Antivirus Blog

Although there are several benefits of having antivirus software installed on your computer, you should never assume that you are 100% protected simply because youíre running an antivirus program. There are many instances where antivirus software alone cannot protect you.

Behavior Blocking
The process of technology blocking malware from accessing certain parts of your operating system is known as behavior blocking. Due to the fact that all antivirus applications function by detecting, cleaning, and preventing infections using virus definitions that are signatures of known threats, they have to be updated in order for you to be protected against new threats. A good example of behavior blocking is in an instance where the technology is used to prevent a virus from sending infected emails to everyone in your address book by blocking access to your address book. Another example is when behavior blocking prevents a virus from being able to terminate any of your systems key processes.

In-Memory Threats
Most types of viruses infect a file, and then the associated viral code runs whenever the application is running. Antivirus scanners scan all the files and folders on your system looking for such an infection. Certain types of infections, such as the W32 Slammer, infect an application as it is running and are never actually written to disk. Since antivirus scanners work by looking for infections in files as opposed to application memory, these types of infections go undetected. If an in-memory security exploit is known to exist in any application, it should be disabled or corrected as soon as possible.

Hackers
Hackers are a very real threat for anyone that has a computer connected to the internet. Basic antivirus software does not provide protection specifically against hacker attacks. In order to best protect your computer from hackers, you’ll need firewalls, intrusion alert systems, and general awareness of what is going on with your system. Some major antivirus software developers offer total security suites that do provide protection against hackers and other online threats, as well as protection for your home or work network. While these types of software usually cost a bit more than traditional antivirus software, they are a wise investment, especially for people that regularly transfer personal information over the internet.

Spyware
Spyware is an often malicious although sometimes simply annoying type of application that records information about your habits on the computer. Spyware is usually designed for either criminal or commercial purposes. As it stands now, most antivirus programs do not scan for these types of applications. However, there are several spyware removal tools available online, and some are even free. Spyware can be very annoying and it can also use up valuable system resources that may result in reduced overall PC performance. Keep in mind, however, that sometimes spyware is bundled with software and is required to be left installed on your machine in order for you to continue using the software that it came with. Information about such spyware can usually be found in the terms of service you must agree to before installing the software that it was bundled with.

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.

Properly securing your email client to protect it against harmful infections, such as worms and Trojans, starts with you. Every single computer connected to the internet is at some risk of contracting an infection. The level of risk is determined by a number of factors, but one huge one is user activity. If you use great caution and know what to avoid online, your chances ok keeping your computer virus free are exponentially increased.
Another important step is making sure you have quality and up to date antivirus software running on your system. Even the most experience computer users are still at risk of accidentally receiving some sort of malware online.

So, why is additional security for Outlook and Outlook Express even necessary? Well, email is still by far the most common way that malware is distributed. Computer worms in particular take advantage of Microsoft Outlook by resending itself to everyone in the address book of the infected computer. This triggers a chain reaction that spreads the infection incredibly rapidly. Lack of email security is among one of the biggest problems in the battle against computer viruses and other types of malware. Lets take a look at what you can do to enhance the security of MS Outlook and Outlook Express.

Disable HTML
Although it can make emails look more attractive, it definitely has its drawbacks. For instance, many spammers include tracking codes within the HTML of their emails to get information about you. If there records indicate that you opened a piece of spam mail, it will likely result in you receiving even more spam in the future. HTML may also be used to manipulate links within the email so the spammer may direct you somewhere different then where the link suggests. Worst of all, active content can be used within HTML-rendered email that can cause attachments to download automatically, posing a significant risk if the attachment happens to contain a virus or some other type of malware.

Disabling HTML in Microsoft Outlook Express:

1. In Outlook Express, select Tools > Options
2. Select the Read tab and select ‘Read all messages in plain text’
3. Click the Send tab. Under ‘Mail Sending Format’, select “Plain text”
4. Click “Apply”, then “OK”.

To change email ‘read’ settings to plain text in Microsoft Outlook 2003:

1. Click  Tools > Options
2. Select Preferences > Email Options
3. Select “Read all standard mail in plain text”
4. Click OK

In Microsoft Outlook 2007:

1. Click Tools > Trust Center
2. Choose E-mail Security
3. Select “Read all standard mail in plain text”
4. Click OK.

MS Outlook 2002 can also be changed to only read emails in plain text, but it will require a registry edit to do so. It is highly recommended that you upgrade to either Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007.
To further secure Outlook and Outlook Express, you should disable all ActiveX and Java in the Restricted Sites zone. This can be done in Internet Explorer using the following menu items:
Tools > Internet Options > Security > Restricted Sites > Custom Level
Set the restrictions to ‘Custom Level’ and go through all of the options for scripting of Java or ActiveX.
After making these adjustments, youíll need to add Outlook or Outlook Express (whichever you’re currently using) to this zone. From within Outlook/Outlook Express, choose Tools > Options > Security, and then select the Restricted Zone.
As a final step in securing your mail client, make sure your operating system is up to date. Receiving regular updates from Windows will ensure that you have the best possible protection.