Google Text Ads Hijacked by Trojan!

Google text ads have been hijacked by Trojan.Qhost.WU. This trojan works by changing the Google ads to a third-party ads server and it will redirect the users to a malicious website.

This threat was found by BitDefender and you can learn more about this threat here http://www.bitdefender.com/VIRUS-1000239-en--Trojan.Qhost.WU.html and this threat affect many people who use Google Ads as a source of income, such as this blog.

If you want to know more about this story, visit this link
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2237535,00.asp

Spyware and Internet Security 101

I found an article by Niall Roche on Spyware and Internet Security 101. Read it and I hope you can gain something valuable from it.

--------------------------------------------------------
Spyware and Internet Security 101
by Niall Roche

If you aren't a heavy computer user, you may have never heard of spyware, malware or adware. Even if you have heard of it, you may have ignored all the buzz about it. After all, it isn't that big a deal, right? Actually, spyware is a very serious problem. This software is designed to gather information about your financial and personal information, including all of your online activity. In the hands of a cybercriminal, this information can cause a lot of damage. People who don't know how unsafe it is to use computers without software or hardware protection are as open to attack as a bank that doesn't lock the doors.

Spyware, as the name implies, is software that is created to spy on you in a way that allows it to go undiscovered. It collects all sorts of data, from where you go on the internet to what passwords you use. If this doesn't worry you, you may not be thinking about all of the things you do on the internet, including shopping with your credit cards, online banking and even inputting your social security number on secure sites, such as online tax programs. The information that is gathered goes right to the creator of the program, who can use the information to steal your identity, ruin your credit and do all sorts of additional damage.

So, how do you even get spyware on your computer when you don't download programs or open email attachments? Unfortunately, it doesn't need your help to arrive on your computer. All you have to do is visit an infected website. If you are without proper security software protection, you'll never even realize the website downloaded a program to your computer. It only takes seconds for the damage to occur and you don't have to do anything to start the process. Simply visiting the site will trigger the download. Besides collecting information, some of these nasty little programs come with an unwelcome bonus - a Trojan virus.

Knowing that websites can just download this type of malicious software doesn't help if you don't know which types of websites to avoid. Usually, if a website is set up to provide free downloads of porn, warez, or mp3s, it is set up so the owner can profit from unsuspecting victims. As you click on a download link for a cool new game, you are actually setting yourself up for a major mess. It looks like nothing bad happened, since you get the game and it seems to work. However, along with the game, a spyware maker will have added programs that look like innocent helper applications for the game, but are actually collecting your information. You find out what is going on when you are bombarded by useless junk mail and your computer slows to a snails pace from all the viruses on your hard drive. Then, you get your credit card statements and realize that they are filled with charges someone else made.

Of course, the guys who make this type of software aren't going to depend on just one way to get their nasty little surprise on your hard drive. They also love to include these malicious programs with free software programs. Remember the old adage "No such thing as a free lunch" whenever you decide to opt for free software instead of paying for an application from a reputable software manufacturer. Another trick that these crooks have recently started using is requiring people who download their free movies or mp3s to use a media player they have created to play them. Of course, that media player comes complete with tons of malicious programs such as spyware and even computer viruses.

You may be wondering how to find out whether you are already infected? The easiest way to see if something is going on is to look at your computer's performance. Is it moving very slowly? Does it take a long time for your browser to respond? Do windows and ads you didn't open pop up on your screen? Those are all signs that point to an infestation on your computer.

Once you realize that you have a problem, you'll need to deal with it right away. The easiest way is to get an anti-spyware program, such as Lavasoft Adaware or Spybot Search and Destroy. They will clear up your current problem. Then, you should stop them from coming back with a combined protection plan that uses anti-virus software and a good firewall program. The anti-spyware program will catch any programs that somehow manage to get through the cracks.

Remember, these types of programs are nothing to fool around with. As annoying as it is to have pop-ups opening faster than you can close them, having a big financial mess to clean up is even worse.

Is your Internet connection working so slowly ye just wanna cry? You know there's spyware in there somewhere but don't know how to find it. Find the best spyware program for your problem right now by visiting www.cpusecurity.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Niall_Roche
--------------------------------------------------------------

18 Out Of 20 Emails Are Spam Emails

Barracuda Networks, a spam filtering service reported that 95% of all emails are spams and Symantec reported that 71% of all emails are spams. As you can see, the amount of spam is increasing every year. In 2001, only 5% of the emails are spams, but now it has increased 90% in 2007.

Spam emails are junk emails sent to numerous recipients for advertising or malicious purposes. Sometimes, spam emails contain viruses,worms, or trojan horse and it will infect your computer. Therefore, protecting your inbox from spam is important.

You will only lose your money if you buy the products that being advertise by spam. Remember one of my previous posts about buying from spam emails? You will never get the things that you buy from them.

These are some tips to protect yourself and your inbox from spam.

1. Never open any attachment from spam emails.
2. Use spam filtering software such as MailWasher or PopTray.
3. Never buy anything from spam emails.
4. Install anti-virus and firewall to prevent the trojan horses and viruses from infecting your system.

Do Not Rely Too Much On Windows Firewall

One thing that you should know about Windows Firewall is, it's not a reliable firewall and it cannot block malware from getting into your system. Therefore, it is a good thing to install a third-party firewall such as ZoneAlarm or Comodo Firewall Pro.

When I don't know a thing about computer security, I used to use Windows Firewall. However, my computer has many symptoms of malware and viruses infection and I don't know that the cause is lack of protection.

After I learned a little bit about computer security, I begin to use a third-party firewall, install a good antivirus and anti spyware to protect my computer. Even though I have these protection, I cannot say that I'm secure enough from online threats.

In my opinion, there is no such thing such as a complete security for computer. The malware creators will always find loopholes and will try to breach into your system. The one thing that can protect you is your knowledge on computer safety.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you will notice that I talk a lot about computer security knowledge. It's because it's that important. So, learn everything that you can on computer security so you can protect your computer from online threats.

How You Can Join and Split Your File

Sending large files can become a problem if you cannot find where to host it. There is a solution to this problem. Do you know about a software called HJ-Split? It's a small software that can solve this problem.

What's more, it has a user-friendly interface and you can use it without having a college degree. I use it all the time and I love it.

Did I mention it's a freeware?

Go here to know more http://www.freebyte.com/hjsplit/

Play Online Backgammon

Do you know what Backgammon is? Backgammon is one of the oldest board games and has been played since ancient Egyptians. It has been one of the subjects for computer scientist to create backgammon software that can beat backgammon world class players.

It’s a game of strategy and a little bit of luck. Maybe you don’t have time to play this board game when you’re at work. But, now you can play online backgammon at http://www.mistergammon.com

If you’re new at this game, there is a ‘Getting Started’ tutorial on that website where you can learn how to play and some strategies that you can use. You can also join backgammon online tournament at the website if you want to test your backgammon ability.

Oh, did I mention that you can earn some money referring your friend to that website? It has affiliate programs that you can join and earn money when referring your friend there.

If you have some free time to spare, try downloading the software and play it. It’s free.

The Biggest Problem In Online Banking Is Not Phishing

This year alone, 250 ooo malware have been detected earlier this year and F-Secure Lab estimated that by the end of this year, the malware will reach the 500 ooo mark. As you can see, the threats are growing rapidly today.

It's because the malware creators are professionals nd they do it for profit. Therefore, more malware can be created.

Online banking are used by most people in the world because it saves time, money and energy. However, there are security problems in online banking. Do you think that the biggest online banking problem is phishing? No, it's not.

The biggest problem for online banking is not phishing, it's banking trojan and it can work in a genuine banking session. Imagine this, you want to pay your bill through online banking and you've checked it's a genuine website. You see the SSL, the https connection and then you type your bill payment.

But, without you knowing, the banking trojan type another bill payment on the same website and it didn't come out on the screen. The website will think that you're the one who typed it and considered it genuine.

The next thing you know, you've paid for something that you didn't order. My advice, always update your antivirus definition and all your protection software. This can help you to detect trojans in your computer and prevent this from happening and remember to install a firewall in your system.

P.S - If you want to know more on pc safety, go here http://www.chuangcomputer.com/pcsafety

How You Can Convert Your Hard Disk to FAT32 Format

Recently, I bought a 200GB hard disk and wanted to change its format from NTFS to FAT32. But because of the size is more than 32 GB, I cannot format it in Windows XP.

I search the Google for possible solutions and I found many sites that are offering the formatting software for some price. However, I found a software that can format my hard disk to FAT32 for free.

The software that I'm talking about is fat32format. It's a small software that can format your hard disk in Windows XP. For more information on this software, you can go to http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm and read the instruction carefully before you do it because formatting your hard disk means erasing your data.

So, be very careful and double check before you execute it.

Using Computer Management To Close Open Files

One of this blog reader left an interesting comment on how to close open files using computer management tools. He left it on a post "Cannot delete file: It is being used by another person or program".

I tried the tip by Brian when I cannot move a file to a folder. However, it didn't work for me because there are no open files when I open it. Maybe something else that made I cannot move my files, but I think you can try it. Right click on my computer and choose manage then choose shared folder -> open files and close any files that are open at that time.

If you still cannot delete or close any files because another program is using it, you can try my tips on this post.

The Danger of Social Networking Websites

Have you ever seen one of the South Park episodes "The Snuke"? If you see that episode, you will see that they're using information websites that can be obtained by anyone such as Google Search, Google Maps, MySpace, Craigslist, MapQuest, YouTube, Realtor.com, WebCrawler, eBay, PayPal, AOL, AIM, Ask, JDate, Blogs, Drudge Report, and eHarmony in order to track down the terrorist.

You might laugh at this, but in reality, I think it's possible for anyone to obtained such information from social networking websites. People nowadays reveal their information easily on social networking websites and therefore, it makes it easy for other people to find information that they need.

Things like 'privacy' doesn't exist anymore and people can learn about you in a few minutes by searching it on Google. I think it's better for us not to reveal so much information about ourselves on the Internet or we're risking our identity and our privacy.

Using Wireless Keyboard Put Your Password At Risk

I just read a blog entry by Christopher Null about QWERTYjacking. It's a term where people can record what you are typing if you're using a wireless keyboard because the encryption between the keyboard and the base are very weak and the hacker can easily break the encryption.

The hacker can record everything that you type when they are nearby by hijacking your keyboard wireless network and it's very dangerous if you're in a sensitive environment where people might steal your password.

So, if you're in a sensitive environment, it's better for you to use a non-wireless keyboard to ensure your password safety. It's the same thing at your home wireless network. If you don't secure your wireless network, someone might take this advantage to hack your network.

Why Geeks Are Sexy? - 29 Reasons from Geeks.com

I found this interesting articles by Geeks.com. The title is 29 Reasons Why Geeks Are Sexy and you can check it out at this link http://www.geeks.com/techtips/2007/techtips-19NOV07.htm .

Rootkit Email

Today I received an email with the subject "You Have Card" and I think most of you will immediately know that this is another type of virus attack. This time it's a rootkit and it was sent as an email attachment and when I open the email, Avast! AntiVirus detected the rootkit and immediately deleted it.

For those of you who don't know what a rootkit is, I will explain it briefly here. A rootkit is another type of online threats that cannot be detected by your antivirus. It's because it can hide itself in the system and will download a trojan horse or a virus into your system.

The Avast! Antivirus is capable of detecting a worm in emails attachment and I was saved by Avast! so many times when this type of attack occur. So, remember, when you received an email from an unknown sender, remember to delete it immediately.

If you still want to open the email before deleting it, you must have an antivirus installed with email scanner before you proceed or you will risk your computer to rootkit attack.

Dust and Keyboard

Cleaning your computer keyboard might be something that you seldom do. Not only the keyboard, but maybe you only clean your computer from dust and dirt once a year. Did you know that dust has caused 70% of keyboard failure?

If you think that cleaning your keyboard is something that you only do once a year, you need to think again. Open the keyboard keys by pushing it slowly upwards and remember to push it slowly to prevent the clip from broken. If you're unsure how to do this, ask your computer technician.

Cleaning your computer throughly can save you lots of time and money. So, remember to clean your computer at least once a month and it might help to prolong your computer life.

Generate STRONG Password For Free

How would you like to create a strong password for free?

I just stumble upon this website that generates strong passwords for free. You don't have to worry about creating a strong password. You can use this website service.

It can create 64 random hexadecimal characters, 63 random printable ASCII characters and 63 random alpha numberic characters and everytime you refresh the website, a new and strong password will be created. So, you can create as many passwords as you want.

You don't need to use all 64/63 characters, just copy and paste any part of it that you like and use software such as RoboForm or KeePass to manage it because I don't think you can remember all the passwords.

The website that I'm talking about is https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm . Go there and it will create strong passwords for you.