Security For Windows 10 – FreeFile Review

This review addresses how an average user of Windows 10 can easily and effectively maintain security. These are my experiences and observations after more than a year using Windows 10, your mileage may vary.

Antivirus Protection – Many security pros feel that zero-day threats greatly reduce the effectiveness of antivirus programs. Overall, I find Windows 10 to be reasonably secure, and today, most security threats focus on internet browsers. Windows Defender is a lightweight, efficient program, pre-installed with Windows, that operates unobtrusively and effectively. It runs in the background with no user input needed and it receives frequent updates. Use Windows Defender – no additional antivirus is needed.

Browsers – Both Firefox and Chrome are good choices. The best malware blocker add-on is uBlock Origin (available for Firefox and Chrome). Keep your browser up to date and install uBlock origin and you’re good to go. Bear in mind that smart surfing is still the most important thing you can do – no app can help with that.

Malware Scanner – The free version of Malwarebytes does not provide realtime protection, but it is effective when run every week or two, or when a problem is suspected.

Disk Imaging – This is the most important piece to achieve real security. All of the previously mentioned steps can fail, so the ability to quickly recover is key. Imaging software makes an exact copy of the entire C drive, so that the entire PC can be quickly restored after disaster strikes. This will protect you from not just virus and malware attacks, but also from hardware failures and Windows issues. Ideally, the image should be stored on an external drive, so it may require spending about $50. The best free imaging software is Macrium Reflect. It is very fast and reliable.

— — — — The Bottom Line — — — —

1.Use Windows Defender (no additional antivirus programs are needed) 2.Use Firefox or Chrome browsers, with uBlock Origin add-on 3.Get Malwarebytes 4.Consider disk imaging.

Read more FreeFile Reviews on DanKostecki.com

The Malware Museum

The Malware Museum contains representations of what viruses and assorted malware infestations would have looked like in the 1980s and 90s. There are currently 78 examples in the collection. They all run harmlessly in your browser.

Enjoy the good old days HERE.

 

Macs Are Special – So Are Their Security Procedures

ZD Net reported on a new bit of malware aimed at Macs-

A security researcher has discovered a way to infect Macs with malware virtually undetectable and that ‘can’t be removed.’

At the end of the article, very special advice is given –

One defense against this would be to paint over the case screws with glitter nail polish and take close-up photos of the seal you created. The glitter in the nail polish sets into a random pattern that would be impossible to replicate, and as long as you keep the photos safe, you can make sure they screws haven’t been messed with.

I just don’t know.

Did Computer Virus Cause Airliner Crash?

MSNBC reported –

Authorities investigating the 2008 crash of Spanair flight 5022 have discovered a central computer system used to monitor technical problems in the aircraft was infected with malware. An internal report issued by the airline revealed the infected computer failed to detect three technical problems with the aircraft, which if detected, may have prevented the plane from taking off, according to reports in the Spanish newspaper, El Pais. Flight 5022 crashed just after takeoff from Madrid-Barajas International Airport two years ago today, killing 154 and leaving only 18 survivors. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board reported in a preliminary investigation that the plane had taken off with its flaps and slats retracted — and that no audible alarm had been heard to warn of this because the systems delivering power to the take-off warning system failed. Two earlier events had not been reported by the automated system. The malware on the Spanair computer has been identified as a type of Trojan horse. It could have entered the airline’s system in a number of ways, according to Jamz Yaneeza, head threat researcher at Trend Micro. Some of the most likely ways are through third party devices such as USB sticks, Yaneeza said, which were responsible for the International Space Station virus infection in 2008, or through a remote VPN connection that may not have the same protection as a computer within the enterprise network. Opening just one malicious file on a single computer is all it takes to infect an entire system. “Any computer that is connected to a network is vulnerable to a malware infection,” O. Sami Saydjari, president of Cyber Defense Agency, told TechNewsDaily. “Standards have not been set to protect critical infrastructure.” An incident like this could happen again, and most likely will, according to Saydjari. A judge has ordered Spanair to provide all of the computer’s logs from the days before and after the crash.The final report from crash investigators is not due to be presented until December.

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