Survival struggle

[Lyudmil Tsvetkov]

Not fully on topic, but I know there are plentiful computer experts here.

This year I just got my 40-th virus hit.

With the 39 previous attempts I more or less managed to cope, by doing all imaginable little tricks like cleaning, deleting, fixing register issues, using automatic repairs, sometimes going for as long as half a day, restoring the system to a previous good known point, etc.
The 40th, however, proved to be way beyond my understanding and I had to resort to computer experts.

For the record, I have couple of antivirus programs, among which commercial too, registry cleaners, firewalls, etc.
I am doing virus scans all too often, deleting all temporary internet files, which frequently are virus carriers, and fixing possible registry issues each and every day, and stiil I am at my 40th hit this year.

It is true I am using the Internet all too often, having to do certain things relating to my recent publishing activity, but still being hit twice per week is a number I simply can not assimilate, in any conceivable way.

Viruses arrive in endless forms and ways: by deliberate IP attacks, for known or unknown reasons, when visiting different sites or forums, when browsing your mail and opening some files, when browsing your mail and not opening any files, etc., etc.
I already don't know where they are coming from, but they keep on coming.
I guess I am just on the edge and the beautiful idea to disconnect myself for Eternity from the Net starts visiting me more and more often.
This might sound as an absurdity, but getting virus attack at least twice per week is even more absurd and atrocious.

I was just curious, how do you solve related problems?
Still someone using online services?

[karger]

What operating system are you using?

[Henk]

Make your computer go back in time when you did not have these viruses.
Do system recovery. Or do a clean installation. Reset browser to a high safety modus.

[cdani]

I use Bitdefender, and I don't navigate nor open strange things, and I never have any problems. I think you have to improve how do you work. Do you update your Windows?

[Ras]

I was just curious, how do you solve related problems?

By not having them - despite using Windows.

General:

1) My router blocks incoming connections (firewall functionality).
2) I do complete disk backups so that even a harddisk crash isn't that much of a problem.
3) I don't install EXEs from the internet unless the source is OK and I actually want to have an EXE. Especially any kind of key generators, cracks, warez and whatnot are to be avoided as they tend to contain malware.
4) I don't open fishy spam mail attachments.

The dirty three (two out of the three most notorious security nightmares here are made by Adobe - that tells something about the software competence of this company, doesnt it?):

5) I don't have Flash installed. Any website still needing that is retarded and worthless anyway.
6) No Java browser plugin installed.
7) Adobe PDF Reader not installed (using Sumatra instead).

Browser:

8) Using a browser with updates. I'm using Vivaldi. Don't use Internet Explorer because it isn't a good browser anyway, and you may get issues with ActiveX. That is a Microsoft proprietary web technology riddled with security issues. Luckily, using non-Microsoft-browsers easily inhibts that nonsense.
9) Use an ad blocker because hacked ad servers delivering malware are real.

With 40 viruses this year alone, things are going the completely wrong way. I can think of three reasons:

1) It's actually not 40 incidents, but a more or less continuous infection because you havn't removed the initial infection completely. You should have complete disk backups of a clean version and do disk images regularly (Clonezilla is free and good). Never attach that backup disk while Windows is running, only when running the Live Linux.
2) You are a target for some reason, and someone with access to your physical computer or to your USB sticks has manipulated them.
3) You are a high profile target at the level of secret services, and they basically manipulate your whole internet connection.
4) You are downloading anything from anywhere, opening fishy mail attachments, installing cracks and hacks left and right - in short, a PEBKAC problem.

[Lyudmil Tsvetkov]

I use Bitdefender, and I don't navigate nor open strange things, and I never have any problems. I think you have to improve how do you work. Do you update your Windows?

Of course, it is an automatic update.
And the last time it updated, it decided that after any Windows update, the computer should restart 30 minutes later on, if the system is not busy,
so I now can not even go to lunch without the computer restarting...

Why should BitDefender be any better than Nod32, MalwareBytes or Kaspersky?
It also has less than 100% performance, right?
So, some are still leaking in.

The advice not to navigate or open any strange things is very good, only problem is sometimes it is not possible to tell good from bad, normal from bad, familiar from unfamiliar and ill-intended from well-intended, especially when you are in a hurry...

I guess this might have more to do with some global Virus War going on, and people who are on the front line suffering more...

How do I know PyongYang has not levelled its virus guns at me?

[Ras]

How do I know PyongYang has not levelled its virus guns at me?

Because the Russians told them that the FSB failed to take over your computer since it was already controlled by the NSA.

[jdart]

Your list of precautions is a good one, especially not installing (or uninstalling) hazardous browser plugins. Those are one of the main ways malicious websites and attachments attack the system.

I agree if you are doing all this and still having issues it could be that it was never completely recovered from a past infection.

I'd consider backing up all data (documents but not exes), wiping the disk completely and doing a re-install of the OS and any other software.

--Jon

[Lyudmil Tsvetkov]

I was just curious, how do you solve related problems?

By not having them - despite using Windows.

General:

1) My router blocks incoming connections (firewall functionality).
2) I do complete disk backups so that even a harddisk crash isn't that much of a problem.
3) I don't install EXEs from the internet unless the source is OK and I actually want to have an EXE. Especially any kind of key generators, cracks, warez and whatnot are to be avoided as they tend to contain malware.
4) I don't open fishy spam mail attachments.

The dirty three (two out of the three most notorious security nightmares here are made by Adobe - that tells something about the software competence of this company, doesnt it?):

5) I don't have Flash installed. Any website still needing that is retarded and worthless anyway.
6) No Java browser plugin installed.
7) Adobe PDF Reader not installed (using Sumatra instead).

Browser:

8) Using a browser with updates. I'm using Vivaldi. Don't use Internet Explorer because it isn't a good browser anyway, and you may get issues with ActiveX. That is a Microsoft proprietary web technology riddled with security issues. Luckily, using non-Microsoft-browsers easily inhibts that nonsense.
9) Use an ad blocker because hacked ad servers delivering malware are real.

With 40 viruses this year alone, things are going the completely wrong way. I can think of three reasons:

1) It's actually not 40 incidents, but a more or less continuous infection because you havn't removed the initial infection completely. You should have complete disk backups of a clean version and do disk images regularly (Clonezilla is free and good). Never attach that backup disk while Windows is running, only when running the Live Linux.
2) You are a target for some reason, and someone with access to your physical computer or to your USB sticks has manipulated them.
3) You are a high profile target at the level of secret services, and they basically manipulate your whole internet connection.
4) You are downloading anything from anywhere, opening fishy mail attachments, installing cracks and hacks left and right - in short, a PEBKAC problem.

Thanks Rasmus,

I appreciate your feedback, seemingly the most relevant so far, however, you will allow me to point a few things:

1.) My router does the very same thing with firewall functionality
2.) complete backups are wise, I also save some important things, but now I guess I am going to back up everything.
3.) How do I know the source is OK? Sometimes it is simply not possible to recognise, so close, so undistinguishable.
4.) Similarly for pam, some are very quiet up until the moment they explode, you don't even have to open an attachment, it just opens in and of itself...And when you are communicating with a lot of persons, and are in a hurry, you surely are going to miss some...

5.) I don't have Java plug-in, but every site around asks you for Flash installation...Even worse, almost all my current work has to do with Adobe pdf reader..., but I guess you exaggerate a bit here.(anyone can confrim it is bad to have Adobe pdf reader installed?)
6.) In my practice I am still unfamiliar with Linux, and Internet Explorer with Active X is certainly a main choice for me. Other choices are Firefox and Chrome, but with what would they be better?
7. Always using AdBlockers, I frequently can not stand intrusive ads...

It IS 40 viruses this year, it is not a continuous infections, I have dome my checks, there are some nice spells of fair virus weather, when everything works fine, until the next one hits...
I don't know if I could be a target, I doubt if competitor chess publishers could go that far..., though some ill-meaning persons can always leave a bad review just because or instruct friends to do likewise.
Maybe I am a hight profile target, but I still have to learn that.
Maybe some extra-terrestrial connection, who knows?(oops, you forgot that, aliens).
Though, I must say I am involved in some kind of an insignificant financial row with at least a single payment processor and a very high profile US shady business(I have nothing to do with that, it is their fault).
No, I am not downloading anything from anywhere, on the contrary, I am VERY VERY careful visising and downloading only the strict minimum, but still...

For my part, I guess it is:
- too much Internet exposure, sometimes going to 16 daily hours and more
- a relatively large amount of email correspondence, when you are simply prone to miss something from time to time
- the Global Virus War certainly should have an impact, and my native Bulgaria is just about on the front line, if such exists
- again, Bulgaria lags behind/far behind in Internet security/protection from the leading nations, from where you also hail, this might be a very important indication
- again, someone would like to hurt me, not badly, but still, when you communicate with a lot of people, you get a lot of foes too...

But still, even with all this, is this NORMAL, receiving virus attacks twice per week on average, and having to fix something with your system(viruses automatically cleaned/disabled by the anti-virus software don't count in)?

I simply can not imagine that and am totally at a loss...

[Lyudmil Tsvetkov]

Make your computer go back in time when you did not have these viruses.
Do system recovery. Or do a clean installation. Reset browser to a high safety modus.

All that has already been tried and the effect is a very round 0.