Online theft is on the increase, rootkits are used to steal passwords and data. But with a little care in your approach towards online security, you should never be touched by the redirect virus. As in all walks of life you have to stay ahead of the game. These viruses are created for a reason, and that is to make money by stealing from individuals.
Most PC viruses are simply annoying and a scan with your anti-virus program will quickly recognize them and remove them. TDSS Rootkit can be far more testing. Once infected your machine is taken over by the virus.
Disallowed is a configuration setting within TDSS which contains a list of programs that are simply disallowed; such as anti-virus and anti malware. These programs will not show any error messages, they simply will not start.
The virus is hidden; however the effects of the virus are not. When you first boot up your machine the anti-virus is configured to start, so it is very easy to miss the fact that it has not appeared in your taskbar. However it is quickly noticed when your search engine results link to unrelated sites or advertisements.
To help avoid this virus here are 7 tips.
1: Avoid Pirate sites
One of the problems of pirate sites is security. Software downloaded from these sites can contain malware, such as rootkits. When installing these programs to a PC, the user generally ignores any prompts, thus inviting the virus into the system.
A rootkit requires administrator permissions to run its payload. If User Account control is disabled or the user voluntarily gives administrator permissions, then the rootkit can begin the process of taking over the system.
2: User Account Control
User account control should always be in place. Using a PC online with administrator permissions should be avoided. Run as a limited user
3: Anti virus
Staying safe online includes having a good anti-virus, with a bootable disc. Run this disc occasionally, to check that your antivirus has not been corrupted.
4: Microsoft Updates
Make sure that you automatic updates are set to automatic. To do this goes to
Control panel> Automatic updates.
5: USB Drives.
Plugging in USB drives that do not belong to you can have risks attached. The USB drive could have an infection which could spread to your system. The problem is you have no control over any data on that USB drive.
6: Unsolicited emails.
Common sense will tell you to avoid giving sensitive information via email.
7: Internet Explore Pop ups.
A pop up showing that it has found a problem, and wishes to perform a free scan. In this situation the best thing to do is close all open programs, run a scan with your anti-virus program, and see ifitpicks up any problems. At the same time this will get rid of any malware placed in the temporary files; this could include malware from the pop up.
Redirect viruses have been with us for over 20 years, but with more and more business being conducted online, it pays to take simple security seriously.
Luke Clayhill is a writer who specializes in redirect viruses.
Luke Clayhill is a writer who specializes in redirect viruses.
You can check out his latest website at googleredirectvirus
where he provides information on rootkit viruses including the history and also how to
Remove a redirect virus
whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.