AntiVirus Review, News, Information

Virus Alerts [Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders - 05/15/09]

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:01:00 +0000

> From: Virus Alerts <virusalerts@PANDASECURITY.COM>
> Subject: Virus Alerts [Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders - 05/15/09]

> Date: Friday, 15 May, 2009, 6:24 PM
> - Panda Security's weekly report on
> viruses and intruders -
>
> Virus Alerts, by Panda Security (http://www.pandasecurity.com)
>
> PandaLabs' report this week focuses on three worms:
> IRCBot.CNE,
> BckPatcher.C and Boface.BJ.
>
> IRCBot.CNE sends messages to the infected user's MSN
> Messenger contacts.
> Message subjects include:
>
> * Me miro boracho en video que me tomaron
> en youtube (I see myself
> drunk in a video on youtube).
> * Esta es mi casa de suenos!! (this is my
> dream house)
> * Mira que pedo andaba ayer en la fiesta
> (look how drunk I was at
> yesterday's party)
> * No me acuerdo si me dormir con esta
> vieja??no se que hacer? (I
> can't remember if I slept with this woman yesterday. I
> don't know what
> to do)
> * Santo Dios creo que eres tu!!!! (Oh my
> God, I think it's you!)
>
> These messages include an attachment which is a copy of the
> worm. On
> running the file, users are infected with a copy of the
> worm.
>
> BckPatcher.C on the other hand, is designed to modify the
> desktop
> background, the Windows Explorer background and the folder
> icons.
> Additionally, every time files with certain extensions are
> executed
> (DLL, EXE, JPG or RAR) the worm is run instead of the
> applications
> associated to those extensions.
>
> BckPatcher.C spreads through shared, mapped and removable
> drives,
> copying itself to them.
>
> You can see images of the modifications carried out by the
> worm here:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/tags/bckpatcherc/
>
> The Boface.BJ worm reaches computers in a different way:
> through email
> messages with attachments, Internet downloads, files
> transferred via
> FTP, IRC channels, P2P file-sharing networks, etc. Users
> are unaware of
> the infection.
>
> Once the PC is infected, it takes approximately four hours
> to trigger
> its payload. It does so when users access log into their
> Facebook
> account. Then, it uses the network to send them a message,
> including the
> affected user. http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/3528707512/
>
> On clicking the link users are directed to a page that
> resembles YouTube
> (called "YuoTube") in which a video "should" be displayed.
> However, in
> order to do so, users are asked to download a player. If
> users accept,
> the fake antivirus is downloaded. Image here:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/3527896167/
>
> Once the download is accepted, the fake antivirus is
> installed on the
> computer. It then starts sending users messages informing
> them their PC
> is infected and telling them they should buy a solution.
> Here is the
> interface displayed by one of the fake antiviruses:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/3528707634/
>
> More information about these and other malicious codes is
> available in
> the Panda Security Encyclopedia
> ((http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/security-info)
>
> Finally, Panda Security has launched a page for users to
> relate their
> experiences with malware (whether they have fallen victim
> to money or
> data theft, etc.). Users who send their comments will
> receive a free
> download of Panda Internet Security 2009 with two-month
> services. Check
> it out here:
> http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/media/malware-stories/
>
> You can follow Panda Security's activity online on Twitter
> (http://www.twitter.com/panda_security),
> and the PandaLabs blog
> (www.pandalabs.com)
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from Virus Alerts, please visit:
> http://www.pandasecurity.com/about/unsubscribe.asp
>
> To contact with Panda Security, please visit:
> http://www.pandasecurity.com/about/contact/
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>

Be the first to get our 2010 solutions

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:07:00 +0000

From: Panda Security <intl.sales@imc.pandasecurity.com>
Subject: Be the first to get our 2010 solutions

Date: Friday, 15 May, 2009, 5:15 AM

Panda 2009 Product Line. The lightest protection.

If this email does not appear as a web page, click here

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and get FREE upgrade to 2010!

Don't miss a thing on the Internet. With Panda Security's 2009 Product Line , you will have all the efficiency and comfort you are looking for to surf the Internet with complete peace of mind .

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FW: Virus Alerts [Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders - 04/17/09]

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:36:00 +0000

----- Original Message -----
Subject: Virus Alerts [Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders - 04/17/09]
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:00:32
From: Virus Alerts <virusalerts@PANDASECURITY.COM>
To: <VIRUSALERTSCOM@OXYGEN3.PANDASOFTWARE.COM>

- Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders -

Virus Alerts, by Panda Security (http://www.pandasecurity.com)

This week's PandaLabs report looks at the Hiloti.A Trojan,
PersonalAntivirus and IRCBot.CML worm.

When run, the Hiloti.A Trojan sets the Mandatory Integrity Control level
(MIC) to low. This way, it can run any file downloaded without the user
noticing. In this case, it downloads the Lop adware, designed to show
advertising messages.

Additionally, Hiloti.A logs onto Internet Explorer as a BHO (Browser
Helper Object), monitoring Internet browsing. If users use Firefox, the
malware injects a code on the pages monitored (over a hundred) to
redirect searches carried out on those domains to pages that contain
more malware to be downloaded.

PersonalAntivirus is a fake antivirus. As with all such adware,
PersoanlAntivirus is designed to convince users that the system is
infected with malware. To do so, it performs a false scan of the
affected system, during which it detects several malware samples (image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/3448900109/)

If users click "Remove", a form will be displayed asking users to pay
for the license, and a false warning message will appear indicating the
computer is at risk (image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/3449714734/)

Finally, IRCBot.CML, is a worm that allows remote intruders to access
and control the computer via IRC. This worm passes itself off as a photo
to reach computers, but once run displays an error message with the
text: "Picture can not be displayed".

Next, IRCBot.CML opens several ports and tries to connect to an FTP
server to send the user's data, keystroke captures, etc.

This worm spreads through MSN Messenger, trying to infect all the user's
contacts.

Panda Security has created a page where users can relate their
experiences with malware (whether their money or data has been stolen,
etc.). On sending the comments, users receive a free download of Panda
Internet Security 2009 with two months' services. You can see the page
here:
http://www.pandasecurity.com/spain/homeusers/media/malware-stories/

You can receive the Panda Security news automatically by adding this URL
(http://feeds2.feedburner.com/panda_security) to your feed reader.

Finally, follow Panda Security's activity online on FriendFeed
(http://friendfeed.com/pandasecurity), and the PandaLabs blog
(www.pandalabs.com)

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http://www.pandasecurity.com/about/unsubscribe.asp

To contact with Panda Security, please visit:
http://www.pandasecurity.com/about/contact/
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Privacy Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:21:00 +0000

Avrev Privacy Statement

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FW: Virus Alerts [Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders - 11/14/08]

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:46:00 +0000

----- Original Message -----
Subject: Virus Alerts [Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders - 11/14/08]
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:59:30
From: Virus Alerts <virusalerts@PANDASECURITY.COM>
To: <VIRUSALERTSCOM@OXYGEN3.PANDASOFTWARE.COM>

- Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders -

Virus Alerts, by Panda Security (http://www.pandasecurity.com)

A new fake antivirus (the AntivirusPro 2009 adware), and the Gimmiv.C
and Boface.C worms designed to spread on social networks such as
Facebook and MySpace are the subjects of this week's PandaLabs report.

AntivirusPro 2009 is a malicious code that passes itself off as a trial
anti-malware solution. Once installed on the computer, it makes users
believe their computer is infected to make them purchase the full, pay
version of the fake antivirus. This way, cyber-crooks gain financial
benefits from their infections. According to data collected by
PandaLabs, over 30 million computers worldwide could be infected by fake
antiviruses
(http://www.pandasecurity.com/spain/homeusers/media/press-releases/viewn
ews?noticia=9393)

Gimmiv.C is a worm designed to exploit one of the latest Microsoft
Windows vulnerabilities (MS08-067). When run on the computer, it drops
two malicious files onto the system.

One of the malicious files is vista.exe, an IP scanner that scans the
subnet range of the local network searching for computers with port 445
open. Then, the worm runs another file downloaded (Mrosconfig.exe),
which is used to exploit the MS08-067 vulnerability. Gimmiv.C uses this
malicious code on the vulnerable computers found in the scan. It also
makes one of the computers download other malware by connecting to a
certain URL.

Finally, Boface.G is a worm designed to spread on social networks such
as MySpace or Facebook.

This worm posts a link to a fake YouTube video on the infected user's
profile or contacts panel, or sends the contacts a private message with
the link. When they try to watch the video (which seems to come from one
of their friends) they are taken to a Web page where they are encouraged
to download a Flash Player update to watch it. However, if they do so,
they will let a copy of the worm into their computers and will infect
all of their contacts.

For further information about this worm, go to
http://www.pandasecurity.com/spain/homeusers/media/press-releases/viewne
ws?noticia=9434&sitepanda=particulares

You can receive the Panda Security news automatically by adding this URL
(http://feeds.feedburner.com/PandaSecurity) to your feed reader.

For up-to-date information about computer security, go to the Panda
Security Twitter (http://twitter.com/Panda_Security)

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To unsubscribe from Virus Alerts, please visit:
http://www.pandasecurity.com/about/unsubscribe.asp

To contact with Panda Security, please visit:
http://www.pandasecurity.com/about/contact/
------------------------------------------------------------

Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders - 08/16/08

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:56:00 +0000

Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders -
Virus Alerts, by Panda Security (http://www.pandasecurity.com)

This week's PandaLabs report looks at the PcClient.HV Trojan, and the
Autorun.ACA and P2PWorm.F worms.

Bck/PcClient.HV is a Trojan that opens a backdoor in the computer. This
malware inserts an entry in Run and copies three files to the system:
PCCORTR.DLL and 81.DLL in C:\WINDOWS, and WUAUCT.EXE in
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32. All of them are detected as Bck/PcClient.HV.

The Trojan uses the libraries (.DLL files) to reduce the security level
of the browser and the WUAUCT.EXE file to connect to a remote address in
order to send out information about the infected computer.

When the user runs the infected file, a 12-slide PowerPoint presentation
is displayed with photos of the Olympic facilities in Beijing.

The Autorun.ACA worm reaches computers as an executable file that tries
to pass itself off as a Word document. Depending on the system
configuration, the actual extension of the 'document' might not be
displayed.

This worm is designed to copy itself to %Root% under the name
JONIEZZ.EXE and %SystemRoot%\LoLOxz as SMSS.EXE. Also, it copies itself
to external drives and shared drives with the name AUTORUN.INF. This
way, the worm tries to infect any user that might access these drives.

W32/P2PWorm.F spreads through mapped and removable drives and P2P
programs. To spread through file exchange networks it copies itself to
directories of P2P programs, keygens, game cracks, security programs, or
popular applications like instant messaging clients.

Also, it inserts entries in Run to run automatically when the computer
starts up. This malware collects information from the infected computer,
for example, passwords for programs like CUTE FTP, FlashFXP, TotalCmd,
SmartFTP, FileZilla, Sniff, etc.

source www.pandasecurity.com

Web and Computer Security

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:16:00 +0000

Well, if that would have been said to me by my father when I was 2 years of age, I would have understood. But when today, my own computer tells me that when I am 34, I wonder why I spent $1500 on my computer hardware and software just to enjoy the (un-realized) benefits of this great and revolutionary information technology?

Today's cyberspace is hazardous. None of today's PC users can claim that they never had a computer virus issue or a PC security breach. Now, if you count today's number of PC users worldwide, they will soon be 1 billion by 2010 according to analysts. When I see all the computer viruses, infections, trojans, and what not around me, and compare it with the 1 billion innocent computer users around the world, I simply feel sorry not only for those billion users but for myself too. But again, as a common user myself, I must admit it was not all doomsday for the whole industry since 1987 when I started to use computers. So, as a responsible member of this great IT revolution, I must share some of the best tips and tricks that I learned to use to make the minimum room for productivity on my computer.

Please note this is a tutorial for someone who has basic know-how of computer usage. For those who are newbies, I would recommend asking a local expert's help before trying anything out mentioned in this tutorial. In that case, make room for payment from deep pocket. For your own convenience, print this tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

Whenever my computer is infected, I act on any of the following options;

1. FORMAT HARD DISK: I back up all of my data on a CD-Writer if it is still accessible. And then format the whole hard disk drive and re-install each and every application.

2. USE SOFTWARE: I exhaust all anti-virus and other software options. This is usually my first priority as compared to formatting the whole computer hard disk drives.

Now, let me explain both options in detail;

PRE-REQUISITES: Make sure you have a CD-Drive (Writer), empty writable CDs, Windows OS CD (bootable) that contains files such as Format.exe, Scandisk.exe, FDisk.exe, and Attrib.exe files. Microsoft Office CD, Anti-Virus CD, GoldenHawk CD Writing Software in DOS (copy2cd.exe and cdtools.exe), Serial Numbers of your License, Driver CDs of Motherboard, VGA, Network, Sound and Modem devices. Optionally, download (using www.download.com or www.tucows.com) these software from any Internet Caf when your own computer is inaccessible and save it on a CD so that you can use it anytime for security purposes;

Golden Hawk DOS based CD Writing Software

HTech Fireman Windows based CD Writing Software

Driver Genius Pro

Partition Magic

AVG AntiVirus

SpywareBlaster & SpywareGuard

Spybot Search & Destroy

Ad-Aware

IE-SpyAd

ZoneAlarm

HiJackThis & CWShredder

I have intentionally avoided mention of many commercially good and more friendly software's mention here as I wanted everything to do FREE without any additional costs apart from the usual OS licenses. For your own convenience, you can research Google or Yahoo search engines find further information about such commercial software and their availability / pricing.

1. FORMAT HARD DISK

I know it is painful and surgical type of solution, but sometimes, it is the ONLY solution left after exhausting all of our efforts to revive our computer machine after a virus attack. Follow this procedure;

Booting Up: Try booting your computer normally first and see if you can login easily. If you can't or your computer hangs up, try holding F8 key when starting Windows and you will get the Safe Mode. Even if you don't get the Safe Mode, don't worry.

Power up your computer and press DEL key or F2 key to login your CMOS. In CMOS, go to Boot Preferences and make CD Drive as boot drive as your first boot drive and change the hard disk drive as the second boot drive. If you don't see your CD Drive in the boot-up options, your CD Drive is not properly installed. Check the connectors or ask your CD Drive provider for instructions to install the CD Drive. Now, when your CD Drive is ready, insert your Windows OS CD in the CD Drive and restart your computer machine. When prompted, select the option "Boot from CD with CD Option". When you get the prompt, Notice the CD Drive letter that was allocated to your CD Drive when it installed the CD Driver. It is usually D: drive or the last drive letter depending on the number of your partitions. Note it down as it is the actual drive letter where you will have to type a DOS command like d:

You should now be able to run all software utilities such as Format, Scandisk, FDisk or Windows Installation Setup.exe files. Right now, simply make sure they exist by typing a DOS command dir at the CD drive letter. If you don't find it with this simple directory command, use dir/s filename to search the file. For example, to search fdisk.exe file, type dir/s fdisk.exe.

BACKING UP YOUR DATA: Before formatting your hard disk drive, please make sure you have proper back up of your critical data files such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc files on a CD or any other media for backup that you have access to. In this tutorial, we assume you have a CD-Writer installed for taking backups on Writeable CDs. Their capacity is usually 700MB or less. Here, you should seriously consider using Zipping software like WinZip or WinRAR.

VIA WINDOWS: If you can luckily login to your Windows OS, you should run the CD-Writer software such as HTech Fireman to back up all of your data on an empty CD. If you don't know how to do it, read their user manual for detailed instruction set. If you can't access your Windows OS, read on.

VIA DOS: Some of the files that you wish to make back-up, may be hidden. To un-hide them, use attrib *.* +r +s +h.

Now, use the software from Golden Hawk file named as copy2cd.exe to backup your data files or directories on a writeable CD. Before using this command, make sure you are in an appropriate path on the computer such as E:/ where the actual file copy2cd.exe file resides;

Copy2cd c:data*.* f:

Here we assumed that f: is a CD Writer drive. Now, repeat the same for all of your files to back up. When finished, run cdtools.exe command i.e. cdtools f: to finish by selecting option "Disc Finalization".

If you can't back up your data using the above-mentioned procedure, either ask an outside expert's help personally or via internet. If all fails, forget your data forever and carry on installing a new OS as mentioned in this tutorial.

Backing up Your Drivers: An interesting tool to mentioned here is a software that automatically backs up all of your drivers of CD, modem, sound card, vga, usb, printer or just about anything that is currently installed on your system. But this software works only in an operational windows OS, and not in DOS. It is a good and time-saving practice to keep a backup of all of your drivers on a CD by using such a software. Its name is Driver Genius Pro and it is commercial software, not a freeware.

USING FDISK: You may skip this option and go straight to Formatting Hard Disk option, if you wish to use other useful partitions that may contain your data. Before going ahead with this option, Make sure there is no useful data left on your computer to be backed up. This option will delete all of the computer partitions and create new ones.

i) Boot up your computer using Windows OS CD.

ii) Run this command fdisk

iii) Press option 3 to delete all current partitions.

iv) To create a new partition, select option 1 and select Y to answer the maximum size question by the program.

v) Next, select option 2

vi) Press Esc key to quit and restart your computer to

See the URL http://www.compguystechweb.com/troubleshooting/fdisk/fdisk_scr.html for detailed instructions alongwith screenshots. Now, that you have created the primary partition, you can continue to format the newly created partition. There is a very user-friendly but commercial software called Partition Magic by PowerQuest to manage your partitions easily after installation of Windows.

FORMATTING HARD DISK: Now that you have created new partitions, It is time to format them so that you can start installing Windows. This is how you make your C: drive usable by your Windows OS for installation. Boot up your computer with Windows CD and type format c: command at the prompt. When prompted for maximum size, press, YES. After complete processing you will be presented with the successful report about the formatting of the C: drive. Select your new drive name and press ENTER to finish.

INSTALLING WINDOWS: Microsoft has made it very easy for a newbie to install a completely new OS on a newly formatted partition. It is all wizard based and you simply have to click NEXT each time whenever asked a question. Boot up your computer from the Windows CD and select Start with CD Option. When on DOS prompt, change to the CD Drive that it just created which is usually d: if you have only one partition C. Now type command setup.exe to start the windows installation process.

During installation, make sure you properly name your PC as per your preferences and select your regions and Time zone. When finished, the computer will re-boot and during next re-boot it may ask some drivers of your Sound Card, VGA, Network, or other devices attached. Provide the requisite driver CDs and locate the paths of the appropriate drivers. If you are not sure, leave it like that and press NEXT to ignore. When your windows installation is complete, you can install Microsoft Office, setup internet connection and start using it as normally as you would. Please make sure you install all the security software such as anti-virus, anti-spyware, adware, and other software as mentioned in the next section.

2. USE SOFTWARE

Installing Anti-Virus: Download free AVG Antivirus software and install it. Make sure you get its free key from their website by registering. This software is not auto-updated for critical viruses and for an auto-update version, you will have to pay. If you wish to pay, we would recommend world's most popular brands Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micros instead. No matter what Anti-Virus software you install, make sure you enable its Auto-Protect feature for automatic protection of your computer's resources and in-coming or out-going emails from any virus attack. Some software even allow you to setup silent detection and destruction without any disturbance to your work. Further, they are auto-updated via internet at the regular interval that you setup. Hence, you can rest assured that whenever a security threat is spread all over the world, your software will automatically download the requisite updated version and install its defense on your computer.

BROWSER SECURITY: To setup your browser (Internet Explorer on Windows) for maximum security against the usual threats, follow this procedure;

i) Start up your browser

ii) Go to IE > Tools > Windows Update > Product Updates, and selected Security Updates to be automatically updated. Microsoft releases patches and security patches from time to time to make sure your system's security is up-to-date.

iii) Now, go to Internet Options/Security/Internet, press 'default level', then OK. Now press "Custom Level." In the ActiveX section, set the first two options ("Download signed and unsigned ActiveX controls) to 'prompt', and 'Initialize and Script ActiveX controls not marked as safe" to 'disable'. Now you will be asked whether you want ActiveX objects to be executed and whether you want software to be installed. Sites that you know for sure are above suspicion can be moved to the Trusted Zone in Internet Option/security.

If you use another browser such as Firefox or Netscape, see their documentation on how to securely set it up against any such internet threats.

Installing Anti-Spyware: Spyware, adware, browser hijackers, and dialers are some of the fastest-growing threats on the Internet today. By simply browsing to a web page, your computer may become a victim. You can install SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard to effectively guard your computer from such internet threats.

It includes Fast Real-Time Scanning engine for known spyware and heuristic/generic detection capabilities to catch new / mutated spyware and Download Protection along with Browser Hijacking Protection in real-time.

Simply download the software (free) from their website and install it on your system. Make sure you download its latest update too or enable its Auto-Update feature to be updated automatically in the background. Now, when you are ready, run the software to check the spyware on your computer. When spyware are found, it reports accordingly. Press "select all", then press option "kill all checked". Although it won't protect you from 100% spyware, But it is a very important extra layer of protection.

Next, install another software that is called Spybot Search & Destroy. It works exactly like SpywareBlaster, but it never hurts to have a double layer of spyware detection alongwith Spybot R&D.

Installing Anti-Adware: Adware is a common term used to describe potentially dangerous websites and scripts that do data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components. There is a very good software called Ad-Aware available to scan and remove such nuisances from your system.

To start using it, simply visit Lavasoft USA website and download its free non-commercial version of Ad-Aware Personal Edition. Run its setup program and install it. When prompted, ask it to scan your computer. If there are any adware found, it is detected and removed automatically by Ad-Aware. Run this software on a weekly or daily basis, if possible to keep your system clean.

In addition to the Ad-Aware, Internet Explorer comes with a very handy tool that allows you to block specific sites that may carry well-known advertisers, marketers, crapware pushers to the Restricted sites Zone. If you had to input 50000+ of such sites manually yourself, it would takes years. Luckily, there is a software that does it all automatically and it is called IE-SPYAD. Once you merge this list of sites and domains into the Registry, the web sites for these companies will not be able to use cookies, ActiveX controls, Java applets, or scripting to compromise your privacy or your PC while you surf the Net. Nor will they be able to use your browser to push unwanted pop-ups, cookies, or auto-installing programs on your PC. It is not an ad blocker. It will stop top unwanted crapware from being installed behind your back via "drive-by-downloads"; prevent the hijacking of your home page.

This Restricted sites list is based in part on info from: discussions in the SpywareInfo Forums and other forums that specialize in crapware removal major crapware reference sites: doxdesk, cexx.org, Kephyr.com, PestPatrol and SpywareGuide.

To start using it, simply download it from their website and run its install.bat file. Make sure you run its update as well soon after its installation.

INSTALLING FIREWALL: A firewall software acts as a defense shield against hackers, intruders, and blocks access attempts to your computer. ZoneAlarm is a professional firewall software that works in a stealth mode automatically and makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet.

Download it from ZoneLabs website and run its setup for installation. I recommend you use its Express Settings which automatically configures your most commonly used software like browser, chat messengers, ftp software to access internet, while blocks every other internet traffic in real-time. If any software or service tries to upload or download any data, it pops up an alert whereby you can allow or disallow such internet traffic.

Computer Slow Down: It is very common to see many complaining about their computer slow-down. The fastest and easiest cure is using Windows' built-in Defragmenter utitlity that you can find in Start Programs Accessories System Utitlities Disk Defragmantor and run thorough defragmantation. It will take a while before it ends.

If your system's performance does not improve after running defragmantation utility, consider scanning your computer via a software utility called HiJackThis which you can download and install on your system. Use this tool carefully as it is intended for advanced users only. HijackThis is a tool, that lists all installed browser add-on, buttons, startup items and allows you to inspect, and optionally remove selected items. The program can create a backup of your original settings and also ignore selected items. Additional features include a simple list of all startup items, default start page, online updates and more.

CWShredder is a utility for removing CoolWebSearch (aka CoolWwwSearch, YouFindAll, White-Pages.ws and a dozen other names). This tool will find and destroy all traces of the CoolWebSearch (CWS) hijacker on your system including redirections, IE slowdowns, start page changes, un-authorized addition of sites in IE Trusted Zone, and blocking access to IE options or setup.

Download CWShredder from their official website only as there is a similar named virus/trojan on the loose at various websites which you may accidently download and install, hence become more infected than being cured instead. When it is installed successfully, run the software to scan your local machine. Select the fix button & it will get rid of everything related to CoolWebSearch. Close ALL other programs & windows, including IE, before running CWShredder. Reboot after doing this.

I know there is still a lot left, but as I wanted to keep this tutorial as brief as possible, hence I covered only the critical elements here. I am sure you will have fewer breakdowns (if not ZERO0 and more productive hours on your computer. I would recommend you to setup all the software's auto update and auto-check options to free your time for more productive things than just playing hide and seek with spywares, adwares or viruses. Happy and safe computing!

This article is submitted by Kashif Raza http://www.networkingtutorials.net

Virus Prevention and Removal

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:15:00 +0000

A virus is a piece of code that gets loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. The first known occurrence of viruses goes back to 1987 when the ARPANET was infected by one.

One common misnomer among people is that you can infect your computer just by opening an email and reading its text. That is not possible; it is usually the files attached to the email that contain the virus. The most common file types are ".SCR" ".VBS" ", ".PIF"

Prevention is better than a cure: Here are some tips to make sure that your computer does not get infected.

* Get a good Anti-Virus software like Norton Anti-Virus, MacAfee, PC Cillin etc.
* Keep your anti virus software updated by downloading new virus definitions regularly. Most Anti-Virus software comes with the feature of updating virus definitions.
* Keep your windows operating system updated by regularly downloading new updates from the Internet. Windows O/S's have a lot of security loopholes and bugs that can be easily exploited by worms and viruses.
* Make sure the anti virus scans the file each time before its opened.
* Floppy disks and removable media are a good source of viruses; always scan them before accessing files on them.
* Never open email attachments from sources that are unknown or suspicious.
* Do not open emails that have questionable subject lines.
* When in doubt about a file, don't open it.
* Even with the best of precautions bad things can still happen. Backup all your data and important files.

Even after taking all these precautions if your computer does get infected, then here are a few things that you can do:

Online clearing tools - are a good source of trying to clean out the virus, there are many Anti-Virus websites that offer free online virus detection and removal services.

Removal tools - If you have an Anti-Virus software then you can go to the website of that software and download removal tools designed specifically for the virus. However, you must find out the name of the virus that infects your PC beforehand.

If you have a backup of all your important files, you can also consider formatting your hard disk.

Ashish Jain
http://www.m6.net
Ashish is an integral member of the M6.Net Web Helpers team

Virus Alerts [Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders - 06/13/08]

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:44:00 +0000

- Panda Security's weekly report on viruses and intruders -
Virus Alerts, by Panda Security (http://www.pandasecurity.com)

Madrid, June 13, 2008 - PandaLabs' report this week focuses on the
Banbra.FUD and Dadobra.APK Trojans, and the MalwareProtector 2008
adware.

The Banbra.FUD Trojan uses the Microsoft Internet Explorer icon. When
run, the file with the malicious code establishes an FTP connection with
a specific IP address, loading the file with the name of the affected
computer followed by the word Aviso (Warning).

Banbra.FUD creates several files on the infected system and keys in the
Windows registry. When users connect to specific online Brazilian banks,
an error message is displayed and a window with a spoof bank url is
opened where users are asked to enter their login details. .

On reentering their credentials, the Trojan intercepts them and adds
them to the text file, which is later sent via FTP to the IP address
mentioned earlier.

Additionally, this Trojan deletes security application files and other
banker malware files.

The Dadobra.APK Trojan is designed to download other files infected by
banker malware, generically detected as Banbra.FTX by Panda Security
solutions.

When users run a file infected by Dadobra.APK, a video in which a
football field is shown is played, to fool users while the Trojans
continue carrying out malicious actions. .

Finally, MalwareProtector 2008 is an adware (program designed to show
unwanted advertising) which simulates system scans and encourages users
to buy software to delete the malware which has supposedly been found.

When run, it modifies the desktop wallpaper, displaying a message
informing users the computer is infected by spyware. Then, a window is
displayed recommending users to download anti-spyware software. If the
download is rejected, a screensaver with cockroaches eating the desktop
wallpaper is displayed.

If users download the application, it simulates a computer scan and
displays a list of the malware supposedly installed on the system. If
users choose to delete the malicious code, a message is returned
claiming the software is not registered and users must pay to use it.

The Traditional Antivirus Programs Useless Against New Unidentified Viruses Alert!

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:12:00 +0000

Every now and then you can read about a new virus and the damage it causes. The millions viruses costs companies each time they strike. It is however not only companies that are suffering from the damages caused by viruses. A virus can be just as damaging if not more for a private Internet user by destroying important documents, family pictures and everything else you keep on your computer. Therefore should no home computer be without a good virus protection software. This way you can protect your computer and yourself from loosing data, corrupted hard drives and a number of other problems. There are several anti virus programs available of which some are free and some are not. You should however always remember that you might get what you paying for, meaning that the service and the updates might be better for the paid alternatives and thereby protect your computer better.

When using a virus program you should try to find one that is fast, reliable and able to discover as many viruses as possible. Whether it is fast or not might seem unimportant if you dont use your computer that much, but you will find that an anti virus program that scans your computer faster will be used more frequently and thereby giving you a better protection. If an anti virus program should be effective when protecting your computer it needs to be able to recognise all viruses, and since new viruses are constantly created this means that the database for the program has to be constantly updated. You should therefore consider how often the different anti virus programs update their databases when choosing which antivirus program to get. You should always make sure to keep your virus program up-to-date.

One of the best anti virus programs on the market today is Panda Active Scan Anti Virus Software Online which has an unrivalled capacity for detecting viruses and other threats online which is the most common path for viruses to reach our computer. Almost all viruses today are spread through the Internet. Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 is easy to install and once it is installed it finds and remove viruses automatically. Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 also automatically updates itself if you want it to. In other words: Panda Anti Virus is an anti virus program that manages itself and makes sure that it is up to date and able to keep your computer safe from viruses. Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 scans your entire computer, including the program itself, to make sure that a virus cant infect any part of the computer. Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 doesnt just search for virus, it also search your computer for a number of other security risks like spy wares and Trojans.

Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 contains TruPrevent Technologies. TruPrevent Technologies is a system designed to help Panda Anti Virus protect your computer against unknown viruses and intruders. The user can choose whether they want to use TruPrevent Technologies or not. The technology has been implemented to allow Panda Anti Virus to protect your computer against new virus since a new virus can spread world wide within a few hours. The TruPrevent Technologies allows Panda Anti Virus to detect and block viruses even if they are not yet included in the virus database. This allows Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 to keep your computer safe against all viruses and not only the ones that are already identified, since you might encounter a new virus despite the fact that Panda updates their database at least once a day. Old anti virus programs - and most of the modern anti virus programs as well - can only protect you against already identified viruses. The ability to protect against unknown viruses is what Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 a superior choice for an anti virus program.

Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 does not only offer superior security and very user friendly functionality. It also comes with tech support where experts answer any questions that might arise.

All personal computers should have virus protection since you otherwise risk loosing important document, family pictures etcetera and if you are looking for user friendliness and a superior security Panda Titanium Active Scan Anti Virus 2005 is your best choice.

You can get panda antivirus at support cave.

Supportcave.com offers new and enhanced free Anti Virus Remover Software. Not only will these programs effectively check and clean your computer from Spyware, once installed they will also shield your computer from future Spyware intrusions and browser hijacks - before the malevolent software even have a chance to enter you PC! Anti Virus Remover Software is an important function all computer users should rely on to ensure their computer is free from nosey software and their privacy protected.

http://www.supportcave.com/

The Basic of Small Business Computer Security

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:07:00 +0000

Anyone in business today realizes both the natural dependency on computers in the workplace, and also the potential dangers associated with storing important data on them. Todays business owners are constantly being reminded that their companys data is at risk by the daily reports on various news stations, or even their favorite business-related website.

But what can a typical small business owner do to protect their network from these threats that are broadcasted in so many ways? Dangers lurk at every turn on the Internet. There are thousands of attacks or areas of security that could be discussed, but I am going to try and focus on three general nuisances associated with todays computers: viruses, spy-ware, and traditional hackers that will intentionally try to exploit your computer systems for various reasons. All of these attacks, although different, serve a specific purpose for the attacker, yet basically translate into three things for a business: lost productivity, lost data, and the end result lost money.

Here is brief descriptions of what the aforementioned attacks are, consist of, and what a typical small business can do to protect their technology investments.

Virus: A computer virus shares some traits with an actual virus that gets people sick. A computer virus must piggyback on top of some other program or document in order to get executed. Once it is running, it is then able to infect other programs or documents. Obviously, the analogy between computer and biological viruses stretches things a bit, but there are enough similarities that the name sticks. A computer virus can have many intentions. One common goal is the viruss desire to infect as many machines as possible. Some are harmless and are no more then an attempt for a hacker to spread their name and get recognition amongst their peers. However, this can still lead to slow computer performance or programs acting up. On the other side of the coin, viruses can be extremely harmful and delete data, cause complete computer interruption, give someone unauthorized access to your company data, or even be used in conjunction with thousands of other infected computers to launch grand-scale attacks. Viruses are still mostly transferred via email; however newer attacks will entice you via an email to a malicious website that will exploit a flaw in your computer to install the virus.

Protection from Viruses: If you are reading this article, and you still do not have current (this is very important) anti-virus software running on EVERY single computer you own, then shame on you. With all of the marketing commotion that surrounds viruses, you should already have antivirus software on all of your computers. If you dont, then hurry to the store and purchase it. Popular software in the antivirus market is made by Symantec (www.symantec.com) and McAfee (www.mcafee.com). Larger companies may look into a system that will scan emails prior to the email getting to a users inbox for viruses. Also, be wary of what you open in your email. Do not open emails from people you do not know, and even if you do know the sender, take extra caution, as most viruses today will trick you into believing that the virus is sent from someone that you know.

Spyware: You may know spyware by one of its many names, adware, malware, trackware, scumware, thiefware, snoopware, and sneakware. Because of its stealthy nature, most Internet users are more familiar with the symptoms of spyware infection: sluggish PC performance, increased pop-up ads, unexplained homepage change, and mysterious search results. For virtually everyone surfing the Internet, malware and adware are a nuisance, but if you do not detect spyware on your PC, it can lead to much more serious consequences such as identity theft. Many people wonder how they get spyware installed onto their computer in the first place. Typically, spyware is installed onto your PC without your knowledge because the programs are usually hidden within other software. For example, when you are browsing a website, and a pop-up appears to install the latest online Casino game, it probably will give you that game, but youve also just installed spyware along with that. Another avenue for Spyware to infect your machine is through popular Peer-to-Peer File Sharing software such as Kazaa. The financial impact on a business that is plagued by spyware can toll very high. Costs paid to computer consultants to remove spyware, and a users overall lost of productivity from a slow-performing computer can add up very quickly.

Protection from Spyware: Spyware is a huge problem in todays computing environment. Fighting Spyware starts with smarter use of your computer. The best defense against spyware and other unwanted software is not to download it in the first place. Here are a few helpful tips that can protect you from downloading software you don't want. Only download programs from web sites you trust, read all security warnings, license agreements, and privacy statements associated with any software you download, and never click "agree" or "OK" to close a window. Instead, click the red "x" in the corner of the window or press the Alt + F4 buttons on your keyboard to close a window, and be wary of popular "free" music and movie file-sharing programs, and be sure you clearly understand all of the software packaged with those programs. If you do happen to install Spyware on your computer, there are some tools available to assist in the removal of spyware. Be careful however when downloading these free spyware removal softwares, as even some of the removal tools incorporate spyware into their software. A popular product that does a good job of removing spyware is Lavasofts Adaware (www.lavasoft.com). Larger organizations can look to companies such as Computer Associates (www.ca.com) for enterprise protection. There are instances when there is simply just too much spyware installed on a machine where these tools cannot help, and youll be forced to format your hard drive and reinstall your operating system.

Hackers: The term hacker has many different meanings to many different people. A dictionary might define the word hacker as follows, A person who breaks into, or attempts to break into, or use, a computer network or system without authorization, often at random, for personal amusement or gratification, and not necessarily with malicious intent. 2. [An] unauthorized user who attempts to or gains access to an information system 3. A technically sophisticated computer expert who intentionally gains unauthorized access to targeted protected resources, loosely, a computer enthusiast. 4. A person who uses a computer resource in a manner for which it is not intended or which is in conflict with the terms of an acceptable-use policy, but is not necessarily malicious in intent. As you can see, a hacker is someone with a very high aptitude in computing. By studying the inherent design of computer systems, a hacker will then attempt to compromise those systems for a purpose. Typically, they use a collection of tools easily downloadable on the Internet to exploit a flaw in a program or hardware system. Hackers do what they do for various reasons. Some do it for simple prestige amongst their peers, others for financial gain, and others do it to make a political statement. The impact of your networks security being breached can lead to very serious financial losses. Imagine your customer database being sold to a competitor or even what public response would be if you had to tell your customers that their personal information was stolen?

Protection from Hackers: I was once told, that no matter how good a safe you buy, there will still always be a locksmith that can un-lock it. The same goes for protection against hackers. However the amount of people with the expertise to bypass most security defenses, available to companies, are few and far in between. To keep your network safe, the following three items are an absolute must. A quality firewall at your networks perimeter to filter what goes in and out of your internet connection, desktop level firewalls to keep internal company computers safe, and the importance of performing updates to your computers operating system and applications. Firewalls simply stated, filter data passing through them. They are in essence, inspectors that allow and deny data to be passed through them based on certain rules. Most quality firewalls will protect your network by letting the good data through and keeping the bad out. Recommended firewalls for small businesses can be purchased from companies such as Cisco (www.cisco.com), Watchguard (www.watchguard.com) or Sonic Wall (www.sonicwall.com). Firewall vendors typically have many different models available, so consult with your network security professional on what to buy. The important thing is that you have one in place. Desktop level firewalls provide a true multi-layered approach to security. This added level of protection strengthens your computer systems defense, and is especially helpful to companies that have remote workers. Most companies today do have firewalls on their corporate network; however no one ever thinks about the company presidents laptop that gets brought home everyday. The president brings his laptop home and sets up his trusty remote connection back into his office over his broadband home Internet connection. The once protected laptop is now completely unprotected and connected directly to the corporate office, which gives a direct avenue for virus and hackers onto your corporate network. The great thing about desktop firewalls is that you can get some great ones for free! If you use the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, simply upgrade to service pack 2 and it includes a free and easy to use desktop level firewall. If you do not have Windows XP or just do not want to use their firewall, Zone Alarm (www.zonealarm.com) offers a great desktop level firewall. The last level of defense is to keep your networked systems up to date with the latest patches and fixes from their respective manufacturers. I will assume that most companies use Microsoft Windows products for most of their computing needs, so to keep your system updated simply go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. You should check for updates twice a month.

Even though this article simply brushes the surface of network security, I hope it gives you insight as to some potential dangers out there and real incentive to implement better security for your company. Just as you have an alarm system at your office, please take the necessary steps to protect your companys computer network and data. If not, the costs of recovery I guarantee you will far exceed the costs to implement a secure network.

Jarrett M. Pavao studied at the University of Miami, is a Microsoft Certified System Engineer, and Citrix Certified Administrator. Jarrett is the Director of Business Technologies for Docutek, a systems integrator in Boca Raton, FL. Jarrett can be contacted at jpavao@docuteksolutions.com with any network security related questions or concerns.

Jarrett M. Pavao studied at the University of Miami, is a Microsoft Certified System Engineer, and Citrix Certified Administrator. Jarrett is the Director of Business Technologies for Docutek, a systems integrator in Boca Raton, FL. Jarrett can be contacted at jpavao@docuteksolutions.com with any network security related questions or concerns.

The Move to a New AntiVirus

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:10:00 +0000

This is the second in a series of articles highlighting reasons why we need a new model for anti-virus and security solutions.

Reason #1: the Basic Model

Anti-virus software vendors still rely on yesterdays methods for solving todays problems: they wait for the next virus to wreak havoc and then produce a solution. That worked for a long time when a virus would take years to traverse the world. But in this fast-paced Interet-crazed world we live in today, this type of solution is no longer applicable. Now a virus can traverse the world and infect millions of computers in minutes.

In the good old days a virus traveled by floppy disk. Put a floppy in your computer and save some data to it and the virus would infect the floppy. Then unwittingly put the infected floppy in another computer and presto the new computer would become infected. (Im skimming over a lot of detail here to make a point). So the virus progress was slow and steady. Anti-virus vendors had time on their side. They had the time to get a copy of the virus, dissect it, run it through a series of tests to come up with a signature string (see below for definition), put the string into a database of strings to search for when scanning your hard drive (and floppies) and release the new database to the public. Ten years ago this system worked very well.

But now everyone is connected via the Internet. Now, using email as a transport point, it doesnt take years to gather momentum, instead it takes a matter of minutes. And here is where the model breaks. Step back and ask yourself the following question: if vendors can catch known and unknown viruses as their literature states, how then is it that we continue to have virus problems?

The answer lies in the fact that virus authors have been more creative in coming up with new ways to infect and wreak havoc and the software industry has not responded in kind, preferring to stay embedded in its old fashioned methodologies.

Why dont the old ways work any more, you might ask? Its relatively simple. Lets go through the steps.

A virus author unleashes NewVirus via email. He mass mails his virus to thousands of people. Some, not all, unwittingly open the attachment thinking its from a friend or the subject is so enticing that they are fooled into opening it without thinking its a problem (cf. nude pictures of Anna Kournikova). The email attachment immediately starts emailing everyone in his contact list and embeds itself into his operating system so that its activated every time he turns on his computer.

The folks he emails in turn get fooled into thinking the email is valid and they open the attachment. Very quickly all hell breaks loose. Agencies which monitor Internet traffic see problems arising with the sudden spikes in email traffic and they begin to get calls or emails alerting them to the fact that theres a new problem. Samples are obtained and sent off to anti-virus vendors. They pass the emails through a series of tests to analyze what exactly the virus does and how it does it. Additionally analysis is performed to extract a unique string of 1s and 0s to identify this attachment as none other than NewVirus. This is called the signature string. Its important that whatever string is arrived at does not exist in any other program or piece of software; otherwise, you will get what is commonly called a false positive.

Quick digression on false positives: if a vendor arrives at a unique string that just happens to be embedded in Microsoft Word, then every time a user runs a scan of their hard drive, Microsoft Word will be identified as being infected with NewVirus. Users will uninstall Word and re-install only to learn that they are still infected. There will be complaints; the vendor will be forced to re-assess the signature string and re-release his list of strings and admit the error.

Typically signature strings are matched against a whole boatload of commonplace software just to protect against this occurrence, but it still happens and vendors learn to add new software to their test beds.

OK, so the vendor has arrived at a signature string. Next? Implement the string into their string database so that when their scanners are scanning they will match whats on your hard drive to whats in the database. After the database has been updated they release the database to their customers in whats commonly called a push where they send the updates to their primary users.

If you did not buy into this service, you must know enough to log into your anti-virus vendor and update your software so that you stay current.

So where are we? The bad guy or problem teenager- has unleashed NewVirus. NewVirus has infected thousands of computers; vendors have been alerted; NewVirus continues to infect; solutions are achieved and pushed to corporate clients; NewVirus continues to infect hundreds and thousands of computers; corporate clients breathe a sigh of relief and alert their users as to the new threat.

Thousands, if not millions, of computers become infected and need to be cleaned because the best way to solve the virus problem is to wait for each new virus to come along and solve on a case by case basis.

But if you sat back and said: what if? What if you categorized all the things a virus can do (or could do), built a series of computers to allow any email attachment or program to have full rein of a computer (much like it would have on your own computer such a computer is called honeypot) and then analyze that computer for unwelcome behavior?

That would be a true pre-emptive strike against all malicious software. This is the behavior-based model. Such a model would actually protect you unknown viruses, along with all the known 70,000 viruses.

In part 2 well discuss the risks and security failures of having distributed vendor software on your desktop.

About The Author

Tim Klemmer
CEO, OnceRed LLC
http://www.checkinmyemail.com

Tim Klemmer has spent the better part of 12 years designing and perfecting the first true patented behavior-based solution to malicious software.

timklemmer@checkinmyemail.com

Virus Prevention Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:12:00 +0000

Blaster, Welchia, Sobig, W32, Backdoor, Trojan, Melissa, Klez, Worm, Loveletter, Nimda Do these names sound Familiar?

Have you been as bothered by viruses this past year as I have? Does it seem like there are more viruses, worms and Trojans out now then ever before? It is only getting worse.

For the general public, "virus" has become a catchall term for any unwanted program that spreads from computer-to-computer; yet, in reality, there are differences between viruses, worms and Trojan horses.

Worms reside in active memory, are self replicating, and usually use native operating system components to do so. Trojans are programs in which malicious or harmful code is contained inside apparently harmless programming or data. Viruses are pieces of programming code that cause some unexpected and usually undesirable event. All of them can really ruin your day.

Everyone who uses a computer can catch a virus. Borrowing disks, swapping floppies, moving data from one machine to another, sending and receiving e-mail, the list goes on. If you use the Internet, your chances increase, even if you use a dial-up modem. Some viruses can be caught just by visiting infected websites.

There are over 50,000 active viruses today. But on any given day, only a few hundred viruses pose a serious threat to your computer. Some of the most destructive--Melissa, Love Letter, and more recent Blaster--caused millions of dollars in damage.

Many systems and networks never completely recover from a virus attack. Though a virus protection program is imperative to your computers health, it does not in any way ensure your safety.

To be effective antivirus programs require proper setup and frequent updates. Newer applications have built in updaters and if installed properly require almost mo maintenance. However, older programs required user interaction to get the latest definitions.

In a corporate environment, a system can be installed in which the users have no dealings with the antivirus application at all. All monitoring is done by the network administrator and on the server level.

A primary server with groups and group leaders can be defined during setup. Specific systems are assigned to groups usually based on their physical location. The primary server automatically gets its updates from the antivirus vendor. The group leaders then get their updates from the primary server and distribute them to all the members on a daily basis. The network administrator monitors one system that can control the scanning, updating and managing for the entire network.

How can you stay protected?

1. Install anti-virus software and keep the virus definitions up to date.

2. Don't automatically open attachments and make sure your email program doesn't do so automatically.

3. Scan all e-mail attachments.

4. Configure your anti-virus software to boot automatically on start-up and run at all times.

5. Avoid downloading files you can't be sure are safe. This includes freeware, screensavers, games, and any other executable program.

6. Dont use floppies, but if you must, scan them before using them.

7. Educate yourself and your users to learn how to spot viruses.

All past articles written by Greg Richburg are available at http://www.netricks.com/news. Please address article suggestions to: info@netricks.com. Greg Richburg a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and the owner of Netricks, Inc. for wed design adn hosting, and KlickCommerce for Internet Marketing Strategies. Please visit http://www.klickcommerce.com/.

Worm Viruses, Trojans and Spyware- Protecting your Computer.

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:07:00 +0000

Secure Your PC From Hackers, Viruses, and Trojans

No user on the internet is safe from assault. Viruses, Trojans and Spyware can all effect your computer by placing annoying ads, tracking your credit card numbers, or even slow it down to a certain extent it is deemed no longer usable. By following through these simple steps, you can help protect yourself from the internet.

High CPU Usage: If your computer seems to be slower than usual, it is very likely that you have been infected. Background services can slow down your computer, and to check performance, enter Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete). Then, click on the processes tab. You will be able to see active processes that are running. To find what should be running on your computer, visit http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm.

Check your level of protection: A good way to know whether you are safe or not is by using security tools. Here are some you should try out: NeWT 2.1: This is a very simple tool to use, and it scans for more than 4000 common security vulnerabilities. Download NeWT here: http://www.tenablesecurity.com/newt.htm Sumantec security check: This is a free service provided by Symantec. Simply visit here (www.sumantec.com), then select Scan for Security Risks. It will only tell you what vulnerabilities you have, but however it won't tell you how to fix them. Infinitive! Port Scanner: Our very own online port scanner! http://infinate.x10hosting.com/phport

Update Yourself: Install all the latest update possible. Service Pack 2 is a good way to start if you're running Windows XP. Enable Automatic Updates, and make sure you have the latest updates on your PC.

Safe Surfing: Due to Internet Explorer's high popularity, it is usually safe to change altogether. A common program now is known as FireFox (www.mozilla.com/products/firefox), which is fast, responsive and similar to Internet Explorer. However a major flaw with FireFox is that you will need to install additional plug-ins in order for you to view certain pages.

Make Regular Backups: Prepare for the worst. Make regular backups of your important files and store them on a type of offline storage.

Don't open suspicious links: If you are sent a link you are not sure about, do not open them, Simple. Another good way is to avoid suspicious sites altogether. Many programs too, bundle with spyware, so when you download them make sure they are stated "Freeware", nothing else.

Program Protection: Use Anti-Virus and Firewall software. McAfee is a highly recommended product over Symantec, but there are also other free anti-virus/firewall software online such as NOD32. http://www.nod32.com/

If you have been infected: Find cleaning instructions online on sites such as http://vil.nai.com. It will tell you where to locate your infection, and where to find and remove it. System Restore is also a good option on Windows XP. To use System Restore, go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System, System Restore. Simply click a restore point and reboot.

You can also remove viruses using the programs listed under Program Protection. To remove Spyware, Spybot S&D (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html) is a free yet useful tool to use.

All articles are written by Infinitive!

Infinitive! http://www.infinate.x10hosting.com You may reproduce and use this article just so long as you add a link (http://www.infinate.x10hosting.com) down at the bottom.

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Get your Personal Firewalls - Secure Your Computer

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sat, 31 May 2008 01:04:00 +0000

There has not been a time in the history of the personal computer that firewalls and anti-virus programs have been more necessary and in-demand. Today, personal computer security is not only threatened by viruses and worms, but also by spyware those severely annoying programs that are illegally loaded onto your computer from the internet. Spyware programs can seriously undermine the operating structure of your computer, as well as make you vulnerable to identity theft and other criminal activities. Firewalls, long since a staple in the corporate world for defending large, expensive internal intranets or other networks, has now come into its own as a tool for personal computer owners as well. Your home computer is just as susceptible if not more so to online attacks, so why should it not be protected?

What is a firewall, anyway?

For those of you who may not be as versed in the pc security lingual as some, we offer here a fairly simple definition. A firewall is a collection of security programs that act to block unauthorized users from gaining access to a particular computer network (or single computer). Most firewalls also comprehensively monitor and report the data transfers between the network and the outside internet environment. Thus, they are quite effective in keeping your computer or network safe, allowing you to access the internet without taking a high security risk.

Sygate Personal Firewalls

There are few highly reputable firewall providers out there, and Sygate is certainly one of them. Here we go over some of the features of the Sygate line firewalls, so that you may choose the best one for your pc or server.

Sygate currently offers two main personal firewalls: the Sygate Personal Firewall (SPF) and the Sygate Personal Firewall Plus (SPFP). The major differences between the two are the advanced features you will only find on the SPFP. With the Plus version you will get VPN support, intrusion detection system (IDS), active reponse, and anti-mac, anti-ip spoofing. Both versions of the software come with the material that any pc user should really make sure they have: the main "application" firewall, intrusion alarm system, attacker tracing system, and security policy customization. These features are what are really necessary for a firewall to protect your home computer. The firewall needs to be able to block outsiders from gaining access to your computer, and they need to alert you when an attack has been attempted (or is in progress). Considering that the SPF is essentially free to download, and contains the elements you really need, this is the application we recommend for home pc users. For small business networks, the more advanced features offered by the Sygate Personal Firewall Plus is certainly worth the $40.00 pricetag. Both options are solid firewall applications and can be highly trusted to perform well on nearly any system.

Norton Personal Firewalls

Sygates closest competition in the area of personal firewall is Norton. Norton anti-virus programs are very well known, and have largely carried the brand over the last decade. Although less well known, Norton offers a powerful and comprehensive firewall program for home pc owners. Norton Personal Firewall 2005 is similar to the Sygate Personal Firewall program mentioned above. Some of the neat features of this application include the Norton Privacy Control (which keeps information from being sent without your knowledge in email, instant messages, MS Office attachments, and various forms on the web, such as those you enter your credit card number in), and intrusion prevention system that automatically blocks suspicious incoming traffic (from hackers, etc.). If this product is anywhere near as well designed and engineered as the anti-virus programs from Norton, then it is definately worth a look. The software can be downloaded or ordered online for $49.

Bradley James is a senior editor at SciNet.cc, a website containing many helpful consumer electronics review articles. For more information on personal firewalls, please visit our personal firewall webpage.

Get your Personal Firewalls for Home Users

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:02:00 +0000

What is a Firewall?

The term "firewall" illustrates a system that protects a network and the machines on them from various types of attack. Firewalls are geared towards keeping the server up all the time and protecting the entire network.

The primary goal of a firewall is to implement a desired security policy; controlling access in both directions through the firewall, and to protect the firewall itself from compromise. It wards off intrusion attempts, Trojans and other malicious attacks.

Personal Firewalls:

They are meant for the home user in a networked environment. They aim to block simple attacks, unlike the enterprise level firewalls that the corporate world uses at the server or router end. There are many ways to implement a firewall, each with specific advantages and disadvantages.

Are they really needed?

Nowadays organizations and professionals use Internet technology to establish their online presence and showcase their products and services globally. Their endeavor is to leverage digital technology to make their business work for them.

All the organizations and professionals are shifting from Dialup to broadband and getting a fixed IP. It has led to an increase in security attacks, bugs in everyday working. This does not mean that Dialup being anonymous dynamic link or the firewall of the ISP network make you pretty safe.

Now if your machine was under attack, you must have wondered what went wrong making your system crash suddenly. So I would rather like to say, its not necessary for anyone to actually know about you or your IP address to gain access to your system.

If you system is infected or prone to intrusions, then beyond the anonymity of your Dialup connection or a dynamic IP, your system can be hacked.

Types of Attacks

Intrusion:

There are many ways to gain unauthorized access to a system. Operating system vulnerabilities, cracked or guessed passwords are some of the more common. Once access is attained, the intruder can send email, tamper with data, or use the system privileges to attack another system.

Information Theft and Tampering:

Data theft and tampering do not always require that the system be compromised. There have been many bugs with FTP servers that allow attackers to download password files or upload Trojan horses.

Service Attacks:

Any attack that keeps the intended user from being able to use the services provided by their servers is considered a denial of service attack. There are many types of denial of service attacks, and unfortunately are very difficult to defend against. "Mail bombs" are one example in which an attacker repeatedly sends large mail files in the attempt at filling the servers disk filesystem thus preventing legitimate mail from being received.

Types of Attackers

Joyrider:

Not all attacks on computer systems are malicious. Joyriders are just looking for fun. Your system may be broken into just because it was easy, or to use the machine as a platform to attack others. It may be difficult to detect intrusion on a system that is used for this purpose. If the log files are modified, and if everything appears to be working, you may never know.

Vandals:

A vandal is malicious. They break in to delete files or crash computer systems either because they don't like you, or because they enjoy destroying things. If a vandal breaks into your computer, you will know about it right away. Vandals may also steal secrets and target your privacy.

In an incident a Trojan was being used to operate the web cam. All the activities being done in the house were being telecasted on the websites.

Spies:

Spies are out to get secret information. It may be difficult to detect break-ins by spies since they will probably leave no trace if they get what they are looking for.

A personal firewall, therefore, is one of the methods you can use to deny such intrusions.

How Firewalls work?

Firewalls basically work as a filter between your application and network connection. They act as gatekeepers and as per your settings, show a port as open or closed for communication. You can grant rights for different applications to gain access to the internet and also in a reverse manner by blocking outside applications trying to use ports and protocols and preventing attacks. Hence you can block ports that you dont use or even block common ports used by Trojans.

Using Firewalls you can also block protocols, so restricting access to NetBIOS will prevent computers on the network from accessing your data. Firewalls often use a combination of ports, protocols, and application level security to give you the desired security.

Firewalls are configured to discard packets with particular attributes such as:

* Specific source or destination IP addresses.

* Specific protocol types

* TCP flags set/clear in the packet header.

Choosing a firewall:

Choose the firewalls which have the ability to ward of all intrusion attempts, control applications that can access the internet, preventing the malicious scripts or controls from stealing information or uploading files and prevent Trojans and other backdoor agents from running as servers.

The purpose of having a firewall cannot be diminished in order to gain speed. However, secure, high-performance firewalls are required to remove the bottleneck when using high speed Internet connections. The World-Wide-Web makes possible the generation of enormous amounts of traffic at the click of a mouse.

Some of the good firewall performers available in the market are below:

* BlackICE Defender

* eSafe Desktop

* McAfee Personal Firewall

* Neowatch

* Norton Personal Firewall

* PGP Desktop Security

* Sygate Personal Firewalls

* Tiny Personal Firewall

* Zone Alarm

* Zone Alarm Pro

Most of these firewalls are free for personal use or offer a free trial period. All the personal firewalls available cant ensure 100% security for your machine. Regular maintenance of the machine is needed for ensuring safety.

Some of the tasks advised for maintaining system not prone to intrusions:

* Disable file and print sharing if you are not going to be on network.

* Update your antivirus signature files regularly.

* Use a specialized Trojan cleaner.

* Regular apply security patches to your software and operating system.

* Dont open email attachments if you have dont know the contents it may contain.

* Dont allow unknown applications to access to the internet or to your system.

* Regularly check log files of your personal firewall and antivirus software.

* Disable ActiveX and java and uninstall windows scripting host if not required.

* Turn off Macros in Applications like Microsoft Office and turn macro protection on.

* Check the open ports of your system and see them against the common list of Trojans ports to see if they are being used by some Trojan.

* Log Off from your internet connection if not required. Being online on the internet for long duration gives any intruder more and sufficient time to breach system security.

* Unplug peripherals like web cam, microphone if they are not being used.

About The Author

Pawan Bangar,
Technical Director,
Birbals,India
ebirbals@gmail.com

Virus Alerts, by Panda Security

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sun, 18 May 2008 06:26:00 +0000

Panda Security's weekly report -
(http://www.pandasecurity.com)

Madrid, May 16, 2008 - PandaLabs' report this week focuses on the
Perwall.A and Radulambu.C worms, and the Ceckno.J, and HostChange.B
Trojans.

Perwall.A is a Trojan that spreads to all removable and mapped drives on
the computer. When run, Perwall.A creates copies of itself in several
places. It also generates the autorun.inf and Boom.vbs files and creates
several entries in the Windows registry to run on every system restart.

One of its symptoms includes opening the c:\windows\web\wallpaper folder
which stores desktop wallpaper images.

The Radulambu.C worm reaches computers with a typical image file icon,
called Palma.exe. When run, it copies itself in several computer
locations and mapped drives. It also creates a folder in C: called
Images, where it creates several copies of itself under different names,
and creates an autorun.inf file on the hard disk and mapped drives.

Additionally, Radulambu.C generates several entries in the Windows
registry. This way, it modifies the Internet Explorer title bar,
disables the system recovery or conceals file extensions.

Ceckno.J is a Trojan is designed to download other malware onto affected
computers and act as a backdoor.

This malicious code has a downloader component for downloading malware,
and a backdoor component downloaded by the downloader. . When installed
on the computer, it creates copies of itself and scans ports until it
downloads a backdoor or exhausts the number of possible attempts (15).
With each attempt, the port through which it tries to download malware
increases by one.

Once the backdoor component is downloaded, the downloader stops running,
preventing the system from detecting infection symptoms. Later on, the
backdoor is run and listens on a port.

Finally, HostChange.B is a Trojan that spreads through emails that
falsely report the death of, Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela.

These messages purport to come from a famous communication channel in
Venezuela, to gain users' trust. Additionally, they include links to an
alleged video of the fake news story.

However, on clicking the links, a file that contains HostChange.B is
downloaded. This Trojan modifies the computer host file, associating the
website of a well-known financial company in Venezuela to another one
with a false page designed to capture users' confidential data.

You can subscribe to our Latest Threats service on RSS, at
http://www.pandasecurity.com/img/enc/rss_last_threats_es.xml?sitepanda=p
articulares

Panda Security offers several free tools for scanning PCs at:
http://www.infectedornot.com

Trojan-Infected MP3s

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sun, 18 May 2008 06:20:00 +0000

ply via web post

Posted by: "Albert Stone" albertj809@yahoo.com albertj809
Fri May 16, 2008 4:36 am (PDT)
Trojan-Infected MP3s Have PC Users Singing the Blues
[http://www.technews world.com/ images/rw3689/ malware.jpg]
By Chris Maxcer
TechNewsWorld
05/10/08 4:00 AM PT

Fake MP3 files have duped thousands of computer users into download
annoying and potentially dangerous malware into their systems. People
expecting free music are instead directed to download a special player
in order to hear it. It's not a player, though -- "PLAY_MP3.com" is
nothing but adware.

A new type of Trojan horse malware application is hiding inside fake MP3
media files, infecting approximately 500,000 consumer PCs, McAfee Avert
Labs reported. The nefarious files have been delivered primarily on
peer-to-peer networks during the last several days.

The trojan, known as "Downloader- UA.h," was added to McAfee's DAT files
about a week ago. Since then, McAfee VirusScan Online users have
reported the half-million detections. The trojan hides in fake music and
video files and is associated with fastmp3player. com.

"When a user attempts to load one of these MP3 and MPG files, they don't
get the music/video they were hoping for; instead, they're directed to
download a file named 'PLAY_MP3.exe, '" reports Craig Schmugar, a
researcher for McAfee Avert Labs, on the Avert Labs blog
. "In fact, the MP3/MPG file
they downloaded was completely fake, playing no media clip whatsoever."

Infected users receive an offer that purportedly will let them listen to
free MP3s. They must agree to an End User License Agreement (EULA),
which installs an ad-supported application.

"In the end you're left with a fake MP3 file taking up space, a
worthless MP3 player, adware that claims not only to not display popups,
but also to block them, and more adware that successfully displays popup
and popunder ads," Schmugar reports.

Thus far, operators of just 10 percent of the 500,000-plus systems with
the trojan on their PCs have gone so far as to agree to the EULA and
download the adware installer.

More to the Story
While the adware in this most recent report is primarily a nuisance, the
delivery mechanism could transport something much nastier.

"That led us to look for more of this type of malware to see what we
could find, and we did come across a couple of domains that are serving
some things that are more than a nuisance," Schmugar told TechNewsWorld.

"Another package presents itself as a codec that you have to install in
order to view video that you just downloaded -- or, at least, it wants
you to believe that -- and once you install it, you get dozens of
executables coming down, lots of different downloaders. Some restrict
your use of standard tools like task manager in Windows to see what's
running, or command line tools, and you get lots of other advert
packages. IE starts crashing, and you start having various system
problems," he explained.

"Plus, these downloaders could be dynamically updated -- they are in
control of the hackers, essentially -- so if they decide to put up a
password-stealing trojan at a later date, they have the ability to do
so," Schmugar added.
Standard Safe Computing Practices Apply
"Keep antivirus software up-to-date and scan your machine, repair your
machine if anything is found, and keep Windows up-to-date," Schmugar
advised.

"Desktop firewall products are still good. They will alert you that a
program is trying to make an outbound connection -- in the case of the
adware, that it's trying to connect to other servers," he noted.

Schmugar also recommended that consumers shouldn't download files from
any untrusted source -- a mantra that's been shouted for years in the
industry, it seems. For some reason, he observed, people seem to be more
comfortable downloading media files than other files or executables from
untrusted sources.

Internet Security Basics 101

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:58:00 +0000

The explosive growth of the Internet has meant that thousands of people are today experiencing the joys of being online for the first time. With growth there always comes pain. Be it your growing pains as a child or the growth and development of this part of our culture called the Internet.

Firstly we need to quickly explain what the Internet is and where it came from. The Internet is the offspring of a military project called Arpanet. Arpanet was designed to provide reliable communication during global nuclear war. A vast network of interconnected computers was set up all over the world to allow the various branches of US and NATO forces to communicate with each other.

Nuclear war never came (thankfully) and the world was left with a massive network of computers all connected together with nothing to do. Colleges and universities started to use these computers for sharing research internationally. From there it grew and spread outside colleges to local homes and businesses. The World Wide Web was born and its father was a guy called Tim Berners Lee.

When you're connected to the Internet you're sharing a vast network with hundreds of millions of other users. This shared network provides resources that 15 years ago were never thought possible. Unfortunately when something is shared its open to abuse. On the Internet this abuse comes from hackers and virus creators. Their sole intent is to cause chaos and/or harm to your computer system and millions of other computer systems all over the world.

How do you combat this? You need an Internet security system. This might sound complicated but your Internet security system will be quite straigtforward being comprised of just 2 - 3 Internet security products. We'll look at each of these products in more detail now:

AntiVirus Software

The first and most critical element of your Internet security system is antivirus software. If you don't have up-to-date antivirus software on your PC you're asking for trouble. 300 new viruses appear each month and if you're not constantly protecting your system against this threat your computer will become infected with at least one virus - it's only a matter of time.

Antivirus software scans your PC for signatures of a virus. A virus signature is the unique part of that virus. It can be a a file name, how the virus behaves or the size of the virus file itself. Good antivirus software will find viruses that haven't yet infected your PC and eliminate the ones that have.

Antivirus software can only protect your computer from viruses trying to infect it via email, CD-Rom, floppy disk, Word documents or other types of computer files. Antivirus software alone will not keep your computer 100% safe. You also need to use firewall software.

Firewall Software

The use of firewall software by home computer users is a relatively new occurence. All Internet connections are a two way process. Data must be sent and received by your computer. This data is sent through something called ports. These are not physical things rather aspects of the way your computer communicates online.

Firewall software watches these ports to make sure that only safe communication is happening between your computer and other computers online. If it sees something dangerous happening it blocks that port on your computer to make sure your computer stays safe from the person who is trying to hack into your system.

An easier way to understand a firewall would be to picture your computer as an apartment complex. At the front door of this complex there is a security guard. Every person who enters the complex must pass this security guard. If the security guard recognizes the person entering as a resident he allows them to pass without saying anything. If, however, the person entering the complex is unknown to him then he will stop that person and ask for identification. If they have no business being at the apartment complex he escorts them from the building.

If you are not currently using firewall software your computer will get hacked into - that's a guarantee.

PopUp Blocker

You can get a good popup blocker at no cost. An easy way to do this is to install either the Google or Yahoo toolbar. Both of these come with popup blockers built in. Popups are not necessarily dangerous but are a nuisance and using either of these toolbars will make your life that bit easier.

A simple rule for practicing online security is: "If in doubt then don't". If you don't recognize the file, the email address, the website or if your gut feeling says "no" then don't click that button.

This article was provided courtesy of the Spyware And Malware Guide. This site offers information on how to remove spyware from your computer - often for free.

Internet Privacy

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:51:00 +0000

Over the past few years as the internet has become more and more popular, privacy has become a major issue. Just as if you are walking down the street and can be watched, every click of your mouse every website you browse, or file you download, is traceable. In recent years this has become a major issue.

Spyware:
The most currently talked about privacy issue at the moment. Spyware are little programmes that can easily be picked up by surfing any website or downloading files. Spyware can pickup information from where you surf to your credit card details, this information then can be sold.

Generally only the "Dodgy" websites give you Spyware but people are now creating harmless looking websites with real content but only offering a download that may be Spyware. There are many developers trying to create software that will infiltrate the Spyware and take it out, but just as smart these coders are so are the Bad guys. Microsoft are waging war on Spyware by developing their own free downloadable Spyware remover, but already in the beta stages, viruses have been made to stop Microsoft's Anti-Spyware programme in its tracks. This is the lengths these malicious coders will go to, to keep their piece of the pie.

Cookies:
Cookies sounds like something yummy, but on the internet cookies can be the opposite. Cookies are great tools as they allow websites to recognise you when you come back to view their pages.

The major issue with this is some webmasters collect data on you from passwords to private and personal information. Cookies can even help nasty people to steal your identity.

In 2003 Identity Fraud World Wide was estimated to be approximately $100 Billion USD. By the end of 2005 it is estimated identity fraud will cause up to 5 Trillion Dollars World Wide..

It is totally important to protect yourself online. There are plenty of decent quality Spyware removal tools. My current favourite is Ad-Aware, which does a very good job of removing Spyware, and the programme even keeps it self up to date with the latest definitions.

A few more things to keep in mind:

Keep your Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus software up to date.
Regularly run your Anti-Spyware and Anti-virus programmes.
Only submit Private and Personal information to Secure Websites.
Never give out any personal information to non trusted websites.
Clear your internet browser cache regularly.
Never assume anyone is as honest as you.

Steve
Private Mail services
http://www.private-services.com

To Take Care Of Your Laptop Computer

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:49:00 +0000

As the proud owner of a laptop computer, you'll want to keep your machine in the best possible condition.

Aside from cleaning your screen and dusting the keyboard, however, you'll need to take a few extra steps to maintain your laptop's health:

-- Play it cool

A laptop computer generates a lot of heat, especially when running the latest high-powered software. Too much heat and you risk damaging the internal circuitry.

Always try to keep your laptop in a well-ventilated, cool environment. And ensure you don't block the fan grills on the sides, back, or bottom of the machine at any time.

-- Handle the screen carefully

Avoid touching or playing with your LCD screen.

Yes, it might be fun to watch the waves generated by your finger against the screen, but LCD displays are fragile devices that must be cared for.

Take care when cleaning the screen too, and use only approved cleaning materials.

You won't want to pay the money for screen repairs or, even worse - a new machine entirely.

-- Don't drop it

Whatever you do, don't drop your laptop computer! Keep it safe inside of a carrying case when moving around or traveling.

Don't leave it on the edge of a table or on an unstable support of some kind. One ill fated drop to the floor could spell death for your mobile office.

Try to make sure the rubber feet underneath are in good condition and are still attached. This will prevent the device from sliding around accidentally.

-- Be careful with those drinks...

If you need to have a drink while working or playing, be careful not to spill it.

Your laptop computer could suffer the consequences from just a few drops of liquid poured in the right places.

While you probably do eat and drink around it regardless, you will want to occasionally wipe down the edges, the keyboard, the touchpad, and maybe even wipe down the screen to keep any dirt from accumulating.

-- Just say no to viruses

Security wise, make sure you obtain an anti-virus program.

Secondly, keep it updated!

Buying an anti-virus one month and not updating it for the next six really negates it purpose. Your laptop computer could be exposed to hundreds and thousands of new viruses every month if you don't update your virus definitions.

Most anti-virus programs have automatic update methods, eliminating the need for you to have to remember to do it manually.

-- Avoid Popups

Pop-ups are particularly annoying on a laptop computer. Trying to close a bunch of windows without a regular mouse can be a nuisance.

You'll want a pop-up blocker, such as the Google Toolbar (located at http://tools.google.com), to prevent these pop- up ads.

Many intrusive forms of advertising, and even some viruses, can install software on your machine by using various forms of pop-ups. It's best to get yourself a blocker and avoid the situation entirely.

-- Use a firewall

Always utilize a firewall on your Internet or network- enabled laptop computer. Even if you use Windows XP's built- in firewall (or purchase one from such companies as Norton), your security will greatly benefit from it.

Blocking out all the unnecessary ports and closing all the loopholes will prevent a hacker or virus from freely entering your hard drive.

So there you go. Combine all of the above tactics and help your laptop enjoy a happier and healthier lifestyle!

About The Author

Joe Chianese is a technical writer and frequent contributor to HowToBuyALaptop.com. For advice on how to find the right laptop computer for you, visit our website.

Desktop Security Software Risks - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:45:00 +0000

This is the third in a series of articles highlighting reasons why we need a new model for anti-virus and security solutions.

Reason #2: the Desktop Security Software Risks

The risks of placing software on the desktop are such that I will be breaking this article into two parts.

There are many advantages to putting security and anti-virus software on the desktop. They range from efficiency to money. Under previous ways of thinking if I can capture security and virus problems at the desktop I can prevent them from going any farther. That works well in a non-connected environment. In the connected environment it makes more sense to centralize the software and monitor connections in and out. Basically firewall all the appliances from each other.

In a previous article we discussed the security risks inherent with desktop software designed to be the protection layer between you and all those bad people out there on the Internet. Here now we will discuss some more mundane issues regarding the risks of putting security software on the desktop:

Drag

Drag steals clock-cycles from your processes so that it can run in a higher priority mode. Anti-virus software especially places a drag on your computer. Depending on your settings (and the default settings are usually very aggressive), every time you run a program or open a file, real-time file scanning takes place and your files are scanned for viruses. This slows down your processing. Accessing larger files takes longer. You can see a discernible lag time between when you start a program/open a file and when you can actually access it.

Compatibility

After the obvious issue of drag is compatibility. Often security and anti-virus rules get in the way of your doing business on your computer. While you may get away with using older versions of such packages as Word, Sims, Photoshop, etc. on your computer with the new XP operating system, its unlikely your security software will be completely compatible. Why? Many packages rely on very low-level functionality to be able to do the tasks they set out to do. Anti-virus packages have to be able to operate at a level closer to the hardware than most packages. They need to do this to prevent virus software from taking precedence from them. While many packages offer backward-compatibility the opposite is not true: forward-compatibility. There are several reasons for this: a package written for Windows 98 will not anticipate all the changes to the operating system that are implemented for Windows XP. While your Win98 anti-virus program may work under XP, it wont work at its peak performance. It cant. Its just another reason for centralizing your security. By siphoning all your traffic through a security screen at your ISP, for instance, you offload the need for updates and staying up-to-date on your security software. This then becomes the job of the service provider.

Updates

Having the software on your desktop means you are responsible for maintaining that software. In the case of office productivity software or image editing software, if new versions come out with features youre not interested in, you dont update. With new viruses appearing on the landscape every day, you cant afford not to continually update your software. If you dont update for a month or two, you run severe risks of infection. You also will incur potential long update cycles as your software has to be upgraded to handle all the new threats.

This makes the desktop these days a somewhat ineffective solution. Nearly two-thirds of all the PCs that have anti-virus protection installed do not update their definitions regularly. These PCs might as well uninstall the software for all the good its doing them.

Lost Time

As mentioned in the above discussion, you can lose considerable time if you dont update regularly. Long intervals between updates can translate into long update cycles. If you have a slow connection to a vendor, your down time is much longer as you have to wait for the files to be downloaded and then you have to wait for your software to update itself.

Solution

The better solution is to move to a centralized solution in which all the software, all the updates are the responsibility of the service provider. You pay for the service of having your email cleaned before you receive it. When email arrives at your service providers mailbox, it is checked for malicious tendencies and stripped if bad. You notice no long waiting, no downtime, no drag, no incompatibilities.

About The Author

Tim Klemmer
CEO, OnceRed LLC
http://www.checkinmyemail.com

Tim Klemmer has spent the better part of 12 years designing and perfecting the first true patented behavior-based solution to malicious software.

timklemmer@checkinmyemail.com

Three-pronged Trojan Attack Threatens Security on the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:10:00 +0000

Glieder (Win32.Glieder.AK), Fantibag (Win32.Fantibag.A) and Mitglieder (Win32.Mitglieder.CT) are not names of a modern day version of The Three Musketeers. These are Trojans engineered for a hacker attack that will infect computers and open them for use in further attacks.

"Combating computer viruses is essentially a game of hide and seek," says Govind Rammurthy, CEO, MicroWorld Technologies, among the leading Security Solutions providers. "Hackers riding piggyback on viruses have only a short window of opportunity to maximize their gain before the viruses are detected, neutralized and logged into Virus Definition databases, 'vaccinating' the system against those strains.

Without continuing system vulnerability caused by virus infection there is little they can do to further their malicious ends like stealing personal information, credit card details and other sensitive and vital data. To achieve their ends they need to keep the system vulnerability going for more time. This co-ordinated Trojan threat is an attempt to the keep that 'backdoor' open, essentially buying time," he concludes.

Of the three, Glieder leads the initial charge. It sneaks past anti-virus protection to download and execute files from a long, hard-coded list of URLs and "plant" the infected machine with "hooks" for future use. On Windows 2000 and Windows XP machines, it attempts to stop and disable the Internet Connection Firewall and the Security Center service (introduced with Windows XP Service Pack 2). Then the Trojan accesses the URL list to download Fantibag. The way is now paved to launch the second stage of attack.

Sulabh, a tester with MicroWorld Technologies says of Fantibag, "Now Fantibag goes about attacking the networking feature of the infected system to prevent it from communicating with anti-virus firms and denying access to the Microsoft Windows Update site. It closes your escape route by making it impossible to download an anti-virus solution and any subsequent Windows security patch to your system. Effectively it helps Mitglieder (the third stage Trojan) open the 'backdoor' by shutting the other doors on you."

Mitglieder puts the system under complete control of the attacker by opening the 'backdoor' on a port using which the attacker can update the Trojan, to stay a step ahead of attempts to remove it, download and execute files, initiate an SMTP server to relay spam, execute files on the infected computer and download and execute files via an URL. "This is what makes it scary," say Aarti, Assistant Manager, QA, MicroWorld Technologies. "The fact that the system can now be used as a remote controlled 'soldier' (bot) in an army (botnet) of similarly compromised machines to launch criminally motivated attacks, causing harm to Internet users."

Botnets thus formed can among other things, use your machine to launch Distributed Denial of service attacks which overload servers, making them crash, to send out spam, spread new Malware, plant Keylogger to retrieve your personal information like identity, passwords, account numbers etc., install Spyware, manipulate online polls/games, abuse programs like Google AdSense to cheat advertisers of revenue, and install Advertisement Addons for financial gain as in fake websites advertising services that don't exist.

"Botnets can even encompass over 50,000 host machines. The potential for mischief is huge," reflects Govind Rammurthy. "Such a three-pronged Trojan attack where attackers change their virus code and release viruses quickly to bypass virus signature scanners, then disable network access to deny the user link-ups to anti-virus and Microsoft Windows Update site for protection has huge significance for virus-signature based protection. It is a sign of things to come," he says, remembering the scramble at MicroWorld labs to update their products to detect and remove the three Trojans.

Anti-virus updates for the three-pronged Trojan threat are available at MicroWorld Technologies site. Maybe the time for worrying about some pimply teenager turning out malicious code because they have nothing better to do on a nice sunny morning, is over. The world could be facing a determined organized crime syndicate who'll stop at nothing to get what they want - information precious to you.

MicroWorld Technologies is one of the leading solution providers for Information Technology, Content Security and Communications Software. MicroWorld has established itself as a leader in providing content security, anti-virus and corporate communications software solutions.

Viruses and Worms: The Problems and Their Solutions

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:14:00 +0000

History and Background

The virus was one of the first ever threats to computer security. It brought a whole new fear upon computer users. Bugs and glitches could cause damage unintentionally, but a virus created havoc intentionally, and therefore often caused much more damage then just glitches in software. Technically a virus must be in a host file and spread manually by people, versus a worm which spreads by an automated process and doesn't require a host file, but we will include worms as part of the term virus. Therefore, the threat of viruses quickly multiplied expotentially. One computer infected by a virus is manageable, but a virus spreading uncontrollably and automatically can cause damage to sometimes entire populations. And with the introduction of the Internet, billions of computers worldwide could be accessed with a click of a button. These abilities are what made the virus probably the greatest security to personal computers in the 21st Century.

What kind of damage will it inflict?

Since up to 100 new viruses are discovered every minute by anti-virus industries worldwide, the damage they inflict varies considerably. Some will display an annoying popup. Some will swap your mouse buttons. Some will uninstall Internet Explorer. Some will delete all your personal files. And some, though rare, will slow down your computer fan to the point that your computer processor starts smoking. All have 1 thing in common - they reduce your productivity in some way and they inhibit you from comfortably using your PC. Therefore you must take several precautions to insure you do not to become infected with viruses. With just a few simple security measures, the chances of getting infected with a virus can be cut down by over 90%.

Security Measures

The most important step - Be careful of everything you do on the Internet! It is extremely rare for a computer to get infected by a virus if you only download and browse trustworthy sites and emails. If an email has an attachment and looks suspicious it is very likey to be a virus. If a site is providing illegal or inappropiate content, it should be considered a risk. These are basic rules of safe browsing of the Internet and unfortunately, most people only learn these rules after a disaster. Don't learn from experience! Don't let it happen in the first place. Keep your system up-to-date. Nearly every major virus threat to operating systems are patched soon after discovery. Visit your operating system update website often, which is www.windowsupdate.com for Windows users. Get a reliable antivirus solution. The most common is Norton Antivirus, but I personally do not like its unreliability and incompatibility with many PCs. On the otherhand, it is probably the most user friendly antivirus solution on the market, and is probably best for PC beginners. If you're looking for a free yet extremely reliable and easy-to-use antivirus solution, Avast may be your answer. I am currently running Avast and am very happy with it. I previously tried Norton Antivirus, Norton Client Security, NOD32 Antivirus and McAfee Antivirus, but each had their own individual problems and so I had to constantly change antivirus software until I finally reached Avast.

Some people go overboard and install many other security measures but I don't recommend this. These measures only hog resources, confuse users and cause conflicts with other software. Some of this software includes firewalls, memory explorers and file protection. References

www.wikipedia.org

us.mafee.com

www.netmom.com

www.pcworld.com

Links

Avast Antivirus - www.avast.com

Soroush King is a certified programmer, adept in VB, C++, Delphi, as well as web developer and scripter, having considerable knowledge of both PHP and Perl. He also owns and manages several professional websites.

This article was originally published at http://www.articlesandtools.com/adware.php For more information on computer security visit http://www.articlesandtools.com.

If you would like to use this article anywhere else, please just notify me by sending an email to kingofkings@gmail.com (you don't have to wait for a response, as this is just a notification, not permission). Please refer on the page that the author of the article was I, Soroush King, and also please note that the article was originally published at http://www.articlesandtools.com/adware.php by providing a link.

The Computer Virus That Could Take Advantage of You

noreply@blogger.com (Davine) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:10:00 +0000

Do you know there's a brand new computer virus that can get into your computer without you knowing even if you have AntiVirus and AntiSpyware installed? And when you try to get rid of it, it totally wrecks your system.

I didn't know until a few days ago. On Thursday, the 25th of November (Thanksgiving), my computer was infected by a virus that literally took control of my web browser and wrecked my machine when I tried to get rid of it.

Let me tell you what happened...

After we were all done with our Thanksgiving dinner, I went online to do some quick research for my next article. But instead, I stayed up all night battling a virus from hell!

Shortly after I got online, my Norton Antivirus and my adware/spyware removal software Spyware Doctor, started going wild with notifications of a virus presence in my computer.

I immediately stopped doing what I was doing and got Spyware Doctor to scan my hard drive. Before long, it gave me a report about 196 infected files with Trojan and some other types of adware/spyware virus residing on my hard drive!

I was shocked when I saw that. Just the day before the computer was fine!

So then, I spent hours going through the whole procedure of removing the virus from my hard drive - and soon it was clean. Or so I thought...

Here's what the virus was doing:

Everything looked normal. If you don't know much about website development, you may never notice that something was wrong. And that's really dangerous, because anything can happen once your system is infected!

As I continued with my research, I noticed something very strange. Many of the links that I clicked on, led me to one particular website that was filled with hundreds of different affiliate programs and products.

Regardless of what website I would look at, every single website had these links placed on specific key words and phrases, such as: money, internet marketing, data, webhost, home based business, business opportunity, work, and others. And all of the links would take me to this website with the hundreds of products. That was very unusual.

But when I looked at my website, much to my surprise I saw the same links on my site!

I couldn't believe it! The links did not exist in my html. But where were these links coming from?

It's my website. I wrote those webpages! I didn't put those links there. And yet when I looked at the website the links were there.

I called my sister and I asked her if she was seeing the same thing on her computer as I was seeing on my computer. She looked at my website and told me that she wasn't seeing any of those additional links, other than my usual links.

That made me realize that something was wrong with my computer. I saved the file that I was typing for my next article so I could devote my attention to finding a solution for this problem. A strange thing happened as soon as I hit the save button. The file reformatted itself. Hyperlinks were placed on all of the key words (as I already mentioned some) that were found in the file. But who placed those links?

When I clicked on the link, it took me to the same page with the hundreds of products. I got very scared because I felt like I was losing control of my computer. From my previous experience (but not as extreme), I've learned that the virus always stays in touch with the hacker's server, constantly transferring information about my activities gathered from the registry.

This looked like a very serious virus. So I immediately unplugged my Internet connection. This way, the hacker was no longer going to be able to pull information from my registry, and I was going to face the virus without any additional input by the hacker.

But regardless. I lost the battle. For THREE FULL DAYS I tried to remove the virus, but without any luck..

The Spyware Doctor narrowed it down to one trouble file, which was a type of Trojan that existed in my System32 directory. The Trojan was renaming itself every few seconds by randomly selected names.

Norton Antivirus said that this type of Trojan gave no visual indication that my computer had been infected. It was dropping a copy of itself with a randomly named executable file.

Every time the Spyware Doctor would find the Trojan, it was unable to locate it and it couldn't remove it. That's because the Trojan already had a different name.

Also, what I found out was that I was never looking at my Internet Explorer browser. I thought I was, but I wasn't. I found a Java Script that was taking the source code from any website that I would go to, reformat it by adding the links to the selected key words and then display the new code in another window that was being generated by a remote server.

My original browser window was getting killed and I was looking at a cloned window with inserted links. That was happening with such speed that I didn't even notice it because of my fast Internet connection (cable modem).

After I unplugged the Internet connection, my computer was no longer functioning properly. I couldn't access my "windows explorer" window any more, I couldn't open my Internet Explorer window and I lost control over many other functions.

But each time I would turn the Internet modem back on, my computer would start to work fine. Only, the Spyware Doctor would give me a notification that over 40 dangerous files were immediately being downloaded into my hard drive.

The Trojan virus that I couldn't remove because of its re-naming capability was probably staying in touch with the hacker's server. So I switched the Internet connection off for the last time and I shut down the computer.

Right now as I'm writing this, I don't have a computer at home because I gave it to a technician to reformat the hard drive and try to save as many files as possible. I'm writing this from another computer and I'm really worried that none of my files will be saved... that will mean months of work down the drain!

I have since learned that my antivirus and anti-spyware software would not protect me against the Trojan threat. I needed a firewall to protect me, and make sure my computer was invisible online.

Please, don't let this happen to you! Install a firewall on your computer so you can make your IP address invisible to hackers.

As I'm finishing this article two weeks after the virus attack, my Norton Firewall is working at full force. Every time a hacker tries to send Trojan files to my hard drive behind my back, a window in the bottom right corner pops us notifying me of the dangerous executable files being blocked from entering my hard drive.

I lost over 90% of my files but I've learned my lesson the hard way.

© Steve Dimeck, webmaster and author. His recently published ebook "The Success Maze" provides an "Apt solution" (in the words of Neil Shearing) for people who want to succeed online but feel a bit lost in the online "Maze." Free details at: http://www.thesuccessmaze.com