So my computer was scanning today and it found 4 trojan horse generators in some set up files.
what the heck is this and what to i have to do?
Sarah,
I just saw this message. If your computer is 2 or 3 years old I’d download the free full version of Spyware Doctor from Google Pack http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html?hl=en&gl=us and run it. It will eliminate a lot of spyware/trojans.
If your computer is older, you can download Spybot Search and Destroy. http://www.safer-networking.org/ It can also get rid of a lot of trojans.
The age of the computer matters because Spyware Doctor and the whole Google pack thing can really hog up resources on an older computer.
Trojans are programs that got downloaded into your computer when you visited a site that was hijacked or run by evildoers. These programs can make your computer send out information to the software writers, or have it send out spam, or any number of things you don’t want to do.
If you aren’t running the Firefox browser, http://www.mozilla.org, switching to Firefox can help prevent trojans from loading onto your computer. it’s very similar to Internet Explorer, except much more secure and has some nice added features.
There are a couple bits of nastyware that have figured out how to invade even Firefox, though. Spyware doctor loads something called Teatimer which monitors your computer for suspicious behavior–like attempts to change your registry. I’m not 100% sure how effective it is, but it might help.
Are you running any Anti-Virus packages on the system ? If so, be sure to do a full system scan and make sure the software is configured to quarantine and delete the infected files.
if you aren’t running anti-virus… Get one ASAP.
Jeff