KCR Virus Removal

Helpful Links

• Carbonite
  Current internal hard drives and external back-up devices fail... often putting your pictures and other data at risk (one of my own Samsung hard drives failed after only 6 months). It is important to understand that all critical data must be stored in 2 places at all times! To that end, Carbonite provides a valuable service. For $59 per year they can back up your critical data automatically and on a daily basis. If you cannot afford both, it may be better to use free anti-virus software, and put that money towards an online backup service like Carbonite.

• AV-TEST.org
  "What is the best antivirus security software?"  I am asked this question almost daily. AV-TEST.org puts top security software to the test every quarter and allows you to answer that question. When deciding which antivirus software to use, be sure to look for consistency in testing scores across several previous quarters. You will also find that some very popular paid security software scores poorly. If you are using Verizon's Internet Security Suite, you should know that it is powered by McAfee.

• Virus Total
  Free screensavers, free music, free games, unknown video viewers and free adult sites are used by the creators of malware to infect your computer. Think twice about installing applications from (or even viewing) these sites. Before you install a free application, Google it first to see what others say about it, and then use the Virus Total link above to scan the installation files with over 40 different anti-malware tools.

• ESET Online Scanner
  This online scanner will try to remove any malware that it finds. However, newer malware is becoming increasingly difficult to remove and may not be completely eliminated by the free online tools such as this one.

How to Browse Safely

• WOT (Web of Trust)
  Is the site you are about to download from safe? Enter the website's URL at WOT and see what other users say.

• PCWorld - Microsoft: One in 14 Downloads Is Malicious
  "Increasingly, instead of hacking the browsers themselves, the bad guys try to hack the people using them. It's called social engineering..."

PCWorld - 17 Most Dangerous Places on the Web
"The scariest sites on the Net? They're not the ones you might suspect. Here's what to watch for and how to stay safe."

• How to avoid spyware effectively
  Excellent read that includes screenshots and examples of spyware and how you get it.

Computer Slow?

• Enough with the Browser Toolbars Already!
  The first sentence of the article says it all: "Whenever I go to clean up a friend/relative's computer that they complain is too slow there's one thing I almost always find: Numerous browser toolbars, particularly in Internet Explorer".

Virus & Spyware Protection

Norton Internet Security
and Kaspersky Internet Security both do very well in testing by AV-Test.org. They are easy to find in retail stores, are often on sale, and are usually sold with a 3 user license for under $65 per year.

BitDefender Internet Sec.
Offers exceptional virus protection, but is more difficult to find in retail stores.

FREE SOFTWARE

Some FREE anti-virus software also performs well in AV-TEST,org's security testing. AVG, Panda Cloud, Avira, Zone Alarm and Avast all test better than many paid versions. Just make sure you download the free versions, and not the trial versions of their "PRO" software. With free software it is important to select the custom install and read all installation screens carefully, so that you do not end up with additional software you do not want!

MS Security Essentials
Free antivirus software from Microsoft, that is easy on resources and has NO ads. It does not test well for protection, but is a good malware removal tool.

Malwarebytes
This is a superior malware removal tool. Install this along with your regular antivirus software, and run it once a week. Be sure to update it before you use it, since new definitions are released daily.

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