Hi James - Well, you probably can't totally. However, since you asked . . .
There are a number of things which need to be considered in securing a
computer. The minimum necessary to start with are a good hardware or
software firewall and an AV. Then add at least some basic protections
against "malware":
First, appropriate security settings in IE:
--Recommended Minimum Security Settings-- (Courtesy of Mike Burgess)
Close all instances of IE and OE
Control Panel | Internet Options
Click on the "Security" tab
Highlight the "Internet" icon, click "Custom Level"
1) "Download signed ActiveX scripts" = Prompt
2) "Download unsigned ActiveX scripts = Disable
3) "Initialize and script ActiveX not marked as safe" = Disable
4) "Installation of Desktop items" = Prompt
5) "Launching programs and files in a IFRAME" = Prompt
Click on the "Content" tab
Click the "Publishers" button
Highlight and click "Remove" any unknowns, click Ok
Click on the "Advanced" tab
Uncheck: "Install on demand (other)", click Apply\Ok
Prevent your "HomePage" setting from being Hijacked
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/ietips.htm
_____________________________
Mike Burgess
Information isn't free if you can't find it!
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/
(Note particularly the Publisher stuff - everyone tends to forget that
vector!)
Read and heed:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm and
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/security.htm
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/main.htm (this one will take you several
days - one of the best and most extensive sites on the web for security
issues. Some good tools here also: e.g. IE-SPYAD -
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource.htm)
Next, get Ad-Aware 6.0, Build 181 or later, here:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/. Update and run this regularly
to get rid of most "spyware/hijackware" on your machine. Reboot and rerun
after you fix anything.
Another excellent program for this purpose is SpyBot Search and Destroy
available here:
http://security.kolla.de/ SpyBot Support Forum here:
http://www.net-integration.net/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi. I
recommend USING BOTH NORMALLY. They do and fix different things. In
addition, SpyBot S&D offers some useful preventative measures if you chose
to use them. Always update before running. After fixing things with SpyBot
S&D, be sure to re-boot and rerun SpyBot again and repeat this cycle until
you get a clean "no red" scan. Sometimes it needs to re-boot in order to
eliminate an in-use parasite before it can go on to cleaning up
something else.
..
Lastly, install the SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard here to help prevent
this kind of thing from happening in
the future:
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/spywareblaster.html (Prevents
malware Active X installs) (BTW, SpyWare Blaster is not memory resident ...
no CPU or memory load - but keep it updated) The latest version as of this
writing will prevent installation or prevent the malware from running if it
is already installed for 864 parasites as of this posting, and it provides
information and fixit-links for a variety of parasites.
http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html (Monitors for attempts to
install malware) Both Very Highly Recommended.
I hope some of this is useful. Please post back in this same thread if
you've further questions.
--
Please respond in the same thread.
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP
In
