We often talk about securing your computer from viruses, spyware, or hackers.  But, we less think about someone physically getting to your computer to access your personal information.  So, it is smart to learn how to physically secure your office so that your computers are safe from potential robbers or in-person hackers.

Here are the steps to take to secure your computers inside your office:

1. Set up a video surveillance system that records your office entrance and office activity itself for easy playback.
2. Make sure your building is set up for a buzz-in entry or that there is a doorman or stop form of security.
3. Set up an intercom system so you can see those who enter your building and/or office.
4. Lastly, and most importantly, set up a “hold-up” button so you can press this button to alert the police if being held-up.

We have called up ADT Security to take care of security for our offices and we feel very secure.  This is a small price to pay for not only your computer contents, but also your personal safety.

Getting hacked is not fun.  Everything needs to be redone and reset.  Talk about a re-do!  You have to get new credit cards, new usernames and passwords, and tune-up your computer to ensure the hacker is out of your life.

Now, you can find out if you’re hack prone.  Take the hacker test to check your security level.   This will let you know how secure your computer is.  The cool factor here is FBI-level folks will actually cross-reference your name with any hackers they know who might have your personal info.  Have you ever watched Dateline or 20/20 where the security experts track hackers, in turn, locating all of the swiped credit card they stole?  Well, this is the same thing, but this is a free security check that can prevent potential fraud with your accounts.

Take the test.  It could save your hours of hack anguish and tech support.

Viruses and spyware can be slithery little pests.  Not all typical anti-virus and anti-spyware software may remove them.  Nowadays, there are trojans, bug, rootkits, and other infections that may be considered both spyware and viruses.  So, with different variants of infections running into the gray area of what it actually is, the security software to remove them has been trickier.

We’ve seen as of late a new trojan that infects the Windows\System32 folder.  This trojan will cripple the Windows Installer so you cannot run some programs, such as itunes, as well as not being be able to run Windows updates.  Many programs will not remove this trojan, including: Norton Anti-virus, Malware bytes, Spybot Search and Destroy, Hijack This, and AVG Anti-virus. 

Combofix has been able to remove this tough-to-kill trojan.  Combofix is a DOS program that runs within Windows and removes infections that may be found in the Windows\System32 folder.  Combofix is effective since it will actually delete these infections that cannot be manually removed. 

New trojans cannot be removed manually as they are write-protected and are just too smart to be simply deleted.  So, Combofix has come as a savior for removing trojans.  You’ll need to make sure to disable all current anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewalls while you’re running it to prevent startup problems afterwards.

Lots of spyware infultrate computers nowadays.  Spyware can slow down your computer, throw pop-ups on your computer, or at the worst steal your information.  It’s not easy manually removing these malicious infections.  There are many different types of software that are supposed to remove spyware, but one of the top anti-spyware software packages is SuperAntiSpyware.

Yes, this software name sounds like it might be some hoax that will get  you to install it, possibly leading to more spyware infections.  But, SuperAntiSpyware gets ride of trojans, adware, viruses, website redirectors, and other infections.  It has a free version that works well.  The paid version constantly monitors for spyware and gets rid of malicious items instantly.  This is definitely a good tech software to keep in your toolchest.

The Conficker worm hype came and went.  On April 1st, our tech support company had many inquiries that summed up the same inquisitive questions:

1. Is the Conficker worm real?  Should I worry about it?
2. How do I protect myself from it?

We answered that the Conficker worm is a worm that has been wreaking havoc for months now.  It’s just that this new Conficker worm is a stronger variant and could be released on April 1st, or just receive instructions to do something later, or maybe just be a dud.

In regard to protection of this virus, the typical routine of updating your anti-virus as well as Windows updates should do the trick.  Removing temp files and removing system restore are also good ways to protect against viruses.

The Conficker worm did, in fact, turn out to be a dud.  Yes, we had users with infected PCs, but they were not Conficker worm infections.  So, what’s the take-home message from Conficker.  It could still be out there, but most importantly, you should be proactively preventing your computer from all viruses or else you’ll be the next virus victim out there.  Reactionary responses to computer are never the best and that’s why preventative computer maintenance is always the best way to go.

The Conficker virus has been all over the news and online sites for preparing you for the worst this April Fools Day.  The virus, Conficker, is intended to bury itself deep into the Windows operating system, and then hack in to steal passwords, credit card info, and bank info.  Further, the virus will spread from computer to computer and could ultimately use the computers to send spam, viruses, and spyware to many other computers. 

Why on April Fools?  The virus is said to possibly be in Windows computers right now.  And it’s code is to trigger on April 1st at midnight, connect to other computers, and then scan thousands of websites to get a new set up instructions informing it what to do next.  Pretty dramatic, isn’t it? 

There have been earlier versions of Conficker, but all have been duds compared to the image of the new upcoming version.  Symantec security experts indicated that they are not totally buying this April Fools prank as truthful.  They said this specific time of virus replication could be put out to the public as a prank or possibly to release it earlier or later.  Basically, they feel the timing of this could be all off or not even a valid point at all since it could just be a joke.

Whether a myth or reality, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  You can protect yourself from the Conficker virus by downloading Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool as well as updating your anti-virus software.

Typically, spyware will send your Internet website preferences to advertisers.  In turn, your computer will receive pop-ups or spam in the form of promotions and advertising.  Nowadays, spyware has taken a more malicious turn, deeply infecting your computer for no rhyme or reason.

The latest malicious spyware is Antivirus2010.  This spyware not only infects your computer by taking over the Windows host file, a major Windows file, but it also further infects your system by making believe it is helping you remove it.  For instance, it attempts to re-direct you to an old cnet.com website for downloading a supposed anti-virus software.  Instead, if installed, it will actually perpetuate the infection and soon cripple your internet browsing and Windows navigation.

To remove this infection, make sure your Windows updates are installed and you can use Malware Bytes as a solid anti-spyware for removal.

The Win32 Heur virus is a nasty little bugger that will slow down your computer; cause you to be re-directed to websites; and pop up odd boxes at startup.

This file lies in the Windows folder as well in the registry.  A manual removal is not possible since this virus contains a .bat executable that repeatedly loads after attempting to remove it.

Typically, you’ll need a couple of different anti-spyware and anti-virus software to get rid of this malicious trojan.  A couple of good free software programs to use are: AVG Free, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Malware Bytes

Please make sure to remove this trojan immediately before it’s too late.  Too late means that you might have to have a computer repair technician recover your files and reinstall Windows for you.

You may avoid this virus by staying away from P2P sites, such as Limewire and others where you can download free music, photos and files.

There are lots of vicious viruses and spyware out there that can attack your computer.  There is one nowadays that always seems to take the lead with infecting Windows computers.  This is the spyware that pops up at the bottom-right of your screen and says “Your computer is infected with spyware.”  This message may take on different variations, such as “Install Antispyware 2009 to remove” or “You’ve been infected with Win Antispyware…”

You can install different anti-spyware software to remove this infection.  However, once of the easiest and quickest ways is to find the culprit, usually one bad file, and kill it. 

You can quickly remove the spyware by following the below steps:

1. Click on Start->Run and type msconfig
2. Click on Startup Tab
3. Look for any suspicious files ending in .exe that are located in Windows, Windows\system32, temp or temporary internet files
4. Google the files to confirm if they are legit or malicious
5. If malicious, uncheck the file from running at startup.
6. Then, restart your computer, tap  F8 to go into safe mode
7. Search for the malicious file and remove.

Those 7 quick steps should remove you spyware issue.  If you still experience problems, you should consult with your nearby tech support company.

AVG has released a new version of its free software: Version 8.  Instead of just an anti-virus software, it includes protection against spyware, e-mail viruses, a links.  The newest form of protection, link scanner, protects against dangerous websites, pop-ups, and downloads.  Also, link scanner will warn you have dangerous links in searched sites all in real time.

AVG can now compete with Norton’s Security, McAfee Security suite, and other all-in-one protection products.  It is still fast, doesn’t slow down your computer, and goes unnoticed until it runs a daily scan or update. 

After 30 days, the e-mail scanning feature turns off, but the virus, spyware, and link protection remain.  Finally, this is the first solid free virus and spyware protection software available.  And we’re definitely on board.