Well, here we go again. CyberDefender, (a known malware and rogueware company), has brought up a new website called ustechsupport.com. This new website wants you to call them and let them take control of your computer. Then they hope to sell you a “protection package” to help keep your computer “clean” and fast. It’s funny how this new website has the same photographs of “actual users”, that the other CyberDefender television ads and websites use. Here’s my other posts, Antivirus Scams & More Malware Scams, about the different websites and scams this company perpetrates on unsuspecting computer users.
WARNING: Avoid these scam artists at all costs. If your computer is infected with viruses, spyware, and rogueware, the last thing you should do is be on the Internet! Unplug your computer and use a “clean” computer to download tools that will help you get clean. Here’s a list of some of the best FREE tools out there on the Internet:
- Simply Super Software’s Trojan Remover
- GFI’s Vipre Antivirus and Antispyware (offers a FREE Trial to get your system clean)
There are a host of other tools that you can find on the Internet, but these two, (IMHO) are the best.
We these two tools, you should be able to get most Windows based system clean. It has been my experience, (over 20 years of repairing computers), that some Windows based viruses become so embeded in the operating system, that your computer may need to be “wiped and reloaded”. Wiped & Reloaded means to back up your data and settings, (not programs), reinstall the operating system, (and all the patches that it needs), reinstall a reliable Antivirus program, and restore your data and settings. I have seen shops that charge upwards of $250 to do all this, but when I had a repair shop in Colorado, I would charge $90 to do this even though sometimes it took 5 or 6 hours to complete the job. (I still have a friend in Colorado that does this for $75 even today).
Here is a just a short list of articles about CyberDefender:
- Is CyberDefender a scam?
- Complaints Board
- CyberDefender threatens consumer advocate
- Is CyberDefender OK to use?
Keep your system “clean” by doing operating system updates on a weekly timetable, update your antivirus software every day, and scanning everything that comes into your computer, such as downloaded programs, emails, USB drives, CD’s, etc. Being vigilant will keep your computer clean and safe, easier to get clean if and when your computer does get infected.