Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook

Talking technology, computers, and the Internet… for the average computer user

Posts Tagged malware

Disable AutoPlay to Protect Your Computer From Malware

Nov 27

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber in Windows, computers, crime, how to, security how-to | 4 Comments

Windows by default has AutoPlay configured. AutoPlay (once called AutoRun in older Windows operating systems) is that little program that starts up the software whenever you connect a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, or pop in a CD or DVD. It was handy back in the old days of innocent computer use… but AutoPlay is increasingly used by evil programmers who want to spread malware and viruses. It is now recommended that you disable AutoPlay on your computer if you use USB flash drives or other portable peripheral drives like it.

There’s been a rash of infections in recent months that can be traced back to infected USB or other removable devices being used to transmit malware from one machine to another. The culprit is autorun. Even if you think you have it turned off, I’m betting you don’t have it turned off – not completely anyway.

Autorun (or autoplay, as it’s sometimes known as or confused with), is a very convenient feature of Windows that, as its name implies, allows things to happen “automatically” when you insert a removable device such as a CD-ROM, USB Memory stick or attach a device like a digital camera.

And yes, absolutely, it’s evil, and should be turned off completely as soon as you possibly can do so. The reason is very, very simple: autorun can be seriously abused by viruses and other forms of malware.

…autorun can be used to automatically launch software, either already on your machine or on the removable media. This is good when it’s the CD player software installed on your machine automatically playing the CD you just inserted, and it’s bad when it’s a virus that installs itself automatically.

There are several ways to disable AutoPlay, depending on your computer skills, and the operating system you have.

For Vista, it’s easy to disable it. Go to CONTROL PANEL >> HARDWARE AND SOUND >> AUTOPLAY. In Classic View of Control Panel, look for AUTOPLAY in the alphabetical list.

At the top, under the Menu Bar, you’ll see a box that says “Use AutoPlay for all media and devices.” Deselect it. :D

DisableAutoPl

From there, you can customize the defaults, how Windows will handle various drives and files. It is recommended that all drives be changed to “Take No Action” in the settings.

Now be warned that this fix works in MOST cases. But you know– this is Windows we’re talking about. Depending on your operating system brand, your updates, your hair color, blah blah, this fix may not work for you. In such a case, you can download updates, or you can hack the Registry yourself to fix it. Here are some very helpful links with tutorials and screenshots if you need more information or more detailed instruction.

How-To Geek Forums: Disable AutoPlay in Windows Vista
How-To Geek Forums: Disable Autoplay of Audio CDs and USB Drives for XP
Ask Leo: How do I *really* disable auto-play in Windows XP?

After you have disabled AutoPlay, no window will pop up and nothing will run when you insert a USB flash drive or CD/DVD into your computer. So how do you access the drive? Go to COMPUTER, either on your Desktop or look for it in your START MENU. You will see a listing of drives there. Double-click the drive you want to open, and your portable drives files are there.

CompDrvs

It’s just too risky in this day and age of malware and viruses and worms to leave your computer susceptible to them. It is recommended by the security geeks that you disable AutoPlay. I have learned to live without it, and love it. :D

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Malware Killers Software

Apr 6

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber in anti-virus, firewalls, free programs, security programs | 2 Comments

Continuing my series on securing your computer, I’ve talked about the importance of a good firewall, an anti-virus program, and now I’m going to address the necessity of good malware and spyware programs. While a firewall and anti-virus are absolutely necessary for a computer on the Internet, you can live without a malware/spyware protection. But I guarantee you that at some point you will need one. As you surf the Internet, your computer collects loads of small files (cookies) and other files (tracking files, etc). And your computer also may pick up a worm, trojan, or virus. Spyware and malware programs detect these files and the good ones will wipe them out.

All the ones I mention here are free as of this writing:

MalwareBytes
a-Squared Free
CrapCleaner
Lavasoft Ad-Aware
Spybot Search and Destroy

There are many more. And programs like WinPatrol and Spybot’s TeaTimer monitor your computer activity for changes in the registry.

Unlike firewalls and anti-virus programs, where you can only have one software program running– you can have multiple spyware/malware programs installed and running on your computer. In fact, it is recommended. Some programs are better than others at finding bugs and threats. I have five various programs installed on my computers. Always check for updates before scanning your computer.

In the next few posts, I’ll be addressing the issues of safe surfing, safe email handling, and other things you can do to protect your computer from harmful threats.

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Hacked Grocery Store Beefs Up Security

Apr 30

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber in security news | Comments off

I blogged about the grocery store, Hannaford’s, problem with security a few weeks ago. Hannaford’s is a huge grocery store chain here in the Northeast. I was affected by the data breach (as were most Northeasterners) and had to get new credit and bank cards. I am closely monitoring my statements, still.

To be more accurate, Hannaford’s security wasn’t the real issue; the finger of blame goes (once again) toward credit card companies. You can read more about it here.

But Hannaford’s is to be commended for their speedy response to this problem.

The supermarket chain Hannaford Bros. Co. has spent millions of dollars on additional security measures since last month’s revelation that hackers may have accessed up to 4.2 million credit and debit card numbers, it said yesterday.

The grocer, based in Scarborough, Maine, has stores in Massachusetts and several other states. It has started encrypting card numbers from the moment they are swiped at checkout counters. And it has tapped IBM to monitor security for its computer network around the clock.

But Hannaford’s top security executive said some other retailers are probably still vulnerable to similar attacks. “The latest threat wasn’t anticipated,” said chief information officer Bill Homa. “The bad guys are one step ahead.”

Hannaford told Massachusetts authorities it found unauthorized computer programs, called malware, on servers in more than 270 stores. When customers swiped their credit cards, the malware intercepted the data as it was transmitted from cash register to credit card processors.

The malware stored the data – card numbers and expiration dates – on store computers and later sent the information to offshore computers, where it could presumably be picked up by the thieves.

I am appalled– APPALLED– at the complete disregard bankers and companies, and the government, for that matter, have toward us and our data. It has gone too far and we really need to pressure these people to halt their data mining!

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