Technically Easy

Category: Security Tips

Outside of other security topics, these posts provide tips and tricks to staying safe while using various technologies.

  • Stop Spam Right at the Source – How To Finally Report Those Annoying Messages

    Stop Spam Right at the Source – How To Finally Report Those Annoying Messages

    I find that every time I write an article about getting rid of spam people cannot get enough. After all, 488,005,400 Americans use the Internet every day, many for work purposes, and spam is nothing but an annoyance. What prompted me to begin researching this and really getting the subjcet out there to the public was the fact that spam messages KEPT HAPPENING. Flashing messages, non-stop emails telling me I’m a winner, and pop-up ads that take over my screen never seemed to lessen. According to spamcop.net, there are approximately 10.1 spam message sent per second!

    Although “x’ing” out these ads or deleting these emails works temporarily, I was ready for a more permanent solution. Fortunately, I found that reporting spam is fairly simple. Depending on whether you are concerned about the spam your company is dealing with or the spam you are personally dealing with will likely determine how you go about reporting it. There are two different approaches to deleting spam.

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  • Staying Safe By Understanding Desktop Security

    Staying Safe By Understanding Desktop Security

    If you are just getting started with the use of a home computer, you have no doubt heard of the various types of malicious software that can be used to infiltrate your system. This type of unwanted programming is commonly known as malware, and is used by unscrupulous individuals trying to gain access to information stored on your computer, mostly for the purpose of sending you bothersome amounts of advertising. In other cases however, it can be an attempt to steal your personal information. Desktop security is therefore a priority.

    Exactly What Is Malware?

    Lock

    Malware is an abbreviated version of “malicious software”, and refers to such infectious programs as spyware, adware, tracking cookies, and computer viruses. Spyware is used to record your internet connections activity and can actually direct your web connection to another computer without your knowledge. Tracking cookies record your web browsing history and can be used to put you on ridiculous e-mail lists, resulting in a large volume of incoming spam. Viruses can introduce keylogger commands that record every keystroke you make, including the entering of passwords and credit card numbers. They can also freeze your system after commanding your computer to upload your documents to another system.

    Antivirus Programming Is Important

    If you purchase your computer in new condition from a retailer, it will often come with a subscription or free trial offered by a computer security company. These subscriptions allow you to run security scans on a schedule and personalize other settings that check for various types of malware. These companies regularly update their information concerning new viruses and other forms of malware, and relay that information to your computer so that it is constantly protected. If your computer purchase does not include an antivirus subscription for desktop security, then it is highly suggested that you purchase one, either from a retailer, or in a downloadable form from an internet security company website.

    Other Security Measures You Can Take

    There are a few simple routines you can take to help with desktop security, and these should be done in addition to having an antivirus program installed. Most internet browsers have a special window that you can open up for the purpose of deleting your browsing history or removing all tracking cookies. You can also enable a firewall that will not allow a hacker to transfer your information to his/her computer. Most browsers also contain an optional popup blocker. Popups are usually filled with tracking cookies, as these advertisements are meant to install programming on your computer even if you do not buy anything.

    There’s no need to panic of feel insecure while online. Having an antivirus program coupled with your own maintenance regimen will go a long way towards keeping your computer safe.

  • Size Does Matter…at Least for Passwords

    Size Does Matter…at Least for Passwords

    I have been thinking and talking more about security in recent weeks. For my regular readers you would have noticed that I have been concentrating on securing Windows 7, but one topic I didn’t discuss was that of passwords.

    It seems everything we do with computers, you will usually need to enter a password at some point. Just think about how many places you need to input a password, such as logging into your computer, a web site, or software that is installed on your computer. With many of these places containing extremely private information, it is important that you use a strong, safe, password to prevent unwanted individuals from accessing your information. Let’s look at what is a strong password to protect your data.

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  • Fix: Removing WindowsClick From Your Computer

    I recently had the opportunity to fix a computer that was having issues with a virus/trojan/rootkit. I included all three in the list because I had no idea what I was looking at when I first heard of the issues. I was told that when the owner of the machine would perform a search in Google, every link that they clicked on would be redirected to a URL that included “windowsclick”.

    While doing some research, I found a solution to the issue, but it was a complicated solution. I instructed the owner to install both anti-virus and anti-spyware tools and then run them to see what was found. Upon trying to run an anti-spyware tool, a new problem presented itself: the tools would load but wouldn’t run. Not wanting to give up, I asked the owner to drop off the computer and I’ll have a look. After some research I managed to clean the computer, and here is how I did it.

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  • Is Your Data Safe?

    I have been scanning and archiving old family photos in order to help preserve them for the future. The first set of photos are the only copy of each photo available so they were chosen first for archiving.

    It is important that when you archive photos that you create a system for backing up your files so you won’t lose them. I have created my own system that should ensure I will always have a copy of each file I archive.

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  • Internet Explorer Not Connecting to the Internet

    Recently I received an e-mail from someone who was having trouble getting Internet Explorer to connect to the Internet. Various other programs, such as e-mail, were able to connect, however, the browser was having difficulty.

    As I always like to do, I decided to see if I can help. It is more difficult via e-mail to solve computer problems, but a few checks and some investigation I was able to determine the issue behind the browser. I provide my findings in this post.

    Connection Issues

    The person having issues explained that Messenger and Outlook were connecting no problem, but Internet Explorer was display a message indicated the Web page could not be displayed. Seeing as Messenger and Outlook were both connecting, I immediately eliminated any connection issues to the Internet Service Provider. I decided to concentrate on the browser itself.

    At first, I thought it may me a DNS cache issue. I had the user run ipconfig /flushdns from the command prompt to attempt to clear any local DNS cache. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as the user indicated that the response back was Could not flush the DNS resolver cache: Function failed during execution. This could possibly mean that the DNS Client service has not been started, so I next had the user attempt to start the service.

    The user did as I asked, and then replied back to me that the software firewall on the machine displayed a message regarding a program change. The little light bulb went on in my head when I read this. For those who have seen these messages from software firewalls, but don’t know what they mean, allow me to explain it to you.

    When a new program attempts to connect to the Internet, the software firewall detects this and stops it from connecting without permission. To get permission, the firewall displays a message on the screen for the user to either allow or deny the program to connect. When you allow a program, such as a Web browser, to connect to the Internet, the firewall allows any requests made from the application to be sent to the Internet.

    In the issue discussed here, Outlook and Messenger were given permission, but Internet Explorer was denied permission to connect to the Internet. This was the reason Internet Explorer could not display any Web pages. Once the user granted permission for Internet Explorer to connect, they were able to display Web pages again.

    Granting Permission

    The image above shows ZoneAlarm asking permission for Internet Explorer to access the Internet. Other software firewalls will have a similar message. To grant permission in ZoneAlarm, do the following:

    1. Click the Remember this setting checkbox. This will prevent ZoneAlarm asking permission every time Internet Explorer attempts to connect to the Internet.
    2. Click the Allow button to grant permission.

    Repeat the above steps for any application you want to access the Internet. Click the Deny button if you don’t want an application to connect.

    Summary

    I recently received an e-mail from an individual who had trouble getting Internet Explorer to access the Internet, even though other applications could access the Internet. After a few e-mails, it was determined that the software firewall installed on the computer prevented Internet Explorer from connecting to the Internet. Once permission was granted to Internet Explorer to access the Internet, the user was able to display Web pages in the browser again.

  • Automating Computer Maintenance

    I have written several posts in the past regarding regular computer maintenance. Keeping a regular maintenance schedule is important if you would like to protect yourself against viruses and spyware, as well as maintaining the computer performance. My latest post title Regular Computer Maintenance provided a tutorial on performing some standard maintenance on your computer.

    In addition to the information provided in that post, there is an automated way of virus and spyware scanning as well as defragging your hard drive, all without you having to worry about it in the future. This post explains how to accomplish this.

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  • E-mail Frauds and Scams

    For many years now security experts have been warning others about fraudulent e-mails and scams. Even after the warnings, there are still people who are taken in by these frauds and scam artists. The cost to those who are taken in can be hundreds of thousands of dollars or even their entire identity.

    In this post I will discuss the types of scams and frauds that are mostly used in e-mails and ways to avoid them.

    Phishing

    In the past you may have received e-mails from a trustworthy institution asking to confirm some details about yourself. These details can include everything from a user ID, password to your account or PIN number. These e-mails are sent by scammers looking to steal important information from you. This is known as phishing.

    Phishing has been around for many years, but has now entered the security spotlight as more users get caught in the scams.

    Usually someone will receive an e-mail from a reputable company asking the user to confirm some important information about themselves. The e-mail usually contains a link that directs the user to a form on a Web page. The Web page is designed to look exactly like the company that they are pretending to be. The form, however, is located on a server the scammer uses and can control.

    Once the user fills in the information on the form and submits it, the scammer can then use that information as they please. This is a major cause of identity theft as the scammer can now assume the identity of the user.

    Prevention

    There are many ways to prevent losing important information to a scammer. The most important method is common sense. I don’t know of any financial institution, or any company for that matter, that will ask for personal information through e-mail. If you receive an e-mail such as this, and are unsure, then call up the company and let them know. Many times they will then take action to stop those who are sending the e-mails.

    A clue to determining if an e-mail is legit is to look at the spelling and grammar. Many times the spelling and grammar will be extremely poor, which indicates that a company did not send out the e-mail.

    Many of the newer browsers, such as Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2.0, and Opera all have built-in anti-phishing measures. These browsers will notify you if you access a Web page that has been flagged as a phishing site. If you haven’t already, I suggest you upgrade to one of these browsers.

    Advanced Fee Fraud

    Have you ever received an e-mail from someone who says they are an official with millions of dollars? You are then to contact them as you are the beneficiary of this so called money? If you have then you know about the scam known as Advanced Fee Fraud also known as the 419 fraud.

    These frauds are different than phishing in that they try to get your money and not your information. It is called the 419 fraud after the section of the Nigerian penal code which addresses fraud schemes. Many of these scams deal with traveling to Nigeria, mailing something to Nigeria, or meeting with a Nigerian official.

    Many of the e-mails tied to the 419 fraud usually involve some sort of urgency such as a health matter. An individual representing someone else with a vast fortune will contact you stating that you are the beneficiary of the fortune. In the e-mail, you will be instructed on transferring money to the unknown individual for fees and other costs of transferring the millions to you. This is how many of the scammers make their money.

    Prevention

    Since this scam occurs through e-mail, the biggest method of preventing it is to use your common sense and just delete the e-mail. Most of the time you can spot these e-mails by the extremely poor spelling and grammar. Sometimes the spelling is so bad it becomes comical.

    If you want some enjoyment of seeing these 419 fraud scammers getting what they deserver, check out: 419 Eater. What the author of that site does to the scammers is very amusing.

    Summary

    In this post I have talked about two of the popular methods that scammers use to steal your identity or money. It is important to understand that the best method of protecting yourself is to simply use common sense. I you don’t recognize the sender of the e-mail, just delete it.