The Languedoc Page

Everyone has heard of viruses and spyware and has seen the warnings to keep your computer up to date and protected, but many of us seem to think that it will never happen to us and that we don’t use our computers for anything too important ; just keeping in touch with friends and family back in the UK and ordering the odd book off Amazon.

However, you would be surprised at how much personal information is stored on your computer such as credit card and bank details and also how easy it is for someone to access your information and exploit it.

In this guide, I am going to simply show you what needs to be done to your computer and how to do it to ensure that your details and data are safe from prying eyes. This information is based on if you have a computer running Microsoft Windows. The reason for this is that if you are using a different ‘Operating system’ such as Linux or Apple’s MacOS then it is a lot less likely you will suffer the problems that Windows users have. Windows is the most popular operating system in the world and as such is the one that is attacked more by the internets criminal fraternity. Also, the other operating systems tend to be much more secure.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have all the software you need installed on your system. The main pieces you need are an ‘Anti virus’ and an ‘Anti Spyware’.

An anti virus program will protect your computer from malicious programs that are often hidden away in Email attachments. While I am not going to promote one program over another, I have listed various programs at the bottom of this article along with the website address you can go to to obtain them. Some programs are free while others need a subscription to keep them up to date (which I will talk about later).

The second piece of software I have mentioned is an ‘Anti Spyware’ program. This type of program will help to keep your computer free from programs (again usually found in email attachments) that sit on your computer and watch what you are doing. Some may just see what websites you are browsing, while others will record everything you do and report this to the writer of the program. Obviously if you are entering credit card and bank account details on any website then you don’t want any one else getting these details

OK then ; you have installed the latest antivirus and antispyware on your computer ; that must mean you are safe to use the internet and enter all your credit and bank details into a myriad of websites right ? Well unfortunately no ! The chances are that your Antivirus and Anti Spyware programs were written at least a month ago and that since then new viruses etc. have been created and released. What you need to do is to update the programs. All these types of programs should have a means to update so they know about the latest viruses etc out there. Some even update themselves when you are on the internet. Have a look through the manual for the program and find out how it updates itself. Follow these instructions and you shouldn’t have too many problems. One hint that is very important but not understood by some is when you see in your Anti whatever program about ‘installing as a service’. Many beginners in computers see this and think to themselves “ Computer jargon ! I think I’ll ignore that”. Not a good idea. Basically, a ‘service’ in Windows is a program that will load itself up when Windows first loads. Therefore, if you have an anti virus or Anti spyware program you need to make sure it is running. Opt to turn on the service and the chances that you will be attacked are lessened.

As I have already said, one of the most common ways for your computer to become infected is through email attachments and while having a good anti virus program can help, nothing is better than your own vigilance. I receive roughly 200 emails a day and about 50 of them are emails I don’t want commonly called ‘spam’ (and I am a lucky person, around 70% of emails sent are spam). Remember those forums and websites you signed up to with your email address ? Well some sites sell their members email addresses to other people who want to sell you something. Even on the Languedoc page forum I can get all your email addresses (although I know Peter doesn’t sell them to anyone!). Unfortunately some people get your address and will then include you on a mailing list to send you a new virus or spyware program. Even your friends or relatives could be unwittingly sending you these dangerous programs because they are infected with a virus that can take over their email program and send itself to you because you are listed in their address book.

The best form of defence is to look at all your emails carefully and see where they are coming from and also what they contain. If an email is from someone you haven’t heard of before be very wary. Look at the subject line and decide from that if the mail could be genuine. If an attachment (a file that comes with the email) is sent, check it with your antivirus program first before opening. A useful guide is to look at the type of file it is. Files all have a name and after that a 3 letter code that tells you what it is. For example, photo.jpg is a photo while letter.doc is a Microsoft word file. .jpg tells me that the file is a JPEG photo (one of many image formats) and .DOC tells the file is a Microsoft word document. One of the things that virus writers do, is to try to disguise the file so it looks like a photo etc. They do this by including things like .jpg into the file name. For example, you might receive a file called photo.jpg.pif. This file is not a photo, but a program that can run on your computer; the .pif bit after photo.jpg tells me this. The most common types of virus that are sent like this include .pif, .com, .exe. So I would be very wary about opening photo.jpg.pif, photo.jpg.exe and photo.jpg.com as it is very likely that they would all contain a virus.

In my next article, I will be looking at what to do if you do pick up a virus and also if the worst happens and your computer dies. Please feel free to send me any feedback. I hope that I have been clear enough to everyone, but if your are still confused let me know and I will try to explain in simpler terms.

Note: Microsoft Antispyware is what is known as a beta release. This means it is still being tested and is not fully available yet. They may even charge once it is released, no-one knows yet

All information contained in this article is for informational uses only. None of the programs mentioned here are endorsed by the Languedoc page, IC Technology or Richard Cleverley. Make sure you backup your data before installing any new software. Any damage caused by the suggestions included in this article are not the responsibility of The Languedoc page, IC Technology or Richard Cleverley