Please read the following information that I have provided, which will help
you prevent malicious software in the future. Please keep in mind, malware is
a
continuous danger on the Internet. It is highly important to stay safe
while browsing, to prevent re-infection.
Software recommendations
Free Antivirus
*
Microsoft Security
Essentials: this is Microsoft's free antivirus/antispyware program. It
equips you with protection against viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits, and
worms. It is also light on the computer's performance. Note: when installing
this, you have both an antivirus and antispyware. Make sure you also get a
firewall.
*
AVG Free: this is one of the most
powerful, and easiest to use security software. The free version equips you
with protection against viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits, worms, and
rogue software. Note: when installing this, you have both an antivirus and
antispyware. Make sure you also get a firewall.
*
Avast!: This is an advanced malware
removal antivirus program. The free version equips you with protection
against viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits, worms, and rogue software.
*
Avira Antivir: this is an advanced
malware removal antivirus program. The free version equips you with
protection against viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits, worms, and rogue
software.
*
Rising Antivirus: this is a
lightweight, and great virus destroyer. It removes tough viruses, and even
rootkits and trojans get destroyed.
AntiSpyware
SpywareBlaster
SpywareBlaster is a program that prevents spyware from installing on your
computer. A tutorial on using SpywareBlaster may be found
here.
Spybot - Search & Destroy.
Spybot - Search & Destroy is a spyware and adware removal program. It also
has realtime protection, TeaTimer to help safeguard your computer against
spyware. (The link for Spybot - Search & Destroy contains a tutorial that will
help you download, install, and begin using Spybot).
Anti Malware
*
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
* is a great malware removal program. It is recommended for anyone's
arsenal. There is a paid version, which is highly recommended, but the
program will work fully for free.
Firewall
*
Tallemu Online Armor: The free version is just as good as the
premium. I have linked you to the free version.
*
Comodo Firewall:
the free version is just as good as the premium. I have linked you to the free
version. The optional security suite enhances the firewall by 40% increase. If
you would like to install the suite that includes antivirus, then remove your
old antivirus first.
*
PC Tools Firewall Plus: Free
and excellent firewall.
NOTE: Please keep
ALL of these programs up-to-date and run
them whenever you suspect a problem to prevent malware problems.
Resident Protection help
A number of programs have resident protection and it is a good idea to run
the resident protection of one of each type of program to maintain
protection. However, it is important to run only
one resident program
of each type since they can conflict and become less effective. That means
only one antivirus, firewall, and scanning anti-spyware program at a
time. Passive protectors such as SpywareBlaster can be run with any of
them.
Rogue programs help
There are a lot of rogue programs out there that want to scare you into giving
them your money and some malware actually claims to be security
programs. If you get a popup for a security program that you did not install
yourself, do NOT click on it and ask for help immediately. It is very important
to run an antivirus and firewall, but you can't always rely on reviews and ads
for information. Ask in a security forum that you trust if you are not sure. If
you are unsure and looking for anti-spyware programs, you can find out if it
is a rogue here:
Spyware Warrior: Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
Securing your computer
- Windows Updates - It is
very important to make sure that both Internet Explorer and Windows
are kept current with the latest critical security patches from
Microsoft. To do this just start Internet Explorer and select Tools >
Windows Update, and follow the online instructions from there.
- ******* file replaces your current
HOSTS file with one containing well known ad sites and other bad sites. This
prevents your computer from connecting to those sites by redirecting them
to 127.0.0.1, which is your local computer's loopback address, meaning it
will be difficult to infect your computer in the future.
Please consider using an alternate browser
Mozilla's Firefox browser is a very good alternative. In addition to being
generally more secure than Internet Explorer, it has a very good built-in
popup blocker and add-ons, like NoScript, can make it even more secure.
Opera is another good option.
If you are interested:
Virtualization
Please consider using virtualization software to prevent permanent changes
to other programs and data in your computer. Some examples are below:
Application level virtualization (For regular users)
*
Sandboxie-Sandboxie runs
your programs in an isolated space which prevents them from making
permanent changes to other programs and data in your computer.
Benefits of the Isolated Sandbox
* Secure Web Browsing: Running your Web browser under the protection
of Sandboxie means that all malicious software downloaded by the browser
is trapped in the sandbox and can be discarded trivially.
* Enhanced Privacy: Browsing history, cookies, and cached temporary
files collected while Web browsing stay in the sandbox and don't leak into
Windows.
* Secure E-mail: Viruses and other malicious software that might be hiding
in your email can't break out of the sandbox and can't infect your real
system.
* Windows Stays Lean: Prevent wear-and-tear in Windows by installing
software into an isolated sandbox.
System level virtualization (For advanced users)
*
VirtualBox- VirtualBox is a powerful
x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home
use. VirtualBox is an extremely feature rich and high performance product .
*
Wondershare Time Freeze-Virtual system safeguards real system
# Easy switch between virtual system and real system: To enter virtual
system, you don't need to reboot computer; to return to real system, just
exit System Protection, and you can save or discard virtual system data
freely.
# Effective virtual system tool: Time Freeze creates a virtual environment as a
twin (copy) of the real system, on which you evaluate applications, watch
movies, and perform online activities. While the real system is under
protection, you no longer have to worry about viruses, spyware, malware
and other threats.
# MBR protection: Time Freeze 2.0.3 enhanced protection to the boot sector
of hard disk so as to guarantee the normal startup of system.
Happy surfing and stay clean!
