| |
| |
|
Security Information |
|
|
|
Remove Rogue Desktop Icons Created By Spyware
If you have used a Windows machine for a while, whether it's Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows 98, you're sure to have noticed desktop icons appearing from out of nowhere. How can icons mysteriously emerge on your Windows desktop? 1. When you buy a computer, many vendors place icons to selected products and services on your desktop, such as links to high-speed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or add-on services vendors think you may need. 2. As you install software on your Windows machine, icons may appear, either to start the application or link to the manufacturer's website. Installing just one program could add three or more icons to your desktop! 3. It's easy to accidentally drag a Favorite, bookmark, text file, or other icon to your desktop, creating an icon. Normally, it's easy to delete Windows desktop icons. Just place your mouse pointer on the offending icon, then right-click it and choose "Delete", clicking "Yes" to confirm if prompted. However, what if the rogue icons are for adult websites, unfamiliar search engines, or other websites you don't recall visiting? You may try removing these icons but get an error, or after removal they still reappear again and again and again! If so, then more than likely spyware, adware, or other malware has infected your machine. It may have been through file trading software, an inadvertent "yes" click when a popup window asked you to install software, 'freeware' that included adware, or other means. To remove the rogue icons, you need to remove the malware creating these icons. Removing spyware and adware can be a time-consuming process, fraught with potential disaster as it is possible to accidentally remove files that render your operating system unusable. However, the following software products can help with this process as long as you read the instructions carefully, make backups, and get expert advice if you're not completely sure about removing what they ask you to do: * Ad-Aware: http://www.lavasoft.com/ * Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/ * Pest Patrol: http://www.pestpatrol.com/ * Spybot Search and Destroy: http://safer-networking.org/ * Spy Sweeper: http://www.webroot.com/ So, how can you prevent these icons from appearing in the first place? Practice safe computing. * Backup your machine. If it does get infected to the point of being unusable, at least you won't lose all your important files. * Install security-related operating system updates so spyware and adware cannot enter your system through well-known exploits. * Download or buy a virus scanner, and keep it updated! Virus scanners cannot detect all spyware, but it doesn't hurt to have one. Check online or visit your local computer software store. * Purchase a hardware or software firewall, and keep it updated! Firewalls help protect your computer from common exploits that spyware or adware can use to infect your machine. * Consider using a different web browser. Though it is not perfect, Mozilla Firefox is currently less susceptible to spyware than Internet Explorer, mainly because it lacks certain technology (such as ActiveX) that is often exploited by malware writers. Note that depending on your web use, certain websites may not work correctly with other web browsers. By practicing safe computing and using spyware-removal software, you can help remove rogue desktop icons from your desktop and keep others from appearing. Andrew Malek is the owner of the MalekTips computer and technology help site. Visit his anti-spyware page for more advice on removing adware, spyware, and other malware.
MORE RESOURCES:
Security - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Road Warrior At Risk: The Dangers Of Ad-Hoc Wireless Networking Airport Menace: The Wireless Peeping Tom ---------------------------------------- As a network security consultant, I travel quite frequently. At times, it seems like the airport is my second home. How To Avoid Hackers From Destroying Your Site? Recently, my site and other internet accounts ( http://www.nabaza. SPYWARE - Whos Watching Who? I am in the midst of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. "The basis of optimism is sheer terror. The Risk Of Electronic Fraud & Identity Theft Electronic Fraud and Identity Theft ----------------------------------- Human beings are pretty sensible when presented with an imminent threat or risk. That is, if it's staring us directly in the face. Viruses and Worms: The Problems and Their Solutions History and BackgroundThe virus was one of the first ever threats to computer security. It brought a whole new fear upon computer users. Virus and Adware - Fix them Both! We all get the odd virus now and then, but sometimes that one virus could cause so many problems. In this article I shall be going though just some of the problems that these virus software programs can do, and how to fix them. Be Alert! Others Can Catch Your Money Easily! So called phishers try to catch the information about the account numbers and passwords of internet users. They deceive people with faked emails and websites that resembles exactly the originals of well known banks or electronic payment systems. Make Money Online - Latest Scam Disclosed Before we start, I want to make it clear that this article is about scammers that affect people who make money online by selling digital products, like e-books, software, etc. and have a refund policy, because we have a rather long way until the end and, if you are selling physical product or you money online through affiliate programs that don't involve a refund policy it's probably just a waste of time. How To Be Your Own Secret Service Agency So you want to know who your kids are chatting with. Or if your spouse has a blossoming e-mail romance. How to Get Rid of New Sobig.F Virus? As you know, this time the virus under the name Sobig.F has wreaked quite havoc! No doubt, many of us have suffered from this recent virus outbreak. Phishing and Pharming: Dangerous Scams As soon as almost all computer users already got used to -- or at least heard about -- the word "phishing", another somewhat confusing word appeared not long ago. Pharming. Identity Theft - Beware of Phishing Attacks! "Dear Bank of the West customer", the message begins. I've just received an e-mail message, purportedly from the security department at the Bank of the West. Clown Internet Scam - An Internet Scam is Currently Targeting Clowns and Other Entertainers I am the victim of an internet scam. It is very hard to write that sentence, but it's necessary in order to warn my fellow clowns, magicians and other entertainers, and to prevent them from being taken for $2,800. Network Security 101 As more people are logging onto the Internet everyday, Network Security becomes a larger issue. In the United States, identity theft and computer fraud are among the fastest rising crimes. Desktop Security Software Risks - Part 1 This is the second in a series of articles highlighting reasons why we need a new model for anti-virus and security solutions.Reason #2: the Desktop Security Software RisksThe risks of placing software on the desktop are such that I will be breaking this article into two parts. How to Prevent Online Identity Theft Identity theft rates one of the fastest growing crimes in mAmerica today and the Internet can make it even easier for some criminals to take your good name and drag it through the mud.Identity theft involves criminals stealing your personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers and other information, usually to buy things on credit or to empty out your bank accounts. How To Clean the Spies In Your Computer? Manual Spy Bot Removal > BookedSpaceBookedSpace is an Internet Explorer Browser Helper Object used to show advertising.Free PC Health Check - find bad files fast! How many corrupt and redundant files are lurking inside your PC ready to cause harmful errors? Find these harmful "time-bomb" files instantly and keep your computer ERROR FREE 24 hours a day!Variants BookedSpace/Remanent : early variant (around July 2003) with filename rem00001. Are You Surfing Safe? Ok, you've got a computer, and you get online. You surf your favorite sites, Sports, Shopping, Cowchip Tossing Blogs, and so on. Do You Know What your Kids Are Doing Online? It's a sad statistic, but hundreds of unsuspecting kids are lured away from home every year by strangers they meet in online chat rooms.As frightening as this seems, it gets scarce attention in the media. Don't Become An Identity Fraud Statistic! "You've just won a fabulous vacation or prize package! Now, if you'll kindly give me your credit card information and social security number for verification purposes, you will receive this awesome gift!"Now why would they need my credit card or social security number to send me a freebie? Can you say, "identity theft?"Although there are legitimate reasons for people to need that information, such as a purchase or job application, thieves need it to steal your life and money from you!Crime officials are reporting that this kind of theft is becoming quite common. Don't be a victim! Follow a few common-sense suggestions to avoid finding out someone else has taken over your life-along with your bank account!-Do not allow anyone to borrow your credit cards! Your best friend may be trustworthy, but her boyfriend may not be!-Don't provide personal information such as date of birth, credit card numbers, your pin number, mom's maiden name, or social security number over the telephone unless you initiate the call.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
