Hello readers!

Happy 2009! I get a lot of questions about these “safe surfing” practices I often refer to. Therefore I thought I’d start off the new year with the following article explaining what exactly I’m talking about. I’m going to assume that most people are using a version of a Microsoft’s Windows operating system for the majority of these, however when there is something that applies to other operating systems, I’ll be sure to mention it.

Safe Surfing Tip #1: Applies to Apple and Microsoft
Always buy your operating system!

The first and foremost reason for this is that companies like Microsoft and Apple constantly provide software updates and patches that are vital to your protection as a user of their software. These major companies put lots of money into taking care of their customers. It may not always seem like it, but they do. Everytime there is a loophole, the programmers are hard at work to fix it. If you choose to use a cracked version, you are A: (In most countries) Doing something illegal and B: Are missing out on critical updates to prevent malware and other types of attacks.

Safe Surfing Tip #2: (Applies mainly to Microsoft products, but more and more to Apple as well)
Always buy and regularly update your antivirus software!

Same sort of theory applies to this tip. If you don’t buy the software and use a cracked version or nothing at all, you are subjected to not having the updates and proper proactive protection needed when surfing the internet.

Also, choose one program and stick with that. No need for more. They just get in each other’s way. I’m not going to recommend one over the other, there have been many comparisons that can be found online if you’re willing to do the research.

Safe Surfing Tip #3: (Applies to all users of antivirus software)
Just because you have antivirus software, doesn’t mean you won’t get infected.

The first statement I get when someone comes to me with a virus issue is “but I have antivirus software!”

The main reasons that the virus got through the protection are as follows:
1) You disabled it
2) The “allow” button was clicked one-too many times
3) You allowed some program like Limewire through to download illegal music and downloaded something you thought was music, but was really a virus!

Well either those or you got tricked into opening a “male enhancement” attatchment because it was sent by a spoofed address that you thought was someone you knew.

Safe Surfing Tip #4: (Applies to everyone)
If you should be paying for something but you’re not, there’s always a chance you’re not getting what you expect.

This applies for many things, the main one being those users of torrents and P2P sharing programs. Like I mentioned in my little Limewire rant above, often files thrown into the mix of mp3s are malicious files that are mistakenly downloaded onto the system and run, thus hitting your system pretty hard with a wide variety of infections. This applies even more with software programs and keygens. Countless times I’ll check the browsing history of an infected computer and I’ll see search history for a keygen.

I’ll also mention one thing here I really can’t stand and that is people searching for pornography. In both real life and the virtual world, it’s a great way to catch a little more than a cold. I’ll leave it at that.

Safe Surfing Tip #5: (Applies to All)
When in doubt, don’t do it.

This is a common tip you hear in all walks of life. Unless you’ve got some neuropsychological issues, instinct is your friend. That gut feeling you get when you’re going somewhere you’re not supposed to be is telling you something. Listen to it.

These are just a few of the ways to stay safe when browsing the internet. Remember common sense is a lost art. Learn to use it!

General antivirus, Apple, common sense, danger, Mac, malware, microsoft, PC, Phishing, safe surfing, spam, spyware, tips, virus

Hello readers!

I know it’s been a while, but things have been busy with this influx of viruses.  I’ll keep this short and sweet but one of the main concerns I have are phishing schemes. There are many various rouge anti-spyware programs like “Antivirus 2008″ or “Antivirus 2009″ or “XP Antivirus”.  There are just too many to name!

Anyways so those of you who have already seen this have hopefully not signed up to pay for it. If you have QUICKLY CALL YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY AND PUT A STOP ON IT AND GET THEM TO ISSUE YOU A NEW CARD!!!!!

If you have not seen it yet and do sometime in the near future be sure to not sign up for it. Consult your nearest PC support centre to get it removed. Chances are if you have one infection, there are plenty more lurking in the background.

Though there may not be something blaring out at you in the open, there might be cases where you type in an address into Internet Explorer, it opens a totally random site, or something related but not quite the one you wanted. This is also a sign of an infection. Another common sign is pop-ups. Lots and lots of (or a few here and there randomly) pop-ups. They do get annoying, so if your pop-up blocker is going nuts or if you notice yourself closing a lot of random windows, there is a good chance you have a lot of infections.

So keep an eye out, practice safe surfing and if you notice anything suspicious, it’s a good idea to get some professional help.

Hope that helps!

malware annoying, antivirus, help, malware, Phishing, popup, scheme, spyware, virus

Hello to all you Apple users!

As many of you have probably already heard, Apple had a post on their website saying that users should use some sort of anti virus software for their Mac computers. Macs are still affected by viruses but they are not as wide spread as Windows as Windows boasts nearly 90% of the market share for home computers. However, Mac advertising is getting better, and therefore they are gaining a higher market share and malware authors are starting to lean more towards creating malware for Macs.

According to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Apple has been known to be slow at patching their zero day vulnerabilities (when a security problem is publicly disclosed without a patch). Thus, the well known antivirus companies (Symantec, Mcafee, Kaspersky, etc) have been working on anti virus programs Macs. A free one similar to SpyBot for PC is ClamXav. There is also a free download from Apples website.

One of the key vulnerabilities released recently is a trojan downloader called OSX_JAHLAV.A. A trojan is essentially a program that looks real but isn’t. A downloader essentially downloads files onto your computer.

This file in particular is loaded through a spam message. It links to a video that doesn’t play. The error that comes up says you need to download a video codec to play the file. The file that downloads is called ‘install.pkg’.

This package opens to code-live7000.dmg, an install file for the malware. Don’t be fooled by thinking there is only one possibility for the name. It is easy for the file to be changed to any other name to cause confusion.

The install looks incredibly real as seen by the screenshots courtesy Trend Micro.

Anyways, to sum it all up, nothing beats a users intuition. If it looks too good to be true, don’t click it. If it’s not from a trusted source, don’t open it! A good anti virus scan every couple of weeks is a good idea. I wouldn’t use the common programs that are available on the market, as those are generally the ones malware authors try to get around first.

Hope that helps!

malware antivirus, Apple, Mac, malware, spyware, Trend Micro, virus