Infected? Me?

Gizmo’s Tech Support Alert newsletter has an editorial on what to do if you think your computer might be infected with a virus, a trojan, or some other kind of malware that’s making it act up.

Good advice and good links to help.

Rootkits have nothing to do with gardening

Rootkits are one of the newer hazards on the Web, and may include trojans.  They are designed to take control of your computer with or without your knowledge (usually without) and do who-knows-what with it.

They might report back your activities to somebody (to detect any suspected violations of copyright on music, for example) or something more sinister.

Fortunately, there are a number of programs to detect and deal with rootkits, and some of them are even free.

Find a good one at Antirootkit.com .

Top anti-virus programs include freeware Avira

In a recent (April 200 test by Virus Bulletin, five products scored perfect 100% detection rates (prices include one year of virus-signature updates): Avira Antivir Personal (free for noncommercial use), ESET NOD32 ($40), Fortinet FortiClient ($28), Frisk FPROT Antivirus ($29 for up to five PCs), and Symantec Norton Antivirus ($40).

Runners up (98 or 99% scores) were:

• McAfee Antivirus Enterprise
• Microsoft’s Forefront Security Client and Windows Live OneCare
• Webroot Spysweeper
• Bitdefender Antivirus 2008
• CA eTrust Antivirus and CA Internet Security
• Check Point ZoneAlarm
• Kaspersky Antivirus
• MWTI eScan Internet Security
• Redstone Redprotect
• Sophos Anti-virus
• Bullguard

So, the FREE! Avira Antivir Personal is top class protection for what it covers.  It does not, however, handle email viruses, spyware, or provide the same level of updates that the paid version does.

Fast, good, cheap — pick one or all three

NanoScan bills itself as the “fastest online virus scan” in this MakeUseOf article.

“It takes only about 1-2 minutes to scan your whole PC for over a million of potential threats. Please note that NanoScan only checks for problems; it doesn’t fix them. However, if it finds some virus or any other kind of undesirable crapware you can click through provided scan reports and access TotalScan. To use TotalScan you’ll need to register, but the good news it’s 100% free. TotalScan will find those threats and remove them.”

Nano Scan - Features:

• Detects more than 2.7 million of viruses, spyware, trojans, etc.
• Access NanoScan virus check right from your personal startpage, i.e. NetVibes, iGoogle or PageFlakes.
• TotalScan: In case NanoScan detects something use Totalscan to remove it.
• The first time you use NanoScan you will need to download an ActiveX control or a plug-in, depending on what browser you have.
• Multi-lingual: Available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian.
• API (for developers): Integrate Nanoscan service into your website for free.

11 ways to fix your laptop

Wasn’t that a Paul Simon song?  “11 ways to fix your… ” no, wait, that’s “11 ways to leave your laptop”… no, it’s “11 ways to leave your lover”…

Never mind.

Laptop Magazine does have 11 ways to fix your laptop.  It covers overheating, a slow hard drive, battery not holding a charge, needing more memory, hard drive failure, a bad keyboard, not connecting to a wireless network, stuck pixels on the screen, system crash, virus or spyware infestation, and outdated video drivers.

Free anti-virus and other help

Computer Cleanup has a page of free anti-virus, system scanners, firewalls, and other security tools to make your system more secure without a lot of money changing hands.

Hotspot Shield for using wireless on the go

Hotspot Shield is for those who use the wireless hot spots in cafes, coffee shops, airports, etc. — which can also be very dangerous places to expose your passwords, etc.!

“But while you’re enjoying your latte and a bagel, some hacker might be accessing your passwords, credit card numbers, sensitive company data and much more. And standard antivirus software won’t protect you. That’s why AnchorFree is pleased to offer Hotspot Shield. This free security software keeps your Internet connection secure at public hotspots, home or work.”

“Hotspot Shield creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your laptop and the wireless router. This impenetrable tunnel prevents snoopers and hackers from viewing your email, instant messages, credit card information or anything else you send over a wireless network. Which means you remain anonymous and protect your privacy.  Hotspot Shield security software is free to download, employs the latest VPN technology, and is easy to install and use.”

Runs on XP, Vista, 2000, Macs… see the list at the site.

Best Free Software list from PC Magazine

PC Magazine has a list of their picks for the best free software, as of February 2, 2008.

157 programs, in all sorts of categories.

Operating systems don’t just stick with Windows, either — they include a number of flavors of Linux.

There are several freeware anti-virus programs, firewalls, and other security measures, along with lots of other useful freeware.

Ad-Aware to detect malware

Ad-Aware is available in a free version (as well as pay versions with more features).  This is a great — and FREE! — way to check for malware (viruses, trojans, adware, etc.) on your system, and you should use it to double-check your regular anti-virus software.

Ad-Aware is something you should update and then run every so often — say, monthly– and you can use the Internet Fixes advice on how to do it.

Ad-Aware needs to be downloaded each time, as it does not have automatic updates for the free version.  The latest version is always the one you downloaded today.

Outlook and virus prevention

Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express are popular choices for email and other functions, but they have gained a reputation as primary targets of viruses, trojans, and other malware.  (In fact, ANYTHING from Microsoft tends to be a primary target, since it is the most popular software in many categories, so damage would be done to more users.)

Internet Fixes has advice on avoiding infection while using Outlook Express.   The same precautions will help with regular Outlook.

These include:

• using the latest, updated version of Outlook or Outlook Express
• disabling the Preview Pane when using Outlook or Outlook Express
• sending all messages with attachments to a special folder first, then scanning them with anti-virus software (which you also keep updated!) before opening

REMEMBER: viruses and other malware may steal addresses from a friend and use them to send copies of malware to you.  Just because you got a message from a friend you trust, does not mean that you can trust the message!  Your friend may not even know it was sent to you.

Norton / Symantec uninstalling

Windows Secrets covers a problem with the Symantec (makers of Norton software) uninstaller. “Unfortunately, neither Symantec’s bundled uninstaller — nor a little-known, special utility from the company — removes every single thing.”

[Norton] “acknowledges that one DLL is intentionally left behind. This is a DRM (digital rights management) component intended to protect the company against a person installing a trial version multiple times to avoid paying for the product. Symantec does not remove any Registry entries related to this component.”

The article has the steps for removing one or more Symantec products. These are often provided as ‘trial’ products with a new PC.

[updated 2008/3/3]

Warning for QuickBooks and other Intuit products: Intuit has a warning and explanation about the Norton Removal tool on their Web site.  Check this before using the Norton Removal Tool.

Get the MajorGeeks on your side

MajorGeeks has software to check for problems and malware as well as other good stuff.

Recommended as a PC Magazine Top 100 Undiscovered Web Site of 2007.

Free malware check - are you Infected or Not?

Infected Or Not will do a free check for malware.

Recommended by PC Magazine as a Top 100 Undiscovered Web Site of 2007.

[update of 2008/6/2]

Another free check is available as a-squared Free which is “a full tool to clean your computer from Malware. Not only Spywares, as detected by classic Anti-Spyware programs, but also especially Trojans, Backdoors, Worms, Dialers, Keyloggers and a lot of other destructive pests, which makes it dangerous to surf the web.”

Note: be sure to download the latest version of a-squared Free each time, as it does not automatically update in the freeware version.

Scan ‘em if you think you’ve got ‘em

Some web sites offer anti-virus scanning services. These don’t offer continuous protection, and they may or may not let you remove any problems you find, but if you think you’re infected, one of these might confirm it.

McAfee Stinger freeware that finds and removes latest viruses. Not a substitute for an anti-virus program, but useful when it’s too late and you think you’ve already got one. Recommended by PC Annoyances

Trend Micro’s Housecall will scan and clean your system for free. Recommended by PC Annoyances

Avast! That be pirate talk for anti-virus freeware

avast! 4 Home Edition is freeware recommended by SmartComputing magazine (April 2006 p. 103), has free automatic updates, covers lots of protection. It is ONLY for personal and non-commercial use — there is another paid version for other users.

Virus protection for free from AVG

AVG anti-virus freeware anti-virus.

Recommended by PC Annoyances and Windows Secrets.

Warning: this may not catch all the latest versions of viruses, etc. Be sure to update regularly.

Test your system firewall

Gibson Research Corporation has Shields Up! a free test to see how secure your internet connection is, how well your firewall protects you, etc.  This test will connect to your computer (you’ll need to give permission to it) and check for any loopholes in your security.

Recommended by several good sources.

Gizmo’s Guide to Securing Your PC

Gizmo Richards is an eletter (email newsletter) author who is a thorough, knowledgeable and critical writer on computer topics.  His advice ranges from fairly simple for beginners to extremely expert and is a good place to start learning about your computer and software.

An excellent article called Gizmo’s Guide to Securing Your PC covers the basics, up to date as of September 2007. From Gizmo’s Tech Support Alert.

Another method is at Make Windows Invincible! (A tutorial). Offered as an alternative by Gizmo’s Tech Support Alert newsletter.

Dr. Web CureIt: freeware scanner for anti-virus/malware

Clif Notes Newsletter has a review of the Dr. Web CureIt scanner, with a link to it.
A scanner is different from a regular anti-virus in that it runs only when you say, and only once.  It doesn’t normally scan all your incoming stuff.  If you suspect you might have an infection, or just want to take the precaution on a regular basis, it can be helpful.