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    ON SECURITY


    When so-called helper software becomes malware

    By Susan Bradley

    Malware wears many masks, and often what looks commonplace or relatively benign is actually dangerous to your PC.

    Here are some tips on protecting yourself from malicious software that even antivirus apps can’t stop.


    The full text of this column is posted at http://windowssecrets.com/on-security/when-so-called-helper-software-becomes-malware/ (opens in a new window/tab).

    Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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    • #1413054

      Hi – Relatively newbie question: After using the link to get to the Kaspersky Rescue Disk, it seems as though the article says that you can use this if you already have a Kaspersky product: “If Kaspersky Anti-Virus or Kaspersky Internet Security is installed on your computer, then you can quickly record Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 via the application interface.” However it doesn’t say how to do it if you dont have Kaspersky installed or even whether it can be done. Is this correct or am I missing something?

      Also, are flash drives formatted in FAT32, FAT64, or NTSF and how can I tell?

      Thanks, Gary

      • #1413151

        Hi – Relatively newbie question: After using the link to get to the Kaspersky Rescue Disk, it seems as though the article says that you can use this if you already have a Kaspersky product: “If Kaspersky Anti-Virus or Kaspersky Internet Security is installed on your computer, then you can quickly record Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 via the application interface.” However it doesn’t say how to do it if you dont have Kaspersky installed or even whether it can be done. Is this correct or am I missing something?

        Also, are flash drives formatted in FAT32, FAT64, or NTSF and how can I tell?

        Thanks, Gary

        Download the KAspersky Rescue Disk here:
        http://support.kaspersky.com/us/4162

        Burn it to CD or USB Flash media.

        Flash Media are usually formatted either FAT or FAT-32. A Flash Drive can be reformatted, but I believe FAT-32 will work with the Kaspersky Rescue Disk USB option.

        How to make the Rescue Media:
        http://support.kaspersky.com/us/8092

        FAQs:
        http://support.kaspersky.com/us/viruses/rescuedisk/

        That should get you started.

        -- rc primak

      • #1413166

        Hi – Relatively newbie question:
        Also, are flash drives formatted in FAT32, FAT64, or NTSF and how can I tell?

        Thanks, Gary

        With the target flash drive plugged in…
        Right-Click ‘Computer’ or ‘My Computer’ or equivalent in your OS and select ‘Manage’ in the Manage dialog box under ‘Storage’ click ‘Disk Management’.

      • #1413217

        After using the link to get to the Kaspersky Rescue Disk, it seems as though the article says that you can use this if you already have a Kaspersky product: “If Kaspersky Anti-Virus or Kaspersky Internet Security is installed on your computer, then you can quickly record Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 via the application interface.” However it doesn’t say how to do it if you dont have Kaspersky installed or even whether it can be done. Is this correct or am I missing something?

        No, you’re missing something. That first paragraph is just an alternative method to following the remaining instructions.

        If you have already have a Kaspersky product then you don’t need to download anything as their programs have the ability to create a rescue disk built in.

        But the rest of that page describes the steps to create a rescue disk if you don’t already have a Kaspersky product.

        Bruce

    • #1413255

      The best way to avoid getting hit by web based malware is using Firefox with the No Script addon, hands down its the best way to prevent malicious web based attacks as it blocks all remotely executed scripts from running on your computer. There is a downfall to this level of protection however, No Script not only blocks the bad scripts from running, it blocks the good ones too, so often times you’ll find that web pages aren’t working or don’t load right, it has a simple mechanism for allowing scripts for a particular site on a temporary or permanent basis, it also lets you see all of the other websites that a given site is sending data to every time you visit the site. Its annoying as hell to use in the beginning, but if you take the time to get used to it, its truly a great protection mechanism. i’ve been using it for years, since its earliest days and i swear by it, but like i said, it takes some getting used to…

    • #1414705

      Susan suggested that I should be running in a non-Administrator account: “If you’ve never configured a standard account, I recommend following Steve Friedl’s excellent tutorial on configuring two accounts for your computer — one with full admin rights and the second with limited rights.” I’ve read that advice many times over the years but never actually followed it. So, I finally did that yesterday on my Vista laptop and I was very disappointed. My plain user account changed everything I am used to using. More than half of the icons on my desktop disappeared, my Quick Launch tool bar (which contained many links) disappeared, my email icon and Internet Explorer disappeared, my power-up process is now interrupted in the middle where I have to choose which user account to use and I couldn’t recognize anything! I realize that some of those things can be changed but that is a lot more work too.

      In my administrator account that I have been using for several years, I am prompted quite often to agree to do the things I am attempting and I am used to doing that. Is this approach about as safe as having a non-administrator account?

      Thanks,
      Bill

      • #1415313

        did you set up the admin account as your new one, or your old main account as a non admin?

    • #1415236

      I used Filezilla FTP for many years to upload files to my website and loved it. Now I see many complaints that the Filezilla installer carries spyware. Any suggestions for a safe way to download and install Filezilla or an alternative free FTP program?

      Hilde Jones
      Founder, responsibleconsumer.net

      • #1415443

        I used Filezilla FTP for many years to upload files to my website and loved it. Now I see many complaints that the Filezilla installer carries spyware. Any suggestions for a safe way to download and install Filezilla or an alternative free FTP program?
        Hilde Jones
        Founder, responsibleconsumer.net

        WinSCP.

        Bruce

    • #1415557

      did you set up the admin account as your new one, or your old main account as a non admin?

      I already had an Admin account and I set up a new one as a non-admin. I can see now that I might have been better off if I had done it the other way around and set up a new Admin account and then removed the admin privilege from my old account.

      If I do that and it works is there any way to make the powerup process always select the non-admin account and still let me do a log out and log in to get to the admin account?

      Thanks,
      Bill

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