Mashed Articles

Continuation………..

MALICIOUS UTILITIES

These utilities are designed specifically to inflict damage.However, unlike other malware programs, they do not perform malicious actions immediately as they are run and can be safely stored and run on the user’s computer.Such programs have functions used to create viruses, worms and Trojan programs, arrange network attacks on remote servers, hacking computers or other malicious actions.

There are many types of malware utilities with different functions.

Their types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form

POTENTIALY UNWANTED PROGRAMS

Potentially unwanted programs, unlike malware programs, are not intended solely to inflict damage.However they can be used to breach the computer’s security.

Potentially unwanted programs include adware, pornware and other potentially unwanted programs.

ADWARE

Adware programs involve display of advertising information to the user.They display ad banners in other program’s interface and redirect search queries to advertising websites.
Some adware programs collect and redirect to their developer marketing information about the user, for example, which sites he or she visits or which search requests he or she performs (unlike Trojan spies, these programs transfer this information with the user’s permission).

PORNWARE

Usually, users install such programs themselves in order to search for or download pornographic information.

Intruders also can install these programs on the user’s computer in order to display ads of commercial pornographic sites and services to the user without his or her permission.
To be installed, they use vulnerabilities of the operating system or web browser, Trojan downloaders and Trojan droppers. There are three types of pornographic nature distinguished based on their functions.

These types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form

OTHER RISKWARE PROGRAMS

Most of these programs are useful programs used by many users. They include IRC clients, dialers, file downloading programs, computer system activity monitors, utilities for working with passwords, FTP, HTTP or Telnet service internet servers.

However, if an intruder obtains access to these programs or install them to the user’s computer, such intruder can use some of their functionality to breach the security. Other riskware programs are classified depending on their functions.

Their types are described in the table below.
Click to download table in PDF form

Until on my next post!

Everyday new viruses is being spread over the net and most of this viruses are difficult to neutralize in one’s PC.So, I was thinking to run description summary in some of the characteristics of this malicious programs(viruses) for you to have better understanding.

Viruses are categorize into two, these are the Potentially Unwanted Programs and Malware Programs.I will focus more in the malware programs category since this is that bring most damage to one’s PC.

Potentially Unwanted Programs-are created not intended solely to inflict damage. However they can be used to breach the computer’s security, includes adware, pornware and other potentially unwanted programs.

Malware Programs-are created with the purpose to damage a computer and its user, for example, to steal, block, modify or erase information, disrupt operation of a computer or a computer network.It is further divided into three subcategories: viruses and worms, Trojans programs and malware utilities.

1.Viruses and worms can create copies of themselves which are, in turn, capable of creating their own copies. Some of them run without user’s knowledge or participation, others require actions on the user’s part to be run. These programs perform their malicious actions when run.

2.Trojan programs do not create copies of themselves, unlike worms and viruses. They sneak into a computer, for example, via e-mail or using a web browser when the user visits an “infected” website. To be launched they require user’s actions and start performing their malicious actions as they run.

3.Malware utilities are created specifically to inflict damage. However, unlike other malware programs, they do not perform malicious actions immediately as they are run and can be safely stored and run on the user’s computer. Such programs have functions used to create viruses, worms and Trojan programs, arrange network attacks on remote servers, hacking computers or other malicious actions.

Viruses and Worms Sub-Category

A classic virus infiltrates into the system, it infects a file, activates in it, performs its malicious action and then adds copies of itself into other files.It reproduce only on the local resources of a certain computer, they cannot independently penetrate other computers. They can penetrate other computers only if it adds its copy into a file stored in a shared folder or on a CD or if the user forwards an e-mail messages with at infected attachment.

Code of a classic virus can penetrate various areas of a computer, operating system or application. Based on the environment, there is a distinction between file, boot, script and macro viruses.

Viruses can infect files using various methods. Overwriting viruses write their own code replacing the code of the file they infect and after they destroy the content of such file. The infected file stops working and cannot be disinfected. Parasitic viruses modify files leaving them fully or partially operating. Companion viruses do not modify files but create their duplicates. When such infected file is opened, its duplicate, that is the virus, will be run. There are also link viruses, (OBJ) viruses that infect object modules, viruses that infect compiler libraries (LIB), viruses that infect original text of programs, etc.

Worms – After it penetrates the system, the code of a network worm, similarly to the classic virus code, gets activated and performs its malicious action. The network worm received its name due to its ability to tunnel from one computer to another – without the user’s knowledge – to send copies of itself through various information channels.

The major method of proliferation is the main attribute that differentiates various types of worms. The table below lists types of worms based on the method of their proliferation.
Table.

Click to download table in PDF form

To be continued……………

Writen by Gary Hendricks

Soon your computer doesn’t reboot properly, and you hear that ugly grinding sound that means all of your precious data has been wiped out. What did you to protect hard drive data? It’s too late to think about it after the fact.

Here are 5 ways to save and protect your hard drive and ensure it can keep working when you switch to a new drive.

1. Backup Your Data

You’ve heard it many times before – the best way to protect hard drive data is to backup your data. There are many ways to backup your data. Copying personal files to another disk is one method, but it’s time-consuming and manual. It’s better to use an automated backup solution that can perform backups at scheduled intervals.

One such product is bundled with Windows XP Home and Professional editions. The file is called ntbackup.exe. It’s automatically installed with Windows XP Pro. If you have Windows XP Home edition, you can locate the file in your Windows CD ROM in the valueaddmsftntbackup folder.

Then run ntbackup.msi to run the backup program. The backup program will backup your files to a backup file. Once you’ve made your backup, you need to know how to restore your files from your backup. You may need to reinstall Windows so keep your original installation discs handy.

If you want to avoid reinstalling Windows then consider making an image of your hard drive. Backup programs can make an image of your whole disk without the need to reinstall Windows.

2. Password Protection

Password protection and data encryption are one of the most basic ways that users can protect hard drive contents. To change your password in Windows just access your account from Control Panel -> User Accounts and then click change my password.

Now you want to encrypt your data, which will scramble it for everyone but you. Please note that encryption is available in Windows XP, but only for NTFS file systems. To encrypt a file or folder, right-click on it, go to Properties -> Advanced tab and check the box labeled Encrypt contents to secure.

No one else will be able to read this data but you. You can make encryption easier by creating a popup menu. Go into the Registry Editor and locate

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionExplorerAdvanced.

Select Edit -> New -> DWORD Value and name it EncryptionContextMenu.

Double-click this and enter 1 for the value. From this point on, you will be able to right-click any file or folder to bring up a popup menu with the options Encrypt or Decrypt.

3. Unleash the Windows Recovery Console

Imagine having your hard drive crash and not being able to boot up. Are you out of out luck? Not at all! Bundled with Windows XP is a powerful tool called the Windows Recovery Console. It allows you to repair file systems or folders so you can protect hard drive contents. Unfortunately by default the WRC is on a “leash”-it operates in a restricted or crippled mode on your computer. .

Lift the restrictions by opening the Local Security Settings editor in Windows (click Start -> Run -> secpol.msc). Go to Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options and double-click on Recovery Console: Allow floppy copy and access to all drives and all folders. Check Enabled and Ok. That will set up you for full access. Should Windows ever crash, start the WRC and type set AllowAllPaths=True.

Start the WRC by putting your Windows XP CD into your computer and pressing ‘R’ upon reboot. Type your Administrator password. The command interpreter will appear. You can then run whatever commands you need or type help for a list of commands.

4. Make Room for Defrag

One way to save hard drive contents is to fine tune your defrag program. With defrag there are two files that will never defrag: your Master File Table and your swap file.

As the table of contents for your hard drive your Master File Table expands as you add more files. To protect hard drive MFTs you must allocate more space to them. Go into your Registry and locate the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlFilesystem. Find the value NtfsMftZoneReservation and type 2, 3 or 4. These numbers indicate how much of the hard drive to allocate to the MFT: 25, 37.5 and 50 percent respectively.

To expand your swap file make sure you have 256MB of RAM and click on the System icon. Go to Advanced -> Performance Settings -> Advanced and click Change. Select the No Paging File in Virtual Memory box and click OK three times. Reboot and run disk defrag. Then go back to Virtual Memory box, select Custom and set the Initial Size and Maximum Size to the same value (2 to 4 times your RAM) and your swap file will not fragment.

5. Get Rid of Old Junk

The final way to save hard drive units is to get rid of that old junk in your computer. These are unused programs on your computer that tend to slow down your computer’s operations. Uninstall them by going to Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs.

Also you should invest in a good anti-spyware program as well. Spyware ads are those annoying popups that try to direct you to a merchant’s site. These programs reside on your computer and consume precious resources-until you remove them with a spyware or adware busting program.

Another area on your computer that you should definitely check out is your Temp folder. This is the folder where Windows dumps files that it is only using on an interim basis. If these files are left over after they have been used they can slow your computer down as well. You’ll find the Temp folder in C:Documents and Settings under your username. You can sort the files by their modified dates to determine which files you think are way too old and are safe to delete.

Conclusion

Computers, like any other piece of hardware, require routine maintenance and fine tuning to keep them running in optimal condition.

One of the most important components in a computer is a hard drive. In this article we looked at 5 ways to save and protect your hard drive. Most of the solutions presented here are commonsense solutions that require no technical expertise.

We’ve also included a tweaks that require some experience with the Registry editor but are not hard to implement. Using all of the solutions here on a regular basis will ensure that your hard drive will not go out before its time.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at Build-Your-Own-Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

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