CVS Fife - 23-27 Randolph Street, Buckhaven KY8 1AT (Map)
T: 01592 567001 - F: 01592 567009 - E: cvsfife@cvsfife.org
Danger - Virus! Spyware!
Has your computer started behaving strangely lately? Running slow or crashing for no apparent reason, windows popping up all over the place (often with dodgy content), dialling up when you never asked it to, changing your browser start page to something you'd rather not see?
If the answer is YES, your computer is possibly infected by malware! Malicious software (malware) is the term for software nasties: viruses, Trojans, browser hihackers etc. Once infected, your computer can open the door to hackers, send personal information to strangers, use your PC to send spam (in your name) and cause general misery.
Important
Some organisations will have an IT policy that outlines procedures and restrictions on what you may be allowed to do with your computer, and/or there may be someone within your organisation who has responsibility for looking after the computers in your office. Before you install any software onto your computer you should first check that this is acceptable for you to do so.
Disinfect
Cleaning up an infected PC be a bit of a task and you may have to repeat the process a couple of times before you get the all clear message.
An infected computer can often prevent anti-virus software being installed, or from functioning properly. A way round this is to use an online virus checker. There are free online virus removal tools available from:
- Trend Micro
http://housecall.trendmicro.com - Panda Software
Active Scan/
Once the online check says your PC is clean, install anti-virus software, then install and run the anti-spyware checker.
Protect
Any computer that is connected to the Internet is at risk. Just few clicks on the wrong pages can bring a load of grief to your PC so how can you keep it clean and safe? It's quite easy, you just need to install some software and it may not even cost you! Here's what you need:
Anti-Virus
There are a number of suitable programs available such as Norton, Symantec, Panda etc. If you are using your PC at HOME, I would recommend the FREE version of AVG (Anti-Virus Guard) from: www.avg.co.uk. There are discounts available to non-profit organisations.
Typically anti-virus software comes in two parts: the program, which checks files on, or coming into your computer and secondly the database of viruses definitions that the program checks your files against. As this database is added to on an almost daily basis, you pay an annual subscription to keep your anti-virus up-to-date.
- AVG (Anti Virus Guard) - www.avg.co.uk
- Symantec (also Norton) - www.symantec.com/region/reg_eu
- McAfee - http://uk.mcafee.com/
Please note that you should not install more than one Ant-Virus package on your computer at any one time. If you want to change to a new AV provider make sure you uninstall the old software before installing the new one.
Firewall
A firewall monitors information coming in and out of the network and will prevent hackers accessing your computer. It should also tell you when any programs are trying to connect to the outside world. You would normally expect programs such as Internet Explorer and Outlook to want to connect but why should that screen saver you just installed be trying to send information out and to whom?
Windows XP SP2 comes with a firewall but the products below offer greater security.
- Zonealarm (free or professional) - www.zonealarm.com
You can also purchase a Firewall from AVG, Symantec, McAfee etc via the links in the previous section.
Important
A firewall is designed to protect your computer network connection. It will try to protect you from intrusions over the internet and it will also try to protect your from other computers on your local network. This means that you could find that the firewall may block access to your shared folders/printers.
You may need to add details about your local network to the firewall settings to allow the other computers in your office to "see" your computer.
Spyware Removal Tools
One of the most well known anti-spyware tool is Adaware from www.lavasoftusa.com but this is only free for home use. Spybot is totally free for any organisation to use and can be obtained from www.safer-networking.org.
Once installed, these packages will check online for updates and then scan for and remove spyware.
Warning! - there a number of sites that offer a free spyware check but when they find spyware on your PC you will then need to pay to have it removed. The links above are to reputable sites - you should be safe with them.
Keep Your Security Up-To-Date
- You need to keep your anti-spyware software up-to-date. Microsoft has a feature to do this automatically - the others need to be done manually.
- New viruses appear on a daily basis so it is vital that you schedule your anti-virus product to check for new virus definitions each day.
- Microsoft regularly release security patches and updates for Windows and you should use the "Windows Update" to keep your PC up-to-date.
Deals for Registered Charities
You can take advantage of the excellent discounts offered by www.pugh.co.uk in conjunction with SCVO. The choice tends to favour Norton, Symantec products - but there are good savings to be made It is not just security software that is on offer - Microsoft, Macromedia, Corel and many other products can be had at a fraction of the RRP.
Further Information
- How to Protect Your Computer from Spyware and Adware (Microsoft)
- Definition and information on Spyware (Wikipaedia)
- Definition and information on Malware (Wikipaedia)