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Thursday, May 9, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
As we all know our computers contain all sorts of important information and a lot of us can lose it all if we are not careful. You bank, shop, and work from computer and imagine what would happen if you lost that information or your files were deleted by a virus or stolen by a trojan. There is even the chance that your computer could have a keylogger on it right now stealing all of your passwords. So how will you protect that computer and all of its content? Well that is what we are here to help you with.
Internet Browser
The fact of the matter is that your internet browser is the main gateway for your computer to contract malware. The most common way to get malware is from going to a malicious website were an unsafe script was running. So you will want an internet browser that is safe, but more importantly you want tools for that browser that can make it even safer. So let us begin here.Google Chrome - Click To Go To Download Page
Google Chrome is the most secure browser that is currently released. So why settle for something like Internet Explorer? Some places of work do this because the websites they use are so out of date that only old version of Internet Explorer work. The built in protection from Google Chrome surpasses that of Bing. This can be seen from a recent Av-Test were bing contained 5 times the amount of malicious sites compared to Google which was the most secure. The journal can be downloaded from their site here.
Extensions
WOT- Scans all websites and images and gives them a rating from users this greatly increases the security.
Bitdefender Traffic Light- Scans all websites and gives their ratings from Bitdefender.
Avast Online Security- Gives website ratings by avast antivirus databases.
Use any 2 of the above or use all 3. But note that this can reduce search speed for older machines.
Firewall
The firewall is the main form of defense to protect your computer from malware and infected sites. You can think of the internet browser as some sort of Gateway, but the Firewall is your computers get keeper. Now as a home user you should not bother with buying a firewall but you should also not use the stock firewall that is built into windows. This firewall has always scored low on the Leak Tests so you will want a firewall that is free comes pre optimized and has a nice UI.Comodo Firewall - Click To Go To Download Page
Comodo firewall scores very well on the leak test and it comes with a sandbox for you to test newly downloaded software. The best thing is that this program comes pre configured for your experience. You shouldn't try to mess with the settings and configure them because there is a chance that it could backfire, and you cut off your own internet connection.
Antivirus
We all want some form of antivirus on our computer because this is whats going to stop our computer from getting infected from the malware in the first place. Now Windows does have its own antivirus product, but this scores so poorly in testing that it is not worth your time especially when there are better free alternatives. Please make sure that you only download well known and trusted antivirus products because there are plenty of fake antivirus software out there.Avast Free Antivirus - Click To Go To Download Page
Avast Free Antivirus is one of the very few programs that offer complete protection. Not to mention that the Avast user interface is so easy to use and it allows people to block websites from within with their own custom list. The great thing is that it blocks those as well as those blocked by Avast from their updates.
A new piece of Ransomware that is running around that was classified by Microsoft as Trojan:Win32/Urausy.D. This family of malware is Win32/Urausy which is a family of Ransomware that takes over your computer by displaying some form of false FBI or local Polic Department message saying that your computer is locked. Down so what do we do with this form of malware? This family of Trojans has been growing more and more common in recent times only because it has proven to be successful for the people who are making it. Some would disagree with the term industry however this is a multi million dollar industry. Which is why they keep making it all because people do not know about these fake programs and they don't protect their computers. The sad fact is that the USA which is one of the most advanced countries we are also the most heavily infected country in the world. You take 1 look at any statistic or malware map, and the US has the largest amount of infected computers. So lets just jump into the effects of this Trojan on your computer.
Effects?
This form of malware does do some strange things to the computer however it is what you would expect from any form of Ransomware. The program practically takes control of your computer by displaying this fake message and says you must pay, or your computer will lose internet access. As we know though this is a fake message and you should not pay them or it will continue the cycle. This program is disguises its self as Skype through the form of Skype.(filename) and it fools the user into thinking that this is a trust worthy program.Now the program is meant to pop-up on launch and will do it when trying to access the internet so removing it can be a pain. However it will not be that hard to remove it if you use another computer to download some sort of tools. Just remember that you should never pay for the program because this will just end up taking money away from you and the problem will still exist. You shouldn't bother contacting your ISP because this is on your side and they cant help you when it comes to removing the malware.
Removal
1.Get a USB drive.
2. Download the AVG Rescue CD
3. Follow the steps that are given on the site.
4. Run the tool on the infected machine.
5. Let it clean any files that it detects.
After That
1. Delete the AVG Rescue CD from your USB.
2. Download HitmanPro Kickstart
3. Follow the steps given on the website.
4. Run the tool on the infected machine.
5. Let it clean any files that it detects.
After that your machine should be fine. Make sure that you download some sort of antivirus software, and to keep your computer protected from further infections follow my guide on securing your computer.
The article can be found here!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
This piece of malware has grown very quickly and is becoming a very troubling form of malware for home users. This piece of malware was first classified by Microsoft on January 11th of this year. They were able to patch their program to detect this malware, yet it has become a growing threat because of out dated or just the lack of antivirus. So if you want to remove the malware skip to the bottom of the post and follow the very simple removal guide.
What Is It?
Well to take it from the name classification you will notice that it is a trojan, but there is more to it. This particular trojan was meant to be transmitted through Javascript which is what all website include. Well most of them do there are some who try to accommodate to those who don't use Java. This particular trojan is put into your temporary internet files and will start to redirect your browser to other sites. Now the sites seem to have been random in order but they were put there for someone to make money. The trojan is easily removable, and anyone can do it with a very simple tool or by going into their browser and deleting the temporary internet files. Something I found interesting is when the trojan activated some of the servers it sent were not available which meant that the trojan probably was from some sort of hacked website that was repaired.Interesting though that this became such a large threat so quickly. This issue while not very large in the public did get the attention of security experts quickly.
Removal
Very simple removal process by deleting your temporary internet files.Download Ccleaner- Then the process should be self explanatory. http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
Afterwards, you can uninstall or keep the software it is free so it is up to you.
Now I recommend that you use a form of secondary scanner such as Hitman pro. This will scan for any remnants of the malware if there are any. It will also scan for other forms of malware that you may have contracted from the infected links. If you want some powerful secondary scanners then check out my post here were I give you a very quick list about secondary scanners.
List Here
After Removal
Alright after you removed the malware the next thing that you must do is update or in some cases install some sort of antivirus software. If you need to update your program just launch it and look around for the update. It might be under some sort of tab such as maintenance, settings, update etc..
If you are looking for some sort of antivirus software then try one of the free programs below. Please remember not to download both only use 1 of them. Also make sure that you don't have any other form of antivirus software on your computer while you download these or there can be possible conflicts.
Avast- http://www.avast.com/index
Saturday, May 4, 2013
RAM which stands for Random Access Memory is one of the needed items for your computer it is also one of the most overlooked item however it is one of the best for increasing computer speed. So I will break down what RAM is why we need it and why you might need more of it.
What Is RAM
As I said in the little introduction RAM stands for Random Access Memory. Your computers memory is another type of storage. It simply works by writing information to the RAM so that it is able to run. For a process to work it needs to go to the RAM and store that information to run. Now since every program requires a certain amount of RAM to run the more you have the more programs that you can use at 1 time. Did you ever see the option of a 32-bit software and a 64-bit software and it asks which type your system is there is a reason for that. A 32-bit operating system can't use more than 4gb of RAM regardless of the actual amount that you may have. You also download those specific types because they can each access that RAM differently.So basically you can think of RAM as another type of storage for your computer. Instead of something being written to the RAM it is changing dependent on the items that are running. This is why it is called Random Access Memory. While it could be made to sound more complicated this is the idea in a Nut Shell.
How Much Do I Need
This depends on most modern operating systems you should be using 4-8gb depending on what you do. If you are a gamer then 8+ is recommended. However if you use your computer for web browsing and using Microsoft Office then you will only need 4gb. Don't go over board and buy a ton of RAM because the amount you have is dependent on your mother board. Now while the more RAM you have the better your computer will run you don't need an astronomical amount.Were Do I Buy RAM?
Well you can go to most tech stores such as Best Buy or Frys Electronics to find it but most people prefer to order it online. For instance below I have a couple of highly rated RAM from customers on Amazon. They are also 2gb so you can use multiple to get you 4gb for your basic home computer. Also remember you don't need to use all of the same kind of RAM you can use different brands but they both have to be the same speed. Also the Brand does not matter as long as it is from a reliable company and has a good review. While an item can be good if it is cheap and breaks right away or doesn't work then it becomes more of an issue for you.Since this one is 667mhz then you can only use RAM with that same speed.
Those are just a couple of examples. I recommend that you buy the same brand and type just so that it is easier on you and it reduces chances of incompatibility.
Friday, May 3, 2013
The good old VPN this is something that is not used commonly, but it should be. There is also a lot of people that might be using one, but don't know why. Whatever someones reason is for using a VPN the fact remains that they are very important and useful depending on the situation. The are most commonly used for business' and public Wi-Fi spots. There are many benefits to using a VPN, but there is a lot of risk if someone does not use a trusted vendor. This is why I will give you the break down of what a VPN is and some trusted VPN vendors.
What Is A VPN?
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. To put this in simple terms when you connect to the internet you send packets of information to the server you are connecting to. So if I am on Google they know my IP, Browser Type, General Location, Language, and probably much more. They are able to determine this from my IP address which is basically a group of numbers separated by a period that is given to hardware that connects to the internet. example IP would be 74.125.227.83 that will connect you to one of Google's servers. What a VPN does is it encrypts your data and clicks to that companies servers sends the data back and changes your IP address. The best thing that since your data is encrypted which makes it hard for the data to be stolen on a public Wi-Fi spot.
When Should I Use A VPN
You should use a VPN when you are on public Wi-Fi. The reason is because there are a lot of people that can get your private information from that Wi-Fi spot and they can steal your credit information if you do online banking in a public place. You should also use this if you use any sort of account whether it be Google, Microsoft, or any other.Other Uses
Get around Wi-Fi blocks.Protects against malicious sites
Reduces bandwidth
Trusted Companies/Products
HotSpot Shield http://www.hotspotshield.com/en
Avast Secure Line http://www.avast.com/en-us/index
Cyber Ghost http://cyberghostvpn.com/
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