Spam (not the stuff from Hormel)

Click here to visit the folks that make the food-stuff that the email we will discuss is named after.

Have you noticed an increase in spam in your inbox? Last September Microsoft and Kaspersky managed to temporarily disable a botnet comprised of an estimated 45,000 computers. A botnet is a collection of compromised computers connected to the Internet (each compromised computer is known as a 'bot'). They could have removed the malicious software from the infected computers but apparently that is illegal. This botnet is called Kelihos.

Well, the bad guys have managed to reestablish control of Kelihos, and with 45,000 computers it sends an estimated 4 billion spam messages a day. It seems like most of it is directed to email servers I manage. You can get more details by clicking here.

So what can you do to block spam? There isn't a silver bullet, but here are some programs that can help.

SPAMfighter

MailWasher

As always, be aware of piggyback programs.

Piggyback Programs

A piggyback program is a program that you don't want that gets installed when you install another program that you want. Usually you are asked if you want to install the piggyback program and given an opportunity to skip the install. I find these programs on computers everyday. Often they are toolbars and present themselves in Internet Explorer as shown below.

These programs slow down your computer and are generally a nuisance. There is a good posting on how to avoid and remove these piggyback programs, click here.

Scams

I had a customer that fell for a scam yesterday. Someone called him claiming they were from Microsoft and stated his computer was infected with a virus. They wanted to help him remove the virus and convinced him to install a program that gave the caller complete control of his computer. Bottom line: SCAM!!! If someone calls with such a claim HANG UP THE PHONE. Let me just say that Microsoft is not going to call you if your computer has a virus. They don't have a way to correlate your phone number to your computer (at least right now).

Click here to read what Microsoft suggests you do if you've fallen for something like this. If you are unsure you should call a computer expert.

Is the Mac immune to viruses

It seems that about once a week someone asks me if they should switch to a Mac computer because they just got hit by some sort of mal-ware (malicious software). The answer is usually the same (and is phrased in the form of a question for you Jeopardy fans), "Do you need a Windows computer to run any of the applications that you use?" If the answer is no, and the price doesn't cause pause, then a Mac may be the computer for you. But don't buy a Mac to avoid mal-ware, at least not anymore. The article at this link points out that due to the increase in the Mac market share criminals are taking aim at that computer line. So if you get a Mac, be vigilant about protecting it.

Mobile Malware Protection

Some time ago I told you I would find a program for security on your mobile device. This one works for Android, Blackberry, and Windows mobile devices.

Is Your Mobile Device at Risk for a Virus? YES!

It seems that Microsoft, with the help of third party anti-malware software, is finally getting the security level of its software at a level that has forced cyber criminals to focus their efforts to different operating systems to wreak havoc. According to a report from Cisco, a giant in computer connectivity, mobile devices are prime targets (click here to read the article). This includes Apple Computer's iPhone and Google's Android.

Cisco also points out the increasing number of vulnerabilites being found in the Apple operating systems. These systems have been ignored as the cyber criminals have mostly focused on the mainstream Windows computers. But as the Windows vulnerabilities starts to dwindle, criminals are turning their focus to the largely unprotected and unprepared Apple world (many Mac users don't have any anti-malware software installed).

As of today I don't have a recommendation for your mobile device, but will be posting again in the next few weeks after I have had some time to research the topic.

What is a Key Logger

The link here shows a little device that fits between a computer and a keyboard. It can be used with a PC or a Mac. And it captures every keystroke. The concern? You are on a public computer somewhere and someone may be spying on everything you type, the websites you visit, your user names, and your passwords. The spy doesn't need to install any software, just unplug the keyboard and insert the device inline. My point is that you need to be careful! A key logger can also be software that is installed on any PC or Mac. You can check your computer with the software here (designed for Windows XP but may work with other Windows versions). If the program detects a key logger, you might try the program here to remove it.

Malware

First let me define Malware. From Wikipedia:

"Malware, short for malicious software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent."

I spend a great deal of time trying to "protect and defend" my clients computers from malware. It is a never ending, ever escalating battle. And there is no silver bullet. You probably aren't interested in all the details of the attacks that confront every one of you, so let me just get to my recommendations.

First, have a good security software suite. There are probably several good products out there, but the only one I recommend is Kaspersky Internet Security. This changes frequently, but today it's Kaspersky. You can buy it at one of the links below:

Single Computer Version ($30 as of 12/2/2009)

3 Computer Version ($40 as of 12/2/2009)

Another tool you can use is OpenDNS. The process that controls your navigation about the Internet is DNS, or Domain Name System. I won't go into the details, you can go to http://www.opendns.com/ to read more.


Lastly, you can get and install a Host file. This is pretty drastic measure, but it will do alot to keep you safe. You can download a host file and read more about it here. Don't forget to update it periodically.


That's it for today. I am sure I will have more on malware in the days ahead.