^ Hi Rob - Excellent questions ... Yes, most likely you'll stay protected if you do the following:
- Stay up-to-date with AV protection (most update daily and even autoupdate for you behind the scenes in some cases)
- Most importantly, being careful is your #1 ally in the security defense process. I had read where most "mass spam" attacks only have about 30% coverage on day one (although some may heuristically find SW variants). As long as you avoid URLs and attachments in suspicious emails designed to trick folks, you're going to stay clean. Still, the 1st e-card SW variant I got some months ago almost tricked me, as I got a copy before anyone posted info or alerts (still, the numeric IP address was a tale-tell sign to avoid this completely).
- Try running weekly scans periodically ... Most times you won't find something. One trick the SW authors are using is to make the AV protection seem like it's working when it's not behind the scenes. Running scans, updating, etc., all help ensure your AV environment is operational
- Spam filtering helps separate legitimate email verses spoofed email attacks. Almost all the copies I have received (and there have been bunches) were thrown in the SPAM or BULK folders
- Keep your PC up-to-date on all Windows and other product patches. Some SW attacks have used exploits to automatically install malware code silently on an infected PC without the user knowing
- Monitoring new developments will help. Certainly watching the forums here, blogs, and other security sites will help keep you informed on all major attacks.
While there's nothing magic about SW, it is a well-done attack by probably the most advanced malware gang in the world. Staying cautious can save you from hours of hard work to get back to where you were before you clicked -- and unfortunately sometimes you might even loose something permanently as a result of not being careful.
Regards, Harry
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Posted 29 October 2007 - 08:34 PM
Posted 30 October 2007 - 03:43 PM
