NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, December 2012
VIPRE
Presented at the Southwest Technology & Computer Conference, San Diego,
by Dodi Glenn (with Kathy Wattman, Vipre Product Manager)
By Susan Kennedy, Member, TUGNET, California
http://www.tugnet.org

newsletter (at) tugnet.org (click to email author)

VIPRE Presented at the Southwest Technology & Computer Conference, San Diego, by Dodi Glenn (with Kathy Wattman, Vipre Product Manager) By Susan Kennedy, Member, TUGNET, California www.tugnet.org /newsletter (at) tugnet.org

What, you ask, is VIPRE? The name is an acronym for Virus Intrusion Protection and Remediation Engine. More simply, VIPRE by GFI Software Inc. (formerly Sunbelt Software) is a product line that includes both a stand-alone antivirus program and a more comprehensive internet security suite.

Dodi Glenn, Product Manager for GFI, started by asking us "What is malware? What dangers are out there?" Malware includes adware, bots, dialer programs, keyloggers, rogue anti-virus programs, rootkits, and spyware along with the usual viruses, worms and Trojans. He described malware as having "gone wild" with a huge increase in recent years. The purpose is no longer to damage people's computers; the motive today is almost 100% financial. Cyber criminals want access to your computer, your passwords and account information, and thus to your money! Besides stealing from your accounts directly, crooks make fortunes in selling credit card information. Much of this criminal activity originates in Russia and China.

Top threats include various forms of Java script. Some of the threats he named are the System Restore Rogue and S.M.A.R.T. Repair that may harm your hard disk drive.

A few threats created by governments have escaped into the world at large. We probably all know of the Stuxnet virus, believed to have been created to wreak havoc with Iran's nuclear program, but coming along today is Duqu, first spotted in September 2011. Another is Flame, a program developed by the CIA, NSA and Israeli military, to attack nukes in the Middle East. For those of you who are fluent in high-level "geek-speak," GFI produced a video (33 minutes) on their analysis of Flame at http://vimeo.com/44382073; it's pretty heavy on the technical stuff.

Another type of threat involves social engineering, and many of these come out of India. One example spoofs Microsoft's tech support center, where a person calls on the telephone to tell you of a problem with your computer that he can fix if you just allow him remote access. The Better Business Bureau published an article you can read at http://tinyurl.com/7noulky. You can also see videos on this threat on YouTube by searching for Microsoft Service Support Center.

Where does this malware come from? Today it's mostly social networking (e.g., Facebook), online games, and email or through "portals" you access either for games or chatting in forums. Malware (including spam) gets into your email through hacked web sites you visit, instant messages (such as posting on Facebook), and what are known as "exploits" in valid programs such as PDF, Java script, and Flash Player.

One threat few recognize is the "lost" flash drive. If you find a flash drive dropped in a parking lot or lying on a library table, for example, the natural instinct is to plug it in to a) see if the owner's name is available or b) just to see what might be on it. Don't do it! That drive may have been left intentionally because it was deliberately infected with malware (such as a keylogger or remote dialer) that will infect your computer when you try to access the info.
• Dodi then described the steps one should take if your computer becomes infected or you suspect it may be.
• Be sure you have a good up-to-date antivirus program on all machines before you access the internet.
• Scan all your machines if you are on a network.
• If you discover a worm or virus on one machine, unplug it from your network.
• Get VIPRE Rescue from "http://live.sunbeltsoftware.com or http://live.vipreantivirus.com; then restart your machine in Safe Mode and run the Rescue program. When the report displays, any entries in red are serious threats that must be removed.

• Some other good anti-malware programs that Dodi recommends (many free) are Malware Bytes (http://www.malwarebytes.org)
• Super Anti-Spyware (http://www.superantispyware.com)
• TDSS Killer (http://www.super.kaspersky.com/)
• ComboFix (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/anti-virus/combofix) and
• HijackThis (from any of several sites such as http://www.majorgeeks.com or http://www.filehippo.com.)

How can you prevent these threats from getting to your computer? • Keep Adobe Flash Player and Java updated.
• Disable Java scripts from running in Adobe.
• Disable the function that lets your browser open PDF files automatically.
• Keep your operating system patched and updated.
• Use a reliable anti-virus program or internet security suite.

Some other tips Dodi offered include: • Don't click links that you find in emails or on web sites; or at least do so with great caution.
• Be very wary of attachments to emails, even from people you know. The bad guys may have "spoofed" your friend's email address and sent you malware.
• Use a "site advisor" such as Web of Trust or MacAfee's Site Advisor. These program add-ons check web sites to see if they are safe and secure for you to visit. Web of Trust (WOT) (http://www.mywot.com) is one that works in all browsers. It is community driven; that is, it is run by its users. When you are checking a web site, a red circle means the web site is infected.
• Watch your mobile devices (tablets, smart phones, ebook readers) as carefully as your main computer. "Lookout" and VIPRE Mobile for Android are free programs for this. VIPRE Android also backs up your contacts and has a locator should you misplace your phone. (Kindle readers run on Android, but VIPRE Mobile is currently restricted by Amazon.)

A new threat is those ubiquitous QR codes that are popping up everywhere. The Norton security program warns of bad QR codes.

Following these tips will not protect you 100%-nothing can, but they will go a long way to keep your internet experience safe.

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