Simple ways to keep your computer safe and secure

It is a fact; the Internet is just not a safe place to connect your computer to. There are worms constantly scanning for vulnerable computers to infect, trojans disguised as helpful programs but actually install malicious ones, spyware that reports your activities back to their makers, and hijackers that take control of your web browser and browsing experience. For those people who have been the victim of one of these mentioned infections, removing them and getting your computer back in your control can be a daunting and frustrating experience. The purpose of this article is to teach you how to setup your computer in such a way that you minimize as much as possible the risks of contracting one of these infections. Each step is very easy to do and regardless of your computer experience you will have no trouble following along. It is also important to note that there is not one step listed below that is more important than the other. They are all equally important to keeping your computer safe and secure.

1. Educate yourself and be smart about where you visit and what you click on - Understanding how you can get infected and what to avoid when using the Internet will be the most important step in keeping your computer clean and secure. The majority of people who have infections on their machines were infected due to lack of knowledge and clicking on things that they should not. I will provide a list of actions under this step that you should not do:

1. Do not open attachments from users that you do not know. This is one of the most effective ways for viruses to infect you. If you do not know the user, then simply do not open the email and delete it.

2. Never open an attachment that is a .exe, .pif, .com, or .bat unless you specifically know the file is clean. The majority of these are always bad!

3. If you visit a site and a popup appears saying that your computer is unsafe, ignore it! These are gimicks that are used to make you click on the ad which then can potentially install unwanted malware. To make your browsing experience safe and secure, we recommend you to use Trend Micro’s free Utility called TrendProtect™.
There is an excellent list that contains a list of antispyware apps that should be avoided and a list of ones that are recommended can be found here:Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites

4. When you go to a site and a popup occurs, many times they will make them look like a normal Windows message box in order to trick you into clicking on them. Instead just close them by clicking on the X.

5. Do not visit porn sites! I know some of you may not be happy about this, but the reality is that the majority of spyware and browser hijackers are put on your computer through porn sites.

6. Do not visit warez sites! Not only is pirated software illegal, but it is a breeding ground for malware.

7. Do not visit crack sites! Many of the cracks include malware in them!

8. If you use P2P software, make sure you are careful about what you open. Malware is all over the P2P networks.

9. Read the license agreement for any software that you install. Many free downloads are offered with spyware and other programs that you DO NOT want on your computer. Reading the agreement may help you to spot them.

2. Use an AntiVirus Software - It is very important that your computer has an antivirus software running on your machine. By having an program running, files and emails will be scanned as you use them, download them, or open them. If a virus is found in one of the items you are about to use, the antivirus program will stop you from being able to run that program and therefore infect yourself.

3. Update your AntiVirus Software - There is no point running an antivirus program if you do not make sure it has all the latest updates available to it. If you do not update the software, it will not know about any new viruses, trojans, worms, etc that have been released into the wild since you installed the program. Then if a new infection appears in your computer, the antivirus program will not know that it is bad, and not alert you when you run it and become infected. Therefore it is imperative that you update your Antivirus software at least once a week (Even more if you wish) so that you are protected from all the latest threats.

Install an Anti-Spyware Program - Just as you installed and use an antivirus program, it is essential these days to use a Spyware protection and removal program. These programs can be used to scan your computer for spyware, dialers, browser hijackers, and other programs that are malicious in nature. Although nowadays almost all reputed Antivirus Softwares are bundled with anti spyware.

4. Occasionally Run Online Virus Scans - Unfortunately not all antivirus programs are created equal. Each program may find infections that other antivirus programs do not and vice-versa. It is therefore recommended that you occasionally run some free online antivirus scanners to make sure that you are not infected with items that your particular antivirus program does not know how to find. Two online scanners that we recommend are:

Kaspersky Web scanner
Trend Micro Housecall

Every once in a while, maybe once every 2 weeks, run one or both of these scanners to see if they find anything that may have been missed by your locally installed antivirus software.

5. Visit Microsoft's Windows Update Site Frequently - If you are a Windows users you must visit http://www.windowsupdate.com regularly. This site is a Microsoft site that will scan your computer for any patches or updates that are missing from your computer. It will then provide a list of items that it can download and install for you. When visiting the site, if it asks if you would like to install the Windows Update software, allow it to do so and it should only ask you to do this once. When the site is loaded you should then allow it to check for new updates and download any that it finds. If it has you reboot your computer, reboot and when your back at the desktop visit the site again and check for new updates. Repeat this process until there are zero critical updates available. This will ensure your computer has all of the latest security updates available installed on your computer and is secure from any known security holes.

6. Visit the Apple Security Updates Site Frequently - If you are an Apple user then you frequently check the Apple Security Site for any new updates and download them if they are available. Information on finding and downloading the latest updates can be found at the Apple security site that we linked to earlier in this step.
7. Use a Firewall - I can not stress how important it is that you use a Firewall on your computer. Without a firewall your computer is susceptible to being hacked and taken over. You may say "Why do I need a firewall?" I have all the latest updates for my programs and operating system, so nobody should be able to hack into my computer". Unfortunately that reasoning is not valid. Many times hackers discover new security holes in a software or operating system long before the software company does and therefore many people get hacked before a security patch is released. By using a firewall the majority of these security holes will not be accessible as the firewall will block the attempt.

8. Update your security programs regularly - As always if you do not update your programs, your programs will not be able to find the newest infections that may be racing around the Internet. It is therefore important that you upgrade the software and spyware/virus definitions for a particular program so that they are running the most effectively.

9. Switch to another browser, like Firefox, or make your Internet Explorer more secure - The latest version of Internet Explorer 8 is now shipped with much more secure settings. On the other hand, if you use Internet Explorer 6 there are settings that need to be changed. With that said you have two choices; either make Internet Explorer 6 more secure or switch to another browser like Mozilla Firefox. It's an excellent browser and is secure right after installing it. You can find more info on switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox here

Switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox


If you decide you would rather continue to use Internet Explorer, then follow these steps to make it more secure:

1. From within Internet Explorer click on the tools menu and then click on Options.

2. Click once on the Security tab

3. Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.

4. Click once on the Custom Level button.

1. Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt

2. Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable

3. Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable

4. Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt

5. Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt

6. Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt

7. When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.

8. If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.

5. Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.

By following all these steps you are sure to keep your computer at minimal risk to future infections or hack attempts. This is unfortunately not a fool proof method of securing your computer as new risks are released almost every day, but your susceptibility to these attacks will be diminished greatly.

Data Leaks, Mobile Trends, and Risky Small Business–Key Findings

Threat Landscape

Data Leaks, Mobile Workers, and Risky Small Business—Key Findings of Annual User Study

Each year, Trend Micro polls 1600 corporate end users in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan to better understand their perceptions of and experiences with Web threats as they relate to the workplace. Respondents are grouped according to company size, with a small company defined as less than 500 employees in the U.S., U.K., and Germany and less than 250 employees for Japan. A total of 800 computer users from small companies across the U.S., U.K., Germany and Japan were surveyed. The results were then compared to previous studies conducted in 2006 and 2007 to monitor trends. The following article highlights several key findings from 2008 survey results.Data Leaks—A Growing ConcernFor the first time in the Corporate End User Study, Trend Micro surveyed computer users about the prevalence of data leaks within their business environments. Data leaks occur when employees leak sensitive information about customers, finances or intellectual property in violation of security policies or even regulatory requirements. Surprisingly, authorized personnel cause most corporate data breaches—probably because employees have easy access to valuable corporate data. Despite the fact that corporate enterprises have deployed protective measures such as virtual private networks (VPNs), firewalls, and network monitoring to prevent unauthorized external access to proprietary information, these solutions fail to adequately address the rising threat from internal users. Leaks can occur either through deliberate policy breaches, such as stealing data for financial gain, or by accident, such as an employee misplacing a thumb drive or losing a laptop containing customers' account numbers.The explosion of messaging systems, wireless networking, and USB storage devices has also made protecting critical corporate information increasingly difficult. And growing numbers of telecommuting and traveling employees have increased mobile device use and the tendency to transmit sensitive information via email. This creates a challenge for today's companies to protect against the loss or theft of corporate data assets—either by employees or contractors.Because data leaks are becoming an increasing concern, Trend Micro polled end users to determine if users understand which information within their organization is considered confidential and therefore worthy of protection. According to the survey, U.S. end users are more likely than end users in the U.K. or Japan to identify confidential company data. Perhaps this is because U.S. companies adopted the Internet within the workplace early on and therefore developed more policies and regulations to govern the use of proprietary and confidential data.The survey also indicates that end users in large companies in Japan better understand what constitutes confidential company data, compared to smaller organizations. This may be due to the greater likelihood that large companies conduct compliance training compared to smaller organizations, increasing the probability that users would better understand which information is considered confidential. The survey also noted that laptop users in the U.S. and U.K. are more likely to fully understand which information is confidential than desktop or workstation users in those countries.Perhaps most alarming was the percentage of users who reported leaking data. Overall, in all countries surveyed, six percent of end users admitted to leaking confidential information outside the company. This is especially disconcerting because the survey was based on self reporting, which would indicate that actual numbers are probably much higher since most people would not admit leaking confidential information.Also, while six percent of end users admitted to having leaked company information, 16 percent believe other employees caused data leaks. Interestingly, end users in the U.S., U.K., and Germany are more likely to admit to leaking company data, either intentionally or accidentally, than end users in Japan.According to the survey, in all countries, it is more common for large organizations to have established preventative policies than small companies. However, the survey also indicates that employee data leaks are believed to be more common in large organizations. This might indicate that data leaks occur, regardless of whether companies have set policies.The survey also asked end users about the amount of training they received to prevent data leaks. According to survey results, one in seven U.S. end users has been trained on their company's data leak policy and significantly more users in the U.S. have been trained, compared to the U.K. In all countries, a majority of trained end users think they would score highly if tested on their company's data leak policy.The survey results indicate that companies, particularly small businesses, can be more proactive in preventing data leaks. The increasing challenge to effectively manage data breaches is becoming a serious security concern to companies forced to comply with strict government regulations regarding data handling, such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the European Union Directive on Data Protection, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Failing to comply can trigger fines and litigation, not to mention brand damage and negative press.Laptop Users' Activities Differ by CountryAccording to the survey, in the U.S., laptop end users are not any more likely to use the Internet for personal reasons while off the company network compared to when they are on the network. UK laptop end users, however, are more likely to check personal email and browse Web sites while connected through their company's network. German and Japanese laptop end users are more likely to download executable files while connected through their company's network—perhaps indicating that users in both countries have faster Internet connections at work. Interestingly, Japanese laptop users are less likely than laptop users elsewhere to connect to the Internet outside the company network, and U.S. users are more likely to connect at airports.In the U.K., Germany, and Japan, mobile users are more likely than desktop users to send confidential information via Instant Messaging or Webmail.Risky BusinessAccording to the survey, in the U.K., Germany, and particularly in Japan, employees of small companies take more online risks while on the company network compared to their counterparts in larger organizations. The study found that certain risky activities such as browsing Web sites unrelated to work, shopping online, visiting social networking sites, downloading executable files, and checking personal Webmail are more likely to occur amongst small businesses.For example, 32 percent of U.K. small business employees admitted to downloading executable files that can potentially lead to Trojan or virus attacks and, ultimately, identity and data theft. Checking personal email is the most popular non-work related online activity for German workers, especially at smaller companies—70 percent of small-business employees check personal email at work, compared to 59 percent in large companies. In Japan, the study revealed that most personal Internet activities that occurred were more likely to happen in small businesses.Despite a higher level of risky online behavior occurring, only about 50 percent or fewer end users within small companies had an IT department, which may explain why spam, phishing, and spyware were more commonly reported within these companies compared to larger organizations.In all countries surveyed, small organizations are less likely to have established preventative policies than large companies. This probably explains why the survey found that small company end users in Japan are less aware of confidential data concerns compared to end users in larger organizations. Only 33 percent of small business end users said they understood what constitutes confidential company data compared to 46 percent from large companies. This held true for users in both the U.S. and the U.K. as well, but the disparity was less.

Brazil: Orkut Phishing Mail Leads to Data-Stealing Malware

Trend people recently captured a spam email that appeared to be from Orkut. It is written in Portuguese, and translates to the following (via GoogleTranslate):

Problems with your account.

Dear User,

We received some complaints against your profile saying you are "using copyrighted material," and before Orkut disables your account unfairly, asks for you to contact us stating the problem.

Some information from the complaint:

Your Profile: {malicious link to phishing page}
Report: {directly download malware}

* Please do not reply to this email, follow the instructions in the report of the complaint.

Warning: Your period for justification is 48h.

Regards,
{name}
Administration Orkut.com

Note: *We are taking measures in accordance with the laws in your country. (Brazil)
* Please meet the requirements of the report within the stipulated period.

Figure 1 shows the Portuguese Orkut spam (click to view larger version). Users who click on the first link on the email are led to a phishing page (see Figure 2). At this point users may be led to key in their credentials at this fake site, compromising access to their Orkut accounts. When the browser opens to the phishing page, the browser also automatically downloads a certain file which, should the user accept the download, when saved and run, introduces a BANKER variant (TROJ_BANKER.GAT) to the system.

BANKER variants and their components are notorious malware that together sit silently in victims’ PCs waiting until users browse online banking sites. These then either change the online banking site from the real site to a fake one or directly steal keyed in information such as user names and passwords.

Online banking is a commonly accepted method of transaction and managing funds in Latin America because of the sites’ ease of use and offer of convenience. This compounds the risk of this targeted attack netting in more users than usual. Furthermore, the Orkut spam is written in Portuguese, which unknowing users may take to mean that the mail is valid.

Users are always advised to enter sites requiring logins using their clean bookmarks or by typing in the correct URL at the browser address bar. Also, ignore email (and the links therein) that come from doubtful or unknown sources. Smart Protection Network protects Trend Micro users from this attack by identifying the phishing mail as malicious, by blocking access to the phishing page, by preventing the download of the malicious file, and by detecting the downloaded file (and related malware) as malicious.

How to Avoid Spam:Tips to Avoid Spam

Listed below are a number of suggestions that can help prevent your email address from becoming a target to spammers.

• Do not post your e-mail address in an unobfuscated form on the Internet. If you need to post your e-mail address, obfuscate it so it cannot be easily harvested such as “name –at- hotmail – dot- com,” Or if you need to include your e-mail address in your signature, include a small graphic image containing your e-mail address.
• Check to see if your e-mail address is visible to spammers by typing it into a Web search engine such aswww.google.com. If your e-mail address is posted to any Web sites or newsgroups, remove it if possible to help reduce how much spam you receive.
• Lots of ISPs provide free e-mail addresses. Set up two e-mail addresses, one for personal e-mail to friends and colleagues, and use the other for subscribing to newsletters or posting on forums and other public locations. If you have a more complex e-mail address, it is less likely to receive spam than one that could be easily dictionary-attacked.
• Many ISPs also offer free spam filtering. If this is available, enable it. Report missed spam to your ISP, as it helps reduce how much spam you and other members of the same ISP receive. If your ISP does not offer spam filtering, use anti-spam software to reduce the amount of spam delivered to your inbox.
• When replying to newsgroup postings, do not include your e-mail address.
• When filling in Web forms, check the site's privacy policy to ensure it will not be sold or passed on to other companies. There may be a checkbox to opt out of third party mailings. Consider opting out to receive less opt-in e-mail.
• Never respond to spam. If you reply, even to request removing your e-mail address from the mailing list, you are confirming that your e-mail address is valid and the spam has been successfully delivered to your inbox, not filtered by a spam filter, that you opened the message, read the contents, and responded to the spammer. Lists of confirmed e-mail addresses are more valuable to spammers than unconfirmed lists, and they are frequently bought and sold by spammers.
• Do not open spam messages wherever possible. Frequently spam messages include "Web beacons" enabling the spammer to determine how many, or which e-mail addresses have received and opened the message. Or use an e-mail client that does not automatically load remote graphic images, such as the most recent versions of Microsoft® Outlook® and Mozilla Thunderbird.
• Do not click on the links in spam messages, including unsubscribe links. These frequently contain a code that identifies the e-mail address of the recipient, and can confirm the spam has been delivered and that you responded.
• Never buy any goods from spammers. The spammers rely on very small percentages of people responding to spam and buying goods. If spamming becomes unprofitable and takes lots of effort for little return, spammers have less incentive to continue spamming. Would you risk giving your credit card details to an unknown, unreputable source?
• If you have an e-mail address that receives a very large amount of spam, consider replacing it with a new address and informing your contacts of the new address. Once you are on lots of spammers' mailing lists, it is likely that the address will receive more and more spam.
• Make sure that your anti-virus software is up to date. Many viruses and Trojans scan the hard disk for e-mail addresses to send spam and viruses. Avoid spamming your colleagues by keeping your anti-virus software up to date.
• Use the firewall included with your operating system, or use a firewall from a reputable company, to avoid your computer being hacked or infected with a worm and used as a spam-sending zombie.
• Do not respond to e-mail requests to validate or confirm any of your account details. Your bank, credit card company, eBay, Paypal, etc., already have your account details, so would not need you to validate them. If you are unsure if a request for personal information from a company is legitimate, contact the company directly or type the Web site URL directly into your browser. Do not click on the links in the e-mail, as they may be fake links to phishing Web sites.
• Do not click on unusual links. Confirm the sender did send the e-mail if it looks suspicious.
• Never give out your login details to anyone.
• IT departments should train their users not to give out sensitive information.