You get what you pay for: Hackers got their hands on 19 million IP addresses by luring people in with “free” downloads like MaskVPN and DewVPN. If you ever downloaded a free VPN, uninstall it ASAP. My pick is ExpressVPN for a solid, safe option.
Ask Kim: How should I handle a program that suddenly appeared on my PC?
There’s a program on my desktop that I didn’t install. How do I remove it?
— A reader in Minnesota
You’re wise to be concerned if you see an unfamiliar icon on your desktop or the Start menu. It certainly could be malicious software.
Ask your family if you share the computer or if someone else uses it occasionally, just to be sure. If no one recognizes the program, scan this list for common signs you’re dealing with malware or a hacker. This includes oddly slow performance, lots of pop-ups and extra data usage.
Even if it’s not strictly malware, plenty of shady programs can clog up your computer and make it run poorly. You need to uninstall the software.
For Windows PCs:
- Click the Start menu button and scroll until you find the app you want to remove.
- Right-click on its icon, then choose Uninstall.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to finish up.
For Macs:
- Click the Finder icon in your dock — the blue icon that looks like a smiling face.
- Click Applications on the left-hand side of the window.
- Find the icon for the app you want to remove and drag it into your Trash can.
- Click on the Trash can in your dock, then Empty.
More ways to protect against malware
Removing a malicious program is a good start, but there are more things you can do to stay protected. Here are a few suggestions:
- Keep your devices updated to get the latest security patches.
- Only download apps from official app stores. Always go to the official source and double-check that you are installing the correct app. Even though bad apps still get through, this is still the safest way.
- Watch out for apps that use a similar logo to other popular apps or have similar functions. Also, check reviews to see if others are warning about suspicious activity.
- Pay attention to permissions. Stay away if an app wants full access to your text messages or notifications.
- Have trustworthy antivirus software on all your devices. We recommend our sponsor, TotalAV. Right now, get an annual plan of TotalAV Internet Security for only $19 at ProtectWithKim.com. That’s over 85% off the regular price!
❓ Have a question for me? Drop it right here, or leave me a voicemail at 602‑381‑8200 ext. 290.
Security tip: The right way to clean out your smartphone apps
The word audit usually drums up feelings of anxiety. Nobody wants others poking into their business. However, when it comes to your phone, an audit might be your best path to privacy.
The process is simple. Go through each of your apps and ask yourself one question: “Do I really need this?” Tap or click here for five apps you should delete from your device.
Apps with 421M downloads … and hidden malware
Sorry, Android users. More bad news for you on the app front. (I know, it never ends.) Security researchers at Dr. Web found spyware in more than 100 popular apps. The most popular ones on the list have over 100 million downloads.
Tech fix: What to do when you can't download apps to your Android phone
Unfortunately, there are times when the apps you want to add to your Android won’t download. You may try and try but end up staring at the screen, waiting endlessly for the app to load on your device.
Complicating the issue is there are tons of reasons apps won’t download. Here are some steps to troubleshoot the problem and download apps again on your Android.
Save space on your computer by disabling these 7 Windows 10 features
Your computer doesn’t come out of the box perfectly optimized. There are a few built-in features that might even slow your system down. Some exist to help you, like Windows 10’s Power saver plan.
This feature lowers your PC’s performance to save energy. If you don’t like it, change it by heading to Control Panel and clicking Hardware and Sound. Click Power Options > Show additional plans > High performance.
Delete these malicious Android apps immediately
We’ve warned you about Chinese apps you need to remove from your phone, and now we need to look to another part of the world.
Over 60 Korea-based apps were removed from Google Play and the ONE store (Korea’s biggest app store). The apps were downloaded more than 100 million times. Here’s what you need to know
Easy tricks to speed up your slow computer
Picture this: Your phone is barely a year old and running at a snail’s pace. You blame the manufacturer and mumble something about planned obsolescence. Before you go off on a rant, check out our guide to the top seven reasons your phone is running slow.
This PC ‘toolbox’ is hiding malware that secretly generates revenue
The launch of Windows 11 might not have been as smooth as Microsoft anticipated, but users were nonetheless excited to tinker with the new features. One of these, exclusive to the latest operating system, is the ability to run Android apps on a desktop PC.
Security alert: Apps with 142.5M downloads caught leaking user details
There are thousands of apps available for Android devices, but not all are secure as they could be. Every time you download a new application, there is a slight possibility that it can put your data at risk. Tap or click here to see how 100 million users’ data got exposed through various misconfigurations.
Easy way to clear space on your PC or Mac
An exciting new program just came out to optimize your business and you want to get it. Or, perhaps you decided to finally see what all the fuss is about with Fortnite, so you try to download it to your computer. But when you hit download, you get an error message. Your computer storage is full.
Adobe Flash is officially dead - Here's how to remove it from your computer
Adobe’s Flash Player has been a staple of web development for decades, somewhat integral to websites running smoothly. But over the last few years, companies like Google and Microsoft have moved away from Flash.
Google said in 2017 that it would no longer support the technology in its Chrome browser, and Microsoft’s Edge browser removed Flash functionality. That’s why some of your favorite websites and video games will be changing how they function or go away forever. Tap or click here for details on the end of one viral game.
Another reason not to download TikTok: Fake version steals passwords, reads texts
It’s no exaggeration to say that TikTok is in hot water in the U.S. The app has been accused of being a national security threat by the Trump Administration — and now, American company Oracle has swooped in to potentially manage the app’s data going forward. If this new plan isn’t’ able to come together, TikTok and its assets will be banned from the U.S.
Browser feeling sluggish? Speed up Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge
All of us are relying on the internet more than ever these days for work, school and shopping. Because of the pandemic, most of us are doing all of our daily routines online — which is why having a fast, secure connection is so important to so many people.
Malware spreading through 19 apps you need to delete right now
Sometimes, when you’re hunting for new apps to download, you’ll stumble upon a program that seems to make your phone worse. Once you install it, you start noticing performance issues, slowdowns or annoying advertisements any time you try to use your phone. What could cause this?
47 apps filling smartphones with malware - see the list
There’s another malware epidemic brewing on the Google Play Store thanks to a batch of deceptive apps that hide their icons and infest phones with advertisements.
Typically, Google removes these kinds of offending apps before more people make the mistake of downloading them. But some of the apps are still live on Google Play for now. Tap or click here to see a recent bad batch of Google Play apps to remove from your phone.
Windows 10 update: Is this one safe to install?
Windows 10 updates tend to come in cycles. First, a new security flaw is found and an update is released to fix it. Then, that same update is found to cause significant glitches, prompting a second update to fix the bugs. Then, that update is found to cause more glitches and security flaws, rinse and repeat.
Windows 10 fail: Latest update creates more problems
We’re always advising you to keep all of your devices current with the latest updates. Not only your gadgets, but also all of the apps you have installed.
That’s because most updates come with patches to vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. Tap or click here for a recent example.
Performance-killing apps you need to delete from your phone
How’d you get along all those years without apps? There was a time, not long ago, when you didn’t even know what an app was — none of us did! Yet, in just a few years we’ve gone from none, to a few hundred, to a few million apps.