How to Stay Safer Online

So to understand how you can protect yourself against the malicious attackers looking to install their malware on your PC, you have to know what programs attackers are exploiting. Keeping your software up to date with security patches is vital. The top applications that attackers are having success with when it comes to running exploits on your PC include the following:

1. Java Runtime Engine (JRE)
2. Adobe Reader/Acrobat
3. Adobe Flash Player

It is also important to know that these aren't the only things you need to update. Microsoft updates are important. If you don't already have them set to automatically download and install, you should do this. Updating applications like iTunes, QuickTime, Firefox, just to name a few.

It is also important to have some sort of anti-virus installed on your PC and it should be set up to scan on a regular schedule and keep the signatures up to date. I also recommend that you install a great malware removal tool called Malwarebytes Anti-malware. Download and install the free version. You can find it here.

Lastly, your actions can go a long ways in keeping malware off your PC. Knowing if you should click or not IS a really big deal. If something doesn't look right it probably isn't.

These are just a few steps you can take to keep malicious software from being installed on your PC. Protect your family and your financial health from the cyber attackers. Stay safe out there.

MSN.com MSNBC.com Spreading Infections

Seeing some installations of fake anti-virus coming from both MSN.com and MSNBC.com this morning. I would avoid these sites at this time.

Firewall Disabled?

I work on plenty of Windows XP machines that have got malware installed on them. Sometimes after removing the malware, you have to go into services to enable to firewall to be turned back on. How do you do this? Go to START>RUN, then type in services.msc, then scroll down to Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing. If you right mouse click you should be able to start the service back up.

Media Hype about Conficker

The major media outlets are shouting from the mountain top about this horrible virus that will ruin the Internet as we know it. In my opinion, not much will happen April 1. Actually the USA only accounts for 5.8 % of all machines that are compromised. I don't normally watch CBS's 60 Minutes but I stopped when I heard the story about Conficker. If you saw the examples they showed, it is all true. You can get malware on your PC even if you have a firewall and AV.

What people should worry about is what happens after April 1. The criminals behind Conficker don't want the Internet to meltdown. This is how they make their money. And where are these attackers from? Most likely China, Russia, or some other Eastern European country.

Microsoft issued an out of band patch back on 10/23/08 that closed this vulnerability. Do you patch? If not, I preach it. Look up prior posts that I've written about on ways to make you more up to date with security patches. I recommend that you go to Secunia and download their client that helps you keep up to date on Microsoft, Adobe, and many other vendor software.

So when you wake up tomorrow, I'm sure that the Internet will still be there. You will be able to check your FaceBook, Twitter, etc. Not much will change. Just realize that the Internet is full of malware. They really know how to evade security software by morphing so that security vendors can't get a good signature of the virus. The Internet is already full of malware today. It will be full of it tomorrow. Learn to be more secure. Realize that it is a risk to be on the Internet. Learn to accept the risk and have fun.

Stay safe and have a fabulous April Fool's Day.

Why is MyWindows PC Slow?

I'm often approached by friends and family that they have a PC that is running sluggish. So I thought I would publish a story that explains some of the reasons why this happens.

1) Probably the number one reason a Windows PC starts running slower is because some type of malware (malicious software) has been installed. More than likely you the user does not know this has happened. This is probably the top reason why Windows PC's start to run slower.

2) Another reason Windows PC's start to run slower is because when you purchased the PC, the amount of memory that was installed was not enough and as you purchase more applications to run, it just starts running slower due to lack of memory. You may want to visit www.crucial.com and see about purchasing more memory.

3) Many programs when you install them, have a service that starts up at boot up time. Many times they are not needed and you may want to review those applications that start up at boot time. Adobe, RealPlayer, and others can be eliminated from the start up. You can click this link I wrote on CCleaner. It has a handy tool that shows you what applications start up and gives you an easy way of deleting them.

4) As time goes by, you've installed and uninstalled many applications and sometimes the Windows Registry can get sort of frapped up. Once again, my previous reference to CCleaner, it has a tool that cleans up your registry. Click here for that posting.

5) Another reason that Windows PC's perform sluggish is due to a too intrusive of an Anti-Virus application. OK, I believe that Symantec's AV product is too labor intensive for home users. I personally use AVG's AV. Not as labor intense.

These are just a few reasons that slow Windows PC's. There are others but I consider these as the top ones that you can conentrate on. Stay safe and have a great rest of the week.

Same Old Story - Malicous eCards

Well, just a warning to all this holiday season that the bad guys are still using the malicious eCards sent via e-mail. Be warned, don't open them!! You can click here to read the story from the Internet Storm Center.

Hopefully all of you have been good boys and girls and Santa has rewarded you well this Christmas. Take care and have a safe holiday season.

Have You Run into AV2009.exe?

Seen this recently on some friend's PC and this is a tricky one to get rid of. One of the sites I've used to get assistance is bleepingcomputer.com. It is a very useful site when trying to remove some of the nasties that are out there today.

If you have run into this rogue Anti-virus piece of malware, click here for some removal instructions from bleepingcomputer. They also give screen shots and I have found it to be extremely helpful.

Here is a site where you too can get your geek on and read more about these fake AV malware types. Click here and here to read more.