Eyal Goldshmid: Beware the rogue anti-spyware program ‘Personal Security’ – TCPalm
Q: A new icon called "Personal Security" seems to have taken over my computer. This icon is a blue shield with a diagonal silver stripe, left to right. This icon pops up constantly, warning me that I am unprotected, despite the fact that I have AVG Free Edition as my anti-virus and SpyBot for spyware protection.When I attempted to delete this item (by highlighting it and hitting delete), I was not able to. I also tried to uninstall it, but was not allowed to do so either. Through some digging, I learned that the file behind this icon is named "Psecurity.exe." This morning, when I attempted to go from my AT&T-Yahoo.mail home page to the Microsoft website, a red screen appeared in my browser with a message reading, "This website has been reported as unsafe. We strongly recommend to discontinue the use of this website." Notice the poor English? Can you help me get rid of this, or will I have to take the computer to the shop?
— Meredydd Francke, Stuart
A: According to research, Personal Security is a "rogue anti-spyware program" that tries to get you to spend money on its "virus protection." Once you do, your problems will worsen — and you will have given out you credit card number to an unknown party as well. Bad news all around.Thankfully, the following URL offers a good explanation of the infective program, as well as a guide to removing it: bit.ly/etw2FM.
According to the site above, the infection does not seem difficult to remove from your system. However, as with all solutions, much is dependent on your technical capabilities. If you find yourself uncertain of your steps or over your head while the instructions found at the link above, please consider taking the machine to a repair shop and asking a technician to remove the virus for you. This will eliminate any guesswork you may have. In most cases, virus removal fees fall between $100 and $150.
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