by David Hakala
Adobe Flash is a multimedia format that presents movie-like animations. You may find Flash files embedded in TV news Web sites and other visually oriented sites. To view Flash presentations you need special software.
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May 18, 2009
How Can I View Adobe Flash Presentations?
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April 22, 2009
Spyware Remover
by David Hakala
Computer security firm Symantec Corp. recently reported that it identified two-and-a-half times more malicious software programs in 2008 than in the previous year: more than 1.6 million different examples of malware that is trying to invade your computer. The most common functions performed by malware are:
1. Remote access software
2. Programs that export user data
3. Keystroke loggers
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April 14, 2009
How to Keep Your Computer Secure and Private
by David Hakala
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. Many people fail to take the time to secure their computers against malware, only to lose many days struggling to eradicate viruses, Trojans, pop-up ad servers, and other vicious things from their computers. The irreplaceable data they lose hurts even more. The best cure for infection is to avoid getting it in the first place. But don’t go overboard with automated protection, and don’t rely on it alone.
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April 8, 2009
Free Virus Scan Offers May Not Be Safe
by David Hakala
Quite often, you will see an ad on a Web page, in a pop-up window, or off to the right of Google search results offering a “free virus scan.” A virus scan is good, and a free one is better, isn’t it? Not necessarily.
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April 4, 2009
March 25, 2009
Pros and Cons of Microsoft Windows Defender
by David Hakala
Microsoft Windows Defender is an anti-spyware program included in Windows XP and Vista. Do you need it, and does it do its job well?
First, note that Windows Defender is only an anti-spyware program. Spyware intercepts or takes partial control over the user’s interaction with the computer, without the user’s informed consent. For example, spyware may log all of your keystrokes – including financial site passwords – and send them to an unknown party. That’s bad, but spyware is hardly the only kind of threat. You will still need anti-virus software, most of which also scans for spyware.
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January 31, 2009
How to Protect Your Windows XP PC Against Accidental or Unauthorized Changes
by Gabe Goldberg
Bill Gates must be a trusting soul, since Windows was designed to be an open and flexible computing environment, usually allowing any user full authority to do all sorts of complex and (potentially) dangerous things. In a perfect world — one in which nobody made mistakes and no malicious acts occurred — this would be useful and convenient.
But in reality, the PC’s openness means that a well-intentioned – and even knowledgeable — user can do damage, sometimes simply by visiting a Web site which has been corrupted to include malware (evil-intending software such as a virus, work, Trojan, etc.) which will download and install itself by stealth.
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January 23, 2009
Uninstall Outlook Express The Easy Way
by David Hakala
You may want to get rid of Outlook Express if you do not use it for email. It is a weakness in your system’s security perimeter, a favorite target of hackers. Much malware targets Outlook Express because Outlook Express has been around since 1998, is installed automatically on every machine running Windows 98 to Windows XP, and is so devilishly difficult to remove that very few people take the trouble. To remove Outlook Express manually you must:
Rename three folders, for every user account on the system
Find and delete seven registry keys
Rename 17 files twice, for they are in two folders
Most people would rather pull out their toenails one by one. Outlook Express consumes a trivial 190 KB of disk space so they leave it alone. The back door for hackers remains open and unnoticed. Here is how to close it easily:
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January 18, 2009
What to Do If Your Computer Has a Virus or Trojan Horse
by Tina Gasperson
The Internet can be a dangerous place for a desktop computer. Sometimes it seems as if there are viruses lurking around every virtual corner. The people who write the code that makes these evil programs run are always thinking of new ways to lure us into their cyber clutches. And unfortunately, sometimes we take the bait.
If you’ve been tricked by a nasty little bit of code and your computer looks like it’s down for the count, don’t despair. Most of the time you can fix it by following a few simple steps.
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January 10, 2009
Disable Windows Messenger
by David Hakala
First there was spam to exploit your email inbox. Then there came pop-up ads on Web sites to make browsing a nightmare. Then marketers figured out how to use a built-in Windows 2000 and XP service to zap their wares directly to your desktop. So did distributors of virii and other malware.
Windows Messenger is a Microsoft-proprietary instant messaging client that is enabled by default. So is its 2005 successor, Windows Live Messenger. Both IM clients have legitimate uses, primarily in corporate and online gaming environments. But most home and small business users don’t need to leave this back door open for bad things to enter.
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January 6, 2009
How Many Anti-Malware Apps Do You Need?
by David Hakala
When your computer becomes infected with “something,” you quickly learn that there are myriad applications that may identify and eliminate the threat – or may not. No single anti-malware application cures every ill, just as no one antibiotic is a panacea against all diseases.
Malware comes in as many species as biological bacteria and virii. Some varieties specialize in exploiting vulnerabilities in browsers, others in instant-messaging apps, still others in operating systems, and so on. Malware authors are constantly improving their wares in a never-ending arms race against authors of anti-malware apps. There is no One and Final defense against malware.
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