PC Protection, The Latest On PC Threats
Every single computer on the internet is at risk from PC threats which include viruses, Trogans spyware, adware, key loggers, the list goes on. Most people genuinely try by buying an anti-virus program or an anti-spyware package which will help but there are still many other problems that need to be addressed.
More and more people are using PC’s these days for internet banking, paying bills, online shopping, using programs to manage financial information, and much more. It’s great to be able to do all these things without stepping out the door, but what people are actually doing is storing some of their most valuable information on PC’s and if the proper precautions are not taken hackers can have a field day.
Hackers and virus writers are getting increasingly sophisticated every day. At the same time, people are storing more and more confidential information on their computers. A good hacker can enter an unguarded PC through your browser, download your, credit card numbers, social security numbers, your entire identity is there for them take and use at there discretion.
Most people realize that they should be taking some type of security measure, but they don’t know where to begin. Before you ever risk all the data on your computer again, you need to know exactly where to begin locking your PC down or you are taking some serous risks.
I have been working in the IT industry for many years now and it has been a scary experience to see how PC threats have evolved. People need to seek good advice and put a system in place to protect their computers and themselves against the many PC threats.
I recommend people to use the Windows update feature, a trusted anti-virus package, a trusted anti-spyware package, and make sure they are set to auto update. These three things will certainly help guard against many of the nasty PC threats but other precautions still need to be taken to insure your PC protection.
I suggest people download and put to use the free information provided at www.yourpcprotection.com.
Glenn Munn
Information Technology support officer
(MCP)Microsoft Certified Professional
Comptia A+ accredited
Its Halloween! Spooks, Specters and Spyware!
It was late, I had put off going to the Software Convention till the last minute. I just had to watch my favorite show on TV,
“S-Files”. Its that episode where the Computer Salespeople all turn into Pod People and ,,,,well never mind. Its really scary!
So I’m driving down the lonely one lane road from my house to the Convention. Its dark and the shadows are creepy, I’ll never watch S-Files again, I swear!
I pull into the parking lot, the convention is being held in the old YMCA. Geez, its dark, only 1 parking lot light and its flickering on and off. As I walk up to the entrance, I remember the old story about how, back in the Dot.Com days, when they tanked, the building was used as a makeshift morgue, to hold all the bodies of the CEO’s who committed suicide.
I get this really creepy feeling on the back of my neck as I go in,,,,oh, its just a Linux software salesman at the first booth. Is it my imagination or are his eyes glowing?
I head to the registration desk to get a program. I see the place is kinda empty, guess cause its so late. Well, I’m here to see who is offering the latest demos and what kind of freebies I can score.
The front booths are usually the big sellers and they never give away freebies or demos. So I head to the back, hmmm, the lights back here are terrible! Here’s a booth, Anti-Spyware 4 U.
The salesman shuffles up to me and says “Please take a demo of our new product”. I look at it, it says this is the latest greatest software to combat Spyware. I take the CD out of the plain paper cover and look at the Logo. Its just a plain shiny cd? Wow I can see myself in it I remark. “We spared no expense” a voice says behind me, making me jump. I didn’t even know he was behind me. Wait, I should have seen him behind me in the reflection off the CD.
I gotta be imagining things I say to myself. I ask the salesman for a brochure about their other products and as he hands it to me, our fingers brush each others. Jeez! His fingers are as cold as ice! Well, he is a salesman after all.
I thank him and head off to the other booths, seeing that I’ve gotten here too late after all, everybody is leaving. I decide to swing by the refreshments table to see if I can at least get a drink and some cookies. It sure is dark in here I think again as I come up to the table. As I scan the table, a little old lady comes up and asks me if Id like any milk and cookies. Yes Mam I reply. She hands me a little plate with cookies and paper cup of something white. I assume its milk, but its so dark in here! And there seems to be a fog or steam on the surface of the milk. Well beggars cant be choosers I think to myself as I thank her. She gives me a freaky cackling laugh as I turn away, stunned I turn back around and to my Horror, there is no-one there! Where in blazes did she go ?
I’m outta here my mind screams to me as I head for the door at a ever faster walk. In a minute I’m in my car with the doors locked and the engine warming up. Whew, That was the strangest Convention I’ve ever seen.
All the way home I’ve got a death grip on the wheel, just waiting for something to jump out of the shadows. Like a IBM salesman, now that would be scary!
If only I had known the other horrors that awaited me!
I breathe a sigh of relief as I close and lock the living room door behind me. Still shaking my head I head over to my Puter to try out this latest and greatest Anti-Spyware Software. As it boots, I get a message to disable my own Anti-Spyware program. I thing this odd, but I remember reading somewhere online that some programs can conflict with others so I comply. After a few seconds I get a message that the new Program is installed and it needs to connect to get possible updates.
So I get online and let it do its thing. A reboot is needed it says, OK so I reboot. The Puter comes up and I get online to check out the latest results of the Mullet contest. what’s this ? This isn’t my Homepage, it’s a site where you can ,,,Holy Hand Grenades! Its Porn! I close the Browser and man alive, I’m beset by about a dozen popups offering me things that, well, no decent person would want. I’m figuring now that I’ve been had by this Anti-Spyware CD. I do a Restore and get back to my Online Mullet competition site. Then I remember that I need to transfer some money in my savings to my checking account. So I head to the Bank site and take care of it. I must be tired, the puter seems slow to me. I check my mail and the wait to login is frustrating. I decide to call it a night. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.
After a tossing and turning night and dreams of my Puter melting, the new day dawns. With a cup of coffee I head to the Puter to see who won the Mullet Contest. The boot takes forever and the login freezes the first time so I have to power off and back on again. I’m really mad by now. I’ve been had by some sleazy software company! I finally get online but the Mullet competition site wont load. I cant tell if it’s the Puter or maybe the online connection. As it dawns on me that I’m gonna have to take it in for service, I hope I’ve got some extra in my savings to cover it. I head to the Bank site but it wont load either. Then I notice the Hard Disk light blinking away. I’m not doing anything at the time so it shouldn’t be accessing anything. Cursing, I turn the Puter off and pick up the phone to call the bank. I get a live person after waiting only 5 minutes so I figure the day may be improving. I give her my account info and she comes back saying “I show that account being closed last night after all money was withdrawn”! . There must be a mistake I say, she checks it again and says its true. The money in the account was transferred to a Bank she has never heard of in ,,,,Transylvania of all places. As I hang up in shock, I could have sworn I heard her laughing just like the old lady at the convention did last night.
I figure I better head to the Police Station to get some help. In a Panic I head for town. As I make the last turn into town, I glance towards the location of the YMCA, where all this started, only to see its not there! Its burned to the ground! Stunned, I stop in the street and get out. Nothing but ashes. The Man in the car behind me gets out and asks me if I’m ok. I mumble I’m lucky to be alive, I could have died in there last night. Puzzled the man says, but the YMCA burned down 2 nights ago!
As I get back into the car, I glance at the spot on the seat where I put the CD and the Pamphlet. Gone. Just a little pile of dust.
At the Police station, a sergeant takes down my story and informs me I’ve been the victim of online Identity theft. As I’m leaving, A couple of kids run by, in costumes, yelling “Happy Halloween”
Are you scared ? You should be!
About the Author: Doug Woodall has a web site at http://www.spywarebiz.com
There he provides free information and recommended products to combat Spyware.
His Website is recognized by Learning Fountain and ISafe
Doug’s Articles have earned him Trusted Author Status at ImpactArticles.com
He is a member of the IWA (International Webmasters Association)
Article edited for proper content by Wendy McCallum
Permission to copy ok as long as about author info remains with article.
The Core Reason Behind the Pervasive Spread of Viruses and Malware Across the Internet
As an IT Security Consultant I have observed there are many reasons for the spread of viruses and malware across the Internet. The primary reason is the lack of security on machines connected to the Internet, let me explain. There are two divisions here, the first being systems owned by medium to large businesses and the second being small office and home systems. The security difference between the two is radically different. As a whole the larger organizations have much better security.
There are several reasons for this. First and foremost these organizations have learned through painful experience the cost of not being secure. They realize that although security can be expensive it is much more expensive to be insecure. The larger companies for the most part now implement corporate controlled antivirus, antispyware and antispam software that scans for viruses, adware, spam and spyware as traffic enters the network. This way the malware are caught before they ever reach the users PC. The PCs themselves will also run client versions of things like Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition which are continually scanning the PCs for any viruses or other malware that may have been introduced to the PC directly by the user.
The larger companies also have multiple layers of Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems guarding their networks. While the average large company has pretty good security most computers in small office and homes have poor security. Many if they even have antivirus software do not update it. Very few if any will have antispam, antispyware or antiadware software. So they literally have no protection against viruses, adware, spyware or spam. Because many of these devices which make up a large percentage of the devices on the Internet do not have protection they are usually infected by every type of malware and because of the viral nature of malware they spread it to any PCs that they have access to.
For example friends, relatives, business associates etc. who are also not likely to be protected and then pass the virus or other malware on to anyone they have access to and the cycle continues exponentially until within a few days it’s covered the planet and tens of millions of computers. The key is to secure our homes and small businesses. The main reasons people don’t protect themselves is because they think the cost is too high and they don’t think it will happen to them. Of course they are wrong on both counts.
It will happen to everyone who is on the Internet. If you think your machine has not been affected by spyware, adware, spam and viruses you are wrong. The cost of not being secure is far higher than the cost of a reasonable amount of security. There are many free and inexpensive software packages that do a great job of securing the average home or small office. Even if you have to pay someone to install and configure it the overall cost is still comparatively low. For more information on how to make your computers secure visit http://security.gigapages.net
Paul Stapleton is an Sr. IT Security Consultant to many fortune 500 companies around the world. Please visit http://security.gigapages.net or e-mail info@gigapages.net
Tags: adware, antispam, antispyware, antivirus, it security, malware, spam, spyware, virus, viruses
