Michaels Corner

Yes, I know, some of the websites you visit may not work. The truth be told, IE is the #1 way spyware gets on computers. Nothing else comes close, well aside from just plain installing it (see tip #8). If you want to avoid spyware, ditch IE.

As for websites that other browsers may not work with, there is no easy solution to this, but the good news is that both Mozilla and Firefox work with nearly every website we have tested them with. It is thankfully rare that some website won't work with them, so swallow the pill and start using either of these browsers. If you find a site that does not work with Mozilla or Firfox, and you can prove to yourself that it really doesn't won't work, then and only then should use IE with that website.

A word of caution though, some spyware developers know that users will do this, and deliberately break some websites so that they will not work with IE. Or, they will install code to make sure you are running IE, and if not they will report that the website does not work with IE. If this happens to you, try using one of the plug ins for Mozilla or Firefox that trick these programs into thinking you are using IE.

These work by allowing you to change the "User Agent" field of your browser. Here is an extension that works with both Mozilla and Firefox which will give you the ability to do this:

http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/useragentswitcher

If all else fails, and you must use IE with a website, make absolutely sure that you trust that website.

You can download mozilla and firefox from the Mozilla website:

http://www.mozilla.org

There are plenty of free ones, so if cost is an issue, start with these:

Spybot

http://www.safer-networking.org

AdAware personal

http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html?part=69274&subj=dlpage&tag=button

If you have the money to spend, then try some of the commercial products out there.

Along with anti-spyware tools, you should be running anti-virus software as well.

An in case cost is an issue, yes Virginia, there are free anti-virus tools too. One that I am familiar with is ClamWin. Keep in mind that ClamWin does not do "on the fly" scanning of executables when you load them, as some commercial anti-virus products do. ClamWin is an anti-virus scanner in the classic sense only. You have to tell it to scan your hard drive. You can download it form here:

http://www.clamwin.com/

My advice would be to run a commercial anti-virus product though. ClamWin is nice, and if you are on a budget you can get by, but the lack of "on the fly" scanner is a real weakness in its ability to protect you.

I can't say this one enough. If you aren't keeping your system patched, you're asking for trouble.

And after you read that warning or notice, if you can't prove that you need to allow your browser to do whatever it claims it needs to do, don't let it. When in doubt, don't let it do it.

And even then, don't install them. Odds are that you really don't need it. Yeah, it looks cool, but its probably not something you need. Stick with the golden rule, if you can't prove that you need it, then you can live without it.

Yes my IE using friends, Mozilla and Firefox will block pop-ups for you, and these two venerable browsers have been able to do this for a very long time.

This one seems simple enough, but I'm always reminded of a phrase coined by Robert Heinlein, TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch). Sometimes the really cool free game that you just have to install on our computer comes with a little extra surprise, spyware. Recently we ran into a user that had to have their computer rebuilt 6 times in 3 months. It was always infected with the newest trojans and spyware, sometimes even the best anti-spyware products couldn't remove it. Where did all come from? The user installed it. This poor victim had a penchant for goofy games, the more the merrier. We know he didn't mean to wreck his computer, he was just a little too trusting. When installing software it pays to be a little paranoid. Sometimes, if you're not careful, you can do the spyware makers job for them. As a good friend pointed out "Even if you're client is clean, that doesn't make much of a difference if you're downloading stuff that isn't."

On that subject, its time to discuss P2P clients. Too many P2P products include spyware these days. Whats worse is that you probably do not need to use a lot of these products. Ask yourself this, do you really need to run that P2P client, on that computer?

Also, keep in mind that you have no idea what you're really downloading from someone else when using some of these clients. If the source isn't trusted, really trusted, then you might just be downloading spyware, trojans, or viruses. And as you probably already know, all that bad stuff is on the P2P networks as it is everywhere else.

So, if you really must use P2P software, then be sure to pick a client that, itself, doesn't install bad things on your computer when you install it, and be cautious about what you download from someone you don't know.

Thankfully, there are many P2P clients to choose from that do not include spyware. When in doubt, if the vendor won't say that their product does not include spyware, assume that it does. Yes, this might unfairly cause you to rule out some nifty P2P product that doesn't include spyware, but again, if you can't tell that they do not include spyware, its better to stay away from that piece of software.

Heres a quick list:

eMule

http://www.emule-project.net/

Shareaza

http://www.shareaza.com/

LimeWire

http://www.limewire.com

Gift

http://gift.sourceforge.net

Set your login account to be a "limited priviliges" account. By default, when you install Windows it will setup user accounts for you, and those accounts will have full Administrator priviliges. This is a sure path to ruin. Administrator accounts have totally unrestricted access to every corner or your system, which something you do not really need to work with your computer. Its dangerous to run all your programs this way, which is exactly what happens when you are logged in as an administrator, every program you are running to destroy your system.

So, unless you have a specific administrative task to carry out, don't log into an account with Administrator priviliges. Do all your real work under an account with very limited priviliges, otherwise you make it easy for the spyware makers to take over your system completely. With limited priviliges, the programs you are running, which might include a virus, trojan or new piece of spyware, may not be able to sucessfully attack your system without those administrator priviliges.

Sometimes you may need administrator priviliges, for instance, if you need to install a new driver or a piece of software, just log in as administrator, install what you need, and log back out. Don't stay logged in with those administrator priviliges. Otherwise, you'll make it trivially easy for all that spyware to take your computer over.