Virus + Malware + Trojans = Nightmare

This is one of those stories where it's not a matter of IF, but rather of WHEN.

For me, it happened yesterday. I work on two computers and have one laptop. One of my computers was hit by malicious software; viruses, malware, and trojans. Mind you, this was with a very good virus protection software from Avast that saved me some pain, but there was still damage. Here's how it went down and I hope this is a lesson for others.

Apparently, someone had taken one of my photos and posted it on another site. In order to protect my work, I have ways of finding out where, if any, on the internet my work is being used without my permission. Well, one particular photo was linked to a random site. I followed the link to a page where I saw not only my photo, but other works as well. It was all a mess really, and the page didn't make sense. Just as I was about to close the window, multiple windows began popping up (a real weakness in IE). My computer froze up and the mouse wouldn't respond. After a few seconds, a giant blue wallpaper had taken over my desktop with the message
'Your PC is infected with Spyware. Download virus softare...'

Of course, the wallpaper was a slap in the face by the malicious person who enjoys wreaking havoc on people's computers. Immediately as the windows began to pop up, my virus software Avast began to go off and warn me. Even then, it was too late. Over 300 files on my computer had been infected by about 7-10 different viruses, trojans, and malware. The nightmare was in full swing.

Rather then going into all the details and how much of a headache this is causing, I'd just like to remind you to make sure you have proper software on your computers to protect you. Make sure you back up all of your important files. Fortunetly for me, I have everything backed up to another computer as well other redundancies in place.

My problem was that I did not have a proper firewall configured on this one particular machine as I normally do. My virus software did its job (and is still doing it as I write this), but the lack of a strong firewall and even a more reliable browser would have helped.

Here are my findings and recommendations:
Virus Software - Avast Download Page - This one of the best ones I've come across, but I'm always on the lookout for new and improved. The great thing about Avast is that it's FREE for all you home users. A nice incentive to help protect your computer. Avast managed to isolate the 300 and some files and properly log and identify everything. I'm not going to knock on other virus programs out there, but some of the retail boxed ones just don't cut it like this does.

Firewall - ZoneAlarm - Hands down one of the most reliable ones...as long as you have it installed. Even though I use it on my other computers, I should have never removed it from the infected one. That's where I went wrong. Zone Alarm Firewall is completely free.

Web Browser - Opera - Many people haven't heard of this browser, but once you start using it, you will fall in love with it. Beautiful layout, much faster then other browser, easy to use, and it's one of the most secure ones you can use. It won't take you too long to get used to it. After the way IE just let that malicious site take over with pop ups, I'm giving Opera a try and I'm liking what I see so far. Try it out for yourself. It's also free.

This is not the first time I've been hit with a virus that I had to deal with, and it probably won't be the last. Trust me though. When you are hit with one, it's not for the faint of heart. You'll be pulling your hair out so protect yourself now. I know it will be at least a week before before my computer is back to normal.

Remember, it's not if it will happen, just a matter of when.