Internet Security

Issues that you need to be aware of

Viruses

Malware

Worms

Trojan horse

Ransom or Scare ware

Botnets

Spyware/Adware

Phishing scams (phone and internet/email)

All these things try to make use of either system or personal vulnerabilities.

Definitions

Virus

A computer virus is like the common cold. Its sole purpose other than its infection is to spread itself. Malware could be the injection from a virus. A virus may inject code into your computer that allows a Botnet to assume control of your PC and dish up more of itself.

Malware

Malware comes in many forms. Generally injected unknowingly by you, Malware can be devastating to your computer system. Most malware is capable of shutting down even the best Antivirus/spyware/adware protection software you can buy. Malicious software is good at disguising itself in such a way that you are fooled into thinking you have a problem with your computer.

Trojan Horse

Generally, a non self replicating type of Malware.

Worms

Worms are similar to viruses. They are a file or entity on the internet, generally from a large Botnet, that seek out and inject malicious code into open ports on your computer system. They then use that code to take control, inject viruses, steal information, or whatever they were designed to do.

Spyware

Spyware can be dangerous. Spyware watches what you input into fields on the internet, collecting credit card numbers, addresses, social security numbers, bank cards and accounts, and then sending them to the software maker. Spyware is not just dangerous to your computer, but also to your identity and finances.

Adware

Adware is a tool used by advertisers to popup advertisements based on your searches and the websites you visit. Itis not really intrusive, but can potentially cause harm to your computer. Adware is generally easy to remove, but also very easy to get. You can avoid a lot of this if you are very careful when you install software from the internet, especially free programmes. Make sure you check every screen and un-tick anything that is going to install additional software.

Ransom or Scareware

The simplest type of ransomware, aka scareware, consists of bogus antivirus or clean-up tools that claim they’ve detected umpteen issues, and demand that you pay in order to fix them. Some specimens of this variety of ransomware may allow you to use your PC but bombard you with alerts and pop-ups, while others might prevent you from running any programs at all. Typically these invaders are the easiest type of ransomware to remove.

Next is the ransomware variety called lock-screen viruses, which don’t allow you to use your PC in any way. They display a full-size window after Windows starts upusually with an FBI, Department of Justice or Metropolitan policelogosaying that you violated the law and that you must pay a fine.

If you have the simplest kind of ransomware, such as a fake antivirus program or a bogus clean-up tool, you can usually remove it by a procedure which includes entering WindowsSafe Mode and running an on-demand virus scanner such asMalwarebytes.

Phishing scams

Phone/text.

Nobody who rings you up will know if your computer is working or not,unless you rang them in the first place. Therefore, all such calls should be ignored. There are 2 main purposes of these calls. If you are lucky it is just to get some money from you. If you're not lucky they'll try to get control of your computer under the guise of fixing it.

Banks and credit card companies also don't tend to ring you. If your bank rings you and you don't know the person, ring them back on the number you would normally use. Never give them any personal details. This also applies to PPI type calls.

Email.

Nobody sends out emails asking for details or asking you to click on the link unless you have just requested something like a new password when you have forgotten an old one. All such emails whether claiming to be from your bank, Amazon or anyone else should be marked as Spam or Junk and immediately deleted.

Prevention and Security

Avoiding Viruses etc. is the most important thing to do.

  • Always run agood antivirus programmeand keep Windows and browser-related components (Java, Adobe, and the like)updated.
  • Always have your Firewall on. Be aware of the settings.
  • Keep your browser cleanto prevent adware invasions that could lead to malware infections. Toolbars in your Browser are generally a bad thing. Things like Incredimail are a major problem.
  • Never download files or programmes from the internet unless you are sure you know that they are genuine. Pop-ups that tell you your computer is running slowly and you need to fix this are most likely to be dangerous.
  • Always,be wary of unexpected email attachments and spam. Never open an email if you don't know who it has come from. Don't use the Preview pane in Windows Mail, Outlook or Thunderbird,because this is automatically opening emails and if your Anti-virus software is not up to date you could download a virus.
  • Always have a good backup system in place, just in case your PC does become infected and you can't recover your files.
  • Always be aware when entering personal data that you need to ensure that HTTPS is being used by the website and that your browser has verified this.
  • Data Protection. If you store business customers details you are required by law to keep them safe. So make sure that you keep data safe. Viruses can access these files.
  • Password protect your PC even if you don't take it out of the house. Passwords on your PC will provide another level of security should someone try to gain access from the internet.
  • Use Routers with NAT built in. These provide another Firewall between your PCs and the outside world.
  • When using Wi-Fi outside the home remember that these are not as safe as within the home. People may be able to access your PC or other device. If you access a new network using Wi-Fi Windows will ask you whether you set this network to Home, work or public. If you are out and about, say in a coffee shop, and using their Wi-Fi set it to Public. This adds extra protection in the Windows system.
  • Make sure your home Wi-Fi is password protected.
  • Use Strong Passwords for important accounts (anywhere that stores personal data and especially credit cards). You may find it difficult to have different passwords for everything but you must not use the same password for everythingand especially important are: Email, Banks, Facebook, Twitter, online shopping and in fact anything that stores any personal details.
  • Never write down passwords. You wouldn't write your PIN number down and this is just as dangerous. You can write clues but use words that others would struggle to decode. Don't forget to intermingle numbers and capital letters in you passwords.
  • When using Firewalls please make sure that it is turned on all the time when you are on the Internet. If using Windows Firewall go to Control Panel and search for Firewall, or go to Systems and Security> Windows Firewall. You can check the status of your Firewall by looking at the status of various programs and then seeing whether they are allowed to access the internet or not. To check this go to Advanced Settings on the left of the Windows Firewall screen. To change the status of a program you can right click it and go to Properties and then Block or Allow. For Mac go to System preferences>Security.
  • With antivirus software you must make sure it is up to date. You must make sure it scans regularly.
  • With Malwarebytes scan your machine on a reasonably regular basis.
  • Do not unsubscribe from spam emails, treat them as junk, report them as spam. A lot of spam is scattered therefore responding proves that you are there and can make you a target.

Anti Virus Software

  • AVG - some free versions
  • AVAST- some free versions
  • Norton
  • McAfee
  • Kaspersky
  • BitDefender
  • Windows Defender - free
  • Etc.

Firewall Software

  • Norton
  • McAfee
  • Zone Alarm- some free versions
  • Comodo
  • Windows Firewall- free
  • Apple Macs have a built in Firewall, please make sure it is turned on.

Malware Software

  • Malwarebytes Anti Malware - Free or Pro Version

Although most of this refers to Window PCs, anti Virus software also exists for Mac and Android operating systems.

A useful resourcefor Macs is:

Removing Problematic Software

In Windows you can try System Restore (if you have previously created restore points) to rewind back to a point prior to infection. You would do this from Safe Mode if you can access your machine.

The simplest Adware (Browser Tool Bars) can be removed by going into the Tools>Extensions Or Add-Ons menu of your Browser and Disabling the relevant Task Bar. It is a good idea to check the Extensions in your Browser to make sure you haven’t installed something you didn’t know about.

Follow this up by going to Control Panel and Uninstall Programs and Uninstalling the program from here.

Most Anti Virus software will remove infections and Malwarebytes will remove any Malware when you run it.