Recognizing Malware and Other Internet Viruses

As discussed in the companion piece, “How to Fight Malware and Other Internet Viruses,” one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself against these malicious attacks is to know when you are about to expose yourself to an attack.  Recognizing the various tricks and situations that are prime indicators of potential malware attacks arms you with the opportunity to stop the attack and head off what could be a messy removal process.

 

How to Recognize Malware

Malware is designed to run undetected in the background.  So how can you tell if you have undesirable software on your system?  The signs to look for include:

 ·                     Advertising pop-ups that appear every few seconds.

·                     Extra toolbars in your browser that will not go away.

·                     Browser going to sites you did not tell it to go to.

·                     Browser settings changing so your home page won't open.

·                     Unexplained system slowdowns.

·                     Sudden rise in computer crashes.

If you are experiencing these kinds of problems, it is a good idea to treat your PC as if it might be infected by checking it out thoroughly.  Although there are other reasons why your system might slow down or frequently crash, if you are noticing these obvious indications of malware, your system may have been compromised.  Following the removal steps in the companion article will help to clean your system, but the best solution is to prevent getting malware in the first place.  Though not 100 percent guaranteed, identifying the following malware situations and knowing how to respond will most of the time save you from a messy experience.

Situation 1 – Software Installations

Most people expect software makers to be honest, and for the most part, they are.  This is more true for software that comes on discs from the store.  However, as Internet speeds and storage continues to increase at amazing pace, software bought or freely distributed via the Internet has become standard.  This is one cause of the increase in malware – it is easy to hijack or corrupt an installation from a digital download, and anyone and his kid brother can put something on the Internet to download without the rigorous checks that seemingly accompany products that are sold commercially.  We tend to freely accept these inherent risks when we download free software off the Internet, but purchased software is not completely free of risks either.  However, it also does not mean we have to accept being subjected to malware by unscrupulous individuals.  One way you can prevent some malware that is installed along with software you want is by paying attention to the software as it installs.  Normally there are options for standard installation or custom.  Always choose custom, even if you end up choosing all the defaults.  This is because there is usually one screen or some fine print with a check box that signals the installation of some extra part of the program – sometimes it is safe, but sometimes, it is stuff you do not want – like extra toolbars, tracking information for advertizing, and other forms of malware.  Be sure to say “no” to these things. Also, always try to download software from the official, original site.  As you probably have experienced, websites will cross-link and people will put links to downloads on their own sites.  Downloading software from the official Microsoft webpage is a ton more safe than downloading potentially corrupted Microsoft products from Crazy Moe’s discount software palace, or even your cousin’s webpage.  Software that has been reposted always has a chance of having been tampered with by the re-poster.

Situation 2 – Link Redirection

Another easy way to avoid malware is to not tempt fate – I mean this in a facetious way of course, but it is somewhat true.  If you click on a link and it does not take you immediately to where you expect to go, then do not proceed further by continuing to click on links or worse, fill out personal information on a form.  Each additional click on a website that you did not intend to go to is like tempting fate – which one will be the landmine that infects your system with malware?  Legitimate websites do their best to ensure usability and obvious link direction.  The second you hit a page that is not related or intended, stop clicking.  Do not even hit the “Back” button.  Close the webpage by clicking on the “X” in the upper right-hand corner, or if you are using tabbed browsing, click on the “X” on the tab.  Some sites will make you jump through hoops to download something you want or get some information you need, and if there is absolutely no other way to get the same information, then tempting fate will have to be your only option.  However, if I hit a website that subjects me to such torture, I normally will not proceed further because it is a prime situation to open my computer to malware.  If it turns out to not be your lucky day, the companion article provides instruction on how to remove malware.

Situation 3 – “Friendly” Links

Avoid “friendly” links at all costs.  I categorize these as all of the jokes, chain letters, funny videos, and other “cool” things our friends send us.  This falls in the category of “tempting fate” for me.  I would rather skip the joke or miss the video then spend the time it takes to remove malware.  If you must follow these links for fear of retribution from your friends, then you will definitely have to become comfortable with malware removal.  For those of you who may think I am anti-fun, I am not – I love a good joke and funny video.  However, for some reason, the chain letters (i.e., forward this email to everyone you know to win some prize, petition some atrocity, warn of some impending disaster, etc.), jokes, and funny videos seem to always lead to unscrupulous sites.  Fortunately, sites like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube have made these wonderful things more safe to participate in, but even then you should exercise caution.  You may trust your friends, but you never know where the link originated from.  Your friends may be unknowing accomplices to spreading malware.  Friends don’t let friends spread malware.

Situation 4 – Links in General 

Unfortunately, clicking on links is the primary way to fall into a malware trap, which is hard to avoid since our whole interaction with the Internet is through links.  Minimizing the number of links you click on will minimize your chances of getting malware.

Situation 5 – Popups

The most common malware traps are those popups that warn you that your computer has been infected by viruses.  More information on this can be found in the companion article, but most importantly, know your anti-virus program.  Whether you are running McAfee, Norton, or some other anti-virus software, know its name and how it works.  If you get a popup window warning you, read it before you click on anything.  If it is not from your anti-virus software or it is not how your software warns you, then do not proceed further.  One of the most unscrupulous malware viruses is “Windows Anti-Virus” or “Microsoft Anti-Virus.”  Microsoft does not make an anti-virus program in these names.  People see the “Windows” or “Microsoft” part and think it is legitimate, when in actuality, it is not.  If you get any popups as described above, follow the instructions in the companion piece to squash it before it infects your system. Another popup malware trick is the installation of browser add-ins.  These are the extra viewers and things that “plug in” to your browser so you can interact or view specific content, normally videos, on a webpage.  Most legitimate sites use the standard, well-known plugins of Java, Flash, Shockwave, and a few others.  If a website asks to you to install extra things in order to interact or view the webpage, be very cautious.  Click “no” the first time and see if the webpage still displays properly.  Most of the time you do not need these extra plugins, so avoiding these as much as possible will help minimize your chances of getting malware in this manner.  If you must install a plugin a website prompts you for, unless it is a legitimate, well-known one, be prepared to learn how to remove malware.

Final Thoughts

Most people understand that the Internet is a lawless environment that sometimes requires making some tough choices.  Conventional wisdom tells you not to install free programs - after all, nothing is free.  If you really want to protect yourself, do not browse the Internet.  Of course, this is not really realistic.  People will always install free programs that have a feature they want, and no one is going to stop browsing the Internet.  By understanding that if we have to operate in a lawless environment, then arming ourselves with the knowledge and tools necessary to survive in the wonderful chaos of the Internet is a must.  For more information on malware and other technology topics, visit our Resource Library at www.usvortechs.com.

Companion Article:  How to Fight Malware Viruses