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Using your personal computer |
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Hilton Head Island Computer Club |
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Malware |
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Malware is the term used for the annoying programs called spyware, adware and key loggers. Malware (from malice) comes from the intent of these programs to extract information from the computers of users to the advantage of those using the programs. Everyone reading this has listened to the radio, watched TV, used a phone and gets mail. Each one of these is something we use on a daily bases and would be unhappy if we did not have them. However, we also have disliked aspects of all of them. The communication tools that come with our computers are similar, we like e-mail and using the Internet. We may also use newsreaders, instant messages, and chat rooms and even use peer to peer file exchanges. Because the Internet is so wide open for the whole world, those using malware have become the biggest threat to anyone using all of the above. A couple of pages from CNET that have been included in this newsletter talk about this problem and some of the software to combat the problem. Those sheets do not address a key logger, which is a type of software that can be purchased. Key loggers literally keep track of everything that is typed on the computer and are almost impossible to detect on your computer. Finally, these programs can capture your browser and then totally be in command of your computer. Recently I have talked to two people whose computers were so infected that they could not get on the Internet, but their computer could by itself. Another individual who charges $65 per hour has told me that they had spent up to ten hours removing the programs infecting a computer. That individual’s input was “it almost cheaper to buy a whole new computer”. I hope everyone reading this article is getting the message; you need to protect your computer. I use three free programs to try and protect my system. They are Ad-aware 6.0, Spybot S & D 1.3 and WinPatrol 7.0.1. Both Ad-aware and Spybot use definitions to track those they consider dangerous in a similar manner to the definitions used in anti-virus software. You need to check for updates each time you use the programs. And of course it is possible to miss a new malware. And, even if the programs were running their recent update they could still miss some problems. That is why you run more than one program and hope for the best. However, a good deal of the problem is where you go to on the Internet and the use of some of the other communication tools available. Currently I do not use newsgroups, instant messenger, chat room or peer-to-peer file exchange. These and porn sites are very dangerous and create a large amount of detected problems. I try to run both of these program each week and get somewhere between 4 or 5 to 12 or 13 from each program. It has been just about a week and I got 11 from Spybot and 12 from Ad-aware, and they both had new updates. I monitor a number of computers at the Boys and Girls Club in Bluffton and had 515 for one pass with Ad-aware. If you were trying to determine where the problems come from, run both programs and go to your every day sites or places and re-run to see how many are coming from those sources. This method would be very detailed but would reveal the problem spots. You may then want to complain to those sites if you feel they are important to you. WinPatrol is a totally different approach, monitoring for any new additions to certain parts of your computer. Those monitored are Start-Up Programs, IE Helpers, Scheduled Tasks, Services, Active Tasks and Cookies. Any time anything attempts to add something new to these areas, you receive a warning and an ability to prevent it. The only exception is the Cookies and you would have difficulty using the Internet if you were warned of every cookie. |
