[infoshare] TDS 19 mar - Computer Protection
- From: "Lynnette" <superlynne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <infoshare@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:44:49 -0400
Hi, All.
this was such an excellent article, I just had to send it. Compliments of
Fred's head Companion!
How to Protect Yourself: Virus Information and FREE Virus Scanners
Posted: 18 Mar 2009 10:05 AM PDT
It seems that there is no end to viruses, trojans, and worms. We've seen
variants of the Beagle, Netsky, MyDoom, and so on and so on. Most of these
nasties were transported or replicated from pc to pc using email attachments.
These are easy to spot if you're paying attention, simply because they are
usually executable files, but not always.
Some attachments contain Macros (simple programs that run within other
programs-all the titles in Microsoft Office use macros). If you're not that
familiar with spotting file extensions, don't worry, that's what I'm going to
talk about in this article. If you're a little hazy on the whole "file
extension" thing then let's spend a few moments explaining it.
File extensions are what tell the program how to treat a particular piece
of data. For example, most people are somewhat familiar with .doc or a .txt
file extension, these are both text documents and when the user opens this file
the Operating System looks at this extension and then knows how to open it.
Bad Hackers try to use some sort of eye-grabbing ploy to get you to open
their email and activate the virus which is always an attachment. Most
Anti-virus nowadays stop, or at least warn, you of these high risk attachments
and even take measures to protect you. However, on the average, 10-15 new
viruses are created every day and I personally wouldn't count on any program to
100% protect my pc. That's why I scrutinize any email-if I wasn't expecting an
attachment, I won't open it until I had a chance to talk to the sender.
Some of the more common file types used to hide viruses include:
a.. .scr - Windows Screen Saver - USE CAUTION if you receive a screen
saver via email. They can contain worms or viruses
b.. .pif - DO NOT OPEN! This is most likely a virus. Clicking it will
run a program or code that can mess up your computer.
c.. .exe - executable file-a program that contains a virus, trojan
horse, or worm
d.. .pps - MS PowerPoint (can contain macro virus)
e.. .zip - Zip (compressed) file with a nasty surprise inside
f.. .vbs - Visual Basic script
g.. .bat - Executable MS-DOS batch file
h.. .com - DOS executable command
i.. .asp - active server page-internet script
j.. .doc - Word document (can contain macro virus)
k.. .xls - Excel file (can contain macro virus)
This is in no way a complete list. Just because an attachment may have
one of these extensions doesn't mean that it is a virus, but it should send up
warning flags. Bad guys use clever subject lines, and viruses can appear to
come from a friend so keep on your toes and don't fall victim to their
deceptive traps. Scan those attachments and verify with the sender before
opening.
Email Security Scan
Let's see how secure your defenses are against mail-born threats. Think
you're up to the test? Then read on.
The problem with all the security holes that arise from day to day is
that it's hard to keep up. "Am I protected?" you wonder, "I update constantly,
I scrutinize all my email messages, especially attachments, and read all of the
awesome security articles that appear in Fred's Head, but how do I know for
sure?"
Well, since such a large number of security holes center around email I'm
happy to tell you about a service that can check your system for potential
exploits. The service is a web based email scanner that you can tailor to send
out over 20 different emails, each attempting to defile your system with dummy
exploits. It's like hiring a security agent to go over your system and tell you
what aspects of your security is in good shape, and what areas could use some
improvement.
When set in motion, the scanner fires off the dummy viruses and exploits
to the specified email address. Don't be surprised if your virus software
starts popping up with security messages, as a matter of fact, this is exactly
what you want to happen, it means your system is seeing the threats coming in.
The emails themselves have message bodies describing what their
particular test was for and how to make sure you're protected from this sort of
attack. Some of the emails have attachments and some attempt to create text
documents on your desktop, the emails tell you exactly what to do to ensure the
tests ran correctly, thus providing an accurate assessment of your system's
defenses.
In addition to the testing your system for security holes this is also a
good way to educate yourself on some email-born security issues by getting a
chance to see them in action without putting yourself in any danger.
Click here if you would like to have your email security tested:
http://www.windowsecurity.com/emailsecuritytest/.
Free Virus Scanners
So, that new computer you purchased doesn't seem to be running as fast as
it did a few months ago? Your anti-virus program now says that your
subscription has ended? Sorry, can't help with this one.
But I do have some good news for you... I just saved a load of money on
my, oh wait... wrong commercial. Actually, I can help you. There are some
excellent free virus scanners, and some can even be run online.
I recommend Trend Micro's Housecall: http://housecall.trendmicro.com for
starters, which will scan your computer for viruses directly from the web. They
also offer a free online spyware scanner.
There's also Panda ActiveScan: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan
which scans, disinfects and eliminates over 90,000 viruses, worms and trojans
from your hard disks, compressed files and email.
Both of these sites are trustworthy and use an ActiveX applet to do the
scanning. If you have trouble starting the scan, your security settings may be
too high. Follow the instructions on the site to modify your settings and
things should work fine.
Use an Offline Virus Scanner
For maximum protection, I recommend that you also install a good
anti-virus program on your computer, which will scan your system at startup and
continuously thereafter. McAfee virus protection is now included with AOL
membership, and Road Runner offers their users the EZ-Armor package at no
charge. If your ISP isn't offering any freebies, check out the free AVG package
from Grisoft at http://free.grisoft.com . Screen reader users please note that
later versions of AVG are, unfortunately, not 100% compatible. This is
disappointing, I have used AVG for over seven years with no difficulty. I'm not
saying that you can't use the program, but you may be limited when accessing
program features and setup options.
Avast! Antivirus
After hearing about all the problems that Jaws users have encountered
when upgrading to AVG version 8.0, I decided to try to avoid those problems and
installed Avast Home edition on my computer. This version of Avast is free for
non-commercial use.
My experience with the program has been very positive. Installation was
straight forward and learning to use the program has been very easy.
For increased accessibility, after installation, Users should open the
program settings from the Avast icon on the system tray. From there, tab into
the common settings and be sure that the "use skins" item is not checked. I
would also recommend to tab into the "update basic" section and set the program
update option to automatic. Other than that, I left all other options at the
default settings.
The things I like about Avast:
1.. The computer scan ran in 20 minutes instead of 1 hour for AVG.
2.. Besides viruses, it's always scanning for rootkits and spyware
which AVG only did with the full paid version.
3.. It monitors all web pages for malicious activity, which AVG did not
do.
4.. It monitors all network traffic for network attacks and works in
conjunction with your firewall software.
5.. If you use IM clients or Peer-to-peer networks, it will protect you
on both of these fronts. If you don't use this, you can disable those services
to save resources.
6.. I noticed that after installing Avast, my computer boot up time is
about 1 minute faster.
7.. I have noticed that overall computer performance is better, which
is a nice unexpected benefit.
Things I don't like:
1.. Avast does not allow you to schedule a daily or weekly computer
scan with the free Home version. This really isn't a problem for me, since I
had disabled this in AVG and ran the scan manually. Running a scan is very
simple from the desktop icon.
2.. You are required to register the Avast Home product or it will stop
working 60 days after installation. This is a very simple process but does
require sighted assistance if done through their website. You can alternatively
send an email to the support team stating that you are a blind user who needs
to register and they will send you your registration code, which you will need
to paste into the registration screen. The registration is good for 14 months,
at which time you will need to re-register. Not a big sacrifice for free access
to such a great program.
3.. I did notice that downloading a large number of email messages in a
single batch was about 20% slower than with AVG. If you only use web mail and
not an email client such as Outlook or Thunderbird, then this will not affect
you.
Click this link to download avast! antivirus for your home computer.
NOD32 antivirus
ESET Smart Security is another accessible way to combat today's huge
volumes of Internet and email threats. It combines ESET's award-winning NOD32
proactive antivirus and antispyware protection with a powerful yet easy-to-use
firewall and robust antispam technology.
ESET Smart Security detects and disables both known and unknown viruses,
trojans, worms, adware, spyware, rootkits and other Internet threats. It's easy
to use yet simple to optimize for your specific needs.
Click this link to download ESET Smart Security.
Grisoft Anti-Rootkit
Rootkits are a type of specially crafted code that is embedded within
another application or even in a system's operating system. They spy on and
capture information from the infected system and are invisible to most
traditional antivirus solutions. This inability to identify the offending code
leaves the system compromised, while the owner feels as if they are protected
and they continue to conduct their business as usual.
Grisoft, the makers of the popular free personal antivirus solution AVG,
has seen the rise of rootkits over the past year or so and they have been
feverishly working to create a solution now, when the public needs it most.
Grisoft says that their program will successfully find and remove rootkits,
without hassling the user with false findings, prevalent in similar programs.
The program is simple to use too. Just download the application from
their website and install it to your computer. After the install, you will be
prompted to reboot your system. When your system has started back up, the AVG
anti-rootkit application will be in your Programs list (Start, All Programs,
AVG Anti-Rootkit) where it can be launched. From the main interface, simply
select either "Search for rootkits" or "Perform an in depth scan." Then just
watch the progress bar go.
At the end of the scan, the AVG Anti-Rootkit will display the results and
offer more options as necessary. It's that easy to check your system for
rootkits.
The rootkit remover has an update feature and it should be a very welcome
addition to any user's security and cleaning arsenal! Click this link for a
direct download of Grisoft Anti-Rootkit.
Animal Recordings Online
Posted: 18 Mar 2009 09:39 AM PDT
Lynne, who was unable to delete the last two lines of this message.
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