Trend Micro is offering 3 years for the price of two on Worry Free Business Security products!
Surely you have read about it, or maybe even been infected by it… Scareware, or software which is installed when visiting a malicious website, opening an email or installed as part of a payload of another piece of malware can look quite realistic. You are presented with a window that says, “You computer is infected with XXX viruses – clean now?”, and should you opt to clean it, you are told for only 49.00 dollars, the software that found the viruses will clean up your computer. What a deal!
Here’s where the average user will pony up the money by entering their billing information, account information, credit card number, etc… Then the software cleans up their computer. Or so it appears, for a while. What is actually going on is multi-faceted. In many cases, the malicious software that prompted the user for their information has just sent private and financial information to some centralized collection point (often controlled by organized crime in foreign countries), where people may work to steal their identity, or possibly make additional purchases on the credit card provided. Sometimes the software will give remote users full control of the infected computer, or join the computer to a botnet where it is used to attack others and/or send tons of SPAM… Most of the time, the software will wait a while, then say it has found more infections and prompt them to pay for removal again. And the user will do so. We had one man tell us he had done it twice, and wondered why it never cleaned his computer.
Cleaning this type of mess up is sometimes an easy fix, which any competent computer technician should be able to repair in a reasonable amount of time, and tech savvy users can do themselves. Other times, the computer is so badly infected by the mal-ware the user is seeing, and the other pieces of software that were delivered and installed that it may be better to simply backup the data, then wipe and reload the PC to insure ALL the malicious software is removed. Of course, we can assist with this should you find yourself in this unfortunate situation… Just call us or drop the PC by if you need a virus clean up and are in the Greenville or Upstate SC area.
I think it goes without saying that the best way to avoid this type of inconvenience is to always use the latest anti-virus software, and make sure it is enabled and downloading the most current virus definitions. Here at Homeland Secure IT, we recommend as well as offer sales and installation of Trend Micro Anti-Virus products. Our clients report that Trend Micro AV does not slow down their computers like other Anti-Virus packages they have used, and we see fewer compromised PCs as well! If you would like more information about what Trend Micro can do for you or your business, please give us a call at 864-990-4748 or email johnh@homelandsecureit.com.
There is currently a special on Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security anti-virus products that can save you money on a 3 year purchase! You get three years of coverage for your business for the price of two!
We offer clean-up of viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, grayware, scareware and all forms of malware at reasonable rates and with quick response to Greenville and surrounding areas. Let us know what we can do for you. If you are unsure what your company is doing to protect against malicious software, call us for a free evaluation.