yahoo, and redirect you to a site that provides unreliable results. Additionally, if you’re not able to get on the Internet, it’s possible you’re infected as well.

Finally, if your computer is running slower than normal, then that’s an indication that something may have infected it. Malware programs and viruses run in the background and take up RAM memory and monopolize your CPU processor , both of which will affect the speed of your computer.

What can you do, if you believe you are infected?

First, try to run your anti-virus program and do a full scan. Most Anti-Virus programs can detect these types of infections and can successfully remove them. If that doesn’t work, try restoring your computer to a date previous to when you believe you became infected. Additionally, there are many malware detection programs that are free to download and scan your computer; however, only a few will fix your computer for free. One program that seems to work well is Spybot Search and Destroy. It can be found by going to the website www.download.com

Immediately review your latest credit card statement. By law all credit card transactions must have a descriptor that provides easy access to the company where the charge originated. This will either include a phone number or website or both. Immediately contact the company and tell them you want a full refund. If they refuse your request, it’s important that you threaten them with the phrase “charge back.” If they still refuse, then contact your card issuing bank and tell them what happened and they’ll assist you with the “Charge Back/Reversal” process.

Happy Computing.

Mike Erwin holds Masters degrees in electrical engineering and business administration. He has held executive level positions in R&D and marketing in the semiconductor industry until his retirement eight years ago. He enjoys life in Pahrump with his wife Nancy and sons and daughter-in-law. Together the family operates Mastertech Computer Service.