Klarinet Archive - Posting 000290.txt from 2004/07
From: Janine <janine@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] OT: Computer Help - Viruses, Trojans, Spyware - Preventative Maintenance/Fixes
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2004 15:05:14 -0400
Hi folks,
I hope no one minds my posting this to the list.
So many folks have been having computer problems lately - I
believe much of it may be due to spyware programs & Trojans
that are wreaking havoc, in addition to viruses. Many
computer users still have not taken the proper security
measures needed to help protect themselves & others.
As many of my friends/relatives have been asking about the
free programs I have found, & have been asking for help
w/viruses, etc., I decided to put together this info list as
I do research & learn myself, & have been sending it to
folks & to mailing lists I belong to.
Many of you may already be aware of much of this, but
perhaps you will find something useful here - there is info
for novices as well as for advanced users.
The better security that we each have on our systems, the
better it will be for all of us in helping to stop the
spread of these nasties to each other & to our lists!
Janine
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PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
* Have a full time virus scanner running in the background
at all times (AVG (free!), KAV, Norton, etc.). Update
program often - recently, many anti-virus programs have been
updating almost daily!
* As a back-up/second opinion, run free virus online
scanners every now & then, as no one virus program
can catch everything, especially Trojans!
* Have a firewall to keep out hackers/intruders & to stop
trojan activity in case you do have a Trojan Horse.
* Have anti-spyware programs to find spyware & Trojans.
* Run WINDOWS UPDATE frequently to fix security breaches.
* It's a good idea to virus scan anything you download
before installing it (find the folder where the program/file
downloaded to, & before clicking on it to install it, right
click on it, & left click SCAN FOR VIRUSES).
* DO NOT use free file sharing programs/sites for
downloading music, etc. - I have never yet seen anyone use
these sites & not end up w/tons of spyware/Trojans/viruses.
*******************************************************************************************************
ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS
Full time virus scanner - AVG - Free & highly recommended -
catches most Trojans:
http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php
Scan with the programs below regularly for a "second
opinion/backup", leaving your regular virus program
installed. You have to download a small program
first that contains the latest virus definitions, as per
instructions, but you are not installing an anti-virus
program - you are just using their online scanner one time,
on demand. Both of these are known to catch Trojans that
many other virus programs don't:
Panda - free (I saw Panda find a Trojan on a computer that
Norton did not catch!):
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan/
Trend Micro House Call - free:
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan/
*************************************************************************************
ANTI-SPYWARE PROGRAMS
(You also need more than one of these to catch
everything.)
Spyblaster - free - prevents spyware from installing:
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
Spybot - free - finds & removes spyware:
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10122137.html?part=104443&subj=dlpage&tag=button
Ad-Aware - free - finds & removes spyware:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
SwatIt - free - finds & removes spyware:
http://www.swatit.org/index.html
************************************************************************
FIREWALL - A MUST!!
Sygate - free - many like this better than ZoneAlarm:
http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm
At first you may not be certain as to which activities to
allow - one solution is to do a GOOGLE GROUPS search on each
warning that pops up to determine whether or not it is
normal/necessary activity or if it should be blocked.
Here is a discussion that I found useful - it lists many
common processes that you will see pop up that are OK to allow:
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=31939&page=1&pp=15
*************************************************************************************
To Find/Correct Damaged/Corrupted Files, Fix Problems, Etc.
Virus/Trojan/spyware programs often alter your
registry/system files, so it is a good idea to run a utility
program often - especially after finding & removing a
virus/Trojan.
Ace Utilities
http://www.acelogix.com/
(There's a free 30 day trial - trial version is fully
functional.)
Here's what it does:
http://www.acelogix.com/details.html
**************************************************************************************************
Free diagnostic tests:
http://www.pcpitstop.com/
***************************************************************************************************
Security info (some of this is for advanced users - be
careful performing any procedures that you are not familiar
with!):
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html
http://www.securitymetrics.com/howtos/139.adp
****************************************************************************************************
Hope this helps!
Janine
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