Posts tagged AntiMalware

Rogue AV Prevention

Do to  the alarming number of PCs being infected by Rogue Anti Virus applications I feel the need to talk about the steps required to prevent infection. The common denominator of infected systems that we receive is a complete lack of updates. Updates are your most important defense against the current set of Rogue AV applications. You not only need to do the Windows updates but also all your third party updates. Third party updates include things like Adobe Flash and Reader which have been common vectors of infection. I highly recommend www.filehippo.com and their free update checker at http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/ The update checker scans your system and compares your installed applications against their list of down-loadable programs. The application is very lightweight and will alert you whenever an update is available for download.

Windows releases updates every month on Patch Tuesday which is the 2nd Tuesday of the month. We always post a complete list of the current updates and link to other sites with Patch Tuesday info.

Rogue Antispyware at http://rogueantispyware.blogspot.com/ is an excellent source for info about the latest Rogue applications.

The main thing to keep in mind about these new breed of Rogue AV programs is there ability to download more viruses. I have found Trojan Down-loaders on all the Rogue infected PCs that have come in lately. The best thing to do after infection is to disconnect from the network immediately and use another PC to download  virus removal tools.  The longer your infected PC stays running and connected to the network, the worse the infection will become.

The following steps will help prevent infection.

Make sure you do all your updates, both Windows and Third Party updates.

Run a current updated Anti Virus/Anti Spy-ware application like Sunbelt Vipre

Use a browser like Firefox instead of  Microsoft Internet Explorer. I only use Internet Explorer to access sites that still require it.

If you get infected, unplug the network cable immediately and use another PC to download your removal tools. Keep in mind that if you get in over your head, you should call your local computer repair specialist . Sometimes going it alone and trying to repair your PC can actually make it harder for the repair shop to fix the problem later.

So before you head on over to your favorite website, do your updates.

Don’t be an update slacker… oh yeah and have a great day :-)

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Is Microsoft Security Essentials essential?

MSEIs the new free Microsoft Security Essentials really a good thing? Lets see what others are saying and then Ill give my 2 cents.

The ESET Blog had this post

http://www.eset.com/threat-center/blog/2009/09/30/microsoft-security-essential

Symantec post from Sept 29th read:  Microsoft Security Essentials: “Reruns” Aren’t Just for TV Anymore

http://bit.ly/uCQb6

Stress Testing Microsoft’s Free Anti-virus Offering from the Washington Post Security Fix

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/09/stress_testing_microsofts_free.html

Thoughts on MSE from the Sunbelt blog

http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/thoughts-on-mse.html

OK so my 2 cents…I personally will not recommend Microsoft Security Essentials  to my clients. As long as other companies continue to provide quality free alternatives to Microsoft products I will continue to recommend them. Putting all your eggs in the “Microsoft security” basket might just end up costing you far more than you thought.

There are currently many high quality free applications available online from Avira, Comodo, AVG  and Panda.

As always, don’t forget to do your updates and have a nice day :-)

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Conficker Eye Chart

confickerworkinggroupx200

The Conficker Working Group at http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org have created the Conficker Eye Chart. I found this to be a simple yet useful tool to test for the Conficker worm.

Click the following link to see the clever Conficker Eye Chart.

http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org/infection_test/cfeyechart.html

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Conficker Removal Tools

400px-circle-style-warningsvg1-150x1501Links to my recommended Conficker removal tools.

http://www.foundstone.com/us/resources/proddesc/confickerdetectiontool.htm Conficker Detection Tool 1.0.8

http://www.sunbeltsecurity.com/DownLoads.aspx Download the Sunbelt Conficker/Downadup Removal Tool

http://download.eset.com/special/EConfickerRemover.exe ESET conficker removal tool

http://www.bdtools.net/how-to-remove-downadup.php Remove Downadup (aka Conficker or Kido)

http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/default.aspx Stinger Conficker removal tool

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools/conficker-removal-tool.html Sophos Conficker clean-up tools

http://www.shadowserver.org/wiki/pmwiki.php/Stats/Conficker#toc5 ShadowServer Conficker Remediation and Stats

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Vipre Antivirus takes a bite out of malware

vipreMy personal favorite Anti Malware application is Vipre Antivirus. The  program uses minimal system resources and gives excellent protection for a fair price.

Check out a demo of Vipre in action at the link below. Look for the current coupon code and purchase options by clicking the coupon tag below and selecting the most recent article.

http://www.vipreantivirus.com/Demo/

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