People say that bad habits die hard. Bad habits affect our health, relationship, family etc. It’s difficult to get rid of bad habits as they seem to have been part of our lives. It’s like a ritual to us. Similarly, if you do not get rid of these 5 bad habits, your computer health will be at stake. Avoid these habits :
Avoid Opening Unknown Attachments.
Many types of viruses and spyware spread via email attachments. Be extra suspicious on attachments from strangers. Spam are not only annoying but they can be trouble too. Activate spam filters for your email to reduce the amount of suspicious messages that end up in your in-boxes. It’s important to note also not to open attachments that end in .EXE, .PIF, or .COM, regardless of who sent them.
Avoid Downloading Software From An Unknown Source.
Many developers, make their money by bundling adware or spyware with free products. Freebies such as screensavers, emoticons, and games are fun to have but you may end up paying an expensive price later. Before downloading anything from the Internet, scrutinize the website’s privacy policy. Be on a look out for questionable or suspicious words and phrases such as “banner ads” and “third-party software” that might indicate the presence of adware or spyware.
Avoid Visiting Adult Sites.
Adult websites may give you a short lived satisfaction. Behind the scene adult websites are havens for spyware, Trojan horses, and other security threats. At home you can use activate parental control to block your computers being used to visit these sites.
Avoid using file-sharing programs.
Peer-to-peer or P2P files are shareware which can be downloaded by anyone. Anyone can upload or download any type of documents to P2P network such as LimeWire or Mopheus. As a result of the sharing, it may also become the sharing of hidden spyware, virus, Trojans etc.
The other areas to be cautious of would be the social network sites which is gaining in popularity nowadays. What seem to be innocent files like pictures and MP3 could be a source of malware epidemic.
5. Avoid Clicking Pop-up Ads.
Sneaky spyware surreptitiously install itself any time a user clicks a pop-up ad. Spyware vendors have also been known to switch the “Yes” and “No” buttons found in some pop-up ads to trick users who are trying to abort a software installation. Close pop-ups by clicking the small X in the ad’s upper-right corner. A more foolproof method, is by shutting down all suspicious-looking ads via Windows’ Task Manager.
Curiosity killed the cat, as what people say. But at least cats have nine lives. How about our computers? Since they don’t really die, because you can revive it by re-formatting it, but the data and information lost may not be revived or recovered. A common phenomenon that has become obvious from the vast numbers of virus and spyware victims over the years is that people click first and regret later. We are always thinking that our anti-virus, anti-spyware and the firewall will be our salvation against virus, spyware, Trojans and the like.
Email attachments are one the most common route for the spread of the malicious software. A few of them exploit security flaws in Windows or in your browser to launch automatically. But if you keep your programs updated, your chances of being infected via this route are very slim.
If you have been very diligent in updating your operating system software as required by the provider, there is no way the malware could exploit it. But the worst enemy could be YOU yourself, launching a lethal email attachment. Common executable and therefore dangerous file-name extensions include .bat, .com, .exe, .pif, .scr, and .vbs, are not to be opened even if you know the sender.
Some smart malware designers may even enclose their nasty code into a .zip or .rar archive file. The file may even be password protected to foil the antivirus program that scan inside archives. The password image is provided in the message body for the gullible recipient. Once the archive is opened using the password provided, the malware is launched.
If you receive an email from a friend or relative which need you to launch a file attachment it is much wiser to confirm with the sender before you click it. A call, a text message or even an email can be used for the confirmation. Even with a confirmation, and you still have doubts about the legitimacy of the message and its attachment, delete them.
Not all email are bad, otherwise why do we use them. It is a mean of communication between people now. But it can be a mean for some unscrupulous people to spread viruses, spyware and worms. A little caution on our side will surely prevent regrets later.
You can never know when your computer would be attacked. If you fail to protect it, it can result in loss of valuable data or even your valuable assets. The right combination of firewalls, antivirus, anti-spam, and anti-spyware applications can help protect your computers from security threats looming the cyberspace.
One of the components of the security programs that you should be considering is the firewall. A firewall acts as a barrier between your computer and the internet. It allows you to control both incoming and outgoing traffic thus protecting your computer from intruders namely hackers from trying to hack into your system. At the same time it prevents malicious software such as viruses, Trojans, spyware etc from installing themselves into your computer.
Many desktop-based software firewalls notify you when information such as the contents of a website is being sent to your to your computer. Likewise another notification is sent when your computer tries to send information back to the web. Along with the notification, you will receive a prompt from the firewall asking you to accept or deny the data transmission.
Although it is a useful security measure to install a firewall into your computer, but because of the high level of user interaction, it can lead to confusion on your side. This is because you need to decide which transmission you can and want to accept and which one to deny. One way of minimizing the confusion is by choosing a firewall program which comes with a predefined setting. Commonly used programs such as the web browser and email clients are predefine as part of the setting so that it can be accessed automatically. You can also make a whitelist and blacklist of IP addresses or host which you want to accept or reject. This will make your firewall more transparent to users.
There are firewall packages which offer additional functionality, such as the ability to block banner and pop-up ads, or encrypting sensitive information like credit-card numbers. You may want to look for a product with password protection, to prevent users from changing the firewall’s settings.
Some users may not want to use firewall because of the inconvenience caused by it. But in the long run, it is better to be safe than sorry.
You can never know when your computer would be attacked. If you fail to protect it, it can result in loss of valuable data or even your valuable assets. The right combination of firewalls, antivirus, anti-spam, and anti-spyware applications can help protect your computers from security threats looming the cyberspace.One of the components of the security programs that you should be considering is the firewall. A firewall acts as a barrier between your computer and the internet. It allows you to control both incoming and outgoing traffic thus protecting your computer from intruders namely hackers from trying to hack into your system. At the same time it prevents malicious software such as viruses, Trojans, spyware etc from installing themselves into your computer.Many desktop-based software firewalls notify you when information such as the contents of a website is being sent to your to your computer. Likewise another notification is sent when your computer tries to send information back to the web. Along with the notification, you will receive a prompt from the firewall asking you to accept or deny the data transmission.Although it is a useful security measure to install a firewall into your computer, but because of the high level of user interaction, it can lead to confusion on your side. This is because you need to decide which transmission you can and want to accept and which one to deny. One way of minimizing the confusion is by choosing a firewall program which comes with a predefined setting. Commonly used programs such as the web browser and email clients are predefine as part of the setting so that it can be accessed automatically. You can also make a whitelist and blacklist of IP addresses or host which you want to accept or reject. This will make your firewall more transparent to users.There are firewall packages which offer additional functionality, such as the ability to block banner and pop-up ads, or encrypting sensitive information like credit-card numbers. You may want to look for a product with password protection, to prevent users from changing the firewall’s settings.Some users may not want to use firewall because of the inconvenience caused by it. But in the long run, it is better to be safe than sorry.
A few years ago, most malware programs were harmless franks played by techno-headed geeks to show they could do something different. Only a small percentage of viruses or worms were intentionally harmful.
Today’s malware are created to hurt you financially. They can steal your money, be it through your identity, passwords, data, or bank account. So, if you discover that a malware program is active in your computer, you don’t want to take any chances. The best option is to go for full eradication. There is no removal program that can guarantee to completely clean your computer.
The first thing to do is to unplug the computer immediately from the network. This will prevent the computer from receiving additional commands from its remote user or command-and-control server.
Next, back up all your data, your e-mail, browser favourites, and preferences files. Take an inventory of all your installed applications, plug-ins, and components. Take stock of all the hardware interfaced that need to be re-downloaded to your computer as well.
Once everything is backed up or documented, re-format your hard drive and begin again. If you do not know how to re-format your computer, you always have computer technical service vendors to do them for you. But if you can do it yourselves you can save some money in doing that.
After you have re-store all your data following the re-formatting, make sure that you install your anti-malware tools. You may want to consider something new if your old one has let you down. You should also re-trace your steps to find out how you have been infected by the malware. The two possibilities that could have caused it are either you have not update your operating system or you were tricked into installing a malicious software unsuspectingly.
Finally, change your logon credentials you used online when you were infected. You may have been using the same password for a long time and for all your transactions, a new change would be good. It’s like getting into a new house with new set of keys.
At times it is useless to fight the malware such as viruses, spyware, adware, Trojans etc. If you are infected, it is good to consider to eradicate the problem totally rather than fight it. The steps to take are back up your data, reformat your hard drive, and start over.
Nowadays, going online into the cyberspace is not a choice, it can be a necessity. With more and more applications being done through the cyberspace now such as banking and commerce, you would be called outdated if you don’t immerse yourself into the cyberspace. You can be in one place but being employed by a company half way across the world.
However, the online landscape can prove to be a hazard-strewn path, laden with pitfalls of scams, viruses and sneaky programs that attached itself to your computers without your permission. The sneaky software can be malicious and harmful. It can steal your crucial and confidential information like the bank account numbers, site passwords etc. It can also remove important files in your PC.
Even the most conscientious computer user can fall prey to attacks by this software called spyware by just being online. It is of utmost important that you know how to defend yourself against such attack.
There are plenty of free and paid resources available online that you can use against spyware. Anti-spyware software gives real-time protection combating the installation of spyware program on your system. This type works like an anti-virus. It scans all incoming network data and blocks any threat it identifies. Another type used is for removal and detection of those spyware already in the machine. Large anti-virus companies like Symantec, Sophos and McAfee have recently added anti-spyware features to their anti-virus software.
Even the paid version of the anti spyware system does not cost a lot nowadays. Generally the program would cost between thirty and forty dollars. This is not bad, when considering that your top of the line anti-spyware protection is included in that price range.
The choice to use a free or paid resource is totally yours. A free resource can do so much while the paid version may be able to do a much better job. At the same time in consideration whether to use a paid or free program, the scale of infection of your PC may be a factor too.
The concept behind the technology of spyware is that, a number of advertising companies take interest to install tracking software into the computer system, that illusions to call it host with aims to use all internet connections, get statistical or other information data to what they will claim “home” attesting assurance of company’s security policies not to collect sensitive data for confidentiality, and with full promise to establish continuity of anonymity.
However, it is an establish fact that the PC functions as a “live” server that is open for any kind of information disseminations with or without the consent of the server; bottom lining the fact, there is always a risk for any transfer of any information even those covered by protection policies between the advertiser and the so called ”mothership.” In the end just as nobody would wish, it will be sending assimilated data that might escape the benefit of payment from the PC database.
Although spyware and adware could be two in one to front probable interference to the server’s privacy, spyware could stage sole manipulation to indulge deeper in affecting the users privacy, prompting slow-down computer’s effectiveness, windows’ pop-ups of undesirable ads, and spam e-mails.
Several media companies are perennially seeking ways to eliminate large expense for web development and internet costs; but instead, tend to pay part of their revenue solicitations from reputable brands’ banner sales to host servers by installing reputable piece software by way of so called “piggybacking,” or tricking methods as the Trojan horse technique, installing some “rogue” anti-spyware program, eluding detection of its being a disguised security software.
A spyware no adware technology is an advertising copyright itself, can stand without having to do with any adware’s vulnerability threats. The so-called ”Web accelerator” or helpful software agents: Example, the Bonzi Buddy (quoted from: Wikipidea), targeted to children: ”He will explore the internet with you as your own friend and sidekick. He can talk, walk, joke, browse, search, e-mail and download like no other friend you’ve ever had! . . Best of all, it is FREE.”
This piece of copyright text is so deceptive for unknowingly, motives behind depict to pursue some ends in order to evade something that will disrupt the mobility of cash flow of the mother host.
Why is Spy ware Deceptive?
1. It does not self-replicate; instead, it invades infected computers for commercial gains purposes.
2. It monitors Web browsing activity (sales strategy) and routes of all HTTP to advertising agencies.
3. Delivery of pop-up advertisements
4. Theft of Credit and Identification card numbers in relation to the notorious identity theft around.
5. Spyware gets into the system by exploitations of other software vulnerability.
