What's up with the NY Times trying to install spyware? [more inside]
posted by leotrotsky on Sep 13, 2009 - 43 answers

My laptop hasn't been the same since blitzing some particularly nasty malware. What on earth did I do? [more inside]
posted by nostrich on Aug 20, 2009 - 9 answers

I just got a raging beast of a new laptop. Runs Left 4 Dead like a dream. Problem: I've been in Mac-world for 7 years. Now that I'm back in Windows Land, I gotta be careful. What's the best free/low-cost/open-source spyware/malware/virus protection around? [more inside]
posted by GilloD on Aug 19, 2009 - 24 answers

Suggestions for cleaning a virus-infected Windows machine appearing in a non-administrator account without resort to (1) the administrator account or (2) a nuke and re-install? [more inside]
posted by Napoleonic Terrier on Jul 30, 2009 - 9 answers

Zejesago! Everytime I open a new program, I get an error window that reads "app.exe - Bad Image" with a dialog text of "The application or DLL C:\WINDOWS\system32\zejesago.dll" is not a valid window image. [more inside]
posted by sleslie on May 4, 2009 - 4 answers

On or around April 1, my computer caught something that caused havoc with my antivirus programs but now everything seems fine--this can't be correct? [more inside]
posted by librarylis on Apr 27, 2009 - 5 answers

Fraudulent Skype transactions: eerie coincidence, malware, or something else? [more inside]
posted by jferg on Mar 31, 2009 - 3 answers

I've been attacked by some malware called "Spyware Protect 2009". Have you guys seen this before? Screenshot and symptoms inside - hoping someone can help me kill this thing. [more inside]
posted by CRM114 on Mar 26, 2009 - 22 answers

I'm asking this for a friend. He's been using Comcast cable internet for at least a year now, and as of tonight he cannot access any websites (on either his PC or ipod), and is redirected to the following URL: actsvr.comcastonline.com/nocache/realactsvr.html [more inside]
posted by rbf1138 on Mar 24, 2009 - 19 answers

Basic applications on my computer seem to be temporarily "blanking out" on me. Especially noticeable when I'm typing. What might be causing it and how can I fix it? [more inside]
posted by aspenbaloo on Feb 5, 2009 - 4 answers

My laptop's been infected by something that is interfering with all the usual solutions. Please help! [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Jan 25, 2009 - 30 answers

My google search results are redirecting me to certain sites (see 'more inside') due to adware/spyware that AdAware and Norton can't find. It's intermittent, and happening to both Firefox, IE, AND Chrome, although Chrome is choosing to simply not load the pages and gives me error messages. I can't google a solution because of the redirecting problem. Can you help? [more inside]
posted by flibbertigibbet on Jan 10, 2009 - 20 answers

Help me rid my computer of clutter for faster performance. [more inside]
posted by mintchip on Jan 9, 2009 - 15 answers

Infected computer needs help! [more inside]
posted by melgy on Nov 16, 2008 - 12 answers

I need security software that blocks specific programs from using the internet. ZoneAlarm does this well, but it does not do this completely. Help? [more inside]
posted by gensubuser on Nov 6, 2008 - 15 answers

Which anti-spyware and anti-virus programs are best at detecting and removing spyware and viruses respectively and why? [more inside]
posted by Fluffy654 on Oct 7, 2008 - 12 answers

Is there a nastyware lurking in this computer? Strange Yahoo! Mail contact list kidnapping observed... [more inside]
posted by Iosephus on Aug 18, 2008 - 3 answers

I have some sort of malware on my Dell that constantly redirects me away from where I desire to go. Specifically, it seems to prevent Gmail from working. Also prevents any major search site from loading. Always redirects to some idiotic ad site. [more inside]
posted by Arquimedez Pozo on Jul 20, 2008 - 18 answers

What is this mysterious process that hijacked my shortcut? I was using Photoshop CS2 and entered the shortcut key for "Save for Web" (Alt+Shift+Ctrl+S) and instead of getting the Save for Web dialog, a very minimalist login box appeared. Intrigued, I brought up the Task manager, right-clicked on the "Login" entry in the list, and selected "Go To Process." The process turned out to be C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\vidifker.exe. [more inside]
posted by Optimus Chyme on Jun 4, 2008 - 9 answers

My Dell Win XP laptop caught some kind of infection via Limewire which blocks Firefox from loading and produces contast popup ads via IE. I never use IE. I've removed Firefox and redownloaded it. Still doesn't load. I've run Ad-Aware, RegScrub, and every other spyware program I know about. What happened, and how do I fix it?
posted by NorthCoastCafe on May 18, 2008 - 12 answers

Spyware infected. Help! [more inside]
posted by likeapen on May 17, 2008 - 12 answers

I believe that my soon to be ex-wife has installed software on my laptop (Win XP) that allows her to remotely monitor my web activity. How can I find and disable this?
posted by anonymous on Mar 17, 2008 - 26 answers

I'm setting up my spankin' new computer. So far I've downloaded AVG as my anti-virus solution, but I'm not sure which way to go for anti-spyware. [more inside]
posted by ®@ on Feb 23, 2008 - 17 answers

Can someone explain this mysterious page hijacking in Google search results? [more inside]
posted by ManInSuit on Nov 27, 2007 - 20 answers

What the hell is Windows Defender actually doing all day? It seems do precisely nothing on my machine. [more inside]
posted by chorltonmeateater on Nov 13, 2007 - 13 answers

Apparently, my Dell laptop was hit with a virus this weekend. I fixed the problem by using the Windows XP reinstallation disc to repair it. Do I need to do anything else? [more inside]
posted by CRS on Jul 30, 2007 - 3 answers

I need help finding an online security quiz I took a year ago or more... [more inside]
posted by tdreyer1 on Apr 4, 2007 - 2 answers

How can I repair a Windows 2000 box that reboots upon dialling up to the internet? [more inside]
posted by PenDevil on Mar 14, 2007 - 8 answers

Canada and Computer Espionage: What legal recourse is available in this situation? [more inside]
posted by pandaharma on Mar 13, 2007 - 10 answers

What do I need to know in order to safely run Windows on my Mac? [more inside]
posted by raf on Feb 18, 2007 - 9 answers

Please help me get rid of this spyware infection before I just give up and re-install Windows. [more inside]
posted by Venadium on Feb 7, 2007 - 14 answers

Can you help me diagnose if someone is spying on my computer? [more inside]
posted by RustyBrooks on Jan 4, 2007 - 30 answers

Something verycurious is going on in the bowels of my PC. [more inside]
posted by IronLizard on Dec 24, 2006 - 12 answers

Two-pronged question: (1) How common are virus/spyware-infected applications on P2P, assuming the filesize is big (50+ MB) and it's not one of those stupid 50 KB bait files? (2) Are there any good free or shareware virus scanners that are especially designed to examine the contents of executable setup programs? Most protection programs just look at existing files on a hard drive. [more inside]
posted by chef_boyardee on Oct 8, 2006 - 9 answers

Does the music industry sponsor spyware companies ? [more inside]
posted by jacobean on Sep 29, 2006 - 5 answers

I have recently started a new job in charge of IT in a small lab <10 people. A while back the lab was badly hacked into and data etc. was lost (there is evidence this was an inside job btw). As part of my remit I am in charge of making sure this doesn't happen again. The company has a site license for anti-virus software so that is not an issue however we currently have no anti-spyware, personal firewall or rootkit / trojan detector etc. What I'm looking for is one or more products which I can install on the user's workstations which are effective in these areas. The most important point apart from actually working of course is that I can centrally administer the software and monitor what is going on - edit firewall rules etc. So what products would you recommend that might satisfy these requirements. Oh yeah all users including myself are running Windows XP so cross platform is not a problem.
posted by empedia on Sep 28, 2006 - 6 answers

What are effective anti-virus and anti-spyware programs that work in harmony? [more inside]
posted by Smarson on Aug 24, 2006 - 17 answers

I'm at my wit's end trying to remove this virus! [more inside]
posted by fvox13 on Aug 14, 2006 - 12 answers

"I want to come with you to Redmond and learn the ways of the Registry. I want to be Teh Haxorz, like my father before me." [more inside]
posted by EatTheWeak on Aug 11, 2006 - 15 answers

Where does my spyware go? [more inside]
posted by Postroad on May 26, 2006 - 10 answers

Is there anywhere I can download software shareware and cost-free software with the assurance that it's spyware free? [more inside]
posted by delmoi on May 19, 2006 - 10 answers

Windows XP problem possibly involving Windows Defender or spyware. [more inside]
posted by kensanway on May 17, 2006 - 3 answers

I want to put together the ultimate Computer security kit to fix my uncle's ailing computer. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by katyggls on Apr 8, 2006 - 22 answers

Firefox Filter: Recently, Firefox on my XP laptop has become incredibly slow. It seems that the problem is that it is downloading images one by one. Even when it is the same image displayed repeatedly on a webpage. I've run every kind of Spyware and Virus software I can find on my computer, and uninstall and reinstalled the latest version of FF all to no avail. How can I get back up to speed? [more inside]
posted by trbrts on Mar 7, 2006 - 5 answers

I know that cookies may be automatically and surreptitiously installed on my computer when I arrive at a webpage, but what about spyware/malware/virus ? [more inside]
posted by studentguru on Feb 25, 2006 - 13 answers

I recently purchased a new Dell Dimension 9150, I plan to wipe the Dell partition and install a fresh copy of XP Pro (I already have a full copy). Any problems/hiccups I should know about before I destroy the Dell partition?
posted by mhaw on Feb 15, 2006 - 14 answers

I just got a new laptop...help me care for it so it has a long and happy life. [more inside]
posted by apple scruff on Jan 18, 2006 - 31 answers

I'm evaluating The Gimp for use in a corporate setting, and it's looking pretty nice. Now, however, someone in desktop software is saying it's not allowed because it installs naughty things... [more inside]
posted by mimi on Jan 16, 2006 - 33 answers

There's adware on my mom's computer, help me get rid of it! [more inside]
posted by AlisonM on Jan 13, 2006 - 13 answers

What would you put on a CD to give to non-technical Windows users to help them clean spyware off of their PC and doing other related easy technical tasks? [more inside]
posted by furvyn on Jan 2, 2006 - 9 answers