How many spyware items are infecting your computer?

I just had, by mistake, a plug-in called Intelligent Explorer attach to my browser. What a nightmare!  I have another article on this topic, but this brings home a point.  Spyware or adware items are continually infecting computers. Most computers have no protection from them. Most frightening is the frequency of them.  From the InfosecWriters web site, "According to a 2004 survey by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance, 91% of users questioned were familiar with the term spyware. Only 53% believed their computers were infected, but a scan found that 80% of their PCs had some type of spyware installed on them."  It goes on to say,  "...The average number of spyware components per computer was 93 with one computer having well over a thousand."

What is Spyware?

Butte College  (www.bctv.butte.edu/support/spyware.html) offers this definition:

“The term ‘spyware’ is broadly defined as any program that gets into your computer without permission and hides in the background while it makes unwanted changes to your user experience.
Spyware is generally not designed to damage your computer. The damage it does is more a by-product of its main mission, which is to serve you targeted advertisements or make your browser display certain sites or search results.
At present, most spyware targets only the Windows operating system (Internet Explorer).”

To be fair, spyware can be harmless, for example tracking cookies don’t do much. While such things infringe on your privacy, they don't really harm anything. Others, however, are extremely dangerous.

So what do you do about it?

No spyware program seems to do everything, but there are a lot of goods solutions out there that can help. Here is a list of some of the top Spyware tools to look at:

1) Try Ad-Aware 6.0 Professional from LavaSoft (there is also a free version with less functionality)

2) Spybot Search & Destroy from PepiMK Software

3) Xoftspy form Pareto Logic

5) Spyware Guard from Javacool Software is a free program

4) Pest Patrol (now part of Computer Associates by acquisition)

5) McAfee Anti-Spyware

One thing is for certain: you do need to take spyware seriously.  For some reason, too many people out there think anti-virus solutions are the end-all solution. They are not. 

And, when all else fails?

Finally, as drastic as it seems,  if your computer has been infected with a large number of spyware programs, the only solution you may have is backing up your data, and performing a complete reinstall of the operating system.

Trojan Horse….Greek Myth or Computer Nemesis?

We have all heard the term Trojan Horse, but what exactly is it?  A Trojan Horse is a destructive program that masquerades as a harmless application. Unlike viruses, Trojan Horses do not replicate themselves, but they can be just as destructive. One of the most dangerous examples of a Trojan is a program that promises to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses into your computer.

The Trojan can be tricky. Who hasn’t been online and had an advertisement pop up claiming to be able to rid your computer of some nasty virus?  Or, even more frightening, you receive an email that claims to be alerting you to a new virus that can threaten your computer. The sender promises to quickly eradicate, or protect, your computer from viruses if you simply download their “free”, attached software into your computer. You may be skeptical but the software looks legitimate and the company sounds reputable.  You proceed to take them up on their offer and download the software.  In doing so, you have just potentially exposed yourself to a massive headache and your computer to a laundry list of ailments. 

When a Trojan is activated, numerous things can happen.  Some Trojans are more annoying than malicious.  Some of the less annoying Trojans may choose to change your desktop settings or add silly desktop icons.  The more serious Trojans can erase or overwrite data on your computer, corrupt files, spread other malware such as viruses, spy on the user of a computer and secretly report data like browsing habits to other people, log keystrokes to steal information such as passwords and credit card numbers, phish for bank account details (which can be used for criminal activities), and even install a backdoor into your computer system so that they can come and go as they please.

To increase your odds of not encountering a Trojan, follow these guidelines. 

1.         Remain diligent
Trojans can infect your computer through rogue websites, instant messaging, and emails with attachments.  Do not download anything into your computer unless you are 100 percent sure of its sender or source.

2.         Ensure that your operating system is always up-to-date.  If you are running a Microsoft Windows operating system, this is essential.

3.         Install reliable anti-virus software.  It is also important that you download any updates frequently to catch all new Trojan Horses, viruses, and worms.  Be sure that the anti-virus program that you choose can also scan e-mails and files downloaded through the internet.

4.         Consider installing a firewall.  A firewall is a system that prevents unauthorized use and access to your computer.  A firewall is not going to eliminate your computer virus problems, but when used in conjunction with regular operating system updates and reliable anti-virus software, it can provide additional security and protection for your computer.

Nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent. However, you can continue to improve your computer's security and decrease the possibility of infection by consistently following these guidelines.

Name, Rank and Social Security Number

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S.  The U.S. Secret Service has estimated that consumers nationwide lose $745 million to identity theft each year.  According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the average victim spends 607 hours and averages $1,000 just to clear their credit records.

Identity thieves employ a variety of methods to gain access to your personal information. They may get information from businesses or other institutions by stealing it; by bribing an employee who has access to records; hacking into records; or conning information out of employees. Once identity thieves have your personal information, they may use it to commit a fraud or theft in your name.

How can you tell if you have become a victim of identity theft?  Some signs include unexplained charges or withdrawals from your financial accounts; bills or other mail stop arriving (the thief may have submitted a change of address); a credit application is denied for no apparent reason, or debt collectors begin calling about merchandise or services you didn’t buy.

Your computer can be a goldmine of personal information to an identity thief. To protect yourself and your computer against identity theft consider: 

·         Updating virus protection software frequently.  Consider setting your virus protection software to update automatically. The Windows XP operating system also can be set to check for patches automatically and download them to your computer.

·         Not opening files sent to you by strangers, clicking on hyperlinks, or downloading programs from people or companies you don’t know.

·         Using a firewall program, especially if you use a high speed Internet connection like cable or DSL that leaves your computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.

·         Providing your personal or financial information through an organization’s secured website only.  While not fool proof, a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for secure), may provide additional security.

·         Not storing your financial information on your laptop, unless absolutely necessary.

·         Deleting all the personal information stored on a computer before disposing of it.  A wipe” utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive is recommended.

·         Checking with an anti-fraud education organization such as CardCops (www.cardcops.com).  Card Cops runs a web site designed to help consumers determine whether their credit card numbers may have been stolen. They monitor Internet "chat rooms" where identity thieves illicitly trade and sell stolen credit card numbers. CardCops turns the information over to law enforcement authorities, but also allows consumers to access their database to see whether individual card numbers may have been stolen.   In the first two months of operation, the site identified more than 100,000 stolen credit cards.

As with any crime, you can not completely control whether you will become a victim, but you can take steps to minimize your risk by remaining diligent and by minimizing outside access to your personal information.

Fighting off Viruses: Advancements in Antivirus Software Suites

 Protecting your computer from a virus is getting harder and harder each day.  While it may border on the paranoid, it goes without saying that you can’t leave your guard down for one second.  Even corporate giant Microsoft has found its own systems compromised on more than one occasion. 

Remember the “good old days”, before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs?  Life was simple then in terms of computer viruses.  With the primary way in which a virus could be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch and eradicate the virus was a lot easier.    By today’s standards, it used to take quite a while before a virus was able to infect a computer and slow down the system.  The antivirus software of that time was typically able to identify and eradicate viruses before they caused too much damage.  Additionally, computer users were pretty savvy on how to protect themselves in terms of scanning all floppy disks before copying them to our desktop. 

The Internet helped change all that.  The Internet provided a conduit by which viruses could move from host to host with lightening speed.  No longer could a computer user just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and software downloads.  Today’s viruses can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program.  With technology advancing everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types of threats also increase. 

Protecting Your Computer

Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats.   Antivirus software is essential to a computer’s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs.  These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops.  Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating.
A computer user should remain diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the threat of a virus:

1.         Evaluate your current computer security system.
With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one antivirus software version has become outdated.  You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server.  Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection.  This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system.
2.         Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company. 
Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you regularly update your antivirus software.  Become familiar with the software’s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer.  This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up. 
3.         Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate.
4.         Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment       to an email. 
5.         Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted.  It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.

Recommended Antivirus Software

There are numerous applications available to consumers.  With a little research, you can pick the program that is right for you.  Many programs provide a trial version which allows you to download the program and test its abilities.  However, be aware that some anti-virus programs can be difficult to uninstall.  As a precaution make sure to set up a System Restore point before installing. 

Here are a few programs which typically receive high marks in terms of cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and customer service.

The Shield Pro 2005™ provides virus protection and hacker security through ongoing support and updates. When a virus breaks out, The Shield Pro 2005™ promises to provide a patch within 2-3 hours and a fix for the virus within 5 hours. You can set your computer to update viruses weekly and run a complete virus scan.

BitDefender 9 Standard provides antivirus protection, as well as Peer-2-Peer Applications protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a virtual environment.  This provides a new security layer that keeps the operating system safe from unknown viruses by detecting malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been released yet.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0  program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to choose from three levels of protection.  It allows updates as frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your computer.  The program also offers a two-tier email protection feature and round-the-clock technical support.

PC-cillin Internet Security  combines antivirus security and a personal firewall—for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and pharming attacks.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition  is a free downloadable antivirus program that has received high marks for its reliability.  In the past, free downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed skeptically because of issues relating to its reliability.  However, AVG from Grisoft, remains one of the best-known free anti-virus programs available.  While AVG can not be installed on a server operating system and there is no technical support, it still makes a good choice for many home computer users.  The best part is that since it is free, you can try it with no further obligation necessary.

AVAST (my favourite).