[StBernard] Cybersecurity 101

[Westley Annis]

Jim,

AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy, both do the same thing, as well as
Microsoft's Windows Defender.  The problem with spyware is that you are at
the mercy of each vendor as to what is considered spyware and what isn't.
Also, some do a better job of detecting and removing different types of
spyware.

The only way to be covered is to use all three of them.  Major pain, but
necessary evil.

Westley


-----Original Message-----
Westley,

Thanks for the info.  I've got Norton anti-virus...it came on the laptop and
when the trial version expired I just purchased the full version (sigh) it's
so easy, you're hit with the screens, it's easy to do, etc.  When this one
expires I'll go back to Grisoft.  You're right, it's a great anti-virus
program.

For the benefit of all of us (I understand *some* of the differences) could
you explain the difference between what Ad-aware does and Spy-bot?   Ad-ware
gets rid of the tracking cookies, yes?  What does Spy-bot handle?  Also,
what firewall program do you recommend?  With my Vista laptop I got the
Windows firewall and Norton trial edition which I then updated with the
virus program.  On the old laptop I had Zone Alarm.  Is that one still
worthwhile?

Thanks for your assistance,

Jim





	-----------------------------------------------------
	Jim,
	
	The number one tool for staying safe in the online world is the same
as the
	non-digital world, be smart. Don't click blindly on any link, don't
view
	email in HTML format until you have verified the source, if you are
not
	expecting an attachment from someone, verify they sent it before you
open
	it.
	
	After that, you need some proper fences, so to be speak, anti-virus
software
	and anti-spyware software.
	
	Although a most users would tend to regard the two as the same,
there is a
	basic difference between the two. A virus attempts to destroy your
data
	and/or PC. Spyware watches what you do to either offer targeted ads
or,
	much worse, still personal information.
	
	In answer to Gaby's question, a key logger does exactly what it
sounds like,
	it records your keystrokes in the hopes of grabbing any usernames,
	passwords, credit card numbers, etc.
	
	How to protect yourself from these? Maintain a properly upgraded
anti-virus
	software. You don't have to go with the big names like McAfee or
Norton's.
	Personally, I can't stand Norton's and only tolerate McAfee. I
recommend
	AVG by Grisoft to all of my clients (I am a reseller for both AVG
and
	McAfee).
	
	If you are in a business environment, Grisoft cost about $15-20 per
year.
	For personal use, there is a free version.
	
	For anti-spyware, you need several programs.
	1) Download and install Microsoft's Windows Defender. It's free,
will run
	in the background, and does a good job.
	
	
	2) Download and install Lavasoft's AdAware free version (for
personal use).
	Again, you can't beat the price, but it will not run in the
background. You
	have to manually run it yourself.
	
	
	3) Download and install Spybot Search-and-Destroy. Again, it is
free,
	donations accepted. It has a component that will run in the
background, but
	it seems to have a few glitches so I tend to not install that
portion
	(TeaTimer).
	
	
	The important thing is to keep all program updated. Run the AdAware
and
	Spybot scans on a regular basis (once a week is best, once a month
at
	least).
	
	If you think you have been infected, reboot your computer into safe
mode
	with networking (so you can check for the latest updates) and do a
full scan
	with all programs. If they do not detect anything or cannot clean it
for
	any reason, call a computer tech for help. There are other tools
available,
	but if not used properly, they can render your system unbootable.
	
	If you are infected, it becomes a cost-analysis question. How much
is your
	data worth? 
	
	If you have maintained proper backups, you could wipe your system
clean by
	reinstalling Windows and all of your programs, then restoring your
data and
	doing a full scan on all of your data files.
	
	If you don't have proper backups, you could spend the time trying to
clean
	the infection manually or with other tools or you could try copying
your
	data to another location and then wiping your system as above.
	
	I have had some systems infected such that it took three days to
clean them,
	and I mean, literally three days. Start a system scan and walk away,
since
	it would be several hours before the scan would finish.
	
	Westley
	
	


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