Virus posing as Anti-Virus? What do I do?!

We are all very familiar with the concept of a virus. In a nutshell, it is a piece of “bad software” written to cause problems on your system (if you want a better description, check this Wikipedia article). As a result, we install anti-virus software. There are well known brands such as Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky and then there are the free ones like AVG and Avira in existence. There are also a few lesser known ones. But what happens when you get a virus that poses as an anti-virus?

There are several trojans in existence that pose as anti-virus. For those familiar with the Greek myth referencing the Trojan Horse, the Greek soldiers hid inside of a giant horse that posed as a gift and then when the horse was brought into the city walls, the soldiers came out and commenced siege on the city. It is a similar concept with computers. Trojans appear to be legitimate software but in reality, they are bringing pieces of malware into your system and allowing unauthorized access into your system.

There are a few of these fake anti-virus out there. Some of the first ones were AntiVirus 2008, 2009, and 2010. Now we have AntiVir 2010 and Security Alert.  They will come onto your system and tell you that you have an unusual amount of viruses. Then it will “lock” your system. By that I mean, it will not allow you to do anything until you decide to run the antivirus software which will require you purchasing it. You can’t open Word, you can’t browse the internet, you are effectively locked down. Most people think it’s a legitimate antivirus so they proceed to purchase. They are then taken to a purchase site to buy the software. Well you are not buying anything but you are giving someone your credit card information. Now they can go on a shopping spree, courtesy of you.

No worries, it’s not all bad news. I will tell you how to get rid of it. First of all, the best thing you can do is not to catch it in the first place. Run a real anti-virus on your computer and do it regulary. We recommend Kaspersky antivirus but most of the others will work. For extra security, get the Internet Security package, not just the antivirus. It’s a little pricier but well worth it. You get anti-virus, anti-spam, firewall, anti-phishing, etc. Make sure you leave the software running and run scans at least once a week and perform updates regularly. In addition to that, do not browse on unsafe sites. Luckily, internet security suites generally will flag and block dangerous sites. If you are not familiar with the site, be cautious.

What if you get the virus? Shut down your computer immediately. You may have to hold down the power button and shut it down in an unsafe method. Boot the computer and before the Windows logo pops up, hit F8 (you may have to keep hitting it, timing is everything). An Advanced Boot window will show up. Choose “Safe Mode with Networking”. You will boot into safe mode. Now download MalwareBytes for FREE and install it. Run the update and then perform a quick scan. This virus is usually caught in the quick scan. If you want to thoroughly clean the system, perform the full scan but it will take longer. Once you are done, click Show Results. This will list all the “bad objects” found on your system. Click Remove and you are good to go. You will have to reboot your system but you have to do that anyway to get out of safe mode. Allow your computer to boot normally and you are good to go.

Again, the best way to avoid virus issues is to prevent so invest in a decent Internet Security. They run between $40-$80/yr but it’s well worth it. Now there is the possibility that your information has been compromised or some other form of irreversible damage. If your computer is severly damaged to where it doesn’t behave the same, take it to your local computer shop and have them look at it. They may need to reformat the system. Again, best solution to fighting a virus is to not get it in the first place.