Important Security Info You Need To Know
See also: Browsers,
Firewall, Trojans/Spyware/Viruses/Adware,
Email, Popups
Bookmark this page as new info will be added every so
often
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DO
NOT INSTALL CODECS TO VIEW VIDEOS
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FireFox 2 image resize fix (added Dec 26, 2006)
Your
IP Address says this is where you're from |
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- Here's
a few more url's and ip's to add to your hosts file to block.
All of these are malicious in some form or other and I've run across them many
time recently.
Check
your "HOSTS" file
You need to make sure that your hosts file has not been changed.
It can change without you knowing it and is modified by malicious websites.
Here's how to check it...
Windows
XP - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC
Windows 98: c:\windows\hosts
Windows 2000: c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Double click on the file named simply "HOSTS" and it may ask you how you want to open it, choose "select the program from a list" and click on notepad and then say ok.
Once open, the only thing you should see in there is this...
| 127.0.0.1 localhost |
If you see somthing like below, this is bad and should not be there. All you have to do is erase the ones you don't know what they are and save the file. If it won't let you save the file, save it in the same folder as the HOSTS file as HOSTS.txt. Then move the original HOSTS file out of the folder and right click and rename the .txt file to just HOSTS.
| 123.45.123.456 google.com 80.234.56.213 yahoo.com |
*note: the ip addresses used in this one are just examples
**If
you still find that you're being redirected or that your host file isn't
working correctly, check that you don't have a rogue HOSTS file and
that your computer is using that one instead of the original.
To do this, click on Start and select Run, type regedit and navigate
here....
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\
After you click on Parameters, look in the section on the right and
find one called "DateBasePath" it should have a value that
points to....
%SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\etc
If it doesn't show exactly as above, something has changed it. So what
you need to do is right click on "DataBasePath" and select
modify, now just change it the \etc folder as mentioned above.
What
does the HOSTS file do?
The HOSTS file can be modified so that when you visit
a certain site listed in it, you will be redirected to another site
instead. So in the example above, if you visit google or yahoo, you
will be redirected to the ip address listed beside it. This will work
for any website that the person who changed it wants you to be redirected
to. This is bad because it can send you to a site with malicous intentions
and/or send you to a site that looks like what it should be, but it's
not. They could steal your important information like passwords and
credit card numbers. So make sure you check it.
How
can the HOSTS file help you?
You can alter it yourself to block sites that you never want to load.
If you browse through "adult" sites, you may want to block
the ones that have aggresive popups or stuff like dialers, installers,
or even viruses and trojans. To do this, open up the HOSTS file on your
computer as mentioned above and add a new line in it like the one below.
Use the ip address of 127.0.0.1 and then to the right of it put the
domain name in the format of domain.com leaving off the http://www part.
Make sure you leave the one for "localhost" alone.
127.0.0.1 localhost 127.0.0.1 badsite.com |
You can use Spybot S&D to automatically add entries into your HOSTS file for sites they determine are bad. Here's what it may look like. I've added a few to it also to block sites with aggresive popups, installers, dialers, trojans, etc. You could even copy and paste that file into your own.
If you have any questions about this, use the contact
form to contact me and I'll try to help.
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What's
the best Browser?
My personal favorite browser now is Mozilla
FoxFire. It's less exploited than Internet Explorer and is faster too. Netscape
and the regular Mozilla browsers are fine, but FoxFire is a slimmed down version
that makes it faster than the rest.
Another great feature about Mozilla Foxfire is that it's easy to block popups. Here's how...click on Tools>Options>Web Features and put a checkmark at the top beside "block popup window" and thats it. I also turn off java thats on the same page too.
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Get
a personal Firewall
A personal firewall is software you install on your
computer that helps to stop intrusions by only allowing programs you
say is ok to connect to the internet or something/someone trying to
connect to you.
ZoneAlarm is probably the best free personal firewall out there, plus it's easy to use. The paid version has addition features that can be useful, but are not necessary. I use ZoneAlarm Pro, but it costs $50. The free version is good enough though.
A hardware firewall is normally only used by businesses but a home network router has the basic functionality of a hardware firewall. A router is used to share an internet connection between 2 or more computers. The hardware firewall blocks ports and stops intrusions before they ever make it to your computer, and it's configurable to suit your needs. If you only have one computer, a personal software firewall is probably enough.
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Watch
out for the bad stuff
Viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, malware, oh my. They're
everywhere these days and everyone has had a run in with one of them
at some point or other. If you haven't....you will.
The anitvirus programs are somewhat easy to choose becuase there are only a few big companies out there offering them and they are all very good, but the anti-trojan/spyware/adware programs are a different story. The key to these is redundancy. The more you have the better becuase there's not just one that will do everything and do it better than the rest.
These programs are broken into two categories, free and paid. The free ones are great and you can't beat the price, but the paid ones usually have more features and are updated more often. I'd say try the free ones first and if you still feel like you need something more, lay down some cash. Sometimes more features and functionanlity means more effort you have to put into learning how to properly use them. Included with these program below are also links to useful and specific security info sites and online scanners that test your system.
(as soon as you download any security program, update it immediately to make sure you have the latest version)
FREE
Spybot
Search & Destroy - A great free program that does almost everything,
you still need an antivirus though. Has more features than any other
free program listed here. It's a must have for everyone.
Adaware -
Another must have. Finds and removes spyware/adware/etc.
HiJackThis
- Examines your hard drive and registry and shows
you what's running, good and bad. Only takes a couple of seconds to
complete.
SysInternals
- A large list of free applications for checking on what your computer
is doing, and much more.
NetworkActiv
- A free port sniffer that has almost the same functionality as the
ones that cost about a thousand dollars.
CWShredder
- Removal tool for the infamous CoolWebSearch browser hijack. Lots of
info on variants of it and how to protect yourself.
AVG - This is a
free antivirus. It may not have as many features as the paid version
but hey it's free.
Stinger
- From McAfee, detects and remove specific viruses. It's not a full
antivirus.
Avast
- Virus and worm removal tool.
Info
& Online Scanners
Gibson
Research - Offers free online portscans and
programs for shutting down Windows services such as the DCOMbobulator,
Shoot the Messenger and UnPlug'nPray.
BlackViper
- Has lots of info on Windows services and help you decide which ones
to turn off.
Windows
XP security checklist - Lots of good info about securing XP. Everything
on the list isn't absolutely necessary, but it's good to know.
Java - Use Sun JVM
instead of Microsoft VM. Upgrade
to the latest version and switch
over. Here's
why.
PC Flank - Several
online security test you can use for free and lots of info too.
Symantec
Security Check - Online security scan and virus detection from Symantec.
Right click on this link and say open in new window or else it will
close this window.
Trojan Scan
- Online trojan scanner.
Panda
ActiveScan - Online antivirus scanner.
Housecall
- Another online antivirus scanner.
Sysgate - Multiple
online security scanners.
Auditmypc -
Security audits
Task
List Programs - Give info about processes found in your task list.
List
Of BHO's - Has a large list of Browers Helper Objects, both good
and bad.
Startup
Applications - Lets you search for startup apps and explains what
they are.
Startup
Monitor - Lets you know when a program is adding itself to the startup.
Stay
one up on hackers - Several articles to read from TechTV.
Hardware/Software
Belarc
Advisor - Program for showing info on your hardware and software.
Memory
Diagnostic - Tests your computers memory for problems.
Kelly-Korner
- Troubleshoot Windows XP
PCpitstop -
Lots of useful tests to run.
Popup Test - Test to see if
your popup blocker is working.
Paid
(these will probably find
more than the free versions above but they're very expensive, try the
free ones first)
TDS-3
- Loads and Loads of features and works great as is, but you'll need
to learn how to use the more advanced stuff in order to take full advantage
of it. You can set it up to stop the bad stuff before it happens. For
the advanced user. Free trial version.
TrojanHunter
- Less features than TDS-3 but still works great and you don't need
to be an expert to use it. It stops the bad stuff right after it happens.
Free trial version.
PestPatrol
- Nice program with great features. Sometimes it finds stuff the other
ones miss and so it's recommended as well as the other ones.
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Email
Everyone uses email, but not everyone
has their email setup properly. Whether you use web based email such
as yahoo or hotmail, or have a real pop3 account going thru Outlook
or Netscape Mail & Newsgroup, you need to set it up to protect yourself.
No matter what you're using, you can change the settings of it like not automatically opening attachments, turning off html, turn off images, etc. Viruses come in attachments and you really shouldn't open them. It should go without saying but apparently people open them up anyway. Turn off HTML, this is what's used to format the text such as fonts and colors and alignment. It makes them look pretty but it be bad also. Turn off images in email, pictures can be bad too, not only can it be used for malicious reasons but spammers can use it to see if you've opened the email and that's not good.
I would not recommend Outlook because it's a exploited like all the other Microsoft products. Try Netscape Mail & Newsgroup that comes with Netscape.
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Popups
/ Popunders
Popups/Popunders suck, period, because they are another form of forced
spam. It's just more advertising that you didn't ask for. One way to
stop them is to use Mozilla Foxfire and turn them off in the settings,
click here to jump that info section. You could
use some third party software to block them but it's much faster and
easier to just click a button in your browser. After you have the popups
blocked, go here popuptest
and check to test it and make sure they're really blocked.
* There are no popups on any page on this site...at all. If you find popups anywhere on this site, you are probably infected with spyware or adware. Click here for info and links to help you remove them.
I am not being paid for recommending any links or programs listed here. They're all here because I find them useful.
If you have any questions about this, use the contact form to contact me and I'll try to help.