Originally presented by John E. Evans, Jr., SW We will go over Spam, Popups, Trojans; how to avoid them and how to clean them
Common Phrases and their Definitions
Virus – A program or piece of code that “infects” one or more other programs by embedding a copy of itself in them. When these programs are executed, the embedded virus is executed too, thus propagating the "infection". This normally happens invisibly to the user.
Trojan Horse - portrays itself as something other than what it is at the point of execution. While it may advertise its activity after launching, this information is not apparent to the user beforehand. A Trojan Horse neither replicates nor copies itself, but causes damage or compromises the security of the computer. A Trojan Horse must be sent by someone or carried by another program and may arrive in the form of a joke program or software of some sort. The malicious functionality of a Trojan Horse may be anything undesirable for a computer user, including data destruction or compromising a system by providing a means for another computer to gain access, thus bypassing normal access controls.
Worm - a program that makes and facilitates the distribution of copies of itself; for example, from one disk drive to another, or by copying itself using email or another transport mechanism. The worm may do damage and compromise the security of the computer. It may arrive via exploitation of a system vulnerability or by clicking on an infected e-mail.
Spyware or Adware - any software that covertly gathers information about a user while he/she navigates the Internet and transmits the information to an individual or company that uses it for marketing or other purposes. Or any software application in which advertisements are displayed while the program is running, esp. in pop-up windows or banners, and which often is installed without the user’s knowledge or consent; also called advertising-supported software
Bot - interacts with other network services intended for people as if it were a real person. One typical use of bots is to gather information. The term is derived from the word "robot", reflecting the autonomous character in the "virtual robot"-ness of the concept. Bots on servers helping you find information and answer questions are good, Bots on your home computer and obeying the commands of a malicious hacker are bad.
Protecting Your Computer - Use a different browser - Netscape Navigator - Firefox - Install a Firewall - Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall - Tiny Firewall - Zone Alarm - Windows Firewall (does not block outbound) - If you have DSL or a Cable Modem, install a NAT Router - Linksys - Netgear - Keep Windows Updated - Critical Updates - Important Updates Removing Spyware - At minimum, download, install, update and run BOTH Spybot and Adaware - Be cautious of others, some Spyware removers are actually Spyware themselves - Scans may be required after a reboot - Depending on the computer, cleaning may take hours - Sometimes Spyware cannot be removed, and the only option is to backup your documents and do a full format and reinstallation of Windows and all the applications.
Helpful Websites
Windows Update http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Hoax Information http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org
Firefox http://www.getfirefox.com
Netscape http://www.netscape.com
Anti-Virus Sites
Symantec (Norton) Antivirus http://www.symantec.com
McAfee http://www.mcafee.com
Trend Micro http://www.trendmicro.com
Trend Micro House Call http://housecall.antivirus.com
Anti-Spyware
Ad-Aware http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Spybot http://www.safer-networking.org
Microsoft Defender (Beta) http://www.microsoft.com/defender May not play well with some antivirus programs
CWS Shredder http://www.trendmicro.com/ftp/products/online-tools/cwshredder.exe Removes only Cool Web Search variants
Free Firewalls
Zone Alarm http://www.zonealarm.com/
Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm
Tiny Firewall http://www.tinysoftware.com/
Microsoft Firewall Included in Windows XP SP 2