StopSign®

The StopSign Support staff fields a lot of different calls every day, and a common question heard by our techs is “How can I tell if my anti-virus software is working?“. With hundreds of new viruses and other kinds of malware being written or released every day, it’s natural to suspect that your anti-virus software isn’t up to snuff if you don’t see it catching anything.

Like most anti-virus vendors, the StopSign Research lab keeps a closed-off network of computers (i.e. not connected to the Internet or our internal networks) with live viruses to test our software before it goes out to our members. For us it’s easy to run our anti-virus software against live viruses in our “snakepit” of malware safely because we have a closed environment to test the StopSign Threat Scanner, but that’s not the case for everyone.

Luckily the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research provides, free of charge, the EICAR Standard Anti-Virus Test File as a tool to test anti-virus software using different test files to see if your scanner takes the bait. The EICAR anti-malware test file is a safe (i.e. not truly infected; it only contains patterns and not any actual virus code), publically available anti-malware test file which contains code that should trigger detections by anti-virus and/or anti-malware software.

Testing your anti-virus software is as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Download:

   Go to EICAR’s web site and download an anti-malware test file on to your computer (and be sure to note where you downloaded it to). There are several versions of the test file available if you scroll to the bottom of the page. Feel free to choose any (or all) of them.

2. Scan:

   Using your anti-virus software (we, of course, recommend StopSign Internet Security software), scan the anti-malware test file you downloaded.

3. Review:

   When your security software is finished, it should have detected any of the anti-malware test files you downloaded as infected.

If for some reason your anti-virus software doesn’t pick up the “infection” it could just mean it’s time to update your software with the latest anti-malware definitions. Update your security software and try it again, and if it still doesn’t pick up the EICAR anti-malware test file then contact your security software vendor to see if there is a problem.

There’s a dirty little secret in the field of computer security: no antivirus or spyware product can detect or clean everything. It’s true. StopSign is a great product and we’re constantly upgrading our antivirus and antispyware engines to provide the absolute best protection for our members; but there is no security product on the market that can deal with every single infection, especially emerging or previously unknown vulnerabilities, called zero day attacks. Our solution to this problem is a Custom Cure™ that our Support Staff creates on an individual basis for any active member who needs one.

We’ll often hear “Well so and so’s product removed such and such infection, why didn’t StopSign?” Honestly, we’re glad when we hear that, because that means our members are talking to us instead of assuming the worst, and then we can tell anyone experiencing this problem about our very unique Custom Cure™ service that addresses anything we might miss during a scan. Once we know about your problem, our support techs will get some information about your infection and then create a fix that’s customized for your particular needs.

Just like all of our US-based support, a Custom Cure™ is part of your StopSign membership and is provided at no additional charge! That’s right… all of our technical support is absolutely free to our members. We don’t charge you for Custom Cure’s™, phone calls, emails, or online chats with our Support Staff.

If you’re an active StopSign member and come across a particularly nasty virus or spyware infection that just keeps sticking around, please contact our Support Staff or submit a support ticket online and we can begin to walk you through the entire process and get your machine clean.

We’re often asked “What is spyware?”, but the answer isn’t always cut and dry. In theory, spyware is any software installed on your computer, typically without your knowledge, which is used to track your computer usage, change your PC’s configuration without telling you, and/or display unwanted advertising. In practice, however, many types of software could be loosely defined as spyware without being malicious.

Spyware is computer software that can be customized to monitor anything you type, any web site you go to, or any habits you have when you use your computer. Because of this, the inference is that any piece of software that monitors any aspect of your computing can be considered spyware if you take it to the extreme. However, some software by it’s very nature needs to monitor your computer usage, files opened, and software downloaded. Malware and other scam software packages aren’t likely to tell you about their installation, much less any changes they make to your system. Because there are so many rogue applications out there, you should evaluate any piece of software that you download and install in order to come to an informed decision of whether they are using the information gathered, and any system changes, for good or bad.

Symptoms of a computer with a spyware infection include, but are not limited to:

• Increased amounts of unwanted popups, generally for advertising purposes. These popups may also occur when you’re not surfing the web.
• Uncharacteristically slow computer response, especially when opening, closing, or saving files.
• A sudden, unintentional change in your browser’s homepage. This will often occur even after repeated attempts to reset your homepage back to your original one.
• New browser toolbars, desktop icons, bookmarks, or applications installed without your knowledge.
• A “hijacked browser” that takes you to web sites other than those you typed into your address bar.

In some cases, however, you may experience no symptoms at all, especially if the spyware installed is only monitoring your usage and not actively directing you to web sites or advertisements. That’s where some basic Internet security comes in, by having antivirus, antispyware, and firewall software installed, updated, and running 24/7 to help protect you against the real spyware that’s out there.

This month, October 2009, marks the 6th anniversary of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in the United States, and President Obama has issued a presidential proclamation regarding this event. The use of technology has been a staple of the current administration’s public discussions, and online security concerns have been a part of the conversation from the beginning. President Obama spoke about the the need for securing the US cyber infrastructure during a speech in May of this year, noting:

America’s economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cybersecurity.

Clearly internet security will continue to be an important topic for American families, businesses, and government networks now and in the future. As part of the information campaign surrounding National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Department of Homeland Security website lists 3 core practices they recommend, which include topics we discussed in our blog post regarding the basics of Internet security:

• Install antivirus and antispyware programs and keep them up to date,
• Install a firewall and keep it properly configured, and
• Regularly install updates for your computer’s operating system.

There are many events planned for National Cyber Security Awareness Month on a national as well as a state level, and we encourage you to attend and/or view them online and use that information as a base to evaluate your current cyber security level and update if necessary. For more information on National Cyber Security Awareness Month or government recommendations on cyber security, please visit StaySafeOnline.org.

Why do I need Internet security software?

In a world where nearly 25% of the world’s population actively uses the Internet (including over 74% of North America), it shouldn’t even be a question that you need to protect yourself from online predators with a suite of Internet security software. In order to illustrate why, we’ve come up with a few examples. This article touches on a few key areas that can be easily remedied with software so that you don’t even have to think about what you need to do to stay safe: you’re just protected.

Viruses, spyware, and hackers, oh my!

Facts are facts: there are a lot of bad people out there who like to write computer viruses, worms, rootkits, and all manner of malware. Computer viruses have plagued users and administrators since as early as 1971, and there’s no sign of a slow down.

Antispyware and antivirus software are key components to keeping unwanted spyware and problem-causing viruses off of your computer and/or network. Using automated threat scanning, antispyware and antivirus software seek and destroy anything that isn’t welcome, which leaves you free to run your computer worry-free.

Don’t you want to keep your private data private?

According to the Social Security Administration, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, making it a very real, very serious problem. Many of the methods used to steal personal information are offline, but since spyware tracks your computer usage and can even be written to send data back “home” to the person or group who created the spyware in the first place, making a leap to the digital world isn’t that difficult for crooks.

In the current world economy hackers and crackers around the globe are feeling a pinch in their pocketbooks just like everybody else, so they are devising crafty new ways to separate you from your private, personal information and your hard-earned money. If you do your taxes on your computer, keep a file with passwords stored on it, or have anything else that may contain sensitive information, it is completely possible that a spyware application can find or sniff out that information and relay it to the hacker.

But what if I’ve never had a virus (or spyware, etc.) before?

Unfortunately the reality is that even if you’ve never had to deal with malware in the past, the longer you use your computer and the Internet it’s only a matter of time before you become infected with a virus or some spyware if you are running your computer without some kind of protection. Why take chances when there’s a simple, safe, and inexpensive solution?

It’s better to be safe than sorry, so we recommend that you install, use, and keep updated, an internet security software package like our own (cue the shameless plug) StopSign Internet Security software.

With over 239 million web sites on the Internet it’s no surprise that Internet security is a hot topic. While it’s virtually impossible to nail down a solid number, it’s safe to say that there are millions of computer viruses, spyware applications, and assorted malware out there that can infect your computer. Some of that malware is merely an annoyance and some of it can do real damage. That’s where basic Internet security comes into play. You can protect yourself with a few simple tools and set them up to automatically protect you 24/7/365.

We’ve compiled a list of 3 pieces of software that most Internet security experts should agree are the core components of basic Internet security for your computer.

Firewall

A firewall is a piece of software or a device that sits between your computer and the Internet and blocks and/or filters all of the traffic before it gets into your system. In the home computing world, a firewall is more often than not software. At it’s heart, a firewall only allows certain kinds of traffic or requests to get through, and most modern firewalls allow you to customize what kind of traffic is accessible, such as email and web surfing.

Installing and configuring a firewall is is a great first-line defense against hackers trying to remotely access your computer. Once the bad guys have a foothold on your computer there’s not telling what they might do. Keep in mind, however, that a misconfigured firewall can be just as bad as not having one, so it’s best to either carefully read the firewall’s instructions or allow the default configuration to be set up by the firewall itself.

Antivirus

Detection, protection and deletion of malware such as computer worms, computer viruses, etc. are the bread and butter of antivirus software. Using a variety of virus detection techniques, antivirus software secures your emails, instant messages, and web browsers.

With the sheer number of viruses that are written and released every day, much less every year, it’s easy to see why you need antivirus software installed on your computer. Just be sure to stay updated with new patches, virus definitions, etc. otherwise you might leave yourself open to malware.

Antispyware

Spyware is generally considered to be any piece of software that is installed on your computer (usually without your permission) that tracks your computer usage, your browsing habits, and may even collect your personal information. Like it’s name implies, spyware snoops on what you do on your computer and sends that information back to the folks who wrote the spyware.

Think about all of the sensitive data on your computer (tax information, social security numbers, pictures of your kids, etc.) and all the different web sites that you visit. Now imagine if a complete stranger has access to all of that information and you have no idea they are snooping on you. Without antispyware software installed that’s a very real possibility, and you are leaving yourself open to potential computer infections.

In Closing…

There are bad guys out there who know that there are still plenty of people who aren’t protecting their computers. Keep your family’s information safe on your computer with a firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware software.