Information has now been released that a hacker used malware techniques to steal thousands of Facebook accounts in February, then selling them in bulk on the black market. Verisign’s iDefense director announced that the act is one of many that are taking place across the US. Individuals steal log-in data for Facebook accounts by using malware techniques that track computer keystrokes, and phishing techniques that make Facebook users think they are logging in on an actual Facebook website that is a convincing fake.

World Domination via Facebook Malware

The crime is only the first step in a master plan of social network domination. The stolen Facebook accounts can be used to send fraudulent messages to the user’s friends, spread harmful links, and view sensitive information such as birthdates and home addresses which can be used toward identity theft. Thus, if you are linked to any of the thousands of accounts that were stolen, you may be at risk.

To battle malware attacks on your laptop computer or desktop computer, you should have an updated version of a good anti-virus and anti-spyware program. Anti-spyware software is not necessarily invincible, so if you end up in the market for a computer repair company, call A+ Mobile PC Doctors, the experts in Boston computer repair, at 1-617-723-1986. Our insured technicians offer onsite computer repair and remote desktop PC repair services, virus removal, spyware removal, and more — see our website for a full list of computer repair services.

Hackers have turned to Twitter to spread malicious websites over the Internet, which could put your computer at risk for getting a virus.

Because Tweets are limited to 140 characters, many Twitter users convert their links to a shorter URL with the use of websites such as http://url4t.com/. This turns even the most universally recognized URL, Google.com, into the unrecognizable short link http://url4t.com/_5C. Hackers have taken advantage of this feature by creating Twitter accounts solely for the purpose of marketing malicious websites.

Before you click on a link within a Tweet, make sure you know that the account is legitimate. Better yet, avoid clicking short links from Twitter accounts that you do not follow. Also, use precaution when clicking on links within ReTweets — hackers often search for legitimate tweets and then ReTweet them with a different, malicious URL. For more tips regarding Twitter security, you can follow Spam at http://twitter.com/spam.

Naturally, the best underlying defense against computer viruses is installing (and frequently updating) a security system on your computer. Not all computer security software is created equal, so consider getting advice from someone you know about which to purchase. After years of virus removal experience, A+ Mobile PC Doctors has found that AVG Internet Security 9.0 outperforms all other brands of Internet security systems. If you find that your laptop has indeed contracted a virus, don’t hesitate to contact A+ Mobile PC Doctors, an experienced Boston computer repair company. Outside of Massachusetts, we are also offer national computer repair services for commercial and residential clients.

Remember the file sharing application Kazaa? I remember when I first discovered it. I regularly went on music-downloading binges, thinking that I was getting free music with no strings attached. Or so I thought. Soon after bulking up my hard drive with downloads, loading a simple website like Google.com grew to become a thirty-second process, and I found a new ability to take care of household chores while waiting for my favorite applications to open up.

Someone finally broke the news to me. Apparently, there is no free lunch when it comes to downloading music. A nasty little virus was tagging along behind each new mp3 I downloaded. A friend offered to reformat the hard drive on my computer.

“Will I lose all my music?” I asked.

“Yep – but you really have no choice,” was the response. I cried myself to sleep that night.

Turns out, I may have been able to save my many cherished pop punk mp3s if I had sought professional IT help. Viruses, malware, corrupted file systems, a system crash; these are a few things that can make your computer act funky and require reformatting the hard drive. I recently interviewed Michael Thomas, owner of A+ Mobile PC Doctors, and asked him what he does when a computer needs its hard drive reformatted.

1. Consider if there are files that need to be recovered or existing software license keys that are needed once reformat/reinstallation is complete (e.g. Security/Anti-Virus software, etc.). If so, take Data Backup steps and recover license keys if possible – once data is backed up:

2. Run Reformat/Reinstallation process

3. Load NIC Driver

4. Install Security Software: pre-existing or  AVG (AVG FREE – if doesn’t have a paid version)

5. Connect Internet connection, launch browser and validate security software

6. Update security software but DO NOT run system scan

7. Load all SYSTEM drivers (not peripherals such as printers, cameras, etc.)

8. Perform Windows Updates using Custom Selection (DO NOT Install IEv8, and do not remind about this installation again)

9. Install Firefox, Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), Adobe Flash (free)

10. Install CD burning software if customer has it

11. Install MS OFFICE if customer has CD. If installing MS Office 2003, then install MS Office Compatibility Pack

12. Configure desktop (properties) to show My Documents, My Computer & My Network Place. Also ad d the Quick Launch to the Windows Nav Bar, and if installing MS Office, add shortcuts for Word, Excel, PPT & Outlook

13. Check power settings, screen saver and wallpaper

14. Install any specialty software at customer’s request (e.g. QuickBooks, etc.)

15. Reinstall data from data backup once data is cleansed of malware

Only a professional computer repair company like A+ Mobile PC Doctors will have the knowledge and expertise to back up your data, isolate the problem, and reinstall the data in good condition. And a bit of advice for music junkies – stay away from file-sharing applications like Kazaa. They’re always a bad idea.