The best and widely accepted way to keep your PC secure is to install anti-virus software and update it timely. Some of the anti-virus software updates on their own whereas there are other which needs to be updated manually. Therefore such antivirus softwares must be checked regularly for validity and re-install them as soon as they expire.

It is also important to install security patches. Every software is susceptible to unwanted vulnerabilities; it is therefore required to keep windows updated and also apply updates to all the softwares in your system. Another important area where safety is necessary is if you have internet access on your system. Being connected to the internet always poses risks, therefore firewalls form an important part of your PC security. Also, while opening email attachments or certain files, which are already infected, without scanning them makes your PC liable to be infected by viruses. In fact most of the PC infections are caused by email. 

To ensure your PC secure, it is also required to secure your browser as some legal sites are implanted with malicious JavaScript which can install Malware on your system. Be wary of any site that tries to install scripts on your system.  Instant messaging also exposes your system to be infected by worms and Trojans. These are just like emails and have equal threat to the system.

Another thing that is reported in large numbers is the emails in your inbox telling of sad stories, job offers or lotto wins and many offers from ecommerce websites. These are nothing but clever ways to fool you. Another thing to note so as to keep your PC safe is to avoid P2P and distributed file sharing. There are many file sharing networks, eg: Morpheus, Kazaa etc, and many files here are loaded with viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and many other things that are dangerous for your system. Such things should be strictly avoided.

You should have a frequent PC scan to ensure your system is free of malware like worms, Trojans, viruses etc. The system should have good antivirus software, which is the best way to keep your system safe. You can also keep the backup of your important files and data. Enhance the security of your browser. It is also essential to install software or a hardware firewall. You should set a strong password for your PC to avoid unwanted access to your data. 

Follow the tips above and you can stay safe.

Not much else is known about the malware at this stage. The source of the infection and the actual type of malware has not been revealed. However, there was no data compromised in the attack.

While US Justice departments do run very tight security, it just goes to show that malware can affect any system at any time. So always take precautions and stay on guard.

Obviously Microsoft is pretty pissed off with this thing. So they have offered a reward of $250,000 for the creator of Conficker. So if anyone provides information that leads to the arrest of the creator(s), they can cash in quite nicely. Unfortunately most of this stuff is written by script kiddies, and not much seems to eventuate out of their capture.

Either way, its not a bad amount of money. The creator should turn himself in and nab $250,000.

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To cut a long story short, you should always use a standard user account in Windows instead of an administrator account. This will avoid the majority of problems that occur in Windows and IE. If you have a network, your users should definitely be given user level accounts and not setup as administrators.

For a single home computer it might be much more convenient to use an administrator account, but for shared computers, you should think twice.

By keeping Windows up-to-date and minimizing administrator usage, you can have a far more secure system and network.

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Note: While this is a great product, we always recommend having a toolkit of PC security products. This can include: firewall, malware remover, anti-virus etc. With the sophistication of modern day hackers and programmers, it is generally not sufficient to have just one product.

OK, so more about the product. PC Tools Internet Security is an award winning program that provides a very comprehensive range of safeguards all bundled into the one product – with both anti-spyware and anti-virus protection.

Features:

• PC Tools Internet Security Suite offers powerful anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewall and spam protection, all in one application
• Detects, removes and blocks all types Spyware, Adware, Trojans, Viruses, Worms, Keyloggers, Identity Theft, Hijackers, Tracking Threats, Rogue Anti-Spyware, Unwanted Software, Phishing, Popups, Hackers and Bad Websites

So essentially, if you were just going to buy one product for all of your protection needs, then this would definitely be worth looking at. It has a very nice interface and there is an emphasis on ease of use. You also get automatic updates, ongoing support and excellent service from the PC Tools team.

Try the free download below and see for yourself.

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When installed the program will create various file entries and registry keys. A folder will be created in Program Files called “CompuSpy”.

This program is used primarily as a keylogger. It can record keystrokes, user data, passwords, urls, mouse actions, dates and much more. This program operates silently in the background, so most users will be unaware it is installed.

Always run a regular virus/spyware scan to ensure your PC is free from malware, keyloggers, backdoors etc. Often the most dangerous programs (such as keyloggers) operate with the user unaware.

Scan and Remove CompuSpy

Firefox has achieved this rank due to the large number of patched vulnerabilities that have occured over recent months. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is risky to use or has poor security, it just represents total number of patches that have been applied to various vulnerabilities including: javascript problems, buffer overflow, malformed links etc.

Due to the high number of vulnerabilities that have been patched, it could also be possible that Firefox has many other undiscovered vulnerabilities.

The list of the other top 10 vulnerable Windows applications are listed below:

1. Mozilla Firefox
2. Adobe Flash & Acrobat
3. VMware Player, Workstation
4. Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
5. Apple QuickTime, Safari and iTunes
6. Symantec
7. Trend Micro
8. Citrix Products
9. Aurigma, Lycos
10. Skype

Aside from getting into your email, this could also be used for domain hijacking. If Gmail is used as the administration/contact email for a domain, then hackers could request a password reset on the login and then obtain the details when they are emailed through. With these details a domain can easily be hijacked.

To ensure that your Gmail is safe, keep a close eye on your filters.

The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint (PDF) against Florida-based CyberSpy Software on November 5, alleging the company has violated the FTC Act by selling software that can be deployed remotely by someone other than the owner or authorized user of a computer, can be installed without the owner’s knowledge, and can used to surreptitiously collect and disclose personal information.

Defendants touted RemoteSpy as a “100% undetectable” way to “Spy on Anyone. From Anywhere.” According to the FTC complaint, the defendants violated the FTC Act by engaging in the unfair advertising and selling of software that could be:

1. deployed remotely by someone other than the owner or authorized user of a computer;
2. installed without the knowledge and consent of the owner or authorized user; and
3. used to surreptitiously collect and disclose personal information.

Microsoft have been improving this product over the years and it’s now a pretty decent malware removal tool. It is compatible with Windows VIsta, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Server 2003. It can remove all the most common malware and variants including: Blaster, Sasser, Mydoom etc.

The MSRT is also updated at least once a month with new definitions so you can expect that it will nail most of the latest nasties.

In the fight against malware, spyware and viruses, no one product can do the job completely, so you generally need at least 2-3 products to be completely protected. This product from Microsoft is free, so it is well worth the download and gives an added layer of protection.

You can get the MSRT download from the link below:

Get it here