What is up with popups?

[Martian]

I have this problem. I keep on getting popups and they sure are annoying, no doubt.

I don't understand, how do you get popups? Is it some sort of inevitable thing that I just can't avoid? Do I have to buy some software to just not be infected? It doesn't make sense.

I had another computer that got popups for no apparent reason. I said, "fine, whatever", but then it got bad. My other computer slowed down a bit and then got a virus. It shut the computer down every time I tried to get on. I can no longer use that computer. Now, I use this lesser computer to substitute the other one that got messed up.

Now, I'm getting the same popups, from "outerinfo" and other such annoying spammers. Three new advertising icons were placed on my desktop, all on the same day, just like the other computer. I fear that the same thing will happen to this computer, and I cannot let that happen.

Now, I don't understand why this is happening. I wish I could do something about it, but I don't understand it at all. How can something like this come on my computer without my consent? How can I remove this, and how can I prevent this from happening in the future? Argh.

 

[mayorredbeard]

I have this problem. I keep on getting popups and they sure are annoying, no doubt.

I don't understand, how do you get popups? Is it some sort of inevitable thing that I just can't avoid? Do I have to buy some software to just not be infected? It doesn't make sense.

I had another computer that got popups for no apparent reason. I said, "fine, whatever", but then it got bad. My other computer slowed down a bit and then got a virus. It shut the computer down every time I tried to get on. I can no longer use that computer. Now, I use this lesser computer to substitute the other one that got messed up.

Now, I'm getting the same popups, from "outerinfo" and other such annoying spammers. Three new advertising icons were placed on my desktop, all on the same day, just like the other computer. I fear that the same thing will happen to this computer, and I cannot let that happen.

Now, I don't understand why this is happening. I wish I could do something about it, but I don't understand it at all. How can something like this come on my computer without my consent? How can I remove this, and how can I prevent this from happening in the future? Argh.

Two words.

Spyware and Adware

Both are bits of code or programs that either hide or pretend to do something useful, but actually generate advertisements or monitor your computer activity.

Their bad; they slow down your computer, are annoying, and hog resources.

Try downloading Adaware or Microsoft Defender, or Spy doctor. All of which I believe are available at www.download.com

They remove spyware. Hence why they're good. You don't get spyware for no reason, you get it for being stupid on the interweb. Given, everyone gets spyware every once and a while, but you really have to lack basic computer security knowledge to make it a persistant problem.

1. Don't download free software from untrusted vendors. (You won't get spyware from downloading the programs I listed from www.download.com)

2. Don't look at porn. Seems silly, but the more you do; the more spyware.

3. Spyware often hides itself in illegal music files and other files downloaded off of P2P and Torrent Programs.

Preventive maintence is the best, such as being aware about your actions on the interweb. But if you do regular spyware scans no matter what you do you should be okay.

Plus I'm pretty sure their is a sticky about this somewhere. Cause this questions been asked a 100 times. Try and find it. Read it. Reading is power.

 

[sanka]

Yeah, do what he said. Also, what browser are you using?

 

[Martian]

I use Explorer 6.

And btw, I don't go around to various sites. I go routinely to youtube, gamefaqs, christian forums, computer forums, wikipedia, newegg and ... that's pretty much it. I may to new sites that are linked, but I don't go looking for porn. I don't see the cause. *sigh* Oh yeah. I NEVER DOWNLOAD just for the purpose of avoiding stuff like this. But it happened anyway.

Even if I were to go to a certain site with "malicious purposes", how would it INSTALL itself? This seems pathetic if anything can install itself without my consent. Does anyone know why this is? Or, am I looking at this all wrong?

P.S. Where is this stickied? I don't see it on this section. Could someone post a link for me, please?

 

[Celegorm]

unfortunatly you don't even need to go to sites to get viruses, spyware, or adware. All you need is an active internet connection (like road runner, or being connected to DSL) While this is not as likely to cause an infection it is still possible. If you don't belive me, leave the internet up for about 8 hours on myspace.

 

[mayorredbeard]

I assumed you were doing things you shouldn't based off your problem. Its unfortunate, and technically its still legal at the time. Often you will say yes to the program installing without even knowing. It could disguise itself as a legitimite windows process, hide itself in the system tray and make an official looking warning, the list goes on.

A bill was proposed in I believe 2004 to make doing such things punishable my severe jail time, but it didn't pass. It was part of the 'Internet Justification Act' or something like that.

EDIT: My guess it the spywares from the christian forum

 

[Starr]

I remember that about a year ago I wrote a huge guide to all of that stuff for this forum. It's probably long since gone.

You definantly want to get Adaware and Spybot Search and Destroy. I find that Adaware is better for the nasty buggers and Spybot is better for the popups and other ad type things. You are also going to want to pick up Microsoft's Windows Defender. Available at www.microsoft.com and you will also want to get spyware doctor. Those two are particulalry good at preventive measures which, like celegorm, said, is the most important. Espicially right when you start clearing out the threat. Good preventive measures will help you keep them from getting right back in and it will make the job easier.


You also might want to go here http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/programs.php and grab Hi-Jack This! Then post it on a forum so they can help you sort through it.

Another good removal tool is yourself. Open up task manager and poke around the processes tab, anything that looks suspicious look it up on Google and it should help you out. Just make sure you don't go blindly killing processes that you need.

 

[Raffaz]

Have you even got antivirus, firewall and spyware (with upto date definitions) installed on your computer? If you havent, then thats the first thing you need to do, then we can sort out the infections that are on there.