by Laura S.

Created on: November 16, 2008   Last Updated: January 01, 2009

Anyone who ever saw the Night of the Living dead movies, particularly the first one, knows that zombies are pretty scary creatures. But as scary as they are, chances are pretty good that you'll not be attacked by one of those kinds of zombies. However, the chances of your being attacked over the Internet and having your computer turned into a zombie computer is a very real threat to anyone who goes online.

Scammers who want to avoid detection send out viruses to the computers of unwary victims that turn their computers into zombies. Through your computer and those of other victims, a network is formed known as a botnet. The scammer then can use your computer to send out malware that may take the form of spam, Trojan horse keystroke logging programs, or even major denial-of-service attacks. Denial-of-service attacks occur when your computer and other zombies in the botnet flood a target Web site with data requests that it can't handle. The targeted Web site is effectively shut down as a result of such an attack. Threats of denial-of-service attacks have been used to extort money from major online businesses. At one time, it took some significant computer skills to create a zombie virus botnet, but now the technology has been dumbed down and sells for as little as $20 to criminal looking for a new opportunity to scam the public.

Sometimes it's difficult to know that your computer has been turned into a zombie. Some possible clues may be difficulty sending emails or using the Internet. You may even notice emails that are returned to you as being undelivered that you didn't send. If you have any concern that your computer is a zombie, have your computer scanned thoroughly by an expert to learn if it has been turned into part of a botnet and to remove the infection.

Security patches

The proverbial ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure has never been more accurate than in dealing with an infected computer that has been turned into a zombie. It is much easier to prevent the problem than to clean up the mess after the fact. Prowling cyberspace are worms looking for computers that have security flaws and holes to exploit. Windows software is the most commonly used computer operating system. Like all systems, it has flows. Microsoft does a good job of constantly updating its system with security patches, and it notifies people to install these security patches. Far too many people don't. Don't be one of those people. Update your software with security patches as soon as you're notified.

Unsolicited emails and downloads

Most malware, spyware, and zombie viruses attack your computer through unsolicited emails. Don't open any email if you're at all uncomfortable with it. And never download attachments from someone whom you're not totally confident is legitimate. It's in these attachments that many of these viruses come in. Also, many viruses and other malware come from sharing files with people you're not familiar with. Sharing music or games is a risky business even with people you know, because you don't know where their computer has been. They may be passing on not just their music but also an infection.

Change your browser

You may even want to indulge in a little overkill protection by considering using a browser other than Internet Explorer, which is, at the moment, the browser of choice of scammers sending zombie viruses. Alternative browsers such as Firefox are a good choice.

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