Safer Surfing

I was recently the victim of a horrible attack on my computer by way of a porn site persistently popping up every time I started my browser. Am I alone? Not by a longshot. But what I found while I was fixing my computer is that people seem to fall into two categories on this- they've already taken the proper precautions and the adware/malware/spyware sneaks in through the cracks OR... they may not even have an antivirus program protecting their computer at all and just really don't understand how they became infected.

My concern is not for the people who are comfortable enough with their computers to fix them themselves but rather for those for whom this area is simply overwhelming. There are so many of these programs running around out there, the programs have become so sneaky and frequently appear to be respectable (for example Weatherbug), that when someone does get an infection on their computer they go on overload when they google for answers. I can't fix everyone's computer and I can't go to every single person's home and make sure that they are protected but I do feel that I can help.

Let's talk about prevention: Do you have an antivirus program running on your computer? This would be something like McAfee, Norton, AVG? If yes- great! Do you also have it set to automatically update? Do you run the antivirus scan at least once a week? Do you have it set to scan your email? Both incoming AND outgoing? These programs will do 3 things for you: Protection, Detection, Removal. They can't do it if you don't let them though and we're going to talk about the first one on this page.

If you don't have an antivirus program running on your computer... RUN don't walk to www.grisoft.com. They have an excellent antivirus program called AVG which is a free download. It will schedule automatic updates and scans for you and is very easy to use. From time to time, it wouldn't hurt as well to visit www.antivirus.com and run their free online virus scanner- it will take a little while the first time you run it but you can surf while it scans and it never hurts to get a second opinion- no antivirus program knows everything.You could also purchase McAffee or Norton at the store and install it- which one is better has been debated for years so I'm only going to say that they're pretty comparable overall- but if you do, depending on your computer's configuration you should make sure to UNinstall AVG if you've already added it. I personally run Norton AND AVG without problem but I'm advised that there could be compatibility issues. Another scanner I've heard of recently is Ewido- this seems to be a heavy duty scanner and it is another with both free and paid versions. If you feel that you might have an infection I would advise that after running your regular program you hop over to their website and download and run this program- you can always uninstall it when you're done if you prefer to stay with a more familiar name in antivirus (such as Norton or McAfee).

Additionally- do you have a pop up blocker on your computer? These are a good thing to have outside of just the convenience of not having stupid pop up ads- how many times have you seen a pop up that looks... convincing. Like it came from microsoft themselves or some other reputable site but you know that it's really not? What if someone else is using your computer and doesn't realize the ads are not for real and clicks on it? A really good (and functional) pop up blocker is the Google toolbar- you can use it for your searches but it also functions as a pop up blocker and is easy to use (free too) and with just a click you can allow sites that use popups in a legitimate manner (such as O&I does to let you get a closer look at chart pictures) to do so. It installs right onto your regular Internet browser and you don't have to do anything special to keep it up to date: www.toolbar.google.com

I'm also going to ask you to do something that will make you feel awful, horrible, yucky, ewww right down to the bone if you haven't done it before: install and run AdAware and Spybot Search & Destroy. WAIT until you see the stuff on your computer- you'll barely believe your eyes when you see what's in there! Don't feel bad though- most people don't realize so if you're one of those that didn't you're in the majority rather than the minority.

Now... if you you're using Windows XP we're going to take an extra step here and turn on your firewall. I recently wrote these instructions up for someone so I'll just cut and paste them here:

'Turning on the firewall in Windows XP:Go to 'Start' then to 'Control Panel' In control panel click on 'Network and Internet Connections' Now click on 'Network Connections' In Network Connections look for your internet connection and click on it once. In the left side pane you will now see several options under 'Network Tasks' including 'Change settings of this connection'. Click on this one. Click on the tab marked 'Advanced'- put a check mark in the box for 'Protect my computer and network by limiting....' and then click okay. You've just set up your firewall!'

If you'd like an even more secure firewall give ZoneAlarms a shot. With both a freeware and a paid version it's certain that one or the other will be a good fit for you: ZoneAlarm

Next I want you to open your browser- I'm not sure how you set up security options in other browsers so I'm going to talk specifically about Internet Explorer (which is famous for security problems). Open the browser and go to the top where it says 'Tools'- click on Tools and next on 'Internet Options'. A box with tabs should pop up and you're going to click on the tab that says 'Security'- on the Security page you want your settings to be at Medium or Default level and you use the slider bar to accomplish this.

Also- make sure you keep your computer updated. All of the operating systems (for example Windows XP, Windows 98 etc) and all of the scanners. Most of these have an area where you can set them up to update themselves automatically in the background. When you install them, just take a little time to poke around and familiarize yourself with the different settings and be sure to activate the updates (or find a way to remind yourself to do it manually on at least a weekly basis). *It was pointed out to me that I should specifically tell you to visit Windows Update (Tools/Windows Update at the top of the Internet Explorer Window) and install ALL critical updates.

One last thing- I want you to visit a website called 'ShieldsUp!'- this website will, with your permission, probe your computer in order to see how secure it is. The first page here: ShieldsUp! will come up and show your IP number and explain a little bit about it and about how it can be a security problem. When you've read through the page click on 'proceed' and if any security boxes pop up (for example, on my computer a box pops up asking Are you sure you want to continue sending this information) click yes to continue (or continue- depends on what message you get). This next page is chock full of information and is where you will ask their site, by clicking on the appropriate button, to check your ports. Read through some of the links, get an idea what the page is about and when you're ready click on the button that says 'File Sharing'. Hopefully, this page will say that your ports don't exist and they can't connect with BIOS- this is a good thing. You hope that your computer is invisible online- now go ahead and continue clicking the buttons working your way through each one: File Sharing, Common Ports, All Service Ports, Browser Headers, and, if you have MSN Messenger running, Messenger Spam. When you're done, you should have a good idea of how secure your computer actually is.

At this point, you should now have an antivirus program running on your computer along with a popup stopper, an adware blocker AND, if you have XP, your firewall has been enabled. You've also checked your ports to make sure there are no breaches and you've set your browser security to medium or higher. Prevention wise- you're in a good place. It does take a little while to do all of these things and you will be tempted to take shortcuts or skip steps but really, it's worth the time and inconvenience and in the big picture it's not that bad and entirely for your own benefit :o)

*Other Programs Worth a Mention and Consideration

1. SpywareBlaster: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
2. SpywareGuard: http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html
3. IE/Spyad: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource.htm
4. http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

#3 IE/Spyad will place over 5,000 known bad sites in your "restricted sites" list

#4 the hosts file, will similarly block known bad sites from loading on to your computer by using the hosts file.

*Information courtesy of Steamwiz, www.help2go.com Thank you Steamwiz!

Definitions

while not necessarily malware, adware is considered to go beyond the reasonable advertising that one might expect from freeware or shareware. Typically a separate program that is installed at the same time as a shareware or similar program, adware will usually continue to generate advertising even when the user is not running the origianlly desired program. See also cookies, spyware, and web bugs.(Definition Source)

A general term for a program that surreptitiously monitors your actions. While they are sometimes sinister, like a remote control program used by a hacker, software companies have been known to use spyware to gather data about customers. The practice is generally frowned upon. (Definition Source)