Mizki
24-06-2004, 08:51 AM
There are many precautions you need to undertake if you use the internet regulary. It is importent that you computer is protected. When it comes to Internet Security - there are many things you need to think about.
Anti Virus.
A virus is a nasty little file which can be lerking in your computer. You can be infected by a virus more ways than one. They can come directly from the spreader itself, through e-mail or IM's [This is why you should never ever open E-mail attatchments from people you do not know] however it can also come from your best friend - not that he has somthing against you, but rather his machine has been infected and has spread - somtimes this happens by spreading through our address books.
The main way to prevent infection of a virus is to get a decent Anti Virus. If you can spend a little bit of money to decently protect your pc - I recomend Nortan Anti Virus. However there are many free/trial anti virus programmes which also do a good job. You can download a free trial of Bullguard from HERE (http://www.bullguard.com/3months/). Remember that you need to download the latest virus definitions and scan your pc at least once a week.
It isnt only Virus infections you need to worry about. Trojans are also another big and worrying threat - but with the right information, you have no need to worry. A Trojan is a program that gives other people access to your computer; sometimes it "hijacks" your PC so that you cannot use certain applications to delete it.
A good firewall will prevent your PC from being accessed by a third party, but it may not prevent you from downloading a Trojan.
Not all anti-virus software will detect or remove Trojans, as they are not considered to be a major threat because they generally do not self-replicate.
There are several free on-line virus and Trojan scanners:
PCPitstop Antivirus Online Scan: http://www.pcpitstop.com/antivirus/avload.asp
Trend Micro's free online (Housecall) virus scanner: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Panda ActiveScan Online Virus Scan: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm
Symantec's Online Scan: http://security2.norton.com/
BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan: http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/licence.php
Firewalls
A firewall prevents an unwanted intruder from accessing your pc and controlling it. This can be worrying as they are able to see what you are doing, view your files and delete important information. Your computer gives alot of personal info out. It also blocks unwanted communication between programmes on your own computer, to the the internet or other computers. For an example - if your machine is infected with a keylogger - the firewall should protect your information bieng sent back to the hacker, ie, you habbo name, pass and email address.
If you do not have a firewall you can get one from http://www.download.com search for Sygate. This is a free firewall that is user-friendly and easy to use. On first time boot, you will get alot of pop ups and for someone who isnt a computer wiz, might be confusing and annoying. Gets someone to help - the second and so on times that you load the firewall - it will be more under control.
Testing
So once you have set up your anti virus and your firewall, you want to know whether they are all fine and dandy - or whether it was a waste of time [which it never is, trust me]! There are a variety of online tests which can test your computer and give you results on how safe your computer is.
http://scan.sygate.com - This site has a variety of scans, which tests a users firewall, and will tell you if there is a weak point in your connection.
http://security2.norton.com - This site has two options, the first one is a security scan, which checks if your computer is safe from online threats. The second checks for viruses/trojans/keyloggers.
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp - This site is a very easy to use online virus scanning web page, which even gives you the option to remove threatening files if it finds any on your computer.
Spyware
Spyware can be very harmful, but most are simply websites tracking your actions. For example, companies gathering information about what sites you visit etc. However you still need to be aware of the potential threats, for example a keylogger is a small file, also known as spyware. It is easy to remove any spyware that might be lurking on your computer - just go to www.download.com and search ad-aware then download a free copy.
Spysweeper is an excellent program. It will also detect many keyloggers. Download a free trial at http://webroot.com
Windows Update
The next step is very important for Windows users. Large-scale software projects are filled with bugs, and people just can’t get enough of exploiting Windows software problems. To keep yourself safe from these – Update
To update windows just go to: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
Update at least once every month. It may take a few visits to the site for you to download all the critical updates.
Anti Virus.
A virus is a nasty little file which can be lerking in your computer. You can be infected by a virus more ways than one. They can come directly from the spreader itself, through e-mail or IM's [This is why you should never ever open E-mail attatchments from people you do not know] however it can also come from your best friend - not that he has somthing against you, but rather his machine has been infected and has spread - somtimes this happens by spreading through our address books.
The main way to prevent infection of a virus is to get a decent Anti Virus. If you can spend a little bit of money to decently protect your pc - I recomend Nortan Anti Virus. However there are many free/trial anti virus programmes which also do a good job. You can download a free trial of Bullguard from HERE (http://www.bullguard.com/3months/). Remember that you need to download the latest virus definitions and scan your pc at least once a week.
It isnt only Virus infections you need to worry about. Trojans are also another big and worrying threat - but with the right information, you have no need to worry. A Trojan is a program that gives other people access to your computer; sometimes it "hijacks" your PC so that you cannot use certain applications to delete it.
A good firewall will prevent your PC from being accessed by a third party, but it may not prevent you from downloading a Trojan.
Not all anti-virus software will detect or remove Trojans, as they are not considered to be a major threat because they generally do not self-replicate.
There are several free on-line virus and Trojan scanners:
PCPitstop Antivirus Online Scan: http://www.pcpitstop.com/antivirus/avload.asp
Trend Micro's free online (Housecall) virus scanner: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Panda ActiveScan Online Virus Scan: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm
Symantec's Online Scan: http://security2.norton.com/
BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan: http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/licence.php
Firewalls
A firewall prevents an unwanted intruder from accessing your pc and controlling it. This can be worrying as they are able to see what you are doing, view your files and delete important information. Your computer gives alot of personal info out. It also blocks unwanted communication between programmes on your own computer, to the the internet or other computers. For an example - if your machine is infected with a keylogger - the firewall should protect your information bieng sent back to the hacker, ie, you habbo name, pass and email address.
If you do not have a firewall you can get one from http://www.download.com search for Sygate. This is a free firewall that is user-friendly and easy to use. On first time boot, you will get alot of pop ups and for someone who isnt a computer wiz, might be confusing and annoying. Gets someone to help - the second and so on times that you load the firewall - it will be more under control.
Testing
So once you have set up your anti virus and your firewall, you want to know whether they are all fine and dandy - or whether it was a waste of time [which it never is, trust me]! There are a variety of online tests which can test your computer and give you results on how safe your computer is.
http://scan.sygate.com - This site has a variety of scans, which tests a users firewall, and will tell you if there is a weak point in your connection.
http://security2.norton.com - This site has two options, the first one is a security scan, which checks if your computer is safe from online threats. The second checks for viruses/trojans/keyloggers.
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp - This site is a very easy to use online virus scanning web page, which even gives you the option to remove threatening files if it finds any on your computer.
Spyware
Spyware can be very harmful, but most are simply websites tracking your actions. For example, companies gathering information about what sites you visit etc. However you still need to be aware of the potential threats, for example a keylogger is a small file, also known as spyware. It is easy to remove any spyware that might be lurking on your computer - just go to www.download.com and search ad-aware then download a free copy.
Spysweeper is an excellent program. It will also detect many keyloggers. Download a free trial at http://webroot.com
Windows Update
The next step is very important for Windows users. Large-scale software projects are filled with bugs, and people just can’t get enough of exploiting Windows software problems. To keep yourself safe from these – Update
To update windows just go to: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
Update at least once every month. It may take a few visits to the site for you to download all the critical updates.