Your Daily Computer Security Tips

You probably know by now that the minimum equipment required for safe surfing is an antivirus program, a firewall and some spyware removers. All must be kept up to date, including your Windows. But viruses, Trojans, worms and other assorted malware have become so sophisticated and powerful that they can sometimes do an end run around your security programs.

For instance, some malware can prevent updates to your antivirus program. That is very bad. An antivirus program that is not up to date can become useless very quickly. It may even be worse than useless, if it gives you a false sense of security.

Viruses accomplish this evil trick by modifying your HOSTS file, or editing your Registry. Your HOSTS file, if you have one, is a long list of known bad sites. When you accidentally or unknowingly request one of these sites, Windows first checks the HOSTS file.

If the site is listed there, your request is cancelled. The Registry is also a list, or database, of all the software installed on your computer. To keep your PC nice and healthy, you do not want unauthorized changes to either of these files, or any other part of your computer for that matter.

So to prevent surreptitious modifications, we will install a fr ee program called Tiny Watcher. After installation, it takes a snapshot of your hard drive, then warns you when changes are made.

When something funny is detected, you will have the option to delete it. Like your other security programs, it runs in the background and will not bother you unless something suspicious is found.

Changes to your computer should not occur unexpectedly. They may occur, of course, when you install or remove programs. But if they occur out of the blue, while you are surfing the Net, beware. There may be trouble ahead.

To get Tiny Watcher, go here:

http://www.donationcoders.com/kubicle/watcher/download.html

Click Download now. Save the program to your hard disk, then install it. It will add a shortcut or its license agreement to your Start menu. To remove any item from your Start list, right-click it and click Remove from This List. After installation, Tiny Watcher will make a snapshot of your system. This will take a few minutes, so please be patient.

When it is complete, you will get the Warning from Tiny Watcher box. Follow the instructions. Usually all you need to do is click Confirm. You may not recognize the file names; in that case, plug the name into a search engine to find out what it is, before clicking Confirm or Remove.

If you click Registry, you will find yourself in the Registry Editor. This is for advanced users only, and only after you have made a backup of the Registry and a Restore Point!

Tiny Watcher is now running, monitoring changes to your system. It will do a quick scan every time you boot up. You will be advised of any changes, and you can refuse them if you believe they are suspicious or unwarranted.

Syd Tash is a longtime computer security consultant, author, and founder of
The SaferSurfing Project. He has been keeping Web surfers like you safe and secure since the last century. Find out how to keep yourself safe online and do your part for a more secure Internet. Join the SaferSurfing Project here
=> http://SaferSurfingProject.com

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