Virus Removal is Tough Business

By: Gregg Housh Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Whether it's Conflickr or a new fake anti-spyware program, it seems like malware and viruses are inescapable for any PC connected to the Net. It's estimated the amount spent annually on security software in the US has risen to over $800 million in recent years, but PCs are still getting infected daily. Why aren't we virus free yet?

The answer lies in the nature of malicious programming. Computer viruses don't spring up out of the blue, they are designed by programmers who either have nothing better to do and think it'll be interesting, or professionals who make money by abusing your PC. Whenever anti-virus vendors are told about a new virus, they create a new definition for their anti-virus software to help isolate and remove that virus if it is downloaded onto your computer. Once the new definition is widespread enough that a serious share of computers are safe against that virus, a newer one is made by the malicious programmers and the cycle starts again. Just about 2000 new viruses were identified every day in 2007, and the problem isn't going away soon. This is the reason why you need to allow your anti-virus software to download new virus definitions so often.

Frustrated hackers bored with the rapid turnover of "regular" viruses have graduated to attacking your PC's defences directly: your anti-virus software. Many new viruses include programming that either hides itself specifically from several popular anti-virus programs, stops them from downloading new virus definitions, or shuts them down completely. Even when these new viruses are identified quickly, many computers will already be infected and the software on the machines will be unable to remove the virus. In circumstances where one virus shuts down the anti-virus software completely, other viruses will usually infect the machine and can render it inoperable in a couple of hours if not minutes. Still other nasty viruses employ tricks to avoid removal methodologies, and will re-infect a machine after an anti-virus program or a user attempts to remove them.

The battle against computer viruses is nonstop, but you can do something to help defend your system. Installing a good anti-virus program and permitting it to update often is just the first step, but beware of fake anti-virus programs you can find online (many of these are viruses themselves). The fake anti-virus programs normally go by the names : Antivirus 2010 Pro, Windows Pro Police, System Guard 2009, Personal Antivirus, Antispyware XP 2009, and many more. You can see a pattern in how they name themselves. Never download anything from an individual or website you don't trust, never open a suspicious email (you don't always have to open the attachments to get infected), and don't go to websites with a poor reputation. If you take these steps and your personal computer still gets infected, have a trained pro remove the virus for you instead of trying to remove it yourself. Modern viruses can be very difficult to isolate and remove, and it's very easy to break your system accidentally while trying to remove one.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Gregg Housh is Technician Manager at Geek Choice. At Geek Choice we solve computer problems such as: Slow computer, Virus Removal, Spyware Removal, Computer startup problems, Printer not printing, Not connecting to the Internet, Scanner not working, or the "blue screen of death".