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lollylegs_leslie · Mar 15, 2010, 01:14 AM

I can never tell if a website is real or not cause my computer has been hit with a few viruses caused by fake websites. Please help!!

justcurious55 · Mar 15, 2010, 01:19 AM

Define real website. Don't download things from websites you're not familiar with. virus protection isn't a bad idea either

ScottGem · Mar 15, 2010, 04:05 AM

Just is right, you need to define what you mean by real. You shouldn't go to a website unless you are familiar with it or the company/person who controls it.

FadedMaster · Mar 15, 2010, 05:29 AM

I think the OP is referring to Phishing attempts.

If you are using sites like MySpace or Facebook for example, never enter any information of yours into a webpage that does not have the actual web address of the site. If you click on a link and it asks you to log in, use a bookmark to go to the page you know is the right one and log in.

morgaine300 · Mar 15, 2010, 02:59 PM

A bookmark is definitely the best way to get there. But sites can also be hijacked and you can still have an issue. And you can't always tell that it's fake. There's some clues, but you can't always tell. (If anything seems "funny" I'd close the browser.)

So you need to look from a preventive point of view. Getting anti-virus software isn't just a "good idea" - it's a must. (There are some good free ones that are better than the commercial things like Norton. I personally use Avast.) And then a firewall to further protect yourself. If you're getting viruses a lot, then there's an issue going on -- either you're doing way too many unsafe things, clicking on things you shouldn't, etc. or you just have no protection. These days, you don't have to go to a bad site to get a virus -- all you need to do is be connected. I'm not convinced that you're just continually going to hijacked sites, so you're doing something else. (The term "real" site is usually saying it's not hacked or something, but a porn site full of viruses and malware can be "real.")

So get yourself some protection and keep it updated. And don't go around clicking on unknown stuff. Even the safest of us can get a virus (I just got a minor one a bit over a week ago), but you can certainly do something to stop most of it.

Read the sticky at the top of this forum.