The Good News and the Bad News
Well, there is good news and bad news… the bad news is there is a spyware program on your computer. The good news is, we can fix it. Spyware is a kind of malware - or malicious code - that runs a destructive program on your computer. The infection that you are describing that redirects your online activity might be trying to advertise products and, as you mentioned, might try to download additional unwanted programs to your computer. These might be more malware or they might be trial versions of unsolicited programs, in either case, you don’t want them on your system.
One important thing to be aware of is that, sometimes, just going to the website that the spyware redirects you to is enough for another malware program to be uploaded to your computer, so you should stop browsing online until you have gotten rid of the infection. There are some simple steps to take to clean your system and get it back in working order.
Steps to Take
Remove Recent Downloads
- Remove any recent downloads. If you suspect that an application, attachment, program or email that you recently downloaded or opened on your computer could be the source of the problem, try to remove it now. To remove a program or application, open the Start Menu, select the Control Panel, and then choose Add or Remove Programs. Find the name of the file that you want to remove and remove the check from the box beside it. If this is the infected file, there is a chance that it is programmed to refuse removal - let’s check a few other options to remove it.
Scan your System
- The next thing to do is run a full system virus scan. Before you do, try to visit the website of the manufacturer of your security suite and look for updates. Keeping your antivirus program up to date helps detect new malware programs that might get access to your computer. Now run the scan. If it finds the spyware, or any other infectious code, follow the steps it gives you to contain and remove it.
Consider Alternatives
- If the virus scan doesn’t find or can’t remove the malware, lastly, you might want to consider, if you don’t already have one, installing a spyware/adware detection program like Xoftspy or Adaware. Both are very good at finding and helping you remove spyware and adware programs that other security programs might miss or not be able to deal with. Specifically developed to find and remove this type of program, anti-spyware and adware programs are the second step, after an antivirus program, in keeping your computer safe online.
Use Caution
- As always, be careful about what you open and allow to access your computer. Don’t open suspicious or unknown attachments or programs and don’t open links to websites from unknown email sources.
Dealing with a spyware program is important because it might be running additional instructions in the background. While the only problem you see right now is annoying redirection, it might also be gathering your personal information from your computer and making you vulnerable to identification or credit theft. It is important that you keep these programs off your computer, and with the right security software it should be painless.
Kate Dubensky | October 6th, 2008
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