Spyware alert - anyone else?

[maggieann]

Over the last three days when I've come on COL, my spyware is flagging up a severe security alert and recommending an immediate clean and scan. Is anyone else experiencing this?

[supergirl]

Make sure that it is your spyware that is giving the alert - there are a few sneaky websites that flag this up as well and when you click on it it trys to take over your computer.

I would do a scan when you are disconnected from the web

[jessandme]

Totally agree!

Some of them do quite a good imitation of real security software, too.  If you aren't already using Firefox, you might want to think about it - it tends to have less problems in this respect than Internet Explorer.

[elaine.e]

I had something similar a while ago everytime I used Google.

Try downloading SUPERAntispyware Free Edition and running that. It's picked up things on my computer that both Avast (paid for) and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (free edition) have missed.

[minimoo]

we had a similar thing last week and it looked like the real thing and it wouldnt go off the screen, tried to make us pay $14.95  , but my OH got rid of it eventually

[maggieann]

Thanks everyone, I downloaded SuperAntispyware and it picked up a few Trojans that my own security software (Microsoft) had missed.

[jessandme]

AVG Free is good too, my son is a specialist in computer malware (he is a goody not a baddy I hasten to add!) and that's the one he has told me to use.

[Ian Wright]

i Had this problem a month ago this is how i got rid of it

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=80502.0

[minimoo]

it was on the morning news and there is an article in the daily mail, they are targeting big companies like plam.com and marks and spencers and send you an e mail and when you open it , they can get access to your computer, i havent read the article yet, i really hate these people who must spend all day just trying to do this sort of thing 

[jessandme]

I am pretty sure that the problem is not when you look at the email - it is if you click on a link within the email. 

Two things for avoiding viruses - never click on any link in any email, and never open an attachment unless you are expecting it, and know the person who is sending it. 

If you unexpectedly get an email with an attachment which appears to come from someone you know, check back with them before you open it.  Because someone might have got hold of their list of contacts, and be sending malware attached to emails that look as if they come from the person you know.  It happened to a friend of mine, a few years back. 

[supergirl]

Had an email yesterday from M&S saying the following

We have been informed by Epsilon, a company we use to send emails to our customers, that some M&S customer email addresses have been accessed without authorisation.
 

We would like to reassure you that the only information that may have been accessed is your name and email address. No other personal information, such as your account details, has been accessed or is at risk.
 

We wanted to bring this to your attention as it is possible that you may receive spam email messages as a result. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. We take your privacy very seriously, and we will continue to work diligently to protect your personal information.

[maggieann]

Thanks, the M&S email might explain the security threats on my computer.

[maggieann]

Yesterday, my OH clicked on the pop up that's been appearing on the computer - that says the computer has a virus - I'm now only able to use the computer in 'safe mode' everytime I try to log on in 'normal mode' a scan appears on the screen and won't let me use the computer unless I download the spyware it recommends. My Microsoft Security has had the real-time protection turned off and I'm unable to turn it back on. The spyware I have isn't picking up the virus.

Has anyone had this happen to them?

Thanks.

[Ian Wright]

Yesterday, my OH clicked on the pop up that's been appearing on the computer - that says the computer has a virus - I'm now only able to use the computer in 'safe mode' everytime I try to log on in 'normal mode' a scan appears on the screen and won't let me use the computer unless I download the spyware it recommends. My Microsoft Security has had the real-time protection turned off and I'm unable to turn it back on. The spyware I have isn't picking up the virus.

Has anyone had this happen to them?

Thanks.

I had this a while back look at my post above to see how i removed 

[maggieann]

Thanks Ian, the problem is that the vitus is still in the process of trying to make me download it - and unless I download it I can't get rid of it out of a file. Maybe the easiest thing is to downoad it and then try and delete it.