Transcript Document

Viruses, Cookies, and
Spam … Oh, My!
a presentation by
Patrick Douglas Crispen
Our Goals
• Discover five things you should do each week to
keep your computer running in tip-top shape
• Learn 10 quick tips to diagnose and fix most
computer problems
• Discover why cookies aren’t necessarily bad but
spyware is
• Find out how to kill pop-up ads once and for all
• Discuss some anti-spam resources
• DO ALL OF THIS IN ENGLISH!
The Weekly “Fab Five”
• The Weekly Fab Five is a list of five
things you should do each week to
ensure your computer keeps running
in tip-top shape.
• The Fab Five works for both PCs and
Macs.
• Check out
http://netsquirrel.com/fabfive/
The Weekly “Fab Five”
1. Update your antivirus definitions.
2. Run Windows Update / Apple
Software Update.
3. Run ScanDisk / Disk First Aid.
4. Run disk defragmenter.
5. Backup backup backup!
The Weekly Fab Five
1. Update Your Virus Definitions
You’d be shocked at how many
people have NEVER done this.
What Viruses CAN’T Do
• Viruses CAN’T
physically damage
your computer’s
hardware.
• If your computer
suddenly bursts into
flames, IT ISN’T A
VIRUS!
• However, viruses CAN
(and probably will)
wreck your
computer’s files.
Image courtesy http://www.adelon.ru/
Virus Definitions?
•
There are two parts to your antivirus
program
1. The antivirus program itself
2. The virus definitions
•
•
Each computer virus has its own, unique
“signature” or “thumbprint.”
When your antivirus program’s
manufacturer discovers a new virus, they
create a virus definition that tells your
antivirus program what to watch for.
Why Update?
• When you bought your antivirus program,
it came with a list of virus definitions for
all of the viruses that were known at that
time.
• BUT, antivirus company Symantec
estimates that 10 to 15 new viruses are
discovered each day.
• If this is correct, between 3,650 and 5,475
brand new viruses were discovered in just
the past year alone.
If your antivirus program
doesn’t have the latest
virus definitions, your
computer isn’t protected
against ANY of these new
viruses!
Updating Your Virus Definitions
• In Norton Antivirus, click
on the “Live Update”
button and Norton
automatically downloads
and installs the latest virus
definitions.
– Don’t trust the default install
to check – do it yourself!
• McAfee VirusScan has a
similar update function (go
to File > Update
VirusScan).
Updating Other AV Programs
• If you are unsure how to update your virus
definitions, visit the Web site of your
antivirus software manufacturer and look
for their “download,” “update,” or
“technical support” section.
• If you are on AOL, you can find the latest
virus definitions for most antivirus
programs at keyword: virus.
Now for the Bad News
• In addition to updating your virus
definitions each week, you need to
completely replace your antivirus
software every 12 to 18 months.
• Why? Even with the latest virus
definitions, your old antivirus
program may not be able to detect
the newest, polymorphic viruses.
What About Macs?
• The possibility of new
Mac viruses, while
slight, is still greater
than zero.
• The possibility of
future, cross-platform
viruses (viruses that
infect both PCs and
Macs) is also quite
real.
Image courtesy http://www.apple.com/
The Weekly Fab Five
1. Update Your Virus Definitions
Even if you have a Mac, and
ESPECIALLY if you have a PC
The Weekly Fab Five
2. Run Windows Update /
Apple Software Update
Close the holes in your
operating system.
“Holey Windows, Batman!”
• Every operating system has known
vulnerabilities or “security holes.”
(Computer programs have these
vulnerabilities too.)
• Through these holes, nefarious netizens
can break into your computer and:
– Read or even delete every file on your computer;
– Infect your computer with a virus;
– Use your computer to attack or spam another
computer; or
– Do a whole bunch of other nasty things.
Known OS Vulnerabilities –
3 December 2003
•
•
•
•
•
Image courtesy Associated Press
Windows 95: 49
Windows 98: 66
Windows 98SE: 41
Windows ME: 37
Windows XP
Home: 91
• Windows XP
Professional: 95
• Mac OS X: 74
Closing the Holes
• With relatively few exceptions, when
software manufacturers find a security
hole in one of their products, they release
a patch that closes that hole.
• If your computer doesn’t have ALL of
these patches, it isn’t protected … and
your computer is completely vulnerable to
all the nasty stuff we talked about three
slides ago.
Windows Update
• Built into every PC since Windows 98
and into every version of Microsoft's
Internet Explorer since version 4.0 is
something called “Windows Update.”
• Windows Update is an easy-to-use
tool that helps you ensure that your
PC is running the absolute latest
Windows patches and drivers.
Windows Update
•
•
If you have Windows
98 or later, launch
Windows Update by
going to Start >
Settings > Windows
Update.
You can also launch
Windows Update by
going to Tools >
Windows Update in
Internet Explorer 4,
5, or 6.
Windows Update
•
•
•
Click on “Scan
for Updates.”
The rest is pretty
self explanatory.
Just remember:
you only need
the Critical
Updates – stay
away from
everything else.
Weekly Windows Update?
• Up until late 2003, Microsoft released new
critical updates almost every week.
• The folks in IT weren’t too happy with this.
• So, Microsoft now releases new critical
updates on the second Tuesday of each
month, but you should still run Windows
Update each week just to be safe.
Office Update
• Windows Update doesn’t
check Microsoft Office
• To do that, click on the
“Office Update” link at the
top of the Windows Update
Screen.
• Run Office Update
occasionally (not weekly),
and make sure you have
your Office installation
disk handy – some of the
updates may ask to “sniff”
your disk.
Apple Software Update
• If you “compute with fruit,” the Mac
OS has its own version of Windows
Update called “Software Update.”
• You can find it at Apple Menu >
Control Panels > Software Update.
• Click on “Update Now” and follow
the on-screen prompts.
The Weekly Fab Five
2. Run Windows Update /
Apple Software Update
Download and install the critical
updates.
The Weekly Fab Five
3. Run ScanDisk / Disk First Aid
Now that you have the latest
patches, take a minute to check
the integrity of your disk drives.
How Your Hard Drive Works
• The data on your hard drive is stored in
“clusters” – blocks that are typically 2,048
bytes, 4,096 bytes, or 8,192 bytes in size.
(And no, you aren’t supposed to know
this.)
• What happens when a file (like Microsoft
Word) is so large that it won’t fit in just
one cluster?
– It is stored in multiple clusters. (Duh!)
“Honey, Does This Table Make
Me Look Fat?”
• To keep track of all the clusters and to
which programs or files they belong, your
computer uses a “Directory” and a “File
Allocation Table”
• The directory stores the file name, its size,
and its beginning cluster.
• The File Allocation table – the “FAT” in
“FAT 32” – remembers where all
subsequent clusters belonging to that file
are located.
Corrupted FAT BAD!
• When your directory
or FAT is corrupted,
some programs
(understandably) stop
working and some
files simply can’t be
opened.
• “Lost Clusters,” “Lost
Fragments,” and
“Cross Linked Files”
• Solution? Run
ScanDisk.
ScanDisk to the Rescue!
• ScanDisk is a free
Microsoft utility that
– Fixes FAT problems (like
lost clusters).
– Checks your hard drive
for invalid file names and
date stamps.
– Checks the surface of
your hard drive for
physical damage (this
takes forever and is
optional).
Launching ScanDisk
• The easiest way to launch ScanDisk
is to go to Start > Programs >
Accessories > ScanDisk.
• In “Type of test” choose “Standard.”
– Checks files and folders for errors
• Check “Automatically fix errors.”
Troubleshooting ScanDisk
• If ScanDisk keeps
restarting, boot into
“Safe Mode” and run
ScanDisk there.
• To boot into Safe
Mode, restart your
computer and then
repeatedly press the
F5 key (or maybe the
F8 key).
• When the startup
menu appears,
choose “Safe Mode.”
ScanDisk for Win 2K or XP
• In Windows 2000 and
XP, ScanDisk is rereplaced by
“CheckDisk.”
• Don’t bother looking
for it – there is no
icon.
• Go to Start > Run,
enter the word
chkdsk, and then
press the enter key.
ScanDisk for the Mac
• Apple’s ScanDisk
is called “Disk
First Aid.”
• To run Disk First
Aid on your Mac,
double-click on the
Disk First Aid icon
in your utilities
folder.
Norton Disk Doctor
• If you have Norton
Disk Doctor, use it
instead of ScanDisk
or Disk First Aid.
• Disk Doctor is a
MUCH more thorough
ScanDisk utility.
• Disk Doctor is
included with Norton
Utilities or
SystemWorks (but
NOT Norton Antivirus)
The Weekly Fab Five
3. Run ScanDisk / Disk First Aid
This makes sure your computer
remembers where all your
programs and files are located.
The Weekly Fab Five
4. Run Disk Defragmenter
Now that your computer knows
where all your programs and
files are located, let’s move
those clusters a little closer
together.
What is “Fragmentation”
• Remember how large files fill multiple
clusters?
• In the course of using your computer –
creating, deleting, and modifying files –
these clusters become more and more
non-sequential.
• Instead of being in clusters 5, 6, and 7, a
file could be placed in clusters 5, 62, and
1573.
• This is called “fragmentation.”
What is Defragmentation?
• Degframenting – or “defragging” –
your hard drive simply means
making all of the clusters on your
hard drive sequential again.
• It puts file1’s clusters in a row,
followed by file2’s, and so on.
Fragmentation and ULs
• There is an old urban legend that
fragmentation slows, and defragging
speeds up, your hard drive.
• Research shows that this is no longer the
case, especially with modern hard drives.
• “The PC World Test Center’s tests reveal
that defragmenters don’t actually improve
performance.” – PC World, May 2002 (p.
77)
Why Defrag?
• So why should you defrag?
• “The more fragmented the files on your
hard drive are, the more likely a disk error
is to destroy them.” – PC World, May 2002
(p. 77)
• Defragging cuts down on hard drive wear
and tear.
• Besides, when you defrag you get to see
all those pretty, colored boxes.
Defragging a PC
• Built in to Windows is
a free disk
defragmenter called,
oddly enough, “Disk
Defragmenter.”
• Start > Programs >
Accessories > System
Tools > Disk
Defragmenter
• Macs, unfortunately,
don’t come with a disk
defragmenter.
Running Disk Defragmenter
• Choose the disk you want to defragment –
usually your c:\ drive – and then click OK.
• Disk Defragmenter tells you what
percentage of your hard drive is
fragmented.
• Click on Start to begin the
defragmentation process.
• Grab a big, thick book and relax … this is
going to take a while.
Norton Speed Disk
• If you have Norton
Speed Disk, use it
instead of Microsoft’s
Disk Defragmenter.
• Speed Disk is a MUCH
more thorough
defragger.
• Speed Disk is
included with Norton
Utilities or
SystemWorks (but
NOT Norton
Antivirus).
The Weekly Fab Five
4. Run Disk Defragmenter
It moves the clusters closer
together, making your hard
drive happier.
The Weekly Fab Five
5. Backup Backup Backup
Do you have a computer
disaster recovery plan?
You should!
Here’s a Frightening Thought
• Imagine what would happen if your
computer just up and stopped working.
• All of your programs, all of your emails, all
of the pictures and files you have
downloaded from the Net ... GONE.
• How would you react?
• Heck, how would you SURVIVE?
Disaster Recovery
• In the world of computing, you either have
a disaster recovery plan … or you are
completely and totally hosed.
• Most businesses – and (unfortunately)
only a few home computer users – prepare
for a computer disaster ahead of time by
backing up their critical data onto
removable disks, tapes, or other hard
drives.
http://www.langa.com/backups/
backups.htm
• This sounds
complicated, but it
really isn’t.
• Fred Langa has a
WONDERFUL, free
article that tells you
everything you need
to know about
backing up Win98 /
ME / NT / 2K / XP.
My Disaster Recovery Plan?
• Drive Image and a 200
GB, 7200 RPM
external Western
Digital FireWire hard
drive.
• I also routinely
backup critical data to
either a CD (MS
Money files, etc.) or
my Web site
(PowerPoint files, etc.)
The Weekly Fab Five
1. Update your antivirus definitions.
2. Run Windows Update / Apple
Software Update.
3. Run ScanDisk / Disk First Aid.
4. Run disk defragmenter.
5. Backup backup backup!
10 Quick Tips to
Diagnose and Fix
Most Computer
Problems
Tip Number One:
Do the Weekly Fab Five
The best way to solve a
computer crisis is to avoid it
altogether.
Tip Number Two:
Wiggle the Cables
9 times out of 10, the solution
really is this simple.
Keep It Simple
• Check your
connections, power
outlets, and cables.
• Unplug and replug
any external hardware
connected to your
computer.
• Look for signs of
damage in cables or
connectors, such as
bent pins or vicious
Lhasa Apso attacks.
Tip Number Three:
Reboot
Better still, reboot into Safe
Mode (using the F5 key) and
then reboot again.
Rebooting a Stubborn Computer
• If your computer – desktop or laptop
– won’t shut down or restart, you
DON’T need to unplug your
computer!
• Press and hold the power button for
15 seconds.
Tip Number Four:
Identify the Source
When did your computer last
work? What have you done
since then?
Tip Number Five:
Ask Around/Search
Someone else has had – and
fixed – this problem before.
Why reinvent the wheel?
Google to the Rescue!
• Search for the EXACT
error message at
google.com.
• 9 times out of 10, the
first hit will be a
Microsoft Knowledge
Base article telling
you how to fix the
problem.
Tip Number Six:
For Hardware Problems, Uninstall
the Drivers and Then Reboot
Once you restart, Windows will
(hopefully) install the new driver
automatically. If not, you’ll have to
add the driver manually.
Windows Device Manager 9X/ME
• Start > Settings >
Control Panel >
System.
• Click on the
“Device Manager”
tab.
• Click the plus sign
next to the device
that isn’t working.
Windows Device Manager XP
• Start > Control Panel >
Performance and
Maintenance >
System.
• Click on the
“Hardware” tab, then
the “Device Manager”
button.
• Click the plus sign
next to the device that
isn’t working.
Removing Drivers
• You can remove a driver simply by
highlighting it and clicking the remove
button.
• When you restart, Windows should
reinstall the driver for you.
• BUT, there is a chance Windows won’t
have the driver.
• BEFORE YOU REMOVE ANY DRIVERS,
DOWNLOAD NEW ONES FROM THE
MANUFACTURER JUST TO BE SAFE.
Tip Number Seven:
Reinstall the Software. If That
Doesn’t Work, Uninstall/Reinstall.
Install the software on top of itself.
Then, as a last resort, nuke the
software and install it again.
Tip Number Eight:
Repair Internet Explorer in Win9X.
IE = Windows. If IE breaks, so
does Windows.
IE Repair Tool
• The Internet Explorer Repair tool
includes the following features:
– A feature to identify problems with Internet
Explorer that are caused by files that are out of
date.
– A feature to fix problems that are caused by the
incorrect or incomplete registration of Internet
Explorer files.
– A feature to restore or repair the desktop or Start
menu shortcut commands for Internet Explorer
that have been deleted or do not function properly.
IE Repair Tool
• Start > Settings > Control Panel >
Add/Remove Programs
• On the Install/Uninstall tab, click
“Microsoft Internet Explorer,” click
“Add/Remove,” click “Repair the current
installation of Internet Explorer,” and then
click OK.
• If you have XP, skip this and go straight to
Tip Nine.
Tip Number Nine:
Run System File Checker.
This is a hidden Windows
feature that fixes broken
system files.
System File Checker
• In Windows
98/98SE/ME, go to
Start > Run and
key in sfc
• In XP, go to Start >
Run and key in
sfc /scannow
Tip Number Ten:
Dial 911.
If you can’t fix it, get help.
Cookies v. Spyware
Cookies!
• A cookie is small text file
that a Web site puts on
your hard disk so that the
Web site can remember
something about you at a
later time.
• Should you fear cookies?
NO!
• "The vulnerability of
systems to damage or
snooping by using web
browser cookies is
essentially nonexistent." –
U.S. Dept of Energy
Spyware
• Spyware, on the other hand, is software that is
put on your computer without your knowledge or
permission.
– This impacts both PC and Mac users.
• Spyware secretly and continuously gathers
information about you and relays it to advertisers
or other interested parties.
• Spyware can be installed on your computer as a
result of a virus or by your downloading and
installing a “free” program (like Kazaa) that
sneaks the Spyware onto your computer.
Ad-Aware 6
• Ad-Aware 6 is a free
program that scans
your PC and removes
the spyware.
• Download it for free at
lavasoftusa.com.
• Mac users can find a
similar product called
MacScan at
securemac.com.
How to Stop
Pop-Up Ads
Google Toolbar
• If you have a PC and
use Internet Explorer,
install the new Google
Toolbar at
http://toolbar.google.com/
• Not only does it let
you easily search
Google, it also blocks
pop-up ads!
• Oh, and it’s free!
WebWasher Classic
• Another way to stop popup ads is to download and
install WebWasher at
webwasher.com
• FREE for home and school
use
• Runs on Windows, Mac
OS, and Linux.
• Search for webwasher
tourbus at Google for
detailed instructions on
how to download, install,
and configure WebWasher.
How to Kill Spam
Two Words: You CAN’T!
• You’ll never stop the
spam from coming.
• But check out PC
Magazine’s February
2002 “Slam the Spam”
article for some tips
and anti-spam
software reviews.
• Best anti-spam
software: Mailshell's
SpamCatcher
How to Avoid Getting Spammed
1. Guard your inbox.
2. Use free Web mail
accounts (like
Hotmail.)
3. Use a disposable
email address (like
spamgourmet.)
4. Use fake addresses
(like
[email protected].)
5. Don’t post your
address.
6. Don’t answer spam.
Ever.
7. Opt out on signup.
8. Read the privacy
policy.
9. Use a spam filter.
Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,849443,00.asp
Fair Use Disclaimer
This presentation was created
following the Fair Use Guidelines for
Educational Multimedia. Certain
materials are included under the Fair
Use exemption of the U.S. Copyright
Law. Further use of these materials
and this presentation is restricted.
Viruses, Cookies, and
Spam … Oh, My!
a presentation by
Patrick Douglas Crispen