Trojan Horse .... Nemesis The Greek Myth Or PC?

We have all heard the term Trojan Horse, but what is it? A Trojan is a destructive program that masquerades as a harmless application. Unlike viruses, Trojans do not repeat themselves, but can be equally devastating. One of the most dangerous examples of a Trojan is a program that promises to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses to your computer.

The Trojan can be tricky. That has not been online and had a pop-up ads that claim to be able to rid your computer of some nasty virus? Or, even more frightening, you receive an email that claims to be warning of a new virus that can threaten your computer. The sender promises to quickly eradicate, or protect your computer from viruses if you simply download their "free" software connected to your computer. You can be skeptical but the software looks legitimate and the company seems reputable. Proceeding to take their offer and download the software. In doing so, you have just potentially exposed yourself to a huge headache and your computer for a long list of ailments.

When a Trojan is activated, many things can happen. Some Trojans are more annoying than harmful. Some of the less annoying Trojans may choose to modify the desktop settings or add silly desktop icons. More serious Trojans can erase or replace the data on your computer, corrupt files, spread other malware such as viruses, spy on your computer and secretly report data like browsing habits to other people, log keystrokes to steal information such as passwords and credit cards, Phish for bank account details (which can be used for criminal activities), and also install a backdoor on the computer system so they can come and go as they wish.

You can increase your chances of not meeting a Trojan, follow these instructions :

1. Maintain vigilance
Trojans can infect your computer through the unauthorized Web sites, instant messaging and e-mail with attachments. Do not download anything on your computer, unless you're 100 per cent of its sender or source.

2. Make sure your operating system is always up to date. If you use a Microsoft Windows operating system, which is crucial. Install reliable anti-virus software. It 'also important that you download updates frequently to catch all new Trojan horses, viruses and worms. Make sure your anti-virus program that you can also choose to scan email and files on the Internet.

3. Install a firewall. A firewall is a system that prevents unauthorized use and access to a computer. The firewall does not intend to remove a computer virus problems, but when used in conjunction with regular operating system updates and reliable anti-virus software is able to provide increased security and protection for your computer.

Nothing can guarantee the security of your computer 100 percent. However, you can take to improve the security of your equipment and reduce the risk of infection by always following these guidelines.

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How many spyware items are infecting your computer?

I just had, by mistake, a plug-in called Intelligent Explorer attach to my browser. What a nightmare! I have another article on this topic, but this brings home a point. Spyware or adware items are continually infecting computers. Most computers have no protection from them. Most frightening is the frequency of them. From the InfosecWriters web site, "According to a 2004 survey by America Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance, 91% of users questioned were familiar with the term spyware. Only 53% believed their computers were infected, but a scan found that 80% of their PCs had some type of spyware installed on them." It goes on to say, "...The average number of spyware components per computer was 93 with one computer having well over a thousand."

What is Spyware?

Butte College (www.bctv.butte.edu/support/spyware.html) offers this definition:

“The term ‘spyware’ is broadly defined as any program that gets into your computer without permission and hides in the background while it makes unwanted changes to your user experience.

Spyware is generally not designed to damage your computer. The damage it does is more a by-product of its main mission, which is to serve you targeted advertisements or make your browser display certain sites or search results.

At present, most spyware targets only the Windows operating system (Internet Explorer).”

To be fair, spyware can be harmless, for example tracking cookies don’t do much. While such things infringe on your privacy, they don't really harm anything. Others, however, are extremely dangerous.

So what do you do about it?

No spyware program seems to do everything, but there are a lot of goods solutions out there that can help. Here is a list of some of the top Spyware tools to look at:

1) Try Ad-Aware 6. 0 Professional from LavaSoft (there is also a free version with less functionality)

2) Spybot Search & Destroy from PepiMK Software

3) Xoftspy form Pareto Logic

5) Spyware Guard from Javacool Software is a free program

4) Pest Patrol (now part of Computer Associates by acquisition)

5) McAfee Anti-Spyware

One thing is for certain: you do need to take spyware seriously. For some reason, too many people out there think anti-virus solutions are the end-all solution. They are not.

And, when all else fails?

Finally, as drastic as it seems, if your computer has been infected with a large number of spyware programs, the only solution you may have is backing up your data, and performing a complete reinstall of the operating system.

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Protect your computer system

Today, more people use computers for everything from communication to online banking and investment purchase. As we do these things in a more regular basis, we open ourselves up to potential hackers, attackers and crackers. While some may try to phish your personal information and identity for resale, others simply use the computer as a platform to attack other unknowing targets. Here are some easy and cost effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure.

1. Always make a backup of important data and store it in a safe location away from the team.

2. Update and patch your operating system and Web browser software often. If you have a Windows operating system, first go to www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and run the Upgrade Wizard. This program will help you find the latest patches for your Windows computer. See also www.officeupdate.microsoft.com to locate available patches for your Office programs.

3. Install a firewall. Without a good firewall, viruses, worms, trojans, malware and adware are all easily accessible on your computer to the Internet. Attention should be paid to the benefits and differences between hardware and software based firewall programs.

4. Check your browser settings and e-mail for optimal security. Why do this? Active-X and JavaScript are often hackers to plant malicious programs on your computer. While cookies are relatively harmless in terms of security issues, they still do not follow the movements of the Internet to build a profile of you. At least set the security settings for "Internet zone" A great and your "Trusted Sites" Low Normal.

5. Install antivirus software and configure Automatic Updates so that you receive the most current versions.

6th Do not open unknown attachments. It is not enough that you can recognize the address where it comes from, because many viruses can spread from a familiar address.

7th Do not run programs of unknown origin. Also, do not send these types of programs to friends and colleagues because they contain funny or amusing stories or jokes. They may contain a Trojan horse waiting to infect a computer.

8th Disable hidden file extensions. By default, the Windows operating system is set to "Hide extensions for known file types". Disable this option so that file types displayed in Windows. Some extensions are, by default, continue to remain hidden, but you are more likely to see the file types that are not unusual.

9. Turn off the computer and disconnect the network when not using the computer. A hacker can not attack your computer when you are disconnected from the network or the computer is off.

10. Consider making a boot disk on a floppy disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised by a malicious program. Obviously, you need to take this step before you experience a hostile violation of your system.

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Who Are The Players In The Antivirus Industry?

Everyone in America has heard of the major antivirus vendors Symantec, McAfee, Computer Associates and Trend Micro. These companies have market-leading presence in the United States. Microsoft, for example, has plans to become a key player in this market. Microsoft acquired intellectual property and software technologies GeCad in 2003, a company based in Bucharest, Romania. They also acquired Pelican Software, which had a behavior based security as well as software GIANT Company Software for spyware and Sybari, which manages virus, spam and phishing filtering.

Many discussions focused on whether Microsoft with come to have a dominant position in the antivirus market by simply combining its technology with its operating systems for free. A similar technique is applied in other markets such as word processors and Internet browsers.

Of course there are a number of antivirus vendors who also play in this market. There are many companies with large market presence in other countries are becoming better known. These suppliers include Grisoft outside the Czech Republic, Sophos in the UK, Panda Software out of Spain, Russia, Kaspersky, SoftWin in Romania, F-Secure in Finland, Norway Norman, Arcabas in Poland, VirusBuster out of the AhnLab Hungary and South Korea.

It is not clear where the industry is going and all of these markets face a rapidly changing landscape. A lot of effort to find and provide fixes viruses is staggering. Malware are more complex, and their number is increasing. Many companies may be deprived of the resources to respond to their efforts to create chaos, really bent. Some companies have found hundreds of new virus samples of the day! Furthermore, new viruses are becoming more "intelligent", which are distributed quickly and are often hidden and are smart enough to move the system with the appointment of efforts to make itself difficult to remove.

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Website Security Rules Of The Road

In 2004, consumer spending online is in a record $ 65.1 billion. Increasingly attracted by the ease of online shopping and spend large amounts. Unfortunately, the chances of becoming a victim of Internet fraud are also increasing. The Internet Fraud Watch National Center reported that the average loss to fraud victims in the first six months of 2005 was $ 2,579. This compares to an average of $ 895 for the year 2004. Complaints about general merchandise purchases (goods not received or misrepresented) accounted for 30% of Internet fraud complaints, and auction purchases (goods not received or misrepresented) topped the list with 44%.

While many e-commerce sites are reliable and have taken precautions to protect yourself, it never hurts to always proceed with caution. To make an online purchase consider these easy steps:

1. Use a single credit card, preferably with a low credit limit when making purchases online. Avoid using an ATM or debit card.

2. Beware of unsolicited offers by sellers. Internet Fraud Watch National Information Center reported that the email as a method of contacting Internet scammers was up 22% in 2004.While the offer may be legitimate, as spammers use this tactic to evade popular sites providing consumer protection for online purchases.

Use only the third known e-commerce sites that list an address and phone number if you need to contact them directly.

4. Read the privacy policy of the website. Some websites may reserve the right to sell / give your information to third parties. Check the document to see if they offer the opportunity to "opt-out" to receive special offers from other providers or permission to share your personal information.

5. Check for a padlock symbol in the status bar at the bottom of the browser window. Also, do not provide your personal information if the site address does not begin with "https" (a sign that the site uses a secure server).

6. Choose only verified sellers. Check if the vendor is a certified member of a reputable third party such as the Better Business Bureau, VeriSign, or Guardian eCommerce. These sites help to ensure that online consumers will be protected when shopping or e-commerce transactions.

7. Check the delivery date set is reasonable. If you do not deal with suppliers on a regular basis, be wary of any website that shows the shipment is delayed 20 days or more. Delivery dates of 7-10 days are common.

8. Keep a paper trail of all transactions online. Print a copy of the transaction and keep on file for future reference.

9. Be wary of offers web site that is too good to be true. The Internet is full of get rich quick scams and false advertising claims. Investigate all complaints before continuing.

10. If you do not get what you paid, and the seller does not return emails or phone calls, please contact your state consumer affairs for further assistance.

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