Spyware and Viruses

الاثنين، 16 أبريل 2012

How to Run a Virus Scan in McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012

McAfee Antivirus Plus 2012 is the latest version of McAfee AntiVirus Plus series. The security solution has a 'Plus' appeal with a built-in firewall, antivirus & anti-spyware, web & email protection, and contemporary user interface showing a chest of drawers among other tools and utilities. With this brand new security software, you may need help running a virus scan on your PC. Considering this, we have designed a free McAfee antivirus support guide that will help you run a virus scan properly and schedule an auto-scan also.

Procedure:

Before we begin, we presume that you have the McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012 installed on your computer. If you don't have, look for the McAfee setup kit. It will have a McAfee installation disk, McAfee setup support manual. If the program came preinstalled with your computer, there is no need re-install it. If you don't have the McAfee disk and the program is also not installed on your computer, open your browser and visit the McAfee website. Download McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012 and install on your PC. When done, you will see a McAfee shortcut icon on your desktop and/or in the system tray.

For a pre-installed McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012, if this is the first time you are running it, you might be prompted to register with McAfee. So, enter your first and the last name, and a valid email address. When prompted, set up a password, confirm it, and continue with the registration. When done, the program will check for latest updates and install them. You can push the updates back if you want to run them later on.

Look for the M icon and double-click to open it. As mentioned above, you can find it either on the desktop, the system tray or taskbar. When in the McAfee AntiVirus Plus console, you will see an overview of the security status of your PC, update status, subscription, tools, and features etc. Under Features, you will see Virus and Spyware Protection, Web and Email Protection, Data Protection, and PC and Home Network Tools.

Click the drop-down arrow on the Virus and Spyware Protection strip. You will see a list of features viz. Scan Your PC, Real-Time Scanning, and Scheduled Scanning etc. open up. Click the Scan Your PC link. You will now see the scan options viz. Run a quick scan, Run a full scan, and Run a custom scan. Choose an option, click on it, and then click the Start button to begin scanning your PC. If you suspect a malicious activity in your PC, choose to run a full virus scan.

If you want to continue working on your previous tasks, click the Run in the background option before clicking the Start button. This way the virus scan will run in the background and will show up only when it completes. If you want to see the scan progress, click the M icon and the console will open up. If the program detects a Trojan, virus, or potentially unwanted program, it will either automatically remove it or prompt you to take an action. Choose what is shown on the console screen.

If you want to schedule auto-scans to avoid facing the hassles of running manual scans, get back to the Virus and Spyware Protection strip on the console. Click the Scheduled Scanning link. You will see that the Scheduled Scans feature is enabled. Under Schedule Your Scans, click the radio button beside Set my own scan schedule. Click the drop-down arrow and select a time period. Also select the particular day to automatically run the scan on. For optimal performance of your PC, click the box beside Scan using minimal resources. Also check the box Start scan only when the PC is plugged in. Click the Apply button to save the changes. Click the X button to exit the McAfee Antivirus Plus 2012 console.

Additional Info:

The default virus scans run weekly viz. every Wednesday or Friday as preset by McAfee.

The Author of this article is associated with V tech-squad Inc, V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. if you have any problem while performing the above steps and need technical assistance for Mcafee technical support, You can reach V tech-squad online technical support at their Toll Free No +1-877-452-9201.

About V tech-squad Inc.

V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based online technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. V tech-squad provides support to users for issues with their PCs, Mac's, Tablets, Phones such as iPhone and Blackberry and devices such as MP3 players, Printers, Scanners, Fax, Wireless networking gear, Netflix, Roku boxes and TVs. With an obsessive focus on quality and building technical expertise, V tech-squad continues to maintain an issue resolution rate of more than 90%. V tech-squad's credibility has been tested by more than 10,000 customers. Currently V tech-squad provides support services to consumers and small businesses in United States. For more information on V tech-squad, Inc. visit vtechsquad.com.

View the original article here

How to Make Your Mozilla Firefox Browser Secure

Your internet\web browser is a medium for you to connect to the internet or online world. On the other hand, it is also a medium for those online threats like Trojans, viruses, spyware, spam, fake free online virus removal software (which are threats themselves ) etc. to slip in to your computer.

Considering the risk of rising online threats, privacy infringements, and data\identity thefts etc., it should be your priority to safeguard your web browser. How you can do this is explained here in this article. This free Mozilla Firefox support guide will help you tighten the security noose around your Mozilla Firefox browser and prevent malware, phishing, spam etc. from intruding in to your computer.

Procedure:

Mozilla Firefox -

If you are using Mozilla Firefox as your web browser, check these instructions to make it secure. Open Mozilla Firefox from the desktop shortcut. Alternatively, you can open it from the Start button, All Programs. Click the Tools tab and point down to select Options. Depending on the type of your Firefox version, the first tab you will see will either be General or Main. Under this tab, look for the Always ask me where to save files option.

This option will be disabled by default. Instead the Save Files to option will be set by default to the Downloads folder or any other default directory. You will need to select the Always ask me where to save files option. It will enable you to have more control on the downloadable items that will seek for your permission before being automatically downloaded to the Downloads or any other location in your computer.

Now click the Privacy tab. look for the Remember What I enter in forms and the search bar option. This will enabled by default. You will need to disable this option. To do so, click to uncheck the box beside this option. Depending on your Firefox version, you may see Remember search and form history instead of Remember What I enter in forms and the search bar. Uncheck this option and move on to the next option which is Accept cookies from sites.

This option will be enabled. From the drop-down menu next to Keep until, you will see the default option set to they expire. This means that your browser is set to remember and keep all the cookies (small files that keep track of your online activities) until they expire. Now you can understand that this can be very dangerous, at least in case of phishing, malware websites that create and roll out malicious add-ons, virus, malware software, fake online virus removal software, malware removal software etc. Cookies of these websites track and collect your online activities and personal information for their own advantage.

Thus, set this option to enable the user permission. Click the drop-down arrow next to Keep until and select ask me every time. From the next time onwards, whenever you will open a website, Firefox will seek your permission to either allow or deny cookies to run on that webpage. If it is trusted website like Firefox or Microsoft, you can click the Allow button or simply Allow for Session button. If you choose the latter option, the cookies will save and track your activities only for the time till the webpage is opened. So, Firefox will no longer save cookies when the webpage is closed.

For malicious or suspected websites, you can simply hit the Deny button. You can even view the cookie information and decide accordingly whether to allow or deny a cookie. Now click the Security tab and verify that the Warn me when sites try to install add-ons option is checked. If it's not, check it. Under the Passwords section, click to check the box beside Use a master password option. This option not only lets Mozilla Firefox manage all your stored passwords but also encrypts your computer data. Choose this option only if you trust Mozilla Firefox.

When you choose this option, it will ask for your current password (blank if it is not already set) and new password. Confirm the password and hit the OK button. Now click the Content tab and deselect the Enable Java box. Now click the Advanced button next to Enable JavaScript. In the Advanced JavaScript Settings window, remove checkmarks from all the boxes and hit the OK button to close it. Besides, enable the Block pop-up window option.

When done, click the OK button to save the changes and close the Options window. Firefox might prompt you to restart the browser to save these changes. Hit the Restart button and Firefox will close and reopen. When done, download these plug-ins viz. HTTPs plug-in, AdBlockPlus, and Ghostery. You must download the Firefox version of all these plug-ins.

Besides, use an antivirus program that scans and protects your Firefox browser from different tracking cookies, malicious websites, malicious scripts, spam add-ons etc. A number of antivirus programs like McAfee have a site-scan feature that proactively warns you about a website's genuineness and maliciousness.

Besides these settings, you must download and install latest browser updates and patches whenever these are available. Though Firefox always prompts you to download install whenever an update is available, but you can also manually download them from the Firefox website. Choose what suits you best, but do install latest updates.

The Author of this article is associated with V tech-squad Inc, V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. if you have any problem while performing the above steps and need technical assistance for online virus removal, You can reach V tech-squad online technical support at their Toll Free No +1-877-452-9201.

About V tech-squad Inc.

View the original article here

الأحد، 15 أبريل 2012

How to Disable McAfee Firewall

McAfee firewall comes as a built-in component of a few McAfee antivirus programs namely McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012/11 and McAfee Internet Security etc. McAfee firewall also comes as a standalone program namely McAfee Personal Firewall, McAfee Personal Firewall Plus, and McAfee Internet Security etc. In case you experience a problem with your network or wireless connection, you may think of disabling McAfee firewall. So, here is a free McAfee firewall support guide for you. It will help you easily disable McAfee firewall program.

Instructions:

McAfee Antivirus Plus 2012/11 and McAfee Internet Security

The user interface for these three antivirus programs is quite similar. So, you can easily turn off firewall in whichever of the three programs you are using. Look for the M icon on the desktop or in the system tray. Double-click the icon to open the McAfee antivirus console. The screen that will open now will be anything by the name SecurityCenter, Internet Security, or AntiVirus Plus 2012/11 depending on the type of McAfee program you have.

On the Home screen, you will see the security status of your computer. Look at the third option which is Firewall: On. It indicates that the firewall is turned on. Click the angle sign next to Firewall: On. Click the Settings link on the right hand side. You will see the firewall status. Click the Turn off button. When prompted for a confirmation and action to turn the firewall back on, select a time period from the drop-down arrow. You can select any time period from the given options. If you want to disable the firewall permanently, select Never and then hit the Turn off button. Save the changes and exit the McAfee console.

McAfee Personal Firewall& McAfee Personal Firewall Plus

Look for the M icon in the system tray, right-click on it, and select Personal Firewall from the drop-down options. From Personal Firewall, point the mouse to select Disable. Alternatively, you can double-click the M icon to open the McAfee SecurityCenter console. When in the console, look for Personal Firewall or Personal Firewall+ (depending on your version) in the left hand panel and click it. You will see the status and history of the firewall program. Look at the top where it says 'Personal Firewall or Personal Firewall Plus is currently protecting your computer. Click here if you want to disable Personal Firewall Plus'. Click on disable, the underlined link. Confirm the action if prompted.

In McAfee Personal Firewall Plus, you can turn off firewall in another way also. Double-click the M icon to open the McAfee SecurityCenter console. Click Internet & Network in the left hand panel and then click Configure. Click the Firewall protection is enabled strip. Click the Off button. When prompted, select a time period to turn the firewall automatically back on and then hit the OK button. You can select Never from the drop-down arrow in case you want to turn off the firewall permanently.

Additional Tips:

You must re-enable firewall after your issue has resolved. Firewall protects your computer from unauthorized access and hackers. Contact a McAfee technical support or McAfee antivirus support service in case firewall doesn't turn off and cause further issues.

The Author of this article is associated with V tech-squad Inc, V tech-squad Inc. is a cloud based technical support provider to consumers and small businesses. if you have any problem while performing the above steps and need technical assistance for Mcafee support, You can reach V tech-squad online technical support at their Toll Free No +1-877-452-9201.

About V tech-squad Inc.

View the original article here

Know More About the Free Android Security Software by Avast

Software security has long been the concern of users worldwide. With the technological advancement it is essential to take this factor into consideration. When the world is fast shrinking and the Smartphone has now become synonymous with computing it is important to create security software. Avast is an extremely popular name known for providing computer security. With its breakthrough in providing software security to Android software it has proved its innovation and credibility. This software by Avast is available for free and it provides security from virus, theft and comprises firewall components.

Let us find out what this software is all about and how it is capable of providing security to android phone users.

Antivirus feature- It provides real-time security and automatic updates. The users get free mobile security feature that provides protection against online threats and is integrated with the Android browser.

Call and SMS security feature- Another amazing feature about this software is the 'filtering' option for all calls and SMS. Now the user need not bother about annoying sms and calls that can be barred by specifying phone numbers in a well defined group.

Firewall component- The firewall component is only available to rooted devices to block specified applications. This enables in protecting the device against illegal access. It provides protection against USB bugs so that your device cannot be altered through computer software. It can also enable data connection and GPS module.

Anti- theft feature- An interesting feature that comes with Avast security is that of the anti-theft feature. The user is free to make changes to the anti-theft feature by changing its icon and renaming it in order to hide it from prying eyes. This feature is also capable of operating in a stealth mode for accessing via phone call. This feature enables wiping, tracking and locking of the device. For added security the users can define two numbers so as to receive notification in case of device theft. Later on this can be controlled via SMS.

Special features for rooted devices- The rooted phones are protected against factory resets. The device can be locked via SMS command when the SIM card is changed. The user can utilize the features that enable texting, initiating a call, setting off an alarm, GPS location tracking, data erasing, downloading contacts and even rebooting the phone. It comes packed with security features for rooted devices as well. It provides the users free of cost security for SIM-card change notifications, privacy reports, firewall, call and SMS filtering and application management.

Avast is a Free Mobile Security that is known to provide complete Android security. This security software is known to have surpassed all the other existing commercial products. What is especially attractive is the easy to use display function and its' capability to provide detailed instructions. It provides complete security to mobile and rooted devices and it is exactly what the user has been looking for.

She is a Technology writer who is keen on any new emerging technology updates. She is working with Qresolve as a Technical Support Engineer. Semeli Karen McPherson has been offering online tech support to global customers for issues related to laptops, desktops, Mac and devices including iPods, tablets, iPhones, computer support and more.She caters to the segment of core technology and provides viable solutions to any issues related to technology and software. Her expertise and skills in handling key technology issues is immaculate and quick result bearing. Through her articles and postings she aims to provide knowledge and solutions to common technology issues that a user faces.

View the original article here

How Would You Like Random Blog Posts Deleted and a Knock on the Door for the Internet Police?

The other day, I was on a search engine, and I was amazed at how many dead web links there were to news stories about a certain very famous and popular politician in American politics. It seems as if someone went around and tried to sue all the news companies for posting information on our president which didn't show him in a good light, or something much more insidious - the search engine had purposely removed the links, or political operatives had paid various online companies to make sure they didn't show up anymore.

In case you didn't know it, there are companies you can pay who supposedly guarantee they can get a web link removed. These services exist so folks can manage their reputations online, especially if someone writes something that is basically slander, and destroys their reputation. Of course, if you are a famous politician in China, or you are the government there, you simply have your own censorship department which can go in and actually remove blog posts.

In the "Journal of the Internet" there was an interesting new research paper presented on the Chinese Government censorship wars going on right now. An article titled; "Censorship and Deletion Practices In Chinese Social Media" by Bamman, O'Connor, Smith of Carnegie Mellon - tells it all. In fact, the abstract stated;

"With Twitter and Facebook blocked in China, the stream of information from Chinese domestic social media provides a case study of social media behavior under the influence of active censorship. While much work has looked at efforts to prevent access to information in China (including IP blocking of foreign Web sites or search engine filtering), we present here the first large-scale analysis of political content censorship in social media, i.e., the active deletion of messages published by individuals."

Now then, if you're in China, I certainly wouldn't recommend that you post anything that would offend the government. But wouldn't it be a bummer if you posted something on your blog, and all the suddenly someone else had removed it? And maybe it wasn't even a person, maybe there was some sort of software that picked out keywords, or this case symbols, and it merely removes those combinations anytime they were found online.

Worse, if you really did mean to slander the government, or in this case perhaps tell the truth, you might have someone knock on your door, arrest you, and put you in prison. And don't think it hasn't happened before or that it won't happen again. And let's not just pick on China, as many other countries are doing the same thing. Did you know that Iran actually has a Minister of Internet Censorship? Yes, it is true, it is actually a branch of government; the Ministry of Internet Censorship. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Internet Issues. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

View the original article here

Smart Protection 2012 Removal

You should know that Smart Protection 2012 is a malware tool trying to imitate a good spyware protection system.

There are several signs that your computer has been infected with Smart Protection 2012. The first one being some system alert saying your PC has been infected with lots, and lots of important viruses. Whenever you click on such alert, or if you do accept it, then you will start an application looking similar to any real antispyware application. It will then run a fake virus scan, and will display many false positives, many of which are designed to look very serious. Another great sign of infection is that the execution of most.exe files will simply not work, and you will have a very restricted Internet access. This prevents users from easily installing removal tools or antivirus software.

Take into account that Smart Protection 2012 is a scam program. It will try to convince you to buy it so you will believe to be protected from all those false positive programs. Do not be intimidated. Like many other scams, Smart Protection is easily identified as being malware with a simple internet search. If an unknown and unauthorized program asks for any money for protection, or makes threats to intimidate into purchasing, it is most likely attempting to steal money or personal information.

So you can become infected in various ways, including the following: video codecs, email attachments, toolbars, unsecured networks, online virus scans, pirated files.

If you are careful when using the Internet and with your emails, then such behavious will prevent tons of infections. To protect your computer from such malware is simply not enough. To fully protect your computer system, you will need scheduled scans that are fully updated and at a professional level.

Use a removal guide or seek the help of some professional the moment you become aware you are infected with Smart Protection 2012. Consider this application as quite dangerous. It will prevent you from removing it, from accessing the Internet, or even from installing new files. It is not something quite easy to remove this application so you will need some help. You won't really be able to delete this malware by yourself even if you try to.

As much as I like free antivirus clients, I do not recommend them as a first line defence. The reason for this is they often lack either the latest virus definitions to remove virus threats or that do not provide live up front protection. Clients that do not provide up front protection do nothing at all to stop a virus from infecting your computer. It's only after the system is infected that they kick in and remove the threat.

Check this website how to remove smart protection for additional info about Smart Protection removal, and this page remove virus about virus removal guides.

View the original article here

How To Avoid the Dangers of Antivirus Windows Phishing

What do you do when a dialogue box or window suddenly appears (not long after you down-loaded some new software or clicked into a new site you were surfing), and warns you of dangerous viruses lurking on your computer?

"DON'T PANIC!"

I've said it before and I'll go on saying it until I'm blue in the face; there are some nasty, highly tech savvy people out there, looking to pillage your computer if you give them half a chance. They can trick you into passing over your hard earned money in the blink of a dialogue box.

The scams they use are numerous, but the type of scam that we are going to discuss this time, known as 'Computer Phishing,' is dependent on one vital process. That is: they have to ask your permission.

This is a typical scenario:

You've been surfing the internet or downloading software and out of the blue up pops a window or dialogue box. It reads something like: "Danger, Danger - a virus (of no particular name) has been found in your registry. This virus will harm your computer if left unchecked. Down-load this Free Superior Registry Cleaner and we guarantee to rid you of this perilous nasty."

Now you fall for the first part of the trick and down-load the software. You authorize the program to run, and within no time at all a new window appears telling you: "You are infested with viruses. But do not worry, because we have the perfect solution and it will only cost you a tiny, piddley amount."

So now you fall for the second part; you buy their software solution, using your credit or debit card. Oh dear, they've now got your money, your card and bank details. And to add insult to injury, you now posses their Malware of some description - that you never had before. Malware, you may not realize is infesting your Registry, Emails and Hard Drive.

My recommendation is simple: whenever you receive this type of phishing; (what I call 'Antivirus Windows Phishing'), a message trying to get you to buy Anti-virus or Anti-spyware software, do not be tempted to click on any part of the message - even to try to close it. Instead, restart your computer and run a virus checker (Preferably one you've down-loaded from a recommended source). There are some very good free virus eradicating software, and some even better paid for.

The following, are one or both: AVG, Malwarebytes, ZoneAlarm, to name just a few. It's not easy to resist clicking the magic boxes, but if you do find yourself caught-up in the scenario I've just described, It may be wise to cancel your credit card as well.

Love your computer and keep your kids surfing safe.

Ed Bellamy offers helpful articles and peace of mind Virus Protection.
Visit: http://www.security-essentials.net/ for more info.

View the original article here