Antivirus Blog

A firewall is essentially a security application that regulates information and access between the internet and a computer. Firewalls are also used to regulate traffic between computer networks, but for the average home computer user, a firewall is a tool specifically to protect them from the dangers of the internet. Windows operating systems come with a built-in firewall, so, why would you need to enlist the aid of a 3rd party firewall?

Not to take anything away from Windows Firewall, which is an effective basic product, but it does not offer anything close to the protection of the firewalls provided by leading antivirus and internet security companies. With the sophistication of hackers increasing all the time, youíll want a firewall that is also constantly evolving and being updated with the latest security information.

One common misconception is that only computers connected to the internet via broadband or some other type of high speed connection need a firewall. While it is true that these types of computers are more frequently targeted by thieves, that does not mean that computers on a dial-up connection are necessarily safe. Any computer connected to the internet needs to have an effective firewall running.

Without a firewall, your computer would be completely vulnerable to attack from the internet. Hackers could easily connect to your computer, transmit harmful information, and even steal your personal information and data.

One big difference between the basic Windows Firewall and more advanced firewall programs is that Windows Firewall only regulates incoming requests. The reason this still leaves you so vulnerable is because if you happen to contract a virus or some other type of malware, that malicious program may take your information and attempt to relay it to the criminal that distributed the harmful code in the first place. For instance, if you contract spyware that steals the online usernames and passwords you have saved in your browser, the virus will then attempt to send that information back to the source of that malware. If you have an effective firewall application running, however, such a transmission may not be allowed to occur.

Similarly, having a router that controls access to your home computer network is similar to the above scenario. You computer router will not allow non-trusted incoming requests, but it has no way to regulate outgoing requests. A powerful firewall is still needed to totally protect all of the computers on your network.

Another reason that the basic firewall as well as the firewall protection provided by routers is inadequate is simply because the technology is somewhat outdated. Hackers, for the most part, have already developed ways to get around these basic types of firewalls, and routinely do so in efforts to steal information or harm computers.

Upgrading to a full service firewall will give you the peace of mind of knowing that you are being protected by the latest technology that is constantly being improved upon by antivirus experts. Many internet security suite software packages include powerful firewalls that are regularly updated along with the rest of the software to keep it up to date and keep you safe from the latest threats.

If youíre unsure of which firewall program is best for you, take a look at some of the reviews online to get a better understanding of which products offer the best service and value. You might start by researching the security products of the top companies such as Norton and McAfee, both trusted names in PC security.

The Storm Trojan first got its name after sending out a spam email in January of 2007 with the subject line reading ‘230 dead as storm batters Europe‘. This email was distributed coinciding with a very real storm event in Europe that caused several fatalities. Obviously, since it was a very hot topic at the time, many people were provoked to open it. Other urgent sounding headlines have been used in the past to spread the Trojan, including ‘British Muslim Genocide‘, ‘Fidel Castro dead‘, ‘Chinese missile shot down by Russian Satellite‘, and many more. Much more recent subject lines used to spread this dangerous Trojan include:

• John Mccain Taps Osama Bin Laden As Running Mate
• Earthquake in California destroys Schwarzenegger house
• Obama caught with pants down
• Queen Elizabeth abducted in Tibet
• Yankee Stadium demolished
• Pope killed by assasin in Vatican City
• Angelina Jolie dies in miscarriage
• Coral reefs found extinct
• New York Yankees team killed in bus crash

As you can see, the subject lines range from vague to just plain absurd. However, they still manage to get the attention of thousands. This tactic is commonly used to spam unsuspecting email users. Once Trojan spam is opened, there is usually a link to a site that will load the Trojan onto the user’s computer, or there is an attachment containing the Trojan in the email itself.

Sometimes the subject lines are a bit less extreme, and therefore are more likely to get the attention of those that know better than to open emails with hard to believe subject lines such as the previous examples. These subject lines will instead be based on some current event or news story, like ‘Cell phone radiation risks uncovered‘. They may also coincide with entertainment news, posing as links to articles about whatever film or television show is popular at the time.

Once an unfortunate user is duped into downloading the Trojan onto their computer, they may very likely become a host for the Trojan. Their computer and internet connection will then be manipulated by the infection to send out similar Trojan spam to everyone that is in their address book. As you can see, this gives Trojan spam incredible potential to spread like wildfire. So, how do you make sure you’re protected from this type of attack?

First and foremost, never open emails from an un-trusted source, no matter what the subject may be. Even if you do, do not download any attachments or follow any links contained within the email. Using your own diligence is your first line of defense against virus attacks.

Second, if you aren’t already, you need to be running an up to date antivirus application. The more elaborate the protection, the better. Some companies like McAfee, Trend Micro, and Norton offer total security suites that offer protection for just about everything the internet can try to throw at you. Even if you do slip up at some point and allow some type of malware such as a Trojan to invade your computer, a quality security utility will immediately detect it and then take the necessary steps to remove it. In some cases, the security software will detect the harmful program before it is even allowed to be saved to your computer. Do your own research and weigh your options when selecting a security solution. You certainly have a lot to choose from.

The windows registry is basically a directory that stores all of the setting and options for the Windows operating system. It also contains information pertaining to hardware settings, OS (operating system) software settings, computer users, non-OS software, PC preferences, and more. Any time changes are made to any of these items, the windows registry is updated.

Keeping your windows registry clean and free of any errors is crucial in maintaining the performance of your PC. A poorly maintained registry may result in system instability, with program crashes being one of the most common side effects.

The registry is a centralized hierarchical database that is used to store computer configuration information. Windows needs this information in order to properly run your system, including all of your installed applications as well as hardware devices. The windows registry does not only save the location and file path of these items, it also saves other details that are used by the processor to locate programs and hardware devices efficiently, which in turn decreases the overall processing time.

The windows registry keeps records of each and every item present, including details on:

• Installed applications
• User profiles, settings, and preferences
• Property settings for applications as well as folders
• Installed hardware devices
• Ports in use
• System policies
• File associations

When do Registry Problems Occur?
Recent estimates state that about 94% of all computers have corrupt and potentially harmful files. Each PC will on average have bout 150 or more errors due to missing or corrupt registry entries.

If your system is relatively new, you will probably not need to make any changes to your registry. However, as time goes by, your registry will grow and collect more data as you add and remove software as well as hardware. These accumulated changes to the registry will eventually cause it to become fragmented, and very likely corrupted.

Some Common Errors:

• Missing, abandoned, broken or bad application/Windows paths, links and shortcuts.
• Unused Start Menu items
• Unwanted browser objects
• Missing/corrupt application IDs
• Corrupt Active X/COM Objects
• Unused files and drivers
• Several more

Whenever you remove software from your system, it is very likely that residuals from that software are still present on your hard drive and in your registry. The more software that is added and removed, the more this effect is compounded. The end result is frequent error messages, slowed startup, declining system performance, applications freezing/crashing, and in some cases, even a total inability to start Windows altogether.

Backing up the Registry
Before you attempt to edit your registry, it is imperative that you back it up, just to protect your system in case you make an error. To do this, you can use the built in Windows backup utility to back up the System State data. You can also use third party backup software such as WinBackUp.

Registry Booster
If you’re like most people, the idea of editing your Windows registry sounds like a daunting task. This convenient application makes it easy to optimize your registry and cure any possible problems. It also contains a backup feature, so everything you need to safely repair your registry is included within the software.