Fighting Malware

By: David MacLaren
July 26, 2009

Pertains to: Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista

In my experience I've found that the majority of issues people have with their Windows PCs is rooted in Malware. It slows down their computer and Internet connection. It routes them to the wrong page. It cause the computer to run poorly. It even cause random issues that just annoy and aggravate you. Together lets see what Spyware is, where it comes from, how we can remove it, and finally how to protect ourselves from it.

What is Malware?

Malware is a collection of terms which all boil down to this: Software that installs without adequate consent and does nasty things like: tracks your actions online, causes software damage, pops-up advertisements, logs everything you type, or even makes your computer a zombie slave to infect other computers. Some types you might of heard are: Spyware, Adware, Virus, Trojan, Worm, etc. Each one of these are very different, but generally cause the same frustrations: "Why isn't my computer working right!?"

How did I get Malware?

There are several ways your computer can contract malware. Some you may know for example, attached in an email. Others are little more subtle. For example, some 'free' software and games come bundled with adware. The software is 'free' because the adware feeds you ads which they get paid for. Also P2P (Peer to Peer) file sharing networks, (like Limewire, Ares, BitTorrent, Kazaa, eMule) are a great place to pickup Malware. These networks are "public networks", meaning the content on them is uploaded by anyone. Files downloaded from these networks are commonly infected with all sorts of different kinds of malware like spyware, adware, virus and trojans. Another source of malware is contained inside 'cracks' that unlock paid software for free. Internet Explorer is also a prime location for malware to enter your computer through web page extensions called 'ActiveX' which you'll learn about later in this article.

How do I get rid of Malware?

If you are pretty sure you have a malware infection on your computer, there is hope. Below I will list some free programs I have found to be very effective in removing different kinds of malware. Unfortunately, sometimes the damage done to Windows is just too much and your computer my never run the same again until Windows is re-installed from scratch. But if it's caught early enough there may be hope. Here are some free utilities that has helped me over the years:

• Spybot Search & Destroy (by: PepiMK Software) (homepage)
  Spybot is a utility for removing Spyware, Adware, Trojans, Bots, Dialers, Keyloggers, etc. It often finds the items that are ignored by your anti-virus software. Also, Spybot has an Immunization feature that helps protect Internet Explorer from malware infections.
   
• Ad-Aware (by: Lavasoft) (homepage)
  Lavasoft's Ad-Aware program scans for similar items as Spybot Search & Destroy. These two programs compliment each other and can usually find what the other one misses. Ad-Aware unfortunately lacks an Internet Explorer Immunization feature like Spybot has, but the paid version of this program does include an always-on scanner that detects malware activity as it happens. Maybe handy for you if find your computer often infected with malware.
   
• Anti-Vir (by: Avira) (homepage)
  Anti-Vir is of course an Anti-Virus utility, it is very similar to AVG. Both have a always-on scanner to detect infected files as they are created on your computer. Both have a drive scanner. Both are free. The difference between AVG and Anti-Vir is that I find Anti-Vir uses less system resources so it runs faster. But, any anti-virus program is better then no anti-virus program. Any computer connecting to the internet should have an anti-virus installed and updated. Most will update automatically, and normally Windows will warn you if it is out of date.

How do I prevent Malware 'infections'?

• Download programs only from reputable web sites. There are several web sites that host 1000's of downloads. Most of them have been doing it for years. The downloads are usually added by the people who develop the software that you want to download, not random internet strangers. Also these sites uses anti-virus and some use anti-spyware scanners to be sure the files you download are safe. Also, other people who uses these site comment and vote on the quality of the download you are looking for. So if that free game your trying to download contains Adware, you'll often see it in the comments. Some of these web sites have been around since the early 90's.
  Some download sites I've come to trust are: Fileforum, FileHippo, MajorGeeks, TUCOWS, CNet's Download.com.
   
• Research new applications before downloading them. Software developers are often great at making their program sound like it's exactly what you need on their own site. Often they don't mention the bundled malware that comes with it. If I've never heard of the program or the developer before, I would Google them. Check out what other sites are saying. Compare with the info you find at a few of those reputable download sites listed in the last point.
   
• Keep Windows up-to-date. Windows contains a feature called Automatic Updates. The majority of these updates is to close security gaps in Windows which malware can to use to infest your computer. Internet Explorer updates are especially important. Older versions of Internet Explorer are especially easy for malware to attack. Some people find these updates annoying, and some people are afraid that updates will wreck their computer. Sometimes an update will go horrible wrong, but often it's because the update hit an existing issue that was not apparent to you before. In the long run, keeping up-to-date with updates is safer then avoiding them all together.
   
• Use SpywareBlaster and Spybot Search & Destroy to protect Internet Explorer. SpywareBlaster (by: JavaCool Software, homepage) does not have a scanner feature like other anti-malware utilities. What it does is help block malware from infecting Internet Explorer and Windows. Like I mentioned earlier, Spybot Search & Destroy also has an Immunization feature which works in a very similar way offering more protection. Spybot S&D also comes with two programs that run in the background to detect and block attacks. One is called TeaTimer, it will notify you if a potentially bad program tries to run, hopefully catching the malware before it can do damage. The other is called SDHelper and it prevents Internet Explorer from downloading and installing malware on your computer through 'ActiveX'. If you prefer to use Internet Explorer, you should at least have SDHelper running and SpywareBlaster's protection.
   
• Use Firefox (by: Mozila). Firefox does not support ActiveX. ActiveX is Microsoft's way of running programs on web pages. ActiveX can make your Internet Explorer do some neat tricks online, but it's far too easy for Internet Explorer to pickup malware through ActiveX. Firefox is a great web browsers, I have been using for years instead of Internet Explorer. Hey 100 million people can't be wrong! www.getfirefox.com

HELP!? Your not alone.

Malware is a common problem and it can be difficult to deal with. Abba Web Services is your computer's doctor, and we have a cure.
Stop just dealing with your poor performing computer and contact us!