Does Your Computer Walk with the Dead?

Zombies are computers that have been infected by software programs called trojan horses. Once a Trojan horse has installed itself on a computer, the computer becomes a Zombie, often controlled by bad people who use it in a network of bots, to send spam and initiate cyberattacks against other web sites. Additionally, hackers often steal the victim’s files and personal information and install spyware and adware on PCs, to earn money from the spyware or adware maker.

According to Microsoft, more than 60% of the Windows PC scanned by their Malicious Software Removal Tool (previous post) between January 2006 and March 2006 were found to be running this malicious bot software.

How do you know if your computer has been co-opted to the dark side? In most cases, there are no obvious symptoms. The best bet is to visit the Malicious Software Removal Tool at Microsoft, then make sure you have an anti-virus program installed to safeguard your computer (and yourself) in the future.