Disable Autorun
Removable USB/thumb drives use the Autorun feature to load files when
the drives are plugged into the USB port. Malware exploits the Autorun feature to spread from thumb drive
to PC. Disable the autorun feature to prevent malware from spreading.
To use this method, Open Notepad and copy/paste the following into a text file, or download it
here:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Autorun.inf]
@="@SYS:DoesNotExist"
Save the file as something.reg. (You have to be sure to change the "Save File as Type" to "All Files" before
saving, or Windows will try to save it as a .txt even if you typed in .reg.
Locate the file you just saved and double-click the file to run it. You will receive a prompt asking if you
want to add the data to the registry. Click yes to allow the modification.
The above method nulls any request for autorun.inf and works on XP Home or Pro, as well as Windows Vista.
Hotspot Shield - Free, Reliable Wi-Fi Security
Sure, public Wi-Fi hotspots are great. After all, what would life be without
checking your email each morning at your favorite café? But while you're enjoying your latte and a bagel, some
hacker might be accessing your passwords, credit card numbers, sensitive company data and much more. And standard
antivirus software won't protect you. That's why
AnchorFree is pleased to offer Hotspot Shield. This free security
software keeps your Internet connection secure at public hotspots, home or work.
Disabling Remote Registry
By default, the registry on your computer is available to others on the
network. This means another user on the network could remotely access your registry if they have the skills to do
so. Since the registry is the core of the operating system, you may want to increase security on your computer by
removing this capability.
One way you can accomplish this is to disable the Remote Registry service. If you are running Windows 2000,
Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, open the Administrative Tools within the Control Panel and locate the Services
applet. Double click Services and locate Remote Registry. Right click the Remote Registry service and click
Properties. Change the startup type option to disable. Click OK. Once you restart your computer, the service should
no longer be running.
Stealth those Ports
Firewalls
A closed port is like locking your home, anyone can SEE your home is there, and SEE that it is locked. That will
discourage HONEST people from attempting entry, and discourage most thieves. However, thieves with enough interest
and time will break through those locks. Now, imagine having a home that is invisible? No one can see it but you!
To everyone else it looks like an empty parking lot. People may walk by and look, but they CANT SEE YOU! That is
what a Firewall can do for your computer. A firewall ABSOLUTELY ISOLATES your computer from the Internet using a
"wall of code" that inspects each individual "packet" of data as it arrives at either side of the firewall —
inbound to or outbound from your computer — to determine whether it should be allowed to pass or be blocked. The
GRC site has more than you need to know about firewalls. Take a look at Steve's explanation and recommendations
of Firewalls.
Firewall Tip: Many mail servers will do a reverse connect on port 113 to see if you are who you say you are.
Generally an ident server isn't running and the mail server gives up it's connect. But if 113 can't get through
the firewall it will delay for it's timeout period before continuing. Solution: Set your firewall to allow port
113 (ident) through.
Who are They? - Here are several programs that are useful for tracing IP addresses:
Sam Spade - Freeware
Sam Spade is an integrated network query tool for Windows 95, 98, NT4.0 & Windows 2000. They also have a Sam
Spade plug in for Internet Explorer
Trace.bat - Freeware
TRACE.BAT is an MS-DOS batch process which uses standard network query utilities to work up a handy report on a
given Internet address.
Visual Route - Shareware
VisualRoute is a visual, fast, and integrated ping, whois, and traceroute program that automatically analyzes
connectivity problems, displaying the results on a World map.
Whois Ultra - Freeware
This is freeware and works great.
What do they want?
Port numbers and what they are used for:
http://advice.networkice.com/Advice/Exploits/Ports/default.htm
A word about scrap files:
Scrap files are potentially lethal because the .shs extension is never shown
by Windows and therefore a seemingly harmless attachment like update.txt can actually be update.txt.shs and when
you open it...surprise ...it's-a-script! (capable of all kinds of mayhem). To prevent this (if you feel brave)
back up your registry (just in case), open regedit and look for HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ShellScrap and find the value
NeverShowExt on the right hand side. and delete it. Do the same for the value HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DocShortCut and
close regedit.
Now open windows explorer and select folder options from the view menu. Click on the file types tab and select
Scrap object from the list, select edit, change icon, browse...go to pifmgr.dll (usually in c:\windows\system) and
select the last icon (a bundle of dynamite) and select it. Now any time you see a bundle of dynamite attached to
your email, you know not to open it.
Subscribing to Microsoft's Security Bulletins
Compose an e-mail to:
microsoft_security-subscribe-request@announce.microsoft.com. The subject line and the message body are not
used to process the subscription request, and can be anything you like. Send the e-mail. You'll receive a response,
asking you to verify that you really want to subscribe. Compose a reply, and put "OK" in the message body.
(Without the quotes). Send the reply. You'll receive two e-mails, one telling you that you've been added to the
subscriber list, and the other with more information on the notification service and its purpose. More details are
available
here.
Internet companies, whose apparent "business model" is the exploitation of consumer trust and ignorance,
are sneaking their spyware systems into our machines for their own purposes.
What to do about it?
To keep up on issues like this you can visit
http://www.PrivacyDigest.com/
Privacy Digest covers the items directly and indirectly impacting your privacy such as cryptography, wiretaps,
Free Speech, DNA and genetic testing, and database tracking in general. The author uses main stream sources such
as CNN, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post, CNET, ZDNET and ideas from SlashDot, and other sources of similar stature
for his links. No black helicopters here :-)
WebWasher is a powerful filter program
for Web pages, it is installed on your PC or server as an add-on to your browser. Unwanted content - such as
advertising - is not even loaded via the network. WebWasher also avoids unnecessary reloading of web objects and
de-animates images. This saves you up to 45% of the data which are transmitted. Your browser displays Web pages
practically free of advertising. The result is a considerably faster page display, shorter search times in the
Internet and savings in provider fees. One click on the program symbol switches WebWasher on or off as you need
it.
The Web Bug FAQ:
Its not new technology, just banner ads with no quid pro quo. This is really sneaky. With banner-ads the merchants
could claim that tracking was an unavoidable & innocent by-product of serving you an ad. With web bugs you get
nothing in return and the only objective is to spy.
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