Fraud/Identity Theft, watch your accounts

[McRabbet]

There is lots of spyware, malware, viruses, trojan horses and even keystroke loggers out there that make this type of intrusion more and more common. I just spent 3 weeks fighting and finally deleting a nasty pair of Trojan Horse malware "bots" that got onto my wife's computer while I was using it (the HDD on my laptop had crashed two weeks before and I was gettin git fixed). It took a combination of at least 10 different specialized programs to find and remove these buggers, including getting deep into the Registry and running full scans with special detection software. Why so tough? Because the malware migrates and clones itself into multiples. This pair were unpleasant, but probably not as malicious as some out there. We've checked our CC accounts (I only use one for any Internet transactions and then only on reputable sites.)

My advice? Use a good anti-virus program (there are several very good free ones that are much better rated than the big name ones. I use Avast antivirus (free from Avast.com for home use), but AVG and avira are two othere that are highly rated and free. The best part of these programs is that they update frequently and have excellent databases. Anyone that doesn't run good antivirus software is vulnerable to attack from lots of sources, so practice safe surfing!

[TracyP]

Originally Posted by McRabbet

There is lots of spyware, malware, viruses, trojan horses and even keystroke loggers out there that make this type of intrusion more and more common. I just spent 3 weeks fighting and finally deleting a nasty pair of Trojan Horse malware "bots" that got onto my wife's computer while I was using it (the HDD on my laptop had crashed two weeks before and I was gettin git fixed). It took a combination of at least 10 different specialized programs to find and remove these buggers, including getting deep into the Registry and running full scans with special detection software. Why so tough? Because the malware migrates and clones itself into multiples. This pair were unpleasant, but probably not as malicious as some out there. We've checked our CC accounts (I only use one for any Internet transactions and then only on reputable sites.)

My advice? Use a good anti-virus program (there are several very good free ones that are much better rated than the big name ones. I use Avast antivirus (free from Avast.com for home use), but AVG and avira are two othere that are highly rated and free. The best part of these programs is that they update frequently and have excellent databases. Anyone that doesn't run good antivirus software is vulnerable to attack from lots of sources, so practice safe surfing!

Running a computer without antivirus is kind of like running a power tool without a guard. And running a computer without spyware protection is like running a power tool without a grounding prong. There are free programs out there that provide adequate support, but as some have said; most credit cards are compromised at a local level. Be Careful who you trust with sensitive information.

[NCPete]

I second Rob's nomination of Avast as a quality product