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Posts Tagged: adware

The Castellini Approach to Internet Security

photo credit: The Joy Of The Mundane

This past week I saw way too many people who are not taking advantage of the free information we give out on the show and the web site. Their computers were suffocating from a preventable disease…viruses and spyware. Yes, preventable, almost 100%. And fighting the war on our home computer security front does not have to be costly or time consuming.

We talk about this subject quite a bit on the program and the web site because of its rapid growth worldwide. In today’s tip, I am providing you with links to information that we have on this site that have been up for months to years that contain the essential information about protecting your computer.

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Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
15
Sep 08

What kind of computer do 3 teenagers use?

An extremely slow and sick computer!

Today, again, I ran across a family who has multiple teenagers (3 in this case) who use a computer that has become polluted with spy and adware. I see this situation again and again, week after week. This computer was less than 2 months old!

Give the typical teenager a Windows based computer (doesn’t matter if it is XP or Vista) and within weeks (sometimes hours) the computer is almost useless. Parents always ask me the next logical question, “Why did it happen?”

The first problem is not enough or the right type of anti-virus and anti-spyware protection. For Windows users, I recommend using AVG Antivirus as the first line of defense. Windows Vista users also have the almost useless Windows Defender automatically installed, but also need to utilize the anti-spyware components in AVG and also either Super AntiSpyware and/or SpyBot Search and Destroy. These programs need to be updated weekly, at a minimum, and thorough scans be performed weekly as well. I have links to all these programs in the Links and Resources section listed at the top of this page.

The second problem is using the wrong browser. No teenager should be allowed to browse the web with Internet Explorer. Most of the junk that enters computers from the web comes in via the huge security holes found in Internet Explorer. Keeping up to date with Microsoft updates and patches helps, but most people simply don’t keep up with these updates leaving the computer like a wounded lamb. Instead, use a safer browser like Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or the new Google Chrome. These browsers prevent a large percentage of the junk programs that can easily penetrate Internet Explorer.

The third problem revolves around the general browsing habits of teenagers. Teens typically like to visit a combination of music download sites, wallpaper download sites, ring tone sites, social networking sites, games sites, and celebrity sites. Unfortunately, the Internet evil-doers know these patterns as well and will setup cheap knock-off sites that pretend to be legit, but throw adware and spyware as bonus add-ons to these unsuspecting computer users. Teens need to realize that their computer is not impenetrable and there are people on the web that are there to wreak havoc on their computers and wallets. Beware of deals that seem to good to be true…they are. Also, they should never give our their email address or IM (ask your kids what that is) info to any netizen asking for it. As with life, it pays to be vigilant and a little jaded when it comes to web sites and the people who run them.

My best advice to parents with teens in the household is to either invest in a Macintosh computer or install Linux on a computer that will be used strictly for the web and browsing. Linux and the Mac operating system are almost (not completely, but very close) immune from all these problems. These operating systems don’t give kids license to run rampant on the Internet, but certainly will cut down on the repair bills and down time that accompany Windows computers.

IF, parents and teens follow the steps outlined in this short article, any computer can be a safe computer. Prevention is the best medicine, but it is up to the computer user to administer and maintain the prevention.

General Computer Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
26
Feb 08

Slow computer? Viruses? Malware? I can help!

After almost 13 years of battling security problems on Windows machines, I’m finally seeing the light of day and recommending Mac’s and Linux for many computer users. It will be a long journey convincing people that there is life beyond Microsoft.

For those who bang away with Microsoft Windows computers,and have problems with Slow Computer Disease (SCD), pop-ups, viruses and other problems, I present the following sage advice:

I’ve learned that when it comes to spyware/adware (THE major cause of SCD), if it takes more than an hour to troubleshoot and solve, you will be WAY AHEAD of the game to:

1. Backup your data
2. Reformat the system, and resinstall Windows
3. Install GOOD security software BEFORE connecting to the Internet (I like AVG, SpyBot Search & Destroy, Super Anti-spyware)
4. Install THE best tool for fighting spyware: Mozilla Firefox. Use Firefox as your primary web browser.
5. Keep your security software updated as well as Windows patches

Battling spyware can be a long and frustrating experience (and costly if you bring tech people into the mix), and with extreme infections, you will NEVER get the system back to normal without doing the above steps. So, know when to say when and save yourself some grief and get back to a usable computer quicker following these steps.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 4 Comments
13
Nov 07

The Top 10 Free Porn and Poker Web Sites

Let’s all face it. We don’t have to agree with it or even like it, but the porn and gaming (poker) industry push the boundaries of the Internet and sometimes that translates to a better Internet experience for all of us.

From experience with my business, I can tell you that computer users who frequent free online gambling sites, porn sites, and free music downloading sites have the worst running computers. This is for two reasons, again in my experience:

This type of computer user is usually not smart enough to use sites like HelpMeRick.com to properly secure their computers.
Because of reason #1, proprietors of these types of sites count on computers like these and therefore dump large amounts of spyware and adware into them.

How does this make the Internet a better place for those of us who don’t frequent porn, gambling, and free music download sites? I can think of two ways:

The technologies that these types of sites use really can be bleeding edge (pushing the limits of what is possible). And in developing these new or bleeding edge technologies, the spill over into legit sites like news, blogs, video sharing sites like YouTube, etc. do make our Internet experience richer.
Watching others make mistakes solidifies in our minds why we are better off not doing those types of activities.

OK, I piled on the gambling and porn users quite a bit. Now, just in case any of them kept reading, here are 10 things you can do to actually keep your computer running at least at 50% of the power the rest of us have:

Keep all your Windows updates up-to-date
Search this site for the word “security” to get our advice on the best comptuer security software (Hint: AVG Anti-virus, AVG Anti-spyware or Super Anti-spyware are among them)
Stop using Internet Explorer and use Mozilla Firefox or Opera instead
Gamble with your friends using real cards.
If you must play cards online, don’t try and be tough and use the sites that are guaranteed to give you trouble (usually the ones that advertise on radio, late night TV and the back of men’s magazines).
Play cards on sites like Yahoo or MSN games…you will not be subjected to spyware with those sites.
If you must look at porn online, stick with the bigger sites that have been around for years and that you have to pay for: Playboy.com, for example
If all this seems to hard and laborious, you can buy a new computer every three months or,
Use Ubuntu Linux, which isn’t near as hard to upkeep because viruses and spyware aren’t designed to attack it.
Or, use an Apple computer, which also isn’t attacked like a Windows machine.

I ended up trying to write a semi-serious article, but actually I’m testing to see whether the title of this story gets more hits than some of my most recent ones. A little social engineering at work here at HelpMeRick.com.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 12 Comments
11
Sep 07

Why would I pay 99 cents for a song?

That is a direct quote from a Freshman in college that I helped with her computer today. She purchased it just three days ago and already has Lime Wire installed. For those not familiar with Lime Wire, it is a service that many people use (especially college aged kids) to download free music, movies and more. In addition to be legally questionable (or downright illegal by some accounts), downloading free music is the single best way to completely screw-up a normally functioning computer.

Over the years, when we got calls from listeners with “slow computers”, our first question was “do you have any teenagers in the house?”. The reason we asked was that most unrestrained teenagers with Internet access will eventually install programs like Lime Wire and start downloading the free stuff.

The problem is that when a computer user downloads these “free” songs and movies, some nifty little software that hoses your computer comes along with them. These programs are known as spyware and adware. What these little gems do is install other programs on your computer that cause pop-ups, send spam out from your computer among other things that all slow down and muck up your computer.

Even if you keep all the latest security software updates and scans going on a computer, these behaviors contribute to computer going to the dogs. Those “free” downloads can rapidly turn 99 cents into hundreds of dollars in repair work, and lots of spilled tears over lost data if backups weren’t done.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 2 Comments
20
Dec 06

Porn doesn’t just happen

OK, I'm letting the cat out of the bag: web based porn is NOT magic. I always smile inside when I here people tell me that porn ads or images suddenly appeared on their computer. In more than 12 years of browsing and researching on the web (and I have put in a few hours), I can tell you that porn has never suddenly appeared out of thin air. I can also honestly say that I have never 'run into' porn by searching the web. Is it because I have some great anti-porn software on my computer? No. Is it because I have been lucky? No.

The reason why it has never suddenly appeared on my computer, my wife's computer or my kid's computer in almost 15 years of online browsing is that porn originates from only three possible places:

A user on the computer actually surfed to some porn or porn related site at some point.
A user has engaged in online gambling or poker or trading of illegal files (music, movies, etc) at a shady site that had porn ads in the rotation.
An email with a porn link or ad was opened.

That's it. No magic, no bad luck. Porn appears on computers for a reason, and it starts with one of those three. Is online porn 100% preventably? No, unless you don't use your computer to do anything online. However, it is 99.9% prevenable if you or anyone using your computer doesn't engage in any of the three behaviors I outlined in this tip. I'm no prude and if you want to look at online porn, that is your business, but don't get bit by spyware, adware and other online bad guys and then try and say that it 'just appeared'. It doesn't work that way.

Internet Tips — No Comments
25
Aug 06

Firewalls Redux

Firewalls became a hot topic in the latter part of this week at HMR (a web site visitor abbreviated our name that way and it works pretty well). I decided to bring up this tip and updated it for 2006.

As recently as 2003, I recommended against dial-up users using firewalls. My reasoning for this advice included the substantially decreased time most dial-up users spend online in one stretch, ISP's provide firewall services into and out of their modem banks, and most 'hacking' at the time centered around denial of service attacks and other activities that was meant for computers with 'fat pipe' connections (DSL, cable, etc).

Today, however, I believe that a firewall is becoming an essential piece of our security arsenal. Firewalls (either hardware based or software based) prevent unauthorized access to and from your computer. The most recent threat of unauthorized use is spyware and adware. Spyware and adware can bring a system to its knees if not properly and completely stopped. A firewall can help reduce the toll of spyware and adware.

At the very least, every computer user using Windows XP should perform the following few steps to enable the XP firewall. If you have updated to XP Service Pack 2, the firewall will be enabled by default. Here's how to enable the Windows fiewall:

Click My Computer from the Start menu (or your desktop)
Click My Network Places from the task pane on the left
Click View Network Connections again from the task pane on the left
When the windows opens, RIGHT click on your Internet connection
Click Properties
Click the Advanced tab
Check the box that says "Protect my computer and network by limiting…"
Click OK

If you want a more industrial strength firewall that you can tweak and configure, try one of these free or commercial firewalls:

ZoneAlarm (free version)

ZoneAlarm Pro

Tiny Firewall

For broadband users who use a router to share access with other computers, the router acts as a firewall as well. Adam made some accurate points this week about the usability of firewalls. Too many computer users, hope to 'set it and leave it', but most firewalls require careful initial setup and a good knowledge of how to interact with the messages that it will generate. Read through your manual or go to the manufacturer's web site to learn how to best utilize your router and software firewall's capabilities.

Internet Tips / OnAir Solutions — No Comments
10
Jun 06

Extricating Spyware

In 2004, spyware/adware became the #1 threat to personal computers. For a definition of spyware, visit Webopedia.

Getting rid of spyware has reached a point that it takes an expert, or a lot of persistence, to really get rid of it totally. Following is a list of steps that we frequently take to completely restore a compromised computer. Depending on the level of problems, we may omit some steps, but this list covers everything we do.

NOTE: These are not steps we recommend for every computer that has a little spyware on it. Also, some of these steps, if not performed properly, can further harm your computer. Proceed at your own risk.

ANOTHER NOTE: For a great list of fake antispyware programs, visit SpywareWarrior’s rogue or suspect anti-spyware comparison.

A THIRD NOTE: We perform most of these operations in Safe Mode (repeatedly push the F8 key on your keyboard at startup to reach safe mode), and if the computer uses Windows XP or Me, we disable the System Restore (RIGHT Click “My Computer”, Click System Restore tab, uncheck the box that says “Use System Restore”, click OK). And lastly, your computer SHOULD NOT BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET WHEN PERFORMING THESE STEPS. If your system is in really bad shape, you will need to run the recommended tools without updates in Safe Mode, then update them after you get all steps performed and get connected to the Internet again.

A LAST NOTE: Always backup your important data before proceeding…address books, email, documents, pictures, etc.

After downloading all the tools below, disconnect from the Internet.
Restart computer in Safe Mode
Delete all temporary files (even the hidden ones). You can do this quickly by downloading and running Cleanup .
Install and run AVG Anti-spyware (formerly Ewido) and SuperAntiSpyware
Search add/remove files for installed spyware programs in the Add/Remove Programs and remove them.
Install, update and run Spybot
In some cases, the spyware will keep coming back due to Trojan viruses that Norton or McAfee do not detect. If this is the case, we uninstall Norton and install AVG or Avast anti-virus programs.
Install Firefox and instruct the user to use Internet Explorer only when Firefox is not able to pull up a particular site.
With Windows Me and XP computers, it is important to disable the System Restore prior to starting this process, but remember to enable it when finished.

In some extreme cases, this process can take up to three hours. At times, it makes sense to simply backup important data then reformat the system and install Windows and your programs again.

Do not take spyware lightly, but making it illegal is not the answer. Secure computers and savvy users will be the only thing that stops this nasty digital intrusion. And we know that listeners and followers of our program maintain secure computers because they are smart and informed computer users!

Computer User Group / Internet Tips — No Comments
8
Mar 06

Shareware and Freeware – March 2006

We haven’t covered this topic since 1999!

Shareware is software that you can “try before you buy”. The developer usually provides the program for free of charge with either some features disabled or a time limit on how long the product can be used. To unlock all the features or use the program past its expiration date, you must pay for a registration number. This type of marketing works quite well for developers who make good products.

Freeware is software that you can use for no cost at all. Developers providing this software usually create the program to either fill a niche or jus practice creating new programs.

Programs by small developers can be found for almost any purpose you need. Everything from organizing pictures to creating labels and from recording music to changing wallpaper. The only places I recommend hunting for and downloading freeware and shareware are:

Download.com
Tucows.com
Nonags.com

These sites do a good job of making sure that the software they provide is free of spy and adware.

Never download a program from the Internet from a site that seems fishy or from unsolicited email or pop-up ad. Use only reputable sites you recognize or the sites I provided earlier.

The steps to search for and download shareware are:

Type a term or phrase in the site’s search box
Sort through the findings using downloads and ratings as a guide.
Click on the name of the product you are interested in downloading
When read to try it out, click on the “Download” button or link
Save the software to your desktop
When the download finishes, close all your open windows then find and double-click on the program you downloaded to start the installation process.

Click here for a video describing the download and searching process.

Post-It Notes for your desktop

General Computer Tips — No Comments
31
Dec 05

Save Money on Computer Repair Bills

It’s no secret that Adam and I are computer consultants/trainers/troubleshooters. So, why would I potentially take food out of my own hand by writing this tip? Two reasons: 1) I like to help people and share knowledge 2) I hate troubleshooting messes that could have prevented and 3) I enjoy teaching people how to get the most out of their computers instead of being frustrated and constantly battling or worrying about the computer.

OK, so I lied, it was three reasons.

In a nutshell, I whole heartedly believe that IF a computer user follows these simple rules, their computer will become a useful tool versus an expensive adversary,

Subscribe and read the Castellini on Computers newsletter. We provide a great deal of troubleshooting and prevention tips every week.
Listen to our program as often as possible and CALL if you have questions BEFORE you make the plunge into something that seems foreign or you aren’t totally comfortable with doing or purchasing.
Visit this web site (HelpMeRick.com) often! Use the search engine, read the tips (and follow them), look at our recommended products and reviews of new products or services.
BACKUP YOUR IMPORTANT DATA OFTEN!! I know capitalizing words on the Internet insinuates yelling…I am yelling.
Keep an anti-virus program (any anti-virus program) running on your computer all the time and keep it UPDATED (not the same as scanning weekly).
Run the Windows firewall (Windows XP users) if you use a broadband connection. If you are a dial-up user and use the Internet many hours a week, use it as well. Non-WinXP users can download a free firewall or purchase their own. Routers work great too as extra protection (broadband users).
Windows XP users…keep up your Windows Updates!
Check your computer for spyware (a.k.a. malware and adware).

Read more details about these eight important points and more here on this web site using our Tip Archive or the search engine. Please take advantage of it and share it with your neighbors, friends and family.