Recycler Virus Help

Dealing with the Recycler virus can be a frustrating ordeal, but it must be removed quickly to prevent damage to your computer's operating system or the loss of important data.

Identity

The Recycler virus is actually just one manifestation of the Lecna computer worm. Recycler.exe is just one of a number of files Lecna creates on the host computer.
Method

Once it has gained access to a computer, the worm makes numerous changes to the system's registry, installs malicious software and propagates by copying itself onto networked drives. It may also transfer the data it searches for to an outsider, giving that user access and control over the system.
Removal

To stop the virus, disable the System Restore function, if present, and initiate a virus scan using any available antivirus software. Avira, Avast, Kaspersky and TrendMicro are a few of the free antivirus programs available online.


Read more: http://goo.gl/YJY3n

Top-slicing the Beeb: Clueless execs get busy

Some quangos, like jellyfish, seem to be able to reproduce asexually. It's what they live to do. What this means is that without any contact, parthenogenesis occurs and they simply spawn off a little version of themselves, which may grow as large as its parent. Britain's uber-regulator Ofcom, I learned this week, definitely falls into this class. I just hadn't realised how badly it longs to plop out lots of baby Ofcoms.

Ofcom recently proposed that the BBC should share the licence fee with commercial rivals. But with one exception, none of the commercial rivals actually want this to happen - which leaves Ofcom keenest of all on the idea.

At the Westminster Media Forum debate on Wednesday, executives from the top of British TV management discussed the regulator's review into Public Service Broadcasting, in which "top-slicing" the licence fee is The Big Idea. As we discussed here, Ofcom gets itself into terrible difficulties trying to define the subject. It can't decide what "Broadcasting" is in the Noo-Media era, nor what "Public Service" is, either. This culminates in some very strange conclusions, such as lauding Symantec's Anti- Virus help page as a very modern example of Public Service Broadcasting.

Amongst other things I also learned is how this purportedly "blue sky consultation" contrives to leave most of the interesting options out of the debate. Which isn't surprising when you see how few people there are at top of the public service TV business - they all simply swap jobs every few years - and how almost all of the Professorial "independent experts" are really just part of the furniture. Shafts of insight were as rare as rude words in church. But more of that in a moment. As for top-slicing, where do they stand?
Take your positions

Naturally the BBC regards Ofcom's review as an attack, or "pickpocketing". In a speech on Tuesday, BBC chairman Sir Michael Lyons said the licence fee is "not a back pocket for government or regulators or anyone else for that matter. It is not a spare pot of cash, a contingency fund, to be raided every time there is a cause, however worthy, with a hole in its balance sheet and a media flag attached."

In other words, it's the Ark of the Covenant, and the BBC alone is trusted with the sacred duty to spend it. That's not so surprising - what is rather startling is that neither ITV nor Five want a slice of your money.

"We're not asking for money, we're asking for freedom," said ITV's director of strategy Carolyn Fairbairn. She agreed that the old model no longer worked, and that a multi-channel world meant only a fraction of revenue - around ten per cent - was being invested in programming by the newer channels. Magnus Brooke, ITV's directory of regulatory affairs, added that ITV would be tied by bureaucracy and compromised by public money.

Five echoed this theme, with its regulation exec Martin Stott chastising "an experiment in intervention that may or may not succeed". He also criticised the lack of accountability of a licence fee diffused between commercial broadcasters, and thought that by the time the cost of the additional bureaucrats had been totted up there wouldn't be a great deal of extra money for programmes. So you might as well give the money to the BBC.

BSkyB, which receives no public subsidy and has no public service broadcasting obligations, also thought it was a daft idea. There wasn't really a problem with a dearth of material, what with shows like Ross Kemp in Afghanistan, said Sky's director of corporate affairs Graham McWilliam. Sky's subscription highbrow arts channel was a good example of the market meeting the demand, he added. None of Ofcom's four proposed options involved less regulation, McWilliam pointed out - they all involved more. Jellyfish syndrome, again.

Naturally Channel 4's chief executive Andy Duncan disagreed. Duncan's main problem was not looking too chuffed at the suggestion of top-slicing, since Channel 4 is the biggest beneficiary.

His argument was primarily economic - the TV advertising market is shrinking, and C4 is great value, since it doesn't have to pay a dividend to shareholders. (ITV also points out the looming crisis in ad spend, but would prefer to have the public service obligations lifted so it can compete with Sky, rather than get a cash hand-out.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/15/westminster_forum_bbc/

Adding to memory can help a slow PC

use Windows 2000 and have DSL service . My computer is 10 years old. About two weeks ago, everything began slowing down. I have spoken with my Internet provider and we ran a test - my speed is fine. I did a complete virus help scan and there are no viruses. I did a defrag and it did not help. Every time I use my computer a message comes up saying I am low on virtual memory and Windows is increasing its size. It is frustrating using my computer as I now sit and wait. Any suggestions or links to fix my problem?


When a computer needs more memory than can be furnished by the actual RAM chips - a super quick form of memory - installed, it creates a substitute memory using the hard disk. Memory created this way is much slower than what you get from a chip, since the chip is a solid-state device and the hard disk is mechanical.

So what should you do? You can add more RAM memory, it's pretty cheap these days. Even if you don't add more memory, turn the computer off and restart it a few times each day. That can release memory. Windows has a nasty habit of holding onto memory, even when the program that was using it closes.

Another thing to do is make sure that the computer is clear of adware and spyware. That's not your main problem in this case, but it is a cause of slowdown. Use Adaware, SpyBot Search and Destroy, or Windows' free Defender. Combining this with more RAM will almost certainly give you a faster computer.


source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.pl.helpdesk15may15,0,1769633.story

The future of security

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, 12 MAY 2008 - A futurologist in IT security? Difficult to believe, but it is true. On a recent visit to Dubai to discuss the risks of the global Internet, David Perry, Global Director of Education for Trend Micro, is a futurologist, predicts the upcoming dangers and thefts in the IT industry globally. He has been working for Trend Micro for the past 10 years and was earlier associated with McAfee. CNME met up with Perry to get a brief analysis on the scenario today.

CNME: Why do you call yourself a futurologist?

Perry: At Trend Micro there has always been stress on the role of Internet security which is a dense area. There are all kinds of considerations to be made like vocabulary, messed up mathematics, be able to interpret languages from Russians, Chinese and Americans. I am constantly involved in research and I have a good grasp of the English language. You don't find a lot of computer virus help experts with the same ability therefore I am able to interpret all the technical information for the ordinary person. Due to this I am able to predict trends and initiatives which also help me to understand threats. We are able to articulate it and make sense before selling the solution to the end-user.

CNME: How you see the state of Internet Security today?

Perry: Customers must be made aware of basic facts like for example the original computer virus help was not on a PC or an Apple machine or mainframe or storage device. The original virus was a work of fiction by a writer named John Brunner. Viruses existed in fiction before they existed in fact. All the ideas we carry on viruses are fictional and they are not responsible for destroying the hardware. Somebody is not writing viruses in the backroom of an antivirus company. They are invisible, silent and most importantly at this point of the history of the world viruses and malware are stealing your bank accounts. This is happening in the behest of giant organized crime rings in Russia, China, Etnovia, Latvia, South America, Columbia and even including United States and Australia.

The real crime is not about stealing a bank but about stealing passwords, credit card numbers and logins of users. According to the FBI last year 15 million users from America got their identity stolen and computer crime put together accounted for $89.9 b. This means its approaching the same level of crime from drugs therefore making it front rank crimes.

CNME: As a security expert, do you think Trend Micro has done enough to stand apart from competition? What kind of initiatives is being undertaken by the vendor?

Perry: I am influential and one of the most famous anti-virus people in the whole world, probably not as much Gene Kaspersky because he owns a company. At Trend Micro I am able to share any kind of concern with the top management which is a big difference compared to companies like Symantec. They have moved onto hiring professional managers who are only interested in sales, numbers and finances. But in Trend Micro the CEO has 9 patents, she is an engineer, has invented many of our hot products and been with the company for 20 years. The top management - Steve and Jenny Yang - has been around for the entire history of the company. They have a passion and understanding of what makes good protection.

At Trend Micro one of the initiatives we have decided to take up as a public affairs issue is that of children being bullied on-line. We are getting ready to launch information, give lectures and also conduct these sessions in schools. There are market initiatives launched in EMEA where I have gone and given presentations.

CNME: Has security today moved beyond the computer?

Perry: It has definitely moved from the basic computer. Today it's about identity, not about computer security. In the United States if I purchase a sofa, telephone or a car, the credit rating company is called to check on your reputation. The same is applicable with your passport, which is checked every time at the airport for your identity.

In the same situation, if your identity is stolen through your credit card you have lost your credit rating and you cannot buy a car.

We are heading into a future which is not protected and there will be more sensitive data for the end user. There is often a comment made that antivirus companies are catching up with hackers. Even for us, there is immense effort put into research for e.g. there are thousands of research engineers at Trend Labs in Manila. On my way back from Dubai I will be stopping by at the lab. There is a lot of advanced study and research done in this direction but you don't hear about all the products being developed in these labs.

CNME: You have made comments in the past about security vendors not behaving like grownups, please comment.

Perry: Security vendors are always fighting on what to name viruses. In the era of worldwide virus outbreaks, that was affecting the entire world. But now it's a different scene as the virus attacks target a few hundred end-users. The name of the virus help was an important issue and all the anti-virus vendors wanted to name it differently. The question was always 'Who would name it?' so 'Who was the grown up?'

Nobody respects the other to differ from them and they don't want to make Symantec more powerful. There are no grownups in this fight as it moves on to other issues like setting security standards for testing. These are political decisions to be made on how to test the software based on who is going to win this test?

There are companies pushing one kind of standardization putting them into the good light completely. This is a business where billions of dollars are made and therefore the naming problem has to be fixed.

CNME: Should there be set parameters for security in an IT network?

Perry: The first point to keep in mind for an enterprise end-user is to understand what is happening in your network. You cannot fly blind as you have to know what you are protecting and secondly have comprehensive protection. Customers would earlier purchase different security solutions from various vendors. But now customers use heterogenous networks and they could be using a Linux or Nuventu or a Mackintosh OS other than a pure Microsoft XP system.

Computer security is based on four pillars beginning first from systems, then security, followed by hardware, software in all the systems has to be designed in a secure manner and the security products have to be aware of the changes in the system and product.

User education and awareness are the other important factors. Security awareness within the enterprise begins with recognizing the need for it. At Trend Micro we will be able to help end-users do this as we have acquired several new companies and are in a position to start with knowledge assessment then move onto training programs.

source : http://computerworld.com.my/ShowPage.aspx?pagetype=2&articleid=8267&pubid=4&issueid=135

Computer Virus Help

t’s been weeks since a corruption scandal humiliated the Bush administration, so I suppose we were overdue for news like

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents raided the Office of Special Counsel here, seizing computers and documents belonging to the agency chief Scott Bloch and staff.

More than a dozen FBI agents served grand jury subpoenas shortly after 10 a.m., shutting down the agency’s computer network and searching its offices, as well as Mr. Bloch’s home. Employees said the searches appeared focused on alleged obstruction of justice by Mr. Bloch during the course of an 2006 inquiry into his conduct in office.

The independent agency, created by Congress in the wake of the Watergate scandal, is charged with protecting federal employees and deciding whether their complaints merit full-scale investigation — a first line of defense against fraud and mismanagement in government. It also enforces a ban on U.S. employees engaging in partisan political activity.

This story has taken a few twists and turns, but it’s actually really interesting, and more than a little comical.

The Office of Special Counsel isn’t the most high-profile office in government, but it’s generally tasked with investigating whistleblower complaints. Bloch, however, has been ambitious — about a year ago, the OSC launched a broad investigation into Karl Rove’s political activities, with particular attention on the prosecutor purge, RNC emails, and fairly obvious Hatch Act violations (Rove’s office politicized various federal agencies). “We will take the evidence where it leads us,” Bloch said.

But while the investigator was investigating Rove, he was also facing his own investigation.

The Special Counsel looking into a potential cover-up appears to have been

The head of the federal agency investigating Karl Rove’s White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a private computer-help company, Geeks on Call. […]

Recently, investigators learned that Mr. Bloch erased all the files on his office personal computer late last year. They are now trying to determine whether the deletions were improper or part of a cover-up, lawyers close to the case said.

Bloch claims that he contacted the private PC-help service — bypassing his own agency’s computer technicians — to deal with a virus that had control of his computer.

He apparently asked the technicians to do a “seven-level” wipe, which, as the WSJ reported, “makes it nearly impossible for forensics experts to restore the data later.” While Geeks on Call was there, he also directed the technicians to wipe laptops used by his two top political deputies.

Bloch used tax-dollars to pay for all of this, and the $1,149 receipt makes no mention of a virus. Jeff Phelps, who runs Washington’s Geeks on Call franchise, said it would be unusual to address a virus problem by wiping a hard-drive. So for virus help he called the somebody.

Nothing suspicious here. No sirree.

This is, as David Corn while back, “a dizzying situation.”

The investigator investigating officials who oversee the agency that is investigating the investigator. Forget firewalls. This looks more like a basement flooded with backed-up sewage — with the water rising.

I should note, by the way, that this probe was launched while Bloch was already under investigation for

Only with the Bush gang is this set of circumstances even possible — Bloch is ostensibly investigating the Justice Department for its political activities, and simultaneously the Justice Department sends the FBI to raid Bloch’s office and home. What’s more, everybody is probably guilty.

source : thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15449.html

Virus Types to the Computer System

In the present scenario of technology, computers play the most significant role. Whether you are working in an income tax department, a private firm or any of the other organization, storing data on these computer systems is a very common process and thus the reliability of the data saved matters a lot.

But unfortunately people who want to disrupt the use of computers can well perform this task with the help of some programs that are able to infect the computers and at last damage to it one or the other way. The data may get lost or corrupted and you may feel a need of data recovery.

These malicious programs can damage the data ranging from mild to the severe one. Widely the infections which could affect the computer systems can be categorized as:

virus: These are the malicious programs that can copy themselves and infect a computer without the prior permission or knowledge to the user. They attach themselves with specific programs and when these programs are run and so do the viruses . A computer virus may get spread from one computer to another computer when its host is taken to the uninfected computer either through internet or through carrying it to on a removable media like USB, CD, floppy disk etc , we need virus help to remove these viruses

Trojan Horse: Trojan Horse is a software program which appears to perform some other task but in real sense the action carried out is some other damaging actions such as erasing your hard drive or allowing an open access to some other users. They have no way to replicate themselves but rely heavily on the exploitation of the end user.

Worms: Worms are the self replicating programs that use the network to send the copies of it to the other nodes. It does not attach to the existing program but instead scan the whole network for other computers with similar security holes through which it can then move to another computer for duplication.

Rootkits: These are the programs which are designed to take fundamental control of a computer system without user´s authorization. It is intended to seize control of the operating system running on the hardware and can also results into sabotage.

Spyware: These are the programs which are installed surreptitiously on a computer system in order to secretly monitor the user´s behavior and also it can collect certain other information of the user like personal information such as internet surfing habits, most often visited sites etc.

These programs can badly damage the data side of the user and the data may get lost. So all you need to be knowledgeable about the solution prior to any kind of infection that can happen to any of the hard drive.

source: americanchronicle.com/articles/60617

Computer Virus Crashes San Diego Court Computers

A computer virus infected San Diego Superior Court computers, forcing employees to work manually and causing some public service delays, court officials said Thursday.

The virus was discovered Monday after reports of unusual desktop behavior.

Employees reported that computers were repeatedly restarting or freezing, and that they could not get some applications to work.

To keep the virus from spreading, courthouse computers were taken off the county and state computer network, forcing court personnel to revert to paper files.

Employees are also having difficulty accessing information such as court dates and case information, said Superior Court spokeswoman Karen Dalton.

Court officials asked the public for patience and urged those who need information to have their court-issued paperwork, courtesy notices or tickets with them when they come to court.

Information technology personnel and outside vendors are working to get rid of the virus, but it was unknown when the court computers will be back online, Dalton said.

Security needed to help battle botnet viruses

Botnet scams are often misunderstood as a virus, however, they exist in a computer without the user being aware their machine in compromised.

Botnet scams are often misunderstood as a virus, however, they exist in a computer without the user being aware their machine in compromised.

According to the article “Botnet Scams are Exploding” by Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz in USA Today on March 17, botnets are largely unknown by the public.

"Botnet is a term used to describe a collection of compromised computer systems that are working together for some common, usually nefarious goal," said Curtis Larsen, assistant professor of computer science.

In the article, Rick Wesson, CEO of Support Intelligence, explained that 30 percent of the 800 million computers connected to the Internet are bots taking part in spreading e-mail spam, stealing data from shopping and banking Web sites, and bombarding Web sites in a "denial of service" attack.

A denial of service attack uses mass amounts of bots to flood a certain Web site. All of this intensive traffic can cause a Web site to crash. This is a serious threat to large corporations' Web sites.

An example of phishing students may relate to takes place on MySpace. When clicking on an illegitimate advertisement, the user is redirected to a Web page that looks like the user has accidentally logged off. The user is tricked into entering his or her log on name and password. Now the hacker has total control of the account. Typically the hacker will post advertisements in the form of comments and bulletins, and the user's network of friends has no way of knowing the original user didn't actually post them. Also, the hacker has the user's e-mail address, and if the user uses the same password for his or her e-mail, it can be violated as well.

Users may not even be aware they are in the botnet network. Larsen said a compromised computer may exhibit symptoms similar to other virus compromises. He said the computer becomes unusually slow to respond or responds unreliably.

The botnet is not a virus. However, viruses can easily take advantage of machines that are a botnet.

"Hackers break into a machine, then install a code, which runs a botnet," said Chris Mosteller, campus systems administrator at DSC.

Luckily, anti-virus programs can detect botnets. Set up scheduled virus scans to occur automatically.

"The bottom line is, the program is running on your machine and you can't control it," Mosteller said.

According to www.fbi.gov, the FBI launched Operation Bot Roast last year. Operation Bot Roast was launched because national security implications of the growing botnet threat are broad.

According to the Web site, hackers may use the computers themselves or they may rent out their botnets for a charge. The more computers they control, the more they charge their clients.

Instead of being invaded by a botnet, prevent it from happening in the first place. Mosteller said to keep the computer patched. This means updating the computer on a regular basis, and downloading security updates and service packs. Most operating systems prompt the user when there are new updates available.

"I recommend checking more than one source when trying to determine if a computer has unusual network traffic," Larsen said.

Larsen suggested monitoring network connections and network traffic rates. For Windows, the user can use the netstat command from the command prompt to monitor open connections and volume. Larsen said users can also download TCPView to help find unusual network connections. Other prevention strategies include e-mail filtering, staying away from untrusted Web sites, activating the port filter on the DSL or cable modem, and not downloading software from untrusted locations.

Source : sun.dixie.edu/index.php?pg=story&storyid=3149

Linux without virus

OKaY! So you’re sick of the old computer and want a new one. You have it all figured out a nice processor with a lot of RAM, an elegant TFT screen and of course, a huge hard drive to store all your ‘stuff’.

You go to the store, give your specifications, browse the models and the options for operating systems.

Going all legal is an expensive proposition. Windows itself costs a great deal of money and once you add on an office package, anti virus software and a firewall (with paid renewal every year), you realise that you haven’t really budgeted for all of it.

What if you could find a way to keep software costs down and spend your money on hardware and that sleek 22 inch TFT monitor?

Ubuntu joy

Enter open source. Many years ago, Bruce Perens published the ‘Open Source Definition’, outlining a philosophy of software development that gave anybody the right to possess, install, redistribute and re-engineer software free of charge.

Ubuntu, tagged ‘Linux for human beings’, is becoming popular among home users. You can order a free Ubuntu installation CD with free shipping at www.ubuntu.com (Yes! You will not be charged even for shipping.)

Installing Ubuntu is simple. Its installation, by default, includes the Mozilla Firefox web-browser and Pidgin, an instant messaging client that lets you use Yahoo, MSN AIM and GoogleTalk in a single window.

The package comes with OpenOffice, with a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database programme and a presentation tool. Evolution Mail, an Email programme is also a part of the default package.

No virus!

You do not need an anti virus package because most computer viruses are designed to attack Windows computers.

Once the initial install is done, your computer can connect to the Internet and download all the updates.

In case there is any hardware on your system that you don’t have drivers for, Ubuntu will download them automatically.

Your Internet enabled Ubuntu computer will be able to connect to a global repository of over 20,000 Linux applications from where you could download and install any programme you like, absolutely free of cost.

The add-ons

Playing MP3s and movies require some additional work. You will have to install the MP3 codec via Synaptic Package Manager. Media players like VLC and Totem that play all video and audio types can be performed via the Package Manager without having to visit any product websites.

There is a programme called WINE (www.winehq.com) that allows you to use windows programs on Linux. This works well with Microsoft Office and some games, but other programmes may not perform as expected. If downloading is your thing, Azureus and Limewire are available for Linux.

One of the advantages of being on Ubuntu is the vast support network available.

There are thousands of pages of information out there on virtually every problem that you can encounter.

Volunteers offering help will be patient with you if they know that you are a total newbie.

Make it a point to join one of the discussion groups and put your questions to the more experienced users.

Teething trouble

So, Ubuntu is free, all the applications are free, you don’t have to worry about virus, hey, that’s like having a supermodel girlfriend who is a cordon bleu chef and has a PhD in particle physics, right? Not quite.

Ubuntu comes with some constraints. A majority of the world’s computers run or Windows or a related platform. Many business applications do not have a Linux version simply because it will not be worth anybody’s time to produce.

Also, the idea of paying for software goes against the essence of Linux and Open Sources.

If you’re looking for a computer that you can use to surf the Internet, check Email, chat, listen to music and watch videos, Ubuntu is for you.

Lessons from getting hit by a computer virus

FOR the nth time, I got hit by a computer virus. This time, though, it was a nasty hit.

I was happily surfing the Internet last weekend when my antivirus software started detecting it. I am not yet sure if it is a Trojan (a malicious program that leaves a backdoor open in your system for hackers to take control), or a computer worm (self-replicating malware). But it was clear. It was annoying and it took control of my laptop.

As one saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat. The most effective and yet desperate way to get rid of a computer virus is to format the computer. Wipe the hard drive clean, and start afresh. But that would mean losing all your important files, data, and programs — not to mention wasted man hours in reinstalling the operating system, drivers, etc. So that wasn’t an option. I had to find a way to take out the computer virus with surgical precision.

A friend who is computer virus expert told me that getting rid of a computer virus is like peeling an onion. No, it does not make you cry. You have to pass through several layers to get to the juicy part. Hmmm, I hope that makes sense. Anyway, it took me and “Ownyot” (our in-house techie) to kill da bastard . We ran full scans, using both my existing antivirus software and an online free service from Trend Micro. The software was able to detect it. It was called . It was a Trojan. But when we checked for a solution, there was none at this time. I Googled it and found that others have recently been hit, and were asking how to get rid of it.

Ownyot eventually found a two-punch solution, thanks to the Internet. He used a free trial antivirus software version from Avira and launched a Filipino-made solution called Noob Killer, which fixed Windows registries in my system. You can Google both and find a way to download the software. Noob is apparently a solution developed by Pinoy techies, according to Ownyot (that’s another story, though). The free antivirus detected 30 more infected files. They were all quarantined. The Noob Killer was then launched, correcting registries affected by the computer virus. I asked what Noob Killer did to the nasty computer malware, and our in-house techie said that it “patched” the damaged “autorun” configuration of my system, and sought other computer virus/worms that are spreading through removable medias.

Lessons: if you’re patient enough, there are free and effective fixes online. But you have to have an expert with you when using such software. Also, numerous free trial versions of antivirus software are on the Internet. You can download them and use them to scan and quarantine computer virus. Finally, it is best to update your antivirus software. If it’s a corporate account, then ask your network administrator if it comes with the latest fixes.

More lessons: be careful in deleting files during computer virus scans. It is best to quarantine them first. Also always make sure that you scan removable media you plug in to your computer. That means USB thumb drives, external hard disk drives, and other media. Computer worms are now spreading through removable media, and it can be a nasty problem.

Finally, I learned that today’s computer viruses will not necessarily render your system useless. But when not dealt with quickly, it would. In past discussions with computer virus experts, computer malwares are increasingly being launched to steal passwords, usernames, and other personal information on an infected system. So when you’re infected, it is best to seek the help of an expert. You would never know that they are just sitting in a little corner in your office. Thanks, Ownyot!

Source: blogs.inquirer.net/techaddicts/2008/04/02/lessons-from-getting-hit-by-a-computer-virus/

Protect Yourself From Computer viruses

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you have a computer connected to the Internet, watch out! You'll be surprised to learn how often it's being attacked by computer hackers. Ivanhoe explains how to protect yourself and your PC.

It can strike at any time and can attack and destroy your computer. A virus hit Nicole Gentile's PC with a vengeance. "It was terrible," Gentile recalls. "It destroyed most of my files." And it also left her with a mess to clean up.

"It was a horrible feeling," she says. "I felt invaded and it caused me a lot of time and money to get everything fixed on my computer."

Nicole's ordeal is common. Computer scientists now reveal that computer hackers are using the internet to attack your computer every 40 seconds! "He or she will get on your computer and then see what is interesting on your computer." Michel Cukier, Ph.D., a computer scientist at the University of Maryland in College Park, told Ivanhoe.

Hackers can use disc space on your own computer and steal credit card numbers and personal info. Computer scientists also discovered hackers try common usernames and passwords to break into computers. "If you have a weak password, it will take a few minutes for that password to be found." Dr. Cukier explains.

Consumers should avoid easily guessed usernames like "test," "guest" and "info," and easy passwords like "1-2-3-4-5-6," "password" and "1-2-3-4." Instead, use longer, complicated usernames and passwords with random numbers and upper and lowercase letters.

"You try to make something as complex as possible." Dr. Cukier says. Changing usernames and passwords more often can help guard against future attacks. Also, anti-virus software may help keep computers hacker-safe.

"I bought a lot of virus protection software for my computer, so let's hope it works," Gentile says.

Hackers also break into large numbers of unsuspecting computers to control and manipulate the computers remotely for fraudulent purposes like identity theft, to disrupt networks and corrupt computer files.

source: ivanhoe.com/science/story/2008/04/415a.html