There are some very simple ways to protect your computer from these nasty problems, and if you adhere to the following guidelines you will rarely ever have to deal with them.
1) Dump Internet Explorer. I made this number one for a reason – most people do not realize that there are safer, faster, and more technologically advanced web browsers out there. My favorite happens to also be free! Mozilla’s Firefox web browser has quickly grown into the 2nd most used browser in the world because of it’s security & advanced features such as its vast collection of plug-ins, tabbed browsing, & built-in pop-up blocker. Mozilla also provides a more secure alternative to Microsoft’s Outlook Express email application, called Thunderbird.
2) How’s your anti-virus software doing? A lot of the residential customers I see for the first time don’t even realize that the anti-virus software that came with their computer has an expiration date! The thought of paying for a subscription for virus definitions seems a little odd to me, and apparently it seems odd to some of the more respectable anti-virus companies out there. For example, Grisoft offers their AVG anti-virus software completely free to home users! The program is fast & efficient, and you can’t beat the price. There are also plenty of free online virus scanners as well as McAfee’s free Stinger scanner, which is a small virus & trojan scanner that can detect and remove specific viruses and worms (Stinger does not serve as a substitue for full anti-virus protection – as noted on their website). Similar to Stinger, Symantec offers stand-alone removal tools for many of the most popular trojans and viruses. Comcast high-speed internet users can now also get free copies of McAfee’s VirusScan, Personal FirewallPlus, & Privacy Service.
Regardless of what anti-virus software you choose, make sure it has scheduled updates turned on so that your computer always has the most recent virus definitions.
3) Rid your computer of spyware. This can be done using freely available products such as Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy. These programs are similar to anti-virus scanners but keep in mind that the free versions do not run all the time like a good anti-virus scanner. This can be a good thing because we’re trying to rid your computer of unwanted applications that run all the time, not add more to gobble up your memory & processing time. Also note that all of the major anti-virus vendors are offering spyware detection and removal functions in their flagship products, and even Microsoft is offering a free anti-spyware product through Windows update. Just keep in mind that some of the nastier trojans and spyware can successfully disable your ability to receive Windows updates and even disable your anti-virus software! That is why it is necessary to keep Ad-Aware and/or Spybot around. Both products offer free updates regularly and should be run at least once a month (or better – once a week) to keep your PC malware free.
4) Update your operating system. Microsoft offers new patches for Windows on the second Tuesday of every month, dubbed by the IT industry as “Patch Tuesday”. You can avoid the headache that big companies go though every month by turning on automatic updates. Go to your control panel, click on the system icon, and then click on the automatic updates tab. Make sure it is on. It will run in the background and download and install any available critical updates for you computer.
5) Turn on your firewall. What is a firewall you ask? Basically a firewall closes the door to your computer from other computers. There are hardware firewalls and software firewalls. Expensive hardware firewalls are used by companies to protect their computer networks, and home users would see more affordable hardware firewalls in the form of a home wireless and/or wired router that is used to share an internet connection and connect the computers in you home to one another. Software firewalls run on your computer itself and perform much of the same function – they close the doors (or ports, as they are properly referred to). Windows has a built-in firewall that is very user-friendly, as you rarely have to do more than just make sure it is turned on! To turn on the Windows firewall, just go back to your control panel and click on the Network Connections icon. Right-click on the network connection you want to protect (active connections have color icons – inactive ones are grayed out), and choose Properties from the menu that pops up. Click on the Advanced tab and then the Settings button. In there you can turn on the firewall.
For those of you that want to go one step further when it comes to software firewalls, there are some great free ones out there from ZoneAlarm and Sygate. Most of the major anti-virus vendors also offer personal software firewalls as well. Just be aware that if these are not configured properly, you can restrict internet access to some programs that need it in order to function properly. These firewalls are more powerful than the Windows firewall in that they let you completely control what information gets out of your computer as well as what is allowed in, but in the hands of an inexperienced user they can cause more trouble than they prevent.
6) Common sense. Anybody who has used a computer for any significant amount of time knows that email can be a dangerous vehicle for malicious software to get its way onto your PC. You know the rules – never open an attachment (unless you are 100% sure of where its coming from – even then you should scan it first with your anti-virus software), and do not open email from unknown sources. The same level of paranoia should be applied to visiting unknown and untrusted websites, and installing unknown programs. Use Google as a security measure before you install anything. Simply search for the application along with the word spyware (i.e. CoolWebSearch spyware) and you will see if you can trust the software or not based on other people’s experience with it. Also, keep away from file sharing networks such as Kazaa and Bearshare, as these networks are infested with malicious software, trojans, & viruses.
Joseph Nienstedt is the owner of Charleston Tech Support, which is a local computer support & service company serving the Charleston area. He can be reached by visiting www.charlestontechsupport.com.