.inPacifica.comStop Computer Viruses, Adware, Spyware, & Scumware - Stopping them Cold!
These days, whenever my computer starts to act a little
bit odd, I immediately start to worry that I may have been infected with a
computer virus. I back up my files religiously because I know I can be
careless in deleting files. My back-ups have saved our little businesses from a
major disaster more than once. It would be devastating if a real virus attack
destroyed my files, and that's exactly what could happen if your computer is
infected. I run some simple anti-virus software, but I know I should
be doing more and so I've started to look into the options.
There are some simple steps you must take to avoid becoming a victim of
computer viruses. I've listed some of them below. Largely, it boils down to using
good anti-virus software and being aware of how these programs spread. This simple
step can be the difference between surviving the next virus outbreak and becoming
another victim who's lost time, data, and, of course, money.
The essential step is to install effective anti-virus software.
The easiest way is to buy one of the two major anti-virus
programs - either Norton Anti-Virus or McAfee Anti-Virus. There are several other
commercial packages that are also respectable, but you'll get the best support from the
user community with one of big guns. My new laptop came with Norton Anti-Virus installed,
and I am very happy with it. It automatically checks with the Symantec website for new
updates, so I'm protected against the latest threats. It works seamlessly with all of the
EMail programs I use, including Outlook Express, Netscape Mail (part of the Netscape Navigator
package), and Qualcomm's Eudora. And by following the manufacturers' recommendations, everything
went very smoothly when I installed the SP2 upgrade to Windows XP. So, as I say, I'm happy as
a clam with Norton and highly recommend it.
The primary benefit of all of the commercial packages is
the frequency and ease of updating the virus definition files that these programs use
to detect viruses. With new viruses popping up all the time, unless your protection
software is kept updated, you start to become ever more vulnerable to infection. So the
commercial packages have benefits that you need to keep in mind before trying a cheap fix
or simply using the ostrich approach and hope the problem will just go away.
That's not to say there aren't other reasonable solutions. For the
budget-minded, there are dozens of shareware and freeware programs available from the
various download websites. I spotted a freeware package called "Avast
4 Home Edition that
has a very good reputation. There are other popular shareware programs like AVG from
Grisoft that are easy on
the budget. Check them out at CNET's Download.com.
I hear good things about a free anti-virus program offered by http://www.free-av.com,
and there's an excellent article on free security software for Windows, Macintosh, and
Linux users on Ars Technica.
If your computer is doing something strange and you suspect a computer virus,
check out the bottom of this page where you'll find a way to get a free virus scan. This
scan is offered by Trend Micro, a maker of one of the most popular anti-virus programs. The online scan
won't catch everything, so you'll want to check out the spyware and adware removal tools listed
below as well, but if the test comes back positive, you'll know you've been infected.
Removing Adware, Spyware, and Scumware
Advertisers are putting their own spin on this game of serupticiously spreading programs with
a class of software called "adware" or "spyware" or "scumware." Spyware
watches which websites you visit and if, for example, you visit a website that sells Nike
shoes, you'll get a pop-up ad for Addidas. That's just one of the least intrusive things
these little demons can do to you. Or if you try to use Google, some of these programs
will redirect you to a different search engine where the only results you'll see are
from sites that have paid for it. Adware/Spyware is also quite capable of tracking every website
you visit and reporting that information back to advertisers. Worse, the accumulated
effects of these pathogens is to slow down your computer or cause it to crash.
In my mind, there's no difference between viruses, adware, and spyware. All of them invade your computer and intefere with its normal operation in one way or another. Just truly reprehensible stuff, all in all. Fortunately, there are two popular programs for Windows users that will remove adware. One is called "AdAware" and the other is called "Spybot - Search & Destroy." They're both freeware programs.
You can get AdAware at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
You can get Spybot - Search & Destroy at http://security.kolla.de/
Also check out SpywareBlaster at http://www.wilderssecurity.com/spywareblaster.html
You can also download a beta-test copy of Microsoft's new anti-spyware
software at http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx.
Protect Yourself From Computer Viruses, Adware, and Spyware
- Install and use a high-quality anti-virus program. This is the key to protecting your computer. Modern anti-virus programs are better than ever. The most popular are Norton Anti-Virus from Symantec and McAfee VirusScan. I prefer McAfee because it was less intrusive than Norton when I tried it several years ago, but they're both excellent and are backed by great companies.
- Use a different browser and EMail program Microsoft Internet Explorer, Outlook and Outlook Express are the hacker's gateway to your computer. Microsoft's Active-X technology allows software to be installed on your computer. They have built in protections against hackers, but as we've all seen, they haven't found all of the flaws quite yet. By using a different program, you're no longer the target of every teenage hacker with a grudge against the world. I strongly recommend Netscape Navigator and Netscape Communicator. Don't let anyone tell you that they're bad programs or that they don't work. Its not true. In fact, Netscape has many features that make browsing the Internet much nicer than Internet Explorer, including better a bookmark system, tabbed browser windows, a password and cookie manager, a built-in pop-up blocker, and anti-SPAM filtering in the EMail program. Other good browser choices include Mozilla and Opera. These are all available at no charge over the Internet. Mac users can now use Apple's Safari, which is also an excellent browser.
- Keep your anti-virus software updated. You need to check the website of the manufacturer of your anti-virus software on a regular basis to make sure that you're protected against the latest viruses.
- Never open an EMail with an attachment that you were not expecting. The latest batch of virus programs are often spread by EMail. Even if your anti-virus program does not warn you about the attached file, and even if the EMail appears to come from someone you know, do not open it. Send a message to your friend asking them to confirm that they sent the file to you before you open it.
- Download and use a high-quality anti-spyware program. I prefer Spybot - Search and Destroy because it runs very fast, but I also use AdAware just to do what I can to eradicate everything that might be dangerous.
- Keep your web browser set to its highest security level. I know, its a pain to get the warning messages on every other webpage you visit, but its the best way to protect yourself - especially if you use Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook or Outlook Express. I'm not picking on Microsoft. The fact is that these programs are gateways to your computer and are the main targets of hackers and SPAMmers. Understanding that these programs carry certain risks is the first step to protecting yourself.
- If you use a broadband/high-speed method to access the Internet, you need to get a firewall. A firewall is a program that defends your computer from hackers who attempt to gain direct access to your computer over the Internet. There is a good freeware program called ZoneAlarm that will do the trick if you use Windows. Other programs are available, too. If you have a router installed to connect the computers in your house over a network, it will often have built-in protections against this kind of attack. I know the routers from Linksys do because that's what we use in our office here, but you should check the manufacturer's website for the router you use.
- Keep original copies of all of the programs you use. That means being dilligent about keeping the installation discs safe and easily accessible so that if you get hit by a virus that can only be removed by erasing the infected files, you can re-install all of your vital programs. Naturally, this means you'll also have to keep good records of installation keys, licenses, user names, upgrade disks, and all of such information that programs require when you install them.
- Back it up! Make it a habit to back up all of your most important files at least once a month. Once a week is better if you can manage it, but once a month is the minimum. As usual, its a trade-off between time and risk. Consider how much you would lose if a computer virus wiped out all of your files and your most recent back-ups were a month old. If its not that bad, then you're OK. But if you raised your eyebrow when you read that sentence, you might want to think about once every two weeks. There are several ways to back up your files. These days, most people simply burn a CD. You can also buy dedicated equipment called tape drives that are designed just to make back-ups. These drives will usually include software that makes back-up copies of all of the files you select automatically.
- Store the back-up discs in a safe place. If you run a business from your computer, you'll want to keep the back-up discs in a separate building to eliminate the threat of fire destroying your computer and the back-ups at the same time. Do not rely on a home safe to protect discs from fire. They are designed to protect paper documents, and not magnetic media. Floppy discs, CDs, DVDs - all magnetic media - kept in a home safe will be useless after a fire because plastic melts at a far lower temperature than is required to burn paper. After a fire, any magnetic media stored in a home safe will likely come out as a pile of useless glop.
- Change your passwords occasionally and don't use the same password for all of your programs. Don't make it easy for a hacker. Some programs have password protection that I call the technological equivilent of secret writing with lemon juice. So if you use the same password everywhere, a hacker need only to find one vulnerable program on your computer (or that one file where you keep a record of all of your account numbers and passwords) in order to break into all of them. And the same goes for your online banking accounts, your eBay® account, etc. Mix it up and change it up. Don't just combine your child's first name and your home address. Think sneakier. Use your childhood best friend's amusing middle name and the year you... well, its a family site so I'll say the year you graduated from high school, but you get the idea. Just concentrate on private information that nobody else could easily guess. As long as its significant to you, you'll remember it and once you've associated the memory with its use as a password it will come to mind quickly.
