The Computer Repair Alert Skype Scam

'Computer Repair Alert' is a Skype-based fake error message sent out by criminals as a prelude to a money-stealing scam. 'Computer Repair Alert' will provide links to malicious websites under the guise of helping you cure your PC of infections. 'Computer Repair Alert' isn't related to Microsoft or any other genuine PC brand and can't detect infections on your computer. It's strongly recommended that you remove 'Computer Repair Alert'-related programs through the judicious application of anti-malware scanners.

Abusing Your Contact Information for Ill-Gotten Gain

'Computer Repair Alert' isn't an infection by itself but is strongly related to the distribution of malicious programs such as Trojans. Targets of 'Computer Repair Alert' messages have already had their Skype information harvested and put in criminal possession, so there's no way to make 'Computer Repair Alert' problems stop for a given Skype account name. If you're not prepared to ignore periodic 'Computer Repair Alert' messages, you can switch account names, block messaging Skype users who aren't on your contact list or switch messaging programs.

The 'Computer Repair Alert' message will try to convince you that 'Computer Repair Alert' is a legitimate warning from a 'Microsoft engineer' or similar entity. If you click on the link that 'Computer Repair Alert' gives you, you'll be directed to securityinfoline.net. This malicious website will, in turn, try to make you believe that your computer is crammed full of infections that require a special patch download to fix.

The Trojan Hidden in the Sleeve of 'Computer Repair Alert'

The ironic truth is that those who visits the 'Computer Repair Alert' website may have an infected PC, but only because securityinfonline.net causes the infection! 'Computer Repair Alert' websites are known to distribute Trojans through fake patch downloads. The 'Computer Repair Alert' Trojan will then cause attacks like the following:

• The 'Computer Repair Alert' Trojan will infect your computer with a second infection known as a rogue security program. These applications pretend to be helpful anti-virus utilities, but they actually cause many problems for your computer. The most noticeable sign of a rogue program infection is the appearance of frequent system errors and infection warnings that aren't verified by other, more reputable scanners.
• You may find your web browser being hijacked by the 'Computer Repair Alert' infection. Your homepage can be changed to a strange one, your search results can be altered to redirect you to different websites, errors can be used to wall off safe websites, and unusual links can appear in online content.
• Applications may malfunction. This is especially probable to include anti-virus and security-related software, but it can also encompass unrelated innocent programs like FireFox and Notepad. You may also receive fake errors telling you that these programs are infected with keyloggers or other kinds of malware.

Removing 'Computer Repair Alert' malware is critical to keeping your computer's security at a respectable level, but you shouldn't try to do this in the same way that you'd remove a normal application. Failing to use an updated and high-quality anti-malware scanner to delete 'Computer Repair Alert' malware can cause other problems for your PC, and is likely to fail in the hands of the average PC user.

It should also be noted that many spam messages like 'Computer Repair Alert' have been known to appear in Skype even with the Skype user's settings set to block messages from non-contact entities. This places additional emphasis on being careful about what you click on since even a few seconds of exposure to 'Computer Repair Alert' websites can result in Trojan attacks on your PC.