There are many simple software programs one can purchase, which
convert text and graphics into web pages. They try to make
it as easy as possible, but it still takes time to learn, and the
results tend to look like a one-size-fits-all solution.
If you want a distinctive site that makes your business look its
best, doing it yourself can be a costly mistake. Use your time to
do what you do best — running your business. Use us to do what
we do best — making web sites that give you something to brag
about!
We
also have an interest in keeping our computers secure and free from
cyber-parasites and would like to share with you some of the things
we do.
Spyware Is An Increasing Threat
First the big Internet annoyance was spam. Now it is spyware! Why
is this happening? There is big money in spyware, legitimate and
for cybercriminals. Both wage a battle for your personal information,
surfing and buying habits.
There are Internet advertisers that want to know where you click,
and the "Net Mafia" is trying to steal your identity and
credit card info. Your personal computer has likely been infected
with several spyware products and cannot get rid of these by itself.
It needs help to find them, quarantine or delete them and then protect
your PC from getting infected again.
Reluctant as we were to install yet another program to detect and
deter attacks, we downloaded the free 15-day trial of CounterSpy.
Our trial period is about up and although it did not detect any
spyware on its scans, we'll be buying a year's subscription. It
is the only program that blocks attempts to modify the Hosts file,
stops edits to the registry, and prevents browser and home pages
from being changed.
For your own security, read the EULA before downloading any program
to be (somewhat) sure you are not also agreeing to installation
of spyware on your computer.
Save the program to a CD and then scan it with your up-to-date anti-virus
program before installing. Be sure to close all running programs
for a clean installation. Double-click on the .EXE file to install.
Always check for updates after your installation is complete.
We recommend the four programs to the right. Keep
them updated. Don't open an attachment unless you are expecting
it.
Keep your Windows patches current. Make backups of information on
your computer, or better yet, keep all information off your
computer and ondisks or an external hard drive.
CounterSpy CounterSpy has a one-year subscription with
updates, upgrades and technical support. (It
has successfully blocked browser hijacking on my machine, which
had previous to installation been a constant problem.) It's
the only anti-spyware that gets regular spyware threat database
updates from three sources: Sunbelt's own Spyware Research Team,
CounterSpy users that are members of their ThreatNet Community,
and from Microsoft's spyware research group. Sunbelt
Software CounterSpy Information and Download link
LavaSoft
AdAware Ad-Aware is designed to provide advanced protection
from known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware,
selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers,
and tracking components. With the release of Ad-Aware SE Personal
edition, which is free for personal use, Lavasoft takes the fight
against Spyware to the next level. This
detects and will remove browser hijacking but does not prevent the
changes from being made in the registry.
SpyBot
Search and Destroy From the creator, Patrick M. Kolla: "Spybot
- Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different
kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat
that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see
new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally
install, if your browser crashes, or if your browser start-up page
has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware.
"But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because
more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your
surfing behavior to create a marketing profile of you that will
be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's
nothing to lose in checking to see if something has snooped into
your computer."
Zone
Alarm Free Download Firewall protection is your front line
of defense against Internet threats. Zone Labs security software's
default zones and security levels give you immediate protection
against the vast majority of threats. If you're an advanced user,
custom port permissions and expert rules give you detailed control
of traffic based on source, destination, port, protocol and other
factors. Use in place of your Windows XP firewall.
