malware

Kevin is having issues with his files and folders disappearing in Windows 10. Leo says that obviously that's not supposed to happen. It's easy to accidentally drag a file or folder somewhere without knowing it. He should use the search feature to try and find it again. He should also look in the trash can. If he can't find it there, then it could be a failing hard drive or malware. Some malware will do this. He can run a scan on his computer by pressing Windows Key + CMD and type "MRT" for the malicious software removal tool. Then he should run a full scan.

Nathan gets a lot of "sketchy emails," and he wants to know how he can avoid that. Leo says he really can't avoid it, but most email programs can render any malware written into an HTML formatted email neutral. If he's using his mobile device, there's really no exploits that can hijack the phone. It's possible, but not at all likely. Malware emails are more dangerous in a browser rather than an email client. He can turn off HTML in the settings if that worries him, though.

Sarah is worried she may have malware on her system. She ran malware bytes and it says she has 170 possible malware issues. Leo says that probably isn't the case. Malware Bytes will give false positives, or overreact to things in the browser it doesn't like. Malware Bytes can also slow the computer down. What really probably happened is that her browser simply crashed. Leo suspects that Sarah's hard drive is getting flaky, and is starting to fail. The good news is her computer is only a few months old and she can have it repaired under warranty.

Jay keeps getting a popup when surfing that says he's been infected with a virus. Should he be worried? Leo says no. Chances are, it's the website that has been hacked, and a piece of javascript has been put into that site. If he closes out the website, it simply goes away. It may also end up being some sort of extension that got installed in his browser. Jay should clear out all his extensions and it should solve it.

Brad accidentally downloaded some malware, but he can't find it to remove it. Leo says downloading a file is only half the equation. He then would have to run it. Since he can't find it, even in his download log, it's likely it was a failed download. On top of that, Brad runs a Mac, so he's even more secure than Windows. But he should always make sure he keeps his computer updated, just in case.

Jeff is getting strange random key strokes appearing in his browser bar. Leo says to try a different browser. Windows comes with both Edge and Internet Explorer. If it happens in both browsers, it could be a failing keyboard. Jeff should unplug his keyboard and try a new one. If he still has the issue, then it's a Windows problem, which could be malware or a browser hijack. He could try resetting his browser first. If that solves the problem, then he's fine. If not, then it may be that he'll need to reinstall Windows from a known good source.