The Green Geek: Get Well Soon
Last month we discussed the need for computer hygiene – simple steps to avoid getting infected by malicious software, more commonly called malware. This month, let’s take that discussion one step further... what to do if you do get infected.
Now that hackers have realised that they can earn big money in breaking into people’s computers, a number of very clever malware applications have begun targeting Australian computers. Just last week, the ANZ bank warned its customers to be careful when using its online banking service as a Trojan (malware that lets hackers take control of your computer) has been popping up screens when you log into their online backing and stealing your bank login details. Worse, this particular Trojan infects your computer when you browse an infected web site and then hides and waits for you to start your online banking. Very evil!
Even though good computer hygiene will avoid or stop the vast majority of malware before it gets its hooks into your computer, it’s likely that sooner or later something will get through. If you are running an up-to-date anti-virus scanner, you normally discover the infection mere minutes (or at worst days) after it’s gotten into your computer. However, if your anti-virus software has not been regularly updated, the chances are the infection will have been around for a lot longer and spread from your computer to other devices in your office –possibly infecting USB sticks and backup drives. Whatever the case, as soon as you see that your computer has been infected, you need to take immediate action to eliminate the threat and clear up the mess.
When your anti-virus software alerts you to an infection, it will report the infection’s name and will generally attempt to remove or quarantine the infection. Removal simply deletes the infected files from your computer. Quarantine moves the infected files into a special location on your hard disk where they cannot be accessed, but are still available for examination by a trained technician.
Before you do anything, write down the name of the infection, making sure you get the spelling and punctuation perfect. If you can, connect onto the Internet using a different computer and Google the name of the infection. There is usually a lot of good information on the internet about different types of malware, what it does and how to successfully kill it. Knowing your enemy before proceeding is important. For example, if you discover that the malware infecting your computer can steal passwords, then it would be a very good idea to call your bank and put a hold on all online access to your accounts: when in doubt, play it safe!
Sometime your anti-virus software will give you the choice as to deleting the file or quarantining the infection. I normally just select delete. However, there is a danger here. Some malware, known as viruses, attach themselves to applications that you need to run, especially important programs in your Windows Operating system. This means than by deleting the file, you run the risk of killing your whole operating system. To at least give myself a little more protection, whenever an anti- virus scanner tells me it is about to delete a program file (those are files with a .exe or .dll at the end of the filename), I backup all of my documents and work files. I normally do this by burning them to a CD-ROM and then label the CD-ROM as “Post-Virus Backup” so I do not forget that this backup potentially contains virus infections.
If your anti-virus software successfully removes the malware, your next step is to run a complete scan on your computer. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to half a day, during which time your computer as slow as a three-legged dog in a sack race. I typically just leave the computer running the scan and get on with other non-computing work.
It is very important to note that if one malware has infected your computer, it’s likely that others will have too. For this reason, it is a very good idea to run a complete virus scan on other computers in your office. If use USB memory sticks, make sure you scan those too, as a number of Trojans and viruses can hide on these devices and re-infect computers at a later date.
Unfortunately, there is malware that is just so damn vicious that it’s almost impossible to remove without endangering your entire computer. These types of malware usually infect parts of your operating system and can cause your computer to crash. They also seem to be almost impossible to get rid of, and keep on appearing even after your anti-virus software has attempted to remove them. The good news is, if you have the name of the infection, you can search the web for a more specialized removal malware tool that will kill the blighter without making things worse. Such free solutions include Microsoft’s free Malicious Software Removal Tool (http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx), Spyware Doctor (http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/) and Kaspersky (http://www.kaspersky.com/removaltools), among others.
The above steps will help you deal with most malware infections. The key is to be vigilant and not to panic if you do get an infection. There is a lot of information on the web that can help you and heaps of downloadable tools. If worse comes to worse, seek the assistance of your local computer shop (it’s sometimes more cost effective to let the experts solve the problems) or ask any teenager... they seem to know all about this stuff!