Ransomware is malware that hijacks your computer, encrypts or hides your personal files (photos, movies, music, school work, etc), and attempts to ransom that data for hundreds of dollars. It is among the most destructive and costly kinds of malware and steps must be taken by families and businesses to avoid it or, if already infected, contain it.
Although Avira lacks the embellishments of other, prettier antivirus programs, it more than makes up for the sparse interface by being the best free antivirus of 2015. In recent tests, Avira proved to be as effective as most paid for antivirus options, ranking alongside or better than service providers like Norton or McAfee Antivirus. Easy to install, Avira works great on its default settings and can be left to run automatically, protecting your computer without any performance loss or disruptions. Once a threat is found, Avira will notify you and, with your permission, will attempt to quarantine or delete the threat. With Avira’s ever expanding libraries and advanced holistic detection, your computer is in the best possible hands with Avira Free Antivirus.
When fixing computers in the field, Poindexter technicians know what works and what doesn’t – and Malwarebytes works every time. Although every computer needs a competent antivirus installed and running around the clock, no antivirus can protect your computer from every possible threat. Some programs, called PUPs or potentially unwanted programs, still manage to sneak paste even the best protection programs. This is where Malwarebytes truly shines. This free program will effectively remove intrusive malware, potentially unwanted programs, and countless other discrete dangers and annoyances. For Poindexter techs, Malwarebytes has been and will remain an essential part of our emergency tool kit.
Although Avira provides the best possible antivirus solution, many clients might benefit from a more comprehensive security solution with extra bells and whistles. For the best all around protection against phishing scams and fraudulent websites, Poindexter recommends AVG Protection. Once installed and configured, AVG will block your favorite internet browsers from loading known malicious websites, protect your computer from the most dangerous transmission vectors and causes of identity theft, as well as keep itself updated and run around the clock without system disruption. Stop internet threats at their sources with AVG’s internet protection.
As a general rule, never run multiple anti-virus programs simultaneously. Be sure to remove any other anti-virus you might have installed, including Avira, if you choose to use AVG instead.
Nearly all viruses, theft, and computer based intrusions are conducted through the internet. It makes sense, then, to have a well developed, feature rich, security centric browser. Although there are numerous browser options, ranging from the incredibly popular Firefox, to the less well known Opera, Poindexter recommends Google Chrome as our browser of choice. With its abundance of available security extensions, including Https Everywhere, regular updates, and easy syncing with Android devices, Google Chrome is the best compromise between features, protection, and usability.
Okay Baltimore, let’s talk about your slow computer and how to repair it. It’s something we all struggle with from time to time and it’s nothing to be ashamed of and it’s nothing you did wrong – slow computers happen to everyone. Thankfully, sluggish computer performance is totally fixable, even if the underlying problem is pretty complex. Never forget, you can always call Poindexter if things get hairy. We offer inexpensive computer tune ups for both PC and MAC and love a challenge.
Here are the top three things that can slow down your computer and simple ways to fix them.
By far the most common problem we find on slow computers is the sheer number of programs running simultaneously. It’s normal for a computer user to add and install all sorts of neato programs, but if those programs run too often and aren’t closed properly, they’ll take a chunk out of your performance. Like people, computers have limited attention spans and the more things they have to keep track of, the slower they crawl. Programs aren’t an easy feat and each one requires some amount of brain power (the processor) and memory (the RAM). If there are too many programs running, the processor and RAM can get overloaded, bringing the whole computer to a crawl.
Not all programs tell you they’re running and finding the hidden ones can be tricky, but there’s a good, quick step to try first. In the lower right hand corner of your Windows PC, to the left of the clock, you’ll see a series of little icons. Each icon represents a program running (you might have to click the little arrow to see all of them). Look over each program and decide whether or not it’s worth having. If not, uninstall it or go into its settings and stop it from starting with Windows. If you absolutely must have each program or utility, consider investing in more RAM to free up some working space for your computer.
Viruses and malware are programs that run on your computer and, like any program, malware can gobble up resources. Some malware disguises itself as anti-virus or optimization software. We call these “potentially unwanted programs” and they should be uninstalled immediately. Software promising to update drivers, offer free backups, push you to buy something, or warn your of impending computer doom are almost certainly yuck malware and need to be kicked to the curb. If uninstalling them doesn’t work, consider calling Poindexter for a thorough cleaning. Beware that not all programs announce themselves to Windows and might be running in the background, hidden from view but still using up precious brain power. Some malware is front and center, leaving little doubt that they’re causing problems. Not all malware plays nice and let’s you uninstall it – in fact, some will reinstall themselves and their buddies immediately after you reboot. This can be very frustrating. But take heart! Poindexter can repair your computer.
Malware run amok can eat up memory, disk space, brain power, and make unauthorized changes to Windows and other programs, causing nastier problems than just slow performance. Crashing, weird errors, and other strange behavior all result from untreated infections and need to be dealt with quickly and completely. Uninstalling unwanted programs can free up lots of computer resources, improving stability, boot time, and system speed.
A hard drive is the permanent storage of your computer; it’s where all files, images, music, movies… everything, gets stored. If you open up a hard drive, you’ll find a polished metal disc and a reading arm, sort of like a phonograph, but way more sensitive. Your data gets saved to this disc as a series of magnetic ones and zeroes. As the disc spins, the reading arm is able to read that code and send it to the processor which puts it all together as that adorable cat picture you saved four years ago and forgot about.
If your hard drive is running low on storage space, Windows can get claustrophobic. Windows loves having lots of elbow room to work – to do its job, Windows needs to make files, unpack stuff, and move stuff around. If there’s too breathing room, Windows can slow down severely or even crash.
Every file on your hard drive gets moved around as new stuff gets added and removed. With regular use, the contents of your hard drive can get disorganized, leaving stuff scattered around, forcing the hard drive and processor to work harder to put everything together correctly. We call this fragmentation and, naturally, defragmenting your hard drive every now and again can improve boot time and performance.
To defragment your computer’s hard drive, just search for defrag using your Start Menu’s search bar. The program “Defragment and Optimize Drives” or something like it will pop up. Select that and follow the instructions as they come up. If you haven’t defragmented in a long time (a year or longer), settle in for a long haul. This might take awhile.
For a long time, Apple products have benefited from being unpopular. When compared to their Windows PC counterparts, iMacs and Macbooks make up only a sliver of global computers (~4%). It makes sense, then, that Windows computers are the target of hackers far more frequently, requiring Windows users to use round-the-clock antivirus solutions. Unfortunately, as Apple products become more popular, this “security through obscurity” approach is showing some cracks. Sure, both OSX and iOS have baked-in features that might make them more secure than Windows, but no computer security holds up for long against enterprising minds when there’s money to be made.
Enter Wirelurker. As reported today by PaloAlto Networks, Wirelurker is a nasty piece of malware currently targeting Chinese Apple users. Wirelurker will find its way into OSX if the user downloads infected software or, more worryingly, if the user plugs in an infected USB drive. More worryingly, Wirelurker can infect an iPhone if it gets plugged into an infected computer, allowing that iPhone to infect other computers it comes in contact with.
For American Apple users, those no immediate threat since the source vector is restricted to Chinese users. Chinese OSX and iOS users are at risk because they commonly “sideload” software onto their Apple products using a Chinese specific AppStore, the Maiyadi App Store. According to PaloAlto, Wirelurker has infected 467 Apps on the Maiyadi App Store and these Apps have been downloaded more than 356,000 times. Wirelurker can even infect through counterfeit mag-safe chargers. With a disease that can spread this easily, global users are at risk of infection. Wirelurker won’t rest in China for long.
Wirelurker is the first of its kind in a number of alarming ways. It’s the first to “trojanize” downloadable applications by replacing their binaries with an infected version. It’s the first to infect already installed, previously safe applications. And it’s the first malware that can install 3rd party applications on non-jailbroken devices. Once infected, Wirelurker can potentially read your sensitive data, including contacts. Not one to rest on its laurels, Wirelurker is regularly uses your internet connection to send data to its motherbase, as well as receive code updates. Yikes.
This is the largest scale infection every reported by PaloAlto Networks. Although the virus has infected hundreds of thousands of users, pumping constant data to the developer’s, their end game is still unknown. The infectivity of WireLurker is unparalleled and, although Chinese users are the primary target, it’s hard to imagine it staying that contained for long.
To try to protect yourself from Wirelurker and other emerging OSX threats, there are a few simple things you can do:
If your Apple product already has malware, is running sluggishly, or needs to be updated schedule an in-home visit with Poindexter. Don’t leave your prized Apple product to the wolves – call or schedule a professional consultation today!