Seriously, download this! Malwarebytes just completed a scan of my system that took over 103 hours to complete, which is hilarious because that means that from starting the scan to the time it was finished, the malware definitions were more than four days out of date. I doubt that the evolution of malware moves so quickly as to make this a great cause for concern, but I still think it's funny. A few weeks ago my girlfriend's sister's computer was infected with some variation of the Win 7 Antispyware 2012 virus. Removing the virus became my charge because due to my vocation, "I am good with computers." No fools, if I can repair an infected system it is because I can successfully query the Internet, not because I'm operating on any esoteric knowledge imparted on me through specific training or education. If one can use a computer, one can remove a virus. You can read the specifics for yourselves, but it basically masquerades as legitimate anti-malware software attempting to scare the user into registering it with bogus alarms. These are easily enough ignored but the real bitch of the infection is that it prevents the user from running any executables! Task Manager: gone! Web Browsers: gone! Through my experience with fixing my girlfriend's sister's computer, I decided it would be a good idea to build a malware removal toolbox of my own. By that I mean downloading a bunch of different malware-removal tools for any viruses I may encounter. I'm glad I did, because several days ago I was infected by the same virus. You see, without this registry fix I wouldn't have even been able to run any browsers to allow me to download the fix in the first place, so it pays to have it in advance. The moral of the story is to be prepared. I share this with you all because I care.
Did it call itself any iteration of Internet Security 2012? I got that virus. I was looking at porn without pop-ups blocked. About a day later, I couldn't browse the internet (even in safe mode) and the only option available on my PC was to "buy the full version to delete the infected files for $65.99!" So I got malware bytes from my dad's iMac on a USB drive, put it on my PC in safe-mode, and when it came time to restart and complete the virus removal...I found out my hard-drive was dead.
Job security...either a team of people on the company payroll making newer viruses that necessitate the software, or freelance virus lab.
I suspected this until the old guy that hired me to fix his computer told me he paid for the virus software four times and it kept asking him to register! At $90 a pop!
That poor old man just wanted to see some boobies for free on the internet. Funny story, my ex's dad got the same virus as both myself and TDC on the PC in his kitchen. I'm sure there are other ways to get that virus, but given the (admittedtly assumed yet referenced by Muro) commonality here and that the guy's been in a loveless marriage for the past 18 years...
My girlfriend's sister claims that she contracted the virus by streaming legitimate television shows and movies from questionable websites. I believe it. Just goes to show: TINSTAAFL.
Well, he watches a bunch of streamed TV online and doesn't care where he gets it, so long as he catches his shows.
Franlky, if this were true, the viruses would be better written. I watch all my por... erm... I mean streamed TV shows... on a virtual machine. Then if the VM catches anything nasty, I can revert it to an earlier snapshot. I guess eventually someone will create a virus that exploits a loophole to tunnel out of the VM onto my real system, but until that happens I reckon this is the ultimate method of safe browsing.