Thursday, May 31, 2012

Importance of Virus Removal Services

Almost the same as the genetically produced virus, a PC virus proliferates from one PC to the next. It is basically a self-duplicating program that thrives on other programs. To help you fight this problem, you have to get the best antivirus service.

How Can a Virus Pose a Threat to Your PC?

Most PC viruses are really bothersome - they cause your operating system to slow down and your PC either begins to act strange or it crashes. Every time you type a certain command, your PC does a different thing. The best antivirus services would simply reboot one's PC to remove the virus. However, there are those which can inflict considerable harm. For example, you might notice that important files needed by the OS have already been deleted. To protect your PC from being attacked by a virus, you can call up a Spyware Virus Program. Have them install an anti-virus program that matches your needs. They can also answer any inquiries or clear any uncertainties you may possess about how the anti-virus program works. But viruses are not the sole malicious software riding in your PC.

How Does Your PC or Network Get Debilitated by Spyware?

Spyware and virus removal programs are some of those things you can't live without most especially when you are in the net banking industry. This malware or software as it is more popularly known follows your online activities without you being aware. Then suddenly, you find a change in your homepage. There are unwanted websites that keep popping up. Computer settings may have altered. Internet service connection is abnormally slow. As soon as spyware enters one's PC, it starts checking one's personal data making one totally submissive to phishing. A spyware and best antivirus program can assist you in dealing with such nuisance. The major difference between a spyware and a virus lies in the fact that the former is not capable of replicating itself.

It is actually not similar with a PC infection that proliferates like the dreaded virus. Either it enters the computer program as a Trojan or it piggybacks. Just like the seasoned spy, spyware has the difficulty to be detected. The best antivirus spyware program can assist you in cleaning up your PC and enable you to conveniently use your PC again. To protect your PC from these attacks, take advantage of a good Spyware and Anti-Virus Removal. Our dependence on our computers make us a target rich environment for unscrupulous people, but it doesn't mean that we can't fight back and protect ourselves from viruses and spyware.


View the original article here

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Are We Brainwashed Too Much to Change?

What do YOU want?

In the last 7 years I have never lost any data from my computer, my computer has never broken down and I've never ever used any anti-virus protection. And yes, I am online a lot, and yes I can visit any website I like whenever I like.

This is such a massive industry now with anti-virus sales alone going into the A£billions it would appear that we have no alternative but to have some sort of protection, or several types to combat a variety of intrusions which inevitably lead to mini problems or/and the eventual dreaded blue screen of death.

So scared are we and so brainwashed are we, that we have no alternative but to buy into some kind of protection. But guess what, still everyday thousands get infected and either lose their data or need to call out a pc repairman to get themselves back to square one.

What a ridiculous situation we are in here don't you think?

Wouldn't it be fantastic if someone came up with an answer?

For those that have some IT knowledge and experience they can get round certain situations albeit after spending a good few hours or longer searching IT forums or reading magazines for answers.

But quite often for the inexperienced home user, or less savvy IT expert, the simplest and easiest option is to just go out and buy a new computer! Really, this is so common. I have heard many times how someone had a problem and bought a new unit when their old unit is barely two to three years old!

Constantly the IT world rams it down our throat that to have no kind of anti-virus protection is just plain stupid and bordering on lunacy. Well, they would say that wouldn't they. Too many jobs are at stake here.

Well, guess what, there is an option now.

In 2005 I went to college and qualified as an MCP and I am also CCNA accredited. Many people have these accreditations so nothing out of the ordinary there but I did discover one or two things which have proved to be rather more beneficial.

If I said to you, I don't use any external hard drives or CD's to back up my data. If I said to you, I haven't spent one single minute of my time looking for an answer because I have a problem with my computer. If I said to you, I haven't spent a single penny to call out a pc repairman. If I said to you, all my data on my computer including sensitive and non-sensitive will never be lost and will never be vulnerable to a pc repairmen's prying eyes. And if I said to you, in 7 years I've never had any complicated anti-virus protection on my pc and I've never had a single problem (that's a lot of trouble free computing time). What would you think? Would you like to have the same peace of mind that I have?

How many of you can say the same as me with regard to the above?

Would you like a 'trouble free computer'?

Some so-called IT experts will advise that you need to download and install cleaners, malware protection, more than one virus protection. They say you need to update them, you need to constantly re-configure them and that basically you need a whole load of measures to protect your system from getting infected!!!!!!!!!!!

Ohhhh....... Myyyyyy...... Goddddd........... never before have I done anything of the kind..... not once.... never... zilch.... it's not happening... I don't need none of it.

Not one solitary piece of protective software do I have. My PC works fine, it's fast, it's uncomplicated and I use it for what it was designed for.

I store information on my hard drive. I surf the internet as much as I want.

That's it. That's what we want.... isn't it? With no complications?


View the original article here

How to Tell If Your Computer Is Infected With Spyware

Do you suspect that your computer has spyware? Do you understand the symptoms of spyware infections? Spyware has the tendency to hide itself in the background, making it hard for the average person to figure out if their computer has spyware. There are spyware signs which can be easily detected if you know the right places where you should take a look. There is a myriad of signs you have to look out for although the three most common signs are hereby listed.

Symptom 1: Your computer is slow.

Oftentimes, spyware utilizes the resources in your computer. This means that spyware makes your computer do more things thus making it move slower. A computer moving so slow is a huge indicator that it's possibly infected with spyware.

Symptom 2: You see pop-ups and your browser redirects.

While looking for something on Google, you suddenly see a totally different search page comes up. At times, spyware wants to earn some money from the programmer. To be able to do that, it redirects your PC to a different page or it enters its own ads.

Moreover, spyware programs tend to bring out pop-up advertisements on your PC, even when you're not surfing the Internet. They can be really annoying because they tend to continuously pop-up in huge amounts.

Symptom 3: Your programs cease to work normally.

Another vital sign of having a spyware infected PC is when your programs start malfunctioning. A computer program may work normally in one day, then freeze in a random fashion or stop functioning all together. Spyware has the tendency to be "buggy." A spyware code isn't well constructed at all times, and such code can create a conflict in your daily normal operations. Furthermore, the number of programs which stop functioning will only get higher, so deal with it as quickly as possible. If you don't, sooner or later your OS will stop functioning.

What should I do?

What you need to do is to avail yourself of an anti-spyware/virus program. You have to be sure that it's updated and capable of scanning for any computer infections. It is highly recommended that you use several programs for scanning. These programs for anti-malware are not that perfect and they could miss a few issues when scanning. By using more than one program can help you solve the problem.

Furthermore, it is advised that scanning is done during a safe mode. You can access this mode by pressing the f8 key continuously when your computer is being turned on. This safe mode allows certain tasks of windows and programs to function while they are under safe mode. This makes it difficult for more annoying spyware infections that are actually hiding from scans or blocking you from accessing anti-virus programs.

If it's not possible to access the Internet on an infected computer, you can download the software and save the installers within a flash disk. Next, you have to boot with networking the infected PC under safe mode.

My PC is normal

No matter how much you think your PC is perfect, scan it just the same. There is a type of spyware which can totally hide its tracks and cause things to appear normally. Through scanning and the right antivirus software, you'll be able to remove these troublesome pests before they create any huge damage to you PC.


View the original article here

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Making Sure Your Email Archiving Software Is Top Notch

In less than half a century, email has become the primary means of communication in the world of business. Orders, directives, and requests are all directed through email these days. It remains as one of the most convenient ways to transfer large numbers (and sizes) of files quickly. You can find so much of what a business does through its email, so having a good email archiving software is important not only for reference purposes but also for compliance.

Reliable data storage

Proper storage and retrieval for your email is important. Since important data goes through email, there must be a way to store it in its original state and allow your staff to retrieve whatever email they want whenever they need it.

The second has to do with compliance: the government itself recognizes the fact that email has become an integral part of how corporations and organizations do business. Because of this, email has to be part of any report made to the government.

This means your email archiving software must be a reliable backup. Preferably, this must be in real time, not in point-in-time. Real time recording of email ensures that the correspondence is in its original state as much as possible. Whenever your staff accesses the stored email, or you submit reports to government agencies, you can be sure that what people are looking at is as close to the original source as possible.

Fast retrieval of email means big savings in time and effort and less chance of wasteful work duplication. Storage must also be as secure as possible to ensure the reliability of your email as a source. Some of the most reliable email archiving software ensures tamper-proof storage by keeping them heavily encrypted and in read-only format.

Additionally, it pays to have an email storage system that has multiple backups. Because email forms a good chunk of your business communications, losing them can cost you. Multiple backups spread in many off-site locations helps prevent this worry.

Keeping the spam away

With the rise of email comes the rise of spam. This kind of junk email makes up a large amount of email traffic worldwide. It can be as harmless as a chain letter or extremely destructive as a well-disguised communication with a virus payload.

Other than being a source of annoyance or viruses, spam can clog up your inboxes and storage space with the digital equivalent of junk. Memory costs low these days, but too much spam can take up valuable space You can easily get a hundred spam in a single workday, and if each has around 10 kilobytes, that is easily a megabyte worth of junk in your email storage.

This is why having a reliable anti-spam service is also important. Filters will redirect the spam away from your inboxes and allow for easy removal. Coupled with excellent email archiving software, your company is prepared for the demands of 21st century business.

Mae O'Connell recently had email archiving software and anti spam service installed for their business.


View the original article here

Monday, May 28, 2012

The Dangers of Antivirus 7 and How to Avoid It

An antivirus program that claims to protect you has been making the rounds online recently. This program is named the Antivirus 7 or Antivirus7. This program is made to look like it's from Microsoft but it's not. This program can be hard to tell apart from a genuine program because of its single word name "Antivirus". This demonstrates the need for strong protection software. You can find a good free antivirus so there really is no reason for any of us to be without one.

While this virus makes itself look like a Windows XP or Windows 7 program, it has nothing to do with Microsoft and it will only put you at risk. Instead of keeping your computer safe, it will remove files from your system and make your computer unstable. It can also disable your firewall and open you up for attacks from hackers.

This virus is similar to other programs such as antivir which is promoted via a web site that is made to look like a real legitimate protection program. These web sites will claim to be doing a security scan. When the scan's finished it will say that your computer is infected and it needs to download Antivirus 7 to clean up the infection. Don't believe this. Instead, simply download an antivirus software from a reputable source and only trust a scan from that program.

If you install this virus it will give you a warning message on your computer. These warnings say things like someone is trying to steal your identity or hack your system. It will tell you that you have to update your system. These alerts are made to trick you into thinking that they really come from Windows. The real reason this virus gives you these alerts is to make you think that you need to buy their full version of the software to be safe. The truth is that if you run the update that it asks for it will only make it worse. You don't need to pay for protection. You can get an antivirus software for free that will protect you not only from this virus but from others too.

It can be pretty hard to get this spyware program off of your computer unless you are an expert. The best and easiest ways to get rid of the virus is to use an automatic spyware remover in addition to a good free antivirus. If you want to remove this virus manually then keep in mind that it involves deleting registry keys and this can be very dangerous. Unless you are an expert, it's highly recommended to do this the automatic way.

It is important to familiarize yourself with all the real brands of free antivirus software so that you know the real ones from the fake virus/spyware scanners. If you know how to recognize the fake ones then you will not likely have any problems with this kind of virus program. Most of the fake ones start out as a pop-up offering to scan your computer for free. If you click "Okay" and run the scan it will then show you a list of the viruses that it found on your system. It will then tell you to download the program to be able to get rid of these viruses. Never do this! If you do, you'll not only be giving this company the credit information that you used to buy the program, but you will also be giving them access to all your private data.

It's critical that you remove this virus immediately if you are infected with it. It is also critical that you get a use a good, legitimate free antivirus and that you know the difference in between the genuine products and the fake ones.


View the original article here

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Why Is Virus Prevention And Spyware Prevention Software Important?

Today it is very practical to invest in software that specializes in virus prevention. New computer systems are often equipped with these programs although they are usually trial packages. Today on the internet there are many hazards that exist, therefore keeping computers safe and sound from these threats is the main aim of such software. A lot of people might not find them essential because they are not aware of the technological aspects of the web and the PCs. Much like their name these computer viruses are like real viruses such as the flu, but these harm computer systems.

PC viruses are basically software applications with the concept of duplicating themselves once they have infected a PC. The fact that they make a copy of themselves upon infecting PCs is a defining behavior of almost every virus. The main objective behind infecting someone`s computer with them is basically to irritate them or severely breach their personal or financial safety. Due to the fact that there are other viruses like spyware and malware that affect the efficiency of computers, it is important to know about viruses and what type they are.

A lot of people believe that if they install a free virus protection software they get adequate protection from malicious intruders. This is a serious mistake because the free versions of the software usually detect viruses, but do not remove or quarantine them. You need to remember these viruses don't simply ruin computers, but quite often ruin people`s lives as well. So be sure to invest in a good virus prevention software and don't skimp because there is a lot at stake.

When it comes to gaining the personal information of their victims a `back door trojan` virus can be used by cyber-criminals for accessing someone`s PC. Some very highly sensitive personal information can be sent to the cyber-criminal this way including account numbers, credit card numbers, verification codes and passwords to bank accounts. Keystrokes from a computer can also be collected by spyware key logger programs that are highly malicious and this data can also be transmitted to cyber-criminals. Most people often do not even realize that their system is infected by spyware or how these cyber criminals managed to install it onto their PC. As a result, even before these users can be warned about any unusually activities from their accounts by the banks or credit card companies their credit cards and bank accounts are already drained. This wrecks people's lives and often result in their identity being stolen.

Thus, to ensure full protection for a computer, people should use both anti-virus and spyware protection software programs. With the right programs almost all of such malicious internet threats are taken care of and do not become a threat to the computer system. It is important that the software chosen is reputable and proven to be effective. It is advised to do an internet search on virus prevention or spyware prevention software and look for a good review site to help you find one. Nowadays, there are products out there that are internet protection suites which provide both anti-virus and spyware protection. These do both for a reasonable price. Remember in this day and age, it is critical to keep our PCs safe from viruses and spyware.


View the original article here

Saturday, May 26, 2012

How to Remove a Fake Antivirus That Is Spamming Your Notifications With Virus Threats?

Rogue security software is a dangerous malware type that will install on your computer pretending to be an antivirus program and then disrupt programs, hijack services, or worse, communicate malicious programs to known users.

Removing a fake antivirus is like getting rid of a Trojan or malware from your computer. However with malware and antivirus, it is always easier because you can run your installed antivirus and have the program scan for and locate the infected files. Your antivirus will then remove this malicious program and ask you to reboot the computer. So if you are running an authentic Norton or Kaspersky security suite, then you can be assured that your data is safe. But what happens when the cleanup tool itself is an infected file that is running on your computer as a fake antivirus program.

What are the problems that you might face if there is fake security software on your computer?

Programming experts suggest that antivirus-malware can be fatal to a user in manifold ways. Once you have granted permissions to this program (remember, you think this is a genuine security product!) it will take over control of your PC processes under the disguise of a trusted application. It could then take over your browser, redirect you to unsafe or suspicious sites, hijack Outlook and use it to send out spam, flag known programs as risks, or pop-up bogus threat notifications. Then there may the case where you try to remove it, and this is when it will ask you to launch an update. The highest chance of a fake antivirus causing a computer crash is when you try to uninstall it.

So how do you remove a fake antivirus before it causes irreparable damage?

First things first! Backup all you important data and mail files onto an external hard drive. When you are doing this, it is also a good idea to restart your computer in safe mode with most executable programs disabled. You can also select Safe Mode with Networking if you need to recover files from webmail or need to internet for more how-to on backing up data. Online technical support is also available for this kind of service.

Backed up data? Cleanup malicious programs now.

The most secure and sure way of cleaning up your Registry and Start-up programs is by doing it manually. You can also use System Restore tool available on Windows XP, Vista, and 7 to reset all settings till before the program was installed. Remember that once you have the computer in safe mode, the fake antivirus cannot perform any functions. Feel free to browse installed programs and remove any that may indicate unknown publisher.

Restored PC Health? Now boost performance.

Once computer support technicians have cleaned up all malicious programs from your computer, you can ask for optimization tools and other PC tune up utilities to be installed on your computer. Online antivirus support and optimization help will provide you only genuine software so you don't have to worry about a virus infection. With extended support, you can get your computer repaired at a small annual subscription from the best Microsoft certified technicians. Online computer services provided by companies like HCL touch are available round the clock to resolve all computer and peripheral related issues for you.

Cathy Stones brings her experience in working with trusted technicians to troubleshoot antivirus and antispyware software issues. Cathy draws on an extensive resource for virus and security solutions available here http://goo.gl/D2OGY and her regular feeds here http://goo.gl/l9uWC to create a list of the top 5 free PC protection software on the market today.


View the original article here

Making the Right Choice on Antivirus

What does it take for an antivirus program to be the one that you need?

Since 1983, viruses became widespread and the damage that they do had been increasing in severity. Viruses become more immune and undetectable by the current antivirus software. Many strains of a kind of virus are being released everyday and a all of these pose a potential threat to a computer system.

Now you're wondering how will you be able to get the utmost protection that you can get from an antivirus and from what brand name will it come from? The answer lies within the questions that we'll tackle in this article.

Question 1: "What do you want to be guarded against?"
There are a lot of potential threats out there and viruses are just one of them. There are worms, spywares and many more. For these, there is corresponding software that takes on each kind. There are also ones that take care of almost all of them at once. So you should know protection do you need. For frequent internet users, there are antiviruses that are especially designed to protect you on your whole stay in the web. There are also ones that are optimized for home or company network use. Choose which one is best for your computer setup.

Question 2: "Is it user friendly?"
Most computer users have limited knowledge of the computer that they use. Some don't know what button to click. Surely, there are ones who just click away all the links that are interesting. You must know the capability of the users in order to get the right antivirus program. The one that you'll need should have autonomous protection even without the supervision of a knowledgeable user. Also, the user interface should be easy to understand if not intuitive.

Question 3: "Does it update automatically?"
Virus develops several new strains everyday, thus you need to find an antivirus that updates itself automatically to make sure that your system is protected from the most recent threats.

Question 4: "How much disk space does it occupy?"
Sometimes, large sizes of files decrease the performance of your computer. Although this is not related to viruses, it surely helps to make your computer perform better. Decrease the lag time by choosing a lightweight yet effective antivirus program.

Question 5: "Does it offer continuous protection?"
This is the most important feature that you'd need to look at if you consider buying one instead of downloading a free version. Continuous protection does not only include regular updates but also optional upgrades. If you know that one day your antivirus will not be supported anymore, don't go for it.

Question 6: "Do they offer technical support?"
Leading antivirus companies offer this feature. Having a quick response for troubleshooting the software or simple questions about it would be beneficial for the user, especially if they are not computer persons.

These are the things that you should ask yourself when looking for or buying an antivirus program that will give you the best protection.

For more information on what's best for your computer, come visit us at http://www.free-antivirus.co/ and we'll surely help you with your computer problems.


View the original article here

Friday, May 25, 2012

Malware Removal Tips for the Novice

Malwares and spywares are software designed to infiltrate networks, interfere with computer functions, gather sensitive information, and corrupt files and systems. They are usually contracted by unfiltered downloading activities, and can come in multiple forms, such as viruses, rootkits, adware, trojan horses and worms. It's hard to keep a high level of security, especially with the accessibility the internet provides, which is why it is important for every PC and server owner to know some spyware and malware removal tips.

Initially, what you have to do is scan your computer for any spyware or malware. Usually, antivirus programs like Avira or Kaspersky would readily detect suspicious programs and offer options to delete or repair corrupted files from the system. If nothing is found, but you have noticed certain questionable folders in your drives, uninstall the original antivirus software and reinstall an updated version, and get it running. This time, it should help take care of those unwanted programs.

Next, you have to confirm whether the antivirus alerts you get from the internet is valid or not. Again, malwares can be caught through downloads, and there's nothing sneakier than hiding them in the guise of protection. Don't click things right away. Only refer to the prompts provided by the antivirus software on the user panel.

Subsequently, you should also do some manual search yourself on your stored files and delete suspicious temporary files. If you don't have spyware removers, you can use the Disk Cleanup utility found in the System Tools. You should also utilize two on-demand Windows scanners, so you can make sure you get every single virus that plagues your system. In case the programs don't run because of malware influence, one of the best malware removal tips is to rename the set up or program before you execute it. Often times, this does the trick. But if not, you should just prepare a file back up and reformat the whole system. You could try to disable the malware response with another program; and if that fails, recheck file extensions and reinstall them. But that would involve a lot of downloading, which you cannot afford to do with your computer's corrupted state. So the best thing would be to isolate files, treat them individually, restore the computer to its default settings and start fresh.

There are a few spyware removers you can try, like Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, SUPERAntiSpyware, ComboFix, and the Spybot Search & Destroy which you can try out. They have gained positive feedback from users for some time now, which should make them dependable allies against malware and spyware infestation. But then again, it would not hurt to countercheck claims with experts through consultation, especially if you are harbouring very important information. It's better to be safe than sorry, considering that carelessness was what got you in this mess in the first place. Of course, you should never be too complacent about what you open, click or download without the right antivirus software in place to prevent the same thing from happening again.

For more information about Spyware removers and Malware removal tips, visit our website spywareremovers.biz.


View the original article here

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Getting Rid of the Antivirus GT

Yet another in a long line of fake antivirus software is the Antivirus GT. It's designed to get in to your computer system through flaws in your Windows security. This program is much like the badware program Antivirus 7. It looks very nice and clean, like a real legitimate piece of software, but the truth is its only purpose it to make you spend your hard-earned money on something that will only do you harm. It will try to scare you into buying the full version and then it will dig its way into your computer's system to take your personal information. You shouldn't let your identity or your bank account information be stolen, so it's always very important to research and find the best antivirus available and keep it running and up to date.

If this virus infects your computer, you will notice that your system slows down. It will run a scan every time you start your computer and you'll get many pop-ups and other such error messages. All of these things are designed to scare you into buying the full version of the software and charging it to your card.

You'll probably also get many warnings telling you that it has detected viruses and spyware and that your computer has been hacked. If these things start happening that means you probably have this virus or something similar. That's why it's so important to have the best antivirus for your system, so you can rest assure that you are safe.

But if you are infected, then you have to get rid of the Antivirus GT as soon as possible to avoid having your personal information stolen. You can do this manually by going into the registry and finding all the keys and values that are tied to this virus program and deleting them. Then delete any and all files and folders that have anything to do with this virus. This is a dangerous and time-consuming process. If you make even a small mistake it can mean your computer won't even boot up. The danger of this and other viruses like it is the reason why we should always protect ourselves by having the best antivirus possible installed and up to date on our systems.

A more preferable way of removing this virus is the automatic way. Once you have found and installed the best antivirus for your needs the process becomes very simple. Just a few clicks and your system is once again clean from the Antivirus GT and other such threats. It is easy and simple and best of all, you will have your computer back.


View the original article here

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Certified Ethical Hacker - What Is the Role Actually He Done

The course enables people to know how to defend information systems effectively from potential attacks but by first learning how to attack the system.

The immediate result of Certified Ethical Hacker CEH certification is a professional expert in computer security matters known as an Ethical hacker. This person is employed or hired by an organization that wants to strengthen or improve the security measures of their information system. An organization entrusts this person with the responsibility of trying and testing the security features of their information system. Therefore, an ethical hacker analyses the system in question and then uses the tools used by crackers or black hat hackers to attack the system. They then evaluate the risk involved in this system and then he or she gives back the report of these vulnerabilities in the system to the owners of the system.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) equips a learner with the knowledge and skill of how to look for weaknesses and the parts of the system that are more vulnerable to attacks from outsiders. It also trains an individual on how to correct this security problem in a system so as to make it more secure. This course helps one to stop crackers by making one think and act like them. Student of this course learn in an interactive class where they learn how to scan, test, attack and improve the security of their own system. The course is relevant and mostly suitable to security officers, security professionals, auditors, web site administrators and any person who has the passion and is concerned with enhancing the integrity, availability and confidentiality of information systems.

For one to qualify for this certification, he or she must fulfill the certification coursework and examination requirements. After receiving this certificate an individual is also required to further his knowledge on this area so that the responsible body may recertify him or her.

The course work contents has 19 modules. The contents contain exercises or trainings that the instructor takes students through and also parts for self study. One qualifies to be awarded a certificate after he or she has sat for the CEH examination. One can opt to register for the course and study by himself or herself. For this case, you need to have two years of information work related experience. Also in this case, if you do not meet the two years work experience you can send your application with a detailed description of your education background so that you can be considered on a case basis. After receiving the certificate one is also required to continue keeping himself informed about the emerging trends in information security matters.

In today's world of computation, security of resources is very much paramount. Professionals with standardised knowledge and experience are required to ensure that principles of computer security are not compromised. These requirements therefore, stresses the importance and relevance of Certified Ethical Hacking course.

With the increase in cyber crimes there is an increase in demand for professionals who are involved in the security of computers. Certified ethical hacker- CEH is one who responsible to avoid irrelevant security connections.


View the original article here

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The XP AntiSpyware 2011 and How to Get Rid of It

Have you started noticing a new and unusual program on your computer named XP AntiSpyware 2011? Well, if you have then this means you are infected with spyware. Hackers are making programs that look like they are made to prevent spyware, but it actually IS the spyware. It will dig itself in deeper and deeper and corrupt files. The result is a computer that has pop-ups and runs very slow. The reason they do this is to try to get you to buy the full version of their software. If you do this then you are just opening the door for them to steal all of your information, including your identity and bank details. We must remove this program to prevent such things from happening. That is why it's important to have the best antivirus you can find.

Have you asked yourself how you got this malware in the first place? Well, normally this infection comes from codecs for flash videos, a link on your Facebook or other social network, visiting and downloading adult material and using peer to peer sharing networks. If you have the best antivirus for your needs installed it will most likely prevent this from ever happening. If you do get infected, your computer will slow down and you will start getting warning messages. Programs that normally run fine will stop working and you will notice that some unusual applications will start up each time your computer powers on. If you don't have the best antivirus available for your system, than this can be a very dangerous situation. You'll need to delete the spyware from your system before anything bad happens.

The first things you want to do when dealing with this is determine if you want to remove it manually or automatically. Manual removal can be very dangerous because if you make even one mistake it can really harm your computer and require you to have a professional work on it. However, if you're already an advanced user or an expert then you can remove the registry keys in your HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder. Look for the corrupted keys and block anything related to the malware. Delete all files and folders that have anything to do with the spyware program and block any websites that might be related to that spyware. This process can take quite a lot of time and effort.

The best suggestion for most users is to use an antivirus software that you can get a hold of and do an automatic removal of this spyware. The automatic removal will simply require a few clicks and your computer will be running smooth again and it will be free from viruses and spyware. If you're tired of the constant threat of viruses, spyware, malware and other crippling worms then please consider getting the best antivirus software available to keep your computer safe and protected.


View the original article here

Monday, May 21, 2012

Learning From a Conficker Worm and How to Prevent It From Happening Again

Back in 2008 when the Conficker worm first hit, I, like many other IT Professionals was caught unprepared. We all know how to take care of malware and things like malicious coding since we do that on a daily basis, both at home and at work. Having a good anti-virus and malware/spyware programs are essential so it's important that if you don't have an antivirus, that you read up on antivirus reviews and select a program that is right for you. However, these security programs should also be complemented by a strong backup plan. The Conficker worm was different in that it seemed to just keep coming. You couldn't really just remove it and that would be the end of it. I often had to use removal tools to get rid of viruses and other worms, but this one was unique. Conficker seemed to change and it ended up looking like a root kit infection even though it actually wasn't. So I will share some of my observations on the Conficker situation and if you take these steps outlined here, you really shouldn't have much trouble in the future should you get a similar worm.

Microsoft Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional were the two systems that were most targeted by the conficker worm. This is mainly because these two where the most widely used systems at the time. You see, what you have to understand is that Microsoft systems need to be updated regularly. This is because there are holes in the Operating system that people find and exploit. So Microsoft tries to find these flaws and patch them before they are exploited by a hacker. It's the same situation with your anti-virus, spyware/malware software. Having a program that protects you doesn't do you much good if it is not updated regularly. And don't ever think you don't need an antivirus, that way of thinking could be very dangerous. So check out antivirus reviews and get the best one you can find.

Keeping everything updated is one of the best approaches to avoiding a disaster. I know one big complaint from people is that running the updates is slow and very intrusive, and these complaints are valid. Updates do take time and do slow down computers. This is why a client-server model will use WSUS to update the systems locally instead of having each computer contact the Internet.

Another problem is people sometimes get so used to their computer running slow that they are clueless if they have been infected by the Conficker worm. This is because the major symptom of the Conficker is your computer running slow. So if you're used to your computer running slowly, it is likely you won't notice if you get infected by the Conficker. It's kind of a hit and miss when it comes to protection programs being able to spot the Conficker and remove it because as I said before, it just keeps coming back. But having a strong and updated antivirus will always help! If you need help selecting which antivirus is right for you, read antivirus reviews. While Conficker symptoms include a slow system, it also includes Pen drives failing to open, antivirus programs failing to update, and if you look more closely, you may notice some new files appearing. IT professionals will then start to get complaints that the user can no longer login.

So how do we cure this kind of infection? It actually depends on whether you're an ordinary Joe using your computer at home or you are the administrator. Different situations require different solutions and many of these solutions can be found online. The first thing you have to do is to download and run a tool to remove the Conficker. Remember that when you run the Conficker removal tool you'll have to be disconnected from the Internet and any other networks that you might be connected to. The next thing you should do is install all the latest patches from Microsoft. This can be a very difficult task for a business' technician because he/she has the task of keeping the entire system up and running smoothly.

In situations like this it's important to look back at how we reacted and responded to this threat to determine what was done right and what was done wrong. What it comes down to is that most of us don't have a good enough plan in place to first, keep everything up to date and second, to keep everything properly backed up so a disaster could be prevented. We should always be ready to answer any threat because our jobs may depend on it. I can't emphasize enough the importance of keeping Microsoft, anti-virus and antispyware/anti-malware software updated.

In addition, we should backup our data and make system restore points regularly. It's also important to note that you should never overwrite your data with infected data contained in a recent backup. Keep some older backups to prevent this from happening. My fix for this involves temporarily disconnecting from the server, going after the Conficker worm on that one server and then to use the images to restore the system. This might take around 2 hours, including the testing that needs to be done. The software should come from the image or it was installed through MSI and silent install scripts. This will be done by the server itself after it's been cleaned of the worm. Afterwards, check and make sure that all the computers on the network have been properly patched. Run the tool to remove the Conficker worm on each computer just to be safe. Since everything was accomplished by the script, it was a pretty easy process.

Home users might encounter more problems recovering their data if they haven't made enough backups. However, there are many good recovery programs available for free online that can be used to help in this task. The main thing to learn from a Conficker worm attack is that one must always be ready and prepared for the absolute worst case scenario. Being ready means having the best software installed to combat these kinds of worms, including a strong antivirus software. If you have questions or you don't know which antivirus software to use, simply read antivirus reviews to find your answers.


View the original article here

Virus: Then and Now

In the present time, we know viruses are just harmful pieces of malicious code that are made to mess with our computer's system. However, only a few people know what kind of fun they brought to programmers in the past years. Let's look on viruses from a different perspective by looking back to the past.

Virus, as the word suggest, is a harmful kind of software that is analogous to the biological virus that we know. It spreads within the computer through infected hardware or website and replicates itself when injected to a host, much like how a real virus behaves. Although this definition sounds harmful, programmers of the 70's find them fun to play with. It was in 1970 that the first virus was created with no intention of messing up a whole system. It is only made for fun by the programmers from Bell Laboratories. The game was called Core War. This game runs within the company network and the goal of the game is to completely destroy the programs of another computer while making sure that it proliferates within the environment. The developers would code software that could replicate, repair itself, and move in different parts of the memory and attack software by writing a random opponent in the opponent's computer memory. The game ends after a specified time or when the opponent's programs are completely inactive or destroyed.

Although this sounded a scary, it was safe by that time because the developers knew where they would lead their software and it is all contained in a controlled environment.

In 1984, a game was made which had the same intention as the one stated above. This game became the stage for future viruses. The ARPANET was also infected by software called brain (which was a virus) which renames all disk boot systems to (C) Brain. This software also gave the name, phone number and address to the infected computer because this was made for advertisement purposes.

Today, viruses are treated differently from how it was back then. Viruses nowadays have a sole purpose, to mess with a computer's system files and mess up the whole of it. Viruses now are sneakier and more harmful than the ones developed before because they don't solely intend to break the system but they also break through one's privacy by gathering information from the victim. They can now fit in ordinary programs and attack the unwary user.

The internet, being one of the most accessible sources of information has also become a big arena for the viruses and the developers that made them. It was through it that the widespread of latent viruses has been rapidly made. Now that technology is advancing rapidly, connections become stronger giving way for easier proliferation of viruses.

Knowing the present intentions of viruses, we should take extra care when installing a software or browsing a page. Its intentions are still for fun, although they are now made with malicious intent for the developer's benefit.

For more information on what's best for your computer, come visit us at http://www.free-antivirus.co/ and we'll surely help you with your computer problems.


View the original article here

Sunday, May 20, 2012

A Guide to Viruses and How to Prevent Them From Infecting Your Computer

A virus replicates itself and then sends itself through the Internet to other computers. The purpose is either to replicate, damage another computer or both. It doesn't need anyone to do anything to make it work; it is a self-contained and self driven program. That is why we should all find the best antivirus program we can to stay safe. A virus will normally get into your computer by being attached to a document or attachment that you download. It can do damage right away or sometimes it's timed to go off at a specific time or date.

A boot virus like disk killer or Michelangelo comes alive when the computer starts and this virus is very hard to get off your computer. Viruses that attach themselves to an install or executable file are called program viruses and they replicate themselves to all of the executable files on your computer, thus making them extremely hard to remove. Examples of these are the cascade and Sunday viruses.

Some viruses are called stealth viruses and they will change their file size to try to avoid being found by an antivirus program. Again, it all goes back to prevention and using the best antivirus software for your needs.

Documents from Microsoft office can be vulnerable to Micro Viruses. These viruses can infect all documents opened and it can be easily spread to other computers through sharing. Nuclear and DMV viruses are two examples of this kid of infection.

The newer viruses are getting much better at shutting down antivirus software. When it shuts down your antivirus it not only opens you up to other viruses, but it opens you up to malware and other such nasty worms. That is why it's imperative that we all have the best antivirus software possible installed on our computers and that it is always up to date.

Spyware is actually malware that has been designed to infect you through pages on the Internet. It can also come bundled in software that you might have installed on your computer. Spyware are not technically viruses but they, like viruses, have been the cause of many headaches and reformats over the years.

These can come from cookies, hijackers, adware, fake security software, key loggers and ransom-ware. Some new kinds of spyware are called root kits and they are virtually impossible to remove. Spyware is typically installed on a computer without the owner not even knowing about it. They are very hard to remove.

Ad-ware is software that is secretly installed on your computer. Its purpose is to produce pop-up ads and other forms of advertisements on your system. For every ad that you click on, you're giving the attacker money. This is why these types of programs are installed, to get clicks on a website. Hijackers, on the other hand, will actually take control of your web browser and take you to a web site that you didn't intend to visit. Again, the purpose of this is money. They take you to their site in the hopes that you will click on the links contained in it, they get paid for every click. They will also often change your homepage and change registry values. Other clues that you have been hijacked include browser plug-ins and add-ons that you didn't install.

What they call "rogue" or "fake" security software are programs that claim to be antivirus or antispyware software but in actuality, the program itself is the virus or spyware. It normally starts by a free online virus scan. Then it will give you a fake report telling you that you have tons of viruses on your computer and that the only way to get rid of them is to download the program. Once downloaded, it will give you more fake scan results and encourage you to give your credit card info to buy the full version of the product. This kind of virus will normally produce many pop-up warnings and error messages designed to scare people in to buying the full version.

These programs were made by smart people who know how to take advantage of an operating system as well as other security software like antivirus programs. The people who make these worms are from all over the world. They design and make these infections and then test them and modify them so they will infect as many people as possible and then they send them out to reproduce and spread and replicate on their own.

Many times these hackers will share information with each other about the weaknesses they have found in operating systems. Then they make malware to exploit that weakness and build a page that is infected with their creation and start advertising the page. Sometimes they will use a slight misspell of a popular web page and so if anyone hits the wrong key when typing in their favorite web page, they get this worm.

The companies that make our antivirus, anti-spyware software don't know about these threats until they happen and are reported to the company. They will get one of the worms and figure out how it works. At this point, they will create a fix for the problem and release it as an update. Once they update the definitions (which are the codes that tell the software what is good and what is bad) then you are protected from that malware in the future. Some companies update their definitions every day to try to stay ahead of the problems. Once the malware is out on the Internet the good software companies will then have the chance to figure out how it works and make the necessary adjustments for their software to combat the worm. However, this doesn't mean that you are protected 100% of the time, sometimes the updates are not enough for the good software to fully stop the malware. And many times the removal process for these worms is not fully figured out for weeks or months after the malware was launched.

What we have to understand is that no matter what kind of antivirus software we have installed on our computers, if we give permission for a program to install, the antivirus cannot stop it, all it can do is warn you. So we really need to be careful of what we install on our systems and we really need to have the best antivirus software we can get and keep it updated regularly to stay safe.

Here are some things you can do to stay safe and protect your self

• Stay educated on the latest methods used by these hackers. Most of these things can be stopped before they even start if you use common sense. If something seems wrong, it probably is and you should avoid it.

• Always have the best antivirus installed and up to date. You also need to keep windows updated.

• Always use a good firewall. Windows 7 has a firewall that works pretty well. But previous versions of windows firewall don't do enough. You can always find good free firewall programs online. But remember to only run one firewall and one antivirus.

• If you get a pop-up, don't click on it. Instead press the ctrl, alt and delete keys at the same time. Now click the programs tab and then select all Internet Explorer programs at once and select to end the task. Now you have just prevented a malware from infecting your computer.

• While browsing the Internet it is important to stay away from sites that regularly carry infections. These include pornographic sites, gambling sites, sites that show you how to be a hacker. Also if the domain or URL look strange or in any way unwelcoming, don't click on the site.

• Some will tell you to unplug your computer or to press the power button for 5 seconds if a pop up appears. This can do a lot of damage to an operating system and even to a hard drive so it is not recommended unless there is no other way to avoid it.

Alright, now that you are aware of what these viruses, malware and spyware actually are and what their purpose is, you need to know what to do if you still get infected.

Maybe you go to your favorite search engine to look up the symptoms that you are experiencing to find someplace to tell you how to get rid of this worm. If, for example, you get a pop up that tells you that it is a security alert, then go to your search engine and do a search for the exact words that it says. You don't need to pay for this information. There are sites out there like experts-exchange.com and bleepingcomputer.com that are great resources to get free advice and information.

There are a lot of people on these sites that have removed a lot of malware and they can help you.

If you find yourself about to download some software on the internet, always think about it first. Did you go looking for this software, or did you just kind of "accidentally" come across it? If your answer is the latter then avoid downloading it.

We must all be willing to really learn about these things so we can effectively combat them. If you don't want to put in the time to learn about it, then the alternative is to hire a professional who can do all the work for you. This can be expensive because you don't want to get the cheapest guy out there. But a reasonably priced tech should be fine.

Remember that even the best antivirus can't stop some of these programs, but you should use a good one and keep it updated. That also goes for anti-spyware software. Always think before you click and remember to check the URL's. If you do the few things recommended in this article you should have a much safer experience online.


View the original article here

Saturday, May 19, 2012

The Security Shield Virus and How to Remove It

There are many programs going around on the Internet masquerading as an antivirus program but in reality they are viruses infecting millions of computers daily. This is why it's so important to read antivirus reviews before you download anything so you'll know what a legitimate program is and what isn't. Security Shield is one of these fake antivirus programs that will infect your computer and it's from the same group that spawned the Security Tool virus. Like the ones that came before it, this virus program does a fake scan of your computer and then gives you false alerts that are designed to pressure you into buying their software. Once you buy it, it will steal your information making identity and bank theft likely. It's important to remove this virus as soon as possible.

First, let me reiterate that everyone should have a good antivirus program installed on their computer. If you do not currently have antivirus protection, please read antivirus reviews and select the protection that is right for you. If this virus program is not removed right away it will just keep digging itself deeper into your system until you're getting constant error messages, pop-up's and other warnings that makes your computer pretty useless. It will perform scans of your system and tell you that your computer is full of viruses, spyware and Trojans when the truth is the program is the virus. This virus must be deleted and there are two different ways to do this.

You can remove this virus manually if you are an expert and know how to edit the registry. You just seek all registry keys that have anything to do with this virus program and remove them and all corresponding files and folders. This process can take time and it can also be quite dangerous because one mistake can really affect your computer negatively, thus requiring professional assistance to fix.

It is recommended that you automatically remove this virus by using a good antivirus software. Be sure to check antivirus reviews before selecting which antivirus is best for you. It is very easy and safe to remove this virus with a good antivirus software. It will clean it out with just a few clicks and make your computer run like it did before you where infected. Hackers make new viruses every day so it is important to have a good antivirus and that you always keep it up to date.


View the original article here

Friday, May 18, 2012

10 Tips for Safer Web Surfing

If you spend a lot of time on the web, then full protection is necessary. Below, I have listed ten tips on how to make web surfing safer.

Tip number 1. Do not walk on suspicious links.If you received a letter from your bank with a proposal to update the password, or from a website "abccdee.com" received a new message notification, do not rush to open the suggested links. Instead, it is possible to see abccdee.com, abcdee.com or abccdee.com the difference is only one letter, and many do not even notice. If you follow this link, in the worst case, your PC can pick up a serious virus.
Tip number 2. Trust the anti-spam filters, e-mail. As anti spam filters, they filter almost all the letters, cheating lure you to a particular site hacking. And even if you still received a letter with a message about winning a million pounds, do not throw happily on the wall, shouting "I'm rich!" These messages reached to hundreds of thousands of users around the world every day. If they start paying then country such as Britain would be ruined for a long time, paying a million for each winner.
Tip number 3. Install a comprehensive protection system. You should install antivirus, firewall, anti-spam filter and a couple of modules for the full protection of your computer. At present, the most popular antivirus is Kaspersky Internet Security, ESET Smart Security, Symantec Norton and a dozen others. Do not skimp on these systems. $50-70 for an annual license cannot be compared with the loss of important information, which can happen due to an insufficient level of protection for your PC and do not forget to regularly update the signatures database. It is best to configure the program to update automatically.
Tip number 4. Use the browsers Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari. A survey shows that number of worms and malicious scripts are written for Internet Explorer and Opera. The first still holds the top spot in the popularity rating of 67% of their users, but only because it is built into Windows. Opera is very popular in Europe and Russia because of its convenience, and the ghost actually a large number of settings.
Tip number 5. Do not believe the proposals to read other people's messages or SMS. You are offered something that violates someone's private space is supposedly a great secret. People are curious and trusting, too trusting and that sometimes leads to big troubles. Remember one simple thing, there are no freebies. None of the mobile operator will not allow the ability to view transcripts of calls was made available to anybody over the Internet.
Tip number 6. Buy Apple Mac. "Mac" is considered the most secure computers because of its low prevalence compared to the PC, but also because of a different architecture.
Tip number 7. Use licensed software. If you have just downloaded straight from the cracker program, run it and deliberately ignore the warning antivirus, be prepared for the fact that you can settle the trojan on your computer. Moreover, the program is popular, the higher the probability. On the other hand, anti-virus software is sometimes falsely react and quite harmless burglars. In general, it is better not to risk it.
Tip number 8. Shop only at trusted online stores. If you love to shop online with a credit card, the store must be completely safe. If it's a little-known shop, it is best to check it out before you leave any financial information out there. The easiest way is to write the name or URL in search engines and see what other people write about this store. The second way is set the Netcraft Toolbar (for Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer). This is a small free addition to your browser will show a potentially dangerous site, and will block access to known scam site (database updated constantly).
Tip number 9. Regularly install software updates. Microsoft officials regularly warn that their new Internet Explorer is more secure than previous. The timely installation of updates is recommended for all of programs not just browsers, although the other software.
Tip number 10. Beware of downloadable files on the Internet. There is no guarantee that by downloading the program, even in the well-known and respected site, you cannot hook to another trojan. New viruses come out faster than the protection from them, and anti-virus software sites could "miss the" next cunning virus. Especially dangerous to download files from peer to peer networks, and bring them on a flash drive nowhere.

View the original article here

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Why McAfee Slows Down My Computer

McAfee is a great antivirus solution when it comes to protecting your computer from viruses, Trojans, worms, data or identity theft programs. However, you may experience a slowdown issue when surfing the internet, checking emails, or navigating from one program to another. Slowdown can occur due to multiple reasons explained below in the McAfee antivirus support guide. The guide will also help you fix some of the common McAfee antivirus issues that slow down your PC.

Instructions:

If you have Low computer memory (RAM), you may experience a slowdown in your computer when McAfee antivirus installs updates, patches etc. Often, such problem occurs in an old computer that has low RAM. To get rid of the slowdown problem, add a new RAM stick to your computer. In other words, upgrade its hardware.

If your internet connection is slow, it may take more than ever for McAfee to run a virus scan, download and install latest updates, or do real-time scanning. So, if you are doing something on your computer like browsing the internet or checking emails while McAfee is running in the background, you may face a slowdown problem. Contact your ISP and ask for a high-speed broadband connection. Besides, let McAfee run virus scans or updates when the computer is idle. Yes, if the computer is sitting idle, launch McAfee and have it update or run a virus scan.

If you have another antivirus program on your computer along with McAfee, it can cause your computer to slow down terribly. It is because two antivirus programs always conflict with each other as they try to fetch files simultaneously for your computer. You must always uninstall the other antivirus program to make sure that McAfee runs peacefully and properly on your computer.

If you have a built-in firewall in your McAfee antivirus program (a newer McAfee version comes with built-in firewall), it may cause issue with your internet connection. If you have another firewall program installed on your computer, disable the McAfee firewall. It will help improve your internet connection speed, making your browsing faster.

Sometimes a poorly-written McAfee update can also be responsible for decelerating your computer's speed. If you have narrowed down to check that it's not a program or your computer which is causing the slowdown, uninstall the McAfee update. If you don't know how uninstall a McAfee update, restore your computer to an earlier time. It may undo any recent changes like a software install you made to your computer. You always have the option to reinstall the software.

Additional Tips:

Your web browser also makes a difference to the browsing speed. For example, Mozilla Firefox and Chrome are faster web browsers than the Internet Explorer. In case the problem persists, contact a McAfee antivirus support service.

The Author of this article is associated with V tech-squad Inc, V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. If you have any problem while performing the above steps and need technical assistance for Mcafee technical support, You can reach V tech-squad online technical support at their Toll Free No +1-877-452-9201.

About V tech-squad Inc.

V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based online technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. V tech-squad provides support to users for issues with their PCs, Mac's, Tablets, Phones such as iPhone and Blackberry and devices such as MP3 players, Printers, Scanners, Fax, Wireless networking gear, Netflix, Roku boxes and TVs. Currently V tech-squad provides support services to consumers and small businesses in United States. For more information on V tech-squad, Inc. visit vtechsquad.com.


View the original article here

The Security Shield Spyware and How to Remove It From Your System

Spyware such as Security Shield spreads quickly and is very fast moving. There is an ongoing trend now of viruses that are made to look like security software, and Security Shield is just the latest of these. This type of software will do a computer scan and will repeatedly ask you to buy the full version of the software, but you should never do this. These people will steal anything and everything from your computer. While these programs will claim to be a free Antivirus (upgradable to a full paid version) that's capable of fixing computer errors on your computer, they will not. They will actually slow down your computer and put you in danger of losing your vital information. Software such as this is likely to take control of your browser, make some programs lock up, change the settings of your computer, drive you crazy with those pop-up ads, and steal your personal information. So we need to protect ourselves, our identity, our privacy and our money. It is vitally important to rid Security Shield Virus immediately!!

This threat will normally get on your system through spam, phishing sites, email attachments or flash video codecs. Security Shield sometimes combines with a legal program and once that program is installed, it can be very hard to get rid of. Things that your computer normally doesn't have any trouble with won't run correctly now. Performing searches will become difficult because they'll be re-routed and doing the simplest tasks takes a longer time. So how is this virus removed? Let's talk about it.

There are a couple of different ways to go about removing this. You can remove Security Shield manually which is only recommended for professionals because it involves editing the registry and one error could mean huge problems and a lot of money in repairs. Or you can remove it automatically. The manual way should only be attempted by experts. If you are one and are comfortable editing the registry, then follow these steps. Go in to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder. Find all related registry keys and delete them. Then locate related DLL files and unregister them and delete all folders and files related to the program. You can find the complete list of all files and folders related to this virus online.

I recommend the second option of removing the virus automatically. This can be removed by using a lightweight free antivirus. Most of these can clean up your computer fast and get it running like new in no time. Make sure that your free antivirus is from a reputable company and not another security virus. Also make sure that it does updates automatically and has an active scanning process that will keep you safe. If you take these steps you will no longer be at risk.


View the original article here

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Security Sphere 2012 And Its Dangers

These days, a threat to computers everywhere is the Security Sphere 2012, which has been discovered at an increasing rate on the World Wide Web. It disguises itself as a dependable antivirus software which can address your security problems but in reality, it has no worth at all. Security Sphere 2012 makes use of Trojans as a way to surreptitiously permeate any computer network totally and randomly.

The program copies all security tool functions. For example, it runs a scan in the computer system. However, it uses a false scanner that acts like it's searching for threats. When scanning is over, it delivers a fake scan report. The application declares that your computer is infected with a myriad of infections. Furthermore, it shows several pop ups and security alerts which gives you an impression that your computer is severely infected.

The application gives you a limited ability to utilize other computer applications. Most of the time, it brings out messages declaring that your computer had to abort the program you intend to start due to issues of security. Likewise, other messages would give you a warning about finding a spyware infection or any other harmful viruses. As a way to avoid losing data and having relevant information about you stolen, you'll be offered to buy a full Security Sphere 2012 version and be able to activate it as well.

Internet surfing is also affected by the program. When your system has a Security Sphere 2012 infection, it will show you security alarms saying that the site you are going to visit has been virally affected and it may cause your system to crash. Several reasons will be cited such as: virus information discovered at this page trying to put its components, unknown and malicious processes in the network are analyzed, a virus attack is imminent, negative references gathered from other people concerning this webpage, your backdoor and system ports have been scrutinized by visited page designed for external system access. The same message will ask you to get hold of a "Security Sphere 2012" license to give your PC the protection it needs to safely browse web pages, launch scanning process on malware, virus and spyware or continue surfing. Acquiring "Security Sphere 2012" will be given as a favorable recommendation.

Since all these statements are not true, you should never pay attention to them. Upon discovering such malware on your system, you must dispose Security Sphere 2012 by all means. If you have already purchased this malware, please advise the concerned credit card provider and argue about the charges.


View the original article here

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Protecting Your Personal Computer From Viruses

Malware software in computers is found all over the Internet. One should always remain conscious of downloading anything that is unfamiliar. Remember that any antivirus program can't give you a 100% virus protection. You should have the necessary skill in knowing how to prevent yourself from downloading virus infected files. Being a computer fanatic myself, I would like to share with you some useful advice on how you could protect your computer from getting virus infection and most especially how you could avoid downloading malicious files.

• Let's begin with getting e-mails. If you are unsure of the e-mail sender's identity, don't click it open, or seek help from someone you know.

• Never think about downloading all those keygens and program cracks. If you intend to keep your PC clean and free from infection, you should only buy your desired software from any authorized dealer. That way, you are sure to be free from any virus threat.

• Be sure that you use only the correct antivirus program. If you're the type who browses the Internet a lot, you have to confirm that you are using antivirus software developed especially to provide Internet security. There are several variations of anti-virus infection types. One example is the antivirus software which is solely created to scan e-mails. Another one is the "Trojan Removals," which as the name implies, are meant to eradicate Trojan horses.

• Stay away from using software from an unreliable source. For your own protection, it's better to use commercially available software either found in flash disks/DVDs or sent to your e-mail by a reputable seller.

If your task is to protect very secret data on your PC, then you must always opt to use a much secured operating program. There is a big discrepancy between each operating system and its corresponding security measures. A good example is Windows which is a good choice because it is compatible with several antivirus software, though the reason for this is that several viruses are targeted for it as well. If you don't feel comfortable enough on how you could avoid downloading an infected file and how you could be protected, it's advisable to use UNIX or Mac operating systems. Moreover, if you already know that your PC is infected, you have to quickly navigate over the Internet for useful information about the virus. You can type the information about this dilemma in countless search engines - there could be several users already sharing their advice. Otherwise, you can try to ask for assistance in forums which focuses on protecting your PC from viruses. Always be cautious, there are so many harmful Internet viruses and the number of victims has already increased dramatically.


View the original article here

Monday, May 14, 2012

How to Remove the Click Potato Virus for Good

A common and famous malicious browser hijacking virus is the Click Potato virus. If you haven't downloaded and installed the best antivirus software on your computer, this virus can install itself on to your system without you even knowing about it. By the time you figure out something is wrong, it's over. Once it gets in to your hard drive it then starts harassing you with pop-up ads for a variety of different products. This one can be very hard to get rid of since it's so closely tied to the browser. To learn how to remove this program, please continue reading.

Click Potato is a program that will start a constant stream of pop-up ads once it's in your system, rendering your computer virtually unusable. The ads that will pop up are fake ads so be very careful not to click on any of these and use your credit card to try to buy them or you will have your credit card information stolen. It will also slow down and disrupt most, if not all, of your basic Windows functions and produce error messages.

This one can be a bit of a challenge to remove and most people don't know the right way of getting rid of it. Again, if you have the best antivirus software for your needs, then you'll likely not experience this problem and that is the preferred outcome. But if you have already gotten infected then it is important to understand that this isn't like a regular virus. It is considered as malware, so besides downloading and running the best antivirus that you can find, you will probably also need a specific program to remove the Click Potato virus. The process of removing it is to simply stop all the activity from the program and then through your removal program get rid of it for good.

You can also manually remove it if you're an expert or advanced user. If this is how you want to proceed then boot in to safe mode and stop all activities of the Click Potato program. Then just locate and delete all files and folders that have anything at all to do with the Click Potato. When finished, make sure to keep yourself safe by researching and downloading the best antivirus program you can find.

One of the best ways to get rid of this virus is to download a program called "Frontline Rogue Remover." This program will go through your computer, find and delete all files and settings that have anything to do with the Click Potato virus so you will get rid of everything all at once. But I cannot stress enough that if you don't want this to happen to you again in the future, then you should always have the best antivirus program updated and running on your computer to keep all of your information safe.


View the original article here

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Ways to Remove Antivirus Soft

Antivirus soft is yet another in a long line of fake antivirus programs. It gets in to your system through Trojans and also through websites that they set up to trick you. The web site will perform a free scan of your system and while the results of the scan look really bad, it's the scanner itself that you must be afraid of. It will lie to you and tell you that you have all kinds of viruses and that the only way to get rid of these viruses is to download their program. Always be extra cautious when dealing with free antivirus software or free online virus scans in particular. Because while there are many legitimate and good free antivirus programs, many will just give you a false scan in the hopes that they will scare you into buying the full version of their product.

If you get infected with this virus you will not only get a fake scan result and security report, you will also get many pop-ups warning you of threats that don't really exist. It will keep trying to scare you into running the fake scan again so that it can dig itself in deeper. Do not fall for this. You must remove it as soon as possible. Antivirus soft often turns off your real antivirus software and your firewall in an attempt to make it harder for you to remove it from your system. Additionally it will change Internet Explorer's proxy settings so that it can re-direct you to the web sites it wants you to see. Many of the web sites that they re-direct you to will also be offering free antivirus scans so don't fall for it.

There are basically two different ways to approach getting rid of this virus, manual and automatic. In both cases it is recommended that you re-start your computer and boot in to safe mode with networking. This will allow you to make the necessary changes to the proxy in Internet Explorer. If you decide to do this manually you will first need to stop all processes that have anything to do with the virus. Then it is just a matter of going in to the registry and deleting all keys that are tied to the virus program. Then you have to remove all files and folders related to the antivirus soft virus. Be careful because one bad move when editing the registry can cause some huge problems for you. This should only be attempted by experienced and advanced users.

The preferred method for removing this is the automatic way. Pretty much all you do is download a program to remove spyware and run it. This program will automatically find and get rid of all traces of the virus program including all the affected registry keys. This is also good because the anti spyware software that you download to get rid of this problem, will help you in the future by preventing these problems before they start. So in short, when you see an ad for a free antivirus always research and make sure the product is legitimate and not another of these ever growing and changing virus programs.


View the original article here

Friday, May 11, 2012

Spyware Prevention Tips

Has your computer developed a mind of its own? Is your PC sluggish? Think your computer might be infected with spyware? Are you wanting to know how to prevent spyware? Spyware can range from a mere annoyance and downright dangerous; even leading you to having your personal info stolen and becoming a victim of identity theft. It is good to know that there are some definite steps you take to prevent spyware.

First of all, make sure that you have anti-virus software helping protect you from spyware and other malware. Don't forget to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date, to make sure you are protected against the latest spyware and other malicious software.

Second, have your computer protected with anti-keylogger software. More often than you'd like to know spyware is bundled with keystroke loggers; malware that quietly works in the background recording every keystroke and even capturing screen shots. Many people are not aware that anti-virus software and even anti-spyware software do not detect all keyloggers. You need anti-keylogger software installed to detect as well as block keyloggers.

It is essential to have anti-spyware software running on your computer to help prevent spyware, as anti-virus software alone does not detect all spyware. Yes, there is reputable and free anti-spyware software available for download online. That said and done, exercise caution when downloading "free" anti-spyware software, as it could be far from free; robbing your bank account of your hard-earned dollars to delete a "trojan horse" that may or may not exist and even infect your computer with more malicious software.

In your quest to prevent spyware it is important to have a personal firewall. It acts as a locked door between your computer and other computers; preventing a hacker from installing spyware on your computer and keeping any spyware already installed on your computer from sending personal data to a cyber criminal. Windows 7, Vista, and XP actually include a free firewall. Make sure you have it activated if you have no other firewall installed.

Be extra careful when opening email attachments to help prevent spyware. Any email attachment from an unknown sender is a "no go". In fact, even if you know the sender, be wary in opening the attachment if you are not expecting it or do not recognize it.

Exercise caution when surfing the Net; avoiding sites containing shareware, freeware, warez, and file-sharing. These sites are well-known for being infected with spyware as well as other malicious software.

Finally, to help prevent spyware keep your operating system up-to-date. Your operating system vendor is constantly coming up with security patches to help protect you from the latest spyware or other malware.

Following these steps and a little common sense will go a long ways toward preventing your computer from being infected with spyware. When it comes to spyware and other malware, an ounce of prevention is indeed worth more than a pound of cure.

Christopher is passionate about sharing his knowledge and expertise on Internet security and privacy. To learn more about spyware and other malicious software, including free Internet security software, visit Internet Security 101.


View the original article here

How To Prevent Your Computer From Being Infected With A Virus

Are you more than just a little concerned that your computer might be infected with a computer virus? Wondering if there are any tips to help prevent your computer from being infected with a virus? A computer virus is more than just a pain in the you know what. It is an all too real threat to your Internet security and privacy. A computer virus infection can in fact lead you to having your identity stolen. There are some definite steps you can take to help prevent your computer from being infected with a virus.

First of all, make sure that you have Internet security software protecting your computer from spyware and other malicious software. This includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-keylogger software. There is both reputable and free Internet security software available for download online. I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your Internet security software up-to-date. Don't overlook installing anti-keylogger software either, as computer viruses often contain keyloggers as well. Also, anti-virus and anti-spyware software alone do not detect all computer viruses.

Have a personal firewall guarding your computer from intruders, who could remotely install a computer virus. Windows 7, XP, as well as Vista all include a free personal firewall. There are both reputable and free firewalls available for download online as well.

It is probably not a good idea to open an attachment from an unknown sender. In fact, you might want to reconsider opening the attachment even if you know the sender; if you fail to recognize the attachment or you are not expecting it. Unfortunately, it could be infected with a pesky computer virus.

You might want to think twice before visiting sites containing freeware, shareware, file-sharing, warez, porn, and the like. These sites are more often than not infected with computer viruses or other malicious software.

Don't forget to keep your operating system up-to-date. Windows and other operating system vendors are constantly coming up with security patches, against computer viruses and other malware. To be protected with the latest updates it is wise to set your operating system to update automatically.

Simply turn off your computer when not in use. A computer that is turned off is much less vulnerable from being infected with a computer virus. Not only that, but you are doing your role for the environment as well; helping to save energy.

Be wary in sharing CD's, USB Flash Drives, etc. They could be infected with a computer virus. Be sure to scan them with your anti-virus software, prior to uploading any files off them.

Following these tips and a little common sense will go a long ways in helping prevent your computer from being infected with a computer virus.

Christopher is passionate about sharing his knowledge and expertise on online security and privacy. Visit Internet Security 101 for the tools and resources to protect your Internet security and privacy, including free Internet security software.


View the original article here

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Check Your Anti Virus

There are total 53000 viruses that have been identified classified more than 80% of them have been classified as malicious these files are capable of harming your computer system of data files.

when computer viruses are a hot topic, more and more people find out the destructive power of these programs. in this way many people find out about virus protection programs and rush to the newest virus protection program or ensure their virus protection is up to date.

Having a good anti virus program and current updates is the best way to protect your computer against virus attacks.

If you already own it:

Follow the following steps:-

1. open NOTEPAD

2. copy the code given below:-

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

3. and paste it into notepad

4. save it with name avtester.exe

5. DONE!!!!

IF YOUR ANTIVIRUS DETECT IT THEN GREAT OTHERWISE SCAN this FILE IF STILL NOT DETCTED BY YOUR ANTI VIRUS THEN REMOVE UR ANTIVIRUS AND INSTALL NEW ONE!!!!!!

It's best way of testing ur antivirus is it working fine or its fake antivirus

Spyware Overview

Imagine a program that watches your computer.

It sits in memory, watching everything the computer does--the websites it displays, the passwords used to get into them, the advertisements that get clicked on. This program silently and secretly gathers all of this information, without the user's knowledge. Then, at some point, it connects to a server somewhere on the Internet, and hands over this collection--again, without letting the owner of the computer know what it's done.

Scary thought?

Experts believe that at least six out of ten--perhaps as many as nine out of ten--computers on the Internet have this kind of malware installed. Like a virus, many spyware programs run without the user's consent or knowledge.

There is an entire industry devoted to gathering demographics information through the use of spyware, and there is another industry that's grown to combat spyware.

Spyware is meant to capture "demographics." This is meant to help advertisers better target their ads. For example, if a piece of spyware reports that the user recently visited websites for car dealerships, then the spyware server would then send ads for cars to the computer.

Many people, however, regard this as an invasion of privacy. Spyware companies claim to only gather "generic" information, like web site addresses and zip codes, but it's still very easy to gather critical information. Anything entered into a web form can end up in the spyware collection--such things as phone numbers, email addresses, credit card numbers, and even social security numbers can all find their way into a spyware database.

In the end, it comes down to personal preference. Some popular programs have spyware attached, and will quit working if the spyware is uninstalled--so the user has to decide whether that program is worth it.

Provided, of course, the user even knows that the spyware is running on his system.


View the original article here

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Apple Malware Attack: Is My Mac Infected?

There have been reports of the malware which has been targeting and infecting many apple products and particularly the Mac computers. The apple malware attack has created and raised great furor and greatly put to the sword the earlier invulnerability that was associated with the apple computers. The malware has been identified as the flashback Trojan which is a terrible piece of code which brings about lots of terrible damage creating great fear since reports put the number of affected apple users way above the half a million mark specifically in areas like Europe, America, specific regions in Asia, Australia and spreading more and more like the bush fire. The flashback botnet has had unique characteristics which include preying and specifically targeting Java vulnerabilities. Another characteristic is that the attack occurs unnoticed. Initially, the earlier versions of the flashback malware were designed to replicate the adobe flash player and often confused people into clicking onto it and then the malware would unwittingly get introduced into the Mac computer often with devastating results. The piece of malware has now evolved and will infect a Mac computer even without the knowledge of the user through the simple visit to a website which is already laden with the flashback Trojan. This implies that the piece of malware has become extremely virulent and this has made it spread very fast since the attack has become the drive-by attack. A computer which forms part of a botnet pool is never under the control of its rightful owner and can be used to perpetrate the denial of service attacks and all other manner security violations which are done by the malicious controllers of the botnet.

The capabilities of this malware are grave in the manner in which it is able to influence how the affected Mac computer behaves. It has created a worldwide dangerous botnet which is able to sniff and retrieve passwords both for user accounts and other loads of data collected from details of financial transactions and other information on credit cards. The biggest headache for many users has been that they have been left without known measures on how to prevent and remove the flashback malware from already affected Mac computers. Even though apple has come up with security patches which are able to seal the vulnerability areas, a solution is still not found for the users who are already affected by the malware. The debate has been extensive as to the kind of security measures which can be taken to tackle this problem. One school of thought has completely negated the fact that the flashback malware is Trojan and that the measures which have been in place to deal with Trojans will not work out well in eliminating the problem. Even with the continued debate on which would be the best way to deal with this software, reports continue to emerge of the increased number of attacks which have been perpetrated by this piece of malware. The good thing though has been that some of the internet security companies have worked extremely hard to come up with solutions to this problem via the use of antivirus software akin to that used for the Windows computers. The antivirus software created will be in a position to detect and work to remove the flashback malware.

Now, many people will want to be in full control of their machines and this will always have to do with the fear of a personal computer or computers on a network for companies and institutions being part of a botnet. The other fear is that to do with having the malware in the computer and this malware capturing sensitive information like the passwords to credit cards and other financial information. Here is a small process of how to go about identifying if the specific Mac computer that an individual is utilizing is infected with the flashback botnet. The best way to about protecting the Mac computer is to check for the most up to date java software that has been released from apple. The update can be done from the apple menu on the title bar. This way an individual is assured that the computer is not open to attacks by the flashback malware. The procedure to follow is though clicking on the apple icon on the title bar menu and proceeding to software update section. Here check for updates applicable and select all the java related ones and any other settings involved with security. Then install the updates and restart the computer to secure the computer. The other method of going about protecting the Mac computer will be through the disabling the java software if an individual is not in need of any functionality from the java scripts. The java scripts are the main way the flashback malware gets to infect the computer. The disabling is done from the java preference settings which are found on the browser.

The best way to detect if a computer has been infected with the flashback malware is through the Kaspersky flashfake removal tool which will scan the computer to identify whether it is really affected by the flashback malware. This tool will move forward and remove all of the flashback malware from the infected Mac computer and this is through simple instructions which will be provided in using the free removal tool on the website. Kaspersky has also on their website provided a sure method of identifying if a specific Mac computer is infected through its identification number. This one is compared with the list of Mac computers found on the database of infected apple computers or rather those already on the flashback botnet. On the website still it is possible to authenticate if the java software in use is the latest and updated software version which will prevent attacks from the flashback malware. Another way is through the Dr. Web's online Web utility which also tracks UUID's of infected Mac computers.

A word of caution goes to the people out there who have had their Mac computers infected with the malware to avoid the lure of purchasing the many anti-malware options provided by the anti-malware and internet security vendors. The issue of antivirus software is a contentious one with many of these antiviruses not being in a position to fully detect the viruses and the Trojans. Most of the options provided are scandalous since they will want to prey on a desperate situation to sell scareware software which does not work at all in providing security features or doing away with the malware.

Guardian Network Solutions or GNS is an IT solutions value-added reseller that specializes in providing malware removal tools for businesses, government, and education organizations as well as home users. GNS Solutions Professionals work with manufacturers and businesses of various sizes to find secure, cost-effective solutions, and currently provide the fastest and easiest transactions for users of all sizes.

Reprint Terms: You're welcome to reprint these articles on your website and in your e-newsletters free of charge, provided that you do not change the article in any way and you include the byline, malware removal tools.

In doing so you agree to indemnify Guardian Network Solutions and its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against all losses, claims, damages, and liabilities that arise out of their use.


View the original article here