The Dangers of Online PC Software Checks
If you are a regular user of the Internet, there is a fair chance that you will have seen advertisements in various sites for something like a "Free Online PC Software Check".
Sometimes these will invite you to click on a link that will claim to be able to scan your PC's hard disk with a view to both removing viruses and malware or sometimes in order to speed your PC up. A slight variation on the theme is sometimes seen where the advertisement offers to check just how fast your Internet connection is.
It should be noted that some of these so-called services may be legitimate but numbers of them are not and they would be highly dangerous to progress further with.
Frustrations with your PC
One of the commonest experiences around for technical computer support staff is users of technology complaining that their PC or network is running slowly.
In fact, that can easily happen and it could arise through any one of a number of causes. It is also true that in an increasingly security-conscious age, people are becoming ever more aware of the dangers of viruses etc. and are keen to try and make sure that their systems are clean.
So, the attractions of such apparently free deals on the net are obvious but the dangers rather less so.
What are the dangers?
In order to thoroughly check your PC for viruses or its performance, you need to allow a piece of software to look quite deep into its internals. As a result, as the software is going into the very deepest components of your machine, it also potentially has the opportunity to wreak havoc.
Numbers of free online checks are unfortunately simply malicious pieces of software that, under the guise of trying to help you, may well be placing viruses and other undesirable software (e.g. advertisements) into the very core of your system.
The basic solution here is very simple - don't assign access or control of your PC to an external piece of software unless you are absolutely sure you know who it is from and what they are doing.
For example, allowing an external technical computer support specialist that you know to be from a reliable company and who you are paying for their services to run software across your system to check for problems is one thing. Giving such permissions and access to somebody on the Internet you have never heard of is quite another.
Don't believe the label
Try to keep in mind that many crooks using such apparent free offers to gain access to your system, may well have littered their advertisement or website with impressive-looking names such as Microsoft or Apple etc.
That doesn't mean anything and should not be interpreted as indicating that their services being provided by such household-name companies or that the organisation offering the check has been approved by them.
If you are having problems with your system, be prepared to spend a relatively modest sum of money on a professional and verifiable computer support company who will be able to offer you assistance. Don't trust free offers on the net to do it for you because the chances are, they may be too good to be true!
Sometimes these will invite you to click on a link that will claim to be able to scan your PC's hard disk with a view to both removing viruses and malware or sometimes in order to speed your PC up. A slight variation on the theme is sometimes seen where the advertisement offers to check just how fast your Internet connection is.
It should be noted that some of these so-called services may be legitimate but numbers of them are not and they would be highly dangerous to progress further with.
Frustrations with your PC
One of the commonest experiences around for technical computer support staff is users of technology complaining that their PC or network is running slowly.
In fact, that can easily happen and it could arise through any one of a number of causes. It is also true that in an increasingly security-conscious age, people are becoming ever more aware of the dangers of viruses etc. and are keen to try and make sure that their systems are clean.
So, the attractions of such apparently free deals on the net are obvious but the dangers rather less so.
What are the dangers?
In order to thoroughly check your PC for viruses or its performance, you need to allow a piece of software to look quite deep into its internals. As a result, as the software is going into the very deepest components of your machine, it also potentially has the opportunity to wreak havoc.
Numbers of free online checks are unfortunately simply malicious pieces of software that, under the guise of trying to help you, may well be placing viruses and other undesirable software (e.g. advertisements) into the very core of your system.
The basic solution here is very simple - don't assign access or control of your PC to an external piece of software unless you are absolutely sure you know who it is from and what they are doing.
For example, allowing an external technical computer support specialist that you know to be from a reliable company and who you are paying for their services to run software across your system to check for problems is one thing. Giving such permissions and access to somebody on the Internet you have never heard of is quite another.
Don't believe the label
Try to keep in mind that many crooks using such apparent free offers to gain access to your system, may well have littered their advertisement or website with impressive-looking names such as Microsoft or Apple etc.
That doesn't mean anything and should not be interpreted as indicating that their services being provided by such household-name companies or that the organisation offering the check has been approved by them.
If you are having problems with your system, be prepared to spend a relatively modest sum of money on a professional and verifiable computer support company who will be able to offer you assistance. Don't trust free offers on the net to do it for you because the chances are, they may be too good to be true!
Category: software
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