Layer 8

Folks, cleaning infected computers has me quite busy today, and it also caused me to decide to reiterate for you an important concept: each one of the machines on my workbench had up-to-date, for pay, antivirus and/or Internet Security Suite products installed.

Yet here they are — infected.

(Okay, now I’ll tell you about the title of this article. “Layer 8” is a play on the 7-layer OSI model of machine function. “Layer 8” translates to: “the human using the machine”.)

3 of the 4 machines (on my bench) were infected using the Trojan method – the User (unwittingly) downloaded and installed (willingly and on purpose) the infection. Please read Download Danger – the “Trojan” if you have not already.

The 4th machine was “drive-by” infected via unpatched (out-of-date) software. The User was in the habit of clicking “Remind me later” and never actually finding a convenient time to click “Install” when prompted by a pop-open. They visited a website that had been “poisoned” by a hacker and the hacker’s code attacked the unpatched vulnerability… no action on the User’s part was required.
The cure for this one is to realize that nothing you are doing on your PC is more important than applying the “a newer version”/”update”, as these releases are SECURITY fixes. (Yes.. I’m shouting.) To make sure you don’t have any unpatched/obsolete software on your system, click here, and then click on “Start scanner”.

Allow me to repeat:
I have written many articles regarding the epidemic that is “cybercrime”, and done my best to keep my readers informed about current scams, hacker techniques (like “social engineering” and “phishing“), as well as malware (Spyware, Trojans, worms, viruses, keyloggers, etc.) and provided you with advice and How-To’s for staying safer online.
(i.e., I have told you that malware has evolved into military-grade instruments.)

One item I have mentioned several times is the use of a free “online virus scanner” to help detect and remove malware that has managed to sneak past your current defenses (and don’t kid yourself, there are plenty of types that are capable of this trick). There are many such scanners out there, and some of them are fakes designed to trick you into thinking you’re infected — I suggest you avoid those!

Internet Security writer Bill Mullins published what I think is the perfect summary and analysis of the “good” online virus scanners, and their uses. I highly recommend you visit Think You’re Infected? Find Out – Run An Online Scanner From Your Browser and learn about these very important (free) tools.

Related: To read my other articles on malware, and how to deal with it, click here.

If you would like to hire me to clean your infection, click here.

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.

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