PROTECT YOURSELF FROM MALWARE: Tools & Tips

[PhilliePhan]

The following are some tips to help avoid malware infestation. While nothing can guarantee 100% that you will not become infested, the suggestions below will go a long way toward safeguarding your computer from many of the evils lurking in the shadows of the Internet. I strongly suggest you heed them all!

1 – Be sure to visit Windows Updates often (at least once a month). It is vitally important to keep your OS and IE Up-To-Date! This is the first line of defense. I cannot stress this enough – Be sure to get those Critical Updates!!

Microsoft Windows Updates

2 – Make sure you are running a Good Anti-Virus program! Again, the watchword is Update – Your AV is most effective if you have the latest virus definitions, so make sure it is updated regularly (every 2-3 days).

Two of the best AV products I have found are Kaspersky and NOD32 . The edge would probably go to NOD32.

Some good FREE alternatives are:

• AVG Free Edition

• AntiVir® Personal Edition Classic

• Avast! Home Edition

Be sure to employ only 1 resident AV to avoid potential conflicts. Should you feel the need to have or scan with a “backup,” use one of the Online Scans listed in the Read Me First Sticky Post.


3 – In addition to a good AV app, a Good Firewall is absolutely mandatory! Windows XP comes with a built in firewall, but it only monitors incoming traffic. Personally, I prefer a firewall that monitors both incoming and outgoing traffic. To that end, I would suggest employing one of the firewalls listed below:

• ZoneAlarm Free - - Probably the most popular free choice.

• Comodo Firewall Version 3.0 - - Quite possibly the best Free choice!

• Kerio WinRoute Firewall - - Not Free, but well worth the investment!

• PC Tools Firewall Plus™ 3.0 for Windows® - - Another solid Free option!

• Outpost Firewall Free - -This is an excellent Open Architecture Firewall by Agnitum that is well worth considering!

As with Anti-Virus, you should run only 1 software firewall to avoid potential conflicts. With that in mind, should you choose to run a software firewall other than the built-in Windows Firewall, be sure to disable the Windows Firewall.
Also, it is perfectly OK to run a software firewall along with a hardware firewall (such as one found in a router).


4 – Employ strong resident Spyware Scanners and Spyware Blockers. Some of the better FREE tools include the following:

• Microsoft® Windows Defender --> Windows XP/2K/2003 users ONLY! -- Scanner/Blocker/Remover . . . This excellent tool does it all!

• SpyBotSD -- This Scanner/Remover is a Must Have! - Do not forget to use the Immunize feature!

• Ad-Aware Free -- The ever-popular Scanner/Remover by Lavasoft.

• AVG Anti-Spyware v7.5 -- This is a free trial of the Full Feature "Plus Version" of this fine tool. After 1 month, some of the "Plus" features are deactivated. (Windows 2000 & XP Only)

• Spyware Blaster -- A Must Have Tool! Blocks malicious ActiveX installs by implementing a “kill bit” to prevent those ActiveX programs with known CLSIDs from being executed.
And unlike many other anti-spy apps, SpywareBlaster does not have to remain running in the background. Very highly recommended! From Javacool Software.

• WebRoot Spy Sweeper -- This is one of the best tools available in the fight against malware. Money well spent!

Again, these will be at their most effective when Internet Updated regularly to the latest malware definitions!
**Also, bear in mind that it is quite easy to go overboard with the Anti-spyware tools; you do not need to run all of these tools – select the few that best fit you and your computer! I suggest a simple setup of AntiVir AV, ZoneAlarm Firewall, Microsoft® Windows Defender (be sure all "real-time" protections are enabled), and Spyware Blaster along with Firefox as your default browser. That should be plenty to keep your compy clean, assuming you practice safe surfing habits and keep the tools and browser up-to-date (builds and definitions, as applicable).


5 – Check out a few other handy tools that merit strong consideration:

• CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) - - This is a good index.dat / TEMP File / Cookie Cleaner.
Regular use of CCleaner or ATF-Cleaner.exe by Atribune(Windows XP & 2K ONLY) - from the Read Me First Sticky - is definitely recommended!

• WinPatrol -- Let Scotty the Windows WatchDog keep an eye on your computer with this favorite from BillP Studios!

• MWAV - Microworld Antivirus Toolkit Utility -- Scan for Viruses, Dialers, Keyloggers and other malware threats.

• TrojanHunter™ - - Easy to use and highly effective! One of the better Anti-Trojan tools available.

6 – Tighten your Active X Security Settings if you are using Internet Explorer.

To do this, Open IE and Click Tools > Internet Options > Security > Internet (Globe Icon) > Click Default Level and APPLY.

NEXT, Click the Custom Level Button and adjust the settings as follows (some settings will already be properly set):

* SET Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt

* SET Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable

* SET Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable

* SET Installation of desktop items to Prompt

* SET Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt

* SET Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt

After changing these settings as noted, please Click OK. If you are prompted to save the settings, click YES.
Finally, click APPLY and OK to finalize these settings.


7 – Use an Alternate Browser (such as Firefox or Opera ) which may not be quite as susceptible to the same evils as IE. Both of these are excellent, and many consider them a step up from IE in ease of use and versatility!

Get Firefox Here . . . .

Go Here For Opera . . . .

8 – Replace Microsoft Java Virtual Machine with SUN JVM or Update your existing Java!

Uninstalling the MS Java VM

8-A: If you already have Sun Java (and most of you probably do) it is important that you be sure that your Java is UPDATED to the latest version! You should do that on a regular basis here ---> www.java.com/en/
Also note that, before updating your Sun Java, you MUST remove ALL older versions that may be on your machine or you will still be vulnerable to some exploits/weaknesses such as VUNDO which may target and force execution on older runtime environments.
-- Do this by going into Add or Remove Programs and removing any versions that differ from the current version listed at the Java site. They may look similar to the following:

Java 2 Runtime Environment SE v1.4.2.06
J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 2
J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 9
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 6 Update 1
Java(TM) 6 Update 2

*** Additionally, you should be wary of Anti-Spyware tools with which you are not familiar!! There are all sorts of poor (and sometimes downright malicious) products of ill repute out there vying for your attention. These are called "Rogues."
If you think you have one of these products or are considering a product not mentioned above, please check out this excellent resource:

Spyware Warrior: Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites

While I have found that nothing can guarantee that your machine will remain malware-free, the above are definitely steps in the right direction!



PhilliePhan
Originally Posted 6-02-05