subject: My Computer Has Been Hacked by malware - Stop This Happening to You [print this page] My Computer Has Been Hacked by malware - Stop This Happening to You
With the ever increasing amount of malware, spyware and viruses on the internet it may only be a matter of time before your computer falls victim to an attack from malicious software. If you are lucky it may do little more than annoy you and take a bit of time to remove. If you are unlucky you may be targeted by malware that steals passwords, credit card details and will specifically search for financial information such as your online banking information and PayPal account login details. If this happens to you the first thing you will know about it is when money has gone from your account.
How can you prevent this happening to you?
#1 The first thing you need to do is the most obvious and install a good antivirus software on your computer. All it requires is a few minutes on the internet with no protection and if you are unlucky your computer will be compromised before you know it.
Best practice
Install a virus scanner and make sure it runs a deep or full scan once a week and a quick scan every day. Do not be tempted to skip a scan because you are in a hurry.
#2 Save your passwords so you do not have to type them in. Malicious software such as a keylogger will literally copy every keystroke you make and if you save your passwords and use software to enter them for you the chances of this happening are reduced.
Best practice
There are several types of software such as lastpass, which is free, which will store your passwords for you so you do not have to remember them or type them in and encrypts them too, even if you get a virus on your computer that you are not aware of this can protect your confidential data.
#3 One of the main ways malware gets onto your computer is through your web browser. It does not matter how good your antivirus is if you have another door malware can enter your computer through and this door is your browser. Some type of malicious software will install in the background by running scripts or small programs and you will not even be aware of it until your PC is infected. Keeping your browser up to date is a must. If you are using internet explorer you can use windows update for this.
Best practice
Install the firefox web browser then install an addon called noscript. This stops any unauthorized scripts from running through your browser and will block them and warn you if any try to run.
What should you do if you have been infected?
#1 Disconnect you computer from the internet and run a full virus scan. Malware is becoming more sophisticated and will reinstall itself even after removal. Run a full virus scan and get rid of any malware it finds.
#2 If you know there is malware on your computer and a virus scan has not found it download a system scanner that will scan windows and the registry for malware. The best way to do this if the malware prevents you from doing it is to download the installation files on another computer, copy them to a USB memory device and then start your computer in safe mode and install it from the USB device.
#3 Run a full system scan and get rid of the malware on your PC.
#4 Once you have done this if you used a USB device to install the system scanner you will need to run a full scan on that as well. Do not connect to another computer until you have done so. Some malware will specifically take advantage of this method to remove it and install on every computer you connect to with the USB device long after the original PC was infected and cleaned. Follow these steps here so you are not the one saying I have been infected with a virus and keep your computer safe.
