Coming to Terms with Malware

     By Bill James

Malware - Short for malicious software, software designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, such as a virus or a Trojan horse.

I had a surprised recently in finding files on my computer that were identified as Malware. This is a new term for me, although looking about the internet and discussing it with friends, I find that the term is widely used. I have a product installed on my machine called Ad-aware. It is part of my arsenal of products that I have installed to prevent malicious intrusions. These days,’ just having an anti-virus product is not quite good enough. To combat Malware also referred to as spyware you need software to ferret out malicious code that can come through websites and teaser downloads from the Internet. Fortunately, I was not guided to new home page. I do not recall downloading anything that would have created these files.

Teaser downloads can look innocent enough, but some may have a hidden agenda. When you find your home page inexplicably changed to an unfamiliar site or you have a new toolbar that you do not recall installing on your computer, you probably have been hijacked by Malware. Malware can also affect your computer’s performance. If a link is activated via Internet Explorer, the browser can auto-execute a file and download an executable Trojan. The Trojan opens ports on the infected machine and then uses your computer as a spam zombie. The Trojan has the ability to listen on the open port for instructions and redirects traffic to other IP addresses.

Spammers and hackers can take advantage of compromised systems by using the infected computer as an intermediary, allowing them to pass information through it and remain anonymous. 

One of the best defenses to avoid situations like these is to ensure that you have all Windows patches installed. Microsoft issued five critical updates in April to fix vulnerabilities in Window XP, Windows ME and 98. It is strongly recommended that these patches be applied to the Windows Operating systems. If you do not have your computer configured to get the Windows Updates automatically, or you only connect to the internet to grab your email, you will want to run Windows Update manually. In addition, there is a free security update CD that contains all the security updates through February 2004 and a 1-year free trial of anti-virus software. You can order the CD from this site: http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp

Lastly, download a copy of ad detection software such as Ad-aware. There are others available, but this is one that I am the most familiar. It will do a great job of removing spy ware or malware from your computer.

Computers like anything else require periodic maintenance and updating. Just consider these activities as part of the experience. You will keep your computer safe and enjoy it much more.

Bill James is President of the OKC PC Users Group. Bill can be reached at james@qns.com