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Why Is The Malicious Software Removal Tool Needed..?
april 22, 2005 14:34
It has been estimated that only one third of home users have an up to date anti virus product installed on their PC's. The many home users without an up to date anti virus program installed, are helping in the spreading of today's viruses, Trojans and worms! To help remedy this situation, in part, Microsoft have now released the FREE: Malicious Software Removal Tool ... January 2005 sees the debut of a FREE security tool from Microsoft. This new tool will be updated on a monthly basis to include information about recent malicious software threats... Here is what Microsoft have to say in their own words: Microsoft has released the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool to help remove specific, prevalent malicious software from computers that are running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows 2000. The Malicious Software Removal Tool supersedes all virus-cleaner tools that were previously released by Microsoft. You can download the Malicious Software Removal Tool from the Microsoft Download Center. You can also run an online version of the tool from the Malicious Software Removal Tool Web site on Microsoft.com. To run the Malicious Software Removal Tool from either location, you must log on to your computer with an account that is a member of the Administrators group. If you are running Windows XP, you can also run the Malicious Software Removal Tool from the Windows Update Web site or by using Automatic Updates. ...In practice, on the first Tuesday in every month, if you have Automatic Updates switched ON. The new tool will download and run a scan on your computer to see if there is any malicious software running... The software does not install itself, and runs in "quiet mode" so that you will not actually see it running! When it has finished its scan - the software then removes itself. For those of you concerned about privacy issues, you will be asked to accept an end user licence agreement (EULA) before the scan takes place. The software also creates a log file, more information on this in the next section. This tool is updated monthly and contains a list of known threats and any variants. It is NOT a substitute for having an up to date anti virus product installed, BUT it will help to reduce the amount of infected PC's connected to the Internet. Far too many folks have "infected" PC's and just are NOT aware of the problems this is causing the rest of us... As already stated, this tool will be updated to include new malicious threats as they appear. The initial version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool - version January 2005 - includes: Win32/Berbew - Moderate* * The severity rating refers to the virus alert severity ratings that appear on the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/virus_severity_ratings.mspx Only threats that are rated as "Moderate" or "Critical" are considered for inclusion in the removal tool. Manual Download Of The Removal Tool... If you do NOT have Automatic Updates installed you can always download the removal tool manually! Visit this URL: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=40587 After downloading the file can be run (it will not install any files) and can then be safely removed afterwards. A log of the scan, called mrt.log , will be created and stored at: C:WINDOWSDebug (Windows XP) The contents of my log file can be seen below: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool v1.0, January 2005 Removal Tool Results: Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool Finished On Tue Jan 11 10:52:41 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------- In the next section below, you can see the two screens that are shown when the tool is run manually. (If you encounter a problem with the tool you may find an answer here: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=891717 ) The Online Malicious Software Removal Tool: There is also a free online version of the malicious software removal tool - visit this link: http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx Other Related Info: Supported Operating Systems: (for ALL version of this tool.) Windows 2000 As well as using this tool I strongly recommend that users follow these four simple steps: One, use an Internet firewall on all PCs More information on Windows XP related topics can be found at: Marc Liron is Microsoft MVP and runs a popular Windows XP website www.updatexp.com Trond
So What Is the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool..?
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Win32/Doomjuice - Moderate*
Win32/Gaobot - Moderate*
Win32/MSBlast - Critical*
Win32/Mydoom - Moderate*
Win32/Nachi - Critical*
Win32/Sasser - Critical*
Win32/Zindos - Moderate*
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Started On Tue Jan 11 10:52:24 2005
No infection found.
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Windows Server 2003
Windows XP Home and Pro
Two, regularly install the latest security updates on all PCs
Three, use up-to-date anti-virus software
Four, use an anti-spyware solution
www.updatexp.com
http://www.parrotsite.com/
http://www.items4you.biz
http://security.items4you.biz
What is a security certificate?
april 18, 2005 14:40
The first time I saw one of these windows I had no idea what to Let's look at security certificates from the perspective of Well, you can just decide for yourself or you can ask a trusted That's the way a security certificate works. The certificate is The way it works is straightforward. Let's say I want to sell Before it grants the certificate, I will need to provide Okay, now you also have to understand that your browser So in other words, Verisign is simply a trusted organization Remember the purpose of security certificates is merely to Let me stress that again - security certificates so not imply Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets
I'll bet one time or another you've surfed the web and suddenly
found a pop-up window in front of you, demanding your approval
for a security certificate. I occasionally see these on shopping
sites, usually the smaller, less-well-funded companies.
do. What the heck is a security certificate? And whatever it is,
why is the browser asking me about it? I mean, I had enough
questions about ActiveX controls, now I was being asked about
security certificates?
dating. Let's say you are a woman looking for a date. How do
you know you can trust a person?
friend about the potential date. So you call up "Sally" and ask
"can I trust Bill on a date?" Sally will tell you yes or no,
and since you trust her if she says "no" the poor guy will not
be going out with you.
an electronic document which is highly secure (encrypted) and
stamped with an identifier. That identifier says the web site with
the certificate is whom it claims to be.
something on my web site. I might purchase a security
certificate from Verisign (or any number of other companies)
to prove to people visiting my web site that I am who I say I
am.
Verisign with proof that I am indeed the person (or company)
that I claim to be. Verisign will ask me for documents,
notarized, such as a birth certificate (for a personal
certificate) or other documents from businesses. Several
documents must be presented in order for Verisign to grant
the certificate.
automatically comes with a number of security certificates,
including one from Verisign. Thus, when you visit my secure site
my certificate is retrieved. The browser sees that my certificate
was granted by Verisign, and checks it's own certificates and
finds Verisign. The browser then grants access to the secure web
page, since it has "proof" that I am who I say I am. This means
that a secure channel is now set up so the browser can talk to
the web site (and vice versa) without fear of someone listening
in on the conversation.
which verifies that people (and companies) are who they say
they are.
provide a means whereby you can trust entities (companies and
people) on the internet. A security certificate does not in any
way imply a web site is "good", will protect your privacy or
will deliver your products.
anything about a web site except that it is what it says it is.
They DO NOT mean the site is trustworthy or valuable.
at http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to
read over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your
internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Burning Bridges is Bad, But Firewalls are Good
april 11, 2005 20:40
When you signed up for that ultra-fast DSL or Cable connection there was probably one very important piece of information that your ISP failed to mention. By accessing the Internet via a high-speed connection, you have tremendously increased your chances of being victimized by a computer hacker. Dial-up may not have seemed like it could have held any advantages, but it actually did have one upside. It is much less prone to hacking. Every time you dialed-in your computer was assigned a new IP address. That unique IP address made you a moving target that was more difficult for hackers to hit. With a high-speed connection you are assigned a static IP address (it never changes). So, your computer went from being a moving target to staying still with a bulls-eye pasted on the side. That, coupled with the fact that with a high-speed connection your computer is always online, are ideal conditions for a potential hacker attack. That seemingly beneficial always-on connection gives hackers a 24/7 open invitation to try and hack your system. Once inside they can access personal or financial details, compromise your computer's operating system, or unleash a virus, worm, or spyware. Which Firewall is Right For You? Now that you know how vital a firewall is to the protection of your PC you have to decide which firewall is right for you. Software or hardware. A software firewall is designed to monitor your computers activity at all times. Think of it as a bodyguard who won't let anyone into your computer if he doesn't like the look of them. With a software firewall you may to have to assist in protecting your system. The firewall might alert you to certain activity and ask you if you want to grant or deny permission. It's just like the bodyguard that was mentioned before. He needs the okay before telling someone to scram. After you give either the thumbs up or the thumbs down the firewall will take the appropriate action and remember your reply so that you won't be asked in the future. If you feel comfortable installing and configuring hardware, then you might want to consider a hardware firewall in the form of a Cable/DSL router. The hardware firewall handles everything on its own without any input from you and you also won't have to read any reports or make any decisions. The firewall handles everything on its own. Installation, however, can be tricky, so this option is definitely more suited to the advanced computer user. My Firewall is Installed. Now I'm Safe, Right? With your new firewall in place you are probably thinking that your computer is impenetrable, right? Well, maybe not. As important to the security of your system as a firewall is, some do have their limits. Most software firewalls won't scan your system for viruses that can harm your computer and there aren't any hardware firewalls on the market that offer virus protection. That means that you are still vulnerable to attack. The best line of defense against viruses that can harm your system is anti-virus protection.You can either buy a seperate anti-virus program or shop around for a software firewall with anti-virus protection built-in. You may never be able to make your computer 100% hacker-proof, but the installation of a firewall coupled with anti-virus protection will greatly reduce your chances of becoming a hacker's next victim.
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Heather Wallace is a writer whose work has been published in national, regional, and online publications. Additionally, she has written articles as a newspaper correspondent. Visit http://www.fetchingsites.com/FreeFirewall.html to download a free firewall that is easy-to-use and will block hackers and other unknown threats.
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