Computer Technology Tip

Rogue Anti-Virus Infections         Don Trauger - Kennett

What is a rogue anti-virus? On the computer screen it looks like an anti-virus scan of your computer but it displays fake infection results. It's a scam and they want your money to remove it. These nasty pieces of malware can infect your computer so suddenly that you have no chance to stop them. In fact just about all legitimate anti-virus programs can't stop them. "Why is that?" you ask. First of all, these "rogues" are designed to defeat normal anti-virus program protection. Secondly, the anti-virus definitions are not programmed to look for rogues. In the last few months this has been the most common type of infection in the Mill. You may wonder how you got this infection. It's nothing you did wrong. You simply went to a legitimate web site that has been hacked by one of these perpetrators.

You may have seen the Allstate ad on TV with the actor portraying "mayhem." Well, that's exactly what takes place in your computer when you get attacked by one of these rogue programs. They attack your anti-virus program, often disabling it. They block Window's Updates, prevent the start of any program you have installed, and disable many other Windows features. By the time it's over, usually within a few seconds, your computer is just about worthless.

All is not lost, however. But the time to do something is NOW while your computer is working normally. Download and install a free detection and removal program called MALWAREBYTES. This excellent program can be downloaded from www.download.com. Just type Malwarebytes in the search field and click the little magnifying glass icon. Next, click on MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE. On the next page, click on Download Now which is on the left side. OK the download by paying attention to a pop-up bar just beneath the browser's tool bar. Click on the bar to permit the download to continue. Save the download to your Desktop then double click it to install Malwarebytes on your computer. As I said previously, if you are already infected you can't easily install or run Malwarebytes because the infection has taken over your computer.

Malwarebytes is easy to understand. During installation it will download the current definitions. Double click the new Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Desktop icon and it opens in the Scanner mode. Click the Update tab then click the Check for Updates button to obtain the latest definitions before doing a scan. Click the Scanner tab and choose Perform a quick scan or Perform a full scan and click the Scan button. Follow any screen prompts.

In some cases it may be desirable, even necessary, to operate the computer in Safe-Mode to run Malwarebytes to remove the infection. Safe-Mode is a troubleshooting mode that can be utilized by restarting the computer and pressing the F8 key for a second then releasing it for a second and then repeating the sequence until you see the Startup Menu. Using your keyboard choose Safe Mode and press the Enter key. Run Malwarebytes as usual.

I consider Malwarebytes an important safety net for anti-virus programs. I urge you to add this program to your computer before it's too late because your anti-virus program probably can't prevent an infection of a rogue anti-virus.

Help with downloading, installing, and running Malwarebytes can be found by attending our PC Club meetings. They are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Ardmore room of the Community Center.

To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Hershey's Mill Community Center.