Is anyone totally confused as I am?

Question

I am so new to this, it is overwhelming! I have macafee,anti everything, purchased it when I bought my computer from dell. It was already installed when I got my computer. However 2 days ago I got a "bug" that almost totally shut down my computer. Restored it to an earlier date. Working fine now, but! I am suggested to do this, do that, anti this anti that download this etc etc. I am so serious that this is Beyond stressful!!! I waited literally over 10 yrs to get a computer it is my first! I haven't a clue how to really keep it safe from the ******* who want to put bad stuff into it. I read that in just the last 24 hrs, 68 events blocked, this week 1,675 blocked, but someone is still trying to hack into my computer in Atlanta! Is there anyone who is willing to take the time to tell me step by step, what I can do to keep these bored ******* from ruining something I have waited so long to get? I know it sounds a bit stupid, but I am so new to this it is sickening. HELP!

Answer 1

Sadly there really is nothing you can do to stop them. Now here are some things that may help relieve the stress. The events blocked does not mean that that many people tried to hack your computer, or even that there were that many attacks. It means the program saw that many seperate things it thought shouldn't be happening. This could be perfectly legitimate, but unnecessary traffic. Your software might say there's someone in Atlanta hacking your computer. There might be, but more likely it's something a little less sinister, like an automated program trying, which will fail if you have decent security. Or it could be something you want coming through but the software doesn't know that. Honestly most hackers that will try to get on your computer are dumb and incompetent. I promise you this. No skilled attacker will just go after your computer at random.

The key point is to know how to protect yourself. There are a few things you MUST do.

First, run Windows update at least once a week. The VAST majority of problems you'd run into are things that were fixed weeks, months, or even years ago in patches. By keeping Windows up-to-date you're protected from a ton of attacks. To run Windows update click the start button. Now depending on what version of Windows you have the update could be in different places. Windows 2000 has an icon in the start menu for Windows update, and I believe (it's been a while) 95 and 98 have it there too. Most likely you have Windows XP so go to All Programs, then there should be an update icon at the top. If that isn't there go to: http://update.microsoft.com

Second you need anti-virus. There are a ton of products out there. There is no easy way to pick one. I use a program called AVG anti-virus, it is 100% free and very effective. You can get it from http://free.grisoft.com They also have a "pro" version you can buy with more protection built in. You can also buy anti-virus programs, such as McAfee and Norton at any computer store. The advantage there is they come with other software to protect you. The downside is you have to keep your subscription with them otherwise it won't update the anti-virus and you'll get infected with new viruses. Also sometimes the additional software can cause problems and their tech support is not very helpful plus you have to pay them for it.

Once you have an anti-virus program the absolute first thing you need to do is run an update and make sure it is current. Once you've done that ensure it's set to automatically update at least once a week. Mine runs every night while I'm sleeping. If you do not update your anti-virus then you wasted your money. If it runs when you are doing something do NOT cancel it because if you do it won't get updated. Just wait for it to finish and go back to what you were doing. Also set it to auto-scan your computer at least once a week, this is normally not needed if you keep it constantly updated but it will help catch anything that might have slipped by. The second most important thing with anti-virus is do NOT turn it off. I've seen many people the pay a lot for the protection get infected because they turned off the anti-virus.

These two steps will save you from most attacks out there. You can get additional protection two ways; anti-spyware, and a firewall.

Spyware is what causes most problems today, throwing ads on your screen and hijacking your computer. Like anti-virus there are a ton of anti-spyware programs out there. I use Spybot S&D which you can get at http://www.spybot.info/ and it works quite well. Just like with everything else once you install it make sure it updates and runs a scan regularly. If you run into issues where it does that when you're using your computer you can adjust it so those things happen late at night, or another time you're not going to be on it.

A firewall is what stops hackers and automated attacks. It's just like a bouncer at a club. Unfortunatly it's also very dumb and only does what you tell it to. I recommend a firewall but have to warn you they can be hard to use properly. Many of them pop-up a window when something happens that basically says "This thing is trying to do something. We don't know what it is and recommend you block it. Do you want to block it?" which is fine until you block something you need and your computer starts acting funny. I've seen it happen many times, and done it myself a few. I think everyone should have a firewall, but unfortunatly they are hard to use unless you're a tech, so I hesitate to say you need one. Fortunatly Windows XP comes with one installed and running which does the job decently. If you want additional protection the easiest option would be to get a bundled software, like McAfee or Norton and use those.



Now you're PC is protected, but that's only half of it. The biggest way your computer will get infected is actually by what you do. Here are a few suggestions to protect yourself.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, open an attachment to an e-mail from someone you don't know. No matter how interesting it looks. Don't do it. It's a virus. I'd add to never open spam. If you don't know who the e-mail is from it's safest to just delete it. Now if you get an attachment from someone you know think about it for a moment before you open it. Do they normally send you attachments like this? Does the e-mail sound like them? Do you care about whatever this is? If not then delete it. At worst they will complain you ignored their e-mail. It is possible they got infected and that virus is sending itself to you, so you can't assume that just because it's from a friend it's safe.

If you get an e-mail saying it's from somewhere you know, like your bank, school, or anything like that be cautious. These e-mails are how a lot of identity theft occurs. If you do get this kind of e-mail, call the place it claims to come from with a number you know, not one from the e-mail. If it's legitimate they will understand and there's no problem. If they don't know what you're talking about then the e-mail was a scam.

Don't download any program unless you know what it is. If your computer tries to install or download something and you didn't intentionally tell it to cancel it. If it won't cooperate shut down your PC and when it comes up run all your scans. To go along with this don't download random "neat" programs unless you know exactly what it is. That "cool new screensaver" is probably a piece of spyware that will harass you to pay the maker every day, or a virus that will send an e-mail "from you" to your friends saying "Look at this cool screensaver!!" A lot of spyware and viruses install themselves from website by tricking you as to what they are so be careful what you run.

One final piece of advice. If you have anything important on your computer back it up often, preferably to a CD. In the event your computer gets infected or otherwise broken this saves you a lot of hassle and potential pain and stress because you didn't lose everything you had.

With these tips you will be much safer online and your computer will be well protected. Now I have to say there is no 100% safe. Even with all this you could have a problem with a virus, spyware, hacker, or whatever. It's a risk that you cannot avoid, but this way it is a much smaller risk.


Just a little background on me which might help validate this. I'm a junior in a university network security program and working towards a bachelors. I've been working in network security heavily for 3 years and doing PC work and support for 10. I also do exactly what I suggested.

Answer 2

I am not sure where all those attacks come from but I hope the following helps.

1. Activate your firewall in Windows (if you are using it) or your software firewall. If you are behind a router, make sure firewall and NAT is enabled.
2.There are a lot of things on the internet that could cause those "attacks". Don't click on suspicious hyperlinks. Get a more secure web browser such as Firefox (hope that you are already using it).
3.Install spyware protection. I personally find Lavasoft quite good. CNET.com suggest people running more than 1 spyware protection but I pesonally find that too resourse demanding. It's still a good practice though. Run the spyware periodically.
4. If you are using Windows, go to Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to remove any malicious softwares and any softwares you do not need in your computer. Get some help here if you are not too familiar with the programs.

That is all I can think of at the time being. Refer to the sources below. Another good place to learn more about protecting computer would be on CNET.com videos. Just search anti virus or spyware in the CNET TV. Hope that helps.

Answer 3

I can't give you step by step, just a few ideas to start your quest.

High-speed internet - required for security reasons. Never use a modem (problem is swine-run sites that download diallers onto your machine without your knowledge - they then make expensive long distance calls using the modem).

Router box. They have names like Linksys and Dlink. They sit between your computer and the internet and block huge amounts of crap.

"Don't Click At That"
Educate yourself on things that are troublesome. Both emails and web pages can contain harmful stuff. Do not click on anything unless you are completely confident in it. Don't be afraid of anything either, especially of emails that say things like "Your account has been violated. Click here to verify your account" - ALWAYS a scam and to be deleted.

Download FIrefox and use it instead of Internet Explorer. It is inherently much safer as it does not support a "feature" called Active X Controls (this is the thing that allows drive-by downloads).

Oh yeah, most of those attacks are automated and taking place on a massive scale. It's a worldwide problem.

Answer 4

I'm assuming you are using Windows

1. Unplug your network cable when you're away from the computer.

2. You probably don't want to hear this, but I would reinstall Windows with the network cable unplugged. There are actually viruses out there that will crawl into your computer between the time you install Windows and the time you install your anti-virus software.

3. After you install Windows you need to get the Security Updates on there by opening Internet Explorer, going to Tools, and clicking on Windows Update. From there you follow the directions. (Ideally you would download the Service Pack 2 from another computer and install it on the first computer)

4. Then you get your anti-virus software installed and make sure to get the updated Virus Definitions right away. Also you should set it to automatically download and install Virus Definition Updates.

5. This is the most important step. Do this one even if you don't do any of the others. Stop using Internet Explorer. Download Firefox (www.getfirefox.com) and make sure to keep up with the updates.

Answer 5

That is installed on your computer so that Dell can sell cheaper. It gives you all those warnings so that you are scared to turn it off. In six months or so it will tell you that you better send them money or people will come through your PC on port 75 and look at you in the shower.

Don't be afraid. No one is actually trying to hack into your computer. Turn off that Macafee firewall and turn on the Windows firewall. It is free and good enough. You may consider purchasing virus definitions and keeping the antivirus from Macafee.

You don't need a pop-up blocker either.

Answer 6

I'm afraid I'm not a big computer whizz... but I would definitely invest in Norton Anti-Virus. It's expensive, but the best thing on the market.

Also make sure that you set up an internet firewall (there is usually one included with your internet browser, and anti-virus software should have it too).

Give your computer regular scans and clean it out. Also delete your cookies. And if you're going to download files, amke sure that they're not big Zip files, unless they come from a recommended source. Bugs can be hidden in Zip files.

Answer 7

believe it or not i just got a computer myself last year, all i want it for is playing spades and games, listening to music, occassional letters to type and the weather report, and yet i am bedazzled and befuddled about all the to do and not to do stuff, so i went and bought the WINDOWS XP for dummies and my good, it is so easy to read and understand it shows displays and tips on everything, i paid dell 200 bucks when i got a blaster worm virus and all they had me do was restore, which i later read this in the book, that only cost 20 bucks, so now i try every week to do my norton updates, and norton virus scan, i do the disk clean up, the defragmentor to make run faster, i use the settings dell set on computer when i got it, and i also run a free spyware service that checks for many different types of bugs/trackers/hackers....and believe it or not it all works smoothly and i even liked the book so much i read it in just 3 days....best of luck and feel free to im me, if i dont know i can always ask my boss he knows everything about comuters.....

Answer 8

Make sure your firewall is up and running... If you don't have a router, get one (it has another built-in firewall, and also puts you into your own private network). If you don't mind about losing your files, do a whole system restore.

Answer 9

erm a little ive been on this for a month now. well have you downloaded something with spy ware?

Answer 10

Call Best Buy or CompUSA and they will sum it up good for you.