It is all too easy for a computer to become infected with malware. New malware is being written at the rate of thousands a month.
Antivirus software manufacturers do their best to keep you protected, but the reality is that infections can and do sneak onto your computer between updates.
Some really pernicious malware can be difficult to detect and remove.
How do you know if your computer has been infected by malware?
I am the computer equivalent of an anxious mother. If the performance of my computer changes, or something unusual happens, I immediately update my malware protection and scan my computer.
I know from experience with my clients that most people don’t. I’ve lost count of the number of people who phone me up when their computer has slowed to a crawl or become unusable because of pop-ups. Sometimes this has happened “overnight”, but more often the client confesses sheepishly that the computer has been behaving oddly for a while.
Get to know the performance of your computer. As soon as it starts to change, or something unusual happens follow my example (not my clients’). For once, this is an example of do as I say AND do as I do!
Removing Malware
I am writing this in January 2009. Currently, the most effective piece of malware removal software is Malwarebytes. There are two versions. A free version and a paid for version. The free version is not proactive. You need to open the software, update it and tell it to scan the computer. This is very effective for any computer that has just one (careful!) owner.
For family computers I recommend the paid for version of Malwarebytes. This is proactive, keeps itself up to date and actively protects you from infestations of malware.
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