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Get rid of SpywareSpyware is a generic term used for programs that gather and report information about you or your computer. Methods to deliver spyware include email, websites, and some spyware is actually embedded in programs. While some spyware can be considered a virus or Trojan horse, most are not. This means your anti-virus will not pick it up. Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy are 2 excellent and FREE programs to rid you of spyware. We recommend you download and use both of these programs. While much of the work they do overlap, often one finds things the other doesn't. They are both easy to use. Be sure to check for updates as you periodically use them. Two additional programs you should install along with either AdAware or Spybot Search & Destroy are SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard, both are free and available for download from Javacool Software . Stop using Internet Explorer Microsoft's Internet Explorer is quite possibly the most insecure major web browser (for a variety of reasons). While no web browser is 100% secure, there are some alternative browsers out there that can be a more secure option. We use and recommend Firefox . Firefox is the latest and greatest browser from Mozilla. One of the advantages of Firefox is that when security issues are discovered, they are fixed very quickly. File and folder encryption Encryption encodes files/folders/drives with one of several mathematical algorithms to make them impossible to read or decipher without access to the same encryption technology and encryption keys. There are two major ways to encrypt files, one-time encryptions and real-time. One time requires that the files be unencrypted before use because software cannot understand an encrypted file. Real-time permits files to be encrypted and unencrypted on an as needed basis by a resident service which intercepts the request for a file and decrypts it "on the fly". The major advantage of real-time encryption is that the hard drive image of the file is never resident on the hard drive in an unencrypted form. Thus, if a scanner is able to bypass all of your network precautions, all they can actually see is the encrypted file. And, it is more convenient. Files can be encrypted at 5 levels: · as individual files, · as folders and sub-folders of files, · as a virtual hard drive or "container", · as an entire hard drive, or · hidden inside of another file, an innocent looking mp3, wav or video file for example, using a technique called steganography. There are freeware encryption packages like PGP ("Pretty Good Protection"), and shareware/commercial ones offering more encryption algorithms, higher levels of encryption and real-time alternatives. While Windows XP does offer encryption at the OS level, just as it offers file compression, the algorithms used are, while better than nothing, relatively "weak" mathematically in terms of their encryption techniques, as compared to other free-standing packages. Miscellaneous web browser security settings Internet Explorer · Clear temporary Internet files on close - Open Internet Explorer > in the top menu click Tools and then choose Internet Options > in the resulting window click the Advanced tab > scroll down to Empty Temporary Internet files when browser is closed (under the Security section) > click Apply and OK . · Block 3 rd party cookies - some web pages contain cookies that aren't even part of their content. Often these are associated with ads. To block them open Internet Explorer > in the top menu click Tools and then choose Internet Options > in the resulting window click the Privacy tab > click on the Advanced button > in the resulting window check the box next to Override automatic cookie handling > in the section Third-party cookies click the circle next to Prompt (or Block if you desire ) and click OK . Firefox · Block 3 rd party images - Open Firefox > in the top menu click Tools and then choose Options > in the resulting window click on the Web Features icon in the left pane > in the right pane under Load Images , check the box next to for the originating web site only and click OK . · Block 3 rd party cookies - Open Firefox > in the top menu click Tools and then choose Options > in the resulting window click on the Privacy icon in the left pane > in the right pane click on Cookies to expand it > under Allow site to set cookies , check the box next to for the originating web site only . Ditch Outlook Express Consider using an alternative to Outlook Express. One such alternative is Thunderbird from Mozilla. Thunderbird is a FREE email program with built-in spam-blocking. Why is this important? Spam can and does often contain links and pictures that can compromise your security. By using spam-blocking you can reduce the amount of spam you get, reducing email security threats. Stop viewing HTML email and block external images HTML (in very simple terms) is a programming language that allows authors to format documents for the web (in this case, email).
For Outlook Express: · To view this setting open Outlook Express > choose Tools from the menu at the top of the window > scroll down and click on Options > next click on the Security tab and see the section entitled Download Images . The box next to Block images and other external content in HTML email should be checked. · To turn off HTML email in Outlook Express, open Outlook Express > choose Tools from the menu at the top of the window > scroll down and click on Options > next click on the Read tab > in that section place a check the box that says Read all messages in plain text > click Apply at the bottom of that window to save your changes.
Open Outlook Express. Choose Tools from the menu at the top of the window > scroll down and click on Options > next click on the Send tab and see the section entitled Mail Sending Format . Click the circle next to Plain Text in that section and click Apply at the bottom of that window to save your changes. For Mozilla Thunderbird: · To block the loading of remote images in Thunderbird, open Thunderbird > from the top menu choose Tools and then Options > click on Advanced in the left pane > in the right pane click on Privacy > check the box next to Block loading of remote images in mail and click OK to save your changes. · To view email in Plain Text instead of HTML > from the top menu choose View then choose Message Body As and click on Plain Text . · To send email in Plain Text, open Thunderbird > from the top menu choose Tools and then Account Settings > in the left pane under each accounts name click on Composition & Addressing > on the right side of the window uncheck the box next to Compose messages in HTML format > after you have done this for all accounts, click OK to save your changes. Stop using File Sharing Programs Also known as P2P (peer to peer) we use the term "file sharing" rather loosely (we all know what the vast majority of use here is). Not only do these programs open a whole variety of security holes but the content is littered with viruses and Trojans. Stay away from these programs. About Instant Messaging Many of us love the ability to stay in contact with friends and family that instant messaging provides. There are a few simple things you need to consider. · If you are going to be "Away" for more than a few minutes LOG OFF. Instant messaging programs open a number of ports into your system. The only way to truly close them is to be logged off. Too many people are signed in and "Away" for far too long, I know people who are "Away" for days at a time. · Consider "blocking" all people but the people in your buddy/contacts list from communicating with you. · Do not EVER click on a hyperlink in a member's profile or any hyperlinks from people you don't know. There have been exploits in the past using these. Last year a family member clicked on a hyperlink in a friend's profile. It not only downloaded a Trojan but hijacked her profile and inserted the same bad hyperlink into her profile. · Most instant messaging programs offer the ability to pass files back and forth to friends and family. Be sure to "block" people who are not in your buddy/contacts list AND to display an "approve" message before accepting. Keep ALL your programs updated There is no such thing as a secure operating system or program. Exploits for these are found every day. Most (but not all) of these get fixed. The only way for you to get the fix is to update either automatically or manually. The best way to ensure you get these updates is to enable automatic updates in the programs that have this feature. For programs that do not have this feature you'll have to find out about updates on your own. To do this, keep an eye on the various techie news sites. Sites that have this information include Major Geeks and Snapfiles. A word of caution. Make sure the "update" isn't a "beta" (test) version. READ what the update contains. This information can be found under "what's new", changes in version "X", or the change log. Follow the link provided to the software manufacturers web page, download directly from the software maker when possible. It isn't always necessary to update to the newest version. If the update doesn't contain a security updates, fix problems you are experiencing, or contain new features you desire then consider skipping the update. Modify your HOSTS files This step is recommended, but if you are uncomfortable modifying your HOSTS file, it may be skipped. What is a HOSTS file? The Internet uses addresses, like phone numbers, to identify places in the Internet. They are numerical, and are in the format of xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx. There is a unique address which identifies "Local Host", or your own system, and that address is 127.0.0.1. What this means is that any Internet address identified as 127.0.0.1 is directed to your own system and any program that looks for that address is redirected to your local system and not to the external Internet. The HOSTS file can therefore be used to block access, whether intentional or accidental to sites on the Internet by forcing software trying to access these sites to your Local Host, and not to the Internet. Thus, you can use this feature to block advertisements, prevent access to sites that are potentially dangerous, etc. This is accomplished by adding a line to your HOSTS file that looks like this: 127.0.0.1 www.unwantedsite.com - Gary Winnick Whenever a program tries to go to unwanted site, it is blocked from doing so. The HOSTS file, which is a plain text file without any extension, is located in XP in the folder C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc. To add a line like the above to your HOSTS file, simply open the file in a plain text editor like Notepad. Add the line "127.0.0.1 www.unwantedsite.com" (without quotes, of course) at the bottom of the file, save it and you are done. Remember that the file must be named HOSTS with no extension. On the other hand, there are thousands of advertising and objectionable sites on the Internet, and identifying and typing them into the HOSTS file one-by-one would be an arduous task indeed. Fortunately there are a number of available HOSTS files that are both well constructed and current. A good, frequently maintained file is available here . First, backup your current HOSTS file by copying it to HOSTS.bak. That way, if something gets messed up for you, you can always revert to your old HOSTS file by deleting the new one, and renaming your old one back to just plain HOSTS. To add these sites to your HOSTS file simply open HOSTS in notepad, open the downloaded and unzipped file, copy and paste the downloaded text into your current HOSTS file, and then save it as HOSTS. Once you have done that, any request to one of these sites by any software on your system will fail, because they are effectively blocked and forced to your Local Host. One final step is needed to prevent a Trojan or spyware from changing your HOSTS file without your permission. Right clock on your new HOSTS file and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Check the check box to the right of Attributes labeled Read-Only, then click Apply, and finally OK. Once you have done that, XP will not permit any program to change your HOSTS file, thus protecting it from unwanted changes. Remember, if you need to add additional, or to delete some lines from your new HOSTS file, you must reverse this last step, and uncheck the Read-Only Attribute before attempting to edit HOSTS. Featured Partners
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