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Written by
Dave
5 Star Support Volunteer Technician
Original version written
2004
Current update 11/19/06
<>Security Programs and Solutions:
Compatible with PC’s running Windows 2000 professional, XP Home and XP
Professional including XPsp2. Users of Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and
Windows ME should refer to the paper on Windows 98 Security located
elsewhere here on 5 Star Support. It should also work well with Windows NT
4.0, and if you are running WinNT, Win2k, or WinXP, remember you should be
logged on as administrator to install any of these programs. I have not
tested any of these programs with Internet Explorer 7.
NOTE: For best (easiest) results, the programs should be installed in the
order listed below. If you already have one or more of these installed in
your computer, no worries, just add the ones you don’t have. I strongly
recommend reading all pages before you do anything to your system to be sure
it is something you want to do. The programs listed are free for personal or
SOHO use. Companies or businesses should use the paid licensed versions in
all cases. Read the licensing agreement to determine which programs require
purchase for business use. These programs are all for individual PC or
workstation use and are not designed for server installation.
<>Anti-virus and Firewalls:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
AVG Anti-Virus, free edition. Download & install, get updates from within
program. Set it to run updates and a scan every day at a specified time
convenient to you. Set files to be considered out dated after 7 days. Be
sure to update daily. Also, be sure to register the program. Not as well
rated by many writers as some other antivirus programs, but I cannot
understand why because it is a very good program. It does seem to
consistently have the ability to “heal” a number of infected files that
other programs could not do anything with, and its’ reaction speed to
incoming threats, even in email, is very fast. The programming is excellent
and the database for definitions actually runs hours ahead of most other
antivirus programs. I actually run AVG Pro and I scan daily.
Zone Labs offers a very good free firewall. It is easy to set up, and the
help section is very good. If you want to try the Zone Lab firewall, you can
get it at:
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp
Just click on the link at the top of this web site page for “Download FREE
Zone Alarm” and you are all set. Be sure to register the software and check
the can Zone Labs contact you box. If the box is checked, you will receive
notification from Zone Labs if there are program changes, as well as new
versions of the firewall when they are released. They usually release a new
version of their firewall about two times annually. Be sure to read the help
file for proper setup.
That should cover you for a very good firewall. Next we move on to Spyware
and Adware protection. You should note that if you installed the above Zone
Lab firewall, as you install and update the programs below, the firewall is
going to pop up a message window asking if the program is allowed to access
the Internet. Simply check the box to “remember your answer”, and choose
always allow by left clicking with your mouse.
<>Adware/Spyware:
There is one new program recently introduced from the Czech Republic called
AVG Anti Spyware. It is from Grisoft, the same vendor that provides AVG
antivirus we discussed at the beginning. The program is compatible with
Windows 2000 (all versions) and Windows XP (all versions) and is designed to
work in harmony with all known anti-virus and firewall programs, and most
other security type programs as well. It uses a threat database with an
amazing 300,000 + entries that you will be protected from. This is easily
one of the largest threat databases currently assembled. I have been running
this for a while in my test machine and find that it can dig deeper and find
more than any other program I have ever used.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
They have a really great program here. After you download and install the
program, you will need to update the database from within the program. After
that, you have a full version of the program to test for 30 calendar days.
After that time, it reverts to a free version with automatic updates and
advanced features disabled until such time as you decide to purchase the
program. You can, however, still update and scan manually. All updates for
the paid full version of the program are done automatically in the
background while you are on-line, saving you the time it would take to do it
manually. The database is updated daily, and I have received updates daily
since installation. This is truly a great program in my opinion, and I think
it is well worth the expenditure. It has proven itself to be able to
repeatedly find and quarantine things no other program I have ever used has
been able to even detect, let alone deal with.
One final caution: If you intend to use Microsoft’s Anti-Spyware program
called Windows Defender, you will have to make a choice. I have found that
Ewido Security Suite and Microsoft Anti-Spyware Beta do not get along well
together, so you will have to pick one or the other. Trying to run both will
also consume a lot of system resources and slow you down considerably.
http://www.majorgeeks.com
AdAware SE, personal version by Lavasoft. Download & install. Get updates
from within the program weekly. This is one of the better Adware & Spyware
programs out there, and nobody should be without it. You may be interested
in the Pro version if you like it. It is well worth the $20, and it ads the
Ad Watch feature. Then go to:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com
You can also download and install the plug-ins for AdAware (7 total)
including the VX2 cleaner. Spyware in VX2 format is very dangerous, and
almost impossible to remove without this, or a similar cleaner. You can also
download the instruction manual for Ad Aware SE (PDF format). It covers the
entire program and is very helpful, and explains the plug-ins. The manual is
highly informative, and I really recommend you save it to your security
folder for easy reference and read it. The Ad Aware Pro version manual is
also available here in PDF format.
http://www.addict3d.org/index.php?page=downloadfile&ID=1345
Download AdAware Cloak to a security folder created on your c drive. Put a
shortcut to it on desktop. It can be started before running Ad Aware if
spy-ware/ad- ware etc. causes program to stall or hang and prevents a normal
scan. It hides Ad Aware so it can perform a normal full scan.
http://www.winpatrol.com/winpatrol.html
Download and install WinPatrol from Bill P Studios. Remember to set Nuts
under the cookies tab to prevent cookie types you don’t want. You can clean
out cookies daily. You can check which cookies to keep. Great program! By
default it sniffs system every 9 minutes for any changes and alerts you to
any changes. Once installed, you get warnings about any new programs
installed (you will have to answer yes to allow the program to run) or any
browser helper objects or home page changes. Remember to answer yes as the
programs added below pop up on your monitor (it will take at least 9 minutes
for Win Patrol to notice the new program – usually after a re-boot). After
installation you should check for the types of cookies blocked. On the
newest version, this will be under the cookies tab as NUTS has been removed.
The minimal cookie types I recommend you block are: 1805, 2o7, ad, ads,
AdServ, atwolla, Banner, bfast, CGI-Bin, Click, Commission, count, gain,
gator, hitbox, hot, kazaa, kount, metric, and ru4.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
Download & install Spyware Blaster, update from within the program weekly.
It prevents many spyware and adware cookies and programs from being
installed in the first place. It works by prevention rather than removal. It
prevents adware and spyware in its’ database from being installed in the
first place. It works by adding restricted sites to your browser.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
Download & install Spybot Search & Destroy. Update from within program
weekly. Very powerful program capable of making registry edits and changes,
so be careful with its’ use. Don’t use the advanced settings until you
become familiar with the program and how it works. Also install Tea Timer
from the download (check the box for tea-timer during install) as it alerts
you to any changes in your start menu, browser home page, etc. or your
registry. After it is installed, you will see a new icon for the program
(small blue symbol with a lock). It is a good program. You will have to
check for newer versions of the program periodically as no e-mails for newer
versions are sent. I check 4x annually. About every 3 months. A caution is
in order here if you elect to install and use Tea Timer, and it is very
important. Tea Timer can, in some instances, prevent the proper install or
un-install of programs because it will see a change in your registry,
intentional or not. For this reason, if you are intentionally adding or
removing a program, I recommend you turn it off so it will not interfere
with your intended action (This includes Windows Updates). To turn it off,
right click the icon on your tool tray and select “Exit Spybot Resident”
from the push up menu. This will exit the program until you re-boot so you
won’t have any problems. It will usually pop up after a re-boot when you
have installed something new to ask you whether or not you wish to allow
this registry change. You will need to check the “remember this answer” box,
and then click on “allow change”. Do not use the advanced mode until you are
familiar with the program and know what you are doing. Remember that this is
a powerful program capable of making registry changes.
http://www.g4techtv.com/callforhelp/features/47120/Free_File_Email_Sentinel_Pro.html
Download & install E-Mail Sentinel Pro. It converts e-mails to plain text
format for safe opening of e-mails of all types, because no code can be
executed from within a plain text document. No restriction on usage, just
click on “try now” each time the computer boots up and shows the splash
screen for the program. Note that all HTML format e-mail will be converted
to plain text, so you won’t get many images or pictures within the e-mails
you open while the program is running. The images are most often displayed
as a blank box with a red “X” in the upper left corner. The images can be
displayed if you so desire by re-opening the e-mail in your browser. After
installing, remember to set your options. Under the options tab, left click
the + sign next to security. You left click on the security option selection
in the left pane and the options display in the right pane. Check the boxes
according to your preferences. Latest version v 2.6 is no longer free after
a 7-day trial, but it is well worth the $14.95 asking price. If you hunt on
the web (Google Search) you may still be able to find v 2.4 or early v 2.5
which is free (unrestricted usage for private use).
Delete:
NOTES:
All the above security programs’ icons for shortcuts should be organized in
a security folder on the desktop for easy access. Put short cuts to all the
programs in the security folder. You may also want to set up a security
folder in your browser’s favorites section. You can add all these URL’s to
the folder as you go along for easy return to the web sites later for
updated versions of the programs as they become available.
Remember the main reason for the multiple programs is that one program will
catch things the others do not. This is why I have picked them. I base the
program selections on their ability to detect and quarantine or remove the
greatest number of threats. No one program has it all, and all the detection
rules and data base entries are different from one program to the other.
Running them all is the only way I have found to get the best protection.
Although this may sound like a lot, remember that as of May 2006, there are
over 200,000 known active Viruses, Trojans and Worms out there, and an
additional number in excess of 320,000 known forms of active Adware and
Spyware programs, not to mention browser hijackers, tracking cookies, key
loggers and data miners. That’s a lot to protect you from.
Remember also that this is a word processor document. The hyper links in
this document may not always work depending on the browser you are using and
your browser settings. If this is the case, you can simply copy and paste
the URL links into your browser address bar to get to the web sites easily.
<>Browsers and E-Mail:
If you want to try an alternative browser, I highly recommend Firefox, and
use it as my default browser for everything but Microsoft updates or
anything specifically requiring Internet Explorer. It is very powerful and
fast, and new versions are released about 2 to 4 times a year. It is a
robust, very fast, and powerful program that supports tabbed browsing for
convenience, and even includes a news feed reader starting with v 2.0. It is
much safer and more secure than Internet Explorer in my opinion because it
is not embedded in your operating system. You can download and install it
for free from:
http://www.mozilla.com
You should note when you are downloading and installing a new version, you
may sometimes need to un-install the previous version first. Always check
for installation notes and instructions before downloading and installing a
new version. When un-installing, you usually use the “add and remove
programs” function from within the control panel. Any needed files for
Mozilla are usually retained on the c-drive after the un-install. Just
remember to re-boot after the un-install and the new install as the
instructions assume you know this. I find it easiest to set up a Mozilla
folder on the c-drive and save your downloads to it so that they are easy to
find and install from. Simply name the folder “Mozilla installs”. If you
choose to use Mozilla products, you will also need to go to:
http://www.adobe.com
In order to get the Netscape versions of both Flash Player and Shockwave to
use with Mozilla for the best possible browsing experience. They are quick
and easy free downloads, and you really should do it. It is important to
remember to download them from Macromedia from within the Mozilla browser,
not Internet Explorer.
If you like Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express for an e-mail application,
you might want to try Mozilla Thunderbird instead. It is very powerful and
secure and really fast. I use it as my default e-mail program. The look and
feel of the program is very close to Outlook, but the options are easier to
use, and the program is very easy to set up. You will need to know your
incoming and outgoing mail server information and password given you by your
IP for set up. The help section is excellent. The program is very fast, and
as an added bonus, it is an excellent newsreader for RSS and XML feeds.
Multiple accounts for mail and news can be set up easily. Thunderbird has
quickly become my default email and newsreader service program of choice.
The Thunderbird e-mail program is also available for free from:
http://www.mozilla.com
The same applies to Thunderbird as with Firefox listed above. Always follow
instructions before downloading and installing a new version. When
un-installing and then installing a new version, the needed files for the
program settings are retained on your c-drive after the un-install so you
don’t have to set up the program all over again. Remember to re-boot the
computer after both the un-install and new install. As with Firefox, I
recommend you set up a separate Thunderbird folder on the c-drive and save
your downloads to it so that they are easy to find. You can name it
“Thunderbird installs”.
<>Mozilla Notes:
All programs from Mozilla are free; open source code offerings, written by
some of the best programmers around anywhere. There are new versions of the
software released anywhere from 2 to 4 times annually. I have one common
denominator or recommendation for all these programs. Read the release and
installation notes for each new release. In some cases, you will have to
uninstall the previous version before installing the new one. Installing a
new version on top of an existing one will always cause big problems. In all
cases so far, you uninstall by using the Add & Remove Programs function from
the control panel. There is one nice feature though. After removal of a
version, windows will indicate not all folders were removed during the
uninstall, referring to a remaining program file folder still on the hard
drive, and ask you whether or not you want to remove it also. Answer no to
this question. The files remaining in the folder are your settings and
preferences files as well as any password information, favorites for
browsing, etc. Just let the new version install to the same folder created
by the older version of the program. This will minimize your set up time for
the new version. In many cases you will be ready to go in just a couple of
minutes. The latest versions of Firefox and Thunderbird will actually check
for new release versions for you and will update and install the new version
for you while you are on line. All you have to do is restart the program.
This is a very nice feature.
If you really like Firefox and Thunderbird, both programs rolled into one in
a program called SeaMonkey is also available from Mozilla.org, not
Mozilla.com. This program represents the evolution of Mozilla that was the
original browser offering that started it all. You may want to give it a try
for convenience, but I prefer to use Firefox and Thunderbird as separate
programs for more control.
<>Miscellaneous:
Other places good for information and special “tools” are available if you
hunt deep enough. An enjoyable trip to this one may help you out with a
number of little and not so little problems:
http://www.merijn.org/downloads.html
It is a good site if you have been infected with “cool web search” (about
blank) in one or more of it’s many variations. Nasty stuff. You should at
least visit and read. It is worth your time.
If you want to really know about “Cool Web Search”, “about blank”, and how
many problems it causes, I can direct you to:
http://www.scumware.com/apps/scumware.php/action::view_article/article_id::1075329940/topic::Scumware,-Spyware,-Adware-&-Malware-Applications/
It will give you a real appreciation for what you are up against. It is a
real eye opener if you are new to this type of thing.
<>Testing:
Last, but not least, you may want to see how secure you really are after all
the above programs are installed. This is also easy to accomplish. The best
security port scanner I can recommend is from Steve Gibson of Gibson
Research. He is a computer security expert who regularly works free-lance
for major corporations and also the Federal Government. He has helped catch
Black Hat hackers in recent years, and helped many companies secure their
networks. His web site offers a free scan of the over 1,000 ports on your
computer. The scan, called “shields up”, only takes a few minutes, even on a
56k dial-up modem. If you are using a router or proxy server, you will find
your true IP address is not displayed during the scan, but rather the IP
address of the router or proxy. He also offers three great little programs:
“Un-Plug & Pray” which turns off the usually not needed plug & play function
of Windows.
“Dcombobulator” which turns off DCOM in Windows.
“Shoot The Messenger” which turns off windows messenger service.
These three services should be turned off unless you absolutely need them,
but I can’t imagine why you would. These three Windows services have been
used in the past by hackers as an easy way in. They all represent
vulnerabilities you can easily disable. To get your free port scan (called
“Shields Up”) as well as the three programs above, go to:
http://www.grc.com/default.htm
Steve’s web site also offers a free leak test for firewalls, which I use on
a regular basis. It is simply called “Leak Test” and it is a small, easy to
download program. All of his programs are very small to save disk space, but
work very well. (His program called “Wizmo” is also kind of fun to play with
if you are inclined toward programming or scripting.)
<>Testing Internet Explorer:
If you intend to use Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser, you may
want to test it to be sure all settings in your machine are as secure as
possible, and all available patches have been installed. To do this, there
are free security scan programs available designed specifically for Internet
Explorer. I have used them before, and they work very well. To test your
machine for any problems with Internet Explorer, go to:
http://browsercheck.qualys.com/index.php
You simply follow the on screen instructions. This is a very thorough live
test, the results of which may surprise you. If you use Internet Explorer or
MSN browsers, I heartily recommend trying it out. Two other good tests are
available at:
http://bcheck.scanit.be/bcheck/
http://www.verisign.com/advisor/check.html
<>Security tips:
This tip applies to users of Win2k all versions and WinXP. When first
setting up the system, most users begin with the default identity that has
administrator privileges. Many users make the mistake of leaving this
identity on the computer as an almost “sacred” account only to be used when
making changes to the system. I can’t tell you how dangerous a practice this
is. Writers of every kind of mal-ware out there are well aware of the
administrator account. Being on-line as an administrator allows hackers and
mal-ware writers complete access to your machine if you are ever
successfully attacked, or mal-ware is installed. Don’t set up your machine
this way!
To avoid serious problems later, I strongly recommend you take the time to
set up your machine using the following steps:
Re-name the administrator account to anything of your choosing except
“administrator”.
Go to Start, Settings, Taskbar and Start Menu and check the box for “use
personalized menus.
Create separate accounts for yourself and all others who will be using the
computer. Make yourself a power user, and all others restricted users.
Restricted users cannot view others files, make system changes, or add or
remove programs.
Do not allow non-expiring passwords, and make all passwords at least 7
digits long, mixing in upper and lower cases as well as symbols or
characters. Avoid passwords longer than 15 characters.
Require use of control-alt-delete when coming out of standby, and system
start up or hibernation start up. This purges the memory cache to guard
against boot viruses etc. and protects passwords.
From this point onward, only go on-line as an account with administrator
privileges when getting your Windows and Internet Explorer updates, or using
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, or updating a security program that
requires administrator privilege. NEVER go on line as administrator for
anything else. If you have not set up your system this way, it’s not too
late. I would recommend you go back and change it. You won’t be sorry.
Only use the administrator account for changing system settings, or
adding-removing programs, or other administration functions such as password
and local security policy, global system settings etc. Do everything else
from your personal power user account. This includes any web usage, or
downloads of any kind. ALL downloads should go to a separate folder (mine is
a shared desktop folder named “downloads”, but you can do the same with a
shared folder on the c-drive, whichever you find easiest to do) where they
can and should be scanned with your anti-virus program before they are ever
installed. You can then log off and log back on as administrator to install
the program while still being off line. This is the safest way to do it.
After installing any new program, you should run system anti-virus scans and
spyware/adware scans immediately, unless you are absolutely sure the program
is safe. I recommend you set up a desktop folder simply called downloads,
and put any new download into this folder. You should then open the folder
and scan the download with your anti-virus program before it is installed.
This is especially important, believe it or not, for any new wallpaper &/or
screensaver. Many wallpapers and screensavers contain spyware, and some even
contain browser helper objects, toolbars, adware, spyware, or worse yet,
browser hijackers and key loggers. Believe it or not, the Yahoo Toolbar and
the Google Desk Bar contain a form of spyware that dials home with your
visited web sites history whenever you go on line. They claim this is done
for “research” purposes and to help them “constantly improve the
functionality of their products” – hmmm.
Do not install or use any browser helpers or toolbars which claim they will
“help you” with web surfing or web searches. These are referred to as a BHO
(Browser Helper Object). Most of them will dial home with your surfing
habits and visited web sites in the background while you are connected to
the Internet. Some even contain key loggers (record your keyboard entries
aground while you are connected to the Internet. Some even contain key
loggers (record your keyboard entries and key strokes – a nice way to obtain
passwords and account numbers).
If you are into music and download it from the Internet, DO NOT even think
about installing anything from KaZaA. If you do, your computer resources
will be wide open and shared by any and all users of the program whenever
you are on line. KaZaA is also incredibly difficult to completely remove due
to the deep registry changes and edits it makes on your machine. If you will
be using Windows Media Player for your music, and you are planning to
connect on line with the player, I recommend you disable scripting
capability in the player so that it cannot run scripts. If it can run
scripts while downloading music, you can pick up almost anything in the
background without knowing it until it is too late.
If you are a gamer, a caution is applicable for any games downloaded from
Wild Tangent. Running games from Wild Tangent requires use of a program
referred to as Wild Tangent Web Driver that contains a program called Back
Web Light. In my opinion, Back Web and Back Web Light are forms of spyware
because they dial home with collected information (of what kind? Wild
Tangent doesn’t say) whenever you are on line, and do so in the background
without your knowledge. If you read Wild Tangent’s privacy statement and
policy carefully, it even says your information can and will be shared with
third parties. Wild Tangent claims this is done to constantly improve the
quality of their products and provide you with the best possible gaming
experience. If you ever install anything from Wild Tangent, you won’t
believe what it takes to get it all out of your machine. It takes me about
four hours with 5 different programs and registry edits to clean it out of
the average computer. Even after the clean up, a Wild Tangent Control icon
will usually remain in your control panel, although it will be
non-functional.
Here’s a tip if you decided to install E-Mail Sentinel Pro from the programs
listed above. Remember I mentioned the security tab? Here’s a screen shot
showing the way I recommend you set it up:
I have entered a number of file extensions as you can see for an important
reason. The extensions added have been employed maliciously during the past
few years and have been used to spread infections to computers via e-mail
attachments. (The extensions on my personal banned list are: .exe .dll .ocx
.wav .jpeg .gif .bat .com .cmd .pif .scr .zip .mime .mim .uue .uu .b64 .bhx
.hgx .xxe .doc .vbs .ico .bmp .ani .cur .hlp .upm) You may want to enter
these as shown above like I have done on my machines. To do so, simply left
click on new and type them in, one at a time, followed by “enter”. In
general, I further recommend not opening any e-mail attachments that you are
not specifically expecting.
Finally, beware of any download accelerator programs which work by
simultaneously downloading what you want from multiple addresses to speed up
your downloads. These programs use shared resource technology similar to
that used by KaZaA that turns any computer with the software installed into
a sort of mini-server. These computers will now act as an additional
Internet address for a server so that who ever wants to download the program
from the Internet can get it from your computer as well as others when you
are connected. Your computer resources will be used in the background
without your knowledge or consent. A popular program of this type is called
Kontiki. Don’t use it!
<>Phishing and Pharming:
Phishing (pronounced “fishing”), this is a fairly new problem on the
Internet, and involves spoofed web sites. The idea here is to get you to
click on a web link from within an email, or even a link from another web
site. These links are usually placed on or imbedded in a web site, without
the knowledge of the web site provider, by a script kiddie, or someone
similar, who has malicious intent. Clicking on the link will take you to a
new web page, but it may not be the one you intend to go to. It may even be
carefully constructed to look exactly like the real thing. Before you can
react, you can pick up spyware, loose personal data, or have a host of other
problems. This practice is called phishing.
Pharming (pronounced “farming”) is similar to pfishing, but there is no bait
involved. Pharming uses DNS record poisoning or domain hijacking. Either of
these techniques makes Pharming a dangerous threat. Large numbers of
Internet users can be herded to a bogus malicious site without their
knowledge or consent. You can be redirected to one of these sites even if
you typed in the URL correctly. These bogus sites are very carefully
constructed to look just like the genuine article. That’s why they are so
dangerous and effective. Domain hijacking and DNS poisoning have been around
for about ten years now, but recent trends show an increase in this activity
as well as malicious or criminal intent connected with it. Both phishing and
pharming have shown a dramatic increase so far this year both in the number
of cases, and the complexity of the attacks. I can only advise that you be
very careful.
The trick here is to always know where you are going and exactly what web
site you are on. But how do you do this? There is a very small free program
available which will do this for you. At only 175kb, it consumes almost no
system resources, and works by adding a small toolbar to either Internet
Explorer or Firefox. The program is called SpoofStick. It is from Core
Street, and is very simple to install and use. It works by reading the
server you are connecting to, and will display the actual web site you are
really on at all times.
<>How to get SpoofStick for Internet Explorer or Firefox:
http://www.corestreet.com/spoofstick/
Download both versions (IE & Firefox if you are going to use both browsers)
and save to hard drive.
For Internet Explorer, download and install from folder saved to on hard
drive. Internet Explorer must be closed to install the program.
For Firefox, launch the browser, left click on file, select open, then
navigate to file on hard drive, and double click on file to install. Close
Firefox. The program will install when Firefox is re-launched. You will
probably have to right click on the Firefox main toolbar, and then choose
“customize” in order to add the new spoof stick toolbar. You do this by
finding spoof stick on the options displayed from “customize” and then hold
down the left mouse button and drag spoof stick to the desired toolbar
location. Please be advised that as of this writing, SpoofStick is only
compatible with Firefox up to v 1.5 and will not install or work on the
latest Firefox v 2.0
On the left side of the new toolbar, click on options and you can set up
both the size of the toolbar, and the color of the font displaying the web
site you are connected to. It really is a great little program. Get in the
habit of looking at the toolbar every time you select a link, or type in a
new web address (URL), to see the web site you are really connecting to.
<>Final Notes:
Trust me when I tell you that the Internet has become a dangerous place for
your computer and your personal information contained in it. 2006 is going
to be a tough year for security, so please do not take all this information
and my recommendations lightly. I have been a member of the 5 Star Support
team for a while now, and help an average of three to four people a week
with problems on their computers after they have been attacked or
compromised. So far, this “stuff” I recommend has helped everyone I have
sent it to with no repeat problems after it is all installed and running.
The number of contacts for help is constantly on the rise, and even SANS
predicts it will continue on an upward trend for the foreseeable future.
I sincerely hope this document helps you, and wish you the best and safest
possible experience with your computer. If you need to contact me with
questions or need more information on anything contained in this paper, I
can be reached by email at:
toymaster@att.net
Best Regards,
Dave
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