Rogue Anti-Virus / Anti-Spyware Programs
A problem many computer users are experiencing lately, is a dramatic alert that their system is infected with multiple viruses, spyware and trojans, or has a serious security vulnerability -— and it stubbornly refuses to go away or to let the computer be used for anything useful. To remove the viruses or to fix the problem, users are told they must pay for the program that detected them. If it happens to you, don’t pay, it’s a scam!

Your computer is not infected with a virus or trojan, it's infected with a rogue anti-virus/anti-spyware, aka scareware or malware. Examples include PC Security 2009, AntiVirus Pro 2010, PCAntiSpyware 2010, Smart Protector, etc. Many of these are the same program with a different user interface, i.e., look and feel, according to one trusted removal-procedure site. For a comprehensive list and background information, see this Wikipedia article and Bharath's excellent Security Blog.

Removing a rogue is not something most users can manage. Some of them are very difficult to remove, even for experienced technicians. Use of the rogue program to remove the purported infections can result in more malware being downloaded and installed, making recovery more difficult. In the worst case, it may be necessary to back up your data, reformat the hard drive, re-install Windows, reinstall your programs and restore data from backup. This can be an expensive proposition. It’s obviously better to not get infected in the first place. Prevention is many times more cost-effective than a cure, when it comes to rogues.

You may have a popular, up-to-date anti-virus program and your computer still got infected with a rogue! How is that? Some anti-virus programs don’t protect computers against rogues, because they don't see it as their job to do so. Rogues are a subcategory of malware, as are viruses, trojans, worms and spyware. Some anti-virus programs strive to protect you against all subcategories of malware but are obviously not as effective as they need to be. Your computer needs comprehensive protection, and this can best be provided by supplementing your anti-virus program with a top-notch anti-malware program.

There are two anti-malware programs that we recommend: MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (“MBAM”) and SUPERAntiSpyware (“SAS”). They run in the background, protecting your computer from malware in real time — i.e., they neutralize malware as you encounter it. Both programs are available in a free version that runs “on-demand,” but most rogues disable MBAM, SAS and other security programs in an act of self-preservation. In other words, once you’re infected, it’s often too late to run these on-demand versions or other removal tools.

If your computer is already infected with a rogue, you will probably require a technician to clean things up. Give us a call, we can help. If you want to prevent your computer from becoming infected, install one of these programs today. They both have a trial version and come with a lifetime license; you only pay once, not every year. We are authorized resellers of both programs and would be pleased to install whichever you prefer. If you are concerned about paying by credit card via the internet, we can install the program and/or the license and you pay us by cash or cheque.

If you don’t have one of these programs providing real-time protection, your next service call could be to remove a rogue or other malware, and that will cost more than either of these fine programs. Real-time protection can spare you the expense, and trauma, of having your computer violated by one these rogues.

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