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Internet Scams 102 -- Hijackings And Spyware
By Janette Blackwell, Thu Dec 8th
My friend Janice is afraid to go on the Internet because of theterrible things that might happen to her. She views a simpletrip to get e-mail the way she views going alone, late at night,to a dangerous part of town. Please . . . it’s not that bad. Though, come to think of it,it’s ALMOST that bad: hijackers can now do things to people whoalready have antivirus and anti-spyware programs. To people whohave carefully NOT clicked on scam e-mails. Some hijackers candisable your firewall, your antivirus software, and your spywarekillers. Or they can prevent antivirus and from beingupdated. But there are solutions. Here’s what you do:
HIJACKINGS You know you’ve been hijacked if your start page is differentand if you keep getting things you didn’t intend to get --frequently pornographic sites and popup ads. You change thingsback the way they were, but they won’t stay changed. These nasties nabbed you through a security hole in MicrosoftWindows.If you haven’t been caught and don’t want to be,http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hijacked/prevent.php says, “First and most simply, stop using Internet Explorer. If you useeither Mozilla, Firefox or Opera, you are immune to virtuallyall browser hijackers.” Actually, it’s not that simple. There are ways scammers can getaround Firefox. Microsoft is also busy locking its barn doors,though I’m afraid the horse has already been stolen. If you decide to stay with Internet Explorer, be sure to keep itup to date, especially with what they call “critical updates.” PREVENTING ATTACKS The most basic and most necessary protection, one you’veprobably installed already, is antivirus protection. Theantivirus programs upgrade constantly to protect us from thelatest viruses. Norton is the most common, and a good choice. Ifyou prefer a simple, uncomplicated solution, go to the site thatsells Norton, http://symantec.com/, and download all theantivirus protection you want. If you’re a thorough person, however, one who wants to learnabout all the options, go tohttp://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/, and youwill learn of problems and solutions you never dreamed existed. WHAT YOU GET FOR NOTHING IS NOTHING -- OR WORSE Unfortunately, an antivirus program alone is not enough thesedays. You need ANTI-SPYWARE. Because the latest hijackers can disable anti-spyware -- ANDkeep you from downloading updates -- you want some that isreally, really good. The techie who manages my website says,“Get something that can WARD OFF attacks, not just remove themafter they’ve infected you. Once really vicious is onyour machine,
it may be impossible for anyone but an expert toremove it.” “But what about all the free anti-spyware?” you ask. If you goto http://www.apcug.net/Reports/Editorial/2004.htm, you’ll seeunder December 2004 an article “Beware of SCUMWARE Pretending tobe Anti-Spyware” which tells one man’s experience. Sometimeswhat you get for nothing is nothing. Or worse than nothing. When my computer ran slower and slower, some parts of my websitedisappeared, and question marks appeared all over my websitehomepage, I yelped for help. Should have yelped sooner, butbetter late than never. Asked my website manager what he uses.He uses Lavasoft’s PROFESSIONAL program of Ad-Aware andAd-Watch. I bought it, and it found 17 pieces of (Alexasand tracking cookies), plus a possible browser hijack attempt.(The techie said, “That’s nothing. They found 83 pieces ofspyware on mine!” But then he’s a pro.) Ad-Aware removed all theproblems except the question marks on my website home page,http://foodandfiction.com/Entrance.html. These are probably dueto the attempted hijack. I’m stuck with them. Fortunately theydon’t show on any computer except mine. If you want to lead a simple life, come here tohttp://lavasoft.com and download their PROFESSIONAL type ofAd-Aware and Ad-Watch. If you prefer an in-depth investigation of anti-spyware,http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,119572,00.asp canhelp you. They’ve tested most of the anti-spyware out there,though I must say that Ad-Aware’s pro version was not tested,only the pc version. Just don’t wait until you’re in big trouble. Do something now! IF YOU’VE BEEN HIJACKED A good, basic article can be found by going tohttp://www.apcug.net/Reports/Editorial/2004.htm. Scroll down toSeptember 2004 and download “Help! I’ve Been Hijacked . . .” Another good article is, “How to Remove Adware and Spyware,”http://antivirus.about.com/od/securitytips/a/removespyware.htm. You might also read “Invasion of the Browser Snatchers” athttp://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,84464,tk,dn021402X,00.asp. The article will explain how to undo the damage -- althoughsome hijack damage can’t be removed that easily. MORE INFORMATION Here are more good sources of information: http://www.scumware.com/ - a website about nothing else but. http://www2.spywareinfo.com/category/news/ has fascinatingcurrent Internet security news flashes, which you will enjoy ifyou like to feel that civilization as we know it is underconstant threat.
About the author:Find the best recipe, food gift, and healthy dieting sites onJanette Blackwell’s Delightful Food Directory,http://delightfulfood.com/main.html -- or enjoy her countrycooking at Food and Fiction,http://foodandfiction.com/Entrance.html
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