For the veteran Internet users and software developers like myself this may not be a surprise but to newer Internet users or people not too familiar with spyware and malware out there take care! First there were innocent viruses that would just popup at a specific date/time or randomly with an annoying message. Then they became malicious and wrote destructive viruses, deleting/infecting files and with the increase use of the Internet spread them like wildfire through email.

There are numerous amounts of phishing scams out there already but now they’re targetting the unsuspecting user by offerring tools to rid your machine of viruses and spyware. Unfortunately, this is the very software you may unsuspectingly be downloading and installing thinking you’re protecting yourself, while in-fact, putting yourself in harms way instead. There are now tonns of fake antivirus and spyware removal tools luring people to download and install them but leaving themselves open instead. These fakes will alert you to viruses that don’t really exist and keep pestering you to purchase the software to “effectively” remove them. All you’re doing in the end is spending money on useless software and leaving your machine, possibly, more infected than it was before.

How do they lure the unsuspecting user? Often with popups on websites you visit claiming that your PC may be infected and that you should act now by downloading their antivirus/spyware removal software now. Take my advice and stick to reputable sources for antivirus and spyware removal tools and don’t trust these freebies/free-trial offers from vendors you don’t know/trust. If in doubt, ask a friend, or a friend of a friend who may be in the know.

The ones you can trust are the ones who’ve been around the longest – and more often than not you can protect yourself without spending a fortune, or anything! I have been using, and will continue to use, Grisoft’s AVG Free edition antivirus software since it’s original release back in the 90′s and I’ve yet (knock on wood) to be infected. Regular daily update checks and daily scans (including realtime scanning) ensures my machine(s) are kept safe. If you’re using a company machine they’ve probably got some commercial version of antivirus software installed like Trend Micro, Microsoft Forefront, McAfee Antivirus, AVG Internet Security, etc.

Click here to see an example of fake antivirus software (Antivirus2008 Pro) which looks legitimate.

There’s a page that’s been updated by it’s auther since 2004, containing a list of rogue anti-spyware software out there that will infect your machine and offer no help whatsoever. Looking at the list can be scary but it just go to show how vigilant you need to be and how important it is to protect yourself and get help from someone who knows if you don’t. 

You can read up more on this on posts/sites like the following:

• Don’t fall for bogus antivirus downloads
• Beware fake virus protection
• XP Antivirus Lies! – Fake Anti-malware Software
• Protect Yourself from Fake Anti-Virus Software

Want to know more about AVG and how to set it up on your own PC and starting protecting yourself from virus now? Head on over to a great “how-to” guide on the How To Geek website now.

I’ve never been a fan of software that forces downloads down my throat, especially without my express permission, which is why I’ve always set Windows Update and any other application, game, etc to NOT download updates automatically. Why, because I’m a firm believer in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

And this has SO much been the case with just about any Microsoft product ever since I can remember. How many times have you experienced or read about an update (or even a service pack) ruining machines or causing more problems than there were to begin with after they were installed? Countless!

As a South African we’ve not really had the pleasure of bandwidth (cost being the biggest issue) so I, like many other South Africans, until recently, had been a dial-up user up until a few months ago. Have you ever tried downloading big updates (never mind trying a service pack) using dial-up? But as a newly converted ADSL user, bandwidth is still a cost issue for us South Africans, so my Windows Update settings are still set to Check for Updates (no updates are downloaded and you’re notified that updates are available for download and install). As a tech-savvy computer user I keep up-to-date with the latest news and know most of the time where there are vulnerabilities in my machine and decide myself whether or not a certain update is required or not. I don’t have unnecessary services running and don’t use certain Windows components on my home machine so I’m comfortable deciding when and what Windows Update downloads and installs on my machine.

And now on to the crux of the matter, it appears that Microsoft has for a long time decided that as long as there is an Internet connection available Windows Update will update itself whenever it wants to, without your knowledge or approval. Which in my mind means Microsoft has imposed on us Spyware (interestingly Microsoft’s Malicious Software Tool seems to ignore it).

Scott Dunn has been a contributing editor for PC World since 1992 and he’s also supplying articles for the Windows Secrets website. There’s a great article explaining in more details how Windows Update actually works and how to tweak it to your needs.