From instant wipes to careful cleans: a shift in my malware strategy

I used to always recommend a full wipe for any computer with a virus. It felt like the only safe way to make sure the problem was gone. But seeing how much data people lost made me rethink things. Now I use targeted tools to remove malware without erasing everything. It takes more time, but clients are way happier when their files are safe.

3 comments

3 Comments

diana_ramirez6d ago

Totally agree with you... seen too many "cleaned" systems come back with the same junk weeks later. My rule is wipe first, ask questions later, saves everyone headaches. Feels cleaner starting fresh anyway.

dianahayes6d ago

Honestly, that shift sounds like a bad idea to me. Wiping is the only sure way to know the malware is gone. Those tools might leave bits behind, and then you're back to square one. Telling clients to back up their data is part of the job. I'd rather they be annoyed at losing time than risk their system getting hit again.

the_wyatt6d ago

Wait but what do you do when a full wipe just isn't an option? Some clients have old software or hardware setups where a clean install would be a total nightmare to rebuild from scratch. Isn't there a middle ground for those cases, or do you just turn them away? Feels like saying "always wipe" might ignore the messy real world situations.