Protection

Anti Virus:

AVG  Free:                           Antivirus, Anti Spyware, Safe Search

AVG  Antivirus:                    34.49 € per year.  Anti Rootkit, Safe Downloads,    Safe  Instant Messaging, Safe Surf, Free Support.

AVG Internet Security:        51.74 €  Anti Spam, Firewall,

Anti Spyware:

Super Anti Spyware  Free
Malware Bytes  Free
Adaware  Free ,   Lavasoft

Firewall:

Zone Alarm Free  Zonelabs.com

Email:

Spamfighter  free

Microsoft Updates !!

As important as the antivirus.

Microsoft:   Malicious Software Removal Tool
download it from: http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

A Root Kit

A type of Trojan that keeps itself, other files, registry keys and network connections hidden from detection. It enables an attacker to have "root" access to the computer, which means it runs at the lowest level of the machine. It works in the core of the computer and is more difficult to detect and expel.

Eight Rules for Safe Computing

1. Don't open email from strangers
This one seems to be hard to learn for most people. If you don't know the person who is sending you an email don't open it. Read the subject line and sender line carefully. Turn OFF html viewing. We're finding that more and more spammers are sending destructive code and scripts embedded in email. With HTML off, those programs can't run, graphics can't load. 
To turn off HTML in Outlook and Outlook Express. For Outlook Express under Tools > Options > Send Tab there is a section titled Mail Sending Format.
Click one of two radio buttons: Plain Text or HTML.

2. Don’t open email attachments; even if it’s from someone you know. If you do get something from someone you know, make sure that they really sent it to you. Email attachments are the number one way viruses and trojan horses get into your email.

3. Don’t click links in email or in social networking sites ie facebook. That link could lead you to a phishing site, or the link may lead you to install malicious software. Copy and paste links into your browser or type them in by hand instead. Another reason to disable HTML email - the HTML hides the real destination of that seemingly innocuous link.

4. Don’t download files from places you aren’t absolutely sure are safe. Stick with the well known sites. If you use file sharing software like BitTorrent, Kazaa, Frostwire and Limewire, you might often unwittingly download spyware and trojans. If you must, quarantine all downloads then scan them a few days later with an updated anti-virus.

5. Update your OS regularly! Turn on automatic updates ! Apply all critical updates immediately. Criminals often create hacks within 24 hours of Microsoft’s patches (these are called zero day exploits), so you need to protect yourself the day the patches appear.

6. Use a firewall. The best firewall is a hardware router - the kind you use to share an internet connection. Even if they’re not billed as firewalls, they are, and they’re quite effective. I also recommend turning on your operating system’s firewall - even if you have a router - but I don’t recommend third-party software firewalls. They cause more problems than they solve.

7. Make your password impossible for someone to guess. Use at least 8 characters, and randomly mix upper and lower case letters with numbers and use symbols. Never share passwords, never use the same password in two places, and change that password often.

8.  Back up, back up, back up.

 Discipline yourself to back up weekly, or at least monthly. Use DVDs, CDs or external hard drive. Backups are the best defense against all the evils that could attack your computer.

Hotspot Shield 1.10:  When using Public wi-fi

Use this program whenever you use a public wi-fi with your laptop. Most public wi-fi hotspots are not secure and make your computer and communications vulnerable to hackers and security breaches. Nasty people using the same wireless network can hijack your personal information. Hotspot Shield gives you a simple solution to maintain your anonymity and protect your privacy when accessing free wi-fi hotspots. Hotspot Shield creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your laptop or iPhone and their Internet gateway. This impenetrable tunnel prevents snoopers and hackers from viewing your email, instant messages, credit card information or anything else you send over the network. This means you’ll remain anonymous and secure while on-line.

Here is how to define a worm/virus:

1. Worms and viruses are not the same thing:

Worms and viruses are often discussed in the same breath. In fact, it is not uncommon for people to confuse the two types of computer problems. Make no mistake: while they are similar in many ways, worms and viruses are actually different. They behave differently and they infect your equipment differently.

2. A worm is a self-replicating program:

Let's start with defining what a worm is. A worm is a self-replicating (makes copies of itself), self-propagating (moves itself forward) program which is designed to harm your computer and others on the network. Of course, self-replicating means that they actually make copies of themselves and send themselves through a network of unprotected computers. Worms can act on their own and do not need to be associated with any particular computer program.

3. A virus is also self-replicating, but it needs to be associated with a particular program:

Okay, now to define viruses. A virus is similar to a worm in that it is also usually self-replicating. The difference is that a virus needs to be attached to or associated with a particular software program or file in order to "live." Unlike worms, viruses cannot spread on their own.

4. Worms almost always cause harm to the network:

Worms can wreak havoc on an entire network of computers at once. Because they are self-propagating and don't need to be associated with a particular software program or file, they can just run freely. Worms often spread by finding security holes in networks. The safer your network, the safer you are from being infected by a worm.

5. Viruses almost always corrupt or modify files on a targeted computer:

Meanwhile, viruses tend to infiltrate the computer on which a person opened an infected file or ran an infected software program. Be careful about opening any unknown e-mail attachments, and never run a file on your computer ending in ".exe" unless you absolutely trust the source.

The Downadup or Conficker Worm

Patch from Microsoft known as MS08-067.
As you may or may not recall, back in October 2008, Microsoft released an emergency security patch to protect computers from a worm that could exploit the Windows Server service. That service, while it sounds like it would only be on servers, actually runs on every computer that has Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 2003 Server and 2008 Server.

At the time, many newspapers made a big deal out of the patch, because it was released at a time when Microsoft doesn't usually release patches. Those "out of cycle" updates are generally more important, because Microsoft feels the need to release them immediately, instead of at the beginning of the month.

Well, even though the patch was released to fix a major issue with Windows, many people did not install it. Now, the worm, called "Downadup," has infected over 9 million computers worldwide. The worm works by infecting Web sites, making them hosts for the virus. After a Web site is infected, the site can give the worm to any computer that visits.

At this time, the worm continues to spread like wildfire, so please, please update your computer! There are several ways to make sure your computer is up to date. The best way is to open Internet Explorer (not Firefox) and go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. That Web site will scan your system and tell you which updates you need. You should install all of the critical updates. (also a patch from Microsoft known as MS08-067)

After you've done your updates, you should also download the Malicious Software Removal Tool. That's a quick tool Microsoft releases monthly to remove known viruses, worms and spyware from Windows computers.

How serious is it?
It is the most serious large scale worm outbreak we have seen in recent years because of how widespread it is, but it is not very serious in terms of what it does. So far it doesn't try to steal personal information or credit card details.

Who is affected?
We have large infections in Europe, the United States and in Asia. It is a Windows worm and almost all the cases are corporate networks. There are very few reports of independent home computers affected.

What does it do?
It is a complicated worm most likely engineered by a group of people who have spent time making it very complicated to analyze and remove. The real reason why they have created it is hard to say right now, but we do know how it replicates.