Getting started

Link: http://blog.milsom.biz/computers.php/tips/very-scary-information-about-many-of-our

This is a disturbing fact but I never really understood the extent of the problem, I own and run a computer repair company covering Bath and Bristol, UK, I have had a few problems where people are getting strange faults with their computer, little adverts coming up as popups from respectable sites, pron adverts coming up as an internet explorer tool bar as well as strange email accounts being created.

The amount of customers who have an out dated version of Norton Anti-virus and no spyware scanners is very worrying, only recently was I actually made aware of the damage and cost this stuff can cause, I have made a post on my company blog about it, click here to have a look.

People are always reporting of getting accounts hacked swearing that they never gave their password away, I personally don't believe them but the amount of inadequately protected computers makes it quite possibly true.

Spyware can cause your computer to phone a premium rate number, it can intercept keystrokes, it can add things to Internet explorer to take you to a different site than you wanted, spyware can even pretend to be be an anti-spyware program, this is the most common one I have found, its says you are at risk from spyware and shows you a list of threats your computer is contaminated with it states that if you install this software it will remove those threats, you have the option to continue and clear the threats or cancel, either option starts to download the program and installs it, the only way to close it without installation is to use task manager to close the browser.

Half the stuff classed as spyware on the PC Tools website I though was viruses, I think there is a fine line between the classification of these threats, but it doesn't matter they are threats with potential expensive and disastrous consequences.

PC Tools will give you a free scan but will not remove the threats unless you pay, the free scan can be an eye opener.

I use AVG Anti-virus and that has a web site analyser that scan links to sites before I click them, the amount of Runescape hack sites, Runescape cheat sites and Runescape Gold For cash sites that are marked as Risky by that program are phenomenal, I darnt click on them and I am well protected.

You may also be interested to know that Microsoft Internet Explorer has 7 pages of threats associated with it on the PC Tools database of threats, Mozilla Firefox has just 2 entries, what more can I say?

GET FIREFOX NOW

You need anti-virus you need anti-spyware, its not an option you need it and you need it now not next week, there are a few free ones but I trust PC Tools, read my company blog to see why.