Free way of keeping your computer safe!
Friday, April 14, 2006
How can I find out my computer is infected?
Well, it is very simple to find out that your computer is infected from the virus, spywares or adwares. The key to find out is that if you notice any kind of strange things happening in your computer then your computer is infected. However, there are some specific symptoms which can help you come to conclusion really fast and here is the list of such symptoms :
- You start to get constant pop-ups.
- Porn sites start to open up automatically.
- Computer becomes extremely slow.
Ok, Now that I know my computer is infected, how can I keep it safe?
Hmm, nice question :p. Well, to keep your computer safe you'll need few softwares like anti-virus, anti-spyware, host file and there are some other tools. In this technical article, I will explain about the softwares which will help you in keeping your computer safe and that too for free. So, here's the sweetest part of this technical article or guide :
Now, let me explain you on how to deal with Viruses : In order to deal with viruses we need to take care about certain small things and that will certainly help in keeping the computer safe. Here's the list of small steps you can do :
- Get an antivirus.
- Dont download things from the internet which are not from trusted source.
- If it is email then try to use webmail services like Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo, because they provide free anti-virus scanner.
- Also, dont download the email attachment from unknown person but if it is from known person then also scan the file with the anti-virus.
So, Having two out of these three software and installing them can keep your computer safe from viruses to an extent but you will have to be cautious in handling the files which come from the internet and if you follow the instruction which I've mentioned above.
How to be safe from Spywares?
well, If viruses are considered to be bad then Spywares can be called bad too :). Infact both of them create problems and their main work is to cause trouble and we've got fight against them to keep ourselves safe. Anyways enough talking let me get back to work..Well, there a collection of softwares and tools which can help us in getting safe from spywares and here are the steps which can help you in getting safe.
- Get an Anti-spyware software.
- Try to use a different browser other than Internet explorer or if you want to stick with Internet explorer then raise the security level and use the softwares which I'll mention.
- Stop visiting unethical sites like Porn or Crack sites.
- Dont accept any file from the internet from any untrusted source.
First of all I'll suggest you to use two softwares which actually scan your computer for existing threats and help in removing them and these softwares are Ad-aware & SpyBot Search & Destroy. You can keep both the softwares together and both of them give the extra boost in security.
And, another better way of getting safe from spywares is to stop using Internet Explorer, its not that I am against Internet Explorer but it's the support of active x and the fact that it is the most used browser in the world so the spyware makers target Internet Explorer only..so as to get the maximum impact. So, it will be better if you can switch to an alternative like Firefox or Opera. But for those who can't leave Internet Explorer (for any reason) then they can use the following softwares and keep themselves safe :
First of all, they'll need to download a software which is called Spyware blaster and I've already done a review of it so in case you want to know more about it please read the review of spyware blaster.
Secondly, they'll need to use IE-SPYAD, a program which puts the bad sites in the restricted zone of the internet explorer.
Thirdly, they can use the HOSTS file to keep things under control. So far this is the best HOST FILE available on the internet.
(note : these steps can be used by those users who dont use Internet Explorer, infact I'll suggest them to use these softwares.)
How to Get safe from Phishing?
Well, these days Phishing has increased a lot and people are getting in trap everday. So, there are certain browser add-ons which can help you in getting safe from these traps.
SiteAdvisor : well, this is a small tool which provides great results. It shows the information about various sites and tells them wheather is that site good or not. Infact if you do a search on google it will show you the information in front of the results, thus allow you to choose safe sites.
Here's the link of the download for extension of internet explorer : Siteadvisor for IE
Here's the link of the download for extension of firefox : Siteadvisor for Firefox
Google Toolbar for Firefox : well, this toolbar also helps in finding out wheather a site is good or bad and suggest you to leave the site if it detects that it is a bad site. I've reviewed this toolbar before and provided the information. You can read the information over here - New Toolbar for Firefox.
NetCraft Toolbar : Well, this toolbar has established itself in the world of good tools. This has got a rating for each and every site and allows you to decide wheather you want to trust on that site or not. To find out more please visit the Netcraft toolbar's site.
So, this ends up our technical article here. I hope that you'll find this article helpful and I wish you happy computing :)
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