|
|
| Software Information |
|
|
|
|
Beware of Spyware
One day, you suddenly realize that your computer started to work noticeably slower than it used to. You decide to run de-fragmentation of your hard drive and add more virtual memory to the system. No luck! May be, it's probably some viruses, you reckon turning on your virus scanning software. Even after running the anti-virus program you notice that the problem won't resolve. Not understanding what's happening frustrated you pick up the phone. It's time to call your tech-support. Sounds familiar? You are not alone! Each day, thousands of users are facing similar problems caused by malicious software called Spyware. According to Dell technical support, nowadays 12 percent of their support calls involve problems related to some kinds of Spyware. Microsoft reports that fifty percent of all computer crushes are caused by Spyware, viruses and Trojans. What is a Spyware? Spyware ? also named Malware or Adware ? are malicious software programs, which most of the time get installed on your computer without your knowledge. These programs are capable of doing many outrageous, sinister things to your computer such as changing computer settings, tracking your online behavior, monitoring and controlling your computer, recording your keystrokes, displaying unwanted advertisement and reporting needed information back to the person behind it. The main types of Spyware are: Key loggers: This type of Spyware copies everything you type to a file and send it to the hacker. The more sophisticated type, which is used for identity theft, copies the information you provide when you are connected to a secure website. Browser hijacker: It modifies browser settings without your permission. This Spyware is capable of changing your start page, search page, search tool bar and redirect your url to specific pages. Email redirector: Surreptitiously copies all your incoming and outgoing emails and sends to the hacker. Dialers: This spyware install themselves to your dial-up settings and dials numbers without your knowledge, often to out of country numbers. Collectware: The purpose of this Spyware is to track your surfing habit and transmitting the statistical data to the hacker. This information later gets sold to advertisement companies. Adware: This Spyware downloads all sorts of banner advertisements every time you take some action such as typing a word on your search tool. Why my antivirus program does not block a Spyware? Although, Spyware uses same tactics like "Trojan" virus, technically it is not a virus. A virus is a program written to create trouble or possibly harm your computer system. Viruses are capable of replicate, evolve and cause severe damages to your computer files, registry or even hardware. Spyware, on the other hand, does not harm your computer intentionally. Any nuisance like system slow down is the collateral damage, which occurs while the Spyware serves its mission of monitoring your activities and making unwanted changes to your user experience. People rarely read the fine prints of the user agreements while downloading a file, a program, a game or other free stuffs from the Internet. Unethical sites use this to their advantage and add tiny Spyware with the file you are downloading. The anti-virus programs can not be sure, whether this program is installed deliberately by you or it's a malicious Spyware. This makes identifying and blocking a Spyware difficult for an Anti-virus program. However, things are started to change! Major anti-virus companies are planning to integrate anti-spyware programs to their existing products very soon. How did I get infected with a Spyware? There are numerous ways how you might end up with having a Spyware on your system. - When you download and install programs, games, smilies, pictures, screensavers from dubious sites, there is a big chance that you might install a sneaky Spyware along the way. - Some websites and pop-up windows try to download and install Spyware while you are there. According a recent analysis of sex-based websites, up to 80 percent of these sites are now being used to upload Spyware, worms and Trojans to unsuspecting visitors. - Some add-ons to you browser that is supposed to enhance your browser experience may secretively install Spyware. - The most cynical method of infecting you with Spyware is when you receive a sudden pop-up ad, which claims that your computer is contaminated and you have to run certain program to cure your system. If you are credulous enough to run this program, it just installs a Spyware instead of eliminating any. How to fight back? If you carefully follow the instructions outlined below, your chances of getting infected with Spyware are pretty slim. Update your Windows Allow your version of Windows to update it automatically. Ensure that you have all the latest security patches installed. Use Firefox as your default browser Since Internet Explorer is the main target for many Spyware, you will be better of with Mozilla Firefox. Moreover, it is a better browser than IE in many aspects. Be extremely careful with your downloads Try not to download anything from a unknown site. If you still feel like getting a shareware or freeware program check it out on one of these online Spyware database. Spychecker (http://www.spychecker.com/) is one such service, and Camtech 2000's Spy Chaser (http://camtech2000.net/Pages/SpyChaser.html) is a nifty downloadable database of nearly 1000 spyware-infested programs. Use an Anti-Spyware application Download and install one of the following anti-spyware programs: Ad-aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/), Spybot (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html) and Microsoft AntiSpyware. Although, Microsoft's Anti-Spyware (http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx) is still at beta stage, I am using it and very happy with its performance. Get a Firewall If you are using Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you are probably fine! In other cases, if your computer is connected to the Internet directly you should get a firewall and install it. Zone alarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp) is a great firewall you can download for free. A recently conducted survey of the Top Network Security threats in 2005 reveals that two-thirds of IT managers and administrators believe that Spyware will be the number one threat to network security. So don't take any chance! Make sure that you are protected! Nowshade Kabir is the founder, primary developer and present CEO of Rusbiz.com. A Ph. D. in Information Technology, he has wide experience in Business Consulting, International Trade and Web Marketing. Rusbiz is a Global B2B Emarketplace with solutions to start and run online business. You can contact him at mailto:nowshade[at]rusbiz.com http://ezine.rusbiz.com
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Hubris - Definition: Microsofts Passport Before September of 1995, Microsoft ignored the Internet because their 16-bit Windows 3.1 operating system couldn't handle the 32-bit Internet world. With the introduction of Windows 95, Microsoft decided they owned the Internet. Implementing ERP for Large Publicly Traded Corporation ? Microsoft Great Plains We would like first emphasize the change in the paradigm. If you look back ? 20 years or even 10 years ? those days you saw ERP/MRP monster applications/systems winning time. Everyone wanted to be looking large and, especially due to traditional business consulting sales efforts ERP applications were sold to large and mid-size clientele. The proposed strategy was: you need three components: What is Fleet Maintenance Software? Simply put, fleet maintenance allows companies to monitor and maintain their fleets of commercial vehicles more efficiently. Microsoft CRM Data Import FAQ Microsoft CRM has built-in conversion tool, however you should probably first try third party conversion tool, such as Scribe. It is relatively expensive and has bunch of importing capabilities, that you might never use and need. Scribe allows you to map objects in source and target, when source is ACT! for example. If you are just realized the need to load data into CRM ? please research Microsoft CRM import tool and Scribe. Here we will describe other option and possibilities Microsoft Great Plains Integration Manager: Using Continuum ? Overview for Developer Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains has I'd say end user integration tool ? Great Plains Integration manager. Integration Manager itself uses OLE functionality to validate text or ODBC integration files data through Great Plains forms behind the scenes. This sounds very promising and powerful ? however the realities place the restrictions. We heard a lot of complains about Integration Manager slowness and inability to integrate data to multiple companies automatically ? without operator intervention. This is probably true if you do not have IM expertise in your company. However there are Microsoft Great Plains maestros who could make magic things happen Linux ? Keyboard Or Mouse Just stress testing one of the latest Linux distributions. Been testing it for about two months. You know, Linux has advanced some distance since 1992-1993. It looks great! Because Linux is customizable, I decided to change a few of the resident commands. These were not wholesale changes and everything worked out o.k. So I started thinking again. You know, that can lead to solutions you can't get out of. In this instance, everything worked like a trusty timepiece. IT Department Skills to Support Microsoft Great Plains and Microsoft CRM Microsoft Great Plains as ERP and Microsoft CRM as Client Relation Management system is very robust combination and could serve midsize to large corporation as Business System.� Being VP IT or IT Director you need to foresee the positions to have in your IT department to do internal MS Great Plains and MS CRM support. Let us give you the directions, based on our research and consulting practice. Microsoft SQL Server Specialist ? we specially do not name this position as MS SQL DBA, because both Great Plains and MS CRM are not very complex from the database administration side, they do not use indexes optimization, referential integrity, probably do not require complex transaction log backup/recovery scenarios.� On the other hand this position requires Great Plains and Microsoft CRM tables structure analysis and some primary Great Plains data fixing skills via SQL queries, described in MBS Customer source techknowledge database.� The best candidate should have some accounting background - to be able to address ongoing issues to MBS technical support. Network Administrator with good Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory skills.� Microsoft CRM uses all the newest Microsoft technologies, and Exchange is a workhorse here.� In order to install and upgrade MS CRM this guy needs to understand the under-laying Microsoft technology.� In the best case - she/he should know Exchange security structure and probably program Exchange handlers, due to the fact that CRM/Exchange connector is not a perfect tool yet. C# or VB.Net programmer with excellent SQL Skills? if you are midsize or large company - you should have this position - you will need web publishing and MS CRM customization and its support.� Currently Microsoft CRM SDK has C# examples - so C# programmer would be the best fit, it may have more VB code in the future, so the C# - VB balance maybe restored. Crystal Reports Designer/Programmer - Crystal Reports is the best tool available on the market to address both Great Plains and MS CRM reporting needs.� This position maybe merged with one of the above. These people should be probably cross-trained in both Great Plains, Microsoft CRM, Crystal Reports, SQL and C# programming, so you do not depend on the unique skills of one person.� In our opinion, which is based on our long term consulting practice - these skills will allow you to keep the cost of IT support reasonably low and avoid paying high consulting price to your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner. Happy hiring and training! But in any case you need to select Microsoft Business Solutions Partner/Var/Reseller to be your official representative.� This is how MBS has its channel working - it assures that Microsoft Business Solutions products are properly implemented.� If you want us to be your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! [email protected] Your Computer May Be Infected, Heres How To Check (NOT about virus) NOTE: Please take time to read on - it may be vital for your PC's security. If you are not in the mood, just save it or print it out for later reference. New SQL Delta Version 3.1 COMMAND LINE FUNCTION Vlans In order to implement VLANs in a network environment, you'll need a Layer 2 switch that supports them. Almost all switches sold today that are described as "managed" switches provide the ability to make ports members of different VLANs. However, switches that don't provide any configuration function (such as many basic, lower-end switches) don't provide the ability to configure VLANs. Almost any Cisco Catalyst switch that you'll come across today provides the ability to make ports part of different VLANs. .NET :Solving the Multiple Inheritance Issue Under .NET Platform .NET platform does not support multiple inheritance. Do not confuse multilevel inheritance with multiple inheritance. With multiple inheritance we can have a subclass that inherits from two classes at the same time. Increase Office Efficiency With One Simple Tool When you need a phone number, you do a quick search on the Internet and in a few seconds, you've got the information you need. And you probably receive a lot of contact information right inside the emails you receive every day. Both methods are by far more convenient than using those white or yellow-colored telephone directories. Microsoft Great Plains: carpet, textile, fabric, felt distributor ? implementation overview In this small article we will show you the possible way of deploying Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains for the market niche of large, mid-size and small reselling and distribution business in carpeting and floor covering, textile & fabric. We will not be talking about fabric production, but rather cutting for the end-user or small retailer. Microsoft Great Plains itself in our case should be considered as a platform for light customization and modification. We'll describe industry requirements and the way them to be implemented in Great Plains Microsoft Navision and Crystal Reports - An Overview Microsoft Business Solutions ? Navision is an integrated solution for small and midsize companies looking to expand their business operations without much interruption to its existing processes. Microsoft Navision enables businesses to alter as much or as little of its existing system, integrate add-ons and vertical segments of its development. It integrates every aspect of your organization, from customers to suppliers, from accounting to supply chain, increasing your productivity and competitive edge. Microsoft Navision has an open environment architecture making it fully customizable and easy to use and maintain. It can also be implemented rapidly so that there is only a minimal disruption to business operations. Spyware, What is it? Spyware, what it is and what it does. Basically, spyware is a program put on your computer usually after you have downloaded some kind of program or went to a certain site. Once this program is on your computer, depending on what kind was put on, has the potential to monitor what you're doing without you knowing it. OLAP, An Alternative Technology Over Spreadsheets Are Spreadsheets Robbing your Enterprise of Competitive Advantage? SQL: Querying Microsoft Great Plains ? Overview for Database Administrator/Developer � Groupware: Answers the 5 Questions of Document Collaboration Every organization which creates collaborative documents, whether they are budgets, presentations, reports, spreadsheets, or other documents recognizes that collaborative efforts are requirement. That collaboration always forces the 5 eternal document collaboration questions: Who? What? Where? When? How? The reason I refer to them as eternal is that every day businesses are faced with these questions and rarely find the answers when they collaborate on documents. Microsoft Navision Customization Upgrade ? Tips For Programmer/IT Specialist Currently Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way of creating so-called suites: Microsoft Financials, Microsoft Distributions, Microsoft HR, Microsoft Manufacturing. It is very difficult to say which product will be the core of which suite, but the best guess is this: Microsoft Great Plains - Microsoft Financials and probably Distribution/Supply Chain Management and HR, Solomon - Microsoft Project or Professional Services, Navision - Microsoft Manufacturing. If you have Microsoft Business Solutions Navision and support it for your company then you need to know some technical details about Navision version upgrade and what is going on behind the scenes, which options do you have in case of C/SIDE customization or Jet Reports. The End of Spyware? The US House of Representatives has recently passed the "Spy Act" - or to give it its full title - the Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act. This aims to prevent software companies from installing spyware on users PCs without their knowledge, and anyone found guilty of breaching the act faces a fine of up to $3 million.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |