November 10th, 2009 -- Posted in Other |
Below you will find several mistakes which I find to be typical of PC users. Not all of them are crucial alone, but taken together they can have a drastic impact on overall PC security. It doesn’t cost a dime to know what you shouldn’t be doing at all and what you should be doing in a proper way. Some mistakes lead to frustrated experience, and I want you to avoid it.
These are indeed very common mistakes which can be accounted for such a large number of computers infected with malware.
November 10th, 2009 -- Posted in Other |
The perfect way of combating spyware is to not install it. Spyware is a bigger problem for consumers than viruses. Though viruses can do much damage on computers, spyware are more prevalent and leads to identity theft.
For some time, it may look like the computer technology reached its pitfall with the prevalence of spywares that invade the privacy of personal computer users. But there are controlling factors determined to eliminate spywares completely. As more and more new spywares are being developed, the developers of anti-spyware programs are also active in their crusade.
Installing anti-spyware program has indeed become a crucial part of computer security. A number of anti-spyware laws have been passed to combat the growing threat of spyware. A handful of spyware software crossed the boundaries of legality. Variants of Trojan-Downloader.Win32.INService and Zlob.Trojan were reported of displaying child pornography, cracks and popup ads known to break copyright and child pornography laws.
Various methods of preventing spyware infection have been developed as the threat continues to worsen. These techniques include running software created to block or eliminate spyware. A number of helpful user practices are proven in minimizing the chance of spyware infection on computer system. However, spyware is still a serious and costly problem. When a system employing Windows has been infected by multiple spyware software, the simplest remedy would be backing up important data and have the operating system reinstalled.
Spyware can come from shareware software available for download. Some Internet Service Providers resort to using web proxies and employing network firewalls in denying access to websites believed to install spyware.
Be sure to read all disclosures as well as license agreement including privacy statements before installing any application. There are instances that the inclusion of unwanted program in some software is documented. Carefully read everything because it is usually found at the end of such End User License Agreement or privacy statement.
Install a firewall. Most spyware come in package with other programs or secretly installed to user’s system by malicious website. Only a very few spyware software can be remotely installed by hackers to computers.
Update software regularly to help stop spyware and some unwanted programs. Make certain that Automatic Update is turned on for system with this option. Download all the newest critical and security updates.
Adjust security settings for Internet Explorer. The recommended setting for the Internet zone is Medium or higher. This setting regulates the information users are inclined to accept from websites. This is set to Medium by default for system using Windows XP SP2 and Internet Explorer as primary web browser.
Install anti-spyware software. Windows Defender is a good protection against spyware. It comes with the new OS Windows Vista. Windows XP Service Pack 2 users can download it free of charge.
Observe safe Internet surfing and downloading always. Always download only from trusted websites. Spyware developers will not stop in deceiving computer users. As a tip, when closing doubtful sites, refrain from hitting the X mark on the top right window. This sometimes leads to other sites instead of closing down. Instead, hit Alt+F4.
Change the setting of your computer, such that nothing will download automatically without your permission. Set your browser to ActiveX control.
Update regularly your anti-spyware programs because new types of spyware are being developed practically everyday.
November 10th, 2009 -- Posted in Other |
It is easy to become blasé about online security now that the internet is so ingrained in our daily lives (at work and at home) however by following a few simple rules we can help ensure that our own security as well as that of others can be maintained.
I am sure that we all have an anti-virus solution installed on our computer however merely having the solution is only the start of ensuring your protection. It is vital that whatever software that we utilise has its anti-virus definitions kept up to date. Now as obvious as this sounds it is sometimes the case that people may install an anti-virus solution but then forget to ensure that it is configured to update its virus definitions – sadly this is leaving the computer open to new virus and malware attacks so always ensure your computer receives scheduled virus definition updates.
Utilising a firewall is also a must to help with your security and this is installed as a feature of most popular operating systems. Simply ensure that the firewall is turned on however there are a number of configurable options that may be used if you needed to tweak applications that are not performing as required.
For those of us that use operating systems from Microsoft it is important that we keep up to date with the regular patches that are distributed and this can be achieved by ensuring that the automatic updates feature of your computer is turned on. For those unfamiliar with the technical side of our computers it is just a case of checking a tick box and the benefit of doing so should not be underestimated.
By helping maintain our own online security we can actually help prevent the spread of malware and viruses to others.
Next »
