Hello Anjalee and other helpful folks::
I am unable to speak to the use of Norton. sense I use another anti-virus
program called AVG. There must be other folks on the list who use Norton and
are more qualified than me on using Norton. Come on gang! Anjalee needs our
help! By helping Anjalee to protect the computer we will help everyone else
on the list. After all we don't want that nasty stuff to get spread around.
Our goal here is to be safe when we use our computer when we go onto the
internet. . So get comfortable and grab your favorite beverage.
To get started I have some good news for that C D you keep in your drive.
Congratulations! That is not going to be a problem! Now if you start
swapping
CD's with your friends they may be infected with viruses , well that is a
problem. The CD's having the virus not your friends. I hope.
To get started I would like to say a few words about viruses, worms, and
other malicious code, OH MY! YIKES, ICKY, SLIME, *^#&*
Viruses are bits of computer code when arriving on your hard drive by way of
an email attachment multiply to the point of filling up your drive with
useless gunk. The latest virus, a worm, made the infected computer re boot
itself over and over again.
Worms are computer viruses that multiply when they get onto your drive and
have the uncanny ability to get into your address book and mail themselves
to all your friends. How nice of them to do that. Smile groan.
Other malicious code can be a small program that you downloaded
unintentionally
when you had to have that free or shareware program. This
could be a key logger program that will send out every keystroke that you
type on your keyboard; your keystrokes may include passwords and other
personal information. Other add ware could get onto your drive and cause
pop ups to rapid fire onto your desktop.
There are at least four components to getting your computer ready for safe
computing. . They are all important and I have listed then in no particular
order o fimportance. With emphasis added..They are all important!
First you need to be running a firewall. This program will run-in the
background when your computer is on. Firewalls act like traffic cops. The
firewall will only open ports you are using. Window XP has a firewall that
is somewhat effective. However it only blocks traffic trying to get into the
computer. To be effective the firewall will need to control or notify you of
both incoming and outgoing traffic. Here is the link for a free cdownload of
zone alarm firewall:
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/trial_zaFamily/trial_zaFamily.jsp?lid=home_freedownloads
Second you need to be running an anti-virus program such as Norton. See! you
are a forth of the way there already. This program will run-in the
background when your computer is turn on.
Again You should be scanning for viruses at least once a week. Plus it is
important to do your updates for anti-virus protection. There are programs
for free such as AVG can be foundat this link: http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1
Thirdly you need to be running a spy ware or add ware detection program at
least once a week to check for malicious programs that may end up on your
hard drive. Again you will need to check for updates each time, before you
do the scan. This is a free program and you can download it fromthis link:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Fourthly you need to do your window updates for security patches that
Microsoft releases every now and then. if you are running windows XP you
should have security patch 2. a major download. To do updates for windows
you can click on the start menu and choose window update. You may want to
start with this one if you haven't done so already, first sense it seams the
most direct.We never when Microsoft will release the patches so you will
need to check on a regular basis. .
Below are a breakdown of each of the four components with a lot more detail
and links are provided for downloading the programs. WARNING. Reading the
rest of this may leave you a bit dazed and wondering why you ever asked
those questions. So you have been warned. Read on McDuff. The information
below came from Kim Komando's newsletters and her site can be found at
www.komando.com an excellent site for general computer information.
1 and a two .. Making sense of ping sweeps firewalls and computer security.
Q. A friend has warned me that I am vulnerable to something called
"ping sweeps." He tried to explain it, but I didn't understand.
What the heck are these things and what do I need to do about them?
A. Ping sweeps are sometimes used by hackers to identify vulnerable
computers. Basically, hackers send a signal out on the Internet,
and listen for an answer. Those machines that answer may be vulnerable
to attack.
In doing this, hackers use specialized software that generates the
signal. They will send the signal to all IP (Internet Protocol) numbers
within a certain group. You have probably seen these numbers--their
form is 255.255.255.255.
When you go onto the Internet, your computer has an IP number assigned
to you by your Internet service provider. The signal is looking for
computers with open communications ports. When it finds a computer with
open ports, it sends that information back to the hacker with that
machine's IP number.
In some cases, the hacker may attempt to infiltrate the computer
through the open port. More likely, the hacker will attempt to
trick the computer owner into opening an e-mail that includes a
backdoor program. This trickery is known as social engineering.
Usually it is done by offering the victim a free program. The
backdoor program is also downloaded to the victim's computer,
without the victim's knowledge.
The backdoor program then communicates through the previously
identified open port. Ideally (from the hacker's viewpoint), the
victim never knows the backdoor program is present.
Your friend could well be right. If your computer is not secured,
it is vulnerable to these attacks. Fortunately, computers are easy
to protect. All you need is a software firewall. Firewalls cover up
ports, making computers invisible to ping sweeps.
You will find a link to the free ZoneAlarm firewall here:
http://www.komando.com/bestshareware.asp
Windows XP includes a built-in firewall. I don't usually recommend it,
because it doesn't block unauthorized outbound transmissions, such as
those that would be sent by a backdoor program. But it will hide the
computer from ping sweeps. You'll find that firewall by clicking
Start>Control Panel. Double-click Network Connections. Then right-click
on your Internet connection and click Properties. Select the Advanced
tab. Check the box and click OK.
Anti-virus programs will find backdoor programs. Any major program
will do. Three good ones are McAfee, Norton and Panda. You'll find them
at, respectively:
http://us.mcafee.com/
http://www.symantec.com
http://www.pandasoftware.com
Anti-virus programs have to be updated regularly. You can do that on
the manufacturer's Web site
For a better firewall
YOU MAY HAVE TO CHANGE FIREWALLS TO CLOSE A PORT
Diana, listening on the mighty KMOX in St. Louis, wrote to say that
she had run a port scan at HackerWatch.org. It found an open port.
She is using the Windows XP firewall, and was unable to close the port.
Don't worry. We can fix that in a jiffy!
A good firewall makes your computer invisible. Windows has a number
of communications points, called ports. They are visible to the outside
world. Intruders use snooping programs to identify open ports. Then
they try to trick you into downloading a program that can use an open
port to communicate with the Internet. These are called Trojan horses.
So, that's why you need to make sure that your ports are closed.
I suggest you download and install ZoneAlarm. It does a better job of
blocking inbound and outbound traffic than the firewall in Windows XP.
You can get ZoneAlarm through my site at:
http://www.komando.com/bestshareware.asp#zonealarm
After activating ZoneAlarm, disable the XP firewall. To do that, click
Start>>Control Panel. If you have icons, double click Windows Firewall.
If Control Panel says Pick a Category, click Security Center.
Then, try another scan. You can scan your ports at HackerWatch and
Gibson Research. They're at, respectively:
http://www.hackerwatch.org/probe/
http://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?rh1dkyd2
3. SPY WARE AND ADD WARE
Spyware (also known as adware) is typically a program placed on your
hard drive that tracks your Web surfing habits. It reports back to a
computer on the Internet. That way, you get customized advertising.
The Internet has countless shareware programs, many of which are great
additions to your computer. But some arrive with so much spyware and
bad behavior that they are just not worthwhile.
Below are some other programs to avoid. And in case you installed
them on your computer, I have provided links for removal.
* Bonzi Buddy: http://www.bonzi.com/support/bdyremove.htm#remove
* Click2FindNow: http://toolbar.click2findnow.com/uninstall.exe
* Go Hip: http://www.gohip.com/remove_browser_enhancement.html
* HotBar: http://hotbar.com/downloads/HbUninst.exe
* I-Lookup: http://www.i-lookup.com/uninstall.exe
If you don't want this stuff on your computer, it's up to you to block
it. Here are some tips:
-- Read the terms when you download software. Yes, I know this
is agony. But legitimate programs (most are) will tell you if
they include spyware.
-- Install a software firewall, such as ZoneAlarm
(http://www.zonelabs.com) and Outpost (http://www.agnitum.com).
Most will not let a program report back to the Internet without
your permission.
-- Use spyware scanning programs, such as Ad-aware
(http://www.lavasoftusa.com) and Spybot Search and Destroy
(http://security.kolla.de). Check regularly for updates.
if you have made it to this point you should be congratulated!
I know it looks like a lot of work. The final result will keep you safe
and your computer running.
Safe computing everyone!
----- Original Message -----
From: "anjalee" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2005 10:28 AM
Subject: virus scan
: This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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: Hi friends
: I have Norton and I have been recommended to do a full system scan.
: how does one do a full system scan with anti virus softwares like =
: Norton?
: I mean what are the steps to begin this process?
: how does this help and how often should this be done? what all can this =
: repair?
: how frequently should one scan the drives for errors apart from virus =
: scanning?
:
: another thing, I keep a writable cd in my internal cd writer. is it ok =
: to do that or should I remove it before closing the system?
: would this practice cause harm to the cd or to the writer or to both?
:
: thanks
: Anjalee
:
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: <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Hi friends<BR>I have Norton and I have =
: been=20
: recommended to do a full system scan.<BR>how does one do a full system =
: scan with=20
: anti virus softwares like Norton?<BR>I mean what are the steps to begin =
: this=20
: process?<BR>how does this help and how often should this be done? what =
: all can=20
: this repair?<BR>how frequently should one scan the drives for errors =
: apart from=20
: virus scanning?</FONT></DIV>
: <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
: <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>another thing, I keep a writable cd in =
: my internal=20
: cd writer. is it ok to do that or should I remove it before closing the=20
: system?<BR>would this practice cause harm to the cd or to the writer or =
: to=20
: both?<BR></DIV></FONT>
: <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>thanks<BR>Anjalee</FONT></DIV>
: <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
:
: ------=_NextPart_000_0099_01C5A68A.C3A38B60--
:
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: --
: No virus found in this incoming message.
: Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
: Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.13/78 - Release Date: 8/19/2005
:
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