FRAUD PROTECTION
Basic Firewalls
When you connect to the internet it is just like opening a door to the computer you are using. Once that door is open it enables you to go online to buy clothes, holidays even insurance, you can catch up on all the celbrity gossip, send e-mails to business colleagues or friends and family, the list goes on and on..., however that door doesn't only let you "out" but can allow a hacker to gain access to your computer.
If a hacker gains access your personal information can be stolen and used in ways that are mentioned on previous pages of this site like bank account numbers and passwords. Your computer can be manipulated to launch attacks on other vulnerable computers.
To protect from such attacks, if you haven't already got one, you need to install a firewall. The purpose of a firewall is to prevent unauthorised access allowing only authorized traffic to access the internet. Antivirus software can protect you from the onslaught of the vast number of known viruses and if you have been infected can help clean up after an attack, however, only a firewall can block unauthorised access to your PC and protect it against internet threats.
Whilst the firewall prevents unauthorised access it allows you to surf safely online safe in the knowledge that your personal data is secure.
The term firewall is a taken from the firewall in a building that acts as a barrier between various parts of that building. The purpose of this firewall, as with the computer firewall is to prevent any damage spreading. In internet terms it means that your computer firewall prevents threats from the internet spreading to your computer.
You don't have to keep checking or activating the software as it runs quietly in the background monitoring traffic that flows between your computer and the Internet. If the firewall detects anything suspicious a basic firewall will automatically identify that threat and block it.
Dynamic firewalls
A basic PC firewall will keep the door of a computer open to the Internet whilst it monitors the traffic travelling to and from your computer. A dynamic PC firewall will only open the door to the internet when it is needed, it will allow only the authorized traffic through, then closes the door firmly shut behind it. Therefore a dynamic PC firewall can provide more protection than a basic PC firewall.
Many basic PC firewalls only protect your PC from unauthorized inbound communications (windows firewall xp service pack 2 for example) but some PC firewalls protect your PC from unauthorized outbound as well as inbound access requests. A basic PC firewall may not be able to catch every unauthorised attempt to access your PC. If a hacker should succeed in gaining access, then your bank account information could be sent to the hacker that is if your firewall doesn't prevent unauthorised outbound communications.
Most home use network routers have a firewall built in that monitors and if necessary, blocks inbound communications at the network level. Used together, the router firewall and your computer firewall will provide multiple layers of protection. Only a computer firewall can protect your computer when it is connected to the internet whilst you are travelling.
We have compiled a list of firewalls, anti-virus software and anti-malware for your convenience
• Comodo Internet Security : FREE
• Comodo Site Verification Engine : FREE
• NOD32 Antivirus & ESET Smart Security : FREE TRIAL
• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware : FREE
What Is A Computer Virus?
A computer virus is a small piece of software that attaches itself to programs you have installed on your computer and they are activated when the program it is attached to is activated. The virus then has the chance to multiply. It reproduces by attaching itself to other programs, thus wreaking havoc. A properly engineered computer virus can overwhelm a computer, or network of computers, disrupt productivity and can cost billions in damages. Some viruses can spread at a fierce rate.
Besides the computer virus, there are different forms of electronic infection. The most common being :
• Email viruses – An email virus travels as an attachment to an email messages, and then usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to a number of people in the victim's email address book. Some email viruses don't require a double-click to activate – they will launch when you view them, unaware, in the preview pane of your email software.
• Trojanhorses – A Trojan horse is a computer program which claims to be one thing – for example, a game – but instead it’s sole purpose is to cause damage to your system, such as erase your hard disk. Unlike email viruses, trojan horses cannot replicate themselves.
• Worms – A worm is a small piece of software that replicates itself by using computer networks and security holes. A copy of the worm will scan the network for another machine that has a specific security hole. It will then copy itself to the new machine using the security hole, and then starts replicating from there, and so on, and so on.
Computer viruses are so named because they pass from computer to computer much like a biological virus passes from one person to another.
A code has to be written and then tested to ensure that the virus spreads properly, and if the person is satisfied with their creation, the virus is released. Not only are viruses written, the viruses’ actual phase of attack also has to be written, whether it is a stupid message or the complete annihilation of a hard disk. People actually sit at their pcs doing this! The legal system is getting harsher in punishing the individuals who create viruses, however we all need to be extremely vigilant with the securities of our computers, as there are countless numbers of internet fraudsters and hackers looking for the smallest opportunity to exploit our systems.
Email Viruses
The infamous Melissa virus of 1999 was an email virus. It spread in Microsoft Word documents sent by email. Somebody somewhere created the Melissa virus as a Word document and then uploaded it to an internet newsgroup. Anyone who then downloaded and opened the document would trigger the virus. The virus would then send the document - and itself in an email message to the first 50 people in the victim’s address book. The e-mail message contained a friendly note that even included the individual’s name, so they would open the email, thinking that it was harmless. The virus then created 50 new messages from the recipient's machine. At that alarming rate, the Melissa virus quickly became the fastest-spreading virus anyone had seen, and it forced a number of large companies to shut down their email systems.
Then in 2000 came the ILOVEYOU virus, which was even simpler. It contained a piece of code as an attachment, which when double clicked launched the code – and the virus. Once launched, it sent copies of itself to every individual in the victim's address book, and then started corrupting the files on the victim's machine.
How Do Email Viruses Work?
The Melissa virus owes it’s devastation to the programming language built into Microsoft Word called VBA, or Visual Basic for Applications – which it completely took advantage of. VBA is a complete programming language which can be programmed to do things such as send emails and modify files. The rub is the auto-execute feature – useful but very dangerous.
A program can easily be inserted into a document that runs instantly, whenever the document is opened. The Melissa virus was programmed in that way, and anyone who opened a document that was infected with Melissa would instantly activate the virus. It would send the 50 emails through the victim’s email address book, and then infect a central file called NORMAL.DOT. By infecting this central file the Melissa virus ensured that any file saved later would also contain the virus.
The ILOVEYOU virus was different, it was human-powered. People feeling the need to click on executables. If a person double-clicked on the program that came as an attachment, the program ran and activated the virus.
Virus Protection
You can protect your computer against computer viruses with a few simple steps:
• If you are worried about traditional (as opposed to email) viruses, you should run a more secure operating system like UNIX. You never seem to hear about viruses on these operating systems, because the security features keep viruses, and also unwanted human visitors away from your hard disk.
• Avoid using programs from unknown sources, such as the internet, and stick with commercial software purchased on CDs. By doing this, you eliminate almost all of the risk from traditional viruses.
• Ensure that Macro Virus Protection is enabled in all Microsoft applications, and never run macros in a document unless you really know what they do. There is hardly ever a good reason to add macros to a document, so to avoid all macros would be a great security decision to make.
• Never double-click on an e-mail attachment that contains an executable. A file with an extension like EXE, COM or VBS is an executable. An executable can do any sort of damage it wants. Once the executable is run, it has free reign to do anything on your machine, and by running it, you have literally given it permission to do so. The only defense against executables is never to run executables that arrive via email.
Attachments that come in as Word files (.DOC), spreadsheets (.XLS), images (.GIF), etc., are data files. Data files can do no damage - noting the macro virus problem in Word and Excel documents mentioned above.
However, some viruses can now come in through .JPG graphic file attachments, so always be aware when you receive emails with attachments that you are not expecting, or know little or nothing of the sender or their intentions of sending you such email.
Anti-Virus Software (AV Software)
Antivirus software is readily available, with each different application having its own methods of detecting and attacking viruses. The central component of antivirus software is the scanning engine. The scanning engine sifts through files on your computer searching for evidence of a virus.
Previously, antivirus engines used one of two common methods of detecting a virus. Some used a heuristic engine. This engine detected virus structures and activities. Other antivirus software used a database of known viruses which it used as a comparison. As you can imagine, each method had its advantages and disadvantages. The antivirus engines that used the heuristic method were believed to be capable of responding to any type of virus attack, even to new viruses unknown to the security community. These antivirus softwares were also likely to sound an alarm even when no virus was actually present.
Antivirus engines that used a database of viruses for comparison were less likely to produce false positives, however they were unable to identify new viruses until the database had been updated by the antivirus developer. Most modern antivirus software uses a combination of the two methods, because both types are clearly relevant when detecting and attacking viruses. Antivirus software is now automatically updated, and most antivirus software can ‘phone home’ to check the virus database for updates. Updates are then automatically downloaded and installed when they become available.
Online virus protection is a growing trend in the antivirus market. You can set your browser to the antivirus company's specified web page and it will then remotely scan your computer for viruses. So, there’s no need to install an antivirus software, or have it actively running on your computer. Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) include an online scanning service as part of their service to customers.
Also new is the inclusion of antivirus protection in network routers. These are commonly employed by home users and small businesses to connect multiple computers to a single ISP account. The antivirus protection is usually supplied as a subscription service, and in many cases when you buy the router, you receive a few months to a year of free antivirus service. After that, a subscription fee will be required to continue the antivirus coverage.
Mobile phone-based viruses are also a new threat. Many developers of antivirus software are addressing this threat with new products that run on cell phones. Many are also responding to the explosion of wireless networking, with products that detect the threat of unauthorized Wi-Fi intrusions.
What Anti-Virus Software Should I Buy?
Most current antivirus software use a combination of a database of known viruses for comparison and a heuristic engine. By using an antivirus software that encompasses these two types of protection ensures that you have an easy to use, accurate and frequently updated software. When choosing your antivirus software the other main consideration is the specific features you may require. For example, if you have a family computer, your needs are going to greater than that of a single individual. You may need to implement parental controls if younger children are going to be using the computer – this wouldn’t be a concern for an individual, or a household full of adults.
You should choose an antivirus software that is able to detect and, at a minimum, quarantine infected or suspicious files, to keep a virus from spreading. It would be even better to get an antivirus software that is capable of completely eliminating a virus. Some antivirus software offer additional features, such detecting and removing spyware. Due to the escalation of spyware, this is an extremely important feature, however there are dedicated anti-spyware softwares available if spyware is a major concern for you. ,/p>
Another common feature of antivirus software is spam filtering. A number of the newer email clients have built-in spam filters, so this is not a critical feature. If you have multiple computers in your home or small business, you should consider investing in a router with a built-in antivirus subscription service. This router system is often cheaper than buying antivirus software for each individual computer.
Spyware
Spyware is a class of computer programs that attach themselves to your operating system with the intention of corrupting it. Spyware can suck the life out of your computer's processing power, and are designed to track your Internet habits, bombard you with unwanted sales offers or generate traffic for their host web site.
It is estimated that more than two-thirds of all personal computers are infected with some sort of spyware. Some people mistake spyware for a computer virus, which it is not. A computer virus is a piece of code which is designed to reproduce itself as many times as possible, spreading from one host computer to any other computers connected to it, and it usually has a payload that may damage your personal files or even your operating system.
Spyware is generally not designed to damage your computer, and is broadly defined as any program that gets into your computer without your permission and hides in the background while it makes unwanted changes to your user experience. The damage spyware does is more a by-product of its main mission, which is to bombard you with targeted advertisements or make your browser display certain sites or search results.
How Do You Get Spyware?
Spyware usually gets onto a computer because of the user’s actions, such as clicking a button on a pop-up window, installing a software package or agreeing to add functionality to your Web browser. These applications frequently use trickery to get you to install them. Fake system alert messages and buttons that say "cancel" but really do the opposite are some common tricks.
Spyware finds its way into your computer in some of these ways:
• piggybacked software installation
Some applications available, particularly peer-to-peer file-sharing clients, will install spyware onto your computer as a part of their standard installation. You should always read the installation list closely, to ensure that you only get the file-sharing application you want. It would be wise to avoid the "free" versions that are advertised as an alternative to software you have to buy, as these are usually loaded with spyware.
• drive-by download
This is when a web site or pop-up window automatically tries to download and install spyware onto your computer. The only warning you might get would be your browser's standard message, telling you the name of the software and asking you if it's okay to install it.
• browser add-ons
These are pieces of software that add enhancements to your Web browser, such as a toolbar, an animated pal or an additional search box. Occasionally, these actually do what they claim to do but as part of the deal they also include elements of spyware. Sometimes, these so called ‘enhancements’ are nothing more than thinly veiled spyware themselves. ‘Browser hijackers’ are particularly nasty add-ons that embed themselves deeply in your computer and take quite a bit of work to get rid of.
• Spyware disguised as anti-spyware
This type of software convinces the user that it's a tool to detect and remove spyware.
When the tool is run, it tells the user their computer is clean while it installs additional spyware of its own.
What Spyware Can Do
Once spyware has been installed onto your computer it can do any number of things.
At the lower end of the scale, most spyware run an application in the background as soon as you start your computer, hogging RAM and processor power. It can generate endless pop-up ads that makes your Web browser so slow it becomes barely useable. It can reset your browser's home page to display an advertisement every time you open it. Some spyware redirect your web searches - controlling the results you see, making your search engine practically useless. It can also modify the DLLs (dynamically linked libraries) your computer uses to connect to the Internet, causing connectivity failures that are difficult to diagnose.
At the more harmful end of the scale, certain types of spyware can modify your Internet settings so that if you connect through dial-up service, your modem dials out to expensive telephone numbers. Some spyware can make changes in your firewall settings, inviting in more unwanted pieces of software. There are types viruses or hacker tools that actually ‘spy’ on users, sitting silently on the desktop intercepting personal and valuable information such as usernames and passwords.
There are even some forms of spyware that are smart enough to realise when you try to remove them in the Windows registry, and they intercept your attempts to do so.
Spyware is employed is to increase advertisers' web traffic statistics. If these advertisers can force a number of computers to show tons of pop-up advertisements and fake search results, they can claim credit for displaying those advertisements to those users over and over again. And each time the advertisements are clicked by accident, they can count as someone expressing interest in the advertised product – and this is financially rewarding to the advertiser.
Spyware is used to steal affiliate credits. Major shopping sites such as Amazon and eBay offer credit to a web site that successfully directs traffic to their item pages. Certain spyware applications are able to capture your requests to view sites like Amazon and eBay, and then take the credit for sending you there.