One Sick PUP
“If only they had used their powers for niceness instead of evil” – Maxwell Smart
If only indeed.
I must admit I remain amazed at just how much damage can be caused by some of the destructive computer viruses floating around the internet. I think I would have preferred getting the H1N1 to whatever virus it was that downloaded itself into my poor Dell Workstation. I had always assumed that the viruses we hear so often about were created by some lonely computer nerd with no social skills and a penchant for getting worldwide attention, even if that attention was negative. Kind of like the kid that would rather be punished than ignored. I was wrong. I had also assumed that my computer was relatively safe from these web borne menaces because I invested in what I was told was the best antivirus software available. Most unfortunately, I was wrong again.
The odyssey of my complete computer destruction began with a simple visit to the web site eBaums World. I can’t begin to estimate how many times I have visited this site but it’s probably safe to say it has been a few thousand over the past 3 or 4 years. It is a site similar to You Tube where submitters download videos and funny pictures. I don’t watch many of the videos available as most consist of some skateboarder getting whacked in the nuts or some drunk guy doing a face plant at a frat party. Not really my cup of tea. But some of the videos are funny and I enjoy some of the pictures created, like the one of Darth Vader using his light saber to light a cigarette.
But this visit was far different than any before. When I clicked on a video to watch suddenly my computer screen began to fill with pop up windows warning me that viruses had been detected. Having been recommended by the guy who runs my local computer store, I had Panda Security Suite protecting my computer. He claimed this product was superior to the Norton 360 I had used for years. But the warning pop up’s where not from Panda but rather showed Windows Defender and appeared to be coming directly from my Windows operating system. Click here to identify the virus, it warned. I closed the window only to have it reappear again and again. Click here, it said, and Windows will remove the threat. After several unsuccessful attempts to close the warning and to my great consternation, eventually I did. What a mistake.
According to the computer repair guy, at least in the part he was kind enough to explain in neophyte terms for me, what I did at that point may have been the fatal mistake. Apparently, when I clicked the button it allowed my computer to download a P.U.P. or Potentially Unwanted Program and once it was downloaded it was game over from that point forward. As a bevy of pornographic pictures began to display on my screen the program displayed a list of deadly viruses that had been downloaded onto my hard drive. It then directed me to enter my credit card number to buy the full version of the Windows Defender program which would remove these unwanted viruses. I knew I had been had at that point and fortunately I did not enter any credit card info.
I attempted to run the Panda protection program, but the poor Panda’s ass had been kicked and the Security Suite was no longer capable of securing anything. My goose was cooked. I had no choice but to bring my ailing laptop to the repair shop where, after several failed attempts to disinfect the machine, the hard drive had to be wiped clean.
Larry, the guy who runs the shop, is the same guy who told me to dump Norton and get Panda. He claimed that it wouldn’t have mattered what antivirus program I had because I allowed this P.U.P. to be downloaded. That may well be true, but before I reconnected my now barren computer I downloaded a new version of Norton 360. All I know is that in all the time I had Norton I had no problems and that’s good enough for me.
The key to this whole unfortunate episode is that the viruses downloaded into my computer were not created solely to do the damage they did. Their main purpose is to aid in identity theft. The perpetrator of this virus didn’t want my $49.95 for the antivirus program. They wanted my credit card number. Larry told me that had I bought the program offered it would have appeared to remove the virus but in fact would have put tracking programs in my computer that would have submitted all the personal data I have stored. One of his customers made this mistake and not only found thousands of dollars of charges on their credit card but had their bank accounts accessed as well. These programs not only track your activity but your account numbers, passwords and security question answers. The pornographic pictures that popped up are designed to cause panic and embarrassment forcing the now doomed computer user to act quickly, without considering the consequences, particularly if that user is on a shared computer.
This is no small potatoes. The Federal Trade Commission reported that 9.1 million Americans have had their identity stolen through the internet or other means, with a total cost in excess of $50 billion annually. And because the World Wide Web is indeed worldwide these thieves can be located anywhere on the planet.
It has been a huge pain in my huge ass replacing all the lost data on my computer but fortunately I did have a separate hard drive backup. I can only suggest that the cost of an external hard drive is insignificant when compared to the value of everything we store on our computers. I also suggest that if you find yourself with the same pop up windows you do nothing but shut down the computer and hope. While my problem occurred on e Baum, I am told that these viruses are on almost all the social networking sites.
All in all, if anybody is to be held accountable for all this theft it must be the ultimate creator himself. Just another Al Gore idea gone bad.
