Top Ten Facts about Malware and Spyware

Fact 1. Malware and Spyware can very Easily be Install on your System without your Knowledge. In some cases one Infection can Easily lead to another much more Infelicitous and by Downloading and Installing Malicious Software Stealthily Hidden in the Background.

Fact 2. It only has to be one piece of software that is specifically designed to download and install other pieces of software to infect your system after all the Technology of a computer is that the only limit is the imagination.

Fact 3. No Software available can Remove all Spyware or Malware Programs because of the techniques that are used to release new variants and the many more new strains of infections.

Fact 4. You cannot under any circumstances Rely on one Piece of Software for Spyware Removal This is Not Safe.

Fact 5. You must be aware that any Piece of Software could contain Malware or Spyware So you Must be Extremely Careful what you Download from the Internet. PC performance enhancers, Online Games, Screen Savers, and Some Malware and Spyware Removers can contain Spyware.

Fact 6. Many Computer Users Now Resorting to Reformatting their Computer to Rid their System of Spyware Resulting in Complete Loss of Data and Hours of Valuable Time and loss of working on their computers and Special Programs.

Fact 7.The Time it can Take to reformat a System Completely can range from 1 to 4 hours Depending on the Method used. It then can take up to Several Hours to Reinstall all of the Applications, Drivers and Windows Updates and any other Updates that are needed. There is Also can be a High Risk of Re-Infection if this is Not Done Properly and therefore making the System Worse than Before. In most cases Users lose ALL their data And of course Reformatting your Computer will Remove Spyware but that Doesn't mean that your System Wont Become Infected Immediately if you Reinstall your Favorite Free software Programs again.

Fact 8. Some Variants of Malware and Spyware can Install back doors to Allow Hackers Complete Control over a System. This can often result in someone from the outside using your Computer to Send out Viruses and Spam.

Fact 9. There is a HUGE Resource Showing a whole range of Statistics on the amount of Spam that is Floating Around on the Internet at any one time.


Fact 10. This is Why Spyware Removal is So Critical because the Everyday Users are having their Systems Hijacked and Used to Create Problems.

Businesses and individuals from all Around the World can spend thousands of Pounds or Dollars in a Year on Tech Support Losing Hours and days and Even sometimes Weeks and STILL have the Same Problems from the Start.

This post has been edited by cheyenne 09: Apr 30 2007, 01:02 PM

Nice list cheyenne09! This is exactly why we recommend that everyone who thinks they have any sort of Malware on their system to go to the Malware Forum and START HERE.

Fenor

Thanks Fenor .. I thought it would explain just how Easily that your Computer can become Infected with Malware.

I would say the list is a bit off, at best.

I only count 3 actual "Facts". 1 other is mere conjecture and not factual, the other may be a fact, but its not about malware and spyware. The rest are just the same 3 "Facts" re-worded repeatedly.

Hi ScHwErV
With Respect i think there are some Good Points in it for the People that Don't Know very Much about Computers and Malware and Spyware and Don't Realise just how Easy there System can be Infected.

Cheyenne09,

While your intent is appreciated, this list doesn't provide much concrete advice in how to protect oneself from getting infected. The intent of this site is to provide good specific advice that people can follow. Also, I moved this post from Random Discussion to here, as there was nothing random about it.

Sari
With Respect a lot of People that come Here are looking for Help as they have Absolutely No Idea what Malware or Spyware are let alone how to Fix it and the Points in the Post are to Help Beginners and Novices to Understand some of what Malware and Spyware can Do to there System and as you Kindly Pointed out in your Quote ( this list doesn't provide much concrete advice in how to protect oneself from getting infected ) I would Not Break the Rules Intensionally as i Am Not Malware Trained Member so therefore Cannot give Advice on what Programs People should or shouldn't that is for the Malware Experts Use and Basic Advice should Always be Welcome as there are a lot of People that Don't Understand Technical Advice. I would Hope that they would Then Seek Help in the Malware Forum Here.I also Recently had a Member say to Me they Didn't see the Point of going through all of the Steps in the Malware Forum hence the Point of My Post to give some Guidance to Why it's a Good Idea to go and Get Help in the Malware Forum as a Quick Fix Doesn't Always Fix Everything and we all want a Clean Machine to work with.

Cheyenne 09

Cheyenne09,

I have to question this advice coming from someone who isn't malware-trained, as you point out. If someone is already infected, this advice would be of no use to them whatsoever. Even for someone who isn't infected, I don't think there is enough detail in this information to be of use. Our Start Here thread in the malware forum is intended to provide some self-help advice to victims; not everyone is comfortable trying these things and would prefer to do things under the guidance of one of the trained helpers. Once we've cleaned up a user, we provide advice on protecting their machines in the future; which is where they get the more detailed advice.

There have also been multiple threads in this forum and others about protecting PCs, in which we've provided information about anti-virus and other programs we recommend. Those posts are typically answered by a staff member, ensuring that the information given is accurate.

Our intention here is not to bash your post, but to point out that while your intention is good, the advice as given is not really enough to help someone determine the best way to protect themselves, and given the complexity of the subject, any information like this is probably better given by one of the trained malware experts on staff here.

sari

I think this thread has gone on long enough. Cheyenne, I believe that you mean well here, but we have a rule about non-staff giving malware advice. We have that rule for a reason. Although very little of this is advice and merely your opinions, it still falls into a gray area that I would rather not tread into.

ScHwErV