You're welcome.
Tips to protect yourself against malware and reduce the potential for re-infection:
•
Keep Windows and Internet Explorer current with all
security updates from Microsoft which will patch many of the security holes through which attackers can gain access to your computer. When necessary, Microsoft releases security updates on the second Tuesday of each month and publishes
Security update bulletins to announce and describe the update. If you're not sure how to install updates, please refer to
Updating your computer. Microsoft also
recommends Internet 6 and 7 users to upgrade their browsers due to security vulnerabilities which can be exploited by hackers.
•
Avoid gaming sites,
porn sites,
pirated software (
warez),
cracking tools, and
keygens.
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. In some instances an infection may cause so much damage to your system that
recovery is not possible and the only option is to wipe your drive,
reformat and reinstall the OS.
•
Avoid peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing programs (i.e. Limewire, eMule, Kontiki, BitTorrent, uTorrent, BitLord, BitLord, BearShare).
They too are a security risk which can make your computer susceptible to malware infections. File sharing networks are thoroughly infected and infested with malware according to Senior Virus Analyst,
Norman ASA. 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. 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 install themselves and spread infections, read
How Malware Spreads - How did I get infected.
•
Keeping Autorun enabled on
flash drives has become a significant security risk as they are one of the most common infection vectors for malware which can transfer the infection to your computer.
One in every eight malware attacks occurs via a USB device. Many security experts recommend you
disable Autorun 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...This update is intended to stop AutoPlay functionality from working on USB drives, external hard drives, or network shares...
If using
Windows 7, be aware that in order to help prevent malware from spreading, the Windows 7 engineering team made
important changes and
improvements to AutoPlay so that it will no longer support the AutoRun functionality for non-optical removable media.
•
Always update vulnerable software like
Adobe Reader and
Java Runtime Environment (JRE) with the latest security patches.
Older versions of these programs have vulnerabilities that malicious sites can use to exploit and infect your system.
•
Change all passwords: Anytime you encounter a malware infection on your computer, especially if that computer was used for online banking, has credit card information or other sensitive data on it,
all passwords should be changed immediately to include those used for banking, email, eBay, paypal and any online activities which require a username and password. You should
consider them to be compromised and change passwords as a precaution in case an attacker was able to steal your information when the computer was infected. If using a
router, you need to reset it with a strong logon/password so the malware cannot gain control before connecting again.
•
Security Resources from Microsoft:
•
Other Security Resources:
•
Browser Security Resources:
Help
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