Malicious Script Protection

A lot of e-mail viruses are scripts attached to e-mail. In order to function they need to be executed. The authors of these e-mails and scripts are getting extremely sneaky trying to disguise the script as something harmless and coaxing you into double-clicking that attachment. To prevent you from accidentally launching a malicious script that was not caught by your antivirus software, or that was delivered to you another way, there is an additional level of protection you can add to your system by installing script monitoring software such as AnalogX’s Script Defender. Download and install Script Defender at http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/system/sdefend.htm

Once Script Defender is installed and configured, it will then intercept any script type specified and alert you, giving you the option to allow or deny execution of the script.

Summary

If you followed all the suggestions and links in this article you’ve probably spent several hours testing, reading, installing, scanning, patching your system. Rest assured that this was time very well spent. You took several huge steps towards a safer computing experience. To summarize, you just protected your system again

bugs in the operating system
security holes in the operating system
security holes in your Internet connection
invasion of your privacy

Make no mistake though. This article is far from complete. Its intention is simply to make you aware of the major issues and help you make a big first step into the right direction. There are many other things that can be done to improve your system security. While your level of security is a lot higher now, it will never be perfect. There is no bullet-proof version of Windows, and crackers and virus authors are always one step ahead of you. In addition to the security measures discussed in this article you’ll still have to be alert, exercise caution, and use common sense.

Your To-Do List

Now that you established a solid foundation, it is relatively easy to maintain a secure system. All you have to do is perform the following tasks on a regular basis.

Run the Microsoft Baselin Security Analyzer check – Do this once or twice a month to keep track of any security issues and hotfixes that Microsoft has to offer for your version of Windows.
Update your virus definitions – AVG and most commercial antivirus software can be scheduled to automatically check for updates and install them if needed. Take advantage of this feature and schedule regular updates, but double-check frequently to make sure that the updates are taking place.
Run the Port Probe and Shields UP! test – Do this once or twice a month to make sure your system is still tightly secured against intruders.
Check for Spyware – Do this as needed, preferably after every software installation to make sure no unwanted software was introduced to your system.

It’s a short list of things to do, and each item only takes a few minutes, but it is worth the time. The possible repercussions if you don’t keep your machine secure could be devastating. Make your computing experience a safer one. You now know how.

Links

In addition to this article we have several other useful articles about safe computing on our site. You can find them at howto.html#safe computing.

There are a number of excellent web sites that deal with computer security (mostly in regards to Windows). Below are links to a number of recommended computer security web sites.

http://www.securitypointer.com

http://www.firewallguide.com

http://grc.com/

http://www.cert.org/

http://www.microsoft.com/security/

Props to Scotterpops for his suggestions and corrections to this article.

– Alex –

Download this article as a self-extracting text file
View this article in printer-friendly plain-text format
E-mail this article to a friend