Ginger

My husband recently cleaned up a computer for a friend that had become infected with a trojan. The post is over at Capital G Geek. The pertinent information is in the first two paragraphs which I will copy into my blog.

Another friend asked me to debug their computer - this after about an hour of phone support which didn’t help much. Their problem was fairly straight forward. They had gotten infected with a trojan that would frequently pop up a message that their computer was infected, and clicking on the message took them to the site www(dot)virprotect(dot)com. Don’t go there, they aren’t a legitimate company. It took some doing, but I was finally able to remove all traces of that relatively new and nasty little app. You can find more info about that and others like it at http://www.spyware-techie.com/virprotect-removal-guide/

Basically, these trojans (named after the trojan horse) work by convincing the unsuspecting user to purchase a ‘anti-spyware’ application sold by them, which removes the popup. Sometimes it also includes other nasty things as well. Extortion, pure and simple. Immunizing your PC with Spybot after each update will prevent ’some’ of them. Safe browsing habits will help with the rest. In a nutshell, don’t download or install ANYTHING that you don’t know exactly what it is and who created it. Search for the name of the app, site name, and download file name with the term ’spyware’ or ‘adware’ and see if it comes up with anything. If not, and you really must have the trinket, scan the download with your virus scanner and spyware/adware scanners before running it. READ the license agreement when it installs to see if it says anything about displaying ads or reporting data and cancel the install if anything looks funny.

I am posting this again. I was looking at the incoming links under the dashboard of my blog. I went to the site and it immediately started scanning with an application known as ActiveX ( linked for removal instructions if you have this). It was telling me that I had malicious spyware and needed to download this program to clean up my machine. I recognized the name from the many that my husband had mentioned. I closed the screen but did so before writing down the information. I went back to the link and upon opening it again it was showing a different spyware known as Spy Shredder. I did not recognize that name but am assuming (correctly according to hubby) that it is also another type of mal-ware.

I wanted to post a warning to my friends. If you open something and this happens, do not click accept. Close the window. You should be safe as long as you do not accept and download the software.

Since my husband is sick and asleep on the couch. I decided to play computer geek… If you only knew how funny that is…you would be falling off your chair laughing. My sons would say rolling on floor laughing out loud. I closed all of my windows and ran an AVG Antivirus scan. That was clean. I then did a Spyware/Adware scan. Still clean….

Could you just see my husband blogging that one…..?! The Geeks wife, who should know better, infests her computer with a malicious trojan or some such nasty. I am not sure which one of us would have the harder time living that one down.

He is quite proud of the fact that the three computers in his office, the school room computer, the desktop in the living room and my laptop have not had any type of bug. The computers in his office have been up and running for over 4 years now. The same with the school and upstairs computers. He is slightly annoyed but accepts that the laptop is the only computer not set up behind his firewall.

I am extremely careful and try to be a good girl. I have learned that if I want to download anything, make sure I read the fine print before I click the I accept button.

If your computer all ready has suitable antivirus protection, do not click on those sites if you should run across one. Warn your children. That was how our friends computer became infected with a trojan.

Another helpful tidbit…..This site has a list of the nastiest rogue anti spyware programs.  They also list instructions on removal….

Wow….How is this for a change?  I am playing the Geek…. :-) 

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (KJV)

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (KJV)

I have three giants in my life. Worry, lack of peace and wrong thinking.

I was doing a word study on verse 8. My eyes kept wondering back to verse 6. Actually it was my mouse but where the cursor rolled there the eyes followed. I was working my way through Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. I was looking at the meaning of each word in the Greek along with the various definitions. I had several commentaries open reading what the sages had written.

Robertson’s Word Pictures gave me an interesting look at these two verses. It was in that particular commentary that I decided to click on verse 6. That was when I had my ah ha moment. We look at some things so many times that we do not always connect the dots or see the correlation between the two.

In verse 6 we are told “Be careful for nothing….”. Mind you I had just sat here for the last hour looking up each word in verse 8. My eyes flitted back and forth and my head is cocked to one side looking at the words ‘to be careful’ and ‘not to be anxious’. When Paul wrote those words, be careful for nothing, the Greek word ‘merimnao’ is used which means ‘not to be anxious’.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.(KJV)

When I put verses 6,7 and 8 together I come up with a circle. My circle only has to make sense to me.

Philippians 4:8 could read……Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true (not concealing, genuine, straight, precise, exact, not counterfeit, free from falsehood, not fraudulent), whatsoever things are honest (venerable, grave, upright, fair, sincere, decent, suitable, frank, unimpeached), whatsoever things are just (equitable, innocent, orderly, suitable, proper, principled, accurate), whatsoever things are pure (properly clean, innocent, modest, chaste, incorrupt, free from defilement, not sullied, guiltless, without spot or blemish ), whatsoever things are lovely (acceptable, friendly, towards, amiable), whatsoever things are of good report (well spoken of, reputable, held in high esteem, good character, good conduct, distinction, not disgraceful); if there be any virtue (valor, strength, bravery, moral goodness, abstaining from vice, temperance, voluntary obedience to truth), and if there be any praise (laudation, commendable, meritorious, glorifying, extolling, applaud, magnify, honor), think (conclude, estimate, reckon, reason, impute, consider,reflect,meditate,recollect, suppose) on these things.

If my mind and heart are focused on the above verse, then I will not have time nor could I give place to being anxious. Be careful for nothing; not to be anxious or greatly concerned.

If my mind and heart are focused on the above verse there is no time to be anxious but only time to give all things over to God in prayer and supplication and let my requests be known. I am supposed to turn it over and think on other things (vs 6). I am to cast ALL my cares upon him……(I Peter 5:7).

In return, my heart and mind would be kept in the peace of God which passeth all understanding.

I cannot say that I know true peace. I cannot keep myself from being anxious and worrying. I do know what is hindering me from experiencing the peace that only God can give. My thoughts are not focused on where they should be.

I want to strive everyday to think on that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy. I am going to run from thoughts of complacency, doubt, fear, regret and mistakes. If I can always keep that in the forefront of my mind and first place in my heart then judging by that list of words in verse 8, I will not have time to worry. There could not possibly be enough room in my head for any more than that. Certainly no room for worry.

To know the peace of God…..through Christ Jesus? Perfect peace. My mind is too puny to wrap itself around that thought. I know the peace of my salvation. I do not doubt my salvation. I do not have peace for daily living. My mind and emotions take me places that should be put aside.

I sat here asking myself why is that kind of thinking so difficult for me or anyone for that matter. My only thought is that it requires a level of blind trust that I do not have. It requires an acceptance of a free gift that my nature continues to feel it must work for. It requires not dragging out of the closet of my mind every mistake I have made and worrying over the mistakes of the future.

Either way I look at it, I see a circle. The circle should begin at verse 6. Since I cannot seem to stop being anxious and worrying, then I must begin on verse 8. By focusing my thoughts on verse 8, I can see no room for being anxious. Constantly casting all my cares on God through prayer will give me the peace of God………

If my eyes were looking up………..

Matthew 17:8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

Who or what is the one thing or person that personifies and is everything in verse 8?

Jesus Christ……………..

I need to stop looking at my feet and start looking up to the Son………..