The Computer Clarity Blog

There are some simple habits you can adopt that, if performed consistently, may dramatically reduce the chances that the information on your computer will be lost or corrupted.

How can you minimize the access other people have to your information?

You may be able to easily identify people who could, legitimately or not, gain physical access to your computer—family members, roommates, co-workers, members of a cleaning crew, and maybe others. Identifying the people who could gain remote access to your computer becomes much more difficult. As long as you have a computer and connect it to a network, you are vulnerable to someone or something else accessing or corrupting your information; however, you can develop habits that make it more difficult.

• Lock your computer when you are away from it. Even if you only step away from your computer for a few minutes, it’s enough time for someone else to destroy or corrupt your information. Locking your computer prevents another person from being able to simply sit down at your computer and access all of your information.
• Disconnect your computer from the Internet when you aren’t using it. The development of technologies such as DSL and cable modems has made it possible for users to be online all the time, but this convenience comes with risks. The likelihood that attackers or viruses scanning the network for available computers will target your computer becomes much higher if your computer is always connected. Depending on what method you use to connect to the Internet, disconnecting may mean disabling a wireless connection, turning off your computer or modem, or disconnecting cables. When you are connected, make sure that you have a firewall enabled
• Evaluate your security settings. Most software, including browsers and email programs, offers a variety of features that you can tailor to meet your needs and requirements. Enabling certain features to increase convenience or functionality may leave you more vulnerable to being attacked. It is important to examine the settings, particularly the security settings, and select options that meet your needs without putting you at increased risk. If you install a patch or a new version of the software, or if you hear of something that might affect your settings, reevaluate your settings to make sure they are still appropriate.

What other steps can you take?

Sometimes the threats to your information aren’t from other people but from natural or technological causes. Although there is no way to control or prevent these problems, you can prepare for them and try to minimize the damage.

• Protect your computer against power surges and brief outages. Aside from providing outlets to plug in your computer and all of its peripherals, some power strips protect your computer against power surges. Many power strips now advertise compensation if they do not effectively protect your computer. Power strips alone will not protect you from power outages, but there are products that do offer an uninterruptible power supply when there are power surges or outages. During a lightning storm or construction work that increases the odds of power surges, consider shutting your computer down and unplugging it from all power sources.
• Back up all of your data. Whether or not you take steps to protect yourself, there will always be a possibility that something will happen to destroy your data. You have probably already experienced this at least once— losing one or more files due to an accident, a virus or worm, a natural event, or a problem with your equipment. Regularly backing up your data on a CD or network reduces the stress and other negative consequences that result from losing important information. Determining how often to back up your data is a personal decision. If you are constantly adding or changing data, you may find weekly backups to be the best alternative; if your content rarely changes, you may decide that your backups do not need to be as frequent. You don’t need to back up software that you own on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM—you can reinstall the software from the original media if necessary.

Computer Clarity

This week’s PandaLabs report looks at two fake antiviruses: PcLiveGuard and GreatDefender.

This type of malware passes itself off as legitimate software applications in order to steal users’ money by tricking them into believing that they will eliminate threats on their computers.  Panda Security has published a report on fake antiviruses, available at:

http://www.pandasecurity.com/img/enc/The%20Business%20of%20Rogueware.pdf

Similarly, the PandaLabs Annual Report also provides information about the situation of this malware at:http://www.pandasecurity.com/img/enc/Annual_Report_PandaLabs_2009.pdf

PcLiveGuard’s icon resembles a legitimate antivirus icon. When run, a typical screen is displayed, asking users if they want to scan their PCs. See pic at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/4255539533/

Regardless of whether users accept or not, it will indicate their computer is infected. Here is the image that will be displayed if users scan their PC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/4256301498/).

If users do not scan their PC with the fake antivirus, infection warnings are displayed to scare them into purchasing the product.

GreatDefender is a fake antivirus which informs about potentially dangerous software on the computer, due to it not being correctly protected. It tries to get users to pay with their credit cards in order to install the solution.  The objective of the antivirus is to collect personal and bank details provided by users on purchasing it. As this type of malware cannot reproduce itself, it requires user interaction to infect the PC. To do so, it uses its own websites on which it is advertised as one of the best anti-spyware solutions in the market.

Picture available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/4256301526/

When users access the website, they are given the option to download the antivirus, but when they try, the trial version is unavailable and they are redirected to the pay version.  The installation process is similar to that of any antivirus, allowing users to select the language and location of the files. Once the installation ends, the fake antivirus carries out a full system scan.  It then falsely ensures users that their computers are free from any infections.  To make users believe they are protected, an icon is displayed in the Windows desktop, the quick taskbar and the Windows start menu, to make it look as authentic as possible.

Computer Clarity

Three Rules To Prevent Computer Virus Infections

First Rule: Read Your Computer Screens.

Read the window that pops up on your computer screen before you hit “Okay”, “Cancel”, “Run”, “Yes”, “No”, or even “Maybe”! People are like monkeys. Any monkey can be trained to hit a button to get what it wants. We have been trained with a Pavlovian response to hit a button, get something out of our face, then we get what we want. Every virus writer knows this! Most viruses don’t get you because of sophisticated programming code. They get you with social engineering. They get you because they know that most humans don’t think. Like monkeys, most humans will hit the button until we get what we want, regardless of what that button really does. So, many of the viruses I am hired at expensive rates to remove, are installed by the user because they were tricked into hitting a button without reading the screen. But the really insidious part of this scenario is that one screen is often a EULA (End User License agreement) This is a legally binding contract that, by hitting the “Okay” button, affirms your agreement to the terms and conditions of proceeding with the installation. In other words, even if you know the person who did this to you and you had them in court in front of a judge, you could not hold them liable for the damage to your computer system because you legally agreed to the installation that caused the damage. They screwed ya, and you legally asked for it. You must read your screens!

Second Rule: Google Everything.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you must use Google, any search engine will do. But, anything that you don’t understand…Google It! This can apply to anything of life’s issues in today’s world, but in this context, if you read your screens and you come across a company you don’t know, a program you don’t recognize, or a message that just don’t make any sense to you…GOOGLE IT!. If the company, its software, or its messages are legitimate, your Google search will reveal information supporting its legitimacy. If it is a fake trying to trick you into a disaster, you will see thousands of websites all saying how bad it is and all of the problems it causes. You don’t need to read any further; in a heartbeat, you know to close every window before this thing really gets you into trouble.  Read this article:  One of The Most Common Infection Tactics Today for instructions on closing dangerous windows.

Third Rule: Maintain, Trust, and use YOUR Antivirus Properly.

This involves a few things. First, just like the lock on your front door, if it isn’t installed properly, maintained properly, and used properly, it won’t keep bad guys out. Installed properly is fairly obvious. If there is an error during installation, it ain’t werkin. Remove the antivirus, reinstall it, or pick a different one. Second, maintaining the security system properly. If the subscription runs out or the software stops updating, it is not properly maintained. Just like the lock on your front door, if the screws are hanging out, it ain’t protecting you. Fix it or you will have an intrusion. Second, you have a security system. This is like your computers security guarding company. If your house is guarded by Brink’s Home Security, you wouldn’t trust a guy from ACME Security Systems to come and fix a security problem, but this is exactly what happens. Some fake antivirus warning pops in front of your face warning you of all of these infections, but if it is not YOUR antivirus, RUN!!! Third, Use Your Security System Properly. If you have a lock on your front door that you never lock and you invite anyone who knocks to “come on in”, no lock can protect you. Using your antivirus properly means that you do not invite everyone in and that you scan everything that you download before you run it. If you don’t use your antivirus properly, you will get infected and your computer will die. Just like the lock on your front door, its only a matter of time until a bad guy tries to open it.

These are the three rules to avoid getting a virus on your computer. These are the three rules that, if everybody followed, I would loose 80% of my computer repair business overnight. But these are the three rules that so few people follow, so, my job is secure. Keep breaking these rules and, as a computer repair technician, I’ll always have work. But, if you can follow these rules, I can finally stop that insanity and do something I really like. So, be smart, be careful, and be virus free.

Computer Clarity