Enjoying a Visit from Antispam and Antispyware 674 Other antispyware programs are sold by third-party companies or included as part of security suites. The antispyware programs block attempts to install unwanted code on your machine, scan for spyware, and remove the programs. Winning at spy versus spyware The best way to defend against spyware is to be very careful in the first place: ✦ Install a capable antispyware program and keep it current. ✦ Never click a link in an e-mail that comes from a source you don’t know and trust. You shouldn’t consider buying pharmaceuticals from some- one who contacts you with an unsolicited e-mail; you certainly shouldn’t go to their site. ✦ If you must visit web sites left of the mainstream (pirated software ven- dors, pornography, or illegal offerings), don’t download anything. Better yet, don’t go there at all. Canning spam Anytime you give anyone your e-mail address, you run the risk that it will be given or sold to someone else. In this day of electronic avarice and fraud, an e-mail is a product that has value to sellers of just about any product (as well as thieves of almost any sort). Take these steps to deal with spam: ✦ Use a current e-mail client (including Windows Live Mail) that has built- in spam filters. The filters catch and segregate a large percentage of junk mail. These programs may also report spam so the central server can spot later assaults from the same sender. ✦ Don’t respond to spam you receive, even if the sender offers an “unsub- scribe” option. If you respond, you’re confirming that they reached a real address; they’re just as likely to redouble their efforts or sell your address as they are to remove your address from their list. ✦ If you receive mail from a source that has a legitimate reason to contact you — a site where you previously made a purchase — you can request to be removed from their list. They already know you exist because they’ve conducted business with you. ✦ Disable HTML e-mail messages (or don’t allow them to open with images). Most e-mail clients allow incoming messages created using HTML (coding that displays pictures and formatting on Web pages), but won’t display the images. HTML messages can contain code that can 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 674 Book IX Chapter 2 Guarding Against Intruders Security? Suite! 675 confirm your identity or even redirect your system to display a new Web page, which could download spyware or viruses. ✦ Set up multiple e-mail addresses. I have several addresses that I use only when I’m pretty certain a transaction is going to attract spam. If the mailbox starts to fill up with junk, I just close that account. Some people call these disposable e-mail addresses. Security? Suite! Many laptop users make use of two high-risk communication strategies: ✦ High-speed broadband connections when they’re at home or in an office ✦ A mix of ad hoc WiFi networks in Internet cafés, hotels, and other loca- tions while they’re on the road. This potentially dangerous combination calls for a belt-and-suspenders solution. I recommend all laptop users install an integrated security suite that includes ✦ A firewall ✦ Antivirus ✦ Antispam ✦ Antiphishing ✦ Anti-everything-else-that-you-know-of-and-imagine-that-can-cause-you- electronic-grief ✦ System maintenance Two of the best suppliers of this sort of comprehensive package are Symantec Corporation and McAfee Inc. everNorton Peter Norton was one of the pioneers of the PC industry, launching his fame (and fortune) in the 1980s with the introduction of the Norton Utilities which permitted “unerasing” deleted files and a few other basic tasks that weren’t yet part of the Microsoft operating system. He wrote a column for PC Magazine while I was executive editor of that august publication and later. a series of books for early techies. He sold his company to Symantec in 1990 but his name lives on in many of their products. 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 675 Security? Suite! 676 Symantec and Norton products Symantec has a full line of security and maintenance programs. Its flagship product is Norton Antivirus, which runs from your machine; it regularly con- tacts the company to download new signature files for its dictionary and updates for its antivirus engine. Another product from Symantec is Norton 360, an all-in-one security and maintenance product that uses tools on your machine, as well as online at the company. It also includes a Web-based backup site for your most critical files. See Figure 2-6. Key Norton 360 features include the following: ✦ Antivirus and Antispyware Protection. Protection against known and emerging threats at the deepest level within the operating system with integrated antivirus and antispyware scans. ✦ Rootkit Remediation. Heuristic protection against kernel mode rootkits that have dropped a driver onto the system. ✦ Behavioral Malware Detection (SONAR). Behavior-based malware detection that identifies new threats in real time based on application behavior. Figure 2-6: The Norton 360 PC Security screen shows the status of all of the components of the package, including the firewall and antivirus utilities. 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 676 Book IX Chapter 2 Guarding Against Intruders Security? Suite! 677 ✦ Smart Firewall. Automatically configures itself to allow good applica- tions and block spyware, worms, viruses, crimeware, and hackers from stealing sensitive information. ✦ Intrusion Prevention. Detects and blocks known and unknown intrusion threats (such as drive-by downloads) from getting onto a computer via system vulnerabilities. A single intrusion signature can protect against thousands of variants. ✦ Vulnerability Assessment. Automatic checks for security vulnerabilities including browser weaknesses, weak passwords, and web site redirec- tion, providing a deeper level of protection against common exploits. ✦ Network Detection. Optimizes firewall protection using different secu- rity settings when connecting to various types of networks. Automatically blocks unknown computers from connecting to your com- puter while on wireless public networks. ✦ Phishing Protection. Identifies and blocks fraudulent web sites attempt- ing to steal personal information. Utilizes black list and heuristic tech- niques to recognize known and unknown phishing sites. Dangerous sites are clearly marked. ✦ Web Site Authentication. Verifies authenticity of trusted brands that are commonly phished, such as financial services and e-commerce sites. Among new directions taken by Norton 360 is transaction security that aims to help protect online shoppers from problems caused by hijacked or phony web sites and phishing expeditions. See Figure 2-7. Figure 2-7: You can still visit a site that Norton 360 determines is unsafe or unverifiable, but the program displays a message warning that your machine’s safety might be com- promised. 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 677 Security? Suite! 678 McAfee Total Protection Another capable and broad set of tools is offered by McAfee, Inc. A number of hardware makers and Internet service providers offer the full product or many of its components as part of their service. See Figure 2-8. The most comprehensive of McAfee’s offerings is Total Protection. Included in that package are integrated antivirus, antispyware, firewall, antispam, antiphishing, and backup technologies. In addition, some of the product’s other features include: ✦ Do Not Disturb Mode. Maybe you want to watch movies, listen to streaming audio, or play games. Whatever the case, you don’t want the processor interrupted by security checks. This mode defers tasks, updates, alerts when your machine is in full-screen mode. ✦ Backup & Restore. This utility saves copies of your most valuable files wherever you want, encrypting and compressing your files on a CD/DVD, or USB, external, or network drive. ✦ Image Analysis. Part of optional family safeguard tools, this utility exam- ines web sites and images for potentially offensive content to block or display a warning. ✦ SystemGuards. A heuristic analyzer that watches your computer for specific behaviors that may signal virus, spyware, or hacker activity. ✦ X-Ray for Windows. A utility that detects and kills rootkits and other malicious applications that hide from Windows and other antivirus programs. ✦ Network Manager. This component monitors PCs across your network for security weaknesses, allowing you to fix security issues from one centralized network map. ✦ EasyNetwork. A utility to provide automatic printer sharing and drag- and-drop file sharing across trusted computers on your home network. ✦ Shredder. A tool that digitally “shreds” confidential files, effectively removing all traces of them from your computer. Windows Live OneCare As part of its developing Live collection of tools and utilities, Microsoft has launched its own Web-based antivirus and security service. Consult http:// onecare.live.com/ for information on a subscription. Microsoft, like many other companies offering security services, offers a free PC safety scan that can check for and remove viruses and junk from your hard disk; it’s not the same as full-time monitoring, but it may help in an emergency (or at least provide a quick assessment of your system’s security). 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 678 Book IX Chapter 2 Guarding Against Intruders System Maintenance Suites 679 My little laptop, used almost exclusively as an extra machine for word pro- cessing, e-mail, and Internet access when I’m on the road, has in excess of 100,000 files on its hard drive. The vast majority of those are elements of the operating system and applications that run under it. Every time I turn on the machine, a significant number of those files are opened, moved, changed, or updated. And every time I upload a photo from my digital camera or visit a web site, a big chunk of space on the hard drive is temporarily assigned to storing a file. The bottom line: The hard disk drive in your laptop isn’t a stable and unchangeable document, like a printed page in a book. It constantly changes and is reorganized. And as you explore in Book III, your hard disk drive can very quickly become a very messy place . . . and in the process end up slow- ing down your laptop. System Maintenance Suites I suggest buying and installing a maintenance suite. The best bang for the buck, and the greatest level of efficiency, probably comes with an all-in-one product that combines maintenance tools with security features like those discussed earlier in this chapter. Figure 2-8: The McAfee Security- Center screen for a Toshiba machine reports the state of its com- ponents. 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 679 System Maintenance Suites 680 The best are listed here: ✦ Norton 360 from Symantec (a local and Web-based service) ✦ Norton SystemWorks from Symantec (a package that works from your machine) ✦ McAfee Security Center See Figure 2-9. We’re all honest and upright citizens here, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything we can to cover our tracks at all times. The fact is that your computer is constantly making little notes about web sites you’ve visited, files you’ve opened, and even the files you’ve changed. Are you comfortable with the possibility that an outsider might be able to read all of that material? Do you want your boss, spouse, or anyone else to be able to reconstruct your day — no matter whether it’s innocuously off- topic or more seriously inappropriate? Figure 2-9: A QuickClean session under way as part of the main- tenance facilities of McAfee Security. 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 680 Book IX Chapter 2 Guarding Against Intruders System Maintenance Suites 681 A word of caution to laptop users working in a business: Anything you do on company time using company equipment is subject to monitoring and over- sight. You have no right of privacy when it comes to e-mail or web sites. Many heavy-duty laws come into play to make certain investigators can track any possible hint of illegality in the area of insider trading or disclo- sure of financial information. Don’t assume that any of the advice in this chapter applies to you; consult with your supervisor about all applicable policies and laws that affect your job. 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 681 Book IX: Protecting Your Laptop 682 47 140925-bk09ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 682 Book X Troubleshooting Common Problems System Restore lets you choose from restore points on your drive. 48 140925-pp10.qxp 4/8/08 12:53 PM Page 683 . the company to download new signature files for its dictionary and updates for its antivirus engine. Another product from Symantec is Norton 360, an all-in-one security and maintenance product. http:// onecare.live.com/ for information on a subscription. Microsoft, like many other companies offering security services, offers a free PC safety scan that can check for and remove viruses and. exam- ines web sites and images for potentially offensive content to block or display a warning. ✦ SystemGuards. A heuristic analyzer that watches your computer for specific behaviors that may