You've heard about viruses and how they can infect a computer and eventually corrupt it. You're probably familiar with spyware and adware, and it can track your every move. 

But most Realtors don't care whether they're dealing with a virus, spyware or adware -- they just want the problem to go away. Malware (malicious software) is the generic word for all these problems. Short for "malicious software," it refers to any kind of program that does harm without doing good, including a Virus, Worms, Trojan, Backdoor, Spyware, Exploit, Rootkit, Key Logger, Dialers or URL Hijacker. 

Some malware, such as viruses, cause problems because that's what they were designed to do. But spyware and adware hope to run undetected in the background, so their presence isn't always obvious. Overall, it's best to assume you have some type of infection, but the following signs increase the possibility: 

• Advertising windows pop up constantly
• Your system runs very slowly for no apparent reason
• Your browser sometimes open sites that you did not select
• Your home page does not open as it should
• Your computer crashes often 

Get the tools to do the job 

To get rid of malware, you need the latest versions of anti-malware software programs -- an antivirus and/or anti-spyware tool that recognizes malware programs that may have been developed just a few days ago. 

Free virus scanners can be found online, such as:

HouseCall Online Virus Scanner (http://housecall.trendmicro.com)
Panda Free Online Scanner (http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm)
Symantec Security Check (http://symantec.com/)
McAfee Free Scan (http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?cid=9913) 

In some cases, one antivirus program could interfere with a different antivirus program. You may not want to use competing products at the same time.

Also obtain software that deals specifically with spyware and adware. In this case, they don't generally interfere with each other the way virus scanners do. The following all offer good protection: 

Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx)

Ad-Aware SE (http://www.lavasoft.de/ms/index.htm)Spybot Search & Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/microsoft.en.html)

CWShredder (http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html)

Note: CWShredder goes after only a specific type of malware that affects your Internet browser, but it's such a pervasive problem that it should be dealt with separately. 

Fighting the infection 

Now that you've got the tools you need, scan for malware: Use the software you've downloaded or any current anti-virus software installed on your computer. Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 can also be scanned using Microsoft's own Malicious Software Removal Tool (http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx) that's updated weekly.  

Call for help 

If you encounter trouble along the way -- or if nothing seems to remove the malware from your computer, call for help. An analyst with the Tech Helpline can suggest other ways to tackle the problem.