XP Maximized: Protect Your PC - The Right Way
No amount of protective software will keep spyware, viruses, and worms off of your PC if you don't practice safe computing. Likewise, if your computer isn't protected with a firewall and antivirus software, it will be infected no matter how careful you are. To stay safe, you need to make good decisions and have the right software installed.
PROPHYLACTIC APPS FOR INFECTION PREVENTION
Your firewall software is your first line of defense. It's the barrier between your computer and all the other computers it's networked with (either on a LAN or the Internet at large). Your antivirus software is your second line of defense. It will identify, isolate, torture, and then destroy any virus-infected files that find their way into your PC. Besides regularly scanning your hard drives for nogoodniks, a solid antivirus app will inspect all new files that are downloaded or created on your computer, and keep an eye peeled for virus-like activities.
You'll also want to regularly scan your computer with several anti-spyware apps from different companies, as no single app seems to catch all the different varieties of spyware out there. Anti-spyware apps work much like antivirus apps: They scan your computer for known spyware programs, 'identify them for you, and help you give 'em the heave-ho.
Let's take a close look at different' protection apps...
THE FIREWALL: COMPUTING'S FEROCIOUS ROTTWEILER
Until recently, firewall software was the exclusive purview of large corporate IT departments, not home users. That all changed when worms-which spread from Windows machine to Windows machine without user action-infected thousands of computers connected to the net. Worms exploit bugs in Windows (such as Word and Outlook), but they can't get to the software if a computer is running a properly configured firewall. They'll be stopped at the gate. And even in the unlikely event that a firewalled machine is infected, the firewall will at least prevent the worm from spreading further.
The firewall built into Service Pack 2 for Windows XP offers decent baseline protection, but the free version of ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com) is just as easy to use, much more flexible, and it delivers more features. ZoneAlarm works on a per-application basis-when a program tries to connect to the Internet, the firewall asks you whether that app has permission to connect. Without your permission, the appwill be denied online access. ZoneAlarm also prevents other computers from even seeing that your PC is connected to the Internet, making your machine essentially invisible to bad guys. Most firewall developers issue infrequent software updates; maybe one a month. Nonetheless, you should always take advantage of these downloads when they're offered.
At this point, you might be wondering about the usefulness of the firewall built into your network router. The short story is that this firewall will protect your PC from external threats, but it won't
do jack-diddly if a worm accidentally gets loose inside your local network. In fact, we've seen hardened corporate networks brought to their knees by a single infected laptop that was inadvertently connected to a wireless LAN. So, even if your router sports a firewall, it pays to install a software firewall on every computer on your network, especially laptops and other machines that frequently travel outside your home.
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE: YOUR PC"S IMMUNE SYSTEM
There are loads of good antivirus apps available, but for home users, we prefer Grisoft's free version of AVG (www. grisoft.com). It does everything we expect a good antivirus program to do, and
it doesn't cost a penny. Regardless of which antivirus software you choose, you should run a complete scan of your computer at least once a week, and update your antivirus definition file (the list of known viruses your software will scan for) several times a week. After all, the real strength of good antivirus software doesn't lie in the client application-it lies in the software developer's ability to suss out new threats, and get them recognized in a definition file as
soon as possible.
ANTI-SPVWARE SOFTWARE: KILLING GNATS AND NITS
Spyware is the downfall of many an innocent PC user. There's an almost infinite number of these damnable apps, which millions of innocent users have unwittingly installed, crippling their computers in the process. Most spyware is difficult, if not impossible, to remove using standard techniques. Instead, you must use a spyware removal tool or manually edit Registry and configuration files, and delete the detritus that spyware spews all over your hard drive - if you can locate all that crap in the first place:
Luckily for you, most spyware removal programs are either cheap or free. When used together, programs like Spybot Search & Destroy (www.safer-networking.org). Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition (www .Iavasoftusa.com), and Spy Sweeper (www. webrootcom) are capable of determining the species of spyware that taints your computer, and removing it.
Unfortunately, the scumbags and pusbuckets who write spyware constantly modify their apps to make them more difficult to detect and remove. So, just like antivirus applications, anti-spyware programs depend on frequently updated definition files.
We suggest you update your spyware definitions whenever you update your virus definitions, and scan your hard drives weekly to ensure that infections don't run unchecked.
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