Antivirus Blog

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.

While the internet is an incredible innovation that offers a convenient way to do things like shop, communicate with friends, and even pay your bills, it is also riddled with viruses and other types of malware, as well as thieves that are out to steal your personal information. Anyone that uses the internet should know how to avoid these types of threats.

Computer Viruses
There was a time when viruses were distributed almost exclusively through email attachments. While that is still a very common way that viruses are spread, there are even more ways nowadays. Some viruses can be contracted by simply visiting a website that is hosted on a virus infected server. Harmful code may be downloaded by your web browser upon visiting such as site that is then saved to your computer. For this reason, you should always be cautious about clicking links to websites that you are not familiar with.

Phishing
Phishing is a malicious and often times criminal practice of tricking web surfers into divulging personal information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and more. Most phishing attempts are made via email, by sending fraudulent emails made to look like they are sent from legitimate sources, requesting personal information. It is important to keep in mind that no financial institution is going to ask you to submit your personal information back to them, by email or by any other means. They already have this information on file, and it is usually against their policy to ask you to furnish that information anyway. Often fraudulent emails will contain links that take the unsuspecting web surfer to an imposter site that is set up to look exactly like a legitimate site to gain the trust of the victim. The user is then prompted to login with their sensitive information and it is then stolen by the criminals. PayPal customers are a big target for this type of scam. Always check the address bar to make sure you’re actually on the site that you appear to be.

Online Shopping Precautions
The convenience of shopping online is definitely a luxury, but there is substantial risk associated with it. However, with a bit of caution the risk can be eliminated. First of all, only shop from sites that you trust. If you’re unsure about the reputation of any particular website, do a quick Google search to see what people are saying about it. If there is anything fraudulent about the site, you’ll likely find out about it. Also, as mentioned earlier, be sure to check the address bar while you’re on the site and make sure that the website address matches the site that you are on.

If you decide to make a purchase, be sure that the checkout page is secure. In many browsers this is indicated by a padlock symbol somewhere at the bottom of the window. You can also tell by looking in the address bar. A secure page’s address will begin with https:// as opposed to http://. This indicates that any information you transmit through that page will be encrypted so that it can’t be intercepted by a third party (such as a hacker).

Using all of the above information will vastly improve your chances of remaining unscathed by viruses and other malicious threats online, but in order to fully protect yourself, youíll need high quality security software. You can get antivirus and antispyware products separately, or you can purchase and entire security suite that will give you all-inclusive protection. Do your research online to find which security software is best for you.

Most people know that viruses can damage their computer. The extent of the damage may range from just an inconvenience to completely destroying your hard drive. Other types of malware such as spyware or adware can infiltrate machines and use them to collect information and tie up system resources. But have you heard about viruses that can infect your computer and then attempt to actually extort you?

It’s called ransomware. Essentially, it works by holding your data hostage and requiring you to make a payment to regain access to it. Unlike traditional viruses that just wipe out data, ransomware makes encrypted copies of your data and then erases the original data. In order for your computer to be able to access these files, it needs the encryption code. If you try to access such data on your computer, you’ll be prompted with a message reading something like the following:

Your files have been fully encrypted with a sophisticated algorithm. To gain access to these files, you’ll need to purchase our decrypting too, which you can buy at xxx

In some cases you are directed to pay directly for this decryption software, but in others you have to make several purchases at other websites. No matter what the details, the fact remains that you will be asked to pay money for access to your own files. So, what should you do in this situation? Well, you have two options.

1. Agree to the terms and pay the ransom.
2. Find a way around the ransomware and recover as much data as possible.

Paying the Ransom
Aside from having to admit defeat to the criminals, there are several possible problems associated with deciding to pay to get your files back. First of all, you’ll have to reveal your payment information to these criminals. Whoís to say they won’t use it to further steal from you? Second, what guarantee do you have that you will actually be given access to your files if you do choose to pay?

Try to Crack the Code
Obviously the more desirable solution, getting around the ransomware and decoding the encryption code might be difficult but it is not impossible. The first versions of ransomware that came came out had very weak encryptions, making the codes fairly easy to break. Gaps in their programming made them vulnerable to reverse engineering which could decipher the code. The latest version of ransomware uses the RSA-1024 encryption algorithm, which is very advanced and difficult to crack, even for the most skilled programmers.

Reformatting
If all else fails, you can always reformat your computer. The obvious downside to this is that you will lose all of your data, and you computer will be restored to how it was the first day you booted it up. The upside is that you will also effectively delete the ransomware that is holding your computer hostage.

Try to Find the Code
Although the very latest version of this malware has yet to be hacked, that doesn’t necessarily mean that previous versions haven’t had their encryption codes available online. You should definitely do a Google search of the name of your particular virus and see what comes up. You might just find instructions on how to unlock your data yourself.

Restore from a Back-up
Depending on how long it has been since your last data backup, you might be able to use the backed up data to restore your computer and rid it of the annoying ransomware. However, any data created since the last backup will be lost. Also, even if a restore is successful, it’s important to remember that your computer is back to being as vulnerable as it was before it received the infection, so you should consider enhancing your systems security.