Symantec’s Norton Anti-virus software is a solid security product.  However, based on the past few years, our technicians have noticed that installing Norton software has really slowed down computers when the below factors are present:

1. Computer already has a virus or spyware
2. PC doesn’t have a good amount of RAM
3. AOL Software is constantly running in the background

Norton has shown to slow down a Windows computer when installing the software after the above 3 factors are present.  The best time to install Norton is when you first get your new computer or ensuring all viruses, spyware, and adware are removed.  This applies to the Norton Anti-virus and Internet security suites. 

Why is the computer slowed down from these situations?  Norton is a very thorough product to the point where it is always running in the background, constantly running checks on files, and adds a layer of protection which drains the system resources.  Couple that with a current virus, slow RAM, or another background software (i.e. AOL, iTunes) and you should kick your feet up and prepare for a slow ride.

Spam is an annoyance.  It is basically an intrusion of your privacy and wastes your time in trying to get to legitimate e-mails.  How does spam find you?  If you provide your e-mail address online, you’re bound to be e-mailed back and possibly, spammed in the future.  Most sites offering free downloads will find a way to spam you.  Also, if your computer contains spyware or pop-ups, there is a good chance spam will follow.

How can you block spam?  You may follow the below three easy steps:

1. Do not provide your e-mail address on websites.  Not only may these sites spam you, but they may distribute your e-mail address to other sites for spamming.
2. Use your junk filters.  E-mail software, such as Outlook and Outlook Express have junk filters that may be turned on to filter spam.  Online e-mails, such as Yahoo!, AOL, and Earthlink also have spam filters that should be used.
3. Install spam software.  If your spam is excessive, install a spam software, such as Cloudmark, may integrate easily with your Outlook or Outlook Express to block unwanted e-mails.

If you block spam, it is key to check your junk folder every once in a while.  Sometimes, spam filters or a little aggressive or may block sales/marketing info that you may want to view.

Are your e-mails not sending out?  There is a chance that your e-mails are on a blacklist. There are hundreds of blacklists out there.  These blacklists have been created by a group of white-hat, “do-gooders” to prevent spam, viruses, and other malicious material to be spread via e-mail addresses.  They will send you an automatic e-mail to your attempted e-mail that reads something like: “550 Error message…rejected because your SMTP server, 192.168.0.1 is in the Spamhaus RBL…

If you get an error 550 or something regarding a blacklist, spam, or relay error, then you have been blacklisted.  Your personal e-mail address, or company’s e-mail IP address, or Exchange server, might have been blacklisted if:

-Your computer or network is infected with spam

-Your computer or network is infected with viruses

-You send bulk e-mails.  Note that many e-mail hosts have a limit of e-mail addresses you can send to per e-mail and per day.  If you go over this limit, your e-mail address may be flagged as spamming.

-You use a relay or middle-person to send your e-mail.  Some e-mail hosts use 2 IP addresses or ways to send your e-mails out.  This may be flagged as the middle-person or relay address as a spammer or hacker to spread malicious material.

So, how do you remove yourself from a blacklist?

-Remove all instances or spam, viruses, and unnecessary open router/firewall ports

-Ensure you are not e-mailing over the maximum capacity your email host allows

-Trace your e-mails to ensure they are not being relayed illegally.  You may do this by going to DNS Stuff , sign up as a free account, and then enter your IP address (it will already be listed on the top-right corner of the screen) to check out your e-mail travels.  If you see other networks relaying your e-mails, you should contact your email host.

-Request removal from the blacklist(s) by clicking on the link your undelivered e-mail provides you.  That will allow you to request removal of your blacklisted e-mail address or IP.  You’ll need to take the above steps first though or your request will be denied.  An example is being asked to enter your IP address for removal at the following site: http://relays.osirusoft.com/cgi-bin/rbcheck.cgi

Overall, you just need to be very careful to prevent blacklisting of your e-mail or IP addresses or else communication and future operations may be halted.

A firewall may be in the form of software or hardware.  It protects the computer against vulnerabilities, or holes in the operating system’s security.  As the lowest form, but pretty effective measure, you may use a software firewall, such as Zone Alarm.  The software firewall filters out hackers and potential threats and allows good information to flow through. 

A hardware firewall is usually found in companies to protect servers from being attacked at the network level.  This, in turn, protects workstations in the network environment as well.

In general, it is wise to at least have a software firewall present on computers.  Windows now comes with its on internal firewall which is sufficient.  Macs do not come with firewall software so this should be installed although Macs are not prime targets for attacks like PCs.

A new security flaw has been found in Windows Vista.  The animated cursor!  Animated cursors are icons used, whether cartoons, rockets, oversized pencils, etc., to replace the traditional cursor.  Usually, these cursors are first downloaded from the Internet and then installed on the computer.  By using an animated cursor, a hacker may take over your computer when viewing a malicious Website or e-mail.  Windows has released a patch to resolve this. 

The bigger issue here is that previous Windows versions also had the same security flaw.  This leads to critics complaining that Vista has been created from a base of old operating system code rather than an entirely new code.  Thus, bugs and issues in the past might still arise in the new Vista.  Microsoft argues that this version has been touted as the best security ever, but not necessarily as one that is perfect.

What should you do to avoid this?  Avoid using animated cursors!  Since most of these animated cursors are attained by Websites, some of these spyware-infested sites could allow hackers to use a portal to take over your computer.  The easiest way to prevent this security flaw is to not get started with animated cursors.  If you already have an animated cursor, remove the program from your computer.

A spam blocker is key to have nowadays, especially with the influx of bulk e-mails and e-mail advertisements.  A spam blocker will detect spam, or unwanted e-mails, and then send them to a junk/spam folder within your e-mail inbox, or delete them permanently if opted.  It is easy to delete unwanted e-mails, but it takes up time and attention.  It is also easy to just pick up any spam blocker software, but you need to know what to look for a in a good spam blocker.  Here are a few things you want to look for in a spam blocker:

1.  Do not lose important e-mails - Many spam filters will filter so many e-mails that the software will also filter your personal or work e-mails.  You might be looking for a reply from your cousin, job interview, or proposal and never receive it because it was incorrectly filtered as spam.  I, for one, have not purchased spam blocker software for a long time due to the potential of not receiving the e-mails I want.  Then, it makes you look bad for not responding.  Currently, the better spam blockers are smart enough to detect good e-mails, but not every blocker is perfect.  It is good to check out the filtered e-mails once in a while to ensure there are no false positives.

2.  Stay away from suites - Software that provides anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, anti-instrusion, anti-hacker, and anti-anything else usually has so much functionality that it slows down your computer.  Unless you have a new, high-RAM computer, stay away from these suite products, such as Norton SystemWorks or McAfee Security.  They have great features; however, they usually have so many features that are constantly working in the background that actually slow down the overall performance of your computer.  Purchase stand alone products, such as anti-virus, anti-spam, and anti-spyware.  You may also purchase a firewall unless it is already provided by your operating sytem.

3.  The airplane security dilemma - When flying now, there is more security at the airports which lends way to a more secure, relaxed trip.  With more security comes more waiting time to allow for the metal detector and random checks.  This is analagous to the more extreme spam blockers that request all recipients to go to a web page to request permission to send e-mails to you.  This is probably the best way to weed out mass advertisement e-mails, but probably the worst way to make friends by having them ask permission to e-mail you.  Well, it all depends how far you want to go with your spam blocker.

All of the spam blockers out there, including Trend Micro, Norton, and SpamCop, tout the features just mentioned.  Just make sure you do your due diligence in finding the perfect spam blocker for you.

Identity theft is on the rise with the increasing number of computers bought every year.  Theives attempt identity theft through a number of ways, including: e-mail scams, spyware, pop-ups, and webcams.  At the worst, the theif can steal your credit card information or bank online details and run up a nice tab.

Here’s how to defend yourself against identity theft:

-Password protection: Set up a password to log into your computer.  This is an easy way to prevent a lot of hardship to your computer.  Try to use a unique password and change it periodically.

-Anti-virus software:  It’s talked about often, but sometimes is not done.  Make sure you install and have your anti-virus software running to block any viruses or worms that attempt to access your information.

-Update operating system:  Whether you are a PC or Mac user, make sure to install any operating system updates that you are prompted for.  These usually tighten up overall security for your system.

-Firewall setup:  Setting up a firewall is a good way to prevent any backdoor viruses.  It filters out malicious attempts to take a ride through your computer.

-Avoid free music downloads:  Free music downloads are prevalent nowadays although it is still illegal in the music industry.  In order to access free downloads, you usually are forced to share your folder of music to the public which presents a security hole that others can attack.  Try to avoid this!

-Password protect your wireless network:  Wireless routers may be set up without passwords, but why invite strangers into your house?  Put a password on your wireless network to ensure others are not slowing down your connection by jumping on it or possibly looking to read your info and personal records.

Overall, just play it smart and think over what personal info you might have on your computer that could be catastophic if someone else had.  Then, follow the above steps to protect your identity and your peace of mind.

Anti-virus software does remove viruses, but you can be more proactive with you protection.  Yes, Norton, Mcafee, PCCillin, AVG and others provide automated protection to computers, but they are reactionary in removing viruses after the viruses are found.

You can be more proactive by performing the following:

-Do not open suspicious attachments. 

-Do not open e-mails from unknown senders.

-Do not click on links in e-mails from unknown senders.

-Permanently delete suspect e-mails by holding down the SHIFT key and hitting DELETE.

Purchasing anti-virus software is necessary as is being cautiously smart about your e-mail usage.  The majority of viruses are spread through viruses.  So please be careful when checking your e-mails.

Your computer may be infected with a virus. But, is it really a virus? Viruses, worms, and trojans may be the culprits. These words are sometimes used identically although they have different meanings. This monthly tip is dedicated to de-mystifying these terms so that you are aware of their meanings, causes, and effects.

Virus

Definition: A virus attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program.

Cause: A virus cannot be spread without a human action. The Internet is currently the main virus entry point. This is due to the enormous possibilities it offers for exchanging information (e-mail, browsing web pages, file downloads, chats, newsgroups, etc.). Other virus entry points are CDs, floppies, and networks.

Effects: Certain viruses deliberately damage files or the computer’s operation, while others just try to spread themselves around. Nevertheless, the ones that just spread themselves are just as harmful, since they damage files and may cause other problems in the process of spreading.

Worm

Definition: A worm is similar to a virus by its design, and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. The biggest danger with a worm is its ability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect.

Cause: Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the ability to travel without any help from a person.

Effects: One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book. Then, the worm replicates and sends itself out to everyone listed in each of the receiver’s address book, and the manifest continues on down the line. Due to the copying nature of a worm and its ability to travel across networks the end result in most cases is that the worm consumes too much system memory (or network bandwidth), causing network servers, and individual computers to stop responding. In more recent worm attacks such as the much talked about Blaster Worm, the worm has been designed to tunnel into your system and allow malicious users to control your computer remotely.

Trojan Horse

Definition: The trojan horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer. Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source.

Cause: This type of program doesn’t copy itself but does do damage to your computer. These types of programs rely on people to pass them around and to run them. They do not e-mail themselves. The idea is to make the program look like it is something harmless, like a screen saver or joke, so it gets sent around.

Effects: When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.

This is a crash course on the most popular infections. Make sure you have your anti-virus software updated to prevent viruses, worms, and trojan horses!