There are no silver bullets when it comes to antivirus software. There are far too many threats created every day for any one company to keep up with them all. And even if your antivirus software is good at detecting viruses that doesn’t mean it’s good at removing them. That’s why I don’t believe in paying for antivirus programs like Norton and McAfee. I clean up a lot of virus infected computers and the majority of them have either Norton or McAfee installed. Since it’s possible to get a virus no matter what antivirus software you have installed why pay for it?

Although I don’t recommend paying for any computer security products it is important to have antivirus software installed on your computer. But you must also use common sense and keep your operating system and other software installed updated. Here’s my list of do’s and don’ts:

1. Turn on Automatic Updates in Windows and set them to install automatically. Also insure the Windows firewall is enabled.

2. Install an antivirus program that updates its definitions at least once daily. The free antivirus programs I recommend are AVG Anti-Virus and AntiVir. In addition to installing either one of those I would recommend adding another layer of defense. For this I’ve been using Panda Cloud. It’s light on resources and is good at keeping viruses off your computer.

3. Don’t install any free software from the internet unless it’s from
   www.download.com. Download.com guarantees no viruses or other malware will come along for the ride and they have a huge selection of free software. So before you download that torrent or free MP3 stop and reconsider. Is it really worth a computer infection?

4. If you’re still using Internet Explorer, stop! I recommend using
   Google Chrome instead. It’s faster and more secure.

5. Be careful where you surf on the internet. A vast number of virus infections today are spread by unscrupulous web sites. All you have to do is visit the website and a script can run to infect your PC. The best advice I can give is to be careful where you surf. And don’t click on links in Facebook or anywhere else on the internet unless you know it’s taking you to a safe website.

6. Don’t click on links from MSN Messenger or other instant message programs unless you’re absolutely certain they’re legit.

7. Also use caution when clicking links or opening files in your email messages. Don’t even watch that video someone sent you unless you’ve scanned the file for viruses first.

8. Don’t click on links in emails from your bank or the government that ask you to give any personal information. Call them instead. It’s far too easy for the bad guys to spoof an email address and create a website that looks legitimate so you could end up sending your personal info right to them.

9. If you’re asked to install updates for programs like Java, Flash or Acrobat Reader go ahead and install them. Often they’re fixing security gaps.

I hope you noticed a pattern. The easiest way to get a virus is when you click on a link or open a file! If in doubt error on the side of caution.

The virus/malware business is a very lucrative business so don’t expect them to fold up shop and go away any time soon. It’s their job to infect your computer. It’s primarily your responsibility to keep them off so you have to use caution and common sense.

If your computer is acting strange or your antivirus program tells you that you have a virus then refer to my last post for virus removal instructions.

-Bert

Today we’re going to talk about virus removal and next week we’ll talk about virus prevention. If you’re wondering why we’re not talking about virus prevention first it’s because most people reading this probably have a virus already or will get one before they’re ready to take any action. Of course I’m not talking about you though! :)

Basically if your computer is doing anything out of the ordinary I would suggest scanning your computer with any of the following FREE anti-virus/malware programs below. It’s best to do this soon after you suspect you have a virus infection because your virus problem will get worse and harder to fix over time. If you wait too long you could lose your internet connection or worse, you may not be able to boot into Windows. At that point you’ll most likely have to pay someone to fix it.

These are my favorite free virus removal tools:

1. Malwarebytes (try this first)

2. SUPERAntiSpyware (try this second)

3. IObit Security 360

After you install the program run the Update so the virus definition files are current. Then run the scan, usually the Quick Scan is sufficient and only takes 10-15 minutes.

After you run any of the above, if it found any threats have the program remove them, reboot your computer and run the program again and insure it doesn’t find anything the second time. If it does, then try the next program in the list. You need to be sure your computer is clean and viruses are like mice, you never have just one. After these scans come back clean it’s a good idea to run a full scan using whatever antivirus program you have installed (Norton, McAfee, AVG, etc.).

Hopefully, after running the above program(s) you’ve taken care of your virus problem. Having cleaned up a lot of heavily virus infected computers I’ve found these programs can totally take care of the problem about 90% of the time.

Stay tuned for next week’s article about virus and malware prevention. Now that your computer is virus free I’ll tell you how to keep it clean. We have four computers in our house that get used almost daily and we haven’t had a virus on any of them.

-Bert

The problem of computer viruses has been evolving since the internet was born. In the past you could only catch a virus or malware by actually opening a file. Now you can become infected simply by going to a web site or opening an email.

There are over 4 million virus threats that are currently flagged by current antivirus programs. And that number increases by over 2,000 new threats every day! Depending on the virus the effects can range from annoying to destructive. The worst infections can delete files on your hard drive, make your computer inoperable, and some malware (keyloggers) can even capture and send your personal and financial information to the bad guys. Even a mild infection can slow down your computer and internet connection, cause annoying popup advertisements and redirect your internet browser’s homepage.

Unfortunately there’s no one program that’s good enough to remove and/or prevent every virus. There are some decent antivirus programs and there are some decent antispyware/malware programs but so far no one has created one program that can do both effectively. Also, some programs are better at virus prevention while others are better at virus removal.

Because of that, the main point I’d like to make today is that it’s primarily your job to keep viruses off your computer. That probably comes as a big surprise to a lot of people but don’t worry, it’s not difficult and we’ll cover everything you need to know. You just have to use the tools that are available, like antivirus software, but more importantly you have to use some caution and common sense on the internet.

The virus/malware business is a very lucrative business, generating about $8 billion a year for the bad guys, so don’t expect them to fold up shop and go away any time soon. And the bad guys can afford to pay their software developers a lot more money than the antivirus companies can.

Stay tuned for next week’s article. I’ve had the opportunity to clean up a lot virus infected computers and I’ll tell you how to do it.

-Bert

Earlier this year the Kaiser Family Foundation published some incredible statistics on just how plugged-in our children are. I’d encourage you to read the full report at this link but here are some highlights.

• 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week).
• Because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’ (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those 7½ hours.
• TV remains the dominant type of media content consumed, at 4:29 a day, followed by music/audio at 2:31, computers at 1:29, video games at 1:13, print at :38, and movies at :25 a day.
• Three-quarters (74%) of all 7th-12th graders say they have a profile on a social networking site.
• 7th-12th graders report spending an average of 1:35 a day sending or receiving texts. (Time spent texting is not counted as media use in this study.)

Based on the evidence we can’t deny that raising children today is much different than it was even ten short years ago. For better or worse the game has changed and it’s important that we, as parents, adjust as well so we can raise happy, healthy and productive children in this new digital world.

I like the way Dr Tanya Byron, a Clinical Psychologist from the UK, put it:

“The virtual world and the real world do contain risks, and children left to navigate a solo path through either, face many dangers. The trouble is that although as adults we instinctively know how to protect our children offline, we often assume that their greater technological expertise will ensure they can look after themselves online. But knowledge is not the same as wisdom.”

So there you have it. Even if your children know more about this digital world than you do that knowledge does not translate into wisdom. It’s our job as parents to insure our children’s safety both offline and online.

Without further ado I’d like to give you some tools and ideas that can help.

1. The Kaiser Family Foundation found in their study that only about 30% of young people say they have rules about how much time they can spend watching TV, playing video games, and using the computer.  But when parents do set limits, children spend less time with media: those with any media rules consume nearly 3 hours less media per day than those with no rules.

2. Keep the TVs, computers and gaming consoles out of the bedrooms. All of these devices and activities should be done in a community or family room. I’ve never liked the idea of TVs in bedrooms but there’s not much danger in it since the TV, like an iPod is one-way media. But allowing a computer with internet access in a bedroom can be very dangerous since a child can communicate with absolutely anyone in the world at any time of the day or night. That’s scary!

3. If you have children that use a computer to access the internet you need to install an internet filter. Children don’t go looking for trouble on the internet but a simple typo in a search engine or clicking the wrong link can expose your children to things you would never want them exposed to. Here’s some Internet Filtering Software Reviews. They all have different features and some cost more than others. In our house we use an excellent free internet filter called K9 Web Protection so if cost was an issue now you have no excuse. Install a web filter today.

4. If you ever wonder if a movie, game or website is appropriate for your children there’s a great website that gives excellent reviews of all types of media and shows what ages the media is appropriate for. Check out CommonSenseMedia.org.

5. Probably the most important thing you can do is talk to your kids about their media use. Knowing you care is huge so don’t ever be afraid to ask your children who their texting, what games they’re playing, what websites they visit, etc.. And if you don’t understand something about all the new technology just ask your kids. They’d probably be happy to teach you a thing or two.

The game has changed but you can’t lose unless you decide to just put your head in the sand. So get in the game, you can do it and your children deserve it!

-Bert

Free Virus & Spyware Removal Tools

I’m still using a lot of the same great free programs I’ve been using for a long time. Malwarebytes and SUPERAntiSpyware are still my top picks to remove viruses. AVG and AntiVir are my picks for real time virus protection and CCleaner is still my favorite for cleaning up Windows to keep your computer running fast.

There are also a couple new programs as well. I’m currently testing Panda Cloud Antivirus as another layer of protection to be used in combination with AVG or AntiVir. Panda Cloud is super light on resources and is best at keeping viruses off your computer.

If you’re already using AVG or AntiVir install Panda Cloud in addition and let me know what you think.

Thanks!

-Bert

This offer is only good for 24 hours starting at 6 AM PDT on Tuesday November 18th, 2008.

ZoneAlarm is excellent security software that includes a firewall plus identity theft and spyware protection. Normally they charge $39.95 for this software which includes one year of updates. 

Be sure to click here on Tuesday to get your free copy of ZoneAlarm Pro.

Thank you Check Point Software!

-Bert

They’re at it again, but this time posing as the Better Business Bureau. They spoof the email address so it looks like the email is really coming from the Better Business Bureau.

Follow these three steps so you don’t fall prey to online email scammers:

1. Install antivirus software that checks your email if you use an email client like Microsoft Outlook. A very good free antivirus program that does this is AVG. Most of the major web based email portals like Gmail and Yahoo mail have antivirus software on their server that checks attachments.

2. Delete email from anyone you don’t know or the subject line seems strange. Don’t even open these email message.

3. Even if an email message appears to come from someone you know or a business be skeptical of it and don’t click any links or open any attachments unless you’re absolutely sure it’s legitimate. Even then, you’d be better off calling them then taking the chance.

-Bert

This weekend I cleaned up a computer that was infested with adware/spyware (Zango, 180 Solutions, CoolWebSearch, to name a few) and a couple trojans.

For the past month or so, the first thing I download and run is Malwarebytes. The program is small so it doesn’t take long to download and the installation is fast and easy. The two things that separate it from most anti-malware programs though is its fast scan and effective removal of malware. 

Most programs take an hour or more to thoroughly scan your computer but using the Malwarebytes Quick Scan, that just checks the most important areas of your PC, the scan only takes a few minutes to run.

The second thing I like is its ability to disable any malware it finds. In fact, I haven’t run into any malware yet that it found and couldn’t remove.

You can often gauge the effectiveness of anti-malware software by looking at what the experts are using. When the excellent folks at sites like bleepingcomputer.com, daniweb.com, and majorgeeks.com are recommending it and using it in their forums you can feel confident that it works well.

That computer I worked on this weekend was cleaned up and running smooth in less than an hour, thanks to Malwarebytes..

Have a great day!

-Bert

The sad reality is that most people don’t use effective virus protection or follow my 11 steps to protect their computers from viruses and other malware.  Not only are most computers at risk but, until someone’s computer actually gets infected by malware, they don’t even think about it.

If you’re one of those people one day you’ll probably experience one or more of the following signs and symptoms of computer malware:

1. Lots of annoying pop-up advertisements.

2. Dialog boxes popping up telling you that you have a virus or other problems. 

3. New toolbars on your internet browser.

4. Your internet Home Page has changed.

5. New Favorites in your browser that you didn’t put there.

6. Your computer has slowed down or even crashes and restarts on its own.

7. Programs not working or files not opening.

If you ever get a pop-up window telling you that your computer has a virus or registry problem and telling you to buy some program to fix the problem, DON’T! 99% of these are viruses, trojans and adware just trying to sell you software that will just make things worse. All they want is your money.

This is exactly what you need to do if you’re experiencing any of the signs/symptoms above:

1. Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. (Save it to your desktop)

2. Close all programs and windows on your PC, including your web browser.

3. Rename the downloaded mbam-setup.exe file to mb.exe to help work around certain malware that will block it from being run.

4. On your Desktop double-click mb.exe to install the removal program. Leave the default settings.

5. Update the program if asked and begin the Quick Scan.

6. After it’s finished running click the Remove Selected button.

7. When finished you can close the program.

If you’re still experiencing problems, run an online scan at Eset.com. 

To keep from getting infected in the future, follow my 11 steps to computer security.

Happy Computing!

-Bert

I upgraded to the free AVG 8.0 in July 08 and really like the enhancements. AVG added spyware protection along with its superb virus protection in this version. Since many virus infections are delivered via website drive-by downloads AVG included LinkScanner technology that checks websites when you do a Google, Yahoo or MSN search. LinkScanner doesn’t work yet in Google’s new Chrome browser but it does work in Internet Explorer and Firefox. AVG continues to include free email scanning for Microsoft Outlook as well.

The bottom line with any antivirus software (free or not) is how well does it protect your computer and, nearly as important, does it use up all your resources slowing down your system? On both points I’d give AVG top marks. According to other reviews it does a better job of preventing virus infections than it does cleaning up infections but in most cases it will leave nearly all viruses non-functional. AVGs scans are fast and its real-time protection won’t slow down your computer like a lot of bloated (and expensive) security software suites.

Download.com gives AVG Anti-Virus 5 stars and over 16,000 users have given it an average of 4 out of 5 stars. Personally, I give the new version 5 stars and have installed it on 3 of my home systems and have started installing it on every system I repair. 

For a complete review of AVG Anti-Virus 8.0 check out the excellent review by Neil Rubenking at PC Magazine.

Happy Computing!

-Bert