I’m betting you don’t want a trojan or a virus. That’s why I’m featuring a prime example of how some people get viruses and trjoans on their computers.

You have a virus!
Don’t believe everything you read. One of the tricks used to get you to install malware is to present you with a situation where you feel like your computer is at risk and you must correct it with the software that pops up. This was the case this morning, when I was searching Google, in my regular keyword ranking check. In my search results was the Average Joe Tech Show (which is not me, by the way), but it didn’t link to the site I’m linking to here. When I clicked the link to visit the site, the browser window shrunk to the size of a Windows alert box. It said that my computer might be infected and I should scan for viruses. I jut hit the ESC key to see what it would do. My browser window size was restored and it redirected to this page:

Does it look professional and trustworthy to you? It’s actually just a creative way to make you think that your computer is being scanned and has been found to have viruses all over it. I can see how this could trick those who aren’t very computer savvy. After a few seconds, it auto-starts a download for the “fix”, which is undoubtedly a virus or more likely a trojan.

Since I’ve been programming computers for two decades, I decided to not download it and infect my whole system. This site was really pushy about it, though. Every time I canceled the download, it restarted it for me. After I got bored with it and got a few screen shots, I just closed the tab. Minutes later, the search result in Google had already been removed. Admittedly, I’m not sure how the result got there in the first place. If you know, fill us in.

Other tricks
This isn’t the only way people are trying to scam their way into your computer. There are several other ways that you should be aware of. Here’s just a few:

“You have a postcard” email
These try to get you to open an attachment that’s supposed to be an ecard, and who doesn’t like getting a card from a friend. Variations try to get you to visit a malware site to pick up your ecard.

“Your tracking number” email
These are terribly annoying. They claim to include tracking information about a package from (mostly) UPS or another carrier. Instead, they include a virus or trojan zipped up to prevent detection.

“Naked blond with big…” email
An oldie, but a goody, this one entices you with the promise of the forbidden. Not only do you get a virus, but you get to blush explaining how you got it.

“Your email was blocked” email
This new one seems to be spreading a bit. The email claims that you’ve been caught sending spam or doing something equally as bad with your computer and the sender is going to forward the attached log files (proof, allegedly) to your internet service provider. With a halo over your head, you seek to prove your innocence, starting with the log file. As soon as you open that sucker up, it’s too late.

There’s plenty more, but the theme is often the same. They entice you with curiosity or fear to convince you to visit an infected link or open an attachment. When you do, it’s all downhill from there.

What if I fell for this?
First and foremost, your computer should be protected by some virus scanning software like Norton, McAfee, F-Prot, etc. If it isn’t, fork over the $40 or $60 and get on that. Too many times, I’ve seen someone I know save the cash and then wind up with a huge mess of viruses and trojans.

That said, there are a number of ways to cleanse your computer. Here’s a few tutorials:

http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-a-Virus
http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/virus/howtoremove.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVlLOPcO7cM
http://antivirus.about.com/od/spywareandadware/tp/adwarespyware.htm
http://www.pcworld.com/article/129094-2/how_to_remove_spyware_from_your_pc.html

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