Recent History of the Trojan Horse
The Trojan horse is something out of ancient history that we still use in conversation today. For example, when we call something a Trojan horse we really mean that it is something that is good looking but has an evil intent. A Trojan horse virus is also something that looks good on the outside but has a very evil intent on the inside. Although they have only been around for a short period of time, they have earned a more prominent place in our lives than the wooden Trojan horse from the distant past. Here are some of the first Trojan horse viruses that were encountered.
The first Trojan horse virus that we will discuss is known as the pest trap. It is also more commonly known as Spy Sheriff, and has infected millions of computers around the world. This Trojan horse virus is also classified as malware in that it does not destroy any part of your computer, but it does cause some malicious pop-ups to appear. Most of the times these pop-ups will appear as warnings stating that you need to install some type of software in an attempt to trick you into purchasing that software. Once Spy Sheriff is installed on your computer it is very difficult to remove. If you try to delete it through normal means it will simply reinstall itself from hidden infected files on your computer. Antivirus and anti-spyware software will usually not be able to detect this program. It is also impossible to remove by doing a system restore as it affects the components which operate this feature in Windows.
Sometimes these Trojan horse viruses can come in packages that are seemingly harmless. This is the case in the net bus Trojan horse which was actually software that was meant to be used to remotely control windows from another computer. Because of some problems with the software it was used to hack into several computers. One of the most notable cases was that of a professor in which thousands of child pornography pictures were downloaded to his work computer. Whenever the pictures were discovered it was assumed that he had downloaded them knowingly. Although he was eventually acquitted of the crime, the negative affects on him were long-lasting.
Another problem virus that has had far reaching effects is the Vundo virus. This virus uses a lot of Windows memory at various intervals and also has many pop-ups that tell you that you are missing important system files. It has also been known to cause many messages to appear which tell you that you must install certain various security software, of which many are viruses themselves. This virus is a bit easier to remove than most, as there are many automatic programs written to help you with the process.
There are many different ways that a Trojan horse virus can infect your computer. One thing that all Trojan horse viruses have in common is that they cannot be activated unless you activate the file in which they are hidden. That is why it is so important never to open a file that you are uncomfortable with as it may open the floodgates and allow many different viruses to come in.
To find out more about the history of the Trojan Horse, from ancient Greece to the modern-day computer virus, please visit http://www.trojanhorsefacts.com
How to Remove Viruses
So you think you’ve got a computer virus.
Well, if your computer’s acting funny all of the sudden, chances are pretty good you’ve got a virus or some other malware causing the trouble. This can be a very disturbing feeling and if you’re like me, you’ll want to do whatever it takes to get your computer back to normal again.
Luckily, in almost all cases, dealing with a virus situation is pretty straight forward. In fact, there are really only three steps:
1. Detect the virus
2. Remove the virus
3. Prevent future viruses
There are lots of free online virus scan tools that can help you detect viruses which is the first thing you need to do. Two that I can recommend are the McAfee Stinger tool and the Panda ActiveScan online tool. Both of these tools are very effective at detecting viruses and the Panda ActiveScan tool is also good at detecting spyware.
I recently ran the Panda ActiveScan tool on my laptop. Installing the tool takes several minutes but it’s pretty painless. It ran for about 5 minutes and luckily my laptop is virus free! However, it did detect 45 cases of spyware. The spyware all looked like harmless cookies from various websites so I left them alone.
Now that you’ve detected the viruses, you need to go to step #2, removing the viruses. The good news is, the McAfee Stinger download will not only detect the virus, it will often be able to remove the virus, too. The Panda online scan tool will only detect the virus but will only remove any viruses found for a small fee.
You’ve found and removed the virus from your computer. The final step is to keep your computer from getting infected again. There are two very important things you need to do to prevent future viruses. First, you need to make sure your computer always has the most current updates and patches. If it’s a Windows computer, click here to make sure it’s up-to-date: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com, then follow the instructions.
The other thing you need to do is make sure you have good antivirus and antispyware software running on your computer at all times. My personal recommendation is to use the Panda Security Anti-Virus Products. They’ve been in business since 1990 and their antivirus applications are top notch. There are lots of great antivirus applications, though.
The key is to make sure you’ve got the antivirus software running and it has the most up-to-date virus definition files (also called DAT files). You could have the greatest antivirus software in the world but if the virus definitions are even a little bit out of date you’ve increased your chances of getting reinfected.
Even though you got hit with a virus, if you follow the three steps I outlined here, you’ll have a clean system and be more protected from viruses and other malware in the future.
Marc Menninger is a an online researcher. He runs the website http://www.VirusRemovalInstructions.com
My Wife’s First (and Hopefully Last) Computer Virus
My wife came home from work the other day very upset. She works for a bank in the mortgage department and they had given her a laptop for her use at work. Someone had sent her an e-mail that had an interesting sounding attachment, so she opened it. It wasn’t long before things started to go wrong with her computer. Not only were there multiple pop-ups that were taking place all of the time but her computer had slowed to a crawl. It seems that there were so many viruses and spyware programs running on her computer that it simply could not keep up with the load. All of this happened because of one Trojan horse virus that was opened on her computer that allowed all of these other things to happen.
If it wasn’t bad enough that she had the pop ups, they soon begin to become embarrassing. Not only were they trying to sell her things, but many of the pop-ups were simply obscene material and pornographic advertisements. This certainly did not look good coming across on her computer all of the time, especially when she was dealing with mortgage clients. She was practically in tears by the time she had come home to ask me if there was anything that I could do.
The first thing that I did was to try to identify what the pop-up windows were and where they were originating from. It turns out that the particular spyware program on her computer was actually one of the more difficult ones to remove. Not only that, but the virus had really taken over a lot of her computer. We both feared that there was some keystroke logging going on in the background. I needed to get this computer clean from the Trojan horse virus and get it cleaned quickly.
Because it was a computer that was associated with a bank I needed to get permission from their network guy to be able to log on to the internet from home. It turns out that most of the critical programs were actually run from a central server so there was not a problem with my doing that. I ran a free program called Hijack This and posted the results to one of the many technical forums on the internet. (I trusted this particular forum, so I did not have any real concerns about privacy.)
The technical forum gave me step-by-step instructions on how to clean the system from the Trojan horse virus and all of the spyware that it allowed to enter onto her computer. It took me several hours and I needed to go in and edit system files and the registry but I was finally able to win out over the virus and her computer was now clean.
It doesn’t matter where an e-mail is coming from. It could come from your mother or someone else that you know and trust very much. If a Trojan horse virus is propagating on their system and sending itself out to others you will likely be a target of this virus as well. Never open anything that you are unsure of, and even if you are sure, run a virus scan on it first.
For more information on the Trojan Horse computer virus, please visit http://www.trojanhorsefacts.com/virusindex.html
Protect Your Computer From Intrusion By Hackers And From Viruses
If you’re connected to the Internet (especially with an “always on” connection such as cable or DSL), you’re at risk for intrusion from hackers or with infection from a virus or spyware. This can happen without your knowledge. You can be browsing, logging on and off various web sites, etc., and be compromised. However, you can protect yourself from this type of intrusion by following a few simple steps.
Using Routers and Firewalls
If you don’t already have one, you should get yourself a router. This is important even if you only use one computer. This is a type of hardware firewall, which is the best kind. It will protect any personal information you have stored on your computer and will keep it safe. It will also protect you computer from being infected with various viruses.
Because hackers try to gain access to your computer by doing what’s called “port scanning,” a router can completely block the scans or at least slow a hacker’s progress down. Most hackers want to work fast and won’t waste a lot of time trying to get around a single router. Instead, they’ll move on to someone else who doesn’t have a computer that’s well protected and that can be hacked.
You can also use a software firewall. Oftentimes, your operating system will already have one included. One good example of this is Windows’ firewall. Others include Norton, McAfee, or ZoneAlarm. All of today’s software firewalls have several packages to choose from.
In order to protect yourself from unwanted intrusion, spyware, viruses or hacking, you’ll need the following components:
- An antivirus protection program
- A spyware scanner and removal program
- An automated virus scanner and removal program
- A firewall
Antivirus protection program
An antivirus protection program will scan your computer for viruses and then will quarantine them or will delete them if it can. It will give you the choice, oftentimes, as to whether or not to delete or quarantine. There are many good antivirus program is available. You can also buy complete packages. Many ISPs also provide their own antivirus programs, so make sure that your ISP does not offer one before you purchase one.
Once an antivirus program is downloaded and installed, it will run in the background to make sure that your computer is always protected. Most antivirus programs will update hourly to daily. You can set them so that they will update automatically and therefore keep your computer protected with new definitions all the time. Again, this is especially important if your computer is “always online,” as with DSL or cable connection versus dial-up. If set up correctly, your computer will have maximum protection from new virus intrusions.
Being armed with the proper virus protection is the best thing you can do for your computer to keep it running smoothly and to avoid unwanted intrusion.
Spyware scanning and removal program
Spyware can be installed on your computer without your knowing it whenever you download something for “free” from a web site, for example. At its most innocuous, it’s meant to keep track of your browsing habits online; however, more malicious spyware can even give hackers the opportunity to access personal information such as credit card numbers, for example. Regardless, spyware is something that really doesn’t belong on your computer. Even if it’s “innocuous,” it can eat up system resources and slow down your browsing significantly. Simply put, it should be removed.
To do this, there are many spyware programs available, for free. Again, Windows has its own spyware component called “Windows Defender,” that does quite a good job of protecting your computer from spyware, including its installation. Other programs, such as Lavasoft Adaware, have both a paid version and a free version. Adaware does not protect your computer from new spyware, but will remove spyware once on your computer for free.
An automated virus scanner and removal program
In most cases, the virus scanner and removal program will be included with your antivirus software. Because your computer has the antivirus software running in the background all the time, your computer is protected from new viruses as often as it’s updated. Therefore, frequent updates will help ensure that your computer is not infected with new virus definitions. However, if a virus does happen to make it onto your computer, you’ll need a regular virus scan (usually daily to weekly) to make sure any viruses that have gotten on to your computer are removed.
As part of your antivirus software (generally), when you run the virus scan, the program will opt to either automatically quarantine or remove any viruses it finds or will ask you what you would like to do with them, depending on the options you set. In most cases, it’s probably best to go with the default choice the program gives you. Most of these programs tell you to let the program choose what to do with the viruses it finds.
A firewall
A firewall is your first line of defense against anyone hacking into your computer. There are many software versions available if you don’t want to use a router, and some are free to download, although most of these also have paid versions with more features. One of these which is highly recommended is ZoneAlarm. If you are not a commercial user, you can get it for free by visiting the Zonealarm site.
This software lets you set individual Internet access capabilities for individual programs, allows for automatic program configuration, and puts your computer into stealth mode, which makes your computer invisible to anyone else on the Internet. It also blocks intrusion to anyone trying to hack into your system automatically. A paid version also includes virus protection with ZoneAlarm if you choose.
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