Why on earth would anyone want to install a piece of spyware onto their Web browser? No sensible right minded person would …unless you are a webmaster and you want to improve your SERPS ranking that is.
The Alexa toolbar is not “technically” spyware as it doesn’t retrieve any private or personal information. It does however log all the sites you visit and as webmasters we can use this to our advantage. It uses this information to compile traffic ranking statistics and a relational list. The relational list is very useful as it shows what other sites people who have looked the current website have also visited. Alexa is owned by Amazon and it is possible to make your own Alexa toolbar with your Amazon affiliate code included. You can then place this on your site and get credited when anyone buys through Amazon using the Amazon button on the toolbar you’ve distributed, it is also possible to include a link to your site in the toolbar.
Alexa ranks sites from 1 to 5,000,000 and sometimes higher. Ranking 1 has the most traffic and so on, anything below 250,000 and you should be getting some decent traffic levels. This information can be used to determine how well your advertising campaigns are going and how traffic levels are growing over a period of time. This information can also be used to determine how you rivals are doing and keep you one step ahead of them. The Alexa information is also picked up by other search engines so you benefit from an increase in you SERPS as your site progresses up the rankings .
One drawback of the Alexa toolbar is that it only works on Internet Explorer and not the tool of choice for most webmasters Firefox. However I personally feel this is a small price to pay for the benefits I get when using the tool bar for research and to check my sites daily. Checking the stats of your own site has a positive impact on your Alexa ranking as the toolbar is not generally used by the general public so every extra hit from a browser with the tool bar installed is valuable. I have 1 site that is almost exclusively used by webmasters , As webmasters are the people who use Alexa more than any other group 500 page views a day are enough to get this site into the top 500,000 Another site that has 3 times the traffic but the visitors are mostly the general public so this site is languishing in the 2,000,000 ‘s.
Why not try an experiment for a month, Download the toolbar and monitor one of your sites, once you see the data you get and the way it can be used you won’t know how you survived without it.
About the author:
Mark Thompson has spent a number of years traveling the World and Racing Motorbikes, when funds got low he worked as an IT consultant In London. He now lives in Spain and runs a number of Websites Including www.WorldoftheWeird.comand www.Links-Factory.com
Circulated by Article Emporium
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
Recognizing a PC with Malware
What can you do if you think your computer is affected by spyware or a virus or other malware? (Malware is short for malicious
software.) First let me assure you that you aren't in this alone. There are excellent resources and community sites dedicated to
helping dig people out of the mess that malware can make. Many of them are free and I'll point you to them in this column. I'll also
explain how to recognize if your computer has malware running on it and point you to antivirus programs and anti-spyware tools to
help you get rid of it. And I'll describe how to use recovery options that help get your PC back to working the way it's supposed
to. And, finally, I'll talk about "The Last Resort"-rebuilding your PC from scratch.
How to recognize malware
Malware is designed to run undetected in the background. So how can you tell if you have undesirable software on your system? The
signs to look for include:
• Advertising pop-ups that appear every few seconds.
• Extra toolbars in your browser that won't go away.
• Browser going to sites you didn't tell it to go to.
• Browser settings changing so your home page won't open.
• Unexplained system slowdowns.
• Sudden rise in computer crashes.
If you're experiencing these kinds of problems, it's a good idea to treat your PC as if it might be infected by checking it out
thoroughly. Although there are other reasons why your system might slow down or frequently crash, if you're noticing these obvious
indications of malware, your system has probably been compromised. It's time to take defensive action.
Update antivirus programs
The first step in any attempt to repair or recover a compromised PC is to update your defensive tools. Your antivirus or
anti-spyware tools need to be updated to the absolute latest versions and the most recent definition files. If you can do this on
the PC that has the problem, then do it there. If not, you'll need to use another PC to download the latest versions and put them on
a CD or USB drive that you can use to work on the infected PC. I like the USB drive because it's highly portable and easy to update
if you need to. And everything you'll need will fit easily on a 128-MB USB drive.
Gather your original software CDs and disks as well, including your original Windows CD and the Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) CD.
You may need them before this is over, and it's good to get everything organized and ready before you start. Windows XP SP2 provides
better protection against viruses, hackers, and worms. If you don't have a copy of the Windows XP SP2 CD, you should borrow one from
a friend, order SP2 on a CD, or download the Network Install and copy it to a CD.
If you don't already have an antivirus program running on your computer, you'll find a number of companies offering antivirus
software and firewall protection programs, among them:
• Computer Associates (http://www.ca.com)
• F-secure (http://www.f-secure.com/protectyourpc/)
• McAfee (http://www.mcafee.com)
• Panda Software (http://www.pandasoftware.com/microsoft/english.htm)
• Symantec (http://www.symantec.com)
• Trend Micro (http://www.trendmicro.com)
• Grisoft (free for home users - http://www.grisoft.com/doc/40/lng/us/tpl/tpl01)
Important: Uninstall any antivirus software you are currently using before installing a new product; having two different programs
might cause problems on your computer.
Typically, these software companies make special offers of free trial versions of their antivirus and firewall packages, which
should be enough to get you through this process. But to help avoid being back in this mess again, you'll want to choose one of them
and get a full subscription to it so you stay up to date.
If you still have good working Internet connectivity, you can also use one of the excellent, free, online virus scanners. My
favorite and one of the best is Panda Software's Panda Free Online Scanner
(http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm).
One of the most annoying and difficult to remove pieces of unwanted software is Cool Web Search and its variants. To remove this,
you're best bet is CWShredder, a dedicated program that just goes after this.
You'll also need a good anti-spyware product that can help you with the detection and removal of spyware or other malware. Here, one
is good and two or more are sometimes better. They don't interfere with each other, generally, and they each seem to have slightly
different strengths. The two I use regularly and recommend are Spybot search & destroy
(http://www.safer-networking.org/microsoft.en.html) and Computer Associates PestPatrol 5. There is new anti-spyware software from
Microsoft, which is in beta testing now and holds some promise as well. (Beta software is pre-release software that is distributed
for feedback and testing purposes.) The Microsoft product is a security technology that helps you detect and remove known spyware
from your PC. It also helps prevent spyware from getting on your computer in the first place. I've been using it and really like the
way it works, but because it's a beta version, it won't be the right choice for everyone until the final release. For one thing,
Microsoft doesn't provide technical support for beta releases. Although formal support is not offered for this beta, you can go to
the newsgroups to help get your questions answered.
Finally, it's a good idea to have a couple of other programs available. LSPFix and WinSock XP Fix can help restore your Internet
connection if the cleanup process messes that up.
Back up critical files
If you can, now would be a really good time to back up critical files you'd hate to lose. Don't try to back up programs or the
operating system-there's no point since they may be compromised and can be replaced. But those pictures of your daughter's wedding,
your résumé, and your doctoral thesis-those are irreplaceable. Please, copy them somewhere safe, since anything you do to remove
this kind of malicious software is serious and could leave your PC in a state where it might be difficult to recover or save your
critical files.
Where or what you copy them to doesn't really much matter. A CD or DVD if you've got the hardware and software to do that, or a Zip
disk, or just plain old floppy disks will work. But whatever medium you use, having a backup will give you the confidence to attack
this malicious software without fear of losing something critical. Ed Bott's Windows XP Backup Made Easy
(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/bott_03july14.mspx) explains how to let Windows XP do most of the backup
work.
Scan and remove
Once you have your defensive programs ready, located your original CDs and DVDs, and made a backup of your critical data files, it's
time to start figuring out exactly what you have on your system that shouldn't be there. But before you start, disable System
Restore. The last thing you'd want to do is restore to this point anyway, and this will prevent versions of the noxious software
from being saved in the restore point.
To disable System Restore
1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. On the System Restore tab, select the Turn off System Restore box, and click OK.
The first step should be to try the obvious. Use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel for programs that shouldn't be there and try
to uninstall them first. Some of the annoying adware programs will actually uninstall and stay uninstalled so you might as well get
rid of them first.
Next I scan for conventional viruses. Use the antivirus software that you downloaded and updated or one of the online scanners if
you're still online. Deal with anything it finds, either by deleting or cleaning as appropriate. Microsoft offers a Malicious
Software Removal Tool (http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx) that is updated on the first Tuesday of each
month. This tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent
malicious software-including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom-and helps remove any infection found. When you're done, it's time to
disconnect from the Internet. Unplug the network connection or disconnect the modem.
Next, run CWShredder. Although it only deals with a single (but pervasive) problem, many of the Cool Web Search variants can prevent
the other anti-spyware programs from doing their job correctly, so it's best to go after this one first.
Now it's time to run the anti-spyware scanners. It doesn't really matter what order you run them in, but be prepared for a fairly
lengthy list of things to deal with. Initially, I'd ignore any that are described as cookies-they're low on our list of concerns for
now. But everything that looks like a program or that they report as a critical issue should be quarantined or deleted.
Running in safe mode
One recommendation that some experts make is to run your antivirus and anti-spyware scans and cleanup in safe mode. Some problems
that can hide from these programs in normal user mode are exposed in safe mode. Other experts disagree and suggest that there is
little difference. I'm of the school that thinks it can't hurt, so I suggest you try running your scans first from a normal boot,
but when you've done all you can from there, start in safe mode and try running the scans again.
To start in safe mode
1. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart from the list, and then click OK.
2. While your computer is starting, press the F8 key until the Windows Advanced Options Menu appears.
3. Select Safe Mode and press ENTER as needed.
For more on safe mode and the options available in the Windows Advanced Options Menu, see a Description of the Safe Mode Boot
Options in Windows XP at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315222.
Finally, when you're done fixing everything and you think you've got it all, I think it's wise to install or reinstall Windows XP
Service Pack 2. Now turn on Windows Firewall, turn on System Restore, and you can connect your PC back to the Internet. Before you
do anything else, go to the Windows Update site (update.microsoft.com) and download all of the latest security fixes. Then,
turn on Automatic Updates to make sure you stay up to date.
Getting help
Removing undesirable software can be a daunting task. But as I said in the beginning, you're not in this alone. There are a wealth
of resources available to you at every stage of the process. I can't begin to list them all, but some that I know about are the
following:
• Microsoft Security Help and Support-the support is free for security problems and getting help removing malware is definitely a
security problem: Located at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/gp/securityhome.
• Microsoft Security Home Users Newsgroup-good place to start, with a wealth of users and MVPs responding to your queries 24 hours a
day: Located at
www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.security.homeusers&cat=en_us_d06efcb7-0e61-00
ed-6e0f-a86481b6aa20〈=en&cr=us.
• Broadband Reports Online Security Community Forum-an excellent resource for really persistent and difficult problems, with help
from Microsoft MVPs and other users: Located at www.broadbandreports.com/forum/security.
• SpywareInfo Forums-excellent help and fast responses: Located at forums.spywareinfo.com/.
• AumHa Forums-a great resource for a wide variety of Windows problems, run and staffed by Microsoft MVPs: Located at
forum.aumha.org/.
The last resort
Finally, I want to talk about the last resort, which is performing a clean installation of Windows XP. This is not something to do
casually, since you will certainly lose data and have to re-install all your programs, but it is an option if all else fails.
For more information check out our articles at
www.tornadocomputers.com/techie
About the author:
Vice-President and CIO for Tornado Computers in Oklahoma City. Specializing in small/medium businesses and home-users Ron has become their Information Security specialist becoming more and more proficient in the removal and prevention of viruses, spyware and other threats to people's data.
Circulated by Article Emporium
software.) First let me assure you that you aren't in this alone. There are excellent resources and community sites dedicated to
helping dig people out of the mess that malware can make. Many of them are free and I'll point you to them in this column. I'll also
explain how to recognize if your computer has malware running on it and point you to antivirus programs and anti-spyware tools to
help you get rid of it. And I'll describe how to use recovery options that help get your PC back to working the way it's supposed
to. And, finally, I'll talk about "The Last Resort"-rebuilding your PC from scratch.
How to recognize malware
Malware is designed to run undetected in the background. So how can you tell if you have undesirable software on your system? The
signs to look for include:
• Advertising pop-ups that appear every few seconds.
• Extra toolbars in your browser that won't go away.
• Browser going to sites you didn't tell it to go to.
• Browser settings changing so your home page won't open.
• Unexplained system slowdowns.
• Sudden rise in computer crashes.
If you're experiencing these kinds of problems, it's a good idea to treat your PC as if it might be infected by checking it out
thoroughly. Although there are other reasons why your system might slow down or frequently crash, if you're noticing these obvious
indications of malware, your system has probably been compromised. It's time to take defensive action.
Update antivirus programs
The first step in any attempt to repair or recover a compromised PC is to update your defensive tools. Your antivirus or
anti-spyware tools need to be updated to the absolute latest versions and the most recent definition files. If you can do this on
the PC that has the problem, then do it there. If not, you'll need to use another PC to download the latest versions and put them on
a CD or USB drive that you can use to work on the infected PC. I like the USB drive because it's highly portable and easy to update
if you need to. And everything you'll need will fit easily on a 128-MB USB drive.
Gather your original software CDs and disks as well, including your original Windows CD and the Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) CD.
You may need them before this is over, and it's good to get everything organized and ready before you start. Windows XP SP2 provides
better protection against viruses, hackers, and worms. If you don't have a copy of the Windows XP SP2 CD, you should borrow one from
a friend, order SP2 on a CD, or download the Network Install and copy it to a CD.
If you don't already have an antivirus program running on your computer, you'll find a number of companies offering antivirus
software and firewall protection programs, among them:
• Computer Associates (http://www.ca.com)
• F-secure (http://www.f-secure.com/protectyourpc/)
• McAfee (http://www.mcafee.com)
• Panda Software (http://www.pandasoftware.com/microsoft/english.htm)
• Symantec (http://www.symantec.com)
• Trend Micro (http://www.trendmicro.com)
• Grisoft (free for home users - http://www.grisoft.com/doc/40/lng/us/tpl/tpl01)
Important: Uninstall any antivirus software you are currently using before installing a new product; having two different programs
might cause problems on your computer.
Typically, these software companies make special offers of free trial versions of their antivirus and firewall packages, which
should be enough to get you through this process. But to help avoid being back in this mess again, you'll want to choose one of them
and get a full subscription to it so you stay up to date.
If you still have good working Internet connectivity, you can also use one of the excellent, free, online virus scanners. My
favorite and one of the best is Panda Software's Panda Free Online Scanner
(http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm).
One of the most annoying and difficult to remove pieces of unwanted software is Cool Web Search and its variants. To remove this,
you're best bet is CWShredder, a dedicated program that just goes after this.
You'll also need a good anti-spyware product that can help you with the detection and removal of spyware or other malware. Here, one
is good and two or more are sometimes better. They don't interfere with each other, generally, and they each seem to have slightly
different strengths. The two I use regularly and recommend are Spybot search & destroy
(http://www.safer-networking.org/microsoft.en.html) and Computer Associates PestPatrol 5. There is new anti-spyware software from
Microsoft, which is in beta testing now and holds some promise as well. (Beta software is pre-release software that is distributed
for feedback and testing purposes.) The Microsoft product is a security technology that helps you detect and remove known spyware
from your PC. It also helps prevent spyware from getting on your computer in the first place. I've been using it and really like the
way it works, but because it's a beta version, it won't be the right choice for everyone until the final release. For one thing,
Microsoft doesn't provide technical support for beta releases. Although formal support is not offered for this beta, you can go to
the newsgroups to help get your questions answered.
Finally, it's a good idea to have a couple of other programs available. LSPFix and WinSock XP Fix can help restore your Internet
connection if the cleanup process messes that up.
Back up critical files
If you can, now would be a really good time to back up critical files you'd hate to lose. Don't try to back up programs or the
operating system-there's no point since they may be compromised and can be replaced. But those pictures of your daughter's wedding,
your résumé, and your doctoral thesis-those are irreplaceable. Please, copy them somewhere safe, since anything you do to remove
this kind of malicious software is serious and could leave your PC in a state where it might be difficult to recover or save your
critical files.
Where or what you copy them to doesn't really much matter. A CD or DVD if you've got the hardware and software to do that, or a Zip
disk, or just plain old floppy disks will work. But whatever medium you use, having a backup will give you the confidence to attack
this malicious software without fear of losing something critical. Ed Bott's Windows XP Backup Made Easy
(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/bott_03july14.mspx) explains how to let Windows XP do most of the backup
work.
Scan and remove
Once you have your defensive programs ready, located your original CDs and DVDs, and made a backup of your critical data files, it's
time to start figuring out exactly what you have on your system that shouldn't be there. But before you start, disable System
Restore. The last thing you'd want to do is restore to this point anyway, and this will prevent versions of the noxious software
from being saved in the restore point.
To disable System Restore
1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. On the System Restore tab, select the Turn off System Restore box, and click OK.
The first step should be to try the obvious. Use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel for programs that shouldn't be there and try
to uninstall them first. Some of the annoying adware programs will actually uninstall and stay uninstalled so you might as well get
rid of them first.
Next I scan for conventional viruses. Use the antivirus software that you downloaded and updated or one of the online scanners if
you're still online. Deal with anything it finds, either by deleting or cleaning as appropriate. Microsoft offers a Malicious
Software Removal Tool (http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx) that is updated on the first Tuesday of each
month. This tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent
malicious software-including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom-and helps remove any infection found. When you're done, it's time to
disconnect from the Internet. Unplug the network connection or disconnect the modem.
Next, run CWShredder. Although it only deals with a single (but pervasive) problem, many of the Cool Web Search variants can prevent
the other anti-spyware programs from doing their job correctly, so it's best to go after this one first.
Now it's time to run the anti-spyware scanners. It doesn't really matter what order you run them in, but be prepared for a fairly
lengthy list of things to deal with. Initially, I'd ignore any that are described as cookies-they're low on our list of concerns for
now. But everything that looks like a program or that they report as a critical issue should be quarantined or deleted.
Running in safe mode
One recommendation that some experts make is to run your antivirus and anti-spyware scans and cleanup in safe mode. Some problems
that can hide from these programs in normal user mode are exposed in safe mode. Other experts disagree and suggest that there is
little difference. I'm of the school that thinks it can't hurt, so I suggest you try running your scans first from a normal boot,
but when you've done all you can from there, start in safe mode and try running the scans again.
To start in safe mode
1. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart from the list, and then click OK.
2. While your computer is starting, press the F8 key until the Windows Advanced Options Menu appears.
3. Select Safe Mode and press ENTER as needed.
For more on safe mode and the options available in the Windows Advanced Options Menu, see a Description of the Safe Mode Boot
Options in Windows XP at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315222.
Finally, when you're done fixing everything and you think you've got it all, I think it's wise to install or reinstall Windows XP
Service Pack 2. Now turn on Windows Firewall, turn on System Restore, and you can connect your PC back to the Internet. Before you
do anything else, go to the Windows Update site (update.microsoft.com) and download all of the latest security fixes. Then,
turn on Automatic Updates to make sure you stay up to date.
Getting help
Removing undesirable software can be a daunting task. But as I said in the beginning, you're not in this alone. There are a wealth
of resources available to you at every stage of the process. I can't begin to list them all, but some that I know about are the
following:
• Microsoft Security Help and Support-the support is free for security problems and getting help removing malware is definitely a
security problem: Located at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/gp/securityhome.
• Microsoft Security Home Users Newsgroup-good place to start, with a wealth of users and MVPs responding to your queries 24 hours a
day: Located at
www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.security.homeusers&cat=en_us_d06efcb7-0e61-00
ed-6e0f-a86481b6aa20〈=en&cr=us.
• Broadband Reports Online Security Community Forum-an excellent resource for really persistent and difficult problems, with help
from Microsoft MVPs and other users: Located at www.broadbandreports.com/forum/security.
• SpywareInfo Forums-excellent help and fast responses: Located at forums.spywareinfo.com/.
• AumHa Forums-a great resource for a wide variety of Windows problems, run and staffed by Microsoft MVPs: Located at
forum.aumha.org/.
The last resort
Finally, I want to talk about the last resort, which is performing a clean installation of Windows XP. This is not something to do
casually, since you will certainly lose data and have to re-install all your programs, but it is an option if all else fails.
For more information check out our articles at
www.tornadocomputers.com/techie
About the author:
Vice-President and CIO for Tornado Computers in Oklahoma City. Specializing in small/medium businesses and home-users Ron has become their Information Security specialist becoming more and more proficient in the removal and prevention of viruses, spyware and other threats to people's data.
Circulated by Article Emporium
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
How to Stop Spyware from Infecting your System
Spyware is becoming more and more of a problem. When I visit a cusomters site and inspect the computers I always find some kind of spyware on the system. I know that many people have been unaware of spyware, but hopefully now that the word is spreading that people will be more aware of the problem and setup a good defense.
I get a get calls or questions to the effect of \"Why is my computer running so slow? I just bought the computer recently\". Most of the time this is because of spyware. Spyware programs will load on boot up and take up your computer memory that will reduce your performance. I will go over my typical setup to prevent and battle spyware. This system works if all of the current spyware has been removed properly. I will leave that to another article.
Spyware is loaded on a computer over the Internet without the user knowing. It is loaded in the background through holes in a user\'s computer setup. Internet Explorer has been very vulnerable to spyware and is a major reason why so many people are getting infected.
Spyware ranges from more benign programs to more extreme programs that will hijack your browser\'s startup page or cause pop ups to occur relentlessly.
The following is the defense system that I use, and I strongly suggest that you use.
1. Download and install all of the latest updates to your software.
Once a week you should be checking for software updates to install. This will help protect you against the latest threats.
2. Use a firewall.
Many people have a direct connection the Internet and do not setup and run a personal firewall. This can potentially be very dangerous. Firewalls should be running for protection against many potential problems including hackers, spyware, and data protection. Windows XP has a built in firewall. Make sure you have updated your system to Service Pack 2 (SP2) if you have Windows XP.
Microsoft has added many security features and fixed bugs in this update and should be updated as soon as possible. Sygate Personal Firewall is a free personal edition firewall that works pretty well. You can download it at http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm
3. Install and run Spybot Search & Destroy.
Spybot is a great spyware detection and removal tool. This is a free tool that should be run often to make sure spyware has not been loaded onto your system. Every time that Spybot is used make sure that all of the latest updates are downloaded first. Updating to the latest Spybot files will allow detection and removal of the latest spyware programs. You can download Spybot at http://www.safer-networking.org.
4. Install and run Adaware.
Adaware is another free spyware/adware detection and removal tool. I\'ve found that using just one spyware detection tool is not enough. Using these two tools will detect and remove a majority of the spyware programs on your machine. This tool should be run in conjunction with Spybot. Again, make sure the latest updates are downloaded and installed each time Adaware is used. Download it at www.lavasoftusa.com
5. Use an Anti-virus program.
Viruses can cause a lot of headaches for people. Since Viruses have been well publicized, I have noticed many people have an anti-virus program installed.
However, people never update to the latest definition file. This is a must because the latest definition file will provide defenses against the latest viruses. If you do not update this file, you are only protecting yourself against the viruses that are known to the date of the definition file. Either setup your anti-virus program to automatically update the definition file every week, or make sure that you manually update the file every week.
6. Use Mozilla Firefox 1.0 browser.
Change your browser to the recently released free Firefox browser. Internet Explorer has many holes that spyware programs target and exploit. Microsoft has tried to keep up and release updates to fix the problems, but it seems like after every fix a new vulnerability is discovered.
To protect your system, just download Firefox and start to use it as your default browser. Firefox is setup very similar to Internet Explorer; so learning how to use the new browser will not be a problem. You can configure the browser to block pop-ups. This is a nice feature to battle those annoying pop-up windows. It also has a great tab feature. This allows you to open multiple pages inside one browser window. Visit www.mozilla.org to download the latest version.
The above spyware prevention system should help your computer or network stay protected and running at optimal performance. If you have never run a spyware program such as Spybot or Adaware I think you will be amazed at what is detected on your system.
Sometimes I find over 100 suspect spyware programs installed on computers. No wonder your system is running slow. Ray Bonneau owns an on site computer repair, information technology solutions company in the Dallas, TX area. They perform on site repairs for residential and small businesses; focusing mainly on providing IT support for small businesses.
Visit www.dallascomputersolutions.com for more information or to sign up for a monthly newsletter. Ray can also be reached at ray@dallascomputersolutions.com
www.dallascomputersolutions.com
I get a get calls or questions to the effect of \"Why is my computer running so slow? I just bought the computer recently\". Most of the time this is because of spyware. Spyware programs will load on boot up and take up your computer memory that will reduce your performance. I will go over my typical setup to prevent and battle spyware. This system works if all of the current spyware has been removed properly. I will leave that to another article.
Spyware is loaded on a computer over the Internet without the user knowing. It is loaded in the background through holes in a user\'s computer setup. Internet Explorer has been very vulnerable to spyware and is a major reason why so many people are getting infected.
Spyware ranges from more benign programs to more extreme programs that will hijack your browser\'s startup page or cause pop ups to occur relentlessly.
The following is the defense system that I use, and I strongly suggest that you use.
1. Download and install all of the latest updates to your software.
Once a week you should be checking for software updates to install. This will help protect you against the latest threats.
2. Use a firewall.
Many people have a direct connection the Internet and do not setup and run a personal firewall. This can potentially be very dangerous. Firewalls should be running for protection against many potential problems including hackers, spyware, and data protection. Windows XP has a built in firewall. Make sure you have updated your system to Service Pack 2 (SP2) if you have Windows XP.
Microsoft has added many security features and fixed bugs in this update and should be updated as soon as possible. Sygate Personal Firewall is a free personal edition firewall that works pretty well. You can download it at http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm
3. Install and run Spybot Search & Destroy.
Spybot is a great spyware detection and removal tool. This is a free tool that should be run often to make sure spyware has not been loaded onto your system. Every time that Spybot is used make sure that all of the latest updates are downloaded first. Updating to the latest Spybot files will allow detection and removal of the latest spyware programs. You can download Spybot at http://www.safer-networking.org.
4. Install and run Adaware.
Adaware is another free spyware/adware detection and removal tool. I\'ve found that using just one spyware detection tool is not enough. Using these two tools will detect and remove a majority of the spyware programs on your machine. This tool should be run in conjunction with Spybot. Again, make sure the latest updates are downloaded and installed each time Adaware is used. Download it at www.lavasoftusa.com
5. Use an Anti-virus program.
Viruses can cause a lot of headaches for people. Since Viruses have been well publicized, I have noticed many people have an anti-virus program installed.
However, people never update to the latest definition file. This is a must because the latest definition file will provide defenses against the latest viruses. If you do not update this file, you are only protecting yourself against the viruses that are known to the date of the definition file. Either setup your anti-virus program to automatically update the definition file every week, or make sure that you manually update the file every week.
6. Use Mozilla Firefox 1.0 browser.
Change your browser to the recently released free Firefox browser. Internet Explorer has many holes that spyware programs target and exploit. Microsoft has tried to keep up and release updates to fix the problems, but it seems like after every fix a new vulnerability is discovered.
To protect your system, just download Firefox and start to use it as your default browser. Firefox is setup very similar to Internet Explorer; so learning how to use the new browser will not be a problem. You can configure the browser to block pop-ups. This is a nice feature to battle those annoying pop-up windows. It also has a great tab feature. This allows you to open multiple pages inside one browser window. Visit www.mozilla.org to download the latest version.
The above spyware prevention system should help your computer or network stay protected and running at optimal performance. If you have never run a spyware program such as Spybot or Adaware I think you will be amazed at what is detected on your system.
Sometimes I find over 100 suspect spyware programs installed on computers. No wonder your system is running slow. Ray Bonneau owns an on site computer repair, information technology solutions company in the Dallas, TX area. They perform on site repairs for residential and small businesses; focusing mainly on providing IT support for small businesses.
Visit www.dallascomputersolutions.com for more information or to sign up for a monthly newsletter. Ray can also be reached at ray@dallascomputersolutions.com
www.dallascomputersolutions.com
Monday, September 25, 2006
10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Computer Viruses
As more and more people are becoming comfortable using their computers at school, home or in the office it’s only a matter of time before they encounter a computer virus. Here are our top 10 steps to protect you from computer viruses.
Use a high quality anti-virus program. There are many different anti-virus computers programs on the market some of them are better than others. Look to reputable computer magazines or websites for ratings to help you find the one that matches your needs.
Always use your anti-virus software. Make sure your anti-virus software is always turned on and scanning, incoming and outgoing email messages, and any software programs you run.
Keep your antivirus programs up to date. Most programs come with a yearly subscription make sure you take advantage of the updates. More advanced programs allow you to schedule updates or full system scans for “off hours” like 2AM when you aren’t likely to be using your computer.
Keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems fall victim to security holes or issue updates. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are running stable up to date versions of your software.
Backup your data regularly. Most windows computer users keep their documents in the “My documents” folder. This makes it easy to back up all of your important documents. Make weekly or monthly copies to CD or USB drives.
If you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers like your school computer lab, Kinko’s, or even digital photo printing store make sure you scan them for viruses. Public computers are notorious for not being up to date and properly protected.
Be wary of email attachments. Treat any email attachment as potentially dangerous. Never open attachments from people you weren’t expecting. Also be careful of attachments from people you know but weren’t expecting. Many computer viruses replicate themselves by reading the contacts from an infected computer.
Use text email if possible. While HTML email is prettier and allows you more control over formatting it also can carry computer viruses. If you use text based email the only way to get a virus is by opening an attachment.
Use downloaded freeware and shareware files or software with caution. Try to download them from popular reputable sources that scan the programs before they are uploaded. To make sure you are safe scan the program before you install it on your computer.
Be wary of links in IM or instant messaging software. Don’t accept invitations from people you don’t know and never click a link from someone you don’t trust, they can easily redirect you to another website that will try to install a virus on your computer system.
About the author:
This article was written by Jim Faller of computers.6ln.com a website with information about viruses, spyware, adware, backups, data recovery and computer security.
Circulated by Article Emporium
Use a high quality anti-virus program. There are many different anti-virus computers programs on the market some of them are better than others. Look to reputable computer magazines or websites for ratings to help you find the one that matches your needs.
Always use your anti-virus software. Make sure your anti-virus software is always turned on and scanning, incoming and outgoing email messages, and any software programs you run.
Keep your antivirus programs up to date. Most programs come with a yearly subscription make sure you take advantage of the updates. More advanced programs allow you to schedule updates or full system scans for “off hours” like 2AM when you aren’t likely to be using your computer.
Keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems fall victim to security holes or issue updates. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are running stable up to date versions of your software.
Backup your data regularly. Most windows computer users keep their documents in the “My documents” folder. This makes it easy to back up all of your important documents. Make weekly or monthly copies to CD or USB drives.
If you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers like your school computer lab, Kinko’s, or even digital photo printing store make sure you scan them for viruses. Public computers are notorious for not being up to date and properly protected.
Be wary of email attachments. Treat any email attachment as potentially dangerous. Never open attachments from people you weren’t expecting. Also be careful of attachments from people you know but weren’t expecting. Many computer viruses replicate themselves by reading the contacts from an infected computer.
Use text email if possible. While HTML email is prettier and allows you more control over formatting it also can carry computer viruses. If you use text based email the only way to get a virus is by opening an attachment.
Use downloaded freeware and shareware files or software with caution. Try to download them from popular reputable sources that scan the programs before they are uploaded. To make sure you are safe scan the program before you install it on your computer.
Be wary of links in IM or instant messaging software. Don’t accept invitations from people you don’t know and never click a link from someone you don’t trust, they can easily redirect you to another website that will try to install a virus on your computer system.
About the author:
This article was written by Jim Faller of computers.6ln.com a website with information about viruses, spyware, adware, backups, data recovery and computer security.
Circulated by Article Emporium
Friday, September 22, 2006
Why You Need To Clean Your Windows Registry?
Registry is the database where data of programs and windows is stored. Registry cleaner is software, used to run your computer faster and smoother. Registry cleaning is very important for a smooth running of your computer system. Whenever you delete a file form your system, the registry does not remove this data. Thus, a reference to the deleted file remains in the registry. Gradually as the registry gets filled up with these databases, the computer gets slower and slower in its functioning. If the registry is not cleaned up regularly, severe damage can be caused to your computer.
A registry cleaner scans the windows and finds out the outdated and incorrect information stored in your computer’s registry. The software fixes this improper information enabling your system to be error free and run faster. The software is enabled with advanced features that make your computer run smoothly and efficiently. Registry cleaning makes your computer run very quickly and also safely.
There are many advantages for registry cleaning. Your computer will have a cleaned up registry and no information in the registry will be cluttered. You can regain the lost disk space and use this for installing new software. Registry cleaning will also block the installation of spyware and adware in your computer. If your computer was having any application errors, you can see that this has been fixed after you clean up your registry. Your system will be maintained as it was in its initial stages and you can also understand your computer much better.
If you do not clean up your computer’s registry timely, you can face different types of problem while using the computer. When you are in the midst of doing important work related activity, your computer can suddenly crash or the system can get stalled all of sudden. This can have damaging impact on your work. Timely cleaning up and fixing of the registry will prevent you from facing such crisis.
There are different kinds of registry cleaner available. You can use the best registry cleaner available in the market to maintain the registry of your computer. Keeping your PC clean is very important if you want it to run efficiently all the time. The registry cleaner software will help you in repairing some applications that are not working in your computer.
The software uses speed detection techniques to very quickly identify the missing and invalid reference from your windows registry. After identifying the problems, the software with the use of its advanced technology can easily clean your registry. After this your computer will start functioning, like a new PC. After installing the software you can customize its different options according to the requirements of your computer.
Many online sites provide registry cleaner software for its customers. Before you buy a registry cleaner, make sure that you are aware about its different features. This will help you in customizing the features of the software according to the needs of your computer.
Buy the best registry cleaner that is available for your computer.
About the author:
Matt Garrett, www.registry-cleaner.org
Circulated by Article Emporium
A registry cleaner scans the windows and finds out the outdated and incorrect information stored in your computer’s registry. The software fixes this improper information enabling your system to be error free and run faster. The software is enabled with advanced features that make your computer run smoothly and efficiently. Registry cleaning makes your computer run very quickly and also safely.
There are many advantages for registry cleaning. Your computer will have a cleaned up registry and no information in the registry will be cluttered. You can regain the lost disk space and use this for installing new software. Registry cleaning will also block the installation of spyware and adware in your computer. If your computer was having any application errors, you can see that this has been fixed after you clean up your registry. Your system will be maintained as it was in its initial stages and you can also understand your computer much better.
If you do not clean up your computer’s registry timely, you can face different types of problem while using the computer. When you are in the midst of doing important work related activity, your computer can suddenly crash or the system can get stalled all of sudden. This can have damaging impact on your work. Timely cleaning up and fixing of the registry will prevent you from facing such crisis.
There are different kinds of registry cleaner available. You can use the best registry cleaner available in the market to maintain the registry of your computer. Keeping your PC clean is very important if you want it to run efficiently all the time. The registry cleaner software will help you in repairing some applications that are not working in your computer.
The software uses speed detection techniques to very quickly identify the missing and invalid reference from your windows registry. After identifying the problems, the software with the use of its advanced technology can easily clean your registry. After this your computer will start functioning, like a new PC. After installing the software you can customize its different options according to the requirements of your computer.
Many online sites provide registry cleaner software for its customers. Before you buy a registry cleaner, make sure that you are aware about its different features. This will help you in customizing the features of the software according to the needs of your computer.
Buy the best registry cleaner that is available for your computer.
About the author:
Matt Garrett, www.registry-cleaner.org
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Does Your PC Have Worms?
Worms aren't just for dogs anymore. Find out how to inoculate your computer against these nasty parasites.
What Are Worms?
Worms are descended from viruses and are even nastier. Just as ever stronger doses of pesticide breed ever more resilient locusts, better and better anti-spyware software bred ever more devious viruses.
Finally, some virus designers stopped having their creations infect and take over files the way real viruses infect and take over cells. Instead, they created programs that could stand on their own and cause plenty of trouble without the help of any other software applications. Just worms are independent organisms that can infect a host directly, so do computer worms infect computers directly.
What Do Worms Do?
Worm designers are often even more sinister than virus designers, since worm designers are not just vandals. Worm designers often use their creations to achieve specific goals:
• Backdoor creation. Worms often try to set up another kind of malware, a backdoor. A backdoor is a hidden opening in your network connection that lets the worm send data out and take data in. Practically speaking, the data it's sending out are often spam emails, and the data it takes in are instructions on spam emails to send.
• Denial of service attack. Some worm designers really are vandals rather than profit-hungry con artists sending spam. But their vandalism can be more targeted. They use worms to send out numerous requests to remote computers, such as web servers, in order to overwhelm them and therefore shut them down. This is called a denial of service attack.
• Spyware, Trojan, adware, and virus installation. Worms are often used simply to unleash other forms of malware on a computer that might otherwise block them.
• Information theft and fraud.Worms can multitask in order to set up spyware that gathers sensitive information--often financial information--and then set up backdoors, Trojans, viruses, or dialers to disseminate the stolen data.
How Do Worms End Up on a PC?
Worms enter PCs just as viruses, spyware and other malware do: any way they can! Some favorite points of entry for worms:
• Websites can actually download software to your computer without you realizing it. This software includes not only worms, but also spyware, adware, viruses, and other malware. These malware programs find their way into websites either by the deliberate design of the site owner or because hackers have installed the software on the website's server.
• Peer-to-peer file-sharing networkscontain many nice-enough-looking files that are really worms. One of the sneakiest disguises is a filename that indicates the spyware is really a video of a beautiful actress.
• Email, the favored route of viruses, can still be exploited by Spyware. But since new email programs usually block the automatic opening of file attachments, this is less of a problem than it used to be.
• Any internet connection inevitably lets data flow both in and out, and so is vulnerable to attacks by worms.
How Do You Get Rid of Worms?
There's really only one good way to make sure your computer is rid of worms: scan it with multiple antivirus and anti-spyware programs using a full-system scan. Worms are tricky, so anything less than a full-system scan might let them escape. Worse, with new worms coming out all the time, some antivirus and anti-spyware packages may not even know about a new worm until after its wreaking havoc on your machine. That's why you should try using more than one antivirus program and more than one anti-spyware program to increase your odds of successfully detecting the malware.
Don't have more than one anti-spyware and antivirus software? You'd better start downloading. After all, worms won't take excuses.
About the author:
Joel Walsh writes for www.spyware-refuge.com about worm removal www.spyware-refuge.com?spyware anti virus [Publish this article on your website! Requirement: live link for above URL/web address w/ link text/anchor text: "spyware anti virus" OR leave this bracketed message intact.]
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What Are Worms?
Worms are descended from viruses and are even nastier. Just as ever stronger doses of pesticide breed ever more resilient locusts, better and better anti-spyware software bred ever more devious viruses.
Finally, some virus designers stopped having their creations infect and take over files the way real viruses infect and take over cells. Instead, they created programs that could stand on their own and cause plenty of trouble without the help of any other software applications. Just worms are independent organisms that can infect a host directly, so do computer worms infect computers directly.
What Do Worms Do?
Worm designers are often even more sinister than virus designers, since worm designers are not just vandals. Worm designers often use their creations to achieve specific goals:
• Backdoor creation. Worms often try to set up another kind of malware, a backdoor. A backdoor is a hidden opening in your network connection that lets the worm send data out and take data in. Practically speaking, the data it's sending out are often spam emails, and the data it takes in are instructions on spam emails to send.
• Denial of service attack. Some worm designers really are vandals rather than profit-hungry con artists sending spam. But their vandalism can be more targeted. They use worms to send out numerous requests to remote computers, such as web servers, in order to overwhelm them and therefore shut them down. This is called a denial of service attack.
• Spyware, Trojan, adware, and virus installation. Worms are often used simply to unleash other forms of malware on a computer that might otherwise block them.
• Information theft and fraud.Worms can multitask in order to set up spyware that gathers sensitive information--often financial information--and then set up backdoors, Trojans, viruses, or dialers to disseminate the stolen data.
How Do Worms End Up on a PC?
Worms enter PCs just as viruses, spyware and other malware do: any way they can! Some favorite points of entry for worms:
• Websites can actually download software to your computer without you realizing it. This software includes not only worms, but also spyware, adware, viruses, and other malware. These malware programs find their way into websites either by the deliberate design of the site owner or because hackers have installed the software on the website's server.
• Peer-to-peer file-sharing networkscontain many nice-enough-looking files that are really worms. One of the sneakiest disguises is a filename that indicates the spyware is really a video of a beautiful actress.
• Email, the favored route of viruses, can still be exploited by Spyware. But since new email programs usually block the automatic opening of file attachments, this is less of a problem than it used to be.
• Any internet connection inevitably lets data flow both in and out, and so is vulnerable to attacks by worms.
How Do You Get Rid of Worms?
There's really only one good way to make sure your computer is rid of worms: scan it with multiple antivirus and anti-spyware programs using a full-system scan. Worms are tricky, so anything less than a full-system scan might let them escape. Worse, with new worms coming out all the time, some antivirus and anti-spyware packages may not even know about a new worm until after its wreaking havoc on your machine. That's why you should try using more than one antivirus program and more than one anti-spyware program to increase your odds of successfully detecting the malware.
Don't have more than one anti-spyware and antivirus software? You'd better start downloading. After all, worms won't take excuses.
About the author:
Joel Walsh writes for www.spyware-refuge.com about worm removal www.spyware-refuge.com?spyware anti virus [Publish this article on your website! Requirement: live link for above URL/web address w/ link text/anchor text: "spyware anti virus" OR leave this bracketed message intact.]
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