stories

Browser bad boy

Silent and invisible, some malware sneaks up on you to quietly wreak havoc on your system resources and possibly mine your files for personal, bank account-cracking information. Shudder.

Other types of Trojans more helpfully announce their presence by lobbing pop-ups, disabling your Start menu, or in Matthew's case, playing puppet master with your browser.

Matthew has a few ideas for wresting back control. Find out which he tried, which he should he have tried, and which ultimately worked in this week's Spyware Horror Story, "Browsers behaving badly".

Closing a pop-up? Nix the "X"

"I dabble in a high-risk area of the 'Net...I click links for money. That, in itself, opens me to tons of security issues."

So begins Patricia's personal Spyware Horror Story (see all.)

But despite the risk, it's Patricia's family that faces undoing, not by a devastating link, but by a harmless-looking "X" button on a sinister pop-up window. Patricia knows how to cap the pop-up--do you? Test your knowledge in "Nix the 'X'."

Is that an IM link or a malware trap?

If an IM link from a friend pops up on your screen, do you click it right away? Most people, like Eivind, do. Most don't end up with a PC-killing worm.

Malicious IM links are a growing threat to users, and Eivind got dished an unpleasant preview of the trend we have to look forward to. Can she warn her friends of the deception before they're compromised too?

Watch the story unfold in this week's tale of Trojan trouble, "Malware's IM hideaway." You can also access the Spyware Horror Story archives for more stories … Read more

Gamers' high ends in spyware low

PC gamers would risk a lot for the sake of gameplay, even ignoring security warning signs or remaining coolly unconcerned.

Meet two young teens whose quest for the gamer's high set them on a collision course with a whole horde of Trojan malware scarier than anything they'd encounter in RuneScape or World of Warcraft.

Read of the duo's travails in "Fools for the game," and also pick up valuable security do's and don'ts from other Spyware Horror Stories.

Wii virtual console releases for this week

Glad to see another Nintendo 64 title has made it to the virtual console, although I'm anticipating some disappointment with the selection.

Yoshi's Story (1998, Nintendo 64, 1,000 Wii points)--After Baby Bowser casts a spell on Yoshi Island leaving it in the form of a storybook, six Yoshis must band together and dethrone the evil Baby Browser and restore happiness to Yoshi Island. Super Thunder Blade (1988, Genesis, 800 Wii points)--A Sega Genesis launch title, Super Thunder Blade is a helicopter combat game where you must fire upon all kinds of submarines, tanks, and more … Read more

The virus that goes around, comes back around

Arnaldo's friend, a Mac user, is given his very first Windows PC. The friend knows nothing about Windows XP security, but that's not even his biggest problem.

The real trouble in this week's Spyware Horror Story begins when Arnaldo's soon-to-be-ex-friend decides to dabble in creating his own viruses--and gets slammed by a few of these malware leeches instead.

Find out what went wrong, what went right, and what not to do in "Boomerang virus."

Crime and punishment

For some teens, the most horrific part of weathering a spyware storm is being separated from the computer until it's clean.

One dad seizes this as a disciplinary technique. A little time away from the Web could teach Junior some healthy fear of dangerous downloads and greater respect for the family PC.

Read all about it in "Crime and Punishment," this week's Spyware Horror Story.

Porn addiction makes people crazy

Elise's malware situation is frightening, but it's not as scary as her father, whose closet quest for pornography and reckless viewing methods pile more and more adware onto Elise's personal PC. She confronts him when a PC repair tech reveals the truth of the infection. Things get ugly. Threats fly.

16-year-old Elise is left with a challenge: How do you confront someone whose user behavior is dangerous to your computer and family privacy--and whose real-life behavior is dangerous to you? This week's Spyware Horror Story, Vicious voyeur, may hold some clues.

Visit our Spyware Horror Story archives … Read more

Grandma's in a pickle

You're never too young or old to become a download fanatic--or a victim of online threats (just lay your peepers on our security glossary for an unsavory taste of what's out there.)

Some seniors, like my octogenarian grandma, keep their computer use simple with one trusty program that fulfills a basic need, minus extra frills. Others go wild with downloads and customizations for their desktop and browser. Find out how the 71-year-old dame of this week's Spyware Horror Story got her system into a pickle and how her neighbor's friend tried to pull her out in … Read more

Love me, love my toolbars

For a system-savvy Romeo, saving a damsel in malware distress is one way to win her heart. At least that's the sincerest hope of one teenage boy who helps his crush extinguish malware. Who knew that malicious code could be such an aphrodisiac?

It's just the reverse for Charles, who agrees to help a love interest optimize her system, only to discover that her blinding security ignorance--and excessive toolbars--are an instant turn-off.

But what killjoys got the girls in the first place? Discover the identity of the villainous malware bandits, the assistance of our two heros, and what … Read more