Latest threat - SpywareQuake

SpywareQuake is appropriately named - it masquerades as spyware removal software but it is actually spyware installing software.

When it starts up it lists 33 "threats" it pretends to have found on your system.

Update: If you have a SpywareQuake infection, or another of the SmitFraud variations (including SpyAxe, SpyFalcon and SpywareStrike), excellent and easy to follow removal instructions are available here at Castle CopsWiki.

I downloaded and installed the program from the spywarequake web site, and while it gives false indications of infection, it appears to be harmless in this form. It did change the security settings in Internet Explorer, but it actually increased the security, not the other way around. A standard uninstall from the control panel's 'Add / Remove Programs' seemed to remove the program completely.

On Spyware Confidential, Suzi Turner mentions the presence of a file in the Windows/System32 folder as stickrep.dll, but no such file is present with the installation I did. This leads me to believe that rogue affiliates are probably actually to blame for the additional spyware infections. I'm off now to find a "drive-by" installation to see what the differences are.

In the mean-time, stay clear of this program - you really don't need it. If you believe you are infected, update your anti-spyware application, or manually remove it with these instructions courtesy of Adam Thomas from Sunbelt Software. There is also a blog entry on the SunbeltBLOG.

What do I need for protection?

This simple question is actually quite complex. Many think that "I have ABC Internet Security Suite, I'm protected". This is very dangerous thinking. No single suite of security applications comes anywhere near being a total solution. In fact, I steer my customers away from them, as no company has the resources to be up to date and experts in all areas. Large companies are swallowing up previously good applications and over engineering them. Their security suites are very pretty but they are processor and memory hogs.

For basic, excellent protection, the free applications are a great solution, and what I recommend. Unfortunately, there are also free "rogue" applications, which give false indications of your security status. You can get some guidance through Spyware Warrior, one of the best resources for comparisons and listings of rogue applications. Their blog site is also very timely and informative.

To set up a good, basic security profile, you will need:

a good software firewall

a good real-time and scanning anti-virus program

a minimum of two spyware scanning programs

a real-time spyware monitoring program

As new threats are written and released every day, these programs all need to be kept up to date with definitions from their respective publishers' web sites. How often you should update depends on how much you use the Internet and how widely you travel there. If you browse the internet daily, I would check for updates and scan for problems daily. A couple of times per week, update and scan at least once per week. Fortunately, most of these tasks can be automated to some degree.

Stay tuned as I cover these topics and make recommendations, so you can check your defenses and stay safe and in control of your computer and your online experience.

Is my computer infected with spyware, adware, or a virus or trojan?

Very generally, the computer behaving in an unexpected manner is an indicator that there is the possibility of a malware infection of some sort. Almost every unprotected machine will have some 'low-level' spyware present such as undesirable tracking cookies. There is no need to be alarmed with this, however. Low level infections are easily treated with regular scans with recently updated anti-virus and anti-spyware scanners.

More specifically, the presence of spyware, adware or a virus or trojan on your computer will usually include one or more of the following symptoms:

• your computer is running more slowly than usual (often painfully so)
• you are experiencing regular program or system crashes
• you are plagued with popup windows or numerous browser windows opening automatically
• you have unusual entries in your browser toolbar
• your Internet home page has changed
• clicking on links has unexpected and unrelated results
• there are unexplained entries in your Internet favorites
• unexplained icons appear on your desktop
• your browser closes unexpectedly
• you notice some programs on the computer you don’t remember installing
• your Internet connection is painfully slow or you are receiving many “This page cannot be displayed” error pages in your browser
• your Internet usage fees have skyrocketed but you’re not doing much more on the Internet than usual
• you are receiving phone bills with unusual, unexplained and / or expensive entries
• you are receiving an unusually high number of bounced emails and / or complaints that you are emailing viruses to people
• your computer keeps re- starting on its own
• the amount of SPAM emails suddenly and dramatically increases
  

Of course, some of these symptoms may have other causes, such as hardware failure or a different user making changes to the system.

It is a fact that most computers with an internet connection will have some form of malware active on them. Even heavily protected corporate systems are vulnerable to malware installation.

What is malware?

Malware (malicious software) is a collective term for software which is intentionally included or inserted into a system (computer or network) for a harmful purpose.

Types of malware include spyware, adware, viruses and Trojans (Trojan horses). There are many other types and sub-types which I haven't included here for the sake of simplicity and brevity.

Over time, I will explain each type in more detail, and what steps you can take to remove them if present and to keep them out in the future.

Other subjects I will be covering will include developing safer online habits, protecting your identity, methods of reducing SPAM, speeding up your computer, setting up Internet Explorer for greater security and many more.

As well, I will let you know of resources you can use and updates on general moves in the computer industry as far as Internet security is concerned.

As I stated in my previous post, the main aim of my blog is to educate the average computer user to achieving and maintaining a trouble-free and enjoyable computing experience.

Yours in online safety,

Spyware-Bob

Welcome to spyware-Bob

My aim with this blog is to provide useful information on how you can protect your computer and yourself whilst online. My main focus is to write in plain language to make for easy reading and clarity. The content will be geared towards every day computer users, not technicians, though I hope it will be a useful resource for everyone.

There will be news and reviews of the best protection software available, both free and commercial, along with new threats and old enemies. Along the way, I will post tricks and tips to keep your machine running as quickly and error free as its hardware will allow.

Thank you for visiting and I wish you a trouble-free computing experience!

spyware-Bob