Edd
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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been noticing recently more threads about virus' so here is a rough guide i got from another site.
Sticky: Spyware, anti-virus & firewalls ...
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Below is a rough guide to help with online security for your computer. There have been a lot of posts on FollowFollow from people asking for advice on anti-virus software and spyware and a lot of the problems can be solved using the programs listed below. Take a few minutes to read through to familiarise yourself with what each program does before you download it.
Windows Update
For people with Windows it is important to keep the operating system up-to-date with patches issued by Microsoft. These can protect against the latest threats due to loopholes in the OS. The critical updates can be found and downloaded at:
http://www.windowsupdate.com/
If you haven't visited the site before then it's likely there will be a lot of updates to install and it could be a very big download. Visit the site fairly regularly to check for the latest critical updates.
Anti-Virus
As the name suggests, anti-virus software can help protect your computer against the latest online threats. However, it is only effective if kept up-to-date in order to detect the new viruses appearing on the Web. Various anti-virus software is available (Norton, McAfee) and is often packaged along with new computers. A free alternative is available from Grisoft, called AVG.
http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php
An online scan can be done using TrendMicro's Housecall:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
It is vital that anti-virus software is kept up-to-date. This can usually be done automatically and in the background so the user need never be interrupted.
It is also worthwhile scanning your computer with McAfee's 'Stinger' program, which is designed to remove specific viruses. Stinger is NOT anti-virus software like Norton or AVG listed above.
http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/
Spyware
Spyware is the general term for programs that surreptitiously monitor your action. Your computer can become infected with spyware from various websites without you ever knowing until pop-ups appear on your screen or your home/search page is hijacked in Internet Explorer. Spyware programs can collect information on your web surfing habits and 'call home', sending information about you and your computer across the Internet. This could be personal details, your e-mail address, your login/password for websites or even your credit card details. Spyware can also be in the form of diallers installed on your computer. This is a program that hijacks your dial-up connections and calls a premium rate number (£1.50+ per minute) instead of your usual Internet Service Provider. You wont know this has happened until you're hit with an incredibly big phone bill. It is vitally important to take precautions against spyware and there are a few programs to help you out here.
Ad-aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/
Spybot - Search & Destroy
www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=download
Both of the above programs scan your computer for spyware and other malicious files that can be picked up online. When they have finished scanning they allow you to choose to remove these files. You should download and install both Ad-aware and Spybot S&D then, before scanning, use the built in 'update' feature in each down keep the definition files up-to-date.
SpywareBlaster
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
Whereas Ad-aware and Spybot search and clean your computer, SpywareBlaster stops the spyware/adware from coming back. Install, update, then enable all protection to keep your computer much safer.
CWShredder
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html
CWShredder scans for specific browser hijackers that are notoriously difficult to get rid of and can be missed by the above programs. A browser hijacker takes over your home page and various search engines and is designed to 'force' you to view certain websites and adverts instead of what you want to see.
Install and update the four programs above then reboot your computer into safe mode. This is done by pressing F8 as Windows starts up. Once in safe mode run Ad-aware, Spybot and CWShredder and remove anything found. Some applications are designed not to function if the packaged spyware is removed (Kazaa, for example) so after scanning and cleaning it may no longer work. However, this kind of program is in the minority and a spyware-free alternative is always available. Donations can be made to the authors of some of the above programs since they are distributed for free. Please note that none of the four programs listed above are anti-virus software. They are designed to protect against and remove spyware.
Firewall
A firewall monitors incoming and outgoing traffic from your PC and can 'hide' your computer from potential threats. Surfing the Internet without having a firewall installed on your computer is leaving it completely open and almost inviting people to cause problems for you. Lots of firewalls are available to download (Norton, Zonealarm, Sygate) and it is absolutely vital that you use one. After installing, a program trying to access the Internet from your computer has to be given permission by the user to do so. For example, when you have installed your firewall and you launch Internet Explorer, a window will appear asking you if Internet Explorer is allowed to access the Internet. Selecting 'Yes' and also 'Remember this answer' means IE will always be granted Internet access. Should another file try to access the Internet you can now quite easily block it and prevent it phoning home.
ZoneAlarm
http://www.zonelabs.com/
There are three versions of ZoneAlarm available. The free version (ZoneAlarm), as well as ZoneAlarm Plus and ZoneAlarm Pro. The free version is perfectly suitable for home use.
Sygate Personal Firewall
http://smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htm
There are two versions of Sygate Personal Firewall - a regular and a 'Pro' version. The free download is again excellent for home use and is found at the bottom of the page.
Pop-up Adverts & Browsers
Problems with pop-up adverts online can normally be sorted by installing a pop-up blocker such as the Google Toolbar ( http://toolbar.google.com/ ). Alternatives to Internet Explorer are growing ever more popular and a lot of these have built in pop-up blockers. These browsers are generally considered to be superior due to increased security and other features (banner blocking, tabbed browsing) but can take some tweaking to suit personal preferences.
Opera
http://www.opera.com/
Mozilla
http://www.mozilla.org/
This is by no means the be all and end all of computer security. Instead it is a rough guide to help keep your computer running more efficiently and to help protect against malicious attacks and programs.
If you're looking for more information on spyware or you're seeking help for a problem you can't fix, then the following forums are a good place to visit:
http://www.computing.net/security/wwwboard/wwwboard.html
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/index.php
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Daniel_Corsa
Premium Member
Registered: 21st Apr 04
Location: Wigton, Cumbria
User status: Offline
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AVG (Grisoft) is quite good for free its what i use and also adaware, (lavasoft)
Kept mine safe so far!
Good thread tho mate
April '06' Corsasport Feature Car  | Aug '08' Total Vauxhall Feature Car | Spring '09' Fast Car Feature Car
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Edd
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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aye i thought it would be helpful.
[Edited on 24-03-2005 by Edd_20]
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big eck
Member
Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
User status: Offline
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Just using stinger now and its found 4 viruses already, W32 Bagle its called.
Whats the free Anti Virus one again???
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Edd
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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avg its on the link for grisoft.
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gianluigi
Member
Registered: 9th Mar 05
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
User status: Offline
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da man
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Edd
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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could a mod make this a sticky?it will always come in useful
[Edited on 24-03-2005 by Edd_20]
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Edd
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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bttt for big eck.
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big eck
Member
Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
User status: Offline
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good lad
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Edd
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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nae bother.
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