September 2, 2008 by AC.

I recently ran into a string of PC’s infected badly with ad/spy/virus activity.  There were pop-ups and programs trying to run with many trying to get me to buy some antivirus software or computer cleaner software.  Those programs are the end result of the initial infection - the creators of the virus get you to spend $50 or more to “clean” the system.It is all very confusing and annoying. It slows your PC down significantly.  These ads and programs can be very misleading and the common home user falls for these gimmicks often.

Sometimes your antivirus gets compromised or these problems get on to your PC by other means.  When that occurs its best to use a specialty cleaner to remove anything that slipped through. Over the last few years many of these, most free, have emerged.  Ad-Aware, SpyBot Search & Destroy and Windows Defender were chief among them.  All are great but over time the bad guys adapt and get past these as well. My favorite program of the moment is Malwarebytes Antimalware.  It works, plain and simple. In time the bad guys will adapt to this as well but if you have a home PC that needs cleanup try this first.  Malwarebytes Antimalware is available at: http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, All Platforms | No Comments »

April 8, 2008 by AC.

Hackers are using a new, more complicated scheme to infect machines with vulnerable ActiveX controls.  Take a look at the article on Computerworld (http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9075378&source=NLT_SEC&nlid=38) for more information.

Have a problem that you cannot solve yourself?  Contact ACE Computer Services (http://www.acecomputernj.com) for assistance.

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, All Platforms | 1 Comment »

February 11, 2008 by AC.

There is another known Adobe PDF exploit on the loose and as always it is important to keep your software up-to-date with any patches or updates. 

 For more on the PDF Exploit please see the article on Computerworld (http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9061938&source=NLT_SEC&nlid=38).

To update Adobe Acrobat please visit Adobe’s Update site (http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/?ogn=EN_US-gntray_dl_updates).

It is also worth updating Java on your PC by visiting Java (http://www.java.com).

Note that these are two programs that people generally do not update as often so it is worth checking manually to ensure you have the most recent updates and patches.  If you need assistance contact ACE Computer Services. 

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, All Platforms | No Comments »

August 6, 2007 by AC.

As I had written before some harmful virus and malware items have been making rounds.  The most notable, and possibly most prolific virus is a Storm Worm that has spread through email.  The creators of the storm worm continue to elude antivirus software and infect more machines.  According to InformationWeek (http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201202711) this worm and its variations have taken over two million or more machines. 

Much of the time owners of these machines have no idea of the virus activity occurring in the background.  As always keep your antivirus programs patched and up-to-date, run regular scans of your system and use caution in opening attachments, even from friends and known email addresses.

Some signs that your machine may be infected or overtaken by a virus:

- slow internet activity or slow functioning of the PC (slower than normal)
- unusual internet activity and network activity when you are not checking email, viewing web, etc.
- disabled or malfunctioning antivirus programs for no apparent reason
- inability to update PC or antivirus software

You are always welcome to call for help with ACE Computer Services at 732-801-9310 or visit the website at http://www.acecomputernj.com.

Thanks for reading! 

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, Internet, All Platforms | 1 Comment »

July 26, 2007 by AC.

After a calm period of very few high profile virus outbreaks it looks as if some ugly stuff is looming on the horizon.  According to an article this week in Information Week (see article) computer worm virus activity could be at its worst point in two years.  Dwight Silverman follows up the same theme in his TechBlog (see posting).

As I had previously written there has been an outbreak of infected PDF files.  All of this reinforces the need for reliable and up-to-date antivirus and/or antiware programs to keep your system protected and clean.

I just recently worked on a machine that had been infected by a pesky Trojan that caused Internet Explorer to open and display random pages.  These type of browser hijack infections are quite a pain and sometimes difficult to track down.  Special thanks to the forums at Lavasoft, which helped me narrow, detect and finally clean the infection.  As you can see the problems are out there and some are extremely complex.

For assistance you can always contact ACE Computer Services (support@acecomputernj.com) or 732-801-9310 or visit the website at http://www.acecomputernj.com/.

Thanks for reading!

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, Internet, All Platforms | No Comments »

July 11, 2007 by AC.

Those who create virus and other dangerous malware programs to attack your PC are always trying to stay one step ahead of anti-virus programs and public knowledge of known threats.  One new mechanism of attack is not garnering enough attention but is certainly on the rise.  Infected PDF attachments have been blanketing the internet recently.  These are generally email messages with an infected PDF attachment trying to lure someone into opening the attachment.  It can do no harm to your PC unless opened.

We have grown accustomed to safe and unsafe attachments and PDF has generally been deemed safe.  The message portion of the emails is sophisticated and usually looks legitimate, from an internet service provider, bank or friend.  Sometimes the address is spoofed as well.  Visit the link to the Adobe Update site below for more assistance:

http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/

How can you stop or block the threats?  Always use caution when opening an attachment.  Make sure it is from a known source and information you requested or are expecting.  Also make sure you have current, up-to-date virus scanning software installed and running.  It is also worth keeping your Adobe Acrobat program (reader and pro) updated

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, All Platforms | No Comments »

March 30, 2007 by AC.

An email claiming to have an Internet Explorer Beta 2 download is actually a virus.  The email began making rounds this week and has a convincing graphic, making it look like an official message from Microsoft.  In addition there is no attachment, like in other virus related email, but a link to an infected file.  Clicking the link can do serious harm to your PC.  For more information please see the article on Compuworld.com:

http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9015142&intsrc=hm_list

For an official copy of Internet Explorer 7 please visit Microsoft.com at:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/default.mspx

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, Internet | 1 Comment »