When was the last time you were infected and how?

[Charyb-0]

1. When was the last time you were infected by malware?

2. What was the name of it and what effect did it have?

3. If you know, how did you become infected?

4. With your experience, what is the most common method for you to run into malware?

Every couple of days I see the UPS/FedEx email show up in my junk folder and know better than to click on the link. The sender never has an authentic UPS or FedEx email address. At times, avast! will block a malicious site. Other than this, I rarely ever run into malware.

For me, I really need to put forth an effort to become infected by intentionally visiting malicious websites and running risky executables. Even then my security setup blocks these attempts.

[dmoore19]

  Hello, I currently am dealing with malware, but I'm unsure of its origin and we haven't figured out exactly what it is just yet. I'm pretty adamant about PC security so I usually only have to remove a few tracking cookies from time to time. I know better than to click links in chain mail messages and had different aspects of security (avast! Antivirus, MBAM, SAS, etc.) installed and updated prior to my infection. In retrospect, I just wish that I would've utilized portable compilers vs. downloading and installing them locally; I could be wrong, but I have a hunch that they played a part...

[Pondus]

1. about a year ago i think
2. Trojan Ransome.... russian version
3. did a mistake when uploading samples, managed to run the file instead of uploading     
4. when i download them.... every day     

Every couple of days I see the UPS/FedEx email show up in my junk folder and know better than to click on the link. The sender never has an authentic UPS or FedEx email address. At times, avast! will block a malicious site. Other than this, I rarely ever run into malware.

you should send the zip attachment to avast lab.   

[essexboy]

Unintentionally .. Never. 

Intentionally multiple times

[George Yves]

1. When was the last time you were infected by malware?

Never.

2. What was the name of it and what effect did it have?

See my first answer.

3. If you know, how did you become infected?

See my first answer again.

4. With your experience, what is the most common method for you to run into malware?

To insert an infected USB stick but my Avast is always on guard.

[MikeBCda]

Got to be close to 20 years ago, long before I had internet access.  When my system (DOS 5, IIRC) wouldn't work properly, I took it into the shop.  A couple of days later they told me "a virus" (they didn't identify it to me) had physically damaged the bios and mobo -- they replaced both, considerably upgraded, dirt-cheap, maybe $20-25.

Back in those days the most common transmission was via infected floppies, which is probably how I acquired whatever.

[Para-Noid]

1) February 2010
2) Trojan (Can't remember the name/type.)
3) Visiting an innocent(?) website.
4) Visiting innocent(?) websites.

I "was" using AVG when I got the infection. AVG failed to block it, but did catch it during a scan.
My son told me about avast. Decided to give avast a test run. avast has saved my computer
numerous times since then. It seems as if avast keeps blocking malware/infections. 
Been happily infection free using avast for three and a half years. 

Guess which a/v I use? 
My son still uses avast. 

[bob3160]

10 years ago when I changed over from Norton to avast! and avast! got rid of all the infections Norton missed.
That was also many OS ago.

[Secondmineboy]

1: Never
2: Number 1
3:Also see Number 1
4: Visiting malicious Websites or open nasty Mails

Before i used Avast, i had AVG, before i had my own Computer we had Norton, but the computer of my Grandpa got infected
with 3 Trojans, then we switched to Avg, as AVG was slowing down my system i switched to Avast, the others are still using AVG and my
Uncle uses Malwarebytes Pro with AVG.

[polonus]

Last real malware decided me to come here, install avast! av and join the avast! support forums, that is 8 years ago now.
Last time I was tricked with bundled BHO crap- or junkware from a non-malicious download site was a couple of weeks ago.
The uninvited hijacker also disabled the Google Chrome update profile settings in the registry, so I had to reset that in the registry.
Only use direct downloads now, as zipped bundles can come under the detection radar, and crap is often only cleansed by AdwCleaner and the likes
and sometimes not even fully disabled.
For cleansing tools go to anti-malware forum site download links, they are scanned not to contain these "extras".
I can understand that the developer of freeware software also has to pay the bills or wants to buy some decent marmalade to spread on his toast,
but pester users with bundled browser hijackers that border on being malcode and hard to uninstall is causing these to be once bitten twice shy,

polonus

P.S. All those in the UK, congrats with the birth of the royal baby boy - hippity hip hooray!!

Damian

[Dch48]

Never, no matter what security program I was using. I used Norton for 10 years without a problem, then Comodo, then Avast for almost 2 years, and now back to Comodo.

[polonus]

Hi Dch48,

Know that you take well-founded decisions. What did  you decide to return to Comodo?

Well I am very satisfied with the avast! Webshield and Networkshield as such.
I had no real file infections of course (also have NoScript and RP in the browser),
but I get an average of some 59 shield detections from scanning malware sites
to add to avast detection oversight each month.

This all because of my website scanning activities here
(third party scanning and cold reconnaissance only) -
not that dramatic really,
because when avast finds a piece of script even without real payload
it already will start to hoot  the sirens.

In the aftermath I always do a complete scan of all of  the browser folder
to take out the remainders of these flagged incidents.
With some scanning I use Malzilla that will cleanse all because it is sandboxed.

Well when if it furthers the avast! course, it is well worth it and I see no problem there 

polonus

[iroc9555]

1. When was the last time you were infected by malware?

First time was in 97-98. The next and last time was in 2006-2007.

2. What was the name of it and what effect did it have?

The first time I got all that you can imagine. Worms, viruses, trojans. My Win95 was a mess. 5-7 mins boots. the cursor would go everywhere but where I wanted. Could not write anything, or go to any website. The last time was an autorun inf that Avast! got most of it.

3. If you know, how did you become infected?

The first time. Norton expired and I did not know better. The last time I connected a drive for some music or pictures.

4. With your experience, what is the most common method for you to run into malware?

Now, it would be just browsing unknown sites or connecting someone else's flash, phone, EHDD.

[Coolmario88]

On this computer? Actually never to be honest..

[SpeedyPC]

I was never infected when I had my new laptop with W8 lucky for me with Avast Free and CIS as well