Re: How much to charge...

In article <dbsr539pmhdkis5lefq6g2rj845r0unc3u@xxxxxxx>,
zil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx says...
I have a neighbor that wants to pay me to clean spyware / viruses off
their computer and install a firewall on it. I told them I'd try, but
they might be better off restoring the system from the recovery cd and
starting new. I'm going to try the cleaning solution first, and if
that doesn't work, I'll restore from the recovery media. I don't know
what to charge them, and they insist on paying me for my time. I'll
outline my plan of attack below ? maybe you guys can give me some idea
of what a sensible charge for the work might be.

If you are accepting pay then you are liable for you work - that means
that you must CLEAN the machine, not just do a "good enough" job, you
must ensure that you return it as clean.

In a situation like this you can offer them two choices:

1) Clean the machine, possibly not getting all malware, but salvaging as
much of the machine as possible - they understand that cleaning malware
may result in the corruption of system and data files that could render
the computer unusable and require a reinstall from scratch.

2) Wipe the machine in a clean environment which means that the machine
will be free of any malware not included in the recovery/restore media.

When I give people the two options, if they pick #1, I make them sign a
document that states the above (actually a couple paragraphs on limiting
liability for me) so that they can't sue me for malware that remains.

At this time there is no way to be sure that you've properly "cleaned" a
compromised machine - all anti-malware is "reactionary" and the malware
must be known in order to remove it - this means that tools like David
Lipman's Multi-AV are great tools, but, if you run them, you will find
that each scanner in the tool finds things the others doesn't (which is
the true nature of scanners).

I would strongly suggest that you WIPE/Format and reinstall in a clean
environment.

--

Leythos
- Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.
- Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented worker" is like calling a
drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"
spam999free@xxxxxxxxxx (remove 999 for proper email address)
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Serious Issue
    ... Clean your system to see if you have malware ... http://www.randem.com/virusproblems.html if cleaning your system does not ... work try restoring your computer to an earlier date. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: about:blank
    ... cleaning, a re-install of the OS may often be a better choice than cleaning. ... If you want to try and clean your machine, then read ALL of this carefully ... Before you try to remove spyware using any of the programs below, download ... The process of removing certain malware may kill your internet connection. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: about:blank
    ... cleaning, a re-install of the OS may often be a better choice than cleaning. ... If you want to try and clean your machine, then read ALL of this carefully ... Before you try to remove spyware using any of the programs below, download ... The process of removing certain malware may kill your internet connection. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Search from address bar failure
    ... You've have CWS - see information below to clean it. ... The process of removing certain malware may kill your internet connection. ... Download, UPDATE before running, and run: ... malware garbage from your System Restore backups after you've cleaned up. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6.browser)
  • Re: Help as a "system cleaner"!
    ... >to people's houses and offices and cleaning malware and viruses ... The first decision to make, especially when you get busy, is what jobs ... - clean, log results ... Mugshot-recognition scanners for traditional malware ...
    (microsoft.public.security.virus)
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