Spyware | Castellini on Computers - Computer help for beginners

Posts Tagged: spyware

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.

Rick’s Answers his email Videocast – 012

This week I answer some questions about faxing in Vista, email problems, security software, removing spyware and much more…brought to you by the questions from Guido, Shirley, Tina, Cindy, Ticia, James, Jo, Mariane, Margie, Sandra, Jackie, Nellie, DJ and John.

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 1 Comment
28
Aug 08

AVG stumbles again

Admittedly, Grisoft has not had a great summer with the roll out of their newest product, AVG 8. They tried to force the upgrade on users a little too quickly with quick deadlines. However, almost five months after the release of the new version, I still find users who haven’t upgraded yet, but Grisoft is still updating the older version.

The installation of the new version included some new features that are designed to scan links for bad web sites in your searches. This feature caused some problems for Windows Vista users and even caused some problems for email users.

Earlier this summer, AVG’s upgrade servers downloaded a bad update to many computers that caused an error that confused and dazed many users.

Today, the upgrade servers again failed. Again, confusing and frustrating many users.

Despite the rough start for AVG 8, I still would not recommend another anti-virus product at this time. Nothing protects as well while at the same time not killing the power of your computer. And so far, Grisoft has maintained their belief that price should not be a barrier to protecting your computer…and thus all of our computers by offering a free version of their software. Also, with version 8, AVG has integrated anti-spyware to their anti-virus protection. When I find a better product than AVG, I will let you know.

All that being said, it is also important to realize that when your updates are delayed, like today, that does NOT mean your computer is flying around unprotected. Your anti-virus program is still protecting your computer and is fighting against all the known problems it fights against through the last update. And since AVG updates a minimum of once per day, you are protected very well even if you go a day or two without an update.

As the Internet grows and more people learn to protect their computes, there will be inevitable bumps in the road. Usually, these problems are corrected pretty quickly, but the key is to not panic and be patient. Don’t try reinstalling, changing settings, and monkeying with your computer. Just sit back knowing that you are protected and these things will happen, but they will also be corrected.

Computer User Group / Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
13
Aug 08

5 Steps to Using Online Financial Sites Safely

Every year computer users using the Internet to check account balances, transactions, and even paying bills grows by nearly 30%. According to one Pew study, more than 50 million Americans use online banking services. 50 million sounds like a large number, but that still reflects less than 50% of online American adults. Bank web sites continue to evolve by becoming easier to use, more secure, and more helpful than ever before. In fact, many banks rather that their customers check their web site for answers rather than call or visit a branch. However, many people shy away from online banking because of security fears.

I?m going to outline, for you, five simple steps that you can take to keep yourself and your finances safe on the Internet.

Step 1 ? Computer Security

Before you do anything on the Internet, make sure your computer is secure by having solid, up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software running. I recommend AVG Antivirus and Antispyware (www.grisoft.com). For high speed Internet users, make sure you have a firewall setup (the Windows firewall is ok) or use your connection through a router than can be purchased at any office or electronics store. If you have a wireless Internet connection in your home, make sure it is password protected. Lastly, I highly recommend that all computer users use Mozilla Firefox (www.firefox.com) as their primary browsers. Firefox?s security measures are much more effective than Internet Explorer?s.

Step 2 ? Strong Passwords

Most banks are good about requiring their customer?s to change their password every 3-6 months. If yours does not require a change, you should do it anyway. Changing your password frequently is a great way to keep your online financial data secure. Use these rules when creating a password:

? NEVER use the same password for your bank or financial institution that you do for your Internet service

? NEVER use any part of your name or birth date in your password

? ALWAYS use a combination of numerals, upper and lower case letters, and special characters (@,#,&, etc) in your password

? ALWAYS right your password down and keep it in a safe place?not on a sticky placed on your monitor

? ALWAYS change your password at least every 3 months

Step 3 ? Avoid Phishing attacks

Although most identity theft crimes occur offline, phishing attacks are the most common method of identity theft online. Phishing is the technique of sending emails or luring you to a web site that appears to be your bank?s, credit card company, or other financial institution then asking for all of your financial and personal data. These sites/emails will ask for your full name, online account user name and password, mother?s maiden name, social security number, account numbers and other personal data. NEVER give out this type of information on ANY web site. Your financial institution will never send these types of emails or ask you for this information via a web site. When in doubt, always call your bank.

Step 4 ? Use caution when traveling

If you travel with your own laptop and connect to the Internet via a secured wireless connection (requires a password), online banking shouldn?t be too much of a problem. When connecting to wireless Internet connections, make sure they are indeed coming from the proprietor of the hotel, café, etc. Some hacker types can ?pose? as a wireless provider, but really you are connecting through their computers and thus they can see what you are doing and typing. I highly recommend never using a public computer (library, Internet Café) to access financial web sites. Doing so poses too much of a risk that your data and identity can be stolen by an unscrupulous computer user using the computer to collect online information.

Step 5 ? Be smart

Never underestimate your intuition?if something feels fishy, it probably is. Bail out of whatever you are doing and then contact your bank and report the problem to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) at http://tinyurl.com/2zl4eo US-CERT is a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

Overall, online access to your financial data will save you a lot of valuable time and is available 24 hours a day. Just use caution and these five simple rules to help insure that your online financial activity won?t cause you problems.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
30
Jun 08

Great digital photography debate topics

Technology is no different than politics in that there are a variety of topics that people have opinions on. While you may not know much about these topics now, what you know about them can have a great impact on knowing who to listen to when it comes to learning more about digital photography and related topics.

PC vs. Mac:

The Mac people will tell you that Macs are better for graphics, easier to use more stable.

PC people will argue that Macs are over priced, you can do anything with a Mac that you can do with a PC and Macs won’t run the programs that most people use.

What’s the truth? As with most debates, where you stand depends on your perspective as all things are relative.

Macs are easier in the sense that it typically takes fewer steps to get from point A to point B, they don’t get viruses and spyware as much and applications are very well developed before they are released; this leads to fewer crashes. Of course there are rare exceptions in all cases.

PCs are easier if you depend on the advice and help from those around you to get you through. Chances are your tech friends and relatives don’t speak Mac. Macs will not run any PC software out of the box. You must either buy Mac versions of programs like Microsoft Office or find alternatives that run on Mac.

If you primarily use your computer for basic tasks like email, digital photography, word processing and Internet, Macs are likely a great way to go. If you are using the computer for office work such as Excel, databases, or custom software associated with your business, you may find that Macs just won’t cut it.

Canon vs. Nikon:

There are dozens of camera manufacturers, but Canon and Nikon are the two major parties that tend to have the greatest loyal followings.

Canon was always the underdog in the film photography world, it wasn’t until they made the move to convert everything to digital that they became serious competition.

Canon film cameras were typically the lower priced alternative for photo enthusiasts. Nikon had the F series of cameras that were used by professional photographers all over the world. Then the world went digital and Canon decided set the standard for photo innovation.

When it comes to serious cameras, both companies produce wonderful cameras worthy of their following. There are a few reasons that each manufacturer stands out.

What’s the truth?

Nikons in general have a more sturdy feel with a shutter that makes a beautiful clapping sound – it may not seem to matter what the shutter sounds like, but it gives the camera a more traditional aesthetic.

Canon’s typically set the standard. They are usually the first to set new standards in shutter speed, megapixel and zoom speed in their higher end models. They are also usually the first to break price barriers on the low and high end. Most 35mm professional photographers such as photo journalists, sports and portrait photographers now use Canons, the industry that once belonged almost exclusively to Nikon in the US.

CCD vs. CMOS:

Just a quick geeky topic here. CCD and CMOS are the current sensor technologies that digital cameras use as “film.” These sensors are exposed to light like film and then the image is saved to the memory.

CCD is the more traditional technology as it is cheaper to produce and is usually smaller in size.

CMOS contains more technology on the chip and consumes less power. It also costs slightly more to produce but this is quickly changing and many manufacturers are now switching to CMOS for their DSLRs and higher end cameras.

When it comes to image quality, there is no definable difference. Hand a photo to a photographer or camera expert and he will not be able to tell you what kind of sensor was used to take the photo based on quality alone.

Picasa vs. Photoshop Album (combined with Photoshop Elements)

Each of these products does the same thing but they are different in important ways.

We have exhausted the topic of Picasa – it is easy to use, it allows you to backup your photos, create photo CDs, order prints, and organize your photos into albums.

Photoshop Album is a piece of Photoshop Elements. Like Picasa it allows you to organize your photos, create projects and find lost pictures.

What’s the truth?

Picasa is fast and very intuitive. However, if you do a lot of photo manipulation it is nice to have Album incorporated with Elements.

Flash drives vs. CD/DVDs vs. external hard drives:

You know you should backup your photos, but how should you do it?

Flash drives last a long time but they are very expensive when compared to optical media and hard drives. They are also easy to erase and lose. On the other hand their portability gives them a nice advantage in some cases.

CD/DVDs are inexpensive and can be read in any computer. They are also durable and multiple copies are easy to do. On the other hand, they can be difficult to create and can only be written to one time.

Hard drives are cheap and can hold every photo you will ever take. However, they are not as portable and can have major malfunctions leading to the loss of all data.

Ultra zoom vs. DSLR:

Ultra zooms are digital cameras with large built-in zoom lenses. DSLRs are cameras that allow you to change the lenses.

Often people assume that DSLRs are the ultimate camera and all other cameras are for novices. Before buying that DSLR, there are some important pros and cons to consider.

DSLR’s take up much more space and weigh more. When you go for the shot, will you have the right lens attached?

Changing lenses must be done very carefully. dust on your sensor can lead to spotty pictures at best and a ruined camera at worst.

Ultra zooms are light and often feature more powerful and faster lenses than the kit lenses that come with DSLR models.

On the positive side, DSLRs provide the ability to add on to the camera and increase the camera’s uses. Adding a flash, extra lens, shutter release, etc. can be a big advantage if you are looking at taking the hobby seriously.

Riding Shotgun with Adam — 4 Comments
16
Jun 08

Warning: Your computer may be infected with viruses, spyware and exortionware

Extortionware? What is extortionware.

I have seen at least 10 computers in the past two weeks that have recently been infected with extortionware – viruses and spyware that infect your system by pretending to be an antivirus or other security program.

With names like Windows Antivirus, WinAntivirus, XP Antivirus 20008, etc. these programs appear to look and feel official. However, they are some of the worst virus or virus-like programs I have ever dealt with.

These viruses often come onto a computer via a pop-up advertisement that says looks like a Windows security or antivirus warning that reads something like, “Your computer is infected with one or more viruses and spyware programs. Click here to run a full scan.”

Up until you click on the button, your computer is likely 100 percent virus and spyware free. However, after clicking on the scan button your computer will be infected with dozens of viruses and spyware programs.

These programs scan your computer and appear to be looking for bad guys. When the scan finishes it shows a long list of discovered programs and informs you that to remove them you must pay $50 or so to remove the viruses.

This is why it is called extortionware. These programs infect your computer then expect you to pay to have the software removed. You should know though that even after paying the money, your computer will still be infected.

Removing these programs can be extremely difficult and time consuming. I have four infected computers sitting in my office right now awaiting a reformat due to these problems.

Removing the infection can be easy with the right tools, but so much damage is done to system files that often, a reformat is the quickest option for full repair.

Most of the infected systems have had full antivirus protection, the problem with these viruses is that they install like programs so antiviruses don’t often catch them during the install. Once they have been installed, the first thing they do is shut off the antivirus making them more difficult to remove.

Be careful. Unless the warning includes the name of your antivirus, you are best to just click on the X in the upper corner. Do not click on the CANCEL or CLOSE button if one is provided as these are often false links.

Hardware Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
12
May 08

Eee PC 900

The new ASUS Eee PC 900 is finally available in the United States. Like its release earlier this year in Asia, the 900 version is selling like hot cakes in the U.S. too. I have been using the 4G version of the original ASUS Eee PC since November 2007 and wrote a few articles about it that can be found here. I originally bought it to try it out and see what all the fuss was about, but quickly became attached to its ultra portability and usablity.

The main differences in the new 900 model versus the older model are a larger screen (9″ vs. 7″) and a larger hard drive (20 GB vs. 4-8 GB). The larger screen brings a higher resolution which will make working with some web applications easier and require less horizontal scrolling. The hard drives are solid state (no moving parts) flash drives. These little gems aren’t meant to completely replace your computer or main laptop…although they could. The target market is travelers, kids, and computer enthusiasts who wouldn’t mind a second computer for traveling or for kid’s web surfing and document creation. The keyboards on these machines are small, but easy to adapt to with a little practice.

The Eee PC’s I linked up in this article come pre-installed with a Linux operating system. Which means, you won’t have to worry about installing, configuring, and keep updating anti-virus and anti-spyware software. However, if you must have Windows, the Eee PC also released the same Eee PC 900 version with Windows XP and a 12 GB solid state drive (the drive is smaller to make up for the cost of Windows). Once you see one of these little marvels and see it properly demonstrated, you will realize how functional they really are for a significant segment of the computing population.

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Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
21
Apr 08

Think twice before your blame your computer’s manufacturer for problems

“What brand of computer do you recommend?” is one of the most common questions I get asked. My answer is usually, “It really doesn’t matter as long as it is a name brand and has the specs that you need.”

I often hear comments like, “Our first computer was a Dell and we constantly had problems with viruses and spam,” or “I’m never going to get another HP, this one just locks up and crashes all the time.”

Most computer problems I see every day have nothing to do with the parts they are made up of. Most home computer problems are software related – not hardware.

Viruses, spyware, bulky updates, too many programs running in the background, or a combination of any of the above slow a machine down and cause all forms of undesired effects. No matter what company made the system, the only feature that can be blamed is the software.

The fact that one computer performs better than another could be due to many factors and none of them have anything to do with the brand on the outside. Firguring out why one machine works better can come down to basic scientific testing.

Before blaming the manufacturer for the problems (or worse, the store you bought it from) analyze the entire situation.

Have any of the people using the computer changed? Adding a single teenager to the mix or having an employee who surfs for porn in his spare time can be catastrophic to a system.

Is all of the sofware the same on each computer? Comparing a Windows 98 computer to a Windows Vista computer is not a true comparison. Compairing how well your old computer ran with Netscape 4.7 verses the new computer running IE 7 has nothing to do with the manufacturer of the computer.

Do you use the computer the same? Maybe that old reliable computer was only used for bookkeeping and documents, the new one may be used for music and digital photos. Multimedia is tough on processing power and memory.

There are lemon models of computers, but once you open the hood on most computer brands you will find many similarities. They all use standard Intel or AMD processors. Most use AOpen, Asus or other brand name motherboards. The video chips are made by ATI, Intel or NVidia or another name brand. The drives are made by Seagate or a few other name brands, the optical drives are made by one of five OEMs.

Typically. she only real differences are how the BIOS is programmed, the outside shell and the name on the outside. In fact, many computer companies today produce computers for several other manufacturers. HP and Compaq are the same, Gateway and EMachine are the same and even Dells are sometimes built by companies that OEM for other manufacturers.

I have never made any secret of the fact that brand loyalists get on my nerves. It is a mistake to base everything you know about a company’s products (bad or good) on a single product. You must let the company prove that it’s products are terrible as a rule – Norton security software is an excellent example of this.

There are also bad companies that see the light and change their ways – or at least become less bad, AOL is an example in that scenario.

Technology changes and evolves faster than anything the earth as ever known, forming any opinion about a company or product and refusing to change it will always come back to bite you in the end.

We would not be suprised to see Norton clean up their act and become a recommended product one day. On the other hand, as much as we love AVG, we may one day tell everyone to steer clear of it. Being willing to always keep an open mind to new products and technology is what makes technological progress possible

General Computer Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 3 Comments
21
Mar 08

AVG Antivirus 8.0 Upgrade Advice

The past few days calls and emails started filtering in about the new AVG 8.0 version folks have seen appear on their free versions of AVG Antivirus. The common query is, “Should I upgrade?”

No, home users of AVG Antvirus do not need to upgrade at all. The current free version of AVG will continue to be updated and as it has been for years. The new 8.0 version is the newest commercial product from AVG Technologies (they changed their name from Grisoft last week).

As much as we like AVG Antivirus and their anti-spyware product, we don’t like their full Internet Security package. Like all the other all-inclusive security packages from Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro, etc, the AVG Internet Security product packs in too much software that will decrease the performance of your system. If you like the Swiss Army approach, it is probably the best of these types of packages, but we prefer you select your security packages a la carte.

To review our security recommendations for Windows home users, we recommend:

AVG Antivirus Free Edition
Mozilla Firefox (or Opera) web browser (don’t use Internet Explorer)
Keep the Windows Firewall enabled
Use a router with high speed Internet connections
If you use Outlook, Thunderbird, or Outlook Express, there is nothing better than Cloudmark Desktop to fight email spam
IF you have teenagers (or immature adults) who use your system regularly, add SpyBot Search & Destroy and the AVG AntiSpyware product to the mix and update and scan at least weekly.

Links to all these products can be found on our Links & Resources page.