Virus removal

[skysidhe]

How would one know if they had malware? and why doesn't the antivirus get them?

I am thinking of running the malware bytes but don't want to install if I don't need to. The reviews are good.

[tw]

Originally Posted by skysidhe

How would one know if they had malware? and why doesn't the antivirus get them?

1) I have watched Malwarebytes identify many items - and not one was malware. One was the installation program for a software package. Another even wipes out a cookie for The Cellar.

2) How does antivirus 'clean' something that is not known to be malware? That is the problem. All these virus companies share databases of known malware. Then each attempts to develop cures for as many as possible. Not every company has a cure for every currently found malware.

3) Do you have malware? Read an earlier discussion we had on rootkit viruses to appreciate the complexity. Some places to watch include Task Manager. New processes that cannot be explained are one indication. Processes that consume too much CPU time are another. A program that summarizes all internet connections is another useful utility. If something attempts to randomly reconnect to the internet - a symptom.

4) One important maintenance option is a program that verifies anti-virus is working. I have seen anti-virus programs disabled without indication. That anti-virus maintenance program identified (and sometimes could not fix) the problem.

I have even seen one anti-virus program disable the other anti-virus program.

[skysidhe]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Oh, so you don't believe me, huh? :p
Look here.

Yes I am the original Ms. Thomas. The doubter.

Originally Posted by tw

1) I have watched Malwarebytes identify many items - and not one was malware. One was the installation program for a software package. Another even wipes out a cookie for The Cellar.

2) How does antivirus 'clean' something that is not known to be malware? That is the problem. All these virus companies share databases of known malware. Then each attempts to develop cures for as many as possible. Not every company has a cure for every currently found malware.

3) Do you have malware? Read an earlier discussion we had on rootkit viruses to appreciate the complexity. Some places to watch include Task Manager. New processes that cannot be explained are one indication. Processes that consume too much CPU time are another. A program that summarizes all internet connections is another useful utility. If something attempts to randomly reconnect to the internet - a symptom.

4) One important maintenance option is a program that verifies anti-virus is working. I have seen anti-virus programs disabled without indication. That anti-virus maintenance program identified (and sometimes could not fix) the problem.

I have even seen one anti-virus program disable the other anti-virus program.

biookmarked both for reading later