The “M” Word – Protecting Yourself from Malware

Posted by ttblogger on 08/08 at 04:46 PM Permalink
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In this year, 2010, malware seems to be as ubiquitous as the air we breathe. While computer users today are much more savvy against the threat of malware, there’s still more that we can do. In this Tech Tip we’ll look at some very practical things to do to keep yourself protected as well as some things that you can do if you have inadvertently picked up some malware on any of your PC computers.

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    Posted by Dave  on  08/08  at  05:51 PM

  1. I use and recommend “Remove Fake Antivirus.exe” which is a free program available from http://freeofvirus.blogspot.com.

    It has saved my computer at least three times when I got a pop-up offering to “remove your infection”. One instance I got from an ad (which I didn’t even click on) at comics.com. Another came in through Shockwave’s Daily Jigsaw.

    Freeware is my favourite price!!!

    2. Posted by Brendan Wilson  on  08/08  at  06:05 PM

  2. As a computer tech I see lots of issues dealing with malware. I recomend AVG Free to everyone and also Spybot Search and destory. my web site even has detailed set up instructions for AVG so that once you install it you do not have to worry about it as much.

    3. Posted by joel  on  08/08  at  07:24 PM

  3. I just wanted to add that, as noted in the article, many of today’s malware cripple your access to the internet. If this happens a tool that I have found to be excellent in these situations is Superantispyware Portable. The software is portable and is already updated when you download it. There is no installation process involved. Simply put it on a flash drive or disc, take it the the infected computer, click on the file and scan. This sometimes must be done in safe mode to prevent the process of the malware from loading. Great article.. Thanks!!

    4. Posted by Teddy A Sawyer  on  08/08  at  09:54 PM

  4. Hi! I am constantly receiving Malware on my computer, what is the best Malware protection free edition? Thanks Teddy A Sawyer

    5. Posted by Bruce Epper  on  08/08  at  10:09 PM

  5. Attempting to install anti-malware software after a system has been hit is a questionable proposition.  Depending on what hit the system, the user may or may not be able to install AV software after the fact.  Instead, a user should have one trusted AV solution installed on the machine and configured for “on-access” or “real-time” scanning.  They should also have another secondary product (such as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware) installed (but not set up for real-time scanning if using the paid version).  The database for the real-time solution should be configured to automatically update the database.  The secondary solution should be updated automatically as well if possible or updated manually by the user frequently, even if it is not used for a scan at the moment.  Regular scans should be set up (either automatically or manually) since no single AV product can effectively detect all threats to the system.

    Users should also download and burn a bootable CD such as Hiren’s Boot CD, Ultimate Boot CD or UBCD4Win to ensure they can boot a clean environment to aid in the removal of rootkits and other hard-to-remove crapware that can invade their systems.  These include antivirus/antimalware tools, backup utilities, system restoration and many other programs to ease the burden of cleaning an infected system.  This type of disc has allowed me to clean up many machines brought to my by my neighbors, friends and family members.

    6. Posted by thomas graham  on  08/09  at  04:14 AM

  6. How do I get rid of “Ask.com”? To me it is Malware, Spam or whatever you wish to csall it. I didn’t knowingly install it.
    Tom

    7. Posted by Miguel Camejo  on  08/09  at  06:40 AM

  7. Thanks for this Tech-tips, is the best that ever read...!!!
    thanks Geeks

    8. Posted by Orville Nolan  on  08/09  at  07:29 AM

  8. Thanks a lot, I have had a time with my virus protection, very expensive and not good at all.  I can run a scan, it will clear out a virus, but low and behole, ther5e are 10 that were left when I run a seperate virus check, good info, I appreciate it

    9. Posted by Jay  on  08/09  at  08:16 AM

  9. Hey Geeks, I just downloaded the MS security essentials.  I was using Trend AV, but let the subscription expire.  Should I uninstall Trend AV? 

    A. Does it still provide protection even tho I’m not subscribing to the updates?

    B. OR, Would it conflict with MS Security Essentials?

    10. Posted by Y A Singh MD  on  08/09  at  12:28 PM

  10. It is good to be aware of malware but depending on the level of geekness, it can enter mostly due to ignorance. I scan my computer occasionally for malware but I use only a firewall. Zonealarm is my favorite because it lets you know if something from your computer is accessing the Internet. Most important protection is back up, but when it is done my way: Keep an image of the boot partition on another partition and do not keep any data on the boot partition. Of course, you need to divide that monster hard drive into several workable partitions. Here is some more detail:
    http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7813_102-0.html?messageID=2571195&tag=commProfileMain;profileBot#2571195

    11. Posted by Dave  on  08/09  at  05:14 PM

  11. In addition to the “Remove Fake Antivirus.exe” I mentioned in the first post - I also maintain a suite of AVG, Spybot Search & Destroy, Ad Aware and Malware Bytes ... all of which are updated and run at least once a week - just in case. AVG runs daily and updates automatically. Call me paranoid but, I have been caught by some dandies. It’s not really paranoia if they’re really out to get you.  wink

    ENJOY!!!

    12. Posted by - bill  on  08/10  at  09:32 PM

  12. One of the best protections against malware from Web sites is simply a hardware router that performs network address translation (NAT).  As long as you’re not prone to running software of dubious origin (either by downloading it or from promiscuous clicking of Web-page options) malware will be hard-pressed to get a grip on your machine (it’s been many years since we’ve even seen an attempt, and we don’t always limit our excursions to the better parts of town).

    Just in case, though, we run the NoScript add-on for the Firefox browser, Avira’s AntiVir, and Tall Emu’s Online Armor (with its ‘run safer’ option for browsers and email):  all free, all relatively light on use of system resources, and all runnable on Win7/Vista/XP/2000 (finding reasonably up to date security software for earlier versions of Windows has become difficult, and indeed you need to use an older version of Online Armor on Win2K, but, unlike anti-virus products, good firewalls remain effective for a long time without update).

    The article lists several good free options to help determine whether something nasty has already sneaked past your defenses.  People who wish to extend their protection to cover Web tracking mechanisms should consider the Firefox AdBlock Plus and BetterPrivacy extensions (plus setting Firefox to discard cookies each time it exits).

    All of which barely scratches the surface of what’s available, but it’s not a bad start.

    13. Posted by Calgary Computer Repair  on  08/11  at  05:39 PM

  13. Good article.  Great, actually! At my computer repair shop in Calgary Alberta, we start with Malwarebytes, AVG, and SuperAntispyware to remove viruses.  Often that’s enough with basic viruses, but occasionally we get really bad one and have to use Hijack this and other methods like editting the registry.

    14. Posted by Joel  on  08/16  at  09:13 AM

  14. I just wanted to state that beginning the malware removal process should always begin with HJT. The reason for this is to ensure there are no dll errors once the computer is cleaned. Too many times have I seen a user assume they are still infected after malware has been removed do to cannot find, cannot load, and errors of this type. These are simply the registry calling for the loading of a file which has been removed during the malware removal process. The files are most often part of the malware themselves and are, therefore, simply remnants. Using Hijack This to begin the process deletes the start-up entry for the file thereby preventing the error. Just my opinion here.

    15. Posted by Calgary Computer Repair  on  08/18  at  05:27 AM

  15. Good point Joel about using HJT first to make sure there are not errors from start-up entries...I’ve seen that keep a system from booting.

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