How to Avoid Malware
By Justin Phelps, PCWorld Nov 16, 2010 8:42 pm

Malware is a term used to describe a broad category of damaging software that includes viruses, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, spyware, and adware. The effects of malware range from brief annoyance to computer crashes and identity theft. Malware is easier to avoid than it is to remove. Avoiding malware involves a two-part strategy. Follow these guidelines for staying safe.

Prevent Malware With Smart Online Behavior
The single biggest factor in preventing a malware infection on your PC is you. You don’t need expert knowledge or special training. You just need vigilance to avoid downloading and installing anything you do not understand or trust, no matter how tempting, from the following sources:

From a website: If you are unsure, leave the site and research the software you are being asked to install. If it is OK, you can always come back to site and install it. If it is not OK, you will avoid a malware headache.

From e-mail: Do not trust anything associated with a spam e-mail. Approach e-mail from people you know with caution when the message contains links or attachments. If you are suspicious of what you are being asked to view or install, don’t do it.

From physical media: Your friends, family, and associates may unknowingly give you a disc or flash drive with an infected file on it. Don’t blindly accept these files; scan them with security software. If you are still unsure, do not accept the files.

From a pop-up window: Some pop-up windows or boxes will attempt to corner you into downloading software or accepting a free “system scan” of some type. Often these pop-ups will employ scare tactics to make you believe you need what they are offering in order to be safe. Close the pop-up without clicking anything inside it (including the X in the corner). Close the window via Windows Task Manager (press Ctrl-Alt-Delete).

From another piece of software: Some programs attempt to install malware as a part of their own installation process. When installing software, pay close attention to the message boxes before clicking Next, OK, or I Agree. Scan the user agreement for anything that suggests malware may be a part of the installation. If you are unsure, cancel the installation, check up on the program, and run the installation again if you determine it is safe.

From illegal file-sharing services: You’re on your own if you enter this realm. There is little quality control in the world of illegal software, and it is easy for an attacker to name a piece of malware after a popular movie, album, or program to tempt you into downloading it.

Remove Malware With the Right Software
Chances are that no matter how careful you are, you will be infected some day. That’s because malware is designed to sneak onto your computer in ways you can’t possibly foresee. Enlist the help of the following software:

An updated operating system: Use Windows Update. Take advantage of its ability to automatically notify you of updates, or better yet, to automatically download and install updates.

An updated browser: No matter which browser you use, keeping it current is vital to preventing infection. Take advantage of your browser’s pop-up blocking, download screening, and automatic update features.

Antivirus software: You must run an antivirus program to be safe. Keep it updated, turned on, and schedule a scan to run at least once a month. (Don’t run two antivirus programs; they will interfere with one another.)

Anti-malware: Also called anti-spyware, many antivirus applications include an anti-malware component. If yours does not, install and use a standalone anti-malware program that does not conflict with your antivirus program. Keep it updated.

Firewall: If you aren’t running a third-party firewall, use Windows Firewall. (Don’t run two firewalls at once; they will interfere with one another.)

Spam filter: If your e-mail program is not adequately filtering spam from your in-box, consider additional spam filtering software. If your security software is a security suite, spam filtering may be a feature that you need to switch on.

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VIRUSES, PUPS AND THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH

VIRUSES, PUPS AND THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH
By Mary Abell

Recently my computer was attacked by some lovely person in China. (No, really… My son traced the intrusion back to its source!)Their virus gobbled up my extensive address book and started spamming everyone in it with ungrammatical come-ons to visit a site. I guess it could have been worse. I just sent emails to my contacts telling them to block my emails from that address. By the mailer daemon messages concerning undeliverable mail…some of them already had.

It is the humiliation of having to confess that, um, my computer got this, er, communicable disease! It is like the virtual version of STDs. No one is comfortable making that kind of announcement!

McAffee has a site that lists the most recent PUP (potentially unwanted program) with descriptions of its type and threat level. Not every PUP is a virus. A quick overview of viruses, worms and Trojans can help to understand the nature of the beast.

A virus attaches itself to a program or file. This allows it to spread from one computer to another. The thing about a virus is that it is dependent on a human to use that program or file. This is what separates a virus from a worm (a subset of a virus) which has gotten around the need for human interaction to cause havoc. A Trojan Horse is malware that appears to be something it is not…a useful program. It fools the user into activating it. Like other malware, Trojans can vary in severity, anything from mildly irritating practical jokes to dangerous intrusions into your private accounts.

There is a joke program that began circulating this year, Generic Joke!dd091a1c which, when executed displays the message box shown below.

The Joke Program makes the pointer move in random directions without the user’s input. This application does not create any files or registry entries for loading at startup and this program can be terminated through the option in Task Manager to end the process, or by rebooting.

There are, however, less benign programs. The ones that insinuate themselves into your system and registry, and make sure that they are rebooted at each startup. A new program called “Dead Eye” tricks users into downloading their code by promising to speed up their computer’s processing. It drops files into the registry and creates a shared folder and sets attributes which allows remote users to access the system. Some of its symptoms:
“    It disables firewall notifications
“    It changes ICMP settings.
“    This malware kills all McAfee running processes in the system
“    It connects to the following site: ftp.[Removed]domain.com
“    Presence of above mentioned registry and file entries

Malware can range from practical jokes which probably only the hacker considers amusing, to real critical attacks on your programs and even your identity and bank account. Make sure you have the best defenses possible. Firewalls are a no brainer. In addition, make sure that you have top grade anti-virus software on patrol. Lastly, don’t let down your guard. Most software manufacturers regularly send updates to address current security threats. Make sure you update as soon as they are available. They cannot protect your system unless you install them.

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Zlob Trojan Removal and Other Virus Removal Tips

What is Zlob?

Published by Robert Thomson | May 4th 2008

Zlob is the common name for the Zlob Trojan, also known as Trojan.Zlob. Zlob is a trojan style virus that is usually installed under the guise of a required ActiveX codec necessary to watch downloaded movies. Although it was first detected by malware protection firms in 2005, it did not gain publicity until 2006 when more and more people began to become infected by the trojan.

Many sources currently believe that the Zlob trojan originated in Russia.

There are currently thirty two variants of the Zlob trojan, according to researchers at F-Secure. They range from highly malicious trojans which can redirect regular network traffic to Zlob owned servers, allowing a hacker to gain control of the information, user names, and passwords sent to websites to spam sites and popups designed to annoy users.

How does Zlob work?

The Zlob trojan actually has a fairly unique way of manifesting itself. Like all Windows viruses, the Zlob trojan needs to be downloaded and installed in order to take effect. Also, it uses social engineering in a unique way to get people to click on the required links to download itself to a person’s computer.

It was commonly found on malicious porn sites, where unknowing visitors would download the ActiveX codec which was “required” to display the movies on the site. The codec was actually the first stage of the Zlob trojan in disguise.

Once the trojan is installed, it will beg information from your computer.

It may reroute your internet traffic to Zlob owned servers to harvest credit card information, or it may download other harmful code from the internet in an attempt to help other viruses spread. Variants have also been known to delete random files from users computers.

How can Zlob be removed?

There is no set way to remove the Zlob trojan, and it should be taken out of your computer the same way you would remove any other virus, trojan, or other malware. All of the modern anti-virus programs should be able to easily detect and remove the Zlob trojan without too much effort.

If you want to remove the virus yourself, there are a few steps that you must perform. First, boot into safe mode so that you can turn off the virus related programs before you attempt to remove them. Once in safe mode, you should look for the following applications: msmsgs.exe and nvctrl.exe.

Article Source: http://articlepool.com/what+is+zlob-1880

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