Virus Information Sites/Links
PARASITES, VIRUSES and
OTHER SECURITY ISSUES
C onfidentiality I ntegrity A ccessibility
PARASITES
ANTI-PARASITE SOFTWARE
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OTHER SECURITY PAGES SECURITY DISCUSSION FORUMS |
VIRUS INFORMATION TOOLS compliments of READ THIS FINE PRINT: I am providing these monitors and links as a courtesy and service to site visitors. I have no relationship with TrendMicro or Symantec. Any information that you provide them after clicking one of the links below is subject to that site's privacy policies, not my own. In other words: This looks good to me, but use your own judgment in accessing or acting on this information, over which I have no control. |
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Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool
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SECURITY LINKS
General Information
A sound basis for personal computer security rests on the following five points:
User education. The best security measures begin on the space-bar side of your keyboard. Equip yourself with basic security information. (Start with the links on this present page.)
Security patches & other critical Windows and MS Office updates. Be sure you are up-to-date on security patches. Microsoft rolls out new patches (when warranted) on the second Tuesday of every month. On current versions of Windows, you can set your computer to automatically notify you of any new Windows updates; otherwise, check manually on the second Wednesday of every month. Install all CRITICAL UPDATES immediately the risk of a rare bad update is much less than the security risk of not installing.
Antivirus protection. A top-grade anti-virus program, with frequently updated virus definition files, running in real time should be basic to every computer in use today.
Firewall protection. Every PC with Internet access should have either a hardware firewall in place or a personal firewall installed and running. It should be bidirectional, tracking both outbound and inbound traffic.
Parasite protection, which is discussed in detail on my page The Parasite Fight! .
Microsoft never distributes software directly through email! If you receive an e-mail that claims to contain software from Microsoft, do not open the attachment. The safest course of action is to delete the mail altogether. If you would like to take additional action, report the e-mail to the sender's Internet Service Provider. Most ISPs provide an abuse userid for this purpose. For the most up to date information, please visit: Microsoft Policies on Software Distribution
Microsoft Security Essentials Start here for a fast online assessment of how secure your computer is, plus recommendations on how to make it more secure.
- Microsoft Malware Protection Center Current top malware threats of many types, information on the most recent Windows Defender definitions, access to Malicious Software Removal Tool, and more.
- Practice Safe Hex! Sound information on prudent self-protection while online; from www.claymania.com , a collection of safe-computing tips arising from the continuing cooperative efforts of alt.comp.virus newsgroup participants.
- Defending Your Machine by MS-MVP Jim Byrd. Excellent information on steps to take and things to read to make your computer safe. It's a blog, so expect content to grow and evolve.
- Home Computer Security An amazing collection of useful information by CERT. Just look at the table of contents!
- Gibson Research Corp. Steve Gibson is a professional security consultant, so he'd like your business, too. But he's also a security activist, with several articles & free utilities, some of considerable interest.
- Secure Password Generator From WinGuides. One important part of personal security is a password nobody can guess. This site will generate them for you.
- HackFix.org A great source of information on Trojan horse viruses. In particular, see their SubSeven Trojan FAQ. Educate yourself!
- Answers to frequently asked Kerberos questions {KB 266080} Win 2000
- Phatbot Trojan Analysis Includes extensive command and feature lists.
- Internet Explorer Quick & Easy Method to improve security by MS-MVP Harry Waldron. Simple steps that make IE more secure, plus links to additional resources.
- Help: I Got Hacked. Now What Do I Do? by Jesper M. Johansson, Microsoft Security Program Manager. Discusses how truly vulnerable your machine still may be even after recovering from a malware assault. Serious stuff to think about.
- Wilders Security Forums A leading security-related forum answering questions on just about every area of the subject. A major resource and community for security-minded professionals and other computer users.
Free Online Virus Scanners
- Full System Scanners
- Java-based no ActiveX works with multiple OSs & browsers
- Submit Individual Files for Scanning
- VirusTotal.com Test your file against dozens of different antivirus engines
- Kaspersky On-line Virus Checker
- DialOgueScience
Notification Services
- Calendar of Updates An ingenious idea by MS-MVP Donna Buenaventura an online calendar of scheduled updates and other releases for a vast range of security-related products. It is also a source for some of the more important breaking security-related news. (Apparently there is also an opt-in change-notification service, but I haven't found it yet.)
- Microsoft Security Notification Service Subscribe to receive free email notices from Microsoft concerning security issues in Windows and other Microsoft products. Also, register to receive the free Microsoft Security Newsletter .
- TrendMicro Email Alerts Become aware of virus outbreaks as they happen, from one of the sharpest AV labs around.
- US-CERT National Cyber Alert System CERT, partnered with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's National Cyber Security Division, provides this site cyber security alerts including an opt-in email notification service.
Firewalls
- Learn About Firewalls Microsoft's introductory explanatory page on the subject.
- Home PC Firewall Guide by Henry Stephen Markus
- HackerWatch.org Test your firewall's effectiveness in securing your ports. Tests FTP, Telnet, SMTP, Finger, HTTP, POP3, NetBIOS, IMAP & HTTPS ports.
- Symantec Internet Security Center Hey, of course they want to sell you something. That's why they will be really thorough! Much to read. Then run the Symantec Security Check.
Leading Vulnerabilities
The 20 Most Critical Internet Security Vulnerabilities by SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute. Consists of the Top 10 Windows platform vulnerabilities, and the Top 10 UNIX/Linux platform security vulnerabilities.