A Bit of Prevention is Worth a Byte of Cure

OK - if you're not a geek that pun probably didn't go anywhere. Hopefully, though, you will understand the rest of the information provided in this article because we want to help you prevent viruses, spyware, adware, and malware from infecting your home or business computer. These pesky programs are credited with an astounding 85% of all reported computer problems. They can invade your privacy, steal your bank account passwords, steal your credit card numbers, serve pop up ads, and turn your computer into a rather expensive paper weight.

In order to save time and space we will skip defining what viruses, worms, spyware, malware, and adware are. Suffice it to say you definitely do not want any of them on your computer. However, they do accumulate through normal Internet surfing. Make no mistake about it - these programs are being used to commit felony crimes and one of the latest scams is to try to dupe you into purchasing software and products you do not need (they install malware on your machine and then send you to their site to purchase software to remove it!).

Right now it is a constant challenge to keep these programs off your computer. You must be active in removing these programs to keep from becoming a victim. Viruses and parasites adversely affect computer performance, compromise your privacy, and are capable of using your computer to conduct crimes!

So you ask: how do I prevent viruses and parasites from getting on my computer? Here is how we keep our own computers and our customer's computers a bit safer from viruses and parasites:

1. You must have a good anti-virus program installed & updated. Keep it running all the time (and it loads at Windows start up). Be sure to keep its virus definitions updated on a daily basis. Good anti-virus programs have an "auto-update" feature to keep the definitions up to date. Make sure it is enabled.
2. Use a Router for a Hardware Firewall. We recommend an inexpensive router like any of the ones Linksys, Netgear or SMC make. They are all sufficient for the job of hiding your home computers from criminals on the Internet. However, be careful! If you purchase and install a "wireless" type router you must implement the 128 bit WEP encryption feature (at a minimum!). (see tip #5 below)
3. We highly recommend another type of firewall - software based: ZoneAlarm (free version is fine), Norton Firewall, McAfee Firewall, etc. are very good software firewalls. They offer two-way monitoring of Internet traffic on your computer - i.e. not only will they will regulate incoming traffic from the Internet but they will also regulate outbound traffic - thus helping to prevent your computer being used to attack other computers. Note that Windows XP Service Pack 2 comes with a suitable software firewall (if you have not upgraded to SP2 yet read on). Good software firewalls offer two-way monitoring of Internet traffic on your computer - i.e. not only will they will regulate incoming traffic from the Internet but they will also attempt to regulate outbound traffic from your computer going out to the Internet. Notice we used the word "attempt." Be fully aware that software firewall programs rely on you to give permission to programs that want Internet access. This means you will defeat the purpose of having a firewall if it pops up and says something like: "Winupd.exe" would like to access the Internet; please select "Yes" or No". In this case if you select "Yes" you would be giving a nasty version of the Bagel virus carte blanche Internet access and then it can do its damage. In Zone Alarm you can click the button that says "More Info" and it will take you to Zone Alarm's web site and give a pretty good estimate of whether the program is good or bad. If you cannot get an answer there then you have to go to a search engine like Google and type in the program name that is requesting access to see if it is good or bad (the latter is usually the fastest way to figure it out). When one of our customers cannot figure it out if it is good or bad we ask them to click "No" and write down the file name and to call us and we'll research it for them.
4. Keep your Windows Operating System up to date with hotfixes and service packs. Windows is a complex operating system and is not immune to bugs and security holes (just read the news). Its common procedure for hackers to use known security holes to break into computers and work backward from there until they find an open door that gives them full access to the computer. You can make it much tougher for them by keeping the OS current through automatic updates.
5. Already have a wireless network? Make sure it is secure. The new 802.11 wireless standard allows you to roam freely without cables and make your office wherever you want. This also gives hackers and freeloaders an open door to your computer unless you secure it. A recent survey we conducted here in Alpharetta found that around 80% of home and 35% of business wireless networks were wide open. That is not good. We have posted a general primer on securing wireless networks. You may see it here: http://www.page-computers.com/network-security.html. There you will find 7 settings that will make your wireless network extremely difficult to hack into.
6. Install and run these two programs weekly: "Adaware" and "Spybot Search & Destroy". They are free for personal use and they do an excellent job of maintaining your privacy and keeping most of the junk off your computer. Not a panacea - but two very good tools that will keep you free of some very nasty parasites. Tip: you do not have to pay for the best spyware removal tools. A huge scam going on right now is to secretly install nasty malware on your computer and then it (the malware) takes over your browser and directs you to a site that is selling software to remove it. Talk about a scam!
7. And last but not least: Do not ever click "Yes" on a "Security Warning" window (unless you trust the source): This is how a large majority of viruses and parasites get on your computer. Clicking Yes on one of these windows allows someone you do not know to install and run programs on your computer (most of the time they are viruses or parasites). See the image below to see what a Security Warning window looks like:

In summary: Practicing the 7 tips listed above will go a long way toward protecting your investment in your computer and will also greatly reduce the stress levels associated with trying to use an infected machine. We hope these tips help and enhance your computing experience! Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Questions? Call us at 678.793.9669!

Page Computer Solutions, LLC
Alpharetta, GA
Phone: 678.793.9669
Fax: 770.234.6850
www.page-computers.com
sales@page-computers.com
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Page Computers provides technicians for home and small business computer support. Contact us today to schedule your PC service or PC repair. Let our friendly neighborhood computer geeks on call can solve all of your computer repair and PC support needs. We rebuild and install computers, PCs, we can transfer data, install wireless networks connect multiple computers, and setup printers & scanners. We install all sorts of computer PC peripherals, support and install laptop software, perform OS and applications upgrades, and can transfer data from old PCs to new computers. We can perform a PC Tune-up that provides increased performance, and set up computer backups, along with security, and virus protection. Page Computers provides computer support in North Atlanta, Alpharetta, Duluth, Suwanee, Johns Creek, Cumming, North Fulton County, and Forsyth County Georgia, and all over the greater Atlanta metro area. Ask our geeks to go and solve all of your computer repair and PC support needs. Contact Page Computers today at 678-793-9669 to schedule your PC computer service or PC repair. All of our products and services come with an unconditional satisfaction guarantee!

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