Staying safe online and protecting your
computer from malware has become increasingly difficult. New viruses, trojans,
malware and other types of infections are on the rise. There are many free
programs available that will help protect you from these types of infections.
You should have several programs installed that prevent infections from
happening and several removal tools installed that will assist you in removing
an infection if one is found.
Avira and Avast both offer free versions of
their antivirus software.
Install SpywareBlaster: SpywareBlaster is a
malware prevention program. SpywareBlaster prevents the installation of
ActiveX-based spyware and other potentially harmful programs. It restricts the
actions of dangerous websites.
Keep your browsers up to date and take steps to
secure each browser you use. To view your browser version open your browser and
click the help menu. In Firefox click the help menu > about Mozilla Firefox.
In Internet Explorer click the help menu > about Internet Explorer.
Secure Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/ie9.aspx
Secure Mozilla Firefox:
http://www.mozilla.org/security/
Secure Google Chrome:
http://www.google.com/support/chrome...en&topic=14666
Install WOT: WOT (web of trust) is a browser
add-on that displays a websites reputation in your browser. The ratings are
based on user feedback. When you install WOT you can provide your own ratings
of the websites you visit. WOT will protect you from online scams, identity
theft, spyware, spam, viruses and unreliable shopping sites. WOT provides you
with an extra layer of security by warning you before you visit a questionable
website. WOT
Even with these programs installed an infection
may still occur. No prevention program is 100% effective. If an infection does
occur there are several free programs available to assist you in removing the
infection. Rkill, Malwarebytes and WindowSecurity.comTrojanScanner are a few of
the free programs available.
Rkill is a program that will terminate malware
that is running on the computer so that you can use removal tools to clean the
computer. When malware infects a computer that process runs in the background.
Often removal tools cannot clean the infection until that running process has
been terminated. Running Rkill before running the removal tools will stop the
process and allow those programs to work.
WindowSecurity.com TrojanScanner is a free web
based Scanner. http://www.windowsecurity.com/trojanscan/
One of the most prevalent infections is rogue
security software or rogueware.
These types of infections generally present themselves when the user is
browsing the internet. A webpage or popup will appear warning the user that
they have a virus or another type of infection on their computer. It prompts
the user to run a scan or go to a website to pay for a tool to remove the
infection. If you see something like this close your web browser window
immediately and reboot your computer.
Run a Windows update regularly or turn on
automatic updates. Always keep your computer up to date with Windows critical
and security updates and service packs.
Keep other programs on your computer up to
date. Many time malware infects a computer through unpatched vulnerable
software. There is a free online tool called Secunia Online Software Inspector.
Secunia will scan the programs you have installed on your computer and identify
vulnerabilities in those programs. After the scan is complete you will be
offered a link to update those programs. Secunia Online Software Inspector
Install a good antivirus software program. Keep
it updated and run a full system scan regularly.
Don’t post your email address on the internet.
This is major source of spam in your inbox. If you need to register online and
provide your email address use a disposable/temporary email address or sign up
for a free account to use just for registration purposes. Keep your personal
and business email address private. Google, Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo and
many other online sites offer free email addresses.
Yahoo Mail: https://login.yahoo.com/
Windows Live Hotmail: https://login.live.com/
Guerrillamail temporary email address:
http://www.guerrillamail.com/
Mailinator temporary email address:
http://mailinator.com/
Do not respond to unsolicited email messages
requesting personal information such as your home or business address, bank
account number, social security number, etc. No reputable company will request
this information from you using email. If you are concerned that the email is
from a legitimate source call the company on the phone or visit their website
by typing the web address in your browsers address bar. Do not click a link
within a questionable email message. A link may look legitimate but might
redirect you to a malicious web site.
When you receive spam email messages do not
click any links within the message to “unsubscribe” normally when you click an
unsubscribe link in a spam message it will not unsubscribe you but instead
verify to the spammer that the address is legitimate. The link may also direct
you to an undesirable website that contains malicious content. If you would
like to use the unsubscribe link in a legitimate email message, a message that
you receive because you signed up for a newsletter or some other service the
unsubscribe feature may work and it is probably safe to click the link.
Use BCCs (Blind Carbon Copy) when addressing a
message that will go to a group of people. When you send an e-mail message to a
group of people and use the To or CC (Carbon Copy) fields to address the message
all of the people included in that message see each other's e-mail address. By
using BCC, each recipient sees only two addresses, theirs and yours. Using BCC
will prevent those email addresses from being spread across the internet. One
way spam is spread is by spammers harvesting email addresses.
If you are sending an attachment tell the
person receiving the message what kind of attachment it is and what program
they would use to open the file. Computers can become infected with viruses and
other malware by opening an infected email attachment. If you receive an
attachment that you were not expecting or an attachment from an unknown source
do not open it.
Never give your password to anyone. Do not use
the same password for all of your accounts and change your password often. A
password should be at least 6 characters long and contain a mix of capital
letters, lower case letters, numbers and symbols/punctuation. Do not make your
password something that is easy to guess. Never use your name, birthday or
other meaningful dates, your address, phone number or any words or phrases that
have any personal significance. Do not write your password down and keep it in
a location where other can see it. If you suspect an online account has been
compromised change your password and security questions immediately.
You can use a free online password generator to
create a secure password.
When using your credit card to order online be
sure the website you are ordering from is legitimate and secure. Look for the
security lock in your web browser. A site that is secure will display a
"lock" icon in the browser window, in the status bar at the bottom of
the page or near the address bar. Double click the lock icon to display the
websites security certificate. Also check the web address in the address bar.
Normally web addresses begin with “http”. A secure site should begin with
“https”
When finished using a secure site be sure to
“log out”
Consider applying for a credit card to use
specifically for online purchases.
You can also go to the Better Business Bureau
website and research the site you are ordering from.
Think about what personal information you are
sharing online. There are many social networking sites, message boards, dating
sites and instant messaging programs available. Be choosy as to what type of
information you share on these sites. For example don’t post your vacation
plans on Facebook, don’t provide your phone number, address or other personal
information on these sites. Use the security features available on the sites to
protect your private information.
Facebook security: www.facebook.com/security
Downloading Software: There are many free programs available online for download but not all websites that offer the software are reputable sites.
Driver Downloads: You do not need to update device drivers
regularly. If you reinstall Windows or you are having an issue with a driver, you may need to download the most current
drivers for your hardware. When downloading drivers always get the drivers
directly from the manufacturers website. Never download drivers from a third
party source. Do not download any software that offers to scan your computer
and locate the drivers for you.
Download Managers and Registry Cleaning Utilities: Do not use
download managers and do not install any software that offers to clean or optimize
your registry for you. Be very careful when downloading any program that offers
to clean or speed up your computer. While there are a few programs that are
reputable most are not and most cleaning programs are unnecessary. The tasks
that the program offers to do for you can most likely be done manually or by
using utilities already included in Windows or in your browser.
Downloading Other Software: When downloading any software be sure
that the website you are getting the software from is a reputable site. If you
are not sure if the site is safe don’t download the software. Many programs
come “bundled” with other software. When installing a new program always choose
the custom or advanced installation option. Read each screen carefully before
clicking the next, continue or OK button. Read the software license agreement
before downloading.
When you go to a website to download the software pay close
attention before clicking the download button. Many sites will have other
software listed on the site that is included in the download. You may have the
choice to “uncheck” the additional software being offered.
Scan Downloaded Files For Viruses & Malware: Each time you
download a file, save the file to your computer. Do not run directly from the
website. After the download has finished, run a scan with your antivirus
software on the downloaded file before installing the program. Most antivirus
software programs will allow you to run a scan on the file by right clicking
the file. From the right click menu you should have the option to scan. If you
do not see that option in the right click menu open your antivirus software and
scan the file.
There are some well know websites that are unsafe. BrotherSoft, Softonic, Giveaway of the
Day, Downloads.com, CNET, SourceForge,
FreewareFiles, Tucows, and Warez websites are some of the sites to avoid. Do not install
programs that offer free music downloads such as Bearshare or Frostwire, do not
use Peer to Peer file sharing sites such as BitTorrent, UTorrent and others.
MajorGeeks is one site that
for the most part if reputable. But there are ads on the page. Be sure you are
clicking the correct download button on the website. See this from MajorGeeks
on how to download software from their site.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/majorgeeks_tops_list_of_safe_software_download_sites.html
Microsoft is also a
reputable site to download software from.
If you see a program you
would like to download research it first. Do a google search with the name of
the program followed by “malware, spyware or virus”
Read user reviews on the
software before downloading and installing.
Even reputable websites can
contain links to other not so reputable websites or may run ads on their page
that direct you to a questionable website.
Avoid any ads on webpages that offer free software as you are
browsing the internet. Don’t click on those links. Don’t click on links in
email messages that offer free downloads.
Before downloading any new software backup your computer.
Run a virus\malware scan regularly, especially after downloading and
installing any new software.
