Prevent Computer Viruses

In the last three years or so I haven’t had a single computer virus on my main system unless I put it there on purpose.  I use a very simple method to prevent computer viruses and malware from ever getting on my system. 

check it out here: http://elamb.org/hacked/how-to-prevent-computer-virus.htm

 

Popularity: 7% [?]

Spy on Co-workers, Spouse and Kids

a message to a reader.

A personal note about monitoring: I spied on my wife and I’ll just say that there are somethings you may not want to know. Now, I know that a spouse and a child are totally different issues, I would just like you to realize the power of these tools. You must also take great care in making absolutely CERTAIN they don’t find out you are spying, because trust is sometimes impossible to get back. It can be like throwing gas on a candle flame. There are also tools that can counter the spying tools.

With all that being said: I’ve got two beautiful little girls and when they are old enough I will DEFINITELY spy on them. Its not so much my lack of trust on them, as it is my knowledge of predators on the Net.

keylogger - software or device that monitors every key stroke. Used by parents, spouses, bosses and covert, subversive spying. Typically only for a local machine (you install it on a system then have to get on that machine to get the data off of it when they are gone.)

network keylogger - keylogger for every computer on a network managed from a primary computer. These are more expensive but can give real-time spying.

Stealth mode - keyloggers/spy software usually has a key stroke like Ctrl+Alt+6 that will allow you to make the application run completely undetected.

These tools range from 30-day free demos to $300 for some of the better tools. I won’t spend less than $29 dollars if you are not computer savy. There are $10 one that are created by independent hackers but you have to know computer well to use them.

Popularity: 2% [?]

18 Days of Reckless Computing

Someone over at wired gives tests his new Dell to see how many viruses and how much malware it takes to get the Geek Squad to call it a total loss.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

10 Security Suite Reviews : Who's Got Your Back

All-in-One Security

Suites of antivirus, antispyware, and firewall software can provide convenient, solid protection against today's worst threats. Our tests of ten contenders show who's got your back.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Computer Viruses Monitored via Dynamic Worldmap

You'll be able to view Previous Hour, Previous Day, Previous Month, This Year, and Previous Year. Color Coding has 6 Ranges (No Data, Quiet, Low, Medium, High, and Epidemic)

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Popularity: 3% [?]

She Cracked my Hotmail Password: a sad shoulder surfing story

Ever type in your password at work and notice that there is someone standing behind you watching your fingers very closely as if trying to decipher you password? This is known as “Shoulder Surfing.”

If you don't think it is possible to eyeball someone's keystrokes and know their password, think again.

In the '90s, I didn't know much about computers or computer security. I was a military cop well versed in physical security and air base ground defense and only used computers for screwing around. My passwords were as easy as possible so I could remember them.

I didn't fully appreciate the importance of having a strong password until my wife hacked my Hotmail account. No big deal right… WRONG. Like I said I was screwing around. I was big into flirting in chat rooms and on email. I was just having fun with what I thought were beautiful young ladies, but who (realistically) were probably neither beautiful or young or (shedding a tear) ladies.

I'd been spending so much time online with chatrooms and EverQuest (a.k.a EverCrack) that my wife started to get very jealous of the computer and suspected I was up to something. So she shoulder surfed me one night, got my password, and got into my account while I was at work.

To make a long story even longer, my wife went crazy. She called my job screaming, I had to respond to my own house, my weapon was taken away (this is like being neutered for a cop), and the beautiful young lady that I was chatting with…. It was a man (yeah, it was like a cyber Crying Game). Needless to say, I don't do much of ANY chatting these days. But I digress.

Tips to guard your hotmail account cracks, via shoulder surfers.

Popularity: 4% [?]

How to get Malware/Virus/Trojans on your Home Windows computer:

1) Use Window 9x/2000/XP out of the box DO NOT bother to reconfigure it
  

Don't create any login accounts with strong passwords
Do all work from the adminstrator account (Windows does this out automatically  so   don't do anything)
Do not bother with patches no matter how critical (Windows will prompt you to update, just ignore it)
Don't disable the guest account
Don't change the name of default administrator account
Enable as many network protocols as you can

 

2) Use Internet Explorer

If you want your system to get infected with all kinds of malware DO NOT use Firefox or anytype of pop up blockers
When you use IE, don't increase the security under: Tools | Internet Options | Security tab, just leave it as is
Ensure all Java and ASP scripting languages are enabled, allowing other computers to load software on your computer remotely
Never patch Internet Explorer

3) Connect directly to the Internet

Do not use any kind of firewall 
Do not use Network Adress Translation (which will hide your IP adress)
Do not load SP2 for Window XP
  

4) Surf the deadliest sites with no protection

Surf Serial/Crack/Warez sites and always completely trust their sites
Porn sites with no protection
Screen Saver sites
“hacker sites”  not all hackers sites just “black hats” and script kiddie type sites
Find dark IRCs
  

5) Behavior that will help you get your system infected.

Download Screen Savers from site you are not sure about
Open emails from people you don't know
If you get a Security Warning that says “Do you want to download XXXXPROCUT NAMEXXX..” Don't even bother reading the rest just click yes.
  

6) Software that is more than likely infected

Tools bars that automatically download without your permission
Kazaa and some other free P2P tools

 

List of Tools for faster Infection:

Internet Explorer  (Firefox can affectively block malware)
Broadband/DSL (use of a firewall using Network Adress Translation will hide you system)
Windows 9.x/2k/XP (open source OSes such as Linux are less likely to be hacked)

 

Popularity: 5% [?]

"Windows has detected spyware infection!"

Want to know how to get rid of the “Windows has detected spyware infection!“

 

Here is how to delete that annoying “computer is infected” message.

If your seeing this message your system really is infected with some malware (virus, trojan, spyware) and that message you see is a part of the malware. This type of malware typically is trying to get you to purchase a product to clean your system. When you click on the link they provide, it takes you to the very source of the malware on your system. It is supposed to look like some of the Window system messages you can get about updates. DON’T fall for it.

DO NOT GIVE THESE PEOPLE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION!

This page will give your more information on what it is and how to get rid of it.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Technorati Tags: Windows has detected spyware infection, spyware, malware

Spy Sheriff Removal

I was doing some testing on my Windows XP system surfing about some
sites of “ill repute” with IE6 and got hit with something called Spy
Sheriff.

Spy Sheriff is like a watered down version of PS Guard or Smithfaud.  Like PS
Guard, Spy Sheriff claims to want to remove all the malware it infects
you system with.  Both of these horrible bits of malicious code
are what I like to call scareware.  The get loaded on to your
system along with about 100 other viruses, worms and trojans and take
over you desktop with a message like “Spyware Infection”.  The
application then “scans” your system.  And tells you that you must
activate the Spy Sheriff or PS Guard in order to clean your
system.  When attempt to remove Spy Sheriff using Add/Remove programs, it simply adds itself again once you reboot.

In the background, all the malware they loaded on your system are
collecting data and send status report to a parts of the world. 
The scareware will usually make sure you know this to convince you to
buy their product.  DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD INFO!

Here is how to remove Spy Sheriff.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Security Testing on my Window 2000 system

I've surfing on my Windows 2000 system while completely exposed to the Internet on my DMZ.  No firewalls, no anti-virus, not even a pop-up blocker.  The box is exploited immediately. 

Many of the default configuration on a fresh Windows 2000 box are just plain ridiculous.  For example, the C$, and parts of the root are shared out on earlier versions of Windows 2000.  Message services, port 139 and other very easy to exploit applications and services are turned on by default on Windows 2000. 

It is no wonder Windows systems are always getting taken down.  Just turning off some of those services do quite a bit to close some of the holes on Windows boxes.  With broadband getting more popular, the combination of unprotected systems and the viral marketing of malicious code are creating a storm on the Internet.  An unprotected system is rendered completely useless in a matter of weeks (days and hours if you surf porn or serial sites).

Here are some of the vulnerabilities on Windows systems at SANS.org.

In all honesty, if you have a good firewall, virus protection, maybe a pop-up stopper and a good security configuration you could have a Windows 98 machine and NEVER get a virus.  

Popularity: 3% [?]

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