Tips to protect yourself against malware and reduce the potential for re-infection:
•
Keep Windows and Internet Explorer current with all critical updates from Microsoft which will patch many of the security holes through which attackers can gain access to your computer. If you're not sure how to do this, see
Microsoft Update helps keep your computer current.
•
Avoid gaming sites,
porn sites,
pirated software,
cracking tools,
keygens, and
peer-to-peer (P2P)
file sharing programs (i.e. Limewire, eMule, uTorrent).
They are a security risk which can make your computer susceptible to a smörgåsbord of malware infections, remote attacks, exposure of personal information, and identity theft. Malicious
worms,
backdoor Trojans IRCBots, and
rootkits spread across P2P file sharing networks, gaming, porn and underground sites. Users visiting such pages may see innocuous-looking banner ads containing code which can
trigger pop-up ads and
malicious Flash ads that
install viruses, Trojans, and spyware. Ads are a target for hackers because they offer a stealthy way to distribute malware to a wide range of Internet users.
Porn sites can lead to the Trojan.Mebroot MBR rootkit and other dangerous malware. The best way to reduce the risk of infection is to avoid these types of web sites and not use any P2P applications.
•
Beware of Rogue Security software as they are
one of the most common sources of malware infection. They infect machines by using
social engineering and scams to trick a user into spending money to buy a an application which claims to remove malware. For more specific information on how these types of rogue programs and infections install themselves, read:
•
Keeping Autorun enabled on USB (pen, thumb, jump) and other removable drives
has become a significant security risk due to the increasing number of malware variants that can infect them and transfer the infection to your computer. To learn more about this risk, please read:
Many security experts recommend you
disable Autorun asap as a method of prevention.
Microsoft recommends doing the same.
Quote
...Disabling Autorun functionality can help protect customers from attack vectors that involve the execution of arbitrary code by Autorun when inserting a CD-ROM device, USB device, network shares, or other media containing a file system with an Autorun.inf file...
•
Other related reading sources:• Finally, if you need to replace your anti-virus, firewall or need a reliable anti-malware scanner please refer to:
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