PC Security-HowTo Secure my PC

January 5, 2012 14 Comments

Safer Internet day-logo SID 2012

A short tutorial showing you how to secure your PC on a maximum…

Secure your PC by easy to follow steps. A blog about a series of  Tutorials who will show you how to secure your PC and to understand it…This blog explains you what needs to be installed on your PC to make it secure on a maximum…

This blog was actually a knol created on July 14, 2010 and migrated to WordPress on January 05, 2012.

Introduction


Wordle logo about keywords for IT-SecurityThis blog was made in urgence because some friends have some problems with security and I want to share this knowledge also with you my readers…
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The author is “Member of the Advisory Board” from “Luxembourg Safer Internet” (LuSI), BEESECURE, Official Partner (Consultant) from the Ministry of Education in Luxembourg, project “MySecureIT“, Official Partner from the Ministry of Commerce in Luxembourg, project “CASES” (Cyberworld Awareness and Security Enhancement Structure).
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KlickSafe: Did You Ever Dieded?
did-you-ever-diedKlickSafe: Did You Ever Dieded?
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KlickSafe: Where Is Klaus?
where-is-klausKlickSafe: Where Is Klaus?
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KlickSafe: Cybermobbing
cybermobbingKlickSafe: Cybermobbing
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 What Is The Minimum Required To Secure Your PC?

gears iconAs probably most of PC users know, a PC needs an antivirus and a firewall, that is the strict minimum. But that is not all, Windows updates must be done also and some updates which most of users don’t know, ALL installed programs on the PC must be updated!!!
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Why IT-Security? Why the need to secure a computer?
Why fore the updates are they relevant to security may you ask?
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In ALL programs are discovered vulnerabilities, so when discovered by their manufacturer there will be a new update released. Those updates are necessary to install as they close the security holes in the programs. Because of those security holes a PC could get remotely controlled over Internet.
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The most known vulnerable programs are: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Java, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, ITunes…
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Do you have installed the latest Java on your PC? Check here: Verify Java.
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Advice: Chose an other firewall than the Windows firewall, best is to buy an Internet Security Suite, which contains an antivirus, a firewall, an anti spyware, an anti rootkit… I recommend “Norton Internet Security” which I use since years on my working place and as well at home. This Security Suite is easy to handle, the most important for a user, you don’t remark even that it is existing on your PC… 
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To make sure that ALL your installed programs on your PC are every time updated, use Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI). Once installed on your PC it checks automatically for all updates of your installed software and installs them, very easy procedure.
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secunia-start-window
The Secunia PSI is a FREE security tool designed to detect vulnerable and out-dated programs and plug-ins which expose your PC to attacks. Attacks exploiting vulnerable programs and plug-ins are rarely blocked by traditional anti-virus and are therefore increasingly “popular” among criminals.
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The only solution to block these kind of attacks is to apply security updates, commonly referred to as patches. Patches are offered free-of-charge by most software vendors, however, finding all these patches is a tedious and time consuming task. Secunia PSI automates this and alerts you when your programs and plug-ins require updating to stay secure.

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secunia-scan 95%
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The figure shows the scan of a new laptop (mine), as you may discover yourself the laptop even as a brand new one doesn’t have installed all he updates and would be vulnerable if not updated… It is only secure by 95%.
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secunia-scan-97%
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After a couple of minutes PSI has already downloaded one program and started the download of a second program, the progress is now already 97%.
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Progress…98%…
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Once all the downloads made the dashboard shows 100%…
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Secunia dashboard after 6 weeks running
Scan Result after 6 weeks running PSI.
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Related links:
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Web Informer Button

Protecting Your Facebook Account, How Secure Are Your Settings???

Bitdefender Safego BetaRecently (Feb, 2011) BITDEFENDER launched a new Beta program, here is the text and screenshots from it:

Posts on your wall, comments from friends, Inbox messages: sharing’s the name, having fun is the game. Well, at least until an infected link or a ton of spam steps in to spoil it.

Using in-the-cloud scanning, BitDefender safego keeps your social networking account safe so that you and your PC don’t get into e-trouble. An efficient BitDefender spam repellent also helps keep your message flow free from this kind of blah-blah.

And that’s not all. With BitDefender safego you get a privacy rating that tells you whether you’re an easy prey on the personal data theft front as well.

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Bitdefender Safego Beta

and here below how it looks in practice…
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Bitdefender Safego Beta result on Facebook
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As shown in image below SAFEGO shows you the infected links on the right-hand side and provides you also a red icon. By clicking this “red icon” a new window opens with an alert message and a button. When clicking this button you could send a message to your friend who’s link is infected to alert him…
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Bitdefender Safego Beta result on Facebook/Example of infected link

WOT goes social – Preview the beta version now!

Wed 16 Mar 2011 09:00:35 AM UTC —

Social networking - on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere – is a big part of what people are doing daily on the internet. Social media allows messages to spread far and fast and become popular, even viral. When the messages come from someone that you know and trust, it’s often perceived as safe. Put these factors together, and you’ve got a very tempting target for scammers and hackers. Typically, a scammer takes over an account and uses it to spread links which are contaminated, lead to phishing or malicious sites, or intend to capture more accounts.

Wouldn’t it be great to know, from the very first glimpse, if the links your Facebook friends are sending you can be trusted?

WOT goes social
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As you see here, soon there will be a new version of WOT released, stay tuned and download it when available…
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Update (23.03.2011): it works now, here below a screenshot…
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WOT in practice on Facebook
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 How Does It Happen An Infection Of The PC?

information-question-mark iconAs already mentioned above, the “Drive by Download” is on the mood and it is the most dangerous way to get the PC infected. “Drive by Download” means, your PC will get infected while visiting a web site. And that could be any web site, even web sites from government and/or Newspapers… Even if you have installed an antivirus and a firewall your PC could get infected, because of the security holes in installed programs on your hard disk when they are not updated…
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How is this possible?
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Not every webmaster (people who take care of that web site and/or are creating that web site) has the necessary security knowledge, nor does the owner of that web site wanting to spend more money for security awareness…
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Against of what most people think, a PC can also getting infected when not connected to the Internet. Any storage medium (CD, DVD, Memory Cards, Flash cards, USB Stick, USB drives…) who is infected can infect a PC while using it on the PC.

 What Else To Install On The PC For A Better Protection?

I recommend to install also the following programs:

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Have also a look here on my French Knol and use translation tools:

First of all install ThreatFire:

ThreatFire™ AntiVirus protects when others can’t

PCs are under constant attack from viruses, spyware and identity theft. Every day you hear about a new threat to your PC. They’re coming faster than ever before, they’re getting harder to stop and traditional antivirus products are not able to keep up.
Will your antivirus software catch the latest malware that just came out today? In most cases, no, because it simply does not know how to detect it yet. But ThreatFire’s ActiveDefense technology does, and has proven to provide up to 243% more protection when combined with traditional AntiVirus products. See the table below.
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threatfire
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Web Informer Button

What Else Do I need To Do?

While surfing on Internet you could find an infected web site which would also infect your computer when visiting it, these web sites could also bee web sites from Governments and other serious companies, nobody is perfect! How can I know if a website is infected and/or a trustful site? Use WOT (Web Of Trust), it is shown below with download link…
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WOT badge150x150
WOT, protect yourself from online scams, sites with adult content, spam and other Internet threats. The Wot community has rated millions of websites so you can search, shop online and surf for fun without worrying. Get WOT now!


Web Informer Button
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WOT is also available as an extension for your browsers:
Other similar products are:

McAfee SiteAdvisor™ software

McAfee-SiteAdvisorMcAfee SiteAdvisor™, software is an award-winning, free browser plug-in that gives safety advice about Websites before you click on a risky site. These site ratings are based on tests conducted by McAfee using an army of computers that look for all kinds of threats (detailed below). The result is a guide to Web safety. The SiteAdvisor software is free, easy to install and even easier to use. And it doesn’t collect any personally identifiable information.

TrendProtect LogoTrendProtect is a FREE browser plug-in that helps you avoid Web pages with unwanted content and hidden threats. TrendProtect rates the current page and pages listed in Google, MSN, and Yahoo search results. You can use the rating to decide if you want to visit or avoid a given Web page. To rate Web pages, TrendProtect refers to an extensive database that covers the following information for billions of Web pages:
            • Content category
            • Phishing scam detection
  • Site reputation
  • Page reputation

Protect your children: Norton Online Family

Choose Strong Passwords

No need to explain more, just watch the video below, it says ALL ;-)
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What Else Do I need To Know?

Watch those videos below by clicking on the appropriate link who opens than in YouTube to know more about the present vulnerabilities. The videos are made by SYMANTEC, the manufacturer of “Norton” products and they explain very well, I recommend them…
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Symantec Guide: Phishing
phishing
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Symantec Guide: Botnets
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Underground Economy
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Drive By Downloaddrive-by-downloadsDrive By DownloadImage Source (Screenshot)
Misleading Applications
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 DOS Attacksdos-attackDOS AttacksImage Source (Screenshot)
Viruses, Trojans&Worms
viruses-trojans-worms
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Losing Your Data
loosing-your-data
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Trend Micro: Malware

trend-micro malwareTrend Micro: Malware

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Attention Virus

attention-virusAttention Virus

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BSI: Botnet

botnet-animatedBSI: Botnet

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Related links, non exhaustive list:
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Be Aware of Public Wi-Fi!!!

programmer man
Protect yourself on public Wi-Fi: ALL your data could get seen when not taken the right precautions on an public Wi-Fi Access…
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First of all, check out to know more about how easy it is to get information about your online communications (passwords and private information…) as also on how easy it is to hijack your accounts while using a public Wi-Fi!!! Follow this BBC investigation and be surprised Why personal data is at risk on unsecured public Wi-Fi!!!
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Lessons to learn: coming soon, stay tuned…
As learned already now by the shown videos above, you will certainly know how to protect you against it? OK, what should we know???
- A public, non secured Wi-Fi Access can intercept all of our internet traffic…
- With special programs (even Freeware programs like FireSheep) it is possible that a third person could break in our PC and MAC and steal our PWs (pass words) and log-ins and also so sending messages with our identity!!! Not really funny isn’t???
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firesheep sample
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Read here the full article who explains very well:
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So how can we protect us again those threats (MAC and Windows and Linux)???

By using a public Wi-Fi Access, called also HotSpot it is recommended to use a private network (VPN) between your laptop or iPhone and our Internet gateway. 
Such a good and FREE and also for MAC users FREE program is “Hotspot Shield”:

Get behind the SHIELD! 100% FREE!

  • Secure your web session, data, online shopping, and personal information online with HTTPS encryption.
  • Protect yourself from identity theft online.
  • Hide your IP address for your privacy online.
  • Access all content privately without censorship; bypass firewalls.
  • Protect yourself from snoopers at Wi-Fi hotspots, hotels, airports, corporate offices.

Works on wireless and wired connections alike. Provides Unlimited Bandwidth.
Works on the PC and the Mac, including new operating systems (Windows 7 and Snow Leopard)

Hotspot Shield protects your entire web surfing session; securing your connection at both your home Internet network & Public Internet networks (both wired and wireless). Hotspot Shield protects your identity by ensuring that all web transactions (shopping, filling out forms, downloads) are secured through HTTPS. Hotspot Shield also makes you private online making your identity invisible to third party websites and ISP’s. Unless you choose to sign into a certain site, you will be anonymous for your entire web session with Hotspot Shield. We love the web because of the freedom that it creates to explore, organize, and communicate. Hotspot Shield enables access to all information online, providing freedom to access all web content freely and securely. Secure your entire web session and ensure your privacy online; your passwords, credit card numbers, and all of your data is secured with Hotspot Shield. Standard antivirus software protects your computer, but not your web activities.

Here is the address to download it http://hotspotshield.com/.

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And what about Apple and Apple related products???


The best way to find this out is to follow my scoop who collects (curation) all the news about Apple (in)security and this in English, French and German. Here is the address:

Apple, Mac, iOS4, iPad, iPhone and (in)security…


Curation: Apple, Mac, IOS4, iPad, iPhone (in)security





Must Know News…

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Danger connu est danger vaincu (FR) / Gefahr erkannt ist Gefahr gebannt (DE) / Forewarned is forearmed (EN).

 newspaperaubanelmonnie01 iconInteresting News



Web Informer Button
Web Informer Button

Is there Any Possibility To Check My PC Online?

internetmonitor
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Yes you may use www.internetmonitor.lu where you will find on the right hand navigation different free services for checking your PC online.
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Internet Monitor is a multilingual (DE, FR, EN) web site dedicated to PC security…
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Reminder…

What is the most important???
book-laptop imageDanger connu est danger vaincu (FR) / Gefahr erkannt ist Gefahr gebannt (DE) / Forewarned is forearmed (EN).


  • Windows automatic update must be activated on your computer…
  • An antivirus, better an “Internet Security Suite” must be installed on your PC…
  • ALL your installed programs on your PC need to get updated. Use one (or all…) of the proposed updating programs…
  • Stay informed about newest threats…
Web Informer Button

International Security News

Find here below the news about security in real time, updated 24/24…
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Real-Time Outbreak Monitor

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Watch web threats in real time online: http://www.commtouch.com/security-center.
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comtouchrealtimeoutbreakmonitor
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 Mobile Security

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McAfee Mobile Security
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Smartphones are getting more and more targeted from the Internet Mafia, there fore it is necessary to protect them!
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Whether your phone is lost or stolen, or is targeted while you’re surfing the internet, you know your personal data is always safe when having installed a Mobile Security Suite!
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Non exhaustive list of Mobile Security programs:
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Related links:
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Related Links…

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Trouble Shooting…


In case of trouble, virus infection or similar use following programs whiche are LIVE-CD’s (non exhaustive list):

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blueman20401Recommendations from the BIG Players on IT-Security, Cyber-Security, Internet-Safety, privacy. Online-Safety:

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as on Friday May 18, 2012: SaferOnlineTeam@MS ‏@Safer_Online
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Follow Friday – Follow @knolinfos to help stay up to day on Internet security and safety tips. ===> That’s my Twitter account

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PS: SaferOnlineTeam@MS ‏@Safer_Online is Microsoft’s official Twitter account for privacy and online safety guidance and information.

Redmond, WA, USA http://www.microsoft.com/security

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Gust MEES

L’auteur Gust MEES est membre du “Comité Conseil” de “Luxembourg Safer Internet” (LuSI), appelé maintenant BEESECURE, partenaire officiel (consultant) du Ministère de l’éducation au Luxembourg du projet  ”MySecureIT“, partenaire officiel du Ministère du Commerce au Luxembourg du projet ”CASES” (Cyberworld Awareness and Security Enhancement Structure).

The author Gust MEES is ”Member of the Advisory Board” from “Luxembourg Safer Internet” (LuSI), BEESECURE, Official Partner (Consultant) from the Ministry of Education in Luxembourg, project “MySecureIT“, Official Partner from the Ministry of Commerce in Luxembourg, project “CASES” (Cyberworld Awareness and Security Enhancement Structure).

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Filed under Beginners IT-Security Guide, Education, ICT-Security Tutorials, ICT-Tutorials, My migrated knols to WordPress, PC and Internet Security, System-Security-Check, Tutorials, Why does my computer need to be updated?, Why IT Security? Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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