District Attorney's Office Warns About Zombies!

Once your computer has been compromised, it is called a "zombie" because someone other than you is controlling it. If your computer is hijacked, it can become a "botnet" and used to create or send spam or viruses to other computers. In June 2007, the FBI said more than 1 million home computers had been hijacked to become a botnet.

"Like an invisible thief in the night, you won't even know it's there," said Storey about computer worms and trojans. "It can hijack your browser, steal your personal information for identity thieves, use your e-mail address for illegal activities, redirect your search attempts and track Web sites you visit. It's difficult to identify and even if you remove it from your computer, it will often attach itself!"