Mr FixIt 4u Computer and Software Services - Allan Treadwell is TOP ASSOCIATE since 2004
Find him at http://www.Mr-FixIt-4u.com/Surbiton/
Viruses Latest
With over 200 NEW VIRUSES every day, we have found it necessary to issue advice on how to keep free of trouble. Here is our BEST advice and recommendations:
See Also: Pharming, Phishing and Spoofing Nasties !!! .
Mr-FixIt-4u has found that over 95% of its Customers have computer problems which originate with Virus and Malware getting on their computer.
We often install and recommend Software to CLEAN UP and PROTECT your computer from these DAMAGING intruders. We could write a book on HOW YOU GET VIRUS and MALWARE INFECTIONS, what they do to your computers and communication. However, our view is that NO VIRUS or MALWARE is good on your computer so we will concentrate on KEEPING THEM OUT and ELIMINATING ANY INFECTION.
All of theses INTRUDERS come from the Internet via Browsing or Emails, and on rare occasions from homemade disks inserted into your computer. By far the worst source is BROADBAND because of the speed of transfer and lesser control you can have over what comes to your computer.
We commonly install the elements you need to clean up your computer and keep it protected. The essential elements are listed below and can be obtained: Click Here
These are your lifeline to the safest internet use of your computer which we can provide for free. We use them because together they are a formidable army of protection, IF USED PROPERLY. They are better than or as good as software you may be encouraged to purchase from large retail outlets for tens of pounds.
There are also a number of other GUARDIANS we can provide like – PARENTAL CONTROL to protect children – POPUP BLOCKER to avoid unwanted or obscene panels appearing – SPAN KILLER to reduce the huge amount of rubbish that targets your mailbox. Just ask us for advice on this.
How to Use This Protection
Firstly, try to NEVER PUT DISKS IN YOUR MACHINE that come from unknown or untested sources. Always test then for viruses before loading anything.
Secondly, NEVER OPEN ANY EMAIL FROM UNKNOWN OR UNINVITED SOURCES. If you don't know who it is from IT PROBABLY is SPAM, RUDE or has VIRUSES in it.
Finally for now, we find that P to P (Person to Person - KAZZAR, LIMEWIRE and NAPSTER like File Sharing Software) and MSN Messenger are good ways to get viruses on your machine quickly. We would ask you to be EXTRA CAUTIOUS if you use these things often. Better still DON'T USE THEM AT ALL!!!
So We Recommend (you may like to PRINT this page for reference)UPDATE your MALWARE REMOVING software (SpyBot and Ad-Aware) and ANTI VIRUS (AVG), EVERY DAY if you go on the internet. Preferably before you close down your computer at the end of the day. There are 200 NEW VIRUSES and MALWARE put on the Internet every day!!! Right now there are over 175,000 just hoping to find a way onto your machine. Then they open the doors for others too.
SCAN your computer with ANTI VIRUS software (AVG,) AT THE END OF EVERY DAY. It takes about 30 minutes but saves you a lot of grief and expense.
SCAN your computer for MALWARE (SpyBot and Ad-aware) - AT THE END OF EVERY INTERNET SESSION!! That could be 3 or more times a day! It only takes about 5-10 minutes and is a real eye opener to what is getting on your computer. Never do this job less than once per day!!! It will almost always find something new!!!!
Daily CleanUp Process (This becomes simple and automatic after your first run through)
Part 1 Get Updates and Start Scans.
SpyBot - Double Click desktop icon> Click Search for Updates button> Tick any Update Boxes that are found> Click Download Updates> Select the DropDown Arrow to the left of the Download Updates Button - a DropDown list will appear - Select Safer Networking #2 (Europe)> Click Download Updates> Allow updates to complete> Click Search & Destroy Icon> Click Check for problems> minimize this program to the Task Bar at the bottom of the screen. You may now go to Ad-Aware.
Ad-Aware 2008 - Double Click desktop icon> When opened Select> UPDATE> Select Yes> Yes> Download> OK> When Update Download is complete Select> Scan Now> Full Scan> Scan> The Scan will now proceed> minimize this program to the Task Bar at the bottom of the screen. You may now go to AVG.
AVG 8 - Double Click desktop icon> Click Check for Updates button > Click Update button> Wait for update to download and self load> Click OK> If more than one update was shown rerun the Check for Updates again > When all updates are complete click Scan Computer button> minimize this program to the Task Bar at the bottom of the screen. You may now use your computer for other things you want to do.
Part 2 Clean-ups and Close
SpyBot Finishes Scan (about 17 minutes) - Maximize the Program from the Task Bar> Click Fix Selected problems button> Wait and then Click Yes button (there may be a Restore Point created)> When Problems are removed BIG GREEN ticks appear on the list> Click OK> X to Close SpyBot.
Ad-aware 2008 Finishes Scan (about 35 minutes) - Maximize the Program from the Task Bar> The Scan Results Page is shown> Select Critical Objects Tab> Select (tick) all Critical Objects shown> NEXT> Select Privacy Objects Tab> Select (tick) all Privacy Objects> NEXT> When finished removing all Objects > Click FINISH> Click X to close Ad-Aware.
AVG 8 Finishes Scan (over 40 minutes) - (Note - AVG offers virus fixes while it is scanning so select Repair, Vault or Delete as appropriate at that time)> Maximize the Program from the Task Bar> In the Test Results panel - scroll down looking for RED ICONS on the left> Click items with RED ICONS> If buttons appear below the list, use them to remove unfixed viruses> When all RED ICONS are fixed Click X to Close AVG.
Recommendations Continued
INTELLIGENT USE of the FIREWALL (ZoneAlarm) – this is the one thing that requires you to decide if programs on your computer should be allowed to access the Internet. When Prompted by ZONE ALARM you have to choose if you want to let software on your computer go to the Internet. CHOSE WISELY or THE VIRUSES WILL GET YOU!! Zone Alarm will automatically prompt you to update itself when needed. Always select only the FIRE WALL for free use.
WINDOWS UPDATE – this should be turned on to AUTOMATIC UPDATE but once a month you should proactively go and find any updates that have not been loaded. Mostly the CRITICAL UPDATES are taken care of by AUTOMATIC UPDATE but that is not all you will find.
Mozilla Browser - As 98% of viruses are made to make use of Internet Explorer and its weaknesses, we say you should use Mozilla instead. It avoids most of those browser viruses.
Ultra WinClean - While this is not an anti Virus product it does clear out all the rubbish you collect on your Hard Drive. That speeds up everything.
CHKDSK and SCANDISK - At least every 3 months run CHKDSK on XP or SCANDISK on 98. For CHKDSK go to START>RUN and type in " CHKDSK c: /r " >OK. This removes lots of problems from your Hard Disk.
Defragment the Hard Disks - this takes a few hours to run so do it over night. At least every 3 months - Open START > RUN and in the box type " defrag c: " >OK.
This is by no means all we could recommend but it is 95% of what is needed to keep you from falling prey to NASTY STUFF out there for free. We will show you how the software we install performs the tasks above but we advise you to learn these tasks as you will perform them regularly. Each tool has its own HELP and possibly TUTORIAL.
There are ROGUE DIALLING PROGRAMS that can HIJACK your computer!! If you have BROADBAND disconnect your old Telephone Modem from the Telephone Wire at the back of your computer. For Dial-up users ALWAYS LOOK AT THE NUMBER BEING DIALLED!! If it changes to 0900 then you will be paying £1.50/minute to Dial-up. Such DIALLERS must be removed immediately with SpyBot.
NEVER GIVE YOUR BANKING and CREDIT CARD DETAILS over the internet if requested by a site or service you do not know. Real BANKS NEVER ASK THESE DETAILS unless you are logging onto their site to do your own business. Always go to your BANK etc via the link you normally use, NEVER FROM AN EMAIL.
NEVER RESPOND TO ‘GET RICH QUICK OFFERS' OR EMAILS. AVOID RESPONDING TO EMOTIONAL PRESSURES FROM UNKNOWN EMAIL. $42M in a Bank from a dead relative? You have won $30M on our Lottery? NO WAY!!!
Pharming, Phishing and Spoofing Nasties !!!!
Pharming
(farm´ing) (n.) Similar in nature to e-mail phishing , pharming seeks to obtain personal or private (usually financial related) information through domain spoofing . Rather than being spammed with malicious and mischievous e-mail requests for you to visit spoof Web sites which appear legitimate, pharming 'poisons' a DNS server by infusing false information into the DNS server, resulting in a user's request being redirected elsewhere. Your browser , however will show you are at the correct Web site, which makes pharming a bit more serious and more difficult to detect. Phishing attempts to scam people one at a time with an e-mail while pharming allows the scammers to target large groups of people at one time through domain spoofing.
(fish´ing) (n.) The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft . The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user's information. For example, 2003 saw the proliferation of a phishing scam in which users received e-mails supposedly from eBay claiming that the user's account was about to be suspended unless he clicked on the provided link and updated the credit card information that the genuine eBay already had. Because it is relatively simple to make a Web site look like a legitimate organizations site by mimicking the HTML code , the scam counted on people being tricked into thinking they were actually being contacted by eBay and were subsequently going to eBay's site to update their account information. By spamming large groups of people, the “phisher” counted on the e-mail being read by a percentage of people who actually had listed credit card numbers with eBay legitimately.
Phishing, also referred to as brand spoofing or carding , is a variation on “fishing,” the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hopes that while most will ignore the bait, some will be tempted into biting.
Spoofing
(spoof´ing) (n.) A technique used to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby the intruder sends messages to a computer with an IP address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted host. To engage in IP spoofing, a hacker must first use a variety of techniques to find an IP address of a trusted host and then modify the packet headers so that it appears that the packets are coming from that host.
Newer routers and firewall arrangements can offer protection against IP spoofing.
If you feel vulnerable or want to clean up your act then Contact Us for our help. You will be glad you did :-)
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