Stopping Spyware/Adware/Viruses before they start
January 18th, 2006
Everyone comes in the shop and asks us what they can do to stop these pesky critters. Whether they are slowing down your computer, putting ads in your face, or annoying you in some other fashion, Malware (or malicious software) is becoming a huge concern for everyone. While there is no foolproof way to stop these nasties, there are some steps you can take to minimize the amount of them you have to deal with.
- Minimizing risks – First, you should consider what you are doing with your computer. If you are downloading music and software off of free download programs like Limewire, there is not much anyone can do for you. If you open email attachments without making sure they are from the person you think they are from, you are running a security risk as well. If you use chatting programs and click on links that are sent to you without verifying that the other person (and not a trojan on their machine) you are asking for punishment.
- Windows Updates – If you are running Windows (whatever version) you should check the windows updates site regularly to make sure you are patched and up-to-date. Many security flaws rely on a Windows security flaw which is usually patched by Microsoft, however it is up to you to download the patch. Users running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 have the option to let Windows update itself. As of Internet Explorer 6, MS has included a native pop-up blocker.
- Anti-Virus Software – Your second line of defense against Malware is your Anti-Virus program. Like Windows this program will need to be updated regularly, and you should read the software’s help files, or their FAQ on the company website, for information on how to run that piece of software. We recommend Norton Antivirus and use it regularly in the shop. We also use AVG and E-trust Antvirus on our computers. You should only run one AV program, and make sure it is up-to-date.We recommend AGAINST using protection suites (Norton Internet Secuirity, McAfee Security Suite, etc.) as these tend to cause more problems than they solve.
- Anti-Spyware/Anti-Adware – Your third layer of protection is Anti-Spyware/Anti-AdWare software. You should run AT LEAST two of these programs and make sure they are updated regularly. Refer to the program documentation for instruictions on updating and scanning. We recommend using Ad-Aware and Spyobot – Search & Destroy.
Entry Filed under: Maintaining your pc
4 Comments Add your own
1. Angela | April 2nd, 2006 at 7:49 am
If you are a bit more advanced, there is another step you can take. But only do this if you have some idea of what you are doing.
You can run msconfig program, and uncheck any programs that are known to be adware/spyware, or resource hogs…and are also programs not actually needed for your computer to run.
You can determine if a program is needed or not…and if it is adware/spyware/resource hog by looking it up at castlecops.com
This is a manual procedure, and takes some time and knowledge to do correctly, but it is something that should be done somewhat regularly, in order to catch the ones your AV, spyware and adware removal programs miss.
Also, if you do not have it, I recommend you try a little program I have called Mail Washer. You can download it for free – just Google for it.
What Mail Washer does is it downloads only the subject and author of each email in your email box – and it warns which emails look like spam or possible viruses, and gives you an opportunity to delete them from your email box before you ever even actually download them.
It also gives you an option to bounce spam back to spammers, so that it will appear your email address is no good.
It also allows you to make Freinds and Blacklisted lists, to separate your emails, making it easier to determine at a glance friend from foe on your email.
The advantage of Mail Washer is that there ARE some viruses/worms out there that do not even require you to open the email or attachment, in order to infect your machine. But, with Mail Washer…you can find and delete it from your email box before you ever even download it in the first place.
Of course, the ideas I am recommending here are MANUAL - they require effort on your part, and are NOT automatic. But, together with the automatic devices you may already have, this is a good way to prevent anything from slipping between the cracks in your defenses.
2. Administrator | April 4th, 2006 at 6:27 am
Excellent advice Angela. We would just like to re-iterate, this is for advanced users only.
3. yeewen | May 5th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
A little bit unrelated, but you might want to check out http://www.yafll.com .
4. Desiree | September 27th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
Thank you for everything. You and your staff were very helpful.
Thanks Again,
Desiree
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