The Vista Antivirus 2008 program is one of the family of rogue or fake anti-spyware programs that are really computer spyware and are downloaded to computer user’s computers without their consent.

Vista Antivirus 2008 Description

The Vista Antivirus 2008 is installed many times by taking advantage of Security holes or flaws in the Internet Explorer web browser. It is normally a payload of a Trjoan Virus or Trojan Virus downloader. Once installed on your computer, Vista Antivirus 2008 will display a number of fake security threat messages to tell you that your computer is infected with Spyware. The ultimate goal of Vista Antivirus 2008 is to trick you into buying the commercial version of the software on your computer. If you do, then instead of fixing your problem, you have now paid a hacker to download additional computer malware and spyware onto the computer.

Indications that Your Computer is Infected with Vista Antivirus 2008

One of the hardest things to determine with modern-day spyware is if your computer is infected. If you have the Vista Antivirus 2008 spyware installed, then you will see a number of pop-up messages similar to the following:

-”Your system is infected with a dangerous Virus”

- “Warning! Spyware is detected on Your Computer”

- “Your computer is infected, Windows has detected spyware infection!”

Just by clicking on one of the warnings can result in additional malware being installed on your computer.

Other Actions by Vista Antivirus 2008

The rogue anti-spyware program Vista Antivirus 2008 mal also perform the following actions on your computer:

-         Download and execute additional computer malware and spyware

-         Continue to generate numerous fake security warnings

-         Significantly slow down your computer

-         Hijack your computer browser and take you to infected, malicious websites to download additional computer malware and spyware.

Vista Antivirus 2008 Files and Registry Entries

\Program Files\Antivirus 2008
\Program Files\Antivirus 2008\Antvrs.exe
\Documents and Settings\forensics\Start Menu\Antivirus
\Documents and Settings\forensics\Desktop\antvrs.exe
\Documents and Settings\forensics\Application Data\Antivirus
\Documents and Settings\forensics\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\0L6FS9QR\instlog[1].htm
\Documents and Settings\forensics\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\IQJ9X5GB\antvrs[1].exe

\Documents and Settings\forensics\Start Menu\Antivirus\Antivirus 2008.lnk
\Documents and Settings\forensics\Start Menu\Antivirus\Uninstall Antivirus.lnk

Associated Vista Antivirus 2008 Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Antivirus
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Antivirus
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “Antivirus”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “Antivirus2008y”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce “3P_UDEC”

Vista Antivirus 2008 Removal Information

Vista Antivirus 2008 is complex and it is not recommended to attempt manual removal. Automatic removal using an updated anti-virus program is the recommended means for removal. If you are seeing what you believe to be “Fake” infection notifications, then your computer is likely already infected with the Spyware and the Trojan virus that deployed the malware.

Keyloggers are the specialized computer Spyware programs, which are capable of recording everything you type on the computer’s keyboard. This malicious software will enable the creator to retrieve this information later and can help them in consequently discovering your passwords, account numbers, user names and other confidential and sensitive data. The creator can gather the entire knowledge of the user’s web surfing habits and can even read the personal emails. They are extremely powerful software applications that can lead to identity theft.

The level of sophistication of the Keyloggers has greatly increased in the recent times. They even have the capability to record the keystrokes even if you are not logged in. These programs will silently run in the background undetectably. They are capable spying on the active applications by taking their text snapshots. The latest Keyloggers can be turned on even remotely.

How Does Your Computer Gets Infected by KeyLoggers?

Downloading content from Internet is the major way of getting a Keylogger. The files you download from internet may have a keylogger or any other variety of malicious Spyware or other computer malware. These can also enter your system as attachments to an e-mail.

Keyloggers can be used for many ethical, legal and beneficial actions too. The keylogger programs can be used by the parents for keeping an eye on the online activities of kids. This can greatly help the parents in protecting the children from offensive content as well as predators.

You must somehow avoid being infected from this computer Spyware, as it is extremely malicious. You may not know even if your system is infected. You can avoid the attack of this spyware to a great extend by downloading music, software and other files from the trusted and reputed sites. You must also keep away from the email attachments from unknown senders. You must make its sure that the attachments are clean and safe before opening them even though they are from known sources. Installing a top quality anti spyware program can be a great thing to do in order to protect your system from Keyloggers and other malicious spyware. Anyhow, keeping your PC safe from spyware is important to keep you private data safe and avoiding identity theft.

Computer Spyware infects a computer without the user’s permission. Spyware can be very dangerous to your personal privacy and can serve as a gateway to additional computer malware infection on your computer. Spyware by its nature does not self-replicate, but is used to exploit holes in the security on your computer. Recent trends have seen a significant rise in fake anti-spyware programs on the Internet that have been used to trick users into downloading additional spyware and malware to their computers.

Types of Computer Spyware

Four of the common types of computer spyware are: Adware, Browser Hijackers, Keyboard Loggers, and Modem Hijackers.

Adware

Not all Adware is bad. There is a growing population of Adware, however, that collect and send information to remote servers from your computer. This information includes web surfing history, advertisement clicks, etc. The rogue adware variants are also known to be bundled with other computer malware that could be installed on your computer.

Browser Hijack
A large amount of spyware will attempt to take over your web browser and modify the hosts file that determines what uniform resource locator is used to correlate to major search engine websites such as Yahoo, Bing, and Google. They will also force your browser to open rogue websites that pretend to be security centers of major providers online. The hijacked websites will then download computer malware to your computer and result in further infection.

Keyboard Logger
Keyboard loggers are one of the most dangerous variants of Spyware. Their sole purpose is to steal your private information and send it to a hacker for further use. This can be anything from your bank records, to email, to any other site that requires a login and password.

Modem Hijackers

Less prevalent today in the age of broadband connections, Modem Hijackers are still dangerous to computer users who have to use dial-up to connect to the Internet. A modem Hijacker will call a phone number that has a high per-minute charge and will run your phone bill up.

So, you have just bought a computer and are trying to decide what anti-malware or anti-virus software you need to acquire to be fully protected. Well, the following are some factors that I’ve found useful when looking for the right malware protection:

Anti-Malware Software Capabilities to Consider

 1 – Anti-Malware Software Speed

A common complaint from computer users when using anti-malware software is that it slows their computer down too much. Due to this loss of efficiency, many computer users will turn off their anti-malware software. With the number of threats on the Internet, this is not the optimal choice to make. Why not, choose anti-malware software that is reviewed to run faster than their competitors one of the factors you consider in your decision making process for the software purchase?

2 – Anti-Spam Features

Not all anti-malware software has anti-spam features incorporated into the software. If you do not already have anti-spam protection built in to your email service (think Gmail), then this should be another feature to look for in your anti-virus software.

3 – Anti- Spyware Features

Similar to anti-spam features, not all anti-malware software has anti-spyware capability built in to it. Or, if it does, it is not effective. This can give you a false sense of security. Spyware is just as important as other malware to defend against. Ensure you are making an informed decision when making your software purchase.

4 – Firewall Capability

If you run Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or newer (Vista, Windows  7) then you have a firewall capability bundled with your computer. Don’t spend extra money on a third party firewall unless you have tried the Microsoft variant first! (it’s free) If you are an anti-Microsoft type of computer user or just don’t like their free firewall, then ensure you consider anti-malware products that bundle a firewall with the software package.

5 – Ease of Installation

Not everyone is trained in Information Technology or Computer Science. If a software manufacturer can’t make software that my Dad can install with no more than a few clicks, then the installation is too complex. What are the odds you will miss a critical configuration option that can expose you to attack? If you’re a power computer user, then this becomes less of an issue.

6 – Parental controls

With the number of malware and computer viruses spreading via peer-2-peer networks now-a-days, this is becoming an increasingly popular feature for parents when choosing anti-malware software. The anti-malware companies are slowly realizing this, so you may still have limited options when searching for tools that have quality reviews for parental controls.

7 – Cost

In down economic times, we are all looking to save money. You can find some good tools that are free, or have trial versions you can use, however, I always say you “get what you pay for.” If you are on the Internet a lot (or you children are), get decent anti-malware protection! Its hard to put a price on safety…especially when it runs less than $100 USD for a decent product!

Computer Malware and Spyware can negatively impact your computer’s performance and put your personal security at risk! With each passing month, there is more and more Spyware that is released on the Internet, potentially placing your personal information and computer at risk.  Spyware does this through:

-         Display of a Large Number of Pop-Up Advertisements

-         Decreasing the Speed of Your Computer

-         Crashing Your Computer

-         Invading Your Privacy

-         Stealing Your Private Information

Spyware Protection Steps

Spyware Protection Step #1 – Using a Firewall

Most computers come with a built-in Firewall today. Many users, however, are either 1 – Scared of using a firewall or 2 – Become annoyed at firewall warnings of spyware or malware attack against their computer that are false alarms and turn it off. Installation and use of a firewall, however, is critical in guarding your computer against spyware and Trojan viruses that attempt to gain control of your computer for use by hackers! Windows XP and Vista come with a Firewall already built in to the Operating System in order to help you guard against Spyware targeted at Microsoft produced OS’s!

Spyware Protection Step #2 – Update Anti-Spyware Software and Spyware Removal Tools

Keeping Windows updated on a regular basis is another key to keeping your computer free of computer spyware and malware! New spyware and malware is released every day and if you delay updating Windows, you could put yourself at greater risk of spyware infection!

Spyware Protection Step #3 – Adjust Web Browser Security Settings

If you have a choice in what Web Browser to use, consider the freely available Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox web browsers. Each comes with additional security than is found in Internet Explorer and can keep your computer from being attacked by Microsoft specific spyware and adware. If you do use Internet Explorer, adjusting your security settings for the Web Browser to an Internet Zone level of Medium or higher will help prevent your computer from being infected with malware. This is the default setting starting with computers that run Windows XP Service Pack 2. To check and change your current Internet Explorer settings, do the following:

1 – Open Internet Explorer. Select “Tools->Internet Options>”

2 – Choose the “Security” tab and then toggle the security setting to medium or higher.

Spyware Protection Step #4 – Download and Install Antispyware Software

There are a number of Antispyware software packages available on the market. Windows Defender comes bundled with Windows Vista and is free to download for Windows XP, SP2. Norton and Symantec are two of the other well-known anti-virus and anti-spyware software companies on the market. Whatever software package you choose, however, check to make sure it is legitimate by reading multiple reviews on the software to avoid being tricked into downloading fake anti-spyware, spyware such as Barracuda Spyware!

Spyware Protection Step #5 – Be Careful Surfing and Downloading Files

Be judicious in your web surfing habits! Here are some tips to think about when surfing the Internet and downloading files or software:

-         Don’t download programs or files from websites you do not trust. If you haven’t heard of the company before, Google the software or company name to see if you see any negative complaints first.

-         Read the EULA (end user license agreement). A lot of Adware and Spyware will tell you what they are going to do in the fine print…

-         Do not choose “Ok” or “Agree” to close out of a window online. “Alt + F4” or the big “X” in the corner of the browser window will help prevent some threats from infecting your computer.

-         Be very, very leery of File sharing and free movie sites. One of the most common ways hackers get backdoors installed on work and home computers is through infected multimedia files. Don’t let them get to your computer!

These steps are not all encompassing, but by following them; you will be well on your way to being protected against computer spyware and malware.