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How to Protect PC from Spyware & VirusesProtect Your Computers from Viruses, Worms and Other Attackers Viruses. Worms. Trojan Horses. Bugs. Spam. Spyware. Adware. Pop-up ads. Pop-under ads. A bewildering array of threats to the personal computer you use in your business lurk everywhere. Some are merely annoying, but others are downright destructive. Most will cost you time and therefore money unless you learn to protect your systems from them. All are pests we’d rather do without. Today, computers and online access are integral to many businesses and things can quickly get ugly when they go down. For example, imagine how difficult it might be to reconstruct all your financial records after you’re forced to re-install an operating system. In addition, if you can’t re-install your OS yourself, many computer techies will be happily charge you $100 an hour and up to do it for you. A better option is to learn what might harm your system and how to protect yourself.
THE DREADED VIRUS A virus is a small program created by a computer geek that slips through an opening in your system—perhaps via e-mail, perhaps from a website—and immediately or at a pre-programmed time executes an action that disrupts, damages, or destroys your software applications. Regardless of how you use your computer, you’d rather not have your home page hijacked by the producer of an on-line porn magazine selling his wares. Hardworking writers prefer not to lose a day’s work or more—and with it, their address books, calendars and bookmarks. Viruses are designed to spread from one computer to another through the Internet or your internal network, and they don’t reproduce themselves. One way to acquire viruses is through forwarded messages received from friends and family who are usually unaware their machines are compromised and blissfully send us all that cute stuff without adequately protecting their own computers. They rarely know they’re e-mailing viruses to others unless they figure it out after experiencing computer troubles. Viruses aren’t activated just because you receive them. They must be opened to work. So only open attachments from people you know—and even then, use caution. Most virus scanners can be set to scan incoming messages. At least one virus, called Blaster, lurked in the files of unsuspecting users. When the computer systems did an automatic Windows update, the virus rode the update to Microsoft, where it damaged the mega-company’s computers. Blaster was a message directed to Bill Gates, and when it attacked, Internet Providers’ responses included simply cutting off service and leaving users incommunicado until the problem was identified and cleaned up. One important task is to back up your data A private user or a small-to-medium business can invest in one or more nifty inventions called a jump drive or flash drive, a key-chain-sized storage device that holds an incredible amount of information and loads and unloads—truly—in a flash. Store vital files there and keep it in a safe place just in case you experience major computer problems. These handy devices are available at all computer stores at prices ranging from $20 to $100 and can save you many hours of extra work. The price is typically related to the amount of data the device is able to hold. THE SNEAKY WORM Worms and Trojan Horses are programs somewhat similar to viruses. Worms burrow their way into programs and address files, where they replicate and send out clones of themselves from one computer to others without the user’s knowledge. Trojan horses, as the name implies, enter the system disguised as something innocent, such as a message from a friend. Both worms and Trojan horses may corrupt the computer’s software, causing it to malfunction and require repair or replacement of the application. They may do actual damage, perhaps irreparably, to the hard drive. Some computer bugs, on the other hand, are relatively harmless. There’s a bug that does nothing but change the user’s online home page to one of its own choosing—it hijacks the home page. These are sometimes persistent and difficult to dislodge. Other bugs destroy the Operating System. Interestingly, malware seems to affect Windows computers and not Macs. All of these malicious programs enter a computer by stealth, as an attachment to a message, or perhaps by way of a cookie placed on the hard drive when users visit a website. A cookie is another small program employed by some websites to store surfing information about people who visit them. A cookie can be used for storing log-in information on Web-based applications. For example, your online bill-paying service may store cookies on your system to help streamline the process of identifying you, and it behooves you to allow that one to stay. Cookies are valuable time-savers and security aids. Unfortunately, others may act as markers to render your computer vulnerable to attack by the program that put them there. SPAM Spam is unwanted junk mail that’s sent to multiple computers at once for the same reason all those bulk mail letters are sent to your home’s mailbox: someone wants to sell you something or in some way change your mind. When you enter contests, fill out surveys, or give your e-mail address almost anywhere on the World Wide Web, people collect that information and use it to advertise products or make a point. Names and addresses are also acquired by advertisers and malicious programmers who send out mass mailings to randomly generated letter-number combinations. The senders do this in the hope of getting a response from you, at which point they know they have your correct address. Don’t answer spam addressed to several similar addresses. Better yet, don’t answer spam at all. Pop-ups are Annoying Pop-ups are a newer version of spam: banners designed to appear on your screen as a new window without warning or solicitation when you visit a website and sometimes, if your computer is always online, while you’re doing something else entirely. Pop-unders appear beneath the active window. You don’t see them until you close the website. Both can be irritating and use up resources, causing your computer to slow or even freeze. Spyware and Adware Spyware is a cookie placed on your computer, usually while you visit a website, that allows the party who placed it there to monitor your computer and the sites you visit usually to send you pop-ups or e-mails matching your interests. For example, someone identified as interested in animal sites might get junk e-mail soliciting funds for animal groups and notices of approved credit cards bearing pet pictures. If you regard this as an invasion of privacy and never buy anything from a pop-up ad even if it’s something you want, you will help discourage this irritating method of marketing. Some people visited by a pop-up will thereafter avoid that brand altogether to discourage such tactics. I cancelled my Netflix account after receiving several pop-unders. Adware serves a purpose similar to spyware’s. An adware cookie records which websites you visit and automatically sends advertising to match your interests. If you visit online stores, you’ll receive spam promoting similar products (but perhaps not high-quality items.) Similarly, are you being inundated with messages—seldom from the same name—advertising penny stocks that are “about to break out” or “the next Microsoft?” If so, your junk mail filter needs tweaking to filter them out. You may have received a spyware cookie while checking out stock prices. PC SECURITY Here are a few ways to protect your personal computer and those of your associates from all these predatory invaders. Be sure you have a virus scanner If you acquired a virus scanner with your computer three years ago, you really don’t. Get a new version and uninstall the old one. Don’t leave your computer unprotected, even briefly. New viruses are generated every day, and you must update periodically to keep up with them. Software makers such as McAfee and Norton will support a scanner engine until it becomes obsolete and then they stop updating. At least one free virus protector, AVG, can be downloaded from the Internet. Install a firewall A firewall provides a barrier to protect your computer from receiving viruses through websites you visit. Norton by Symantec and McAfee are two software producers who combine virus scanners with firewalls. Windows XP has a built-in firewall, which, by the way, may not play well with other versions, and many people don’t consider the Windows version adequate. Use the one you prefer. One free firewall, Zone Alarm, can be downloaded from the Internet. Install a pop-up protector There are several free pop-up programs. Panicwear has a free, tryout version, and you can get one with a Yahoo! Toolbar Companion, from Yahoo!’s website, or with a Google toolbar. Watch out for so-called free pop-up and anti-spam scanners that locate hundreds of malicious programs on your computer, but will do nothing about them until you pay a fee—sometimes a substantial one. This is another annoying and time-wasting sales tactic. Install a spyware remover Several websites offer free removers, with more sophisticated versions available for a fee. Two good ones are Lavasoft’s Adaware and Spyware Terminator. Again, avoid the “free” programs that locate spyware but charge to remove it. Run your security programs. That may seem like a superfluous direction, but you’d be surprised by the number of people who think installing a security program is adequate protection. Installing a dishwasher doesn’t give you clean dishes. You have to run it. Check Settings Make sure settings in your
security software are turned on to check everything. For instance,
running McAfee Virus Scanner with the e-mail scanner turned off
accomplishes little. Read the literature that comes with the software
and use help files. Empty the recycle bin If your scanner locates and deletes a virus or you delete it, don’t forget to empty Deleted Items. It’s still on your hard drive if it’s in a file—even if the file is called the recycle bin. Protect your friends and ask them to protect you Delete all those passed-on e-mail addresses before you forward that hilarious joke. Use BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) to send e-mails to more than one person, so each person sees only his own address and yours and doesn’t pass them on to the evil genius lurking in the shadows. Find BCC in your e-mail program by looking in the help files if it doesn’t appear on your address bar already. Clean your system To use the Windows version of cleaning, click Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup. Some commercial utility programs do a more thorough job. Speed up all the above processes by defragmenting your system periodically. De-fragging gathers all programs and files together so your system doesn’t have to search the entire hard disk to find what it’s looking for. Like Disk Cleanup, Defrag is located in system tools. Empty cookies and temporary files after each session on the Internet In Windows Explorer, go to your home page, click Tools on the menu bar, then Internet Options>general tab>settings>view files. This will show you how many cookies and web files have been placed on your computer. Close the list and delete both files and cookies. It doesn’t hurt to delete all offline content. This may slow your surfing a bit at first, but it will save hours or even days of downtime if not doing it results in computer problems. Do this frequently. If there are cookies you are sure you want to keep (from your bank, for instance), highlight and delete all the others manually. In the end, none of these steps will guarantee your computer’s immunity—even if you practice all of them diligently. They will keep it safer, help software run faster, and make you a more satisfied user. And you can spend your time operating your business! Instantly Scan for Spyware Infections - Free scan tool updated daily!
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