People who own computers who have given up hope for remedying the problems that their workstation has solicited, either from viruses, Trojans or spyware will normally resort to formatting and re-installation of all programs to make things easier for them. This is usually the case for people who would not bother finding ways on solving such issues, the less technical savvy people who want the best and fastest solution to such issues.
People, often referred to as geeks would go at anything to be able to find alternative solutions without having to resort to the dreaded formatting decision since it will entail a lot of issues such as data loss and re-programming as well. While it is true that it is like doing a general cleaning for the entire workstation, historical files and programs will surely be missing one by one. But it is also like starting from scratch and locating the files and programs that a person has been used to having around.
[tags]computer, formatting, programming, viruses, spyware[/tags]
Tags: computer, formatting, Programming, Spyware, viruses
Categories: Backups, IT Security Basics, Malware, Operating Systems, Programming, Real-World Issues, Spyware, Storage, Tips
Computer interface with various developed programs and most would have an assigned file name extension tagged to it. There are the usual files that would have a doc, xls, ppt, jpg and bmp file extensions. There are also the compressed files such as zip and amr. The compressed files offer some potential risk since they are usually zipped to group files into one manageable file. Program scripts and installation software are the common contents of these zipped folders to save on space and to make it easier for distribution and transfer.
It is best to proceed with caution before totally unzipping the contents to any directory of your computer. It is the executable files such as the setup.exe that may garner much doubt. Once executable files are double clicked, it will immediate process and try to install itself on the machine. Once finished, there is no telling what effects it may do or create, thus the need for people to think twice before clicking on the files.
[tags]filename extensions, filenames, zipped, scanning, virus scan, spyware, trojans[/tags]
Tags: filename-extensions, filenames, scanning, Spyware, trojans, virus-scan, zipped
Categories: IT Security Basics, Malware, Operating Systems, Review, Spyware, Storage
The main gist of security conscious and malicious programmers is to play with the known algorithms where most of the problems can be created and avoided. The never ending search for understanding algorithms has been a given today. Malware development has been obviously aggressive and the issues and plagues that it has continued to spread is really something that keeps technology people up on their feet.
The best way is to be aware of possibilities. The Internet is known to be always up to date with such risks, but overall, a person aware of the capabilities of such should know beforehand that spyware, malware and Trojans can easily penetrate systems without notice if they are not secured properly.
Such security breaches and issues are placed under the tutelage of network administrators and officers. Being aware of such potential risks beforehand is something that they should be aware of. Besides, it is also a given that most of these professionals are aware of such risks since they are always logged on the web.
Tags: administration, algorithms, Malware, Network Security, Spyware, trojans
Categories: Cryptography, IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Privacy & Anonymity, Programming, Security Policies, Spyware
Downloading files on the web can be done at will but the proper identification of file extensions should be taken into account as well. While most of the programs are compressed in zip and rar files so that downloading can be done easier and faster, being cautious with regards to the contents such executable files must also be exercised.
Most of the viruses and contaminations that most files have would be initiated once installation ensues. Ordinarily, tracing the harmful effects cannot be seen until after the full installation has transpired. Only then would a user be able to identify that such programs that are supposedly to be helpful, would turn from aiding to being a destructive means towards a computer workstation.
Files sent through emails are another way of receiving distressing program files that will create mischief and havoc in any computer. It is best to look for alternatives or gather information first before actually pushing through with the download, for the sake of ensuring the overall safety and peace of mind of computer users today.
[tags]filenames, file extensions, zipped, archived, viruses, spyware[/tags]
Tags: archived, file-extensions, filenames, Spyware, viruses, zipped
Categories: IT Security Basics, Malware, Real-World Issues, Security Policies, Spyware
It is evident that most people have had their share of untoward incidents of opening their browsers and being re-directed towards another site other than their set homepage. Nope, the computer settings are not to be blamed, but rather possibly visiting a site which automatically changes the start page towards a site which is up to no good.
Avoiding such browser hijacking will be of different norms. For one, watch the clicking of pop-ups or queries that would usually ensue from an unknown site. Once a computer is infected, the need to resort to third party tools such as Adaware or Spyware Doctor to fix the problem would be needed.
For extreme measures, manual removal of such implanted files can be done as well. But for people who have issues with these, the best way is to delete all the Internet Cookies and Temporary folder initially. This alone will show the infected files so that they can be identified and contained.
[tags]spyware, malware, adaware, browser hijack, pop-ups[/tags]
Tags: adaware, browser-hijack, Malware, pop-ups, Spyware
Categories: IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Operating Systems, Real-World Issues, Security Policies, Spyware, Tips
Day-in and Day-out, people surf the web for possible downloads in the form of drivers, security stand alone cleaners, and free programs that will help them in their specific needs. One drawback is the potent threats and reliability of such sites since everyone is aware that such malicious Spyware or Trojans may be present in these programs which are usually compressed in zip files prior to free downloading.
Majorgeeks.com is one site that contains a lot of the helpful tools to aid computer users in their everyday issues and improvements for their overall operating system and performance. One notable thing that most users are aware about is that of intrusions in their system from the usual cookies and attachments that people get from the Internet. With the mischief going around, no one really knows how safe their computer is and what files are needed and not on their hard drives.
Tags: IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Programming, Review, Spyware, Storage, Tips
Categories: IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Programming, Review, Spyware, Storage, Tips
Ordinarily, all computers would evidently slow down owing to the number of programs installed and running and exposure over the web which injects some files for proper browsing of sites. At some point, boot-up speed of most computers as well as immediate shutdowns as performed by users may encounter some delays. These are only proper since the registry would be open to a lot of modifications from such activities.
This is why some companies have developed registry checkers and cleaners such as Registry Mechanic, to be able to determine the modifications and problems that have affected certain areas of the computer. Among the known issues would be improper deletion of shortcuts or programs without using the add/remove option on the control panel of the Windows operating system. This alone leaves a conflict that makes computers adjust to such occurrences.
Another thing is that of cookies gathered from the web. While cookies are stored in the temporary IE folder of a computer, some may tend to change some configurations on the machine and thus slow it down.
Registry cleaners are not guaranteed to speed up a computer speed at an instant. A user must also thoroughly evaluate if such modifications are okay for removal. A wrong decision may eventually make things worse, hence if a person is unsure, consulting computer experts or even the web for advice prior to action would be advisable.
Tags: Malware, Operating Systems, Programming, Spyware, Tips
Categories: Malware, Operating Systems, Programming, Spyware, Tips
Electronic mail has become the buzz of the town in recent years and while some use e-mail as a means of cheaper and faster ways of sending messages and files over the Internet, it cannot be discounted that some use e-mail as a form of exploit as well, by send unrecognized files to various recipients who in the same way may not know the harmful effects that such files would bring to their personal workstations.
While there are various means of supplying computer protection such as firewalls and anti-virus protection for single and networked computers, some harmful file just tends to get past them. That is why there are specific softwares used for specific infections, particularly the Trojan developed files that do their work unnoticed.
So the next time you get mail from someone who has an attachment with questionable file name extensions, better think twice before clicking or opening it. It may cause more pain than enjoyment in most cases.
[tags]spyware,malware,trojans,security[/tags]
Tags: IT Security Basics, Malware, security, Security Policies, Spyware, Tips, trojans
Categories: IT Security Basics, Malware, Security Policies, Spyware, Tips
With the vast number of viruses and spyware that most people contract in their everyday
exposure to the web, the need for consistent and reliable anti-virus protection software is the foremost concern of most people. To date, the awareness for such deceiving acts done over the
Internet without the user even noticing it is rampant. Such viruses have caused discomfort and havoc in more cases than one and it has been the battle cry of most security software developers to adhere and answer such miscues that usually occur everyday.
[tags]malware, spyware, virus, security, anti-virus[/tags]
Network and workstation security has always been the subject of most people, especially the vulnerability that most computer stations are prone to. Updates and patches are usually the way to update reliable anti-virus software partners, but in most cases, there will always be a loophole to which hackers and advanced technology harassers would be able to come up with. Hence the needs to find a reliable software partner that can truly protect a workstation from such harmful intrusions evolve and change in time. It is just a matter of being up to date with regards to their reliability and efficiency in providing a safe surfing and exposure level once they are logged on to the World Wide Web.
Tags: anti-virus, IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Programming, Real-World Issues, security, Security Policies, Spyware, virus
Categories: IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Programming, Real-World Issues, Security Policies, Spyware
I use search engines to look up everything. Recipes, news, info on whatever interest me at the moment, everything can be found at after typing a few words in the search bar. Since it’s become commonplace to use search engines, hackers look for ways to exploit this habit. Typing popular keywords can return even risky sites in the first pages results, since search engines have little to no filtering security measures being implemented. Sites with sponsored ads are even more likely to contain embedded adware and trojans. Though search engines may have advertising policies and listing and ranking rules about which sites show up in their search results, it’s up to the user’s good judgment to select what sites they will visit.
Search engines can also be a doorway to malware because of caching. Caches are used to store a backup copy of data temporarily. Search engines like Google and MSN save a virtual copy of a site in their servers, so even if a site goes down or is inaccessible due to slow connection speeds, the information and data can still be retrieved. Companies and service providers often use caching servers to speed up performance and lessen traffic in the network. But what if the site has a piece of malicious code embedded into its pages? Caches don’t save everything on a page, but a malicious piece of javascript will be part of the copy. The cached copy is identical to the original in that aspect, so accessing a cached page will have the same effect as accessing the original. So keep that in mind while browsing through your search results.
[tags]search engines, caching[/tags]
Tags: caching, Real-World Issues, search-engines, Spyware
Categories: Real-World Issues, Spyware
