After the most recent spate of hijacker viruses I feel it necessary to warn the public about rogue anti-spyware programs as I feel it's unfair on people who are innocently browsing the net!
These "rogue anti-spyware" programs are using links such like Google rankings to get you to click on a link to their installers & it's a cruel way to try & get you to pay for a program that doesn't exist!
My best advice is to read EVERY link prior to clicking to activate it. In search engines you should read the bottom line that displays the actual link including site name and domain (backend of the link ie: .com). If the link looks suspicious then simply don't click on it!

Any simple search over the net can activate one of these nasties not  just "porn", "films" or music searches as has always been perceived as the culprit. Once activated the rogue antispyware program pops up with several alarms and icons including a fake windows security system alert, all geared towards panicking you into buying the program via their site. DO NOT under any circumstances enter your card details or anything else! It's all fake & there's nothing to panic about at all apart from these annoying windows with false scanners running telling you your infected when in fact THEY are the infection.

If you see porn pop up's on your child's or partner's PC please don't fall out with them and please don't have an all out war about it. This is exactly what the virus is made to cause. The virus is made to connect to these URL's (site links) which the creator wrote into the virus code. The links are written into the virus & it connects to these sites in order to cause alarm & in turn get you to pay for a fake program to supposedly remove them. There can be up to 500 links set to activate once you install the virus


Getting rid of them varies from simple to very difficult as the newer ones are made to "self replicate" & even rebuild themselves upon restarting the computer. All clever coding but pure evil as they prey on the innocent. There are many 'technical' things to do in Windows to get rid of these nasties. I could list them and tell you exactly how to do it but I'd then become liable if you took my advice and then broke your Windows. Also, there's so many variations nowadays that it's impossible to list them all!
I'd also be doing my wife & kids out of food for the table so for best results I think it's best if I remove the nasties & then make sure your protected against them with some sort of free protection at the least.

Ones To Watch Out For

• Antivirus Pro 2008 (dated)
  
• Antivirus Pro 2009 (very common)
  
• XP Antivirus 2009 (very common)
• Personal Antivirus Pro 2009 (new)
• AntispyCheck (nasty)
• Antispyware System Pro (very nasty - blocks windows services from operating)
  

Keep an eye out for these and all the others that pop up telling you crap that you need to buy them okay? There's one other nasty program out there that installs by clicking a link & it's known as PLATTE MEDIA. This one is actually real & it's a company who are organized. They actually do take your money for real so do be VERY CAREFUL when dealing with this one! There's a web-site now up apparently dedicated to getting the company closed down it's that bad.
Keep an eye out for pop up windows telling you that you've an invoice for $48 or $99 for DVD's you've ordered (when you haven't). Some people are actually giving in to it & paying the money & are then being charged repeatedly, it's scandalous! If you get stuck I'll get it off for you :)