Warding off computer viruses requires serious sleuthing

But, it’s not a perfect world, which means people need to rely on early warning signals should something go awry with their computer.

Unfortunately, that approach is also starting to lose its effectiveness as modern computer viruses become even more pernicious.

One indication that a computer might have been contaminated by malicious software, or malware, is when the machine needs a noticeably longer time to start up or open programmes, according to experts from BITKOM, a German computer industry association.

After all, just like any other programme, malware needs resources, which gum up the works then they’re diverted for the malware’s needs.

But slowness can also indicate software that’s been installed incorrectly or a poorly configured system. Computers that have older Windows systems also have a tendency to slow down.

The best option is to peek into the Task Manager to see if there are any undesired programmes or processes gumming up the works. In Windows XP, this function is summoned by hitting the Ctrl, Alt and Delete keys.

The Task Manager brings up an easy-to-read list of active applications. On the other extreme, calling up Services usually results in a list of inexplicable entries. To make sense of that, it’s best to turn to a free programme like System Explorer, which can pull up a list of active programmes, services and network connections.

System Explorer sorts through this list and allows the user to upload individual files to a website called Virustotal where a free analysis service checks for viruses, worms, Trojans and other potential problems.

If your hard drive spins when the computer isn’t in use, that’s another possible sign of a viral infection. Usually, the spinning just means that a harmless programme like Windows Updater is running. But it could also indicate that malware is pouring through your hard drive. XP’s control panel will show under Planned Tasks if a Windows-approved job is running or not.

Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is familiar with many telltale signs of viruses. An operating system might not be able to access certain drives or storage units. The computer might not start or takes a long time to save or change data. A browser’s home page might suddenly change.

If one of these problems crops up and there’s no other explanation but malware, then it’s time to pay attention. But, says the BSI, the problem is that well-designed malware usually doesn’t usually give off these signals.

“Malware doesn’t want to be noticed any more,” says Harold Baier of the Centre for Advanced Security Research (CASED) at the College of Darmstadt in Germany. Whereas viruses were once programmed to annoy computer users, today’s malware is out to make a buck.

Thus, today’s viruses are designed to, for example, link millions of PCs as botnets so that spam distributors will pay to harness the computing power.

To stay hidden, some malware makes sure that anti-virus programmes can’t update their virus scanners. Baier advises pulling security software off of a clean computer and onto a bootable CD, which can then scour the entire computer, even its anti-virus systems.

“People are often surprised to see what they find on their computer,” he said. About 8.8 million Germans, for example, have already found viruses that have caused damage on their computer, reports BITKOM.