Visiting compromised Web sites in a search for celebrity photos isn't the only way you can unwittingly end up with spyware or viruses on your computer.
Sometimes that photo, video or song you just downloaded brought along an unwelcome guest.
Fake antivirus or anti-spyware programs show up all the time when
Paul Davies checks for problems on people's home computers.
The spyware “pops up on your screen and it starts running a fake virus scan,” said Davies, owner of Computer Medics of Omaha. A message tells the computer user, “You've got all these viruses on your computer — click here to remove them.”
The program then redirects the user to a Web site where he or she can purchase a company's fake antivirus software, Davies said.
“Then you feel protected, now that
you've ‘gotten rid' of the virus.”
Three to six months later, though, a new fake virus or spyware alert will pop up, he said.
“They're just going to keep hitting you and hitting you and hitting you until you get tired of the $70 you pay to remove it.”
McAfee Inc., a security technology company, reported last week that Internet searches for actress Jessica Biel are more likely to lead a computer user to download spyware or viruses than are searches for any other celebrity.
Contact the writer: 444-1109, bob.glissmann@owh.com
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