Free Computer Consultant Tip-Of-The-Week for November 28,
2008
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Your AntiVirus program probably won't catch the most serious
threat
to your computer and possibly your finances.
==============
But first:
As noted by the title of my newsletter "Tip-Of-The-Week",
this
service was originally intended to come out on a timely, one
per
week schedule with special alerts as needed.
Unfortunately, it seems I no sooner finish the last one and
it's
time to write the next.
Since I don't make anything from this newsletter and it
does
take a good portion of time each week, it is difficult to
carve
time out of my schedule to get it done; and long time readers
know
that many weeks it just doesn't happen.
Next month promises to be very busy and I want to warn you
in
advance that I likely will NOT be able to publish each
week.
I promise to do what I can, though.
==============
I have written before about Rootkits, the most serious
threat to
your computer. But now, rootkits are circulating that make
the
previous ones look downright harmless.
These new variants are attacking the very boot record of
your
computer (MBR), and interestingly enough, those suffering with
Windows
Vista are better protected than those with Windows XP.
Rootkit authors are using their undercover programs to
gather
banking information primarily, and have so far garnered over
a
half million accounts. They are making serious money.
How do you protect yourself, especially with Windows XP?
Doesn't
your antivirus software protect you?
Not necessarily. These new programs are adapting and
morphing in
order to avoid detection. What is caught one day is missed a
few
days later. No particular internet security software is doing
better
than another in this area either.
Your best defense, in addition to avoiding questionable
sights,
surfing and downloads, is to keep your PC well patched. Now,
as
a guy who spent a good portion of this week fixing the fallout
from
updating servers, I can hear your groans from here.
The f~r~e~e scan from Secunia is your best bet for knowing
if you
are up to date or not.
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/
And even if you have Windows Vista, you need to keep up to
date
too.
[You may consider doing your banking and other finance on
your Mac
I suppose. I'm working on setting up some Ubuntu
workstations
this weekend. Windows 7 is still quite a few months away.]
These threats are so bad that one PC expert and noted author
says
he has a machine that he THINKS is infected, he doesn't even
know
for sure, and that there is not a definite cure other than
to
reformat his hard drive and reinstall Windows from scratch!
Did you catch that? There is no definite cure once
infected.
Personally, if I were him, I'd be wishing I had a weekly
hard drive
image backup made with Acronis to restore from:
http://www.FreeComputerConsultant.com/go/acronis-true-image-home/
============
Sand Boxes
============
One of the new ways to protect your internet browsing that
you will
be hearing more and more of is "sand boxes".
Sand boxes "wrap" your browser in a protective shield that
only lets
through to the rest of your computer what you tell it to. Close
the
the browser and any drive by downloads or malware that
installed die
with the session.
There are some f~r~e~e sand box programs out there but I
have not tried
any as of yet.
One paid version with a fr~~ee trial is from ZoneAlarm, a
company whose
security products I feel good recommending. Their product is
called
ForceField.
Here's the link for the trial:
http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-2217220-10556114?sid=Newsletter
===============
Rootkit Scanner
===============
One of the better rootkit scanners you can use is the
BlackLight
Scanner. The link is here, but you have to look for it on the
page
under "downloads"
http://www.f-secure.com/security_center/
Until next time... (BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!)
-----------
You can keep up with articles I write and videos I create,
for the most part, at:
http://www.AssociatedContent.com/freecomputerconsultant
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The Free Computer Consultant
http://www.FreeComputerConsultant.com
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