Spyware, Viruses, and Other Online Threats - Is Your PC Properly Protected

AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) released their second annual Online Safety Study a few months back, and the results weren’t pretty. While the latest survey did find that users were getting better at taking the steps necessary to keep their PCs properly secured, the findings show that there are still plenty of people who just don’t understand online risks.

Some of the key facts uncovered by the Online Safety Study included:

• 81% of home PCs lack one of the three main sources of protection - a secure firewall, anti-virus software, and spyware protection.
• 56% of users had no anti-virus software installed, or had not updated their virus definition files in the last week.
• 44% of users did not have a properly-configured firewall in place.
• 38% of users lacked spyware protection.
• Most telling, perhaps, is the fact that even in light of these findings, 83% of users surveyed still believed that their PCs were safe and properly secured.

The online security threat landscape has certainly changed from the days when viruses were home users’ biggest worry, but the survey shows that users are largely not keeping up with the times. Every PC connected to the Internet today should be configured with the following (at an absolute minimum):

• A personal firewall capable of filtering both inbound and outbound traffic.
• Updated anti-virus software that offers real-time protection, the ability to scan on-demand, and email message scanning features.
• Updated anti-spyware software that not only scans for and removes spyware on demand, but also proactively protects against threats in real-time.
• Windows Automatic Updates turned on (to download and install critical security patches, service packs, and updates automatically), or weekly visits to the Windows Update web site to obtain the latest critical updates.

Thankfully, keeping your PC updated and properly protected against online threats needn’t cost you a penny. There are a number of anti-virus, anti-spyware, and personal firewall programs available free for personal use. A simple web search will turn up direct links to some of the more popular options, which I will be discussing in more detail in future articles.

For the time being, however, considering beginning your PC lockdown process by taking a look at my beginner’s guide to eradicating spyware, The Best Free Anti-Spyware Programs. A secure PC is a fast PC, so take the time to start locking down your home computer today. Your system will thank you!

Dan DiNicolo is the author of the book PC Magazine Windows XP Security Solutions, and the managing editor of the online learning web site 2000Trainers.com

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Read more... Comment now » May 30th, 2008

Computer Security Tips for Privacy and Identity Protection

Anti spyware software, anti virus software, and a good personal firewall provide the best protection against the majority of internet security threats that exist today. Although everyone using the internet should be using these products, I find that most casual internet users are only running an antivirus program. Without the added protection of a software firewall and anti spyware software, there are still some things you can do to help ensure your personal information doesn’t get stolen by malicious spyware and you don’t become the victim of identity theft due to a phishing scam.

Following are a list of computer security tips that will help protect you and/or minimize the damage if your personal information gets stolen:

• Never use the same user id you use for email or internet logon for anything else. Maintaining separate user id’s for important accounts will help minimize the security risk in the event someone gets hold of your ID.
• Never use your email password for anything else. This will prevent unauthorized access to your email account.
• Store passwords in an encrypted file or password manager program with encryption. This ensures that your passwords cannot be accessed in the event an intruder or spyware application gets hold of your password list.
• Never click on links in emails, particularly from banks. Manually go to the site and log in. This is a common phishing scam. Unscrupulous people send emails that look legitimate. The links they give you normally take you to a copy of a legitimate website. Inputting your account information onto these fraudulent websites will allow thieves to gain access to your real account.
• Unless absolutely necessary, never download and install freeware. If you do download free software, only download from developer’s site. Many copycat sites exist that are fraudulent. Downloading from them will most certainly install spyware on your system.
• Use parental control software if children use the computer. This will prevent access to questionable websites where spyware can secretly be installed.
• Browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc) security setting should be set to high. This prevents many sites from installing certain types of spyware and adware on your PC.
• Never click on pop up ads as this can install spyware on your system. One click is all it takes to have spyware secretly installed.
• Avoid browsing to questionable websites. Sites that contain illegal, immoral or lewd content are often havens for spyware. Simply viewing some of these sites is all it takes to infest your computer with spyware.
• Excessive pop ups usually mean adware is installed on your system. Use an adware remover to detect and destroy. A good rule of thumb is to never click on a popup ad, as this could install spyware on your system.
• If computer appears to run very slowly, suspect spyware. Install a spyware remover and scan your PC.

These tips are by no means a replacement for anti-spyware software and a personal firewall, but should help ensure that you remain safe until you can get your computer properly protected.

DJ is a corporate IT Manager and author of the following sites covering information technology topics: Computer Security for Everyone, Save on Phone Service with VoIP, Internet Phone Service - The Future is Here!

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Read more... Comment now » April 14th, 2008