<a href="http://www.hypersmash.com">HyperSmash</a>
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
Saturday, 6 April 2013
OK, a bit over-dramatic with the title, but literary license means I can, so I did.
Seriously now, on April 8, 2014, official support for Windows XP will end completely. This means no more updates, patches, fixes, or anything else from Microsoft for Windows XP.
Windows XP has stayed alive for almost 12 years now because quite a few people strongly said "NO!" to Windows Vista. But there is not going to be another reprieve for users that choose to hold on and stay with Windows XP.
This deadline does not mean that your computer running Windows XP will not work anymore, you will be able to use it just fine. But you will notice an eerily quite Patch Tuesday that you have become accustomed to.
Windows updates are a line of defense against not just malware, but system issues and problems as well.
I must say that I will be sad to see Windows XP go. I have fond memories of using it, of just looking at the wonderful default desktop wallpaper, of enjoying its simple to use nature.
For those whose computers cannot support a newer operating system, I am sorry. You need to buy a new computer. Most likely the new computer will run Windows 7 or 8.
I recommend Windows 7 because it is easy to use once you get the hang if it. It's faster, it has better graphics, and you are in control of a lot of things. This is just my personal preference over Windows 8 though, so you may want to test drive both to see what trips your trigger.
As always if you have any questions, comments, or you just want to tell me how awesome I am, be sure to comment below. It's free and always will be.
Seriously now, on April 8, 2014, official support for Windows XP will end completely. This means no more updates, patches, fixes, or anything else from Microsoft for Windows XP.
Windows XP has stayed alive for almost 12 years now because quite a few people strongly said "NO!" to Windows Vista. But there is not going to be another reprieve for users that choose to hold on and stay with Windows XP.
This deadline does not mean that your computer running Windows XP will not work anymore, you will be able to use it just fine. But you will notice an eerily quite Patch Tuesday that you have become accustomed to.
Windows updates are a line of defense against not just malware, but system issues and problems as well.
I must say that I will be sad to see Windows XP go. I have fond memories of using it, of just looking at the wonderful default desktop wallpaper, of enjoying its simple to use nature.
For those whose computers cannot support a newer operating system, I am sorry. You need to buy a new computer. Most likely the new computer will run Windows 7 or 8.
I recommend Windows 7 because it is easy to use once you get the hang if it. It's faster, it has better graphics, and you are in control of a lot of things. This is just my personal preference over Windows 8 though, so you may want to test drive both to see what trips your trigger.
As always if you have any questions, comments, or you just want to tell me how awesome I am, be sure to comment below. It's free and always will be.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Despite its name, the word wall really is not a good way to describe a firewall unless you have the firewall set to block everything, good, bad, and indifferent. In that case it really would be a wall, but this also means no internet which means you can't read your favorite anti-malware blog. : (
A better way to think of it would be like a guard station, the guard checks all the internet and network traffic that comes in and goes out of your computer. And if anything shows up sketchy, it stops it until it knows what to do either by preset rules, or by telling you that something going on and asking you what you want to do. If you tell the firewall to block it, it will block the traffic and stop the network or internet connection. Some advanced firewalls can also think for themselves and decide to allow or block the traffic depending on how it looks.
There are three kinds of firewalls: There are inbound only firewalls which only scan inbound traffic. There are outbound firewalls which only scan outbound traffic, and there are firewalls that do both.
Firewalls are often included with high end antivirus software but they can also be standalone programs with just the firewall included.
Firewalls are used to block malware coming from the network. It also blocks programs from connecting to the internet if you do not want them to.
I would have to say that my favorite type of firewall is one that thinks for itself and is inbound and outbound. The ideal firewall should think for itself, because you do not want to be bothered with making all of the decisions. Why? Because an alert saying "something.exe is trying to connect to the internet. Allow or Deny?" is not very helpful to those that don't know a whole lot about computers. And if you deny everything, that again means no internet which again means you can't read your favorite anti-malware blog.
I hope that this post helps explain what a firewall is and what it does. If you have a question, comment, or you want to tell me how awesome I am, be sure to leave a comment in the box below. It's FREE and always will be.
A better way to think of it would be like a guard station, the guard checks all the internet and network traffic that comes in and goes out of your computer. And if anything shows up sketchy, it stops it until it knows what to do either by preset rules, or by telling you that something going on and asking you what you want to do. If you tell the firewall to block it, it will block the traffic and stop the network or internet connection. Some advanced firewalls can also think for themselves and decide to allow or block the traffic depending on how it looks.
There are three kinds of firewalls: There are inbound only firewalls which only scan inbound traffic. There are outbound firewalls which only scan outbound traffic, and there are firewalls that do both.
Firewalls are often included with high end antivirus software but they can also be standalone programs with just the firewall included.
Firewalls are used to block malware coming from the network. It also blocks programs from connecting to the internet if you do not want them to.
I would have to say that my favorite type of firewall is one that thinks for itself and is inbound and outbound. The ideal firewall should think for itself, because you do not want to be bothered with making all of the decisions. Why? Because an alert saying "something.exe is trying to connect to the internet. Allow or Deny?" is not very helpful to those that don't know a whole lot about computers. And if you deny everything, that again means no internet which again means you can't read your favorite anti-malware blog.
I hope that this post helps explain what a firewall is and what it does. If you have a question, comment, or you want to tell me how awesome I am, be sure to leave a comment in the box below. It's FREE and always will be.
Monday, 1 April 2013
The first big announcement is that my blog has reached 25,000 Pageviews! It's insane, right? The second announcement is that my blog is at this point being targeted by haters and imitators.
As for the first point, I have been subject to personal attacks on the web because I am sharing information on how to prevent you from being a victim. People calling me names, refusing to listen to reason when I tell them that the point that they are arguing is not the case at all.
As for the second point, I have noticed quite a few bloggers that have now been making posts quite like mine, they are attempting to actually imitate what I am doing. It's good that I am sparking interest, but this is dangerous and I will tell you why.
The people imitating me know very little about the subject they are trying to talk about, and while imitation is usually the highest form of flattery, it actually insults me here. This is because the imitators are sharing information and modifying it to claim it as their own. The problum? They are skipping steps, adding in steps that could ruin a computer. And the first rule in malware fighting is "First, do no harm." This translates that you should not be talking about something without knowing what you are talking about.
I don't know what I will do about any of this and likely will not know for some time. I don't even know about the fact that this blog post is an April Fools Day joke.
Wait.... What?
As much as you are laughing now, think about how my early drafts of this post must have been.
April Fools Everyone. Now get back to work! :D
As for the first point, I have been subject to personal attacks on the web because I am sharing information on how to prevent you from being a victim. People calling me names, refusing to listen to reason when I tell them that the point that they are arguing is not the case at all.
As for the second point, I have noticed quite a few bloggers that have now been making posts quite like mine, they are attempting to actually imitate what I am doing. It's good that I am sparking interest, but this is dangerous and I will tell you why.
The people imitating me know very little about the subject they are trying to talk about, and while imitation is usually the highest form of flattery, it actually insults me here. This is because the imitators are sharing information and modifying it to claim it as their own. The problum? They are skipping steps, adding in steps that could ruin a computer. And the first rule in malware fighting is "First, do no harm." This translates that you should not be talking about something without knowing what you are talking about.
I don't know what I will do about any of this and likely will not know for some time. I don't even know about the fact that this blog post is an April Fools Day joke.
Wait.... What?
As much as you are laughing now, think about how my early drafts of this post must have been.
April Fools Everyone. Now get back to work! :D
Thursday, 28 March 2013
For a reader special, we are taking a look at two pieces of malware, both of which are related in a way.
Bagle is a mass mailing worm which affects all versions of Windows. It opens a backdoor to allow hackers to access your computer and some variants contain the following text:
"Greetz to antivirus companies
In a difficult world,
In a nameless time,
I want to survive,
So, you will be mine!!"
Bagle also cereated a botnet which sent itself to other PCs via mail applications such as MS Outlook. It is estimated that Bagle was responsible for 14% of spam on January 1st, 2010.
Netsky is also a worm. It contained comments in the code of it that was meant to insult the writers of the Bagle worm. Some variants also played sound through the speakers of your computer at 5:00 AM each morning. So this would annoy you and depending on when you get up in the morning and how loud your speakers are, you could actually be woken up by this sound. This sound ceases at 9:00 AM and resumes again at 5:00 AM the next morning. This worm also spread by mass mailing itself to all your contacts.
Feel free to comment below if you have a question or you just want to tell me how awesome I am.
Bagle is a mass mailing worm which affects all versions of Windows. It opens a backdoor to allow hackers to access your computer and some variants contain the following text:
"Greetz to antivirus companies
In a difficult world,
In a nameless time,
I want to survive,
So, you will be mine!!"
Bagle also cereated a botnet which sent itself to other PCs via mail applications such as MS Outlook. It is estimated that Bagle was responsible for 14% of spam on January 1st, 2010.
Netsky is also a worm. It contained comments in the code of it that was meant to insult the writers of the Bagle worm. Some variants also played sound through the speakers of your computer at 5:00 AM each morning. So this would annoy you and depending on when you get up in the morning and how loud your speakers are, you could actually be woken up by this sound. This sound ceases at 9:00 AM and resumes again at 5:00 AM the next morning. This worm also spread by mass mailing itself to all your contacts.
Feel free to comment below if you have a question or you just want to tell me how awesome I am.
Monday, 25 March 2013
These days, you can't read, hear. or see anything about computer security without catching the phrase "Layered Defense" or something like that. Well, the first thing you want to know is, what is it?
First, let's start with one layer of defense. Let's say you have an antivirus program. This should be enough, right? But the issue is, some malware can sneak past your antivirus or even disable the antivirus entirely. That looks a little something like this.
The Antivirus blocks some attacks, but some get to the computer and cause havoc.
How can we fix this issue? By using more then one layer. You can use Safe Computing for one.
Safe Computing is being smart before you click. Like I have said before, once you start thinking with your other head, you are a big target. Don't click on anything suspicious, and make sure you know what's real and what's not real.
You can also use a firewall. Security orientated firewalls block malware that attempts to access your computer via the network.
With these two extra layers in place, your "Layered Defense" looks a little more like this.
So, the more layers you have, the less likely you are to get infected. If you still have trouble conceptualizing this, think of an onion. The more layers it has, the harder it is to get to the core.
And these three layers are just the beginning. You can add anything you like to increase your defenses based on your budget and your level of paranoia. And let us not forget that a little bit of paranoia when it comes to protecting what is important to you is a good thing. An example of top notch security would look a little like this.
Now I am not about to suggest that you need to get all of this stuff. And there are some things in here that you may not know about. Stay tuned and we will discuss all of these unfamiliar aspects in future blog posts.
First, let's start with one layer of defense. Let's say you have an antivirus program. This should be enough, right? But the issue is, some malware can sneak past your antivirus or even disable the antivirus entirely. That looks a little something like this.
 |
| OK Defense. Some attacks blocked. |
How can we fix this issue? By using more then one layer. You can use Safe Computing for one.
Safe Computing is being smart before you click. Like I have said before, once you start thinking with your other head, you are a big target. Don't click on anything suspicious, and make sure you know what's real and what's not real.
You can also use a firewall. Security orientated firewalls block malware that attempts to access your computer via the network.
With these two extra layers in place, your "Layered Defense" looks a little more like this.
 |
| Better Defense. More attacks blocked. |
And these three layers are just the beginning. You can add anything you like to increase your defenses based on your budget and your level of paranoia. And let us not forget that a little bit of paranoia when it comes to protecting what is important to you is a good thing. An example of top notch security would look a little like this.
 |
| Defense for the very paranoid. Most if not all attacks blocked. |
Friday, 22 March 2013
For the second part of my What's In A Name series, we take a look at the cornerstone of malware: Rootkits.
First, what is a rootkit?
A rootkit is a piece of malware that operates somewhat like an elite Special Forces unit. It gets in, communicates with headquarters, recons defenses, and messes stuff up so that the main strike force coming in later will have an easy time.
Rootkits are like Special Forces units in another way as well: Try to remove them, and they go wild. This is why every rootkit remover worth his or her salt warns that removing a rootkit could lead to problems with the operating system, to the point where it will not boot.
This is because the rootkit gets into the system and replaces critical system files with those under the control of the rootkit. And when these replaced files are removed along with the rootkit, the system can be rendered inoperable.
This is why rootkits are some of the most difficult malware to remove. Do one thing wrong, and you could break the computer you are trying to fix.
Hope this clears the issue of what a rootkit is up.
To look at Part One of What's In A Name, go here.
To look at my definition post which contains a brief summery of some of the terms used when talking about malware, go here.
If you have a question or just want to tell me how awesome I am, feel free to comment in the space below. It's FREE!
First, what is a rootkit?
A rootkit is a piece of malware that operates somewhat like an elite Special Forces unit. It gets in, communicates with headquarters, recons defenses, and messes stuff up so that the main strike force coming in later will have an easy time.
Rootkits are like Special Forces units in another way as well: Try to remove them, and they go wild. This is why every rootkit remover worth his or her salt warns that removing a rootkit could lead to problems with the operating system, to the point where it will not boot.
This is because the rootkit gets into the system and replaces critical system files with those under the control of the rootkit. And when these replaced files are removed along with the rootkit, the system can be rendered inoperable.
This is why rootkits are some of the most difficult malware to remove. Do one thing wrong, and you could break the computer you are trying to fix.
Hope this clears the issue of what a rootkit is up.
To look at Part One of What's In A Name, go here.
To look at my definition post which contains a brief summery of some of the terms used when talking about malware, go here.
If you have a question or just want to tell me how awesome I am, feel free to comment in the space below. It's FREE!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
