Time to secure your PC from future problems

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta, vmahmud@yahoo.com

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail complaining of some strange things happening to his laptop. It suddenly changed the home page, added new bookmarks, and pops up pornographic websites whenever he goes online. All of this occurred despite the fact he is usually a "safe" Internet user that does not go to "dubious" websites.

Now, those dubious sites are coming to him.

These past few months have seen an alarming number of security issues. A new worm was unleashed to the web, viruses are now spreading via popular peer-to-peer (P2P) programs, 2,000 high- speed computer systems were hijacked to spread pornographic spam and Microsoft revealed new vulnerabilities to its Windows operating system along with a software patch.

There are ways to help my friend out of his predicament, hopefully short of formatting his hard drive and reinstalling everything. But it is much easier to prevent all these bad things from happening compared with cleaning up after it. So computer users who haven't already prepared for the future onslaught of cyber annoyances should think about securing their PCs seriously.

There are three applications that are always handy on my secondary hard drive: an antivirus program, a registry cleaner, and Ad Aware. These programs can help clear out the different types of junk that has accumulated over the months in a computer system.

Antivirus programs are getting more and more sophisticated, some also offering firewall protection to prevent cybersnoops peering into your computer. Firewalls are a must for those who have always-on computers with cable modems or ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) connections.

McAfee Virus Scan (mcafee.com) has always been an office favorite, along with Norton AntiVirus (norton.com) from Symantec. But for small and medium enterprises on a budget, as well as private homes, you may want to take a look at E-Trust EZ Antivirus from Computer Associates (my-etrust.com). The security software of choice for the McLaren Formula One racing team, EZ Antivirus is an effective antivirus program that is quick to download, at a very competitive price.

As with other antivirus software providers, you can download a trial version of EZ Antivirus for your PC prior to purchasing. The programs can be purchased online so you can immediately download and utilize them. CA, McAfee and Norton also provide separate or integrated firewall applications with these programs.

Most importantly, it is vital to always update the virus signature files to allow the applications to catch the latest worm or virus, which quickly spread across the World Wide Web. Again, almost all antivirus programs have an automatic update option to ensure the latest signature files are utilized. If you choose not to use this service, make sure you manually download the necessary files every month.

Another program that can help clear out the accumulated "gunk" inside your PC is RegClean, which can be downloaded for free from download.com. Although an old program made by Microsoft (last updated in 1997!), it still allows users to clean out their Windows registry, which sometimes can be a complete mess and could ultimately slow down the system.

I would also recommend Ad Aware (Personal Edition) from Lavasoft (lavasoftusa.com). Although it doesn't look for viruses or Trojan horse applications, this free program searches for "spyware." Some privacy advocates say that spyware (which is usually embedded in host programs such as file-sharing applications, shareware or freeware programs) may contain code or components that collects and disseminates information about the user.

As the Lava Soft website states, these spyware programs can track surfing habits, profile shopping preferences, hijack browser start pages, abuse Internet connections (by sending collected data to third parties) and alter important system files, all without your knowledge or permission. Needless to say, the security and privacy implications of these exploits are a serious concern, so "washing" your PC with Ad Aware regularly would be a good idea. Lavasoft also has high-grade versions of its software for serious IT professionals.

Finally, users should also be aware of any vulnerability that their operating system or software may have. Most software developer websites have an e-mail service to inform users of any security or software issues. If not, check out websites such as Slashdot (slashdot.org) or Security Focus (securityfocus.com). If there are patches to be installed, do so immediately. Constant vigilance is the key to a secure systems environment.

These programs and tips are just some in an arsenal of defense mechanisms users can employ to protect themselves from Internet annoyances or cybercrimes. Procuring and using these applications only takes a few minutes of your time and a reasonable investment of your finances. Not doing anything may result in loss of data and a long downtime of computer resources: If you're in the middle of a project, that's the last thing you need.