Computer Viruses - Where They Come From & How to Protect Your Computer

Back in the 90's, it was relatively safe to surf the Internet without the concern of contracting a computer virus. Today as many as 2,000 new viruses or malicious software (malware) invade the Internet on a daily basis. These computer malware are know by various terms, such as, viruses, trojan's, spyware, worms, hijackers, rootkits, etc. Malware can interfere with your computer productivity, monitor your Internet activity, steal your logins and passwords, and even destroy your Windows operating system. This can leave you with a computer that is unusable. These Internet attacks are a form of Internet terrorism and unfortunately, all computers are a potential target and need to be protected.

How can a virus get on my computer? One very common way is through email attachments and email links. These email can be addressed from an unknown sender or someone you know and trust. How is that, you ask? Although a friend or family member would not intentionally send you a virus, their infected computer can use their email address list to send out infected email. If you're not expecting an attachment, sometimes it's wiser not to click on it. If there is an Internet link in the email, hover the mouse over the link and read the link address in the lower left of the email message to see where it is going to take you. When in doubt, don't click on the link, as it might take you to an infected website.

The majority of the viruses and spyware, we remove, are contracted by downloading free music, movies, software and games, using what is called, a P2P or peer-to-peer program. There are 20+ free P2P programs that exist, such as, Limewire, Ares, uTorrent, BitTorrent, and eMule, to name just a few. When you use a P2P to download free "stuff", you might be downloading "free" viruses too. In addition, a P2P program allows others access to your computer to upload what you have downloaded. If you have one of these P2P programs on your computer, we recommend uninstalling it while your computer is still healthy. If your not sure you have a P2P installed, give us a call. Computer PC Medic's Fort Collins computer repair technicians can remove any P2P's and all malware.

WARNING: If you see message boxes, of unknown origin, soliciting a response from you or a new antivirus scanner on your desktop, DO NOT click on any messages or buy any antivirus products from it. Your computer is being compromised and is at the beginning of the infection process. Turn your computer off and call your favorite computer repair technician.

Hello, I'm Dan Ruffolo and the owner/operator of Computer PC Medic ( http://www.ComputerPcMedic.com ), a computer repair company, in Fort Collins, Colorado. We offered computer repair services and training to homes, students and small businesses in Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor and Greeley. - Dan -

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