There are millions of computer viruses out there, and for each one there is a jerk who created. In most cases, for no other reason than to bring torment to others. I don’t understand the thrill of bringing mass strife to your fellow computer users. If they were changing their school grades, doing corporate espionage or embezzling money I could understand. But to just do random pain to others? The latest two days of personal anger came from the dreaded Win 7 2012 Virus Checker. It looks like your own Windows 7 system is telling you that you can’t get into programs like Internet Explorer, your email, etc. because it is protecting you from viruses. It won’t let you in to anything, except a screen where it asks you to purchase the Win 7 2012 Virus Checker for $59.99 for one year, more for two, or for a lifetime fee. I am sure many people put in their credit card numbers, etc. However, this is a virus, not a real virus checker. Unfortunately, it buries itself quite well. I was able to finally get into Safe Mode and reactivate my Kaspersky Pure. That was six hours of work on Christmas night. Then, the next day, I spent another six hours seeking out and destroying all the code it had messed up. It came in through a normally “safe” website through the Adobe Flash reader. (no, I do not surf porn, it was a comedy site, Cracked.com)
It bothers me that twice now, my top of the line Kaspersky Pure was shut down by a virus in as many weeks. Both times, I was able to get it going again and then Kaspersky got rid of it, but why didn’t it stop it BEFORE it got on? My computer science degree is from 1987, when I was learning COBOL, FORTRAN, Assembly language, and a new and magical second gen language called BASIC. I am the modern dinosaur, and despite an overall grasp of technology, trojans, worms, spyware, malware, etc. still are a challenge for me. I just wish all the jerks would stop making viruses, but I guess that is like wishing for world peace…
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 