SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE!
If you do not currently receive LSM on a bi-monthly basis, you can easily do so totally free of charge by entering your email address in the box below and clicking the 'Subscribe' button.
|
Welcome
Ed – Jonathan Burnside
Welcome to volume 2 issue: 2 of LSM. In this issue we have a very informative article detailing the top ten spyware and adware threats that are out there!! The article should make you more alert to the dangers that these malicious programmes pose when they infect your machine. It is definitely worth a read; even if just one of our readers is more cautious when downloading from the internet it is worthwhile, because anyone who has had their machine infected will testify that spyware, adware, malware etc. can really mess-up your system.
In our second article we look at some of the common error messages that can be experienced by users when surfing the internet. This article will explain what they mean and what can be done, if anything, to solve the problem.
We hope you enjoy this issue and please keep sending us feedback and letting us know which subjects you would like us to cover.
|
Top Ten Spyware and Adware Threats Identified
by Lisa Smith ©2004
On December 8, 2004 Webroot, an award winning anti-spyware solution provider, released a press release identifying the ten most significant emerging spyware and adware threats. Most of these you probably haven’t heard of and a few may surprise you.
It is estimated that 9 out of 10 computers are infected with spyware, also known as, adware, scumware, malware and many others.
Here’s the top 10.
- PurtyScan – popup ads that trick users into installing by claiming to find and delete pornographic images.
- n-CASE - adware program that delivers targeted popup adds. This program is usually bundled with freeware.
- Gator - adware program that displays banner ads based on your Web surfing habits. This program is usually bundled with the Kazaa file-sharing program, as well as other free software programs.
- CoolWebSearch – hijacks home page, Internet Explorer settings, and Web searches.
- Transponder - monitors sites visited and any data entered into online forms, and then delivers targeted ads.
- ISTbar/AUpdate – spyware posing as a toolbar. Has been reported to display porn, pop-ups, and to hijack homepage and Internet searches.
- KeenValue – an adware program that collects personal information and delivers advertisements.
- Internet Optimizer – hijacks error pages and redirects them to its own site.
- Perfect Keylogger – records all keystrokes (including personal information, passwords, etc), clicks and web sites visited.
- TIBS Dialer – hijacks phone modem and redirects to pornography pay by the minute phone sites.
The following precautions are recommended in the fight against spyware: install Microsoft security patches, avoid downloading and using freeware; and disable ActiveX downloads in Internet Explorer. In addition, install at least one anti-spyware program, some experts actually recommend that you have two installed. For starters you can download one of the free spyware removal programs such as Spybot Search & Destroy or Ad-aware. There are also a few good anti-spyware programs on the market that proactively protect your computer (alert you before the spyware is installed). When purchasing an anti-spyware program you need to be sure it is from a reputable company as many of the anti-spyware programs available actually place spyware on your computer. They do this by offering a free scan, which places the spyware on your computer as it is scanning. Then they entice you to purchase the product to remove the spyware.
In conclusion, if you take a few precautions and install anti-spyware software on your system you should be well protected in the fight against spyware.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa Smith is the webmaster of 1stSpywareRemoval.com
offering quality information and reviews which will help you avoid and remove spyware without being scammed into buying more spyware.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
What Does That Error Message Really Mean?
by Jim Edwards ©2004
Surf the 'Net for about 10 minutes and chances rate very high that you'll encounter an error of one kind or another.
Whether the error message pops up on your own computer or on a website loaded in your browser, knowing what the
error means can help you solve the problem much faster
and avoid hours of frustration (especially in a situation
where nothing you do will solve the problem).
The following represent some of the more common error
messages you may encounter while surfing the Internet and
what (if anything) you can do to correct the situation.
Error: 404 File Not Found
This means the web server cannot find the file or web
page you tried to pull up in your web browser.
Almost nothing you can do will correct this situation.
Try hitting your web browser's "Refresh" button to see if
the page will load. If not, email the website operator to
let them know of the problem and then move on.
Error: 500 Internal Error
This error usually occurs when you fill in a form on a
web page (contact form, shopping cart, feedback form) and
click the submit button.
This means the server or the script handling the form on
the server has a major problem. Again, there's nothing
you can do so just email the website owner and move on.
By the way, resubmitting the form a dozen times, banging
your hand on the keyboard, and yelling at your monitor
won't fix the problem!
Error: 408 Request Timeout
This error usually occurs when you try to download a huge
file or large web page and, for whatever reason, the
connection times out.
Simply hit your browser's "Refresh" button and it should
pick up the download again where you left off.
If not, contact the website owner and inform them of the
problem or check back later.
Error: Host Unavailable
Grab a cup of coffee on this one and fall back to reading
the newspaper.
You can try hitting your "Refresh" button a couple of
times, but, for all intents and purposes, this means the
server has gone down.
Try again in a few minutes on the off-chance you tried to
access the website just as the owners were restarting the
server or temporarily disconnected it from the Web.
If this doesn't work, the phone rates your best course of
action to contact the website owner since it's a safe bet
their email won't work either.
Error: Unable to Locate Host
This message usually means one of three things: the web
server is down; your Internet connection is dead; you
typed in the web address incorrectly.
To correct the problem, first try retyping the web
address into your browser's address bar. If that doesn't
work, try surfing over to another website to make sure
your connection is live.
If you can't load any websites, contact your Internet
service provider (ISP) for technical assistance.
As a general rule, if you encounter an error while
surfing the web, try these steps in order to fix the
problem:
1. Click your Web browser's "Refresh" button.
2. Verify that you typed in the correct URL (web address)
3. Close down and restart your Web browser completely.
4. Contact the website owner to alert them to the problem
or request help.
5. Contact your ISP for help.
-- Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use free articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links...
Need MORE TRAFFIC to your website or affiliate links? "Turn Words Into Traffic" reveals the secrets for driving Thousands of NEW visitors to your website or affiliate links... without spending a dime on advertising! Click => Turn Words Into Traffic |
