Virus & Malware Removal
- Is your computer running slowly ?
- Are you seeing strange pop-up screens ?
- Has your browser's home page suddenly changed ?
- Are you seeing more ads than usual ?
If you are seeing any of the above or other strange behaviour on your computer system, there is a high chance that it has been infected with a Virus or other kind of Malware.
Don't Panic: We can help
If you suspect that your computer may have been infected with a virus or Malware, the first action that you should take is to turn off your computer.
Some viruses can remove the standard methods for closing a Window e.g. remove the X in the top right-hand corner to close a Window. If this happens, you can try closing a Window using ALT-F4 (this is the keyboard alternative for closing a Window).
You can also try closing Windows / programs from the Task Manager. There are several ways to start the Task Manager, but the quickest is to press SHIFT-CTRL-Esc
You can also start the Task Manager by right-clicking on the START menu and selecting Task Manager from the resulting pop-up menu or by pressing CTRL-ALT-Del and selecting from that menu.
The Task manager will allow you to select any process and then click End Task to terminate the process.
If all else fails simply hold down the power button until the system turns off.
Once the computer is off, it cannot infect any other machines and no information can be transmitted back to the virus author. AT this stage, please give us a call and we can run some detailed scans on the system and should be able to remove the Malware.
Virus Removal
We will run several different scans to remove any viruses from your system. It is best to run scans outside of Windows - some "rootkits" can hide themselves from traditional scanners. We will boot your system from a USB key into a "stand-alone" operating system for the best chance of virus removal. We will then run further scans from within Windows.
For systems that are heavily contaminated with viruses, it is sometimes best to completely wipe the system and then re-install Windows and restore your data. With this option you can be 100% certain that ALL viruses are removed, but is only necessary for the more extreme cases. We will be able to advise you accordingly.
Why are Viruses created?
- The number one reason for creating viruses is for financial gain
- Install key logging Trojans to capture passwords or credit card details
- Identity Theft
- Infect a system to take part in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks
- Ransomware Attacks
- Cyber-vandalism
How can I protect myself?
- Install a trusted anti-virus / anti-Malware Program
- Keep up-to-date with patches
- Ensure you are using the latest version of Software
- Never share passwords and change them regularly
- Use a password manager
- Use two-factor authentication where possible
- Be sceptical of unexpected emails
- Be scammer Aware! - Most services will NEVER call you out of the blue
- Regularly back-up your data
We can help with all of the above points to minimise your risk against future attack. We are an authorised MalwareBytes re-seller. We can install the software on your machine and handle renewals for you. We can conduct a health-check on your system to ensure that both the latest Operating System patches and vendor-specific software patches are installed.
If you do suffer from either a Malware infection or you have been scammed in some way, we can help run an audit on all the accounts that you use and help change passwords and set-up two-factor authentication.
Call us and we will be happy to help and discuss the best ways to protect you and your computer systems in the future.