Blasting Malware, Spam, Spyware and Other Pests
An Introduction to Computer Security
10 years ago, after a 12 month sabbatical, I returned to work with the company that employed me for nearly 15 years. Part of my new duties included writing technical manuals and working as a commercial photographer. A brand new computer with 19-inch monitor appeared on my desk and an Internet account and e-mail was set up for me.
I began to crank out technical information sheets and booklets in earnest, peppered with the high resolution photos I took. Since Internet research was a fundamental part of the task, I found myself spending several hours per day surfing the Internet (imagine getting paid for that).
It wasn’t long before my computer started acting crazily. Finally it locked up and I had to force a shutdown. It wouldn’t restart. Our IT guy proclaimed a virus was the culprit and he’d have to reformat my hard drive. Horror of horrors! That meant wiping the drive clean of everything on it!
By now I had hundreds of photos and technical bulletins saved on the hard drive. Fortunately some stuff was backed up on CD-ROMS—but not all of it. At the time my computer was protected by one of the leading anti-virus programs, but this was a new virus slithering its way around the globe. More on virus protection later. Chances are this calamity could have been avoided by blasting the source while it was still on the e-mail server.
But how do you do that!
I sent e-mails to customers and sources of information on an average of 25 to 30 times each day. Well, it wasn't long before the spammers caught up with me--at first just three or four a day.
But by the time a year passed by, the spam outnumbered the stuff I really needed to read. But one of the e-mails I got was actually a Godsend. It was from a young chap in New Zealand who had developed a program called “Mail Washer.” When installed, this program looks at all of the e-mails on the e-mail server before they are downloaded into your e-mail client. It allows you to view who sent them, and if you suspect any may be spam, you can mark and trash them accordingly. But e-mail that you want to allow you can mark as friendly. When the same spam emails are sent to you again, Mail Washer flips this trash by sending a reply to the sender that the address no longer exists. It also indirectly prevents viruses from slipping into your computer too. While it doesn’t specifically point out an e-mail as being the bearer of bad tidings, it does give you the chance to dump any you don’t recognize. Especially those with ATTACHMENTS! Try Mail Washer, a freeware program. Get it at: www.mailwasher.net.
So how do the spammers get my information in the first place, I asked myself? Our chief engineer suggested that I check my Internet files for AD-WARE. Here's the sequence I followed. This holds true for Windows XP or Vista. Go to Start and find your Control Panel. Open this and click on Internet Options. This will bring up Internet Properties. Under Browsing History on the General Tab, click on Settings. A new dialog will appear called Temporary Internet Files and History. Click on View Files. It unnerved me when I saw what was in that folder, hundreds of little files, some completely harmless, some very helpful and some just a pain in the butt.
When you think about cookies, what comes to mind first? The Keebler Elves? Famous Amos? Well the cookies I’m talking about here are not the edible kind. Even if you could eat them, some would leave a VERY bad taste in your mouth.
Many of the files you see are Cookies. These are tiny little files that are placed on your computer each time you log onto a new website. "How Stuff Works" says, "Cookies have, for some reason, gained a rather sinister image. But most are simple and harmless. Picture a cookie as just one or more pieces of information stored as text strings on your machine. A Web server sends you a cookie and the browser stores it. The browser then returns the cookie to the server the next time you return to that page. Cookies are commonly used to store a user ID. Do you wonder how Amazon.com knows your mailing address the second time you buy a book on line from the same computer? Cookies!
Included in this temporary file you will find Ad-Ware or Spyware. Consider Spyware as a collection of computer programs that attach themselves to your operating system in evil ways. They will suck the life out of your computer's processing power. (Why does it take MS Word or Outlook so long to open?) They're designed to track your Internet habits, flood you with unwanted sales pitches or generate traffic for their host Web site.
Malware (malicious software) is a program designed to infiltrate a computer without the owner's knowledge or consent. Consider malware as a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of intrusive, annoying and even hostile software or program code. A computer virus, a catchall term, includes all types of malware, including true viruses.
Software can be considered malware when the intent of the creator is perceived to be destructive. Malware includes viruses, worms, rootkits, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware and other malicious and unwanted software. Legally, malware is sometimes known as a computer contaminant. Malware should not be considered the same as defective software, in other words, software that has a legitimate purpose but contains harmful code.
USA Today reporters, Byron Acohido and Jon Sqartz state that surfing the web has never been more risky. “Simply connecting to the Internet—and doing nothing else—exposes your PC to non-stop, automatic break-in attempts by intruders looking to take control of your machine surreptitiously.
"It's a hostile environment out there," says technical security consultant Kevin Mitnick, who served five years in prison for breaking into corporate computer systems in the mid-1990s. "Attackers have become extremely indiscriminate."
So what’s a person to do?
SPYWARE CAN BE THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT TO YOUR COMPUTER!
According to some estimates, more than 90 percent of all personal computers that regularly connect to the Internet are infected with some kind of SPYWARE. So how do you get rid of spyware? You use a program that searches your hard drive and locates it just like a virus scan. It then gives you the option to ignore it or trash it.
For a couple of years I used a freeware program that did a pretty good job of finding spyware. But all good things must come to an end and the manufacturer stopped providing upgrades, and they put a price on it.
Aside from the annoyance factor, the invasion of privacy alone justifies the use of a trusted anti-spyware tool. Your PC should be armed and at the ready for any spyware intruders that try getting into your system. You can completely eliminate these nasty little tracking devices from your computer system and prevent them from ever latching on in the future. Treat yourself to a free spyware scan. You will most probably be amazed at just how many threats are actually present.
By not protecting your PC from intruders, it's only going to be a matter of time before your computer gets hijacked by harmful spyware—if it hasn't already! If someone were peeping into your windows to spy on you, you would be upset, wouldn't you? You would do something about it! Well guess what? This is exactly what will happen while you surf the web! These Komputer Klingons are installing spyware tracking devices into your PC and eavesdropping without your permission! Spyware not only gives advertisers an inside look at what interests you online, it can also lead to disclosure of highly sensitive personal data as well. Now that’s SCARY!
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About the Author
Author Don Penven is a freelance writer and photographer with locations in Raleigh and Morehead City, NC
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