Firewall may be Blocking it!

Any personal computer running Microsoft™ Windows needs to have a 3rd party firewall of some sort protecting direct access to the computer.  A preferred method is to use the Firewall of a Router.  If you do not have a Router with a Firewall and you have a Cable or DSL Modem from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) a 3rd party Firewall is recommended.  To test the Firewall of a Router or your current protection click on Fire Wall Testing Instructions.  AND, if you want to learn more about 3rd Party Firewalls or have have a 3rd Party Firewall that could be blocking a Programs Internet access the internet Mozilla Firefox support page has excellent information;

http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Firewalls

Denial-of-Service Attack, steps to prevent

If you arrived at this post directly please check out the EzineArticle on this that explains how this type of attack works.   Here are several steps to take.

1. Firewall; since there are multiple ways to disable and stop a Firewall from doing its job it is important to have a robust firewall installed on the computer.  There are at least three 3rd party firewalls, free for use on a personal computer, that meet this requirement.  We have quick links available; to reach them please create a free user account via the sign-in page and locate the Firewall Button to access information on each one and to download.  [For reference; the 3rd Section of the C.A.L.M. Manual has detailed instructions on how to install this Software.]
2. Testing; once the new Software is installed you can test how well your computer ports are protected.  These are the doorways into your computer from the Internet.  Log-in with your newly created user account and click on the Firewall Testing button for detailed instructions.

Be sure the Windows Firewall is disabled once the new Firewall is installed.  To verify go to the Control Panel.  Windows XP; Left-Click on Start, Left-Click on and when it opens Left-Click on .   If not already set, select the OFF (Not Recommended) option, not to worry since the 3rd Party Firewall is now serving this roll.  And to verify this close all these windows and locate the Firewall Icon in the Systray at the bottom right of the computer.  Double-Left-Click on it or Right-Click on it and Left-Click its control panel from to the pop-up menu to open.  This new window should give the current status of the Firewall.  Windows Vista; Left-Click on  and type in Security Center, press ENTER.  Left-Click on Windows Firewall and choose the option and ignore any warnings that appear.  [See the Firewall 3rd Section in the Manual for more detail.]

Detail Firewall Testing instructions are available in the free-to-register portion of the website.  The 3rd Party Software is included since it is free for home use, enjoys a strong user approval and has tested top of its class in defeated outside kill tests.

A future article to be posted will discuss the other necessary step of checking the modem settings if you have a DSL or cable modem.

Path to a Speedy Computer, Introduction

[ATTENTION: Excellent Series of Articles to learn how to avoid getting HACKED, but only consider removing Anti-Virus Software if you are the sole person responsible for the computer and its contents.]

After reading the book and Block the Hacker Series on Ezines you will know that the Limited User Account for XP is one of the strongest security measures you can implement for the computer.  And if you are a Windows Vista user you have this security automatically built in via the User Access Control feature.  This new series of blogs is going to explore and explain the possibility of running your computer without active Anti-Malware (Anti-Virus) security software on the computer!  The reason to consider this opportunity is regaining the speed and performance you expect from your computer.  To do this successfully requires understanding how Malware (Computer Viruses) is able to infect the computer, the computer practices to keep this from happening and some great tools to verify that you are not infected.  Making this leap requires building confidence in the security changes that will be discussed and seeing that week after week that the security software is no longer detecting Malware & Viruses.  This new posting category will be found under the title Brave of Heart.

The important parts to be covered will be;

• Making sure the proper security changes are implemented.
• Monitoring with the installed Anti-Malware Software that new infections are not occurring.
• Adjusting security until new infections no longer occur.
• Taking the leap and uninstalling the Anti-Malware (Anti-Virus) Software and seeing an immediate improvement in your computers speed!
  [A 3rd Party Firewall is not to be removed since this is necessary to protect from a direct Internet Attack.]
• Learning to use 3 key Microsoft Utilities and an on-line scan utility to double-check for Malware.
  [These Utilities allow you to do a quick check prior to accessing a sensitive web-site such as on-line banking.]
• Looking at installing a 2nd Hard-Drive and creating a backup image as a sure way to recover the computer.
  [Although not absolutely necessary doing this will bring an explosion of joy into your heart when the Hard-Drive does fail.]

These following topics will be covered in greater detail to protect against the ways that Malware can attempt accessing the computer:

1. Installed by the Computer User; if you download a program, install from a CD or other memory device a piece of infected software can end up compromising the computer.  We will look at verifying the safety of the source for the Program, determining its trust level and using a free on-line scan tool to do a security check before installation.
2. Via Emails; emails are a common way for viruses to spread.  The number one way recommended for increasing protection from this source is moving to using on-line web mail.  Even if using something like Microsoft Outlook more than likely you already have access to web mail.  Web mail protects you since the Web Mail Server will pre-scan all your email for Malware, most spam is immediately detected and no attached files are downloaded to your computer until you authorize it.  In a POP3 scenario an email application downloads emails to the computer where you can view them even while not connected to the internet.  The danger is even the action of viewing or opening these emails, since they are resident on the computer, gives Malware an opportunity to infect the computer.  This is not the case for web mail since it resides on the Web Mail Server and not your computer.  And if you use Web Mail and your hard-drive crashes all your email is safe!
3. Via Web Sites; visiting malicious websites is a common way for infections to occur.  It is important to use secure Internet browsers, adjust the browser settings to defeat drive-by infections, and use web-site warning services.  Different Internet browsers will be discussed.
4. P2P Sharing Programs; P2P sharing programs have a high security risk.  Sending and receiving files directly from other computers is an opportunity for disaster especially in a public shared environment.  In this scenario it is not recommended to remove Anti-Malware Software.   However, most Anti-Malware Software can turn off different features and you could leave the P2P scanning feature enabled and disable the other features of the Anti-Malware program.  Be aware that if a brand new virus is sent the security signature file will not catch it, the security software heuristics is the the only means to detect it and the best one has only a 70% detection rate.
5. Instant Messaging; this feature follows the same recommendation as Emails.  On-line instant messaging such as Google or Yahoo do not give direct access to the computer.  Here again, but keeping the transfer of information via the web computers and not directly to your computer means their security software is scanning and keeping you safe.  The web-server does the heavy lifting so your computer can run fast!
6. Direct Port Access;  The final way that Malware can gain access to the computer is a via direct attack from the Internet from another computer.  For this reason never disable the Firewall.  The performance impact of a 3rd Party Firewall is minimal compared to the resource drain of Anti-Malware software.  This is why once the Anti-Malware software is removed while leaving the 3rd Party Firewall software operational you will immediately notice a much improved performance of the computer.

Following this series will be worth the effort even if you never make the leap since you’ll gain a greater understanding of how to keep the computer secure.  Please share this with friends, family and associates.  In the next blog the Limited User Access feature of Window Based Computers will be discussed.

Mysterious Windows Firewall Activation

Recent Windows Updates and other program changes can cause the default Windows Firewall to activate.  This is a problem if running another Firewall program since trusted Programs can be blocked and stop working properly when trying to access the Internet.  It is recommended to use a 3rd Party Firewall which has been tested to successfully defeat firewall termination  attacks.   To verify if the Windows Firewall is active see the detailed instructions found at page III-66 of the Computer Appliance Learning Maintenance Manual OR the quick guide for XP is to LEFT-CLICK on START, LEFT-CLICK on Control Panel, LEFT-CLICK on Windows Firewall.  In Vista, LEFT-CLICK the PEARL, type Security Center and press ENTER to reach the Windows Firewall settings.   If it is Green and active AND you ARE using a 3rd party Firewall go ahead and LEFT-CLICK on Off and LEFT-CLICK on OKAY.