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Computer Safety Tips - How to prevent
Malwares - Trojan, Spyware, Virus and Adware- following are the few
easy steps to prevent spyware on your PC. Tweaking the apps you use
can make a difference. Also, consider using applications that are not
targeted by hackers. If you are uncomfortable following the steps
below, please consult a computer professional.
Never install more than one Antivirus and
Firewall! Rather than giving you extra protection, it will decrease
the reliability of it seriously! The reason for this is that if both
products have their automatic (Real-Time) protection switched on, your
system may lock up due to both software products attempting to access
the same file at the same time. Also because more than one Antivirus
and Firewall installed are not compatible with each other, it can
cause system performance problems and a serious system slowdown.
I also suggest to perform an online virus
scan once in a while. Because what one virus scanner can't find
another one maybe can. You'll find some good
Free Virus scanners here.
1. Please
install an Antivirus, Firewall and Antispyware.
If not present, here are some we recommend:
Please make sure you DON'T download and install any software
mentioned on the
Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products
list. These softwares are blacklisted because of their questionable
reputation.
2. Please make sure your Windows is ALWAYS up to date!
An unpatched Windows is vulnerable and even with the "best"
Antivirus, Firewall and Antispyware software installed, malware will
find its way through.
So visit
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
to download and install the latest updates.
Effective July 11/October 11, 2006, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second
Edition, Windows Me, Windows XP SP1 and SP1a will transition to a
non-supported status. Read here for more info:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/support/endofsupport.mspx
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifean19
So make sure you update!
Also read the
Top 10 reasons to install Windows XP Service
Pack 3 (SP3).
Also, not only your Windows should be up to date, but also the
Antivirus, Firewall and Antispyware programs you are using. This
since many programs may contain Security leaks. To find out if your
programs are up to date, run the
Secunia Software Inspector.
3. Please stay away from illegal/questionable sites.
This is one of the main causes why a computer gets infected. Visiting
warezsites/cracksites- and other illegal/questionable sites is ALWAYS
a risk. A single click on these sites can be responsible for
installing a huge amount of spyware. Please don't think: "I have good
Antivirus, Firewall and Antispyware programs installed, they will
protect me" - because that's not true... and even before you know it,
your Antivirus and Firewall and Antispyware programs may already be
disabled because spyware already found its way on your PC.
We recommend you to use
SiteAdvisor. McAfee
SiteAdvisor is a tool from McAfee that protects Internet users from
all kinds of Web-based security threats and annoyances including
spyware, adware, unwanted software, spam, pop-ups, online fraud and
identity theft.
4. Please be careful with mail attachements!
Malware spreads via email as well, especially email attachements.
The most common ones are emails telling you that your computer is
infected where you'll find the removal tool in the attachement, emails
telling you that your password has changed which you'll find in the
attachement, mails with product codes in the attachement from software
you purchased (while you didn't), attachements with so called Security
updates etc etc...
Don't trust these mails, don't even open them but remove them
immediately instead!
It may also happen you receive a mail from someone you know, but with
a questionable attachement present and strange contents in the mail.
In this case, this person - or someone else who has your address in
his/her addressbook - is infected with malware (worm/spambot) and
sends these mails without being aware of it.
Please don't click links in emails from someone you don't know,
because these links can redirect you to sites where malware gets
downloaded and installed.
Mailwasher is a free and great
Anti-spam tool which gives you the option to view your mails on the
server, sort them and delete the spam mails and other suspicious mails
directly from the server without them downloading to your mailbox.
For people who get dozens of spams daily, read this great article
where it explains spam and how to deal with it:
I hate Spam
5. When surfing...
- Don't click on links inside popups.
- Don't click on links in spam messages claiming to offer anti-spyware
software; because most of these so called removers ARE spyware.
- Download free software only from sites you know and trust.
Because a lot of free software can bundle other software, including
spyware.
- Be careful when watching online videos, especially when they ask
you to install a certain codec to watch the video. By default, your
mediaplayer should already have the necessary codecs installed to
watch online videos. In case you're prompted to install an
additional codec while trying to watch a movie online, it may be a
false alert and this so called codec may install malware. More info
here and
here.
- Don't install plugins (ActiveX) if you're not certain what it is
or why you need it.
A great program is
SpywareBlaster. SpywareBlaster
doesn`t scan and clean for malware, but prevents it from being
installed in the first place. It blocks the popular spyware ActiveX
controls, and also prevents the installation of any of them via a
webpage.
How to use SpywareBlaster
The
MVP Hosts File is a great addition to
block bad sites. This is accomplished by blocking these sites through
the hosts file.
Install
Internet Explorer 7 or another
alternative browser like
Firefox or
Opera for more secure surfing.
(However, keep in mind, as long as you don't stay away from
illegal/questionable sites, no browser will be secure enough)
Glubble is a great Firefox add-on if
you're having kids and want to manage the sites your kids are allowed
to see + extra additions.
6. Watch what you download!
If you want to install certain software, always go to the developer's
site to download the software from. Then you can be sure you're
downloading and installing the right software.
Beware of the fact that certain software (especially freeware) may
contain/bundled with extra software including spyware/adware. So only
install it when you're sure they are OK.
Read
here for more tips about safe
downloading.
To find out if what you download is ok and get more information about
the intentions of software and other bundled components such as
spyware/adware which may be present, use
EULAlyzer. EULAlyzer scans the End
user license agreements (EULAs) most software should show during
install and provides a detailed listing of potentially interesting
words and phrases, discovers if the software you're about to install
displays pop-up ads, transmits personally identifiable information,
uses unique identifiers to track you, or much much more.
The use of P2P Programs like Kazaa (which is bundled with adware/spyware
btw), Limewire, Torrentsites, Emule, Bearshare... is always a risk,
because you can never be sure what you exactly download. It isn't
always what it looks like. Important to know is that many P2P Programs
are also bundled with unwanted software (spyware/adware). To find out
which ones are safe to use and which ones are infected, take a look
here.
Also read
this article about the risks of using
P2P Programs.
7. More info....
... and tips how to protect your Pc, Protect yourself and Protect your
Family:
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