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History of Computer Viruses:

Anyone that owns a computer dreads the words “computer virus.” A computer virus is a damaging program that gets into your system, replicates itself and continues to do damage. There are many ways that a computer virus can get into your system and there are just as many ways that a computer virus can do its damage.

The First Computer Viruses:

The first known computer virus was written in 1982 by a man named Rich Skrenta. This virus was termed Elk Cloner, and was the first computer virus to show up outside of the computer it was created in. Elk Cloner worked by attaching itself to the Apple DOS operating system and was spread to other computers by means of a floppy disk.

The next well known computer virus was a PC virus called Brain. This virus was a boot sector virus that was created by two brothers Basit and Amjad Farooq Alvi in 1986. Basit and Amjad claim to have not created this virus to intentionally infect other operating systems, but instead claim that they had created the virus and attached it to software they had written in order to prevent pirated copies of their work from being created.

How Viruses Began to Spread:

Before the Internet became so widely accessible, computer viruses were generally spread through means of hardware, like floppy disks or other removable media. Though it's hard to imagine now, people used to exchange a lot of information on floppy disks regularly, since most people did not have access to the Internet to share files. If a floppy disk was infected, it could easily spread around pretty quickly. Many of these viruses spread by attaching themselves to information and programs that were stored on these floppy disks. Other viruses were already on the disks and installed themselves onto the operating system when the disk was booted up.

As the Internet became more widely used and technology became more advanced, computer viruses continued to grow and become more common. Most computer virus threats these days come in the form of information transferred on the Internet, such as downloadable files and emails. There are even viruses that can be spread through instant messaging programs.

How to Stop Viruses:

Fortunately, as computer virus technology continues to grow, so does the technology for anti-virus systems. With proper anti-virus software in place, such as Norton Antivirus, NOD32 Antivirus, or Kaspersky Antivirus, most people never have to deal with the damage that a computer virus can cause. Computer viruses can be extremely annoying and damaging to those they infect, and history has shown us they can cause a great deal of damage very quickly. Hopefully someday, computer viruses will be a thing of the past, and only be found in the history books...

How to avoid infecting your Computer (Best Practices):

Anyone that has a computer knows the fear that Computer Viruses can invoke; crashed computers, infected files, loss of information. Fortunately, though computer viruses continue to evolve, so does anti-virus protection. Protecting your computer from these harmful programs is actually quite simple and easy to do with just a few simple practices.

Have Anti-Virus Software, Anti-Spyware & Firewall:

The first thing you need to do in order to protect you computer from computer viruses is to install a good anti-virus protection system. This generally consists of good anti-virus software, a spyware program and firewall. All computer viruses work differently, and there are some programs that aren't actually viruses at all but can do damage none the less. An anti-virus program may not pick up these programs, so it's best to install all safety procedures you possibly can. Make sure that you choose a good system, that is reliable and known to provide protection. Some of these systems can be a little pricey, but are definitely worth it when you consider all that they can protect your operating system from.

Careful what you Download:

Many computer viruses and other damaging programs these days are contracted by means of the Internet. A person should always practice good safety measures when on the Internet to avoid infection. Having your anti-virus program in place is of course the first step in keeping your computer running safely. But there are also other steps involved when you are on the world wide web. You should avoid downloading files and programs from the Internet that you are not familiar with. This is one of the top ways that infected files can get into your computer. If you have a good anti-virus system in place (see article: How Anti-Virus Works for details on how the software works), it should catch these infected files and stop you with a warning. However, they can have a hard time catching newly designed viruses, so your safest option is to be mindful of what you download.

Careful of Email Attachments & Instant Messaging:

Catching a virus through email or instant messaging is another way that many computers get infected. Again, it cannot be stressed enough how having a good anti-virus program is the most important part of avoiding these files. However even with one in place, you should be cautious of files you open through email or instant messenger as these can infect your computer. Try and avoid opening emails from people you do not know, and from downloading files from emails and instant messenger. Some of these viruses can even come through making you believe it is from someone that you know.

Protecting your computer system from harmful computer programs is really quite simple and just takes a little bit of caution and attention. If you want your computer system to run smoothly, taking the time to follow these few simple steps will help protect you and you won't have to worry so much about your computer being damaged or corrupted.

How AntiVirus Works:

Computer Anti-Virus Software is a program that specializes in identifying harmful Computer Viruses. Once these viruses have been identified, your antivirus program will then either neutralize (often by putting in "Quarantine") or delete the virus so that it cannot harm your computer.

There are many types of computer viruses out there these days so anti-virus programs actually catch more than just a virus. Most anti-virus software can now detect Computer Viruses, Worms, Spyware, Trojans, Malware, and Phishing attacks. The more complex your anti-virus program is, the better protected your computer system will be.

Suspicious Behavior Approach:
There are several different methods that antivirus programs use to detect computer viruses. With the Suspicious Behavior approach, your anti-virus program will monitor the behavior of programs on your computer. The suspicious behavior approach is one of the better virus detection methods because it will not only detect suspicious behavior from programs currently running on your computer, but it will also detect the behaviours of new viruses that show up on your system.

Dictionary Approach:
With the Dictionary Approach, your anti-virus program will scan your computers files when they are created, opened, closed or emailed on your computer. The benefit of this, is that it can pick up a virus as soon as it is received. The downside to the dictionary approach, is that the anti-virus program can only detect viruses that are known in a “dictionary” or comprehensive database of known computer viruses. This means your anti-virus program will only pick up viruses that are “known” and can miss newer, non-registered viruses that can still infect your computer.

These are the most common forms of anti-virus approaches that are used in anti-virus software on the market today. Many antivirus programs on the market today, such as Norton Antivirus, Norton 360, Norton Internet Security, NOD32 Anti-Virus, and Kaspersky Anti-Virus, use a combination of both the Suspicious Behavior and Dictionary Approach as well as other methods to detect computer viruses.

What are Viruses, Trojans, Worms & Spyware:

There are many different types of computer viruses circulating in the cyber world, including regular Computer Viruses, Worms, Trojans, and Spyware. Each is different in how they work, but they all share one thing in common; the ability to do a great deal of damage to your computer system.

Computer Viruses:
Computer Viruses have been around since the early 1980's (see article: History of Computer Viruses). A computer virus is a program that gets into a computer system by means of hardware or software without the knowledge of the computer user, and then attaches itself to a program file. The virus then starts to replicate itself and do the damage it has been programmed to do. There are many different kinds of computer viruses out there and each has a different way that they work. They can be quite damaging to a computer system, so it is important that you have a good anti-virus program in place to protect your computer (for more info read: What is a Computer Virus?).

Trojan Horses:
A Trojan is not a computer virus in the sense that it doesn't get into your computer and self-replicate. The Trojan derives its name from the ancient Greek story of the Trojan Horse, where a group of warriors invades a city by hiding within a giant wooden horse. The residents of the city thought the horse to be a gift, never knowing what was hidden inside, so they rolled the horse in bringing their enemy within the city walls with it. The Greek Trojan horse appeared to be something that it was not, just as the computer Trojan appears to be something that it is not. A computer Trojan is software that appears to function in a certain way (such as a program that you may have downloaded to remove viruses or spyware), when in reality it performs another action, unknown to the user. A Trojan is not always harmful and damaging to your computer, but it can open a Backdoor for hackers to get into your computer and cause damage or retrieve information. A good firewall program is the most effective means to stop a Trojan Horse (also regular computer updates and an antivirus program help prevent Trojan Horses).

Computer Worms:
Computer Worms are like a virus in the fact that they do self-replicate themselves within your computer system. However, a computer worm does not have to attach itself to a program in your system like a computer virus does in order to function. Also, unlike a computer virus that generally corrupts and modifies files on your computer to cause damage, a computer worm generally localizes its damage to the computer network by causing increased bandwidth. However, computer worms may have a "payload" that can delete files, encrypt files or email files on the host computer. A very common payload for a worm is to install a backdoor in the infected computer to allow the creation of a "zombie" computer under control of the worm author. Computer worms can often spread via email such as the SoBig and MyDoom worms did (from 2003 and 2004 respectively).

Spyware:
Spyware is a newer type of program that damages your computer system. Spyware is also not a computer virus in the traditional sense, but it is harmful. Spyware works by getting into your computer system for the purpose of taking partial control over your use, or collecting personal information without your knowledge. Spyware often ends up on your computer after downloading & installing free software - be very careful what software you download, and which websites you download from!

While different in the functions they perform, Viruses, Trojans, Worms and Spyware are all damaging to your computer. It is of the utmost importance that you make sure you have proper computer protection software in place that will protect you from these things so they cannot get into your computer and cause damage.

Using System Restore to Fix Computer Problems
“I Think I Downloaded a Virus”
It’s so easy for your computer to ‘catch a cold.’ Thousands of websites require you to install some kind of special application in order to view them. So people get very used to pressing the ‘OK’ button without reading all the stipulations.

Suddenly you find yourself staring at thousands of advertisements every time you use the computer (this is called adware). Or maybe you find that your home page is changed (the page you start from when you go on the internet), and you can’t seem to change it back to where it was. Or you get an actual malicious virus, and your computer goes haywire.

As time goes on, the more these little programs load themselves onto your computer, the more they become leaches…sucking up your memory and precious computer resources. The result: suddenly it takes your computer three times longer to do anything.

With any of these problems, it can become a real hassle to get rid of them. They make software that’s supposed to fix them, but the software doesn’t always work. They only pick up on a percentage of known viruses or adware.

(On a side note, be very careful about which virus protectors you install on your computer. I recommend only using well known brands with good reputations such as Norton AntiVirus. You’ll see thousands of adware, spyware, and virus removers online…but many of these are actually the very things you’re trying to get rid of. They do get rid of some viruses, but they also install more advertising software on your computer.)

One of the easiest ways to recover from a mistake is to use the System Restore function in Windows XP/Vista. System Restore takes a snapshot of your computer every time you make changes to the system. If you start to notice something wrong after making a change, you can go back to the last time you remember your computer working correctly.

A cool thing about it is, you can make a ‘restore point’ (take a snapshot of your computer system) manually. So if your computer works well right now, go ahead and create a restore point.

Start by clicking your start button (bottom left hand of screen), go to ‘All Programs’, Accessories, System Tools, and clicking on ‘System Restore’.

A window will open up, asking you to choose between creating a restore point or restoring your computer to a previously restored point. Choose to create one, and click next.

Next, you’ll be asked to name the restore point. Choose any name you want, like “My Computer Works Now”, and click next.

To restore your computer to a previously saved point, follow the same procedures, only choose appropriately at the first menu. You’ll be shown a calendar where you can pick a day. Click on a day you remember your computer working properly (you can only choose the dates shown in bold).

The left side of the menu screen offers various restore points within that day. Choose one and follow the directions.
Presto! You’ve just undone any system changes that happened between that time and now, and this will remove a large percentage of viruses…but it won’t do everything.

For example, and this is something good, it won’t erase your emails and personal documents. But you should still back up all of your information. Another thing it won’t always do, and this might be something bad, is remove all of the programs installed during that time. You might have to use the ‘Remove Programs’ function from the control panel.

If a system restore doesn’t help your problem, and the virus removing software doesn’t work, then you might be faced with reformatting your harddrive. But system restore seems to take care of about 90 % of computer problems…so it’s better to try that before going through the headache of reinstalling everything.

What is Phishing and how to avoid it?

Gone are the days when fishing meant a rod, a reel and some bait. In todays technological world, we now have Phishing, and it's not a pleasant adventure. Phishing occurs when a computer program makes an attempt to acquire sensitive information from your computer by anonymous and criminal means.

Phishing has been around since the late 1980's, however the term “phishing” wasn't really put into use until the late 1990's. The term phishing of course, is a variant of the word fishing, because as a fisher throws out his line hoping to hook something on the other end, computer phishers throw out their line hoping to hook sensitive information from an individuals computer.

Phishing is used to collect information from peoples computer systems such as usernames and passwords to websites, credit card information, banking details and other information that you would rather keep to yourself. The phishers can then take this information and use it themselves, causing you a great deal of trouble.

While phishing can be a little difficult to avoid, there are steps that you can take to prevent having it happen to you. All that is needed is a little bit of caution and attention, and you can prevent yourself from becoming a victim of a phishing scam.

Five steps a person can take to protect their information and prevent having it “hooked” by a phisher:
1)Make sure that your personal information is only communicated through a secure website (such websites will usually have "https" in the address bar). Websites will have statements or icons to let you know their site is secure. This is absolutely essential when dealing with a banking website, or a site where you are required to give your credit card information.

2)If you are unsure of and question the authenticity of a website that is in an email you receive, do not click on the embedded link. (And never submit personal information after clicking a link in an email, even if it's from a person you know.) Instead, you should type the website link into a search engine or your browsers address bar, so that you can determine whether the link is legitimate or not. You can also consider calling the company itself if you can find the phone number and see if they are aware of the emails.

3)Thoroughly investigate any emails that ask for financial information. If you get an email asking for a quick response with your bank information, log-in information or usernames and passwords, do NOT respond. For the most part, a legitimate business will never ask for this information in the form of an email, and even though it may seem to come from a well known business, your email may actually have come from a phisher.

4)Keep track of your online accounts with personal information. Check them regularly to make sure that you are fully aware of what information is there. If you use a credit card online, pay attention to card statements to make sure there are no unauthorized transactions or transactions that you have not made.

5)Have proper computer protection software such as Norton AntiVirus software. Antivirus and AntiSpyware software can block suspect websites, and scan your emails for Viruses and Phishing attempts they may contain within them.

What is a Computer Firewall?

A Firewall is a computer program that monitors the flow of information from the Internet to your computer. There are two different types of firewall available for you to use - Hardware Firewalls and Software Firewalls.

Hardware Firewall:
A Hardware Firewall is a physical piece of equipment that sits between the Internet and your computer. An example of a hardware firewall is a broadband router, a common form of Internet connection. The benefit of using a hardware firewall, is that it has the ability to protect multiple computer systems that are connected to it at the same time. This makes it an effective firewall for use in businesses that have multiple computers connected to the Internet, as well as in homes that have more than one computer system.

Software Firewall:
Software Firewalls work in the same way as a hardware firewall, by monitoring and blocking information that comes to your computer via the Internet, however software firewalls must be installed as a program on your computer. These software firewalls can either be installed from a computer disk that you have purchased, or downloaded over the Internet. Software firewalls are the most common type of firewall. Programs such as Norton 360, Norton Internet Security, ESET Smart Security, and Kaspersky Internet Security all have a firewall bundled within them.

What a Firewall does:
Regardless of what type of firewall you choose to use, having one on your computer is a really good idea. A firewall helps to prevent computer hackers from accessing your computer through the Internet, and stealing sensitive information or infecting your computer system with some form of computer virus. A hacker can gain access to your system by “back doors” or open ports that connect your computer to the Internet. With a firewall in place these ports are blocked from inbound traffic, effectively closing the door in the hackers face.

Of course, damage can also be done to your computer from outbound traffic as well. Say for instance a hacker was able to slip by you with a Trojan, virus, spyware or phishing scheme that went undetected. The next time you booted up your computer and connected to the Internet, information on your computer could be sent out to the hacker. Many firewalls also block outbound traffic that will help prevent this from happening.

There are basically two ways that Firewalls work. Generally, data that comes in is analyzed by the firewall to determine the IP address it is coming from and the content that it contains. The firewall system then checks to see if this information is compliant with rules that you are able to configure. It can also analyze information at the application level. The firewall program will determine whether or not the application should be able to send or receive data through the port you are connected by.

Firewall programs are extremely important to the protection of not only your computer system, but you personal information as well. Many anti-virus programs come with firewall protection. Firewall protection should be considered an essential part of any computer's security strategy.

Norton 2010
Nod 32
Kaspersky
Bit Defender
Avira
Avast
Macafee
Trend-Micro
AVG
F-Secure

The wc3 version I'm current using:1.21,1.24b,1.24e
Garena UID-->pkyer123(BANNED for some reason LOL)
-->pkyer(Active)
-->InfernoRock(Banned for inactive...WTF!?)