Hope you don't mind but this is a guide I've written for another forums which I help run. Thought the info would be just as valid here for you guys.
I have been working in technical areas of IT for 16 years and people are always asking me (and I do mean always) howto stay "safe" on the internet when using Windows.
Well the internet is such a large place and encompasses so many applications on the normal desktop/laptop computer. We will assume for this post that you have a hardware firewall router as this now covers about 95% of ALL home internet installs.
First thing I always recommend is to run regular scans with a few often used free applications.
1: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Free Version) http://www.malwarebytes.org/
2: SuperAntiSpyware (Free Version) http://www.superantispyware.com/
3: Trend Micro Housecall (Free Edition) http://housecall.trendmicro.com/uk/
4: Spybot http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
5: An anti-virus of your choice, Free I recommend Avast http://www.avast.com
If you don't mind spending a few quid I recommend NOD32 http://www.eset.co.uk or Kaspersky http://www.kaspersky.co.uk
Obviously make sure all the above apps are upto date before scanning, when scanning make sure the software is set to do a "FULL SCAN", settings will often need to be changed to do this.
The above applications are also very good at cleaning an infected system, but before you do you should download and install CCleaner and empty all temp internet files. Makes for a much quicker scan of the systems and can save you a couple of days in scanning time sometimes.
Next tip is make sure you only use an "administrator" account when you really have to (when installing applications). The number of people who run local admin on their computers is scary. Without admin access on an upto date machine, most spyware and viruses fail miserably to install.
Now my next big secret to keeping safe on the internet. Run EVERYTHING in a "sandbox". I use an application called Sandboxie http://www.sandboxie.com/
This will sandbox applications you choose so they don't write any permanent changes to a system. I sandbox ALL my browsers (IE8, Firefox, Opera), ALL my chat clients (MSN, MIRC, etc) this then allows me to surf and chat in relative safety. If used properly it becomes almost impossible to become infected through the most common method "The Browser". Any rogue applications that try and install in a sandbox will be removed once the sandbox is closed, so this includes the spyware and viruses, but also legitimate downloads. The legitimate downloads can obviously be "recovered" from the sandbox.
Please feel free to add to this with your own suggestions/comments, but as an engineer I believe these to be the best implementation without too much hassle for the average end user for trying to keep them safe.
If anything seems confusing please do ask although each of the aforementioned sites does have very extended help and documentation.
Hope this helps a few of you.
I have been working in technical areas of IT for 16 years and people are always asking me (and I do mean always) howto stay "safe" on the internet when using Windows.
Well the internet is such a large place and encompasses so many applications on the normal desktop/laptop computer. We will assume for this post that you have a hardware firewall router as this now covers about 95% of ALL home internet installs.
First thing I always recommend is to run regular scans with a few often used free applications.
1: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Free Version) http://www.malwarebytes.org/
2: SuperAntiSpyware (Free Version) http://www.superantispyware.com/
3: Trend Micro Housecall (Free Edition) http://housecall.trendmicro.com/uk/
4: Spybot http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
5: An anti-virus of your choice, Free I recommend Avast http://www.avast.com
If you don't mind spending a few quid I recommend NOD32 http://www.eset.co.uk or Kaspersky http://www.kaspersky.co.uk
Obviously make sure all the above apps are upto date before scanning, when scanning make sure the software is set to do a "FULL SCAN", settings will often need to be changed to do this.
The above applications are also very good at cleaning an infected system, but before you do you should download and install CCleaner and empty all temp internet files. Makes for a much quicker scan of the systems and can save you a couple of days in scanning time sometimes.
Next tip is make sure you only use an "administrator" account when you really have to (when installing applications). The number of people who run local admin on their computers is scary. Without admin access on an upto date machine, most spyware and viruses fail miserably to install.
Now my next big secret to keeping safe on the internet. Run EVERYTHING in a "sandbox". I use an application called Sandboxie http://www.sandboxie.com/
This will sandbox applications you choose so they don't write any permanent changes to a system. I sandbox ALL my browsers (IE8, Firefox, Opera), ALL my chat clients (MSN, MIRC, etc) this then allows me to surf and chat in relative safety. If used properly it becomes almost impossible to become infected through the most common method "The Browser". Any rogue applications that try and install in a sandbox will be removed once the sandbox is closed, so this includes the spyware and viruses, but also legitimate downloads. The legitimate downloads can obviously be "recovered" from the sandbox.
Please feel free to add to this with your own suggestions/comments, but as an engineer I believe these to be the best implementation without too much hassle for the average end user for trying to keep them safe.
If anything seems confusing please do ask although each of the aforementioned sites does have very extended help and documentation.
Hope this helps a few of you.
