Article Contributed on: 3/31/2009 2:55:41 PM
Fox News has been reporting on an "April Fool's Day" PC virus that is set to "go off" (or activate) at midnight tonight that takes advantage of PCs running Windows operating systems.
This is a spyware type of virus that, when activated, will scan PCs for sensitive information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, and the like; and send that information to the virus creator.
HOW TO AVOID THIS ATTACK:
1) If you do not have anti-virus software on your Windows PC, then GET IT NOW! Choose one that also protects against adware and spyware programs. As soon as you've downloaded and/or installed this software, it will automatically scan your PC for viruses, adware, and spyware.
If your scan results indicate any "detections," then have your software remove the file(s). First, though, write down the path location of the offending file, in case your anti-virus software cannot remove it. In this case, you can locate the file yourself and delete it manually. If the file is within a necessary program, you may have to uninstall the entire program using your "Add/Remove Software" application in your Control Panel, then, after running your PC scan again to ensure the virus is gone, you can reinstall your necessary program either from its CD or via downloading it from a reputable distributor.
If you are not computer savvy, you can go to your anti-virus software manufacturer's Website and find virus removal instructions. If that is too complicated, many anti-virus software companies offer virus removal services--but be careful, they may charge a fee for this service.
2) If you already have a good anti-virus program on your PC, then make sure it's set to update automatically. If it's not set that way, update it TODAY, then run a manual scan of your PC to detect any adware, spyware, or viruses. If you've kept your anti-virus software updated, make sure you run a scan of your PC TODAY--and well
before midnight!
While watching Fox News this morning, I remembered that my own anti-virus software (McAfee) detected a spyware program during a routine scan on my PC last Saturday. When I tried to have the software remove the potential virus, I received a report stating it was "unable" to remove the offending file.
Thankfully, I had written down the path to the file. It looked something like this:
C:\WINDOWS\Program Files\Online Services\PeoplePC\blahblahblah\such&such
This path told me the offending file (in this example, "such&such") was located within the People PC Internet provider software in the Online Services section of my Program Files.
Since I don't use People PC as my Internet provider, I decided to get rid of the program entirely, so I first checked for it in my "Add/Remove Programs" application within my Control Panel.
I have Windows XP Home, SP3 as my Operating System. I clicked on "Start" to pop up the main menu, then clicked on "Control Panel." Within the window that opened, I double-clicked on "Add/Remove Programs." When that application opened, it listed all the programs installed on my PC--including updates to them.
However, I did not find People PC on my list of installed programs.
So, I closed out "Add/Remove Programs" and the"Control Panel" window; then right-clicked on the "start" button, which popped up a menu. I chose "Explore," which opens a window with all the folders, files, and programs--literally everything that is in my hard-drive--all set up in heirarchy format.
Using this and the path of the infected file, I found People PC by opening the "Program Files" folder, then opening the "Online Services" folder within. There, I found the folder titled "People PC."
I placed my cursor on that "People PC" folder, and right-clicked. From the popped up menu, I chose "Delete." An alert popped up, asking me if I wanted to delete the file and all its contents, and I clicked the "OK" button.
That action placed the People PC folder, and all its contents--including the infected file!--into the "Recycle Bin" on my desktop.
I then right-clicked on my Recycle Bin icon and chose "Empty Recycle Bin" from the popped up menu.
To ensure the file was gone, I ran a second manual scan using my anti-virus software. This time, there were no "detected files."
Microsoft will eventually produce a "security update" for your computer's operating system, so ensure you have your "Windows Update" program set to check for, and install, updates automatically. This will ensure critical security updates are installed, but it will not install elective, non-critical updates. Those you have to go to their Microsoft Update Website to do manually.
Remember, this is a critical world-wide threat set to activate at midnight TONIGHT, so, take your precautions NOW, while you still have time to remove any infected files.
If you forget, you may regret it! There is no guarantee that simply leaving your PC off tomorrow will prevent activation of this spyware-type virus.
Happy computing!