Malware – Where Does It Come From?

You visit a visually legitimate website and suddenly a box appears informing you that you computer is infected with multiple Trojans and Worms. You quickly close it and start to run your anti-virus or spy-ware software, which will find nothing wrong. You can run these programs until the cows come home and that box will continue to appear. The malware wants you to believe that your computer is infected and you need to purchase the software to remove it. Once you have entered your credit card numbers and installed the software, the box goes away. Believe it or not, it’s still there! You actually just infected your machine with a real problem piece of software. The malware in this case is not harming your computer, it is the hacker trying to get you to install the real problem software, and give them your credit card number too.”Where did I get this malware from?”Malware Infection, Number One Reason: Pornographic WebsitesLet’s be honest. Sex sells! The pornography industry is absolutely huge and the lure of free pornography entices some users. Atlanta Search Engine Optimization . Even people who do not visit these sites are prone to pornographic links being hidden on their machines. Certain malware that originates from these sites may travel around the internet and land on an innocent users computer redirecting their browsing experience to these sites. Download Spyware Blaster, and see how many of these sites are blacklisted in their software. It is amazing!Malware Infection, Reason Number Two: Peer to Peer File SharingSoftware such as Limewire, Frostwire and Shareaza are the top P2P file sharing programs. Users think they might just be download music, videos or programs for free, but in fact these software programs actually allow anyone in the world to access your computer files while your computer is on. Would you allow anyone in the world to just come into your house while you weren’t home and take anything they wanted? Probably not, so why are you using these programs?Malware Infection, Reason Number Three: Torrent DownloadsTrying to find a certain movie that is still in theaters? Maybe you want a free copy of Photoshop. scalar pendants . These sites are used by technically experienced users that have malware removal in their daily agenda. Keygens, Cracks, Serial Coders, all of these might be what you need but don’t be surprised when you are infected. These sites usually have a fee to use them, but the file you are downloading could still be a rogue virus installer written by a savvy programmer.Malware Infection, Reason Number Four: FacebookYes, Facebook is a breeding ground for hackers and malicious programmers because there are literally millions of users. Many of the users drop their guard on this site too. Yes, there are many applications that are acceptable, and just using the features within Facebook are usually safe from infection. Have you ever seen a post on a friend’s wall saying “You have to check this out!” “I just found out who was looking at my profile, click here to see who was looking at yours.” This is a classic link to Malware and most likely a Facebook spammer. Report these types of applications. Also read the application requirements prior to installation, you would be surprised.Malware Infection, Reason Number Five: EmailYou can never be too careful when it comes to email. Email is the breeding ground for a worm virus. An email is sent with an attachment, once opened, this file instantly collects information within your email, mainly your address book. An immediate email is sent to all of the contacts in your address book, spreading the problem. In order to start the domino effect, a user will most likely have to open the attachment to continue the cycle. Sometimes, however, an email will come along that will not have an attachment but will still have the same effect. We have all gotten the email from a long-lost family member in Zimbabwe, which has died and left us millions.ClosingThere are many tools to help you remove and handle these internet threats. Some of these tools are free; however the best things in life are not free. Having anti-virus software would be your first defense against internet threats. AVG, Avast, and AntiVir are the top free anti-virus software programs, while Kaspersy, Norton’s, and MacAfee are the top recommended paid versions. Malwarebytes is the number one most recommended Malware remover and preventer. The free version will only remove the infection once it is already present on your computer. The paid version of this software, which is only twenty-five dollars (US) for the lifetime of the computer, will provide real-time protection against the above threats.