How do I know if my computer has a virus?

[rudejohn]

The most thorough way if you're using Windows is to open your Task Manager (start-->run-->taskmgr) and go to the "Processes" tab. Perform a Google search on each of those processes to find out whether it is a harmful process or a normal one; several sites archive process names and you can find out if you have the virus.

Dealing with the virus is another issue; once you know its name you can deal with it separately.

[boomdull]

Some viruses can be hidden. I have close to 500 viruses on my computer. All they do is slow the computer down but some can wreck the hardrive. However be on the lookout for trojan horses. They will shut your computer down and quick. Facebook shouldnt be as bad as myspace and limewire is the worst.

[Tammerz]

Well if you did have a virus you would no.

[Conrad]

well Norton doesn't detect every single virus every single time. if your computer starts to slow down, or some of your passwords are compromised then you probably have a virus. run the anti-virus software you have like 1-2 times a month. thats what i do and it keeps the viruses down.

[Christy V]

I am not sure what a facebook virus is but I have a virus on my computer. it is called antivirus 2008. DO NOT accept anti virus 2008 it does not help viruses it is the virus itself. im not sure if you have that but if it is that you should go to a person that could fix your computer. (maybe where you got your computer from or a friend) effects of antivirus 2008 are- freezing, slowness, and it always pops up.

[dewcoons]

If you have Norton running and up to date, then you probably have nothing to worry about. The virus currently making (another) Facebook and MySpace appearrance is an old one that Norton can detect and clean.

Plus it is not actually a "virus" because it does not spread by itself. You have to install it. To get it, you have to click on an e-mail, follow a link in the e-mail to a web site that pretends to be an update to the Flash program, and then download and install the update. If you have not done that, you are not infected.

[Prakhar]

if your computer works slowly......

[!amtheKing]

If you have the virus, Norton has the "facebook" anti-virus update in it and will catch it if you have the latest Norton update. The following will tell you all about the specific virus to which you refer.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Facebook's 120 million users are being targeted by a virus dubbed "Koobface" that uses the social network's messaging system to infect PCs, then tries to gather sensitive information such as credit card numbers.

It is the latest attack by hackers increasingly looking to prey on users of social networking sites.

"A few other viruses have tried to use Facebook in similar ways to propagate themselves," Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said in an e-mail. He said a "very small percentage of users" had been affected by these viruses.

"It is on the rise, relative to other threats like e-mails," said Craig Schmugar, a researcher with McAfee Inc.

Koobface spreads by sending notes to friends of someone whose PC has been infected. The messages, with subject headers like, "You look just awesome in this new movie," direct recipients to a website where they are asked to download what it claims is an update of Adobe Systems Inc's Flash player.

If they download the software, users end up with an infected computer, which then takes users to contaminated sites when they try to use search engines from Google, Yahoo, MSN and Live.com, according McAfee.

McAfee warned in a blog entry on Wednesday that its researchers had discovered that Koobface was making the rounds on Facebook.

Facebook requires senders of messages within the network to be members and hides user data from people who do not have accounts, said Chris Boyd, a researcher with FaceTime Security Labs. Because of that, users tend to be far less suspicious of messages they receive in the network.

"People tend to let their guard down. They think you've got to log in with an account, so there is no way that worms and other viruses could infect them," Boyd said.

Social network MySpace, owned by News Corp, was hit by a version of Koobface in August and used security technology to eradicate it, according to a company spokeswoman. The virus has not cropped up since then, she said.

Privately held Facebook has told members to delete contaminated e-mails and has posted directions at http://www.facebook.com/security on how to clean infected computers.

Richard Larmer, chief executive of RLM Public Relations in New York, said he threw out his PC after it became infected by Koobface, which downloaded malicious software onto his PC. It was really bad. It destroyed my computer," he said.

McAfee has not yet identified the perpetrators behind Koobface, who are improving the malicious software behind the virus in a bid to outsmart security at Facebook and MySpace.

"The people behind it are updating it, refining it, adding new functionalities," said McAfee's Schmugar.

[PrettyBoy]

Well what usually happens is your computer gets a lot slower(OVER TIME),your home page starts to change without your permission,allot of pop ups start to occur online and offline,when your browsing the internet u usually get redirected to other web pages that you weren't trying to go to and those are just a few it really depends on what type of virus it is because different viruses affect your computer in different ways the best thing for you to do is go to http://www.norton.com and download their pc check up application and run it by that it will tell you after it's done scanning your computer if you have a virus or not it usually takes about 10mins depending on your computer it may take longer if your computer is kinda slow

[tempo1]

Koobface, the Facebook "virus" will redirect your Google, Yahoo, Windows Live search away from those search engines to sites that will attempt to trick you into downloading a "player" or a "codec" to use the site.

But the key is to not get your computer infected in the first place.

Don't click on any links that are sent to you in Facebook, EVEN IF THE SENDER IS SOMEONE THAT YOU KNOW.

And if you end up on a site (ANY site) that trys to force a download on you in order to make the site "work" or a video to "play...run, don't walk, away from that site. These downloads are usually malware....Know exactly what you are allowing to be downloaded!

Koobface information:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/155017/fa...ombie.html