Hi guys,
I fight these things all the time. done this for many years.
This particular BUG is not a new one. I'v found references to this "upsvirus" from 2008. This type of scam has been going on for a long time.
This is a fraudulent attempt to infect your computer with some sort of malware.
Virus, is almost non-existent anymore since anti-virus programs have almost entirely eliminated exploits that virus makers would use to infect your system.
What I deal with these days is technically not virus, its MALWARE or ADWARE. Although a virus could be classified as malware, not all malware or adware are actually virus.
did I totally loose ya? Sorry, heres a definition.
Computer Virus:
Code:
A computer program that is designed to replicate itself by copying itself into the other programs stored in a computer. It may be benign or have a negative effect, such as causing a program to operate incorrectly or corrupting a computer's memory.
just like a virus in the body, a true computer virus can replicate its self and multiply.... spooky stuff. virus signatures are very small.
virus were written to show off, or to show software companies weaknesses in there code.
mostly the people who wrote virus code were wanting to be acknowledged for there skill.
not making these people out to be hero's but some antivirus, and code writers "programmers" got there positions by showing how poorly others had written code.
these days malware is mostly adware. and malware creators are entrepreneurs trying to make money.
adware is written to redirect you "usually unknowingly" to advertisements or sites that pay the writer a small amount for each (click) veiw.
redirection is a common practice even by legitimate companies now.
a trojen is just a wrapper.
ha ha haa... ok but seriously
a trojen is so named because it encases and hides whats inside. trojens work on triggers, something will trigger the trojen to copy its payload to a location.
"droppers" can copy there payloads to many locations with many differnt triggers. this mimics a virus ability to "reproduce".
so a adware infecion encased in a trojen with dropper capabilities COULD be mis interpreted as a virus.
but they are not the same.
virus scanners will usually scan your emails and attachments and will even identify most trojens before they can trigger there payload.
even free antivirus programs!
avast is my preferred AV. as long as they stay free.
malwarebytes makes a great malware scanner.
with these two tools you should have no problems avoiding most malware.
also friends who can help spread the word
Do not open attachments you dont expect.
just a shameless plug.
I also do remote cleaning and tuneups if you have a high speed internet connection and still have internet access I can usually do a cleanup remotely.
