malware Archives - Page 18 of 27

Q&A: How can I remove the Avast ads from the footer of my sent emails?

Posted on June 26, 2018

Question from Adam G.: I’ve been using Avast Antivirus for a few months, and for the most part I really like it. I know you use it too, so I thought you might be able to help me solve a problem I’m having with it.

I was just tipped off by one of my customers that Avast is placing what is essentially an ad promoting their software into the footer of my outgoing emails.

I actually don’t mind the ad in my personal emails since Avast allows me to use their software for free, but I don’t like them showing up in my business emails. How can I remove them?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Scam alert: Beware the free VPN app ‘S5Mark’ – It’s actually malware!

Posted on June 19, 2018

As you probably know, many free download sites attach additional “drive-by” downloads to the files you download from their sites to your PC.

A relative handful of those “add-on” programs are actually beneficial, but the vast majority of them are simply junk that will bloat your system and slow it down.

Even worse, some add-ons that claim to provide a useful service are actually malware that will spy on you and/or do nefarious things and make it look like you’re the culprit.

One of the most insidious “drive-by” add-ons that you’re likely to ever encounter is a program called S5Mark. [Read more…]

Scam alert: Protect your router from the dangerous VPNFilter malware that’s attacking routers worldwide

Posted on May 31, 2018

By now you’ve probably heard about the dangerous VPNFilter malware that’s attacking routers all over the globe.

If you haven’t, this is an insidious strain of malware that could potentially allow a hacker to take control of your router and use it for a wide variety of illicit purposes.

What’s more, the malware can even remove itself after a time and brick your router in the process. [Read more…]

Microsoft adds Ransomware protection to Office 365 Personal users’ OneDrive storage

Posted on April 6, 2018

Ransomware is a type of virus that encrypts all the data on your computer’s hard drive or SSD and then demands that you pay a ransom to a hacker in exchange for the decryption key.

In other words, it holds your files and data hostage until you pony up the amount demanded for the ransom.

And the danger is very real. In fact, ransomware attacks are now one of the most common types of malware attacks being perpetrated on the public. [Read more…]

‘HiJack Hunter’ helps you determine if malware has taken over your PC or changed critical system settings

Posted on February 13, 2018

Do you suspect that malware might be slowing down your PC or putting your data at risk, yet nothing is detected during a virus or spyware scan?

Or do you suspect that malware that was found and removed changed some of your Windows settings and/or disabled certain features such as the Task Manager, System Restore or the ability to boot into Safe Mode?

Even the best anti-malware programs have a difficult time catching all the viruses, trojans and spyware that is out there today. That’s why it helps to have a low-level system scanner that can root out and report every single running process and detect any suspicious system activity. [Read more…]