Actual viruses: yes, they still exist, but they are currently quite rare. Generally speaking they are removable, unless you are talking about security services level software/hardware which is not something we are equipped to advice on or resolve. However, the chances of you ever being the target of something like this unless you are involved in the defence industry, technological research and development, or are actually a government spook and would not be paying any attention to this anyhow, is absurdly unlikely. Those sorts of attacks are very targeted and are not something for general users to consider.

Virus removal – if you’re not able to resolve yourself for whatever reason, give us a call or just bring it in. It’s usually just $99 to clean out. We do sell the corporate version of the Bitdefender Antivirus if you did require a solution.  It won’t protect against users being scammed and baited, but will cover you for 99.99% of actual viruses.

There are other layers of protection that may be recommended if the data on the system is highly valuable, such asreliable, encrypted backups, but at the same time encrypted backups can be a liability. If the decryption password isn’t stored properly then the backup is null and void – short of a hardcore exploit there’s no cracking the encryption used in the modern age.

Taking regular standard backups of your important data is always a good idea, however. Microsoft 365 subscriptions come with a fair amount of space that is quite suitable for most people and external storage devices are handy for this scenario also. There’s a rule of thumb with data – if it’s not stored in three places, it’s not safe. Please note free or cheap backup software with a continually changing hardware configuration can be notoriously unreliable when it comes to automated backup.

With call centre con men trying to hack you instead of the machine, there’s a few things to keep in mind.
Firstly, if you are not expecting the call, ask them for a reference and then call the institution on a number you obtain from their actual website (remember, often the first results in Google can be ads and not the actual company you’re looking for!). Do not call any phone number they give you. Do not ever let them remote access your machine unless you know exactly who they are and where they’re from. Almost always , if someone on the phone is asking you to install something or want to get into your computer or are telling you about a problem you where heretofore oblivious to, they do not even deserve your time. Hang up immediately and if you can, report their phone number to the police as a potential cybercrime.  If you are really stuck you can always give us a quick call. If you realise too late that you might have let someone untowards into your system, pull the power plug (or hold the power button down until it shuts off), then get in contact with us. , We can go through a system and see if something nasty is there. From what we see in current cases, most of the time it is just the remote software left over so they can get back in later, but that’s not to say they can’t leave nasty backdoors in a system and after all, it’s better safe than sorry when it comes to your data and finances.  

When it comes to these sorts of scams, vigilance and knowledge is the best defense.