Is it Possible For Your Computer to Be Infected by a Virus Without You Knowing it?

Under some circumstances, one may have his/her computer infected with virus without knowing it, especially if the virus is FUD (FULLY undetectable), then it simply means that no anti-virus can detect it.

However, the good news is that viruses can't stay FUD for long.

There is no single anti-virus program which is designed to eliminate all types of viruses that have been ever made. As Anti-virus is always one step behind virus, it is of no surprise that any new Anti-Virus program is developed only after a new Virus is found. However, as pre-caution, please frequently check your anti-virus program to make sure it is working as the latest virus may disable your anti-virus program without you knowing it!

Here are some clues to look out for, clues if your computer might get hijacked
- your computer is having frequent periods of prolonged slowdowns
- your search results come back all wrong
- you get sent to websites you had no intention of visiting
- you start to receive mails accusing you of sending spams; you find email messages in your "outbox" that you didn't send

To avoid your computer from being virus infected easily, here's what you can do,
- Make sure you always have the latest anti-virus software installed on your computer.
- Try a remote service which can scam your computer and remove the virus with a fee
- Immediately reinstall your operating system if you sense unusual performance on your PC
- Don't open unknown mails especially with attachment files.
- Use a firewall to protect your computer from hacking attacks while it is connected to the Internet. A properly configured firewall makes it tougher for hackers to locate your computer and get into your system.
- MS Wndows (XP and Vista) has a software firewall built-in which you need to turn on. If your operating system doesn't include any firewall, you can install a separate firewall software that runs in the background while you use your computer to surf the Internet.
- Most routers (like Dlink, Linksys, Netgear) have their hardware firewalls built-in. A hardware firewall is an external device that includes firewall software. Like anti-virus software, any particular firewall software needs to be upgraded regularly to stay effective.

If your computer is affected by computer viruses,
- Immediately disconnect from the Internet (Unplug the cable connecting you to the DSL router, and the cable modem)
- Then scan your entire computer with fully latest updated anti-virus software
- Report any unauthorized access that the anti-virus software finds to your ISP.
-If you suspect that any of your passwords have been compromised, directly call up the site's company immediately and change your password on the spot.
- As you can't delete a virus from the infected computer. You need to get an adapter and a USB cord to run the Anti-Virus on another computer.

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