So you think your computer is clean? Never heard of spyware? Just don't care? Don't think you're at risk? Don't think the spyware on your computer (if any) is causing any problems?

Think again.

Before you ignore the advice on these web pages, read on...

A recent study was done by AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance. Some of their findings:

6% of users thought they had a virus currently on their computer. A scan revealed that actually 19% of all the users had viruses.

71% of those with antivirus software thought that it updated weekly or daily. However, a scan revealed that only 33% of all the users had actually updated their antivirus within the last week.

53% thought they had spyware on their computer. A scan revealed that in truth, 80% of all the users had spyware.

References:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/10/25/HNaolsurvey_1.html
http://www.staysafeonline.info/news/NCSA-AOLIn-HomeStudyRelease.pdf
http://www.staysafeonline.info/news/safety_study_v04.pdf


Now that I have your attention...

The personal-computer world is entering a state of true epidemic. Viruses, spyware, adware, and other malicious software are undermining the public's ability to have computers and the internet be useful and enjoyable. In conjunction with pop-ups and spam, our ability to depend on our computers, and the internet itself, is being threatened to its core.

CNN had a front-page article recently on the spyware issue. It's not longer available from them but you can click here to read the cached version. Because it was an Associated Press article, you can read the same text at countless other news sites.

Has your computer ever crashed? Produced a weird error message? Popped-up strange advertisements? Has your home-page ever been mysteriously changed without your permission? Has the internet just felt slower than normal in recent months? If you can answer "yes" to any of these, there's a high likelihood that your computer is one of the victims. Even if you can't, it doesn't mean your computer is clean.

Truly, if you use Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer ("IE"), your chances of infection are high. Another recent study by Dell estimated that nearly ninety percent (90%) of all desktop computers are infected somehow, with 1 out of 5 calls to Dell tech-support being virus/spyware related. Most people aren't even aware that their computers have been compromised:

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=71662
http://www.webpronews.com/news/ebusinessnews/wpn-45-20041015DellsSpywareSurvey.html

You can be infected and not know it. Your computer could be sending out hundreds of junk emails a day on behalf of somebody in another country, who has secretly installed software on your computer without your knowledge. Your computer might be sending out personal info, such as birthdays, social-security numbers, bank accounts, username/passwords, and even every keystroke you make to someone with less-than-charitable intentions. This is very real, and is happening right now to hundreds of thousands of people. They don't know it's happening. Do you know you're not one of them?

You can be infected by just visiting a web page that seems harmless. You can be infected by that cute screensaver or greeting-card your friend/relative sent you. You can be infected by that file-attachment that didn't work when you clicked on it. You can be infected simply by being online and doing nothing. An unprotected system, once plugged into the internet, will be infected in a few minutes... or even seconds.

One guy found out that just by visiting one particular web page, sixteen different spyware programs were installed. All without his knowledge or consent. The same guy also discovered that by simply playing a movie file, over thirty one spyware programs were installed. You think you're safe because you don't visit sketchy websites? Think again.

It doesn't matter if you have antivirus software. Most AV software does not protect you against spyware/adware/etc. Even running a single tool such as the popular Ad-Aware utility does not finish the job, as there are plenty of nasties that it doesn't catch. A computer needs several layers of protection to be clean.

I repeat, running antivirus software alone is not enough. In fact, many people with AV software aren't even safe from viruses because their software wasn't configured to keep itself updated. I've come across countless systems which haven't updated in over a year or two. These might as well have no protection at all.

I can't tell you how many people who've sworn to me they didn't have a problem with viruses/spyware were actually infected once we had it checked out. Before you assume the same thing, ask yourself: how do you know? Most of these are designed to hide themselves and keep you from knowing they're there.

I beg you to take heed... unlike many emails you probably get that spread fear and panic about some virus that will melt your computer and urging you to forward the warning to everyone you know, I'm quite serious about this and do not take this action of putting out such a warning lightly. Many of you who know me are aware that I've been intimately involved with the computer industry for over 20 years. I've never seen anything as bad as what is going on now.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... educate yourself about the situation. It is every computer user's responsibility to become knowledgeable about computer and internet safety. Ask questions, get training, hire a geek to help out. Many companies are charging $50-$100 for "cleanings" which will just have to be done again in a few days unless you become more aware of how to protect yourself and change your internet behavior. I've personally been asked for help more than I have time to provide, but I do what I can and this page is one example. Another is a page I've created especially for this issue, with lots of instructions and links to more reading material and help:

http://vtbsd.net/winhelp/

I outline 5 steps you can take to protect yourself (for free... I'm not selling anything) and clean your own computer. I regret that I cannot personally help everyone I know... I just know too many people! There are not enough free hours in the day. But there should be enough information on that page that I created to get you going and point you in the right direction for help. There are also plenty of links there to news articles if you want a second opinion (or a 3rd, 4th... or 50th). There are links to downloads which may seem large to those of you on dial-up modems, but trust me... it's better to take the time to do this than dealing with the alternative. Think about what happens to your car if you decide you don't have time to change the oil.

Although you won't be doomed with 10 years of bad luck if you don't forward this to everyone you know, I do welcome you to pass it along as you see fit. I know many people but I don't know everyone. This is a very real and serious problem and the more people we can get educated, the better chance we have at taking back our computers and the internet from those who would pollute them to the point of being useless.

Thank you for your time, and good luck