Recently my computer came to a screeching halt after it fell under a massive virus attack!
Normally, I’m well protected and I always take extra care not to find myself in situations that will cause my computer to keel over and die; but this time it was a whole different ball-game!
Note: If you’ve ever lost significant data on your computer and hadn’t made regular backups you know how frustrating this can be…you can never recover any of your recent work and if your computer holds your entire livelihood, then you’re Doomed!
But I’m not going to talk about backing up files or the commonly known problems people run into when surfing the Net. (pop-ups, pop-unders, spyware, adware, suspicious emails, spoofing, phishing, .doc attachments, auto-executable scripts, bots, scams, bait and switch links, hidden redirections, viruses, worms, and Trojans etc.)
I’m going to tell you how I innocently got caught in an uphill battle when I clicked on the X to close a very annoying pop-up ---and instead of closing, it exploded into a gazillion pages opening uncontrollably rendering my browser unconscious!
Usually, when you click “close” most boxes or windows go away; but this one was designed to set the malware into motion in an attempt to take over (or put to death) my virtual BFF! And this was only the beginning of my problems.
At that very moment I panicked so the only thing I could think of was Alt + Control +Delete to open the Task Manager and end the entire process. The pop-up window that started all this looked very familiar as I’m sure most of you have seen it at some point: “Your computer is infected, click here to download professional anti-virus”….
Note: I don’t use pop-up blockers because many websites I visit have pages, shopping carts, photo albums or applications that open in a different window (that pop up) and I don’t want to have to tell my browser “allow this” every 60 seconds! ALSO, these types of Fake Alerts don’t obey pop-up blockers.
I admit, I don’t have advanced computer or programming skills but I do have a sense of perseverance and I can recognize a potential disaster when I see one.
Another problem I ran into in the same week, was the a sudden alert urging me to download new Windows Security. It looked “authentic” because it had the a Windows logo(not pictured here) and the same shield icon from Automatic Updates (in the control panel).
Fake Ad: (notice the Windows shield looks like the real one in the Control Panel)
What can I say? I did click on it and instantly the real Windows Security was disabled (not allowed to download any critical updates), my Anti-Virus program was disabled (not allow to quarantine anything), and my keyboard & mouse were temporarily frozen while this program downloaded itself onto my hard drive!
Tsk! Tsk! I was flabbergasted not to mention fuming at how quickly my pc was plagued with this utterly useless internet garbage! And the nerve of these people! I understand the need for advertising but this was breaking every ethical rule imaginable!
I must say this trick was pretty vicious and I didn’t appreciate it all! (took me hours to clean up and get pc back up & running).
If you haven’t come across one of those Fake Deceptive Windows Alert ads, you’re extremely lucky but don’t celebrate just yet.
A friend of mine said he click on a Windows Security Alert thinking he had to download it because 2009 may have had new critical updates. He proceeded to the website (bestantivirus.com) and actually used a credit card to purchase the upgrade! He said he received a complete anti-spyware program for the $34.99 he paid, which later his original anti-virus program flagged as a real threat due to the adware & spyware this program added to his computer!
Note: Me and half the world have fallen for such trickery in the past but because we’re becoming wiser internet users, there are constantly new tricks being devised that can fool even the most savvy of web surfers! It just goes to show that “masters & hackers” will always be there to outdo every new fix and outsmart every new system!
Usually, I’m pretty paranoid about everything on the internet. I hate all those little ads that tell me I’ve won something for free, or someone has a crush on me, or the ones that say I have pc problems that need fixing immediately!
I don’t even know why such things aren’t scrubbed from the internet? Shouldn’t large networks like MySpace or Facebook engage in some kind of monitoring protocol to help prevent these kinds of disasters to their users? Especially some of those applications that contain hidden codes & redirections? I’ve heard of “surfer beware” but this is ridiculous when you have to stop visiting your favorite hangouts for fear that your computer will crash & burn!
So next time you visit your online banking, online gaming or favorite social network, keep your eyes wide open for the bad guys (who Are programming experts) and for goodness sake, DON’T click on anything!!!
-Fake 2009 Alerts I’ve encountered in last 45 days-
ms-antispyware2009; av2009; antivirus2009; perfectdefender2009; bestantivirus2009; xp-police; antivirus360; anti-malware2009; pro-antispyware2009; systembooster2009; win-defender2009; xp-protector2009; xp-securitycenter2009;
-Possible Places I got Infections- {not accusatory}
MySpace Applications; FaceBook Applications; Skype; GaiaOnline Games; Google videos; eHow; GoTop100; PlugBoard; Flutter Pages; Yahoo search; Ning; VOX; Twitter; Hello Kitty Online; FightBite; Ikarium; Travian; Renaissance Kingdom; BlogSkins; CherryCodes; Amazon.com
-Read Articles on this Subject:
Malware Help.org - Phishing Attacks
XP-Vista.com - Virus Removal Instructions
SpywareGuide.com - Hacks & Trojans That Auto-Install Apps
Ben Edelman’s - Deceptive Ads Disguised as Windows Alerts
Note: Don’t use personal information such as your social security number or bank account if a) you’re not on a secure http(s) internet address; (b) you know your computer has recently been infected; (c) you are using a public computer. If hackers are able to insert malicious secret codes into any network to infect thousands of users, imagine what they can do to your PayPal or eBay accounts!
