Stoping spyware getting on to PC

[The Duck]

isle_of_infamy, I don't think you understand yet...

A firewall, if configured correctly, would probably prevent that worm from infecting your computer, hence saving you valuable time you would have spent cleaning it...

[Egaladeist]

bumped

[dcongram]

These days, a Firewall should be mandatory; especially with HighSpeed.
It surprises clients to see just how many intrusion attempts are made on their
systems every day. Most of the intrusions are 'worm' type virus' looking
for an unsecured computer.

As for browser ? I have noticed a HUGE improvement in my internet
speed, NO popups, etc with FireFox. The odd Java scripted nasty
gets caught on it's way in by the AV.....but tons less than IE.

[isle_of_infamy]

well I think it comes down to a matter of preference or choice ya know. some people feel more secure with a firewall while others might not feel a need for them so it's really moot to debate it on here lol

to be honest with u my friend said firefox is a lot better than explorer but i never actually tried firefox so i dunno, but i am content with explorer even though it has given me headaches in the past lol. i jus had to whoop its butt a lil into shape ya know lol

[Deeboe]

Originally posted here by isle_of_infamy
... i am content with explorer even though it has given me headaches in the past lol. i jus had to whoop its butt a lil into shape ya know lol

That took a lot of guts to say that. I am inspired by your bravery and would like to say, I use IE as well. There, I said it. I no longer have to be ashamed of being a closet IE user.

I am perfectly happy using IE and have no intention of switching to anything else... yet!

[ZomBieMann77]

well I think it comes down to a matter of preference or choice ya know. some people feel more secure with a firewall while others might not feel a need for them so it's really moot to debate it on here lol

A firewall should be in place on any high speed connection. Idiots who say they arent needed are the people who I make all my money off of as a repair tech. They are in place to keep bad things from getting in in the first place. Im not trying to get the thread OT but seriously dude read a little bit before you start spouting off garbage.

Back to the topic at hand. IE is perfectly fine IF it is configured properly. Out of the box so to speak it is extremely vulnerable. Make sure everything is patched. Download spyware blaster and enable all of its protections. Download Spybot S+D and imunize your system. They both add fake spyware entries into your system preventing other known malware from actualy infecting. Use your brain when surfing. Oh yea and update regularly. Scan for infections religously. Nothing will completely safegaurd you but the earlier you catch an infection the easier it is to repair.

[isle_of_infamy]

Idiots who say they arent needed are the people who I make all my money off of as a repair tech.

but I am a repair tech so that's kind of a catch 22

hmm well you can keep ur firewall and drain ur resources on ur own time. they will never actually prevent good exploiters who know programming. hey but they will block out script kiddys who have no clue what they r doing. so u should feel a lot safer now from the little kid down the street hahaha....

[The Duck]

*sigh*

isle_of_infamy, you must ignore my posts or something... The blaster worm was, IMO, created by a skilled exploiter who knows programming... If everyone configured their firewall to block communications on 2 ports it wouldn't have caused anywhere near the damage it did...

[ZomBieMann77]

hmm well you can keep ur firewall and drain ur resources on ur own time. they will never actually prevent good exploiters who know programming. hey but they will block out script kiddys who have no clue what they r doing. so u should feel a lot safer now from the little kid down the street hahaha....

Skiddies versus so called good exploiters is not the topic at hand. Malicious software is the topic at hand. And im not trying to say that firewalls are a be all end all but I am saying they are a functional part in solid multilayered security

[two_prophecy]

Originally posted here by gordonscobie
I run a couple of anti-spyware solutions on my PC - but they seem to fail in one respect - they are not able to stop spyware getting onto my machine in the first place. So, the question I suppose is: how does one stop spyware getting on in the first instance?

Regards,

Be very careful what sights you visit avoid warez and porn sights don't click on any attachments that come with scripts or .exe files even if a relative or friend pester you
it came from a friend who it got it from a friend and they want you to run it or view it avoid installing chat software because you never know if it has spyware in it getting
rid of all of it out can be a bitch even if you thought spybot found it all and cleaned it guess again a scan with rootkit revealer can turn up suspicious registry keys and other stuff it didn't detect.