NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, May 2011
Windows Lab
By Randy N. Ridge, member of the Tech Team,
Cajun Clickers Computer Club, Louisiana
February 2011 issue, Cajun Clickers Computer News

http://www.clickers.org
ccnewsletter (at) cox.net (click to email author)

Déjà vu All Over Again

Yes, I'm writing the same article again. Why you ask? It's because we don't seem to learn from our past mistakes. I'm writing with six computers around me infected with various forms of Viruses, Trojans, and Malware. If your computer is running really slow, or suddenly you can't connect to the Internet, or you get popups saying you have viruses which can be removed if you send money, then you need to read this article. With the expansion of social networking, web surfing, malicious emails, and free music download sites, there are any number of places for the attacks to take place. So what can you do? Well here is what you need:

Security Software- no matter what you do online, you need protection. Most commercial security software covers antivirus, firewall, parental controls, and antispyware. These programs can usually be installed on up to 3 computers, and have a small fee to add additional licenses. You can also go the free route. Many Internet Providers such as AT&T, Cox, and Eatel provide free security software. Go to your provider's webpage and any free software should be listed. There are also free antivirus programs such as AntiVir, Avast, and AVG. My favorite place to get these programs is at: http://www.filehippo.com

Filehippo offers the latest versions which are easy to find. If you try to get the free version from the company's website, it's usually buried deep and hard to find.

Antispyware- the security suites and Antivirus programs now have built in antispyware. One program is not enough; you need to be proactive. My favorite program is MalwareBytes which is one of the best spyware and malware cleaners I have used. You can download it at Filehippo. I suggest that you install it, update it, and run it every couple of days. Other good programs are Spybot Search and Destroy, Ad-Aware, and SuperAntiSpyware.

Remember one rule though; you can install multiple antiSpyware programs but you can only have one antivirus program running.

Firewalls- these programs protect you from being attacked via your Internet connection. From Windows XP on, there has been a firewall built into the operating system, but it was weak at best. Newer versions of Windows are better, but there are still weaknesses. You can also get firewalls at Filehippo. You will have to train a good Firewall to let it know what you want it to allow in and out. This can tell you if there is some malware on your computer that wants to phone home.

The main thing you need to do is get adequate protection and make sure you keep it up-to-date. If your security software is out of date, it won't protect you. You must be suspicious of any email, and careful about what links you click on the Internet. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

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