PC-Armor Computer Security News Blog

COMMENTARY: Every Choice you make…has Consequences

Computers are great tools and can also be a great source for entertainment; however, any choice you make with respect to what you install and how you choose to use your computer, will always have consequences. Here are some examples:

Should I upgrade to Vista?
Upgrading to Vista may lead to other unexpected purchases, such as more powerful hardware, as well as hardware that has been tested on Vista and meets the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility Requirements; you may need to upgrade certain software on your computer that has been tested and is compatible with Vista; and you may need to invest some time learning the new operating system interface and how to best work with the new features.

I recently received a pop-up stating my computer was infected and by purchasing the software from the link in the pop-up, it would clean the computer.
By clicking the link, you may further infect your computer and if you provide your credit account information to purchase the “so called” security software, you could be exposing your personal information to identity theft.

When trying to decide which Anti-virus program to use, I look through recommendations posted on various forums.
More often than not, the “so called” experts in forums will recommend “free” security software and tell others their computers are clean of infections. However, you usually get what you pay for and if the cost is free, you probably are not getting the level of protection you would get by spending $20 or $30 for legitimate and superior protection. Good security software is quite affordable…so why do people choose to save a couple of bucks and risk infection? The sad news, is by using the “freebies”, they are probably infected and don’t even realize it.

Firewalls are too difficult to use, so I think I will just do without…
With the state of the Internet today, it is foolish not to use a firewall. Sure, there are some that are more difficult to use than others, but there are some that are user friendly and easy to set up. If you do nothing more than install the firewalls, the incoming ports will be blocked and your computer’s IP Address may be hidden (it depends on the firewall(s) you choose to purchase) However, if you wish to harden your computer further, the firewall will give you additional tools to perform achieve this goal. Every Internet-connected computer should have a Gate/Router/Firewall connected between their modem and computers and a software-based firewall installed on each computer.

I receive many e-mails offering wonderful deals on various products and/or services…should I take advantage of them?
There is a very good rule of thumb to follow here: if you didn’t ask for it, don’t open it. Opening unsolicited e-mails can have serious consequences on the state of security for your computer; your best option is to delete them and then clean out your deleted items folder regularly. Using a good Anti-spam program or service can help protect you against fraudulent e-mails and greatly reduce the amount of spam coming into your Inbox.

Obviously, these are just a handful of possible choices computer users make; but just remember, the choices you make will always have consequences.

Commentary: Think Before you Click

As you probably know, the Internet has become a playground for the criminally inclined, who are looking for easier ways to steal your money.  Fortunately, using some good judgment will go a long way in not becoming one of the countless statistics of those who opened an infected attachment or clicked the wrong links.

The first thing everyone should realize is that having security software designed to protect your computer only goes so far; many people believe they are impervious to attacks because of their level of protection.  This kind of thinking is dangerous and may lead to a computer compromise if the users become reckless when surfing the Internet and opening e-mail.  It is important to realize that security software is usually limited to providing protection against “known” threats and because of this misconception, zero-day threats are often successful because the protection has not yet been developed and released to the end user.

Secondly, for most exploits to be successful, the user must initiate the action by opening an infected attachment; opening an infected e-mail; clicking a malicious link; or visiting a compromised or infected web site.  The best rule of thumb is to question every mouse click BEFORE you make an irreversible mistake that could cost you your identity and financial security.  If you receive an attachment in an e-mail, you should always scan it with your virus program before you open it; because if it is a known threat, chances are good your anti-virus program will be able to alert you.  Just remember, your virus definitions must be up-to-date to provide you with the highest level of protection.

Thirdly, read all e-mails in “Plain Text” instead of html.  Many e-mails have harmful code embedded within them and by simply opening them, you can become infected.  However, if you read your e-mail in plain text, your chance of becoming infected will be greatly reduced.  The things to look out for are pictures and other graphic images that have harmful code embedded within them; these types of attacks are becoming more popular with the bad guys.  By reading e-mail in plain text, the images will become attachments that can first be scanned before they are opened.

Finally, if you don’t recognize the sender…don’t open it.  Now days, it is very difficult to keep spam from infiltrating your Inbox and a lot of this spam is malicious.  If you delete it and do not open it, you will not get infected by the e-mail.

Just remember, for most attacks to be successful, the end user must initiate the attack.  If you understand these simple rules and exercise countermeasures and good judgment; you will be more successful in not becoming another victim.

Think…before you open unsolicited e-mails

The following e-mail found its way into my Inbox today:

“File Error Notification - Instructions To fix File Errors in your Registry.  Your PC may be suffering from serious file errors in your WINDOWS registry which may be the        reason why your PC is running so slow, or crashing and freezing from time to time. Also, these can lead to major system problems and possible memory leaks.  Below are instructions that will enable you to Increase Your Computer’s Speed, Power, Stability and Reliability in just a few minutes

Press Here to launch the Diagnostics Test download for no cost at all.  Once again, there are NO OBLIGATIONS for this FREE OFFER that includes our FREE Software, FREE Analysis, FREE Report and 24 Hour Support.  If after completing the free Diagnostic Test it is brought to your attention that your computer’s registry does contain file “errors”, then it may be in your computer’s best interest to fix the potentially harmful file errors in your registry.”

When you see e-mails such as this, it would be best to delete them and not even open them.  I retrieved the above information by viewing the properties of the e-mail; instead of blindly opening it.  Obviously, someone who chooses to click the links within the e-mail would most likely be directed to a malicious site designed to infect the victim’s PC or perform some other malicious activity.  It’s always interesting to see what tactics the cyber criminals are using to lure unsuspecting victims into their web of crime.

Do yourself a HUGE favor and delete all unsolicited e-mails.  Not only is this much safer for you, it will help to minimize the amount of spam filling up your Inbox.

A Word of Caution

Zero-day vulnerabilities/exploits are gaining momentum lately and do you know why?  As Zero-day vulnerabilities are made public, the bad guys are quickly writing malicious code designed to exploit the vulnerabilities before the vendors have time to release updates to correct the security holes.  Once the malicious code has been written, it must be distributed and executed before it can do any damage.  The key point here is that it needs to be “executed” and in order to do this; the bad guys must trick the end users into executing the code by enticing them to open infected files or visiting malicious web sites.  Continue reading A Word of Caution…

Compromised PCs are Threatening the Internet

The SANS Ouch! Newsletter, Vol. 4 No. 2, commented on a report from “The Register” (a UK-based web site) that compromised computers have reached pandemic proportions and is threatening the smooth operation of the Internet.

You can view the report at: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/26/botnet_threat/

Continue reading Compromised PCs are Threatening the Internet…

Commentary: User Account/Password Management

Assigning privileges and passwords to all your computer user accounts is not only good practice; it is absolutely necessary to protect your computer and data from compromise.  Here are some guidelines that everyone should consider implementing to strengthen the security of their computers.

Continue reading Commentary: User Account/Password Management…