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CARMA Council of Advocates for Relief from Malware Assimilation Address: 127 Mott Park Dr. Statesville, NC 28677 Tel: 704-883-8346 Email: |
Wrong AttitudeI've been a subscriber for quite a while now. I appreciate all you have done and are doing. However, I must take issue with you on something you stated in today's edition: QUOTE:Here's how to protect yourself: Don't open attachments you weren't expecting. Keep Windows updated. Run anti-virus software and a firewall. Let somebody else worry about these threats. UNQUOTE Actually, the only sentence in that paragraph that is accurate is "Keep Windows updated". Sadly, not opening attachments will not prevent infection, nor is using an AV program and firewall enough protection for ANYONE. And telling your readers to 'let somebody else worry about these threats' is irresponsible and is like passing the buck! I have never thought of you as the kind of person who would make such a statement about something this serious.New threats are being churned out EACH DAY by people who are PAID by companies to do so. Not to mention those who do this just for fun or just because they can, or whatever illogical reason they might have. When you tell your readers to let "someone else worry about the threats", you are dismissing the VERY real and VERY serious problem that grows by the hour. That last statement is not an exaggeration. Every day the people who combat these threats are approached by those who ignored or were unaware of how vulnerable one is when connected to the internet. There are many forums on the web that have been set up with experts to help these people. The numbers grow each day. If you visit any of these forums, you will see what I'm talking about:
SpywareInfo: http://computercops.biz/forum67.html VirtualDr: http://discussions.virtualdr.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=71 SpywareWarrior: http://spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5 TomCoyote: http://forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?s=e3d4c6027c657487f3e7c08420616bae&showforum=27 These are just a SAMPLE . There are many other forums and the links I gave are just the forums on those boards that deal with logs from the HijackThis program designed to identify threats on a persons computer. Because it lists EVERYTHING running at the time you do the scan with the program, BOTH good and bad processes are listed and you must consult with experts to fix your pc or use a tutorial that tells how to analyze your log. There are many programs available for nothing on the net that are very good at cleaning an infected pc and helping to prevent infection once it is clean. I have to state here, unequivocally, that if it weren't for the generosity of the people who make these programs available for fr*e, my expensive, $2300 Gateway would be toast by now. Basic cleaning and protection have become necessary. The recommended programs to keep a PC running the way it should is to have 2 (no more than this) antispyware/adware programs, a trojan scanner, programs that guard entry to your system ALONG WITH a good Antivirus program and firewall. This is along with ALL CRITICAL UPDATES from MS for your Operating System. Because Internet Explorer has long been so vulnerable (it's so widely used) there are also measures you can take to help seal it up, along with the patches and critical updates from MS. However, many don't use IE anymore and use other browsers such as Opera, or Mozilla and leave IE for downloading updates or when it is necessary to use it. But even NOT using IE isn't enough because if it isn't updated, the holes and vulnerabilities are still there and can be utilized by malware. One should not, however, just download ANY antispyware/adware program. There are those whose programs are just as bad or worse than the malware they are supposed to eradicate! SpywareWarrior has a list of programs found wanting in this regard: Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm The most recommended programs of this type are SpyBot Search & Destroy and Ad- Aware. Good anti-trojan programs are TrojanHunter, Tauscan, and Ewido, just to name a few. TrojanHunter and Tauscan have 30-day trials. There are also fr*e firewalls, like Zone Alarm and Kerio. And even fr*e antivirus, such as Grisoft's AVG. Also, to protect IE, you can get a hosts file and IEspyad; the former puts a list of questionable sites to restrict your pc from connecting and the latter puts in others to restrict items from being placed on your pc WITHOUT your knowledge. It's a shame that it has come to this where one has to practically lock up his/her pc whenever going online, then have to scan to make sure nothing sneaked in behind their back. But it is now a fact. And I haven't even mentioned the MANY different ways threats can find their way onto an unprotected pc. Email is only a small part. Just being connected to the Internet without even going anywhere can make one a target. I had to send you this because after reading what you wrote, I could not let it go. Since my battle with malware (because of my own ignorance) I have made it my mission to inform whenever and whereever I can. I hope you can see the urgency in my message and why I felt the need to respond. Sincerely, Debra Stiens
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