How many spyware items are infecting your computer?

I just had, by mistake, a plug-in called Intelligent Explorer attach to my browser. What a nightmare!  I have another article on this topic, but this brings home a point.  Spyware or adware items are continually infecting computers. Most computers have no protection from them. Most frightening is the frequency of them.  From the InfosecWriters web site, "According to a 2004 survey by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance, 91% of users questioned were familiar with the term spyware. Only 53% believed their computers were infected, but a scan found that 80% of their PCs had some type of spyware installed on them."  It goes on to say,  "...The average number of spyware components per computer was 93 with one computer having well over a thousand."

What is Spyware?

“The term ‘spyware’ is broadly defined as any program that gets into your computer without permission and hides in the background while it makes unwanted changes to your user experience.
Spyware is generally not designed to damage your computer. The damage it does is more a by-product of its main mission, which is to serve you targeted advertisements or make your browser display certain sites or search results.

At present, most spyware targets only the Windows operating system (Internet Explorer).”

To be fair, spyware can be harmless, for example tracking cookies don’t do much. While such things infringe on your privacy, they don't really harm anything. Others, however, are extremely dangerous.

So what do you do about it?

No spyware program seems to do everything, but there are a lot of goods solutions out there that can help. Here is a list of some of the top Spyware tools to look at:

1) Try Ad-Aware 6.0 Professional from LavaSoft (there is also a free version with less functionality)

2) Spybot Search & Destroy from PepiMK Software

3) Xoftspy form Pareto Logic

5) Spyware Guard from Javacool Software is a free program

4) Pest Patrol (now part of Computer Associates by acquisition)

5) McAfee Anti-Spyware

One thing is for certain: you do need to take spyware seriously.  For some reason, too many people out there think anti-virus solutions are the end-all solution. They are not. 

And, when all else fails?

Finally, as drastic as it seems,  if your computer has been infected with a large number of spyware programs, the only solution you may have is backing up your data, and performing a complete reinstall of the operating system.

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Few easy steps you can take to immediately protect your computer.

=> Don’t run unfamiliar programs on your computer. 
It sounds like common sense, but many of the most prominent attacks have involved spyware and email attachment worms such as Bagle and Netsky.  If you don’t recognize the sender, don’t download its attachments.

 
=> Don’t allow unrestricted physical access to your computer. 

If you have sensitive or proprietary information on your computer, allowing other employees or family members to use your computer can lead to potential breaches in your computer’s security.

=> Don’t use weak passwords.
Use passwords which are difficult for someone to figure out.  People frequently use the names of children, pets, anniversary dates, or birthdays.  Because there seems to be a password needed for everything, it is not uncommon to see many people using the same password for everything.  Big mistake!  The use of only one password provides a hacker with easy access to a smorgasbord of personal information.  If you have to write your passwords down, it is best not to leave them on a post-it, attached to the screen of your computer.  You may chuckle at the absurdity, but it happens more than you think.

=> Don’t forget to regularly patch your operating system and other applications.
Many industry experts believe that most network security attacks would be stopped if computer users would just keep their computers updated with patches and security fixes.  Too often, we forget to do this on a regular basis.  Remember that every day, new viruses, worms and Trojans are being created and distributed.  They are looking for the weaknesses in your computer system.  Having outdated software is basically the same as holding the door open and inviting them in for a visit.

=>Don’t forget to make regular backups of important data

Always keep a copy of important files on removable media such as floppy/ZIP disks or recordable CD-ROM disks.  Store the backups in a location separate from the computer.

In most cases, Windows desktop and screen-saver passwords provides adequate protection for normal security concerns.  However, if you feel more comfortable taking additional security measures consider obtaining a comprehensive security suite. 

Selecting a Antivirus Software

The next question is how do you pick the best product for your needs?  You start by asking yourself a series of questions.  Do you need password protection for individual files, your desktop, a network, or to block someone’s access to the Internet?  Is your computer used only by you or do multiple users have access to the computer?   How many users in total do you expect on your computer? What are your system requirements?  How much do you want to spend? 

Once you are able to answer these questions, you can begin to research which security suite will best meet your needs.  Product reviews and user statements provide a great starting point.  PC Magazine (www.pcmag.com), Zdnet.com (www.zdnet.com), and Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org) are just a few informative sites that offer research on various computer software products.

There are numerous security suites available on the market.  Take the time to choose the one that meets your specific needs.  As a starting point, we’ve listed a couple of the more popular programs.

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Finding the Security Suite that meets your needs

Before proceeding to read this article, it is important that we state something up front.    It is essential for the reader to understand and appreciate that there is no such thing as a secure operating system or web browser.  While the use of security suites and other complementing products can significantly reduce your risks, they are not magic wands that you can wave to eliminate 100% of your risk.  Any product claiming they can do this should be viewed with great skepticism. 

With that being said, let’s talk computer security and security suites.  There are numerous ways in which the security of your computer can be breached.  The most common threats come from worms, viruses, Trojans, phishing, hackers and crackers.  Potential security breaches can come in the form of downloading unfamiliar email attachments, being monitored by spyware, maliciously attacked by malware, or probed through port scanning.

Dshield.org (www.dshield.org), a non-profit company, functions as a “dominating attach correlation engine with worldwide coverage”.  In short, they work with people and companies to track, among other things, port scanning violations.  Port scanning involves a person (referred to as a hacker or cracker) who attempts to break into you computer through the open ports in your system.  Once an open port is located, the individual attempts to collect your personal data or install a malware program into you computer.  On average, Dshield.org logs over 1.1 billion reported attempts of port scanning each month.  What is even scarier is that this is just based on their program participants.  You can imagine how many more incidents are occurring each month to the general population of computer users.

Dshield.org also reports on survival time.  Survival time refers to how long it will take before an unpatched PC is attacked or infected.  

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Securing Your Computer System

Today, more and more people are using their computers for everything from communication to online banking and investing to shopping.  As we do these things on a more regular basis, we open ourselves up to potential hackers, attackers and crackers.  While some may be looking to phish your personal information and identity for resale, others simply just want to use your computer as a platform from which to attack other unknowing targets.  Below are a few easy, cost-effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure.

1.                  Always make backups of important information and store in a safe place separate from your computer.

2.                  Update and patch your operating system, web browser and software frequently.  If you have a Windows operating system, start by going to www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and running the update wizard.  This program will help you find the latest patches for your Windows computer.  Also go to www.officeupdate.microsoft.com to locate possible patches for your Office programs.

3.                  Install a firewall.  Without a good firewall, viruses, worms, Trojans, malware and adware can all easily access your computer from the Internet.  Consideration should be given to the benefits and differences between hardware and software based firewall programs.

4.                  Review your browser and email settings for optimum security.  Why should you do this?  Active-X and JavaScript are often used by hackers to plant malicious programs into your computers.  While cookies are relatively harmless in terms of security concerns, they do still track your movements on the Internet to build a profile of you.  At a minimum set your security setting for the “internet zone” to High, and your “trusted sites zone” to Medium Low.

5.                  Install antivirus software and set for automatic updates so that you receive the most current versions.

6.                  Do not open unknown email attachments.  It is simply not enough that you may recognize the address from which it originates because many viruses can spread from a familiar address.   

7.                  Do not run programs from unknown origins.  Also, do not send these types of programs to friends and coworkers because they contain funny or amusing stories or jokes.  They may contain a Trojans horse waiting to infect a computer.

8.                  Disable hidden filename extensions.  By default, the Windows operating system is set to “hide file extensions for known file types”.  Disable this option so that file extensions display in Windows.  Some file extensions will, by default, continue to remain hidden, but you are more likely to see any unusual file extensions that do not belong.  

9.                  Turn off your computer and disconnect from the network when not using the computer.  A hacker can not attack your computer when you are disconnected from the network or the computer is off.

10.              Consider making a boot disk on a floppy disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised by a malicious program.  Obviously, you need to take this step before you experience a hostile breach of your system.  

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