How To-33: "How to Thwart Malware and Surf the Internet Safely"

"How to Thwart Malware and

Surf the Internet Safely"

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The internet has never been a safe environment. Most everyone has received, or knows someone who has received, a image:severe virus of some type; and just about every computer which has access to the internet has some form of malware, whether it is viruses, or just adware or spyware. There are a good number of steps you can take to protect your computer against these unwanted amenities.

Steps

Definition of malware: "software, such as viruses, intended to damage or disable a computer system; short for malicious software"? –Dictionary.com. This set of software includes essentially any program which you do not want on your computer which has an adverse affect.
Definition of virus: "A computer program that is designed to replicate itself by copying itself into the other programs stored in a computer. It may be benign or have a negative effect, such as causing a program to operate incorrectly or corrupting a computer’s memory"? –Dictionary.com. While some viruses are benign, the majority are designed to damage your computer in one way or another.
Definition of adware: "a software application in which advertisements are displayed while the program is running, esp. in pop-up windows or banners"? –Dictionary.com. While adware is often very annoying, the majority of adware isn’t detrimental to your computer.
Definition of spyware: "any software that covertly gathers information about a user while he/she navigates the Internet and transmits the information to an individual or company"? –Dictionary.com. Spyware is some of the more scary software which is prevalent on the internet. This software can track keystrokes, obtain passwords, observe your internet surfing patterns and even view downloaded files.
If you think you have some sort of malware on your computer right now, unplug your computer from the internet immediately. Much of the malware which affects your computer needs a connection to the internet to send information or receive commands from a controller. Once unplugged, you can print this page and follows the steps on a separate computer. Once you have the programs from the process, you can transfer them to the infected computer and complete the steps there.
The first step is to purchase (or download) an antivirus application. While purchased software is often a worthwhile investment, there are some very good free antivirus programs. Doing a search on Google for "free antivirus" will actually turn up a surprising number of adware programs that don’t actually protect your computer. But it will also turn up one of the best antivirus applications available: Grisoft’s AVG Anti Virus. Not only is this a fantastic program, it also has a free version which limits some of the functionality of the program, but gives all the protection of the paid version. Download the free version (or purchase a license from the main page) by viewing "Products" and selecting "AVG Free Edition".
At some point before you run the antivirus software you will want to backup any files and documents you do not wish to risk deletion, loss, or corruption. Often, deeply embedded viruses can damage boot files and other files as they are removed because they intend to make problems for you in whatever way possible. Be sure not to backup programs or files which may contain a virus, only backup files which are you sure cannot contain a virus or any malware.
Installing antivirus software is always best to be done on a fresh computer (a new computer, or one which has recently been reformatted). With any antivirus software, they are better at protecting the computer and preventing the malware from being installed than removing embedded viruses already on the computer. Though a good number of viruses can be eradicated after they have been installed, you shouldn’t hold your breath if you have severe viruses on the computer. Before you run a system scan with any software, you should be sure that you have the latest version of the program with the most recent virus definitions.
If the antivirus software cannot rid your computer of the virus, try running the program in safe mode by restarting your computer and pressing F8 before windows boots. You may need to press F8 several times to get it pressed at the correct time. When the boot menu pops up, select "Safe Mode". Once windows starts up, run the antivirus scan. If this succeeds, then it is best to disable System Restore on all your hard drives to remove any remnants of the program. Once you restart the computer, you can re-enable System Restore.
If the virus is identified by the antivirus application, but is not removed you are very limited on options. You should do a search on Google to see if there are any steps on the internet to remove the virus using an alternate way. But if you are ultimately unable to remove the virus, you may need to reformat your hard drive (AKA "wiping your computer"?, "starting from scratch"?, or "thwarting all malware!"?). You will need a copy of Windows to complete this, which (depending on where you got your computer) may be hard to come by, but is a solves-all for virtually any computer software problem.
Generally, adware is much easier to eliminate than most viruses. Download Lavasoft’s "Ad-Aware SE Personal"?. This is a free program specifically designed for removal of adware and common spyware.
Install Ad-Aware and download any updates for the program. Be sure to get the latest definitions. Then run a full (not smart) system scan on all your hard drives (in the future, you can run a smart system scan which is much faster).
After running the program, it will likely say you have adware (even a fresh installation of Windows will contain adware). Quarantine all items it identifies (on a fresh computer the number of items may only be 50 or so, but on a few-year-old computer without malware protection, I have personally seen numbers in the thousands). The quarantine makes those files/programs inaccessible. Run your computer for a couple days, if everything seems to work fine, you can delete the quarantine to rid your computer of the malware permanently (I have never seen a program on a computer not function properly after a quarantine, but it is just a precaution).
Ad-Aware may notify you saying "not all items could be removed (or scanned)"?. And it will ask you if it should scan next time your computer starts up. This is highly recommended, as it will find any hidden adware in your boot directories and remove them.
Next download a program called "Spybot – Search and Destroy"? (SSaD) (available on Download.com). Install this program. During the installation, it will ask you if you want to get the latest definitions, do so. It will also ask you if you want to immunize your computer, this is definitely a good idea as it will prevent your computer from ever running a long list of known malware programs. It is also recommended to make a backup of your registries (as it suggests) just in case a registry is changed which affects a program you use (I have never seen this happen, but it is possible).
Do a full scan of you computer with SSaD. This program will scan through your registries and clean up a few other places. The scan should take much less time than the previous two recommended programs, but it isn’t doing everything the other two did.
Once your computer is squeaky clean, there are a good deal of ways to prevent malware from being installed on your computer in the first place (rather than coming back later and cleaning up after yourself). The primary way malware gets on your computer is while surfing the web.
Ditch Internet Explorer (IE). While it packs with all copies of Windows,IE is very insecure (IE7 is insecure too!) You don’t have to uninstall IE, just don’t use it. If you don’t use it, malware can’t use it.
The most used web browsing application (other than IE) is Mozilla Firefox (FX). FX is part of the long running Mozilla project (previously Netscape was based on Mozilla also, but they have parted ways). FF gives you features like tabbed browsing, pop up blocking, plug-ins (fully customize how FF looks and reacts), and security. Because Firefox was design by programmers who are familiar with open source projects, they have a good idea of common vulnerabilities associated with hacking and malware. They also have to be especially careful because the source code with all the ins and outs of the program are available for anyone to view on the internet. Firefox also releases automatic updates frequently to defend against any vulnerabilities that arise.
Email applications are known to have vulnerabilities too. Outlook Express is a prime example. The version that ships with Windows XP is riddled with loopholes and insecurities.
With any email application, keep updated. Go to the software’s website and manually check for newer versions of the program.
Or use open source email applications like Mozilla’s Thunderbird, which is from the same makers as Firefox.
Use a hardware firewall such as a router or other internet gateway. This makes it difficult for spyware and other malware to communicate with outside sources such as remote controllers. If you use a router, never DMZ your computer. If you must open ports to have access, use the port forwarding functions.
The last step is to be smart about where you travel on the internet, and what files you download and install. Most people get spyware from sites they find in search engines, or from illegal file downloading sites or Bit Torrents. Stay away from anything that looks fishy and you’ll be better off for it.

Tips

TrendMicro, or "Housecall" http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ can also be used for removing viruses, trojans, malware, spyware and adware.
Never use the administrator (or root, if under Linux) account for the routine daily tasks. It is far easier to crack a computer when its user is surfing web as administrator.
Use the anti-malware programs (mentioned above) often. AVG does a full computer scan everyday. Ad-Aware should be manually run once every week (if you do a moderate amount of web surfing). SSaD should be run every other week.
If you use alternate web browsers (other than IE) you will find the malware identified by the above-mentioned program will drastically reduce.
Chances are, someone else on the internet has had the same problem you are experiencing, search computer problem forums for solutions to your problem.
Keep your computer up-to-date with automatic Windows Updates. If you do not have Windows XP SP2, get it immediately! It will help prevent malware incursion.
While Windows’ firewall is no match for most hardware firewalls, it isn’t a bad idea to leave enabled. There are other software firewalls available such as Zone Lab’s Zone Alarm, which will allow you to fully customize any and all access to and from your computer over the internet.
It is generally believed that antivirus software will slow your computer down. This is true. Some applications are worst than others. AVG is known to be very good and will only slow your computer down when gathering new files (so for most gaming situations, it shouldn’t affect anything).
If all-else fails, reformat the computer. Then there is no risk that your computer is still contaminated. Once reformatted, install all windows updates (starting with SP2 if your CD does not already have it), be sure to check the update site (windowsupdate.com) multiple times after each update/restart; some updates are dependent on others, so they won’t show up until you have the first set of updates installed. Second thing to do is install antivirus software, then all applications.

Warnings

Stay safe on the internet. Not everyone is trying to help you. Many anti-malware programs listed on the internet contain malware themselves. Stay with applications which are recommended by reputable sources.
If you have adware or other type of malware on your computer which keeps telling you to download or buy a program to rid yourself of malware, chances are the program you’d be purchasing is a mal-ware program. Find an alternate way to remove that pop up.
Be careful with firewalls and browser settings. While high settings may allow you protect your computer from virus, malware and such, it can make internet browsing quite difficult as most sites may have difficultly loading under those settings.
Clicking on unknown popups is the cardinal sin of web surfing and is a sure-fire way to pick up some malware. Don't do it.

Things You'll Need

Definitions of what we will be dealing with.
Mozilla Firefox and other software.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

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Suri's Digital World

Wednesday, October 8, 2008