Your Guide on How to Identify and Fix Malware Infection
If you notice your computer acting weirdly, such as strange sounds and sudden popups telling you your operating system has been infected, chances are it’s suffering from a malware infection.
It’s not always easy to spot a malware infiltration however because its creators do their very best to keep it hidden. Also, never forget that malware is increasingly churned out at a rate of knots, so if your antivirus software isn’t kept current, meaning its database containing the latest malware strains isn’t up-to-date, you’re computer is effectively left wide open to cyber criminal attacks.
The following guide will help you identify some of the main signs of malware infection and give you some useful advice on how to get rid of it.
Malware Red Flags
Scareware
Popup alerts that suddenly spring up onscreen, such as warnings that you have a security threat on your computer, are notorious scareware methods used by criminals to dupe you into downloading bogus antivirus protection. In many cases you will in fact be downloading a virus, so never heed these types of warnings. Instead, visit your security vendor’s legitimate website for a security update to confirm whether you indeed have a virus.
It’s also important to understand that a website itself cannot scan your computer for malware. So, if by visiting a site you get a security threat warning, in all probability this is a scam.
Changes to Files or Folders
If you notice that certain files or folders on your computer have been changed in some way or deleted altogether without your permission, this is a strong indicator that malware has crept in.
Slow Computer
One nefarious criminal activity is pay-per-install scamming. This means malware distributors try trick you into installing dodgy software, for which they get a fee from third parties. These rogue pieces of software will often slow down your computer, so this is another indicator that there are suspicious activities happening in the background of your operating system.
Automatic Access to Unknown Websites
It’s always a bad sign if you’re getting alerts from your legitimate antivirus program telling you that an application is trying to connect to a website you’ve never heard of.
Random Sounds and Images
Your computer will sometimes respond with an audio signal signifying activities you’re unaware of, so if unknown sounds occur such as warning beeps, it can indicate a malware infection. This is because some types of malware manage to suppress computer warning messages, but not always the sounds that accompany them.
Another dead give-away is if you suddenly see images pop up or replace benign images, such as photos on news sites
Key Steps to Getting Rid of Malware Infection
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. It’s absolutely vital to have current antivirus software which does regular scans.
In addition, keep your applications up to date through trusted sources and maintain your operating system, including downloading the all important security patches. Also be aware that old applications can have security vulnerabilities which open the door to malware, so it’s a good idea to delete any applications you don’t use much.
Nevertheless, malware creators seem to be ingenious at finding new ways to bypass security. If your computer has become infected, the following measures are effective at getting rid of it.
Legitimate Help
Leading antivirus vendors will often have information on the malware that has infected your computer. Visit the website of your security provider to check for dedicated utilities that will help you remove the particular infection.
Popup Messages
To put an end to annoying and risky popup messages, use the Task Manager. On Windows, you can do this by pressing the Control, Alt and Delete keys simultaneously. On a Mac, go to the Apple menu in the top left and hit Force Quit to manually kill the process that’s running the popup.
You’ll of course want to run your antivirus program, but some malware won’t allow you to do this. In that case, read on…
Reboot in Safe Mode
Safe mode prevents any malware that’s present from initiating. To restart your computer in this mode on a Windows PC, press and hold F8 as soon as the reboot begins, then choose ‘Safe Mode’ from the menu that subsequently appears. On a Mac, hold down the Shift key while you reboot. Once the reboot is completed in this way, run your antivirus program.
Rescue CD
Some types of malware are so nasty that that it can knock out your antivirus software altogether and even prevent you from rebooting. In that case, you’ll need to use a Linux-based rescue CD – this will reboot your computer, remove the malware and repair any damaged files. Most reputable antivirus providers offer the rescue files for free, so you simply need to visit their website (using another computer) to download and burn them onto a CD.
Conclusion
The above guide helps you to both recognise and tackle malware on your computer. It must be said again however that the best scenario is preventing infection in the first place, so be sure to keep your antivirus software completely up-to-date and running regular scans.
About the Author: Peter McKiel is an independent IT Consultant and antivirus software advisor.
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