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Spyware / Malware / Virus Removal

They got me! Drats....

14 min read

This thread's last reply is from . Advice, software, and links below may be out of date — treat specific steps and download links with caution.

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Glad to hear you have things working. Below I have included a number of recommendations for how to protect your computer in order to prevent future malware infections. Please take these recommendations seriously; these few simple steps can stave off the vast majority of spyware problems. As happy as we are to help you, for your sake we would rather not have repeat customers. :P
  • On a regular basis, please navigate to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and download all the "critical updates" for Windows, including the latest version of Internet Explorer. This can patch many of the security holes through which attackers can gain access to your computer.
  • In order to protect yourself against spyware, you should consider installing and running the following free programs:
    • Ad-Aware SE. A tutorial on using Ad-Aware to remove spyware from your computer may be found here.
    • Spybot-Search & Destroy. A tutorial on using Spybot to remove spyware from your computer may be found here. Please also remember to enable Spybot's "Immunize" and "TeaTimer" features.
    • SpywareBlaster. A tutorial on using SpywareBlaster to prevent spyware from ever installing on your computer may be found here.
    • SpywareGuard. A tutorial on using SpywareGuard for realtime protection against spyware and hijackers may be found here.
    Keeping these programs up-to-date and running them regularly can prevent a great deal of spyware hassle.
  • Please consider using an alternate browser. Mozilla's Firefox browser is fantastic; it is much more secure than Internet Explorer, immune to almost all known browser hijackers, and also has the best built-in popup blocker (as an added benefit!) that I have ever seen. If you are interested, Firefox may be downloaded from here.
  • I notice that you do not seem to be running antivirus software. This is somewhat suicidal in today's digital world. AVG makes an excellent free antivirus client, as do AntiVir and avast!.
  • Finally, consider maintaining a firewall. Some good free firewalls are ZoneAlarm, Kerio, and Sygate. A tutorial on understanding and using firewalls may be found here.
Please also read Tony Klein's excellent article: How I got Infected in the First Place

Hopefully this should take care of your problems! Good luck. :D
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Make sure you use proper prevention to keep from having problems occur to your computer in the future.

Coyote's Installed programs for prevention:

http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?showtopic=31418

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