Slashdot Mirror

http://www.malwaredomains.com/

https://zeustracker.abuse.ch/monitor.php?filter=online

https://spyeyetracker.abuse.ch/monitor.php

http://hosts-file.net/?s=Download

http://www.malware.com.br/lists.shtml

http://www.malwareurl.com/

http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

http://hostsfile.org/hosts.html

http://hostsfile.mine.nu/downloads/

http://ddanchev.blogspot.com/

http://www.stopbadware.org/

http://blocklistpro.com/download-center/view-details/blocklist-pro-blocklists-mirror/1632-hosts.zip.html

Spybot "Search & Destroy" IMMUNIZE feature (fortifies HOSTS files with KNOWN
bad servers blocked)

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

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"You ARE a spamming nutbag" - by drinkypoo (153816) on Thursday May 26, @01:21PM (#36252958) Homepage

Oh, really? Do you have your:

---

1.) A PHD in Psychiatry to your name/credit?

2.) A license to practice it professionally??

3.) Years-to-Decades of professional experience in the field of psychiatry???

4.) A formal examination of myself in a professional environs to make your "instant snap prognosis" of my alleged mental state according to you, the "/. SiDeWaLk PsYcHo-AnALySt"????

---

No to ALL/EACH of the above????? So much for THAT "ad hominem" effete attempt on your part directed MY way then, eh??????

I.E.-> You personally just don't have the credentials to make your assessments in calling me a nutbag, period. In fact, you're libelling me in doing so... don't you KNOW that?????? There's LAWS against it you fool!

Instead - Why don't you attempt to attack the 20 points in favor of HOSTS files I put out??????

---

Oh, that's right - YOU ALSO SAID THIS:

"although you're right about hosts files" - by drinkypoo (153816) on Thursday May 26, @01:21PM (#36252958) Homepage

That's right I am RIGHT... always am!

APK

P.S.=> Take your pick... I just happen to consolidate them ALL, into 1 file here (via a PyThon script engine that does so every 15 minutes, removing duplicates/normalizing it, and alphabetically sorting them also, & changing the larger + slower 127.0.0.1 loopback address (slower due to loopback ops) to the faster & smaller + most compatible 0.0.0.0 blackhole address instead)... apk

See subject-line. You already have an alternate viable working solution vs. this FireFox ONLY browser addon: It's called your HOSTS file, and it works on ALL webbrowsers (in fact, ANY webbound program, e.g.-> External to webbrowser email programs like Outlook &/or Outlook Express, among others)!

So, if you're able to edit a text file, which most folks CAN & have done before? You can work with it, easily.

APK

P.S.=> It's a matter of editing/adding to a simple text file for HOSTS files, from reputable/reliable sources, such as these:

---

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

http://blocklistpro.com/download-center/view-details/blocklist-pro-blocklists-mirror/1632-hosts.zip.html

http://hosts-file.net/?s=Download

http://www.malware.com.br/lists.shtml

https://spyeyetracker.abuse.ch/monitor.php

https://zeustracker.abuse.ch/monitor.php?filter=online

http://www.malwareurl.com/

http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

---

(The last one also has an EASY TO USE "point-N-click" GUI easy tool to help manage the HOSTS file, called HOSTSMAN, which allows for auto-update as well, very little user interaction required... & it removes duplicate entries and keeps you updated as well, "automagically"!)

Yes, a simple text file which YOU, the end user, has COMPLETE control over, which is all the HOSTS file really is, a text file based filter for the IP Stack running in Ring 0/RPL 0/kernel mode (PnP driver design in MacOS X & Windows case - not 100% sure of Linux, but probably similar & kick "on" fully, on demand by usermode code programs) for the best in speed/efficiency over this add on also, since the addon runs in Ring 3/RPL 3/usermode... apk

A custom HOSTS file will do what the Privoxy, or Adblock softwares will, for less CPU usage (& very possibly RAM usage also) simply by making it impossible to go into KNOWN BAD SITES/SERVERS.

After all: You cannot get burned by what you cannot touch, essentially... & making it impossible to access known bad sites or servers is ONLY A GREAT PART of what hosts files can do (because they do even more, read on)... sound familiar to this Privoxy software? Yes, it does in that case!

However: Can Privoxy speed you up more, ontop of protecting you? Yes!

HOSTS files can also not only protect you vs. known bad sites or servers, but they can also aid in speeding you up online websurfing even more by avoiding DNS lookups by using hardcodes of hostsnames/domainnames to IP addresses of your favorite websites and by blocking ad banners also (which have also been shown to have malicious script in them many times over the years now no less).

You can keep a hosts file updated daily that way easily, by using the following whitehat sites for information on what are the "latest/greatest" known bad sites &/or servers found daily in fact:

http://hosts-file.net/?s=Download
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm (great overall explanation of what HOSTS files can do for you is here and how to manage them (such as tips on turning off your local DNS Client Cache if you use a "largish" hosts file))
http://www.malware.com.br/lists.shtml
https://zeustracker.abuse.ch/monitor.php?filter=online
http://www.malwareurl.com/
http://hostsfile.org/hosts.html
http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/
http://hostsfile.mine.nu/downloads/
http://ddanchev.blogspot.com/
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

Used in combination with AdBlock for instance? Great layered security, albeit redundant. Used in combination with NoScript though? An EXCELLENT defense vs. malware attacks online.

APK

P.S.=> HOSTS files do what other wares do, albeit, without eating up CPU cycles &/or RAM as Privoxy, DNS servers, or even the NEW "BLADE" software that just came out... & hosts files are not programs, they are filters - They won't have "programming bugs" in them either, because they are NOT code (just IP stack filters)! apk

First of all: Per subject-line above, a custom HOSTS file will do most of what this "BLADE" software will, simply by making it impossible to go into KNOWN BAD SITES/SERVERS.

(After all: You cannot get burned by what you cannot touch, essentially... & making it impossible to access known bad sites or servers is what hosts files can do... sound familiar to this "BLADE" software? Yes, it does, but blade cannot speed you up more, and HOSTS files can ontop of protecting you (HOSTS files can also not only protect you, but they can also aid in speeding you up online websurfing even more by avoiding DNS lookups by using hardcodes of hostsnames/domainnames to IP addresses of your favorite websites and by blocking ad banners also (which have also been shown to have malicious script in them many times over the years now no less)).

You can keep a hosts file updated daily that way easily, by using the following whitehat sites for information on what are the "latest/greatest" known bad sites &/or servers found daily in fact:

http://hosts-file.net/?s=Download
http://www.malware.com.br/lists.shtml
https://zeustracker.abuse.ch/monitor.php?filter=online
http://www.malwareurl.com/
http://hostsfile.org/hosts.html
http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/
http://hostsfile.mine.nu/downloads/
http://ddanchev.blogspot.com/
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

HOSTS files also do all that, without eating up CPU cycles &/or RAM as DNS servers do, or this "BLADE" software... & hosts files are not programs, they are filters... they won't have "programming bugs" in them either!

APK

P.S.=> HOSTS FILES ARE ALSO SUPERIOR TO ADBLOCK ON THESE SPECIFIC GROUNDS - 10 ADVANTAGES OF HOSTS FILES OVER BROWSER ADDONS ALONE, & EVEN DNS SERVERS:

----

1.) HOSTS files eat A LOT LESS CPU cycles than browser addons do no less (since browser addons have to parse each HTML page & tag content in them)!

2.) HOSTS files are also NOT severely LIMITED TO 1 BROWSER FAMILY ONLY... browser addons, are. HOSTS files cover & protect (for security) and speed up (all apps that are webbound) any app you have that goes to the internet (specifically the web).

3.) HOSTS files allow you to bypass DNS Server requests logs (via hardcoding your favorite sites into them to avoid not only the TIME taken roundtrip to an external DNS server, but also for avoiding those logs OR a DNS server that has been compromised (see Dan Kaminsky online, on that note)).

4.) HOSTS files will allow you to get to sites you like, via hardcoding your favs into a HOSTS file, FAR faster than DNS servers can by FAR (by saving the roundtrip inquiry time to a DNS server & back to you).

5.) HOSTS files also allow you to not worry about a DNS server being compromised, or downed (if either occurs, you STILL get to sites you hardcode in a HOSTS file anyhow in EITHER case).

6.) HOSTS files are EASILY user controlled, updated and obtained (for reliable ones see mvps.org ) & edited too, via texteditors like Windows notepad.exe or Linux nano or kate (etc.)

7.) HOSTS files aren't as vulnerable to "bugs" either like programs/libs/extensions of that nature are, OR even DNS servers, as they are NOT code, & because of what's next too

8.) HOSTS files are also EASILY secured well, via write-protection "read-only" attributes set on them, or more radically, via ACL's even.

9.) HOSTS files

"Great idea, and I can't wait for it to surface" - by Rurik (113882) on Sunday October 10, @03:09PM (#33853662)

It's been "surfaced" for AGES online now, albeit in the form of CUSTOM HOSTS FILES!

Per subject-line above, a custom HOSTS file will do most of what this "BLADE" software will, simply by making it impossible to go into KNOWN BAD SITES/SERVERS.

(After all: You cannot get burned by what you cannot touch, essentially... & making it impossible to access known bad sites or servers is what hosts files can do... sound familiar to this "BLADE" software? Yes, it does, but blade cannot speed you up more, and HOSTS files can ontop of protecting you (HOSTS files can also not only protect you, but they can also aid in speeding you up online websurfing even more by avoiding DNS lookups by using hardcodes of hostsnames/domainnames to IP addresses of your favorite websites and by blocking ad banners also (which have also been shown to have malicious script in them many times over the years now no less)).

You can keep a hosts file updated daily that way easily, by using the following whitehat sites for information on what are the "latest/greatest" known bad sites &/or servers found daily in fact:

http://hosts-file.net/?s=Download
http://www.malware.com.br/lists.shtml
https://zeustracker.abuse.ch/monitor.php?filter=online
http://www.malwareurl.com/
http://hostsfile.org/hosts.html
http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/
http://hostsfile.mine.nu/downloads/
http://ddanchev.blogspot.com/
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

APK

P.S.=> HOSTS files also do all that, without eating up CPU cycles &/or RAM as DNS servers do, or this "BLADE" software... & hosts files are not programs, they are filters... they won't have "programming bugs" in them either! apk

Because http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html has been giving away pretty much this function for years.

Fits with my experiences.
I'd add Spybot S&D to that list...
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Yup.

Registry cleaners can do a lot of harm.

If you find the same registry entries being cleaned time and time again, its time to pay attention and see just what it is they are removing. Google helps in this.

But wantonly wading thru the registry tossing out stuff is not a good idea. Keeping the packages that stuff unwanted crap in the registry makes far more sense.

I'm waiting for Spybot Search and Destroy http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html
to state it works with Windows 7 before I apply it. It pre-loads registry entries that malware tends to use, but its no panacea. If Spybot can put in these entries, so can any other software.

As a PC repairman I hate to break the news to y'all, but home users never update the damned PC. you could give them Apt and it would be just one more update they don't actually use. I have had machine come across my desk with 4+ year old copies of Norton AV (expired of course) and not a single update applied since it left the factory. That is just SOP for a good 90% of home users.

That is why my customers love me so much, because my motto is "do the thinking so they don't have to". So not only do I use Autopatcher to install all the current updates and have the latest service packs as well as set autoupdate for the OS, but I install Foxit set to autoupdate, have Spybot scheduled to autoupdate and scan, install Comodo AV/Firewall and have it set to scan on the customers schedule, install Firefox and set it to be the default browser, install the latest Flash and Shockwave and Java as well as Klite Mega codec pack so I don't have to worry about them downloading dodgy codecs, and finally install VLC Player which autoupdates and have it set as default video player.

While I don't get the return business of those that just reinstall and hand it to the customer to bone again I make up for that in referrals. But thinking something like Apt would be a silver bullet for home users is strictly a fantasy. First it would have to be run by MSFT to incorporate the Windows patches as well as third party updates, which would lead to vendors screaming and probably an antitrust investigation and I'm sure the EU would find a reason to have a shitfit, but then MSFT would get to deal with 3 or 4 years worth of lawsuits when they refuse to "provide" the myriad of programs that insist on installing toolbars or unrelated programs, like Java (toolbar) or iTunes (unrelated Safari and Quicktime).

So while having a central repository works for Linux, it simply would never work for Windows. Between trialware, crapware, toolbar installers, and unrelated installers you would either make it a one stop shop for crap which means the users would never allow it to run, or MSFT would spend the next decade in court for refusing to allow crapware into the repository. So sorry, it just wouldn't work.

'Every year, life is getting more and more expensive. Insurance. Rent. Food. And, at the same time, software is getting cheaper and cheaper, sometimes as cheap as a dollar, as we engage in a full speed race to the bottom. This is not going to help developers stay in business. This is not how a healthy industry is maintained.'"

I agree. The race to the bottom for software is not how a healthy industry is maintained. What will we do if software reaches a price point of zero?

There are no clear examples out there of how free software or applications can stay in business.

*rolls eyes*

1) common sense
2) http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
3) http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html

For Windows, I recommend using Tea Timer, an extension to Spybot S&D. It sits in memory and monitors system files, including the HOSTS file, and alerts the user when another program is attempting to alter it, or add processes to startup, etc.

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/33.html

First: Get this. If you got a rootkit, this should find it. unless it's something zero day. If it finds stuff, then reboot back into windows and run something like Malwarebytes Anti Malware or Spybot Search and Destroy for a few days (a week or two with Spybot. They only update on Wednesdays) to get it completely cleaned out. Windows Defender also works good here and adds realtime scannning to the mix.

Second: Like someone above posted, Check for Drives Running PIO in Device Manager. If you find any, run the resetDMA Script someone above posted. ALso Check your BIOS for changed settings. Dying CMOS batteries can cause a lot of havok with DMA settings depening on the BIOS defaults.

Third: Test Hardware. Contrary to Popular belief here, Windows NT Kernel Failures, *Especially Blue Screens* Are usually caused by either a Hardware failure or a Driver failure. If it's been running great and then BAM, check hardware first. The Ultimate Boot CD has all the tests you need. Test for RAM errors and test your Hard drive using the Drive Specific diagnostic program.

Forth: if all else fails after this, backtrack. If you installed something recently, and the machine started acting weird afterwards. uninstall it and see what happens. System restore (if it actually works) also comes in handy.

Finally, a Tip. Stay The Hell away from "optimizing" software. Just about every Registry optimizer I've ever seen screws up more then it's worth. Speed boosters tend to slow things down in the long run or lock windows, and any disk optimizer basically does nothing different than defrag C:. Even Microsoft's Registry and cleaning offerings on their onecare site has screwed me over in some cases, and if they can't optimize their own OS... Just say no to them.

I've had similar problems lately and used these two tools to get my XP back without reloading.
http://systemexplorer.mistergroup.org/
SE can do realtime performance of I/O Reads/Writes by process.
When windows gets I/O bound the system can grind to a halt and become unusable because of the way the windows XP kernel operates.

To eliminate bad spyware, this utility works great
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html

-Enjoy!

Spybot-S&D does come with a program called TeaTimer (yes, another startup program, but it's small) that monitors registry changes including startup entries, popping up a dialog asking whether to allow the change, so if a program decides it wants to run at startup, you can block that right there.

Spybot-S&D does come with a program called TeaTimer (yes, another startup program, but it's small) that monitors registry changes including startup entries, popping up a dialog asking whether to allow the change, so if a program decides it wants to run at startup, you can block that right there.

Since most of the posts are not answering your question at all, here are some programs which can help.

I have been fixing Windows computers for over 10 years and can suggest the following programs from personal experience. There is no guarantee that they will find all keyloggers but they will detect the progs you find by using google.

1) Spybot Search & Destroy (free) http://www.safer-networking.org/
    This is a spyware checker, cleaner. It will also find keyloggers and screen capturing software
2) Antivir (free for personal use) http://www.free-av.com/
    This is an Antivirus / malware program which I have found to kick the shit out of Norton Antivirus (Personal + Corporate) and McAfee.
3) Norton Antivirus 2008 (not free)
    This is another antivirus program, it is not as good as Antivir but it may contain different malware signatures then Antivir.
4) Adaware (free) http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
    Like Spybot but less strict, I don't use it anymore but you should run it anyway.
5) Windows Defender (free) http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
    This one is made (purchased) by Microsoft and is actually quite good, I can highly recommend it to remove crap from a computer. This one is free and includes an "active shield"

If you run suggestions 1,2,4 and 5 above you can assume that your computer is clean. To be sure format and reload.

As for the rest, follow the advice above and end the relationship....

For software keyloggers, you can use a tool like SpyBot to try to find them -- however, I can't guarantee it'll find your specific keylogger, if there is one. There's probably better software at this point, but I haven't used Windows in years.

Another option is to use Windows' built-in search, and search for files modified in the past couple days. If there's a keylogger, odds are its log files will show up. I've accidentally found a keylogger on a friend's computer this way.

Another option is to use a liveCD for everything important. Pick up an Ubuntu LiveCD, and start into that when you need to do things that are suspect.

Keep in mind, however, that you may instead have a hardware keylogger. You may have a dongle like this one, which plugs in between your computer and your keyboard. You could also have one built into your keyboard -- there are companies that sell keylogging keyboards, and companies that will embed a keylogger into a keyboard -- either a specific model, or your own if you mail it to them. There could also be one built into the computer, but I don't know of any company that does that.

Moral of the story: if you can't trust the security of your computer, don't use it for things you don't want someone else to see. It might be time for her to invest in a cheap laptop, such as an Eee PC, and either do all her work on a connection he doesn't have access to, or over ssl connections or a VPN.

However, like others have said, worrying about a keylogger from your spouse isn't exactly the sign of a trusting relationship. I assume your friend knows this, and this is a preamble to a separation or divorce. If it's not, I'd suggest your friend and her spouse seek marriage counseling. Good luck to her.

The other thing you can do is run a Spybot scan from time to time. As Spybot has identified tracking cookies, I've just added them to the block list in my browser (Firefox), and after a month or two of surfing and scanning maybe once a week, no more (known) tracking cookies are following me.

First, there's open source, which is great if you can remember to scan your hard drive every now and then. (I keep waiting for someone to bundle this on a boot CD.)

Then, for more sophisticated protection, there's avast and AVG. Of course, these mostly focus on anti-virus.

I recommend Avast, and I use Clamwin, because the only place a virus scanner really helps someone with good online habits is when you've downloaded a file which you know is suspect, and you'd like to scan it prior to use.

On the anti-spyware front, there's Spybot S&D, which has been known about for ages, and is still good.

The reason McAfee sucks isn't necessarily anything to do with its relative security, vs Norton/Symantec or anyone else. It's that the others are so much smaller and lighter -- McAfee and Symantec are both bloated performance hogs -- something you really can't afford on something that runs in the background 24/7 -- and Norton in particular is buggy as all hell -- something you really can't afford on something that controls every file access and network connection.

And all of them are completely unnecessary, now that there's so much out there as good or better, and free (for home use, at least).

The reason for the subject "My god" is that you're on Slashdot and you need to be told. I thought it was public knowledge already; guess not.

You do realize that Due process is whatever the law describes the process to be right? An executive order has the effect of law because of the law making them available to the president, in this case, Title 50 of the US code. So this would be due process.

The people effected by this will also be charged and facing 10 years in prison along with a $50,000 fine. He gets the authority to make such declarations here. Checkout section 1705.

Spybot S&D from safer-networking.org or just Google it... but then install and goto Mode -> Advanced... then down to tools on the left and viola! Startup... Best. Windows. Program. Ever. Lots of nifty stuff on there to tool around with...

Maybe I'm an old stick in the mud. But I've had far, far more trouble CAUSED by most of these applications than I've seen prevented.

• Openoffice.org (use word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database, and similar applications)
• Picasa (view/edit photos)

Internet Tools

• FireFox (browse Web sites)
• Gaim (chat with users of AIM, YIM, MSN, IRC, etc.)
• Thunderbird (e-mail)
• Pegasus Mail (e-mail)
• Macromedia Flash Player (watch Flash animations within Web browser)
• Java Plugin (run Java applications inside Web browser)

Basic Tools

• 7Zip (compress/decompress files)
• EditPad Lite (edit text files)
• vim/gvim (edit text files--advanced)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader (view PDF files)
• PDF Creator (create PDF files)

Security Tools

• ZoneAlarm (firewall - detect unwanted Internet access)
• Avira Antivirus (detect/remove viruses)
• ADAware Personal SE (detect/remove spyware)
• SpyBot Search & Destroy (detect/remove spyware)
• HiJackThis (detect/remove spyware)
• Discombobulator (make Windows more secure)
• Shoot the Messenger (make Windows more secure)
• Unplug-n-pray (make Windows more secure)
• PGP (encrypt/decrypt files or e-mail for privacy) - see admin for more details

Advanced Tools

• Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel for Windows XP (mount ISO images as filesystems) from MSDN
• IMAPSize (manage/search/backup an IMAP mailbox)

>Comcast btw said it's not possible for spyware or that ilk to use this much bandwidth.

Speaking as an ISP support admin, I can assure, that's absolutely not true (well, if you include botnets, which is probably 99% of the bandwidth stealing type of nasties people infect their machines with). Now, if you had a machine on the backbone, well, maybe you'd find it tough to end up on a botnet using 100 Mbits+, but the "paltry" 30 Mbits maximum most cable handles (generally the customers modems are DOCSISed to what, 6 Mbits?) wouldn't take any effort to botnet to death.

You should have taped them saying that so we could laugh at them like Verizon.

You should also run spybot and adaware SE personal on that machine. You could also play around with hijack this, but if you do one wrong move with hijack this, you'll need to re-install windows (well, someone who knows their way around windows won't... but I digress). It's probably got plenty more junk on it if you found 24 viruses. In fact, I'd probably consider getting a shop to nuke it and re-install it; after that sort of abuse windows usually becomes pretty fragile, and the PPPoE stack (needed for your new DSL) is going to be one of the first things to break.

When your F-Prot trial runs out, uninstall it and grab AVG, a free antivirus. You can do a check (and repair) of your computer without installing an anti-virus with Trend Micro's Housecall or BitDefender. Enjoy!

Symantec AV often lags behind in protection and definitions. The worst recent example that comes to mind is the spread of hacktool.rootkit (aka about a million things), which was implemented in countless malware releases. Symantec was AFAIK the only mainstream antivirus program that missed detecting it as it was installed. My flavors of choice are:
AVG Free antivirus
LavaSoft Adaware
and Spybot Search and Destroy.

Very little can get by this trifecta. When I suspect that a machine has received an infection that these three can't remove, I research the individual piece of malware on sites like CastleCops or I just Google it by process name.

I also keep archives of RootKitRevealer, peperfix.exe and HijackThis.

If anyone has any recommendations on a well-behaved, friendly security program for Windows XP that isn't in your face all the time, I'd love to hear it.

AVG anti-virus is great. http://free.grisoft.com/

It's free, it works, and it doesn't pop up stupid stuff all the time. Unless you have a virus, the only pop-up you'll see is the AVG auto-updater once a day, which automatically goes away after 30 seconds once it's finished updating AVG (or if you click the OK button.)

For a firewall, you can use the windows firewall, it works fine. It'll pop up occasionally to ask about this or that program, but it's not bothersome.

For ad-ware or malware, use Ad-aware ( http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ ) and Spybot ( http://www.safer-networking.org/ ) Don't use Spybot's Teatimer thing though, it's horribly annoying and the dialog box is mis-configured so that the buttons are difficult to read. These are manual scanners, you have to run them yourself to check for spyware.

windows defender is supposed to be okay, though I don't use it so I can't comment too much, just that I've heard it's fairly annoying, like Spybot's Teatimer.

That should cover you pretty well security-wise. This doesn't mean you can freely download things like "buckets'o'pr0n.exe" and run them without thinking about it, just that your system will be reasonably protected from the average sort of junk software or websites that you may encounter.

Most of the spyware and malware can be stopped in the first place by using a browser other than ie. There have been a lot of security reports about Firefox, but it's still pretty good. So is Opera. Both are free.

This is true, in fact after 60 days if you perform a scan even the clean result window will have a big red cross on it!

Uninstall and put Antivir (http://www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php) (you can change the update reminders in preferences) and Zonealarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/) on instead, for FREE!

You can also use AdAware (http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad-aware_se_pers onal.php) and Spybot Search and destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index .html), to clean up spyware.

PS: DONT USE INTERNET EXPLORER (dont know about v7 though?) use firefox instead http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/

A couple people have asked about that. I'll probably put up another wiki with PC Clinic specifically in mind. But here's some information to whet your appetite.

Before each clinic, I hop online and download the latest versions of AVG Antivirus Free Edition and Spybot Search & Destroy.

I also download all the updates. You can get AVG's updates here. Spybot's patches are on their download page.

Finally, I grab AVG's individual virus removal tools. (I haven't had cause to use them individually yet, but it's best to be prepared. :)

I throw those all onto a CD, and burn ten copies. These copies float around the service lab, and eventually all disappear. :)

I also grab the CD image of the latest Ultimate Boot CD, and burn a few copies of that. (Grab the Full version. The SMART tools on the INSERT system are extremely helpful.)

A new PC certainly won't help you. The first thing you should do when you get a proprietary computer is reformat and reinstall the operating system. Really, the only important stuff that comes on a new PC (besides the OS, obviously), are your drivers, which your manufacturer should have on a CD somewhere or available free for download. Everything else that they put on there, no matter how useful or convenient, is only on there because some company paid top dollar for prime PC real estate. If you need or want a program functionality, you're better off finding a program that you like; not the one that they're trying to shove down your throat.

Also, the security industry is way overplaying the virus issue. If you're careful about where you go and what you do, getting a virus is very rare even without virus scanning software. Everyone is making it sound like you need virus scanners, but the bigger problem is (you guessed it), adware/spyware. 9999999 out of 10000000, if you do get a virus, it will be from the internet. But since adware and spyware are not illegal (don't inhibit the operation of your PC, yeah right), companies can integrate it into they're software, like Sony was doing with their CD's, and can prevent you from removing that functionality in the End User License Agreement (but who reads those, anyhow?). In my opinion, the best Spyware scanner is Spybot: Searh and Destroy from Safer Networking (http://www.safer-networking.org/), which allows you to immunize, removing the harmful portions of programs containing Adware or Spyware.

Anyway, nothing beats a good Spyware Scanner, a good firewall (think the Windows on protects you? Keep in mind it's made by Micro$oft; my favorite firewall is ZoneAlarm), a Virus Scanner if you're paranoid, and an education in computer security. As Junior J. Junior III said above, learn what you're doing. Nothing can beat that.

Spybot: Search & Destroy will handle it. And it's freeware.

NB: posting as AC to prevent whoring

I've been working in the small shop/repair business for over 5 years, and its a weekly experience to get a machine in with thousands of trojans, viruses and spy apps. In cases where a re-install may not be desirable or feasable, here's a list of the tools we use to find, isolate and eradicate hostile software.

Disclaimer: I do not work for any of these companies, nor am I been paid anything by them. I just find that these tools work. Your mileage may vary.

1: Antivirus

As most of our customers are home users, we can recomend Grisoft's AVG as the most capable and reasonably priced ':)' antivirus out there. It does a pretty good job, and the installers are kept up to date so you don't have to fudge around with d'loading on a broken box.

AVG Free

2: Anti-Spyware

No-brainer. The best two in the business. Spybot and Ad-Aware. They don't get everything, but they both do a darn good job, and can even set themselves up to run on reboot before some of the uglies get going. We leave them on the system so we can attempt to train the user towards a safer future.

Ad-Aware Personal
SpyBot S&D

3: Process Viewers

Now this gets a little harder. Neither of these tools will do the job automatically, but with care, can show you the files and processes that are the center of these little problems. Personally, I like MS/Sysinternals Process Explorer, my boss prefers PrcView. As an interesting note: You'll occasionally find a hostile that can stop certain known process viewers from starting up. Get the old 95/98 version of PrcView. They always seem to miss that one. Recording the file name of the app, rebooting to the recovery console, and going in to hand delete the app works 98% of the time.

PrcView
Process Explorer

Now, the easy route....

Get yourself one of these. USB HDD Adapter Kit from your favourite retailer, and just hook the offending HDD up to a good machine with a up to date anti-virus scanner. You will have some broken startup and registry entries left over, but they're pretty simple in comparision.

I'd normally say, Enjoy! at this juncture. But you probably won't.

Best of Luck

kgs

Anyone who has followed the tale of Spybot S&D vs. Symantec should be tempted to say "tough luck" to Symantec.

Here is the story from http://www.safer-networking.org/en/news/2006-09-29 .html
Summary: For over a year, Symantec has flagged the source anti-spyware package "Spybot Search and Destroy" as "Incompatible software" and urges users to uninstall it when installing Norton Ghost or Norton Internet security. Symantec has refused to work with the author of Spybot or identify the "incompatibility". Both Spybot S&D and Symantec are members of the Anti-Spyware coalition.

-Ejay

*cough cough* http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index. html *cough cough*

for XP. Of course, you also had to buy antivirus software,

muck with popup blockers

and get a spyware removal tool if you were using XP

Now that I've established that you don't know what you're talking about. . .

As for:

Open Source software, which by definition is approaching perfection like 1-e**(-k*x) approaches unity, will never, ever be subject to malware

I have so much confidence in your statement that I keep a copy of F-Prot for Linux running on this box at all times. While it's a commercial product, the Linux version is free for home users.

As for Open Source approaching perfection. . . if Open Source were remotely close to perfection, I wouldn't be writing Linux tutorials for money, everything would be running a GUI from which everything could be done easily and there'd be no market for Linux tutorials.

Their "ultimate" package is really a crock of shiat, and really only called "ultimate" because the of "ultimate" income it brings to Best Buy. First of all, recovery disks should come with a new PC no matter what. It should NEVER be an option. I would never buy a computer without recovery disks.

Secondly, their, "system optimizations," are mainly a bunch of useless commercial tools for removing spyware and adware and basic stuff. You can get much better stuff online for either free or cheaper. I will say that a good antivirus application is something you want, though, so that part of the package is worth something.

Instead of giving more money to Best Buy, I would recommend going online once you get your computer and obtaining the following software packages:

• Download all of the critical and important updates from windows update (this is free).
• Norton Antivirus (ok, this one will cost something, but usually only about $20-$30, though if you work for a non-profit or a school, you can probably get a copy through them. Don't waste your money on Norton Internet Security, Norton Personal Firewall, or Norton SystemWorks.).
• Spybot Search & Destroy (this is free, though the guy that invented it does deserve a donation, and will keep your system generally free of spyware & adware).
• Mozilla Firefox (don't use an insecure browser like IE).

Anybody that can't go to these sites and download a few simple software titles themselves, probably shouldn't be using a computer in the first place,...

Their "ultimate" package is really a crock of shiat, and really only called "ultimate" because the of "ultimate" income it brings to Best Buy. First of all, recovery disks should come with a new PC no matter what. It should NEVER be an option. I would never buy a computer without recovery disks.

Secondly, their, "system optimizations," are mainly a bunch of useless commercial tools for removing spyware and adware and basic stuff. You can get much better stuff online for either free or cheaper. I will say that a good antivirus application is something you want, though, so that part of the package is worth something.

Instead of giving more money to Best Buy, I would recommend going online once you get your computer and obtaining the following software packages:

• Download all of the critical and important updates from windows update (this is free).
• Norton Antivirus (ok, this one will cost something, but usually only about $20-$30, though if you work for a non-profit or a school, you can probably get a copy through them. Don't waste your money on Norton Internet Security, Norton Personal Firewall, or Norton SystemWorks.).
• Spybot Search & Destroy (this is free, though the guy that invented it does deserve a donation, and will keep your system generally free of spyware & adware).
• Mozilla Firefox (don't use an insecure browser like IE).

Anybody that can't go to these sites and download a few simple software titles themselves, probably shouldn't be using a computer in the first place,...

free
http://www.7-zip.org/
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox
http://djlizard.net/software/dial-a-fix
http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/home
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

shareware
http://www.steganos.com/?product=safe8&language=en
http://www.agnitum.com/products/tauscan/index.php
http://www.kaspersky.com/antihacker

Norton and Mcaffee both suck. I mean, they're both terrible, poorly written, resource-intensive programs. The best anti-virus software I've found is AVG Free Edition. Though, realistically, you only need AV software if you open email attachments and download stuff from websites that aren't obviously trustworthy.

For antispyware software, the only ones to use are Spybot and Ad-Aware. Again, you only really need those programs if you use Internet Explorer. Don't. Get Firefox instead.

What else is good and useful? VLC has been mentioned, it's the best media player. Some of these Powertoys are useful, especially TweakUI. For Instant messaging, Trillian is the best, though GAIM gets better all the time.

Other than that...games. I don't have any recommendations for those, you'll just have to find what you like. Have fun.

* Crimson Editor An amazingly powerful freeware text / script editor.

  * uTorrent Is there an open source Torrent Client in under 200k? Does it have RSS searching, bandwidth scheduling, automatic resume, and trackerless support? Yes? Oh, good then.

  * As -U- Type. Spell check anywhere. It's a great piece of software, if you can get over the fact that the author barely speaks any english.

  * 3 Plane Soft Screensavers. Ok, they're screensavers. And they're a rip off. But damn they're nice.

  * Trillian. 'nuff said.

  * The Bat! The second best mail client created, behind only KMail.

  * IZarc If there were need for zip clients anymore, this would be the one to have. Also handles about 50 other file standards, integrates really well with explorer, is small and efficient, and did I mention free? Best unzipper out there, including the pay options.

  * Folder Size Shows you how big your folders are. If explorer were made by Apple, it would do this by default.

  * True Crypt Data so secure even it doesn't know if there is more to be found in a file.

  * Thumbs Plus Arguably there are a lot of good applications in this space, and there are ones out there with better interfaces. But it is the only thumbnail application I've ever used that can handle upwards of 20,000 files in a single directory. If you take lots of pictures, this is the one.

  * DVD Decrypter Recently bought out by Macrovision to shut down it's decryptey goodness, DVD Decrypter is really a no-nonsense, no-fuss DVD ripper and burner. Want to rip a movie from a DVD so you can watch it later? One button. Want to rip it back to a DVD? Another button.

  * Microsoft Power Toys Nifty stuff from people who both hate and make the operating system.

And remember to use an antivirus, a firewall, and two anti-spyware suites. My personal favorites are AVG Antivirus, Kerio Personal Firewall, Spybot, and Ad Aware.

It's strange to see Mac users asking about "amazing Windows software" because aren't mac users mostly Windows converts? Windows PCs have been about half the price of Mac machines for about a decade. I figured the reason people paid that premium for a Mac is for the quality that they have over Windows PCs. Also, the notion of Mac people now wanting Windows software shows that Apple's plan could backfire. Isn't the whole Boot Camp thing so that Windows people can now have an opportunity to switch over to Apple without losing all of the software they've grown accustomed to?

Anyway, to keep this on-topic, some amazing Windows software is
Spybot Search and Destroy - great spyware killer
AVG Anti-virus - self explanatory
iTunes - great software for organizing and playing your music. Also has a built-in store where you could purchase new stuff.
Konfabulator - great widget program with tons of free downloadable widgets online
Photoshop - The industry standard photo editing software, but it's pretty expensive.

The URL "www.accoona.com" is listed as a spyware site by both Spybot Search and Destroy and by MVPS. Both of these modify the /etc/hosts file to map "www.accoona.com" to 127.0.0.1.

You might install spybot and turn on the Tea Timer on these machines, also
any other security app that monitors processes and has lockdown on new registry
entries without authorization might work in it's place .

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/33.html

Tea Timer can be a bit annoying if you install a lot of new software/plug-ins/extensions
or other bits of code that engage the monitored regions, but the alternative is being
"owned" by the latest method of backdooring the M$ OS yet again .

Ex-MislTech

Superior? I'm lucky enough to have a cable line, which I send through my router/firewall, and then of course have Windows's built-in firewall on (I'm sure it sucks, but hell, even you are probly using it), and I run Avast 4 (Home edition is free to, well, home users), Spybot, and Microsoft Anti-spyware (I know they suck, and they're gonna shaft the anti-spyware "beta" once they re-release it as "Windows Defender" with OneCare (they strong armed the "Defender" name offa another product, but thats another story))

You know why I use that stuff? cus it works AND its free (as in free beer) - and you know what else? I dont get hit with jack shit. For all the claims AOL makes about broadband being *more* dangerous /* chuckles to self - what a bunch of nut jobs */ I find their claims a bunch of bullshit, but thats just me anyway - if you seriously meant what you said "AOL has a better security suite", you have 2.5 choices

1.A) Go right on ahead and let em keep screwing you in the ass
1.B) Get yourself into a mental ward
2) Even if you stick with dial-up, switch to some other ISP

I have seen more problems caused by Symantec's software then I could count. I feel that if you have to run Windows then any extra layers of protection that you would need can be provided by free applications online. For example: Ad-aware, Spy-Bot, AVG Anti-Virus, ZoneAlarm, and the best firewall protection, SmoothWall.

And what about Symantec's business practices... The Spybot S&D fiasco seems to be indicative of a company which does not take its corporate responsibilities to seriously to me.

Whether or not Symantec (or any other company in the protection business) has a hand in creating viruses/worms/malware is something I do not have enough information on to comment on. If someone has any proof that this is indeed the case please speak up...

You are kidding, right? It has been years since Norton Utilities did anything useful. The AV scanner and firewall let far too much through, and everything else they install is useless... The spyware scanner is a sieve used as an umbrella, the system cleanup utilities was useful on 98 but now just call software that comes with XP, crash protection takes a ton of resources and never works when you need it to, uninstall is about as successful as the regular windows uninstall routines, etc.

The only really good utilities are premium and expensive anyway, Partition Magic and Ghost. The average user will never need these, which is fortunate as the average user never buys these.

For Antivirus, use AVG. It is solid, low-resource, and free, and people have been using it successfully for many, many years. For a firewall, you want either Kerio Personal Firewall or Zone Alarm. Either is a small, robust, and far more secure than Norton firewall. Kerio is a little more powerful, Zone Alarm is a little simpler. Both are free, and have been around for years.

No antispyware software (especially commercial applications) catches everything, so a cocktail is usually in order. The two I recommend are Ad-Aware and Spybot. They're both classics, they both take low resources and are easy to schedule, and they have different search methodologies and as such catch different types of spyware. They also don't run unless called, so they don't take up any system resources. Combined, the two catch just about everything.

I have heard good things about Counter-Spy, but with just an 85% catch rate, it is still good to run a second application along with it. Likewise, with a 20 dollar yearly service fee, it isn't "fire and forget," and I've seen far too many systems that were unprotected because the credit card on file with their software service company expired.

Take all of the above utilities. Put them on a disk. Write a very small shell script that automatically launches the installers on insertion of the disk and clicks through everything (try PTFB, which can be launched and run from the disk automatically) and adds scheduled tasks to run the software. This shouldn't take you too long. Then whenever a crapflooded machine comes into your office with an expired copy of Norton, just clean it up and pop in the disk. I can't tell you how many machines I've installed AVG, Kerio, Ad-aware, Spybot (or some variant thereof) on, and have never regretted it.

There is a lot better stuff out there. Surprisingly, a lot of it is free. And while people seem to like to pay for software because it gives them a false sense of security, they also like the fact that you can whip out a disk right there and be done in five minutes, hassle-free.

There is a place on the Windows Update Site where you can download the specific patches and then your could run them separately (Look for some link that they have for Admins). When entire sites or companies's computers have to be updated, they don't waste bandwidth be making every computer talk to windowsupdate.microsoft.com. They download it centrally and then install.

You could download the patches and then copy them to your machine using a Jump Drive or some External HDD.

Also remember to install the MS Anti Spyware Tool (http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/ software/default.mspx). Some other tools:

Free (complementary) Anti Spyware downloads:
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Editi on/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj =dl&tag=top5
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.h tml

Clean-up Tools:
HijackThis
LSPFIX