I received the following message from a friend. Has anyone tried any of
these? are they really as good as they sound? I'm already running Norton
Antivirus on my system and I'm wondering if I need to do any more of this.
Linda Strauss, Librarian lstraus1@optonline.net
Tottenville H.S. Library
100 Luten Ave, Staten Island, NY 10312
(718) 356-2220 ext 2054
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a
listening ear, an honest compliment on the smallest amount of caring - all
of which have the potential to turn a life
around
--Leo Buscaglia
The publisher of a local website here in New Hampshire (
http://www.seacoastnh.com/ ) asked me to pull together a list of five
simple, free things people can do to help shore up their defenses against
viruses, worms, Trojans, and the like. The information is basic, but I
thought it might be useful to some readers here, or perhaps to friends or
relatives who may not be as up to speed on safe surfing as you are:
Tens of millions of computers are currently infected with viruses, worms,
trojans, spyware and other malicious software. If it's on your pc, this
evil software can damage your system or invade your privacy.
It's a bad situation, but it's also totally--- and I mean virtually 100%---
preventable. No one ever has to suffer from this kind of data loss or
privacy invasion, because the tools and information exists to make yourself
safe.
In fact, there are free tools that can get you almost all the way to total
safety. These free tools, coupled with a small amount of effort--- we cover
the techniques for making yourself safe in my newsletter, for example---
effectively "bolt the door" to your PC so nasty software either can't get
in at all, or if it does, gets rooted out immediately, before it can do any
harm.
Here are 5 FREE ways to improve your PC's protection:
1) No one antivirus package by itself can be 100% effective against all
viruses, worms, and Trojans, 100% of the time. It makes sense to use two
different tools from time to time, so they can double-check each other.
For example, here are two FREE online antivirus scans that can check any
system in minutes: http://www.symantec.com/securitycheck/ and
http://www.pcpitstop.com/antivirus/default.asp
2) If you discover a virus, worm, or Trojan on your system, most of the
major antivirus sites (like http://www.symantec.com ) offer free
step-by-step instructions for removing the pests. Better still, many also
offer free automatic pest-removal tools. For example, see the free
Worm/Virus removal tools halfway down the page on the right at
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/
3) Although they may also catch other kinds of evil software, antivirus
tools focus on mainly on viruses. Other free software tools may be better
at seeking out other forms of malicious software on your PC:
For example, PestPatrol ( http://www.pestpatrol.com/promo/langa/0506.asp )
has a free download that searches your hard drive for something like 25,000
kinds of spyware, hacker tools, and other unwelcome additions. And Ad-Aware
( http://www.lavasoft.nu/ ) has a free tool that detects and removes
"spyware" that can covertly gather information about your online activities
and secretly send it to a distant web site.
Once your system is clean of all types of malicious software, keep it that
way by running the tools listed above periodically. Then, do the following:
4) You can help prevent nasty software from ever making it onto your system
in the first place with a good, free software firewall such as ZoneAlarm (
http://www.zonealarm.com/ ) or Sygate Personal Firewall (
http://soho.sygate.com/products/shield_ov.htm )
5) Help ensure that any evil files that do make it onto your system are
nipped in the bud before they can do any harm with good antivirus software.
You can download a free full-blown antivirus software package from
http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.htm
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