We’re not even in 2009 yet and already here is an offering promising to rid us of all the many infections compromising our computers. Power Antivirus 2009 is another of these rogue anti-spyware programs that set up shop on your computer, produce fake scan results that entice you into buying their also fake antispyware software fix. It is the new and updated version of the much-hated Antivirus 2008.

Power Antivirus 2009 most often shows up as byproduct of a Zlob Trojan, installed on your computer through a video codec installer that is “needed to view this video”. You trustingly download the codec and the fun begins! Soon, (okay nearly immediately!) you’re presented with a phalanx of phony warnings telling you that your PC is awash in infection, and that you desperately need to download their essential software fix to rid your computer of these ills. Of course, none of this is true. It has run a phony scan, delivered you phony results, and then recommended phony fixes, all the while attempting to con you out of real dollars!

Plus, once you’ve clicked on the link to their fix, you’re sunk. It’s nearly impossible to rid yourself then of these “offers”, that keep replicating themselves deep inside your system. This is one of the more insidious features of spyware/malware like this: the fact that they can recreate themselves, even if you’ve gone to the trouble of attempting to delete it from your system through your program files. The hits just keep on coming!

One of the more troubling aspects of this spyware is its ability to install other, more nefarious utilities onto your computer. It does this by opening a backdoor, and ushering in all sorts of problems. These can include particularly nasty little devils like keyloggers, which note every keystroke that is made on your computer, thereby opening the door to all sorts of evil possibilities. Imagine critical passwords to your online accounts, credit card numbers, pin numbers, card security numbers and codes, important personal info such as social security numbers and more. The mind boggles at the degree that we’ve stored much of our vital information on our computers, and then simply assumed they were safe. This is no longer the case in today’s world. It’s estimated that 1 in 4 computer users today will have a major virus/spyware/malware ordeal, so this is not some isolated thing other people go through. It can and probably will at some point happen to you. If you’re reading this, it most likely already has!

Protecting yourself completely from this sort of malady is simple: don’t go online. If that’s not an option, and for most of us it’s not, keep your anti-virus software up to date and protect yourself from these types of malicious spyware and malware with the best anti-spyware solution you can find. My favorite is SpyZooka, the only one with a 100% money back guarantee.