Gone in 30 minutes

Got your own spyware horror story?

One rainy day not too long ago, I was rubbing my hands together in royal delight over having finished my Oxford-level essays for my university application, completely oblivious to the terrible events that would follow. My girlfriend, glad she could finally use the PC I had vacated at the final keystroke of my essay, decided to watch a movie online while I headed off for the bathroom to practice my I'm-so-brilliant speech.

In the middle of explaining neoclassical theory as influenced by recent developments in behavioral economics to the toothbrush, my girlfriend barged in with the news that the PC had stopped working, bringing my speech to an abrupt end. The PC didn't respond, so I restarted it. Halfway toward loading XP, it restarted on its own. This occurred several times until, resisting the impulse to throw it out the window, I called a friend who's good at IT and asked him to come over. I don't remember the virus' name, but it seemed that the problem was serious and he suggested, to my horror, that I reinstall the OS.

After trying to bribe the PC with expensive new hardware and reconsidering my commitment to atheism, I agreed. To my joy, my friend was able to get to the data on the hard drive by using another PC. My girlfriend, however, is buying herself a laptop. Lessons: 1) Don't let other people use your PC or Mac; 30 minutes is enough to get it infected. 2) Back up your data at all times, you never know when your PC will go berserk.

-William
United Kingdom

Reply from the Download.com editors:

Like it or not, malware teaches us lessons on what not to do, and it's a strict taskmaster. William's travails inspired us to put together a little Spyware Horror Story true-and-false list based on his experience.

1) William got a virus. Possibly. Viruses are known for wreaking havoc on a computer and spreading by attaching themselves to shared files. They're also a lot less common than they used to be, almost completely passing the baton to adware and spyware. Many more infections slyly take up residence as Trojan spyware, or are self-replicating worms. Our security glossary sheds light on the distinctions between the malware families.

2) Don't let other people use your PC or Mac. False. How much you trust other users and how much risk you want to take are personal, but there are still ways to be safe on a shared computer. The most obvious and casual precaution is to set verbal limits on what your buddy can or can't do, like checking in with you before installing an app. More frequent users may require an in-depth tutorial on spotting dangerous Web sites.

Web site ratings apps like LinkScanner Lite, and McAfee SiteAdvisor (for Internet Explorer and Firefox) can also alert guests with less vigorous radars to dangerous Web sites they might otherwise visit.

You can also create user accounts that delineate you as the administrator. Guests who log onto a guest account won't be able to install programs, though they could still do damage surfing the Web. Learn more about family- and friend-proofing your PC.

Finally, while PCs are widely considered more open to exploits than Macs, Macs can still transmit infected files to PC users. If you're a Mac user with a lot of guests who are less careful than you, consider scheduling an antivirus scan.

3) Thirty minutes is enough to get an infection. True. Thirty minutes is enough to get hundreds of infections on an inadequately protected PC. Keeping your security up to date will lessen the risk of attracting malware meanies. Our Security Starter Kit is a good place to start fortifying your PC.

4) Back up your data at all times. True. Well, not all the time, but it is a good idea to regularly back up data online or on an external drive. Browse our lists of backup software, which include Second Copy and Carbonite Online Backup.