Tag Archives: systems
How to Avoid Getting a Computer Virus
Is your system running slow? Are you experiencing pops up or a blank screen with no icons and taskbar? More than likely, your system has become infected with malicious software-it can be worm, virus, trojan horse, redirectors and some form of malware. These are the common indications that your system may have been infected with these so called malware. It is an unfortunate situation to be caught in if your system locks up and you can’t do anything at all, especially If you have a bunch of important files saved to your computer. If this is the case, you might need to consider having a professional virus and spyware removal service provide immediate assistance.
There are many ways our systems can become infected. The most common culprit would be the Internet. Sometimes, the virus can disguise itself under a different website so people will think it’s the usual website that you visit and end up having infections. It can also be transferred through mail attachments or through a USB thumb drive that has infected files. What these infections do are they disable or hijack your antivirus program and do it’s subtle attacks-they tamper some settings on the registry, set restrictions and policies on our systems hence we can’t access some files and some functions/features are not working. Furthermore, these can also cause series of blue screens or loop as we log in.
The most common file extensions that viruses attack are .exe, .sys, .dll and other file extensions on Windows library… It may also delete some important Windows component that may result in your computer being unable to start up. One important file is the userinit.exe file under system32 folder, when this file is deleted it will not load the settings for a certain user and will just log off.
People think that systems are not prone to have infections once there is an antivirus program installed. This is a common misconception where in fact, there is no perfect antivirus program that can give a hundred percent protection but it still depends on what users do and how it’s being used. One way to prevent having a virus infect your computer is to limit the amount of visits to unsecured websites. Nevertheless, as users we still have the power over this to protect our systems and prevent this from happening.- we can update our antivirus online regularly, clear cache/cookies or run some cleaning tools for this. Do a scan on USB flash drives and mail attachments before we open it. Most of all, we should be careful and vigilant on things that we browse online.
A Stuxnet Malware FAQ and How to Avoid It
Stuxnet is a new piece of malware that is spreading widely through the use of USB flash drives. It is starting to be quite a danger, especially in industrial plants, and many in the security business are getting very nervous. What follows is an FAQ about the Stuxnet malware.
How does Stuxnet spread?
Stuxnet spreads through USB devices. A recently discovered Microsoft Windows vulnerability has been found to allow a program to run just by browsing to a folder that contains a shortcut to it, or a “.lnk” file. Once the worm runs it scans to see if the computer is running software created by a company known as Siemens, which is very popular in certain industries. If this is the case, the worm is able to install itself on the victim computer. It will infect all future removable media that is connected to the computer and installs a rootkit, a very sophisticated type of software that deletes all record of the worm existing on the computer. After that the computer continues to steal as much data as possible from the computer and transmit it back to a remote location.
What does Stuxnet do?
Stuxnet is considered by many people to be the first-ever “control system” malware. What this means is that it has the capability of infecting control systems for large companies and factories that use software created by Siemens. Unfortunately, this software is very widely used, especially in large industrial manufacturing organizations, small and large utilities, and even defense systems. In one case it was found that this software could infect nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
How widespread is Stuxnet and where is it most common?
At the moment Stuxnet is not that widespread. It is most common in India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States, and Malaysia, in that order. However, it has the potential to spread very rapidly. It only affects computers running Siemens software, but computers without that software can still act as “carriers,” infecting other removable media that is inserted into them. Other countries have seen infections, but mostly they have been localized and have not caused any damage so far.
How dangerous is Stuxnet?
This is always the big question with a large virus outbreak. Right now Stuxnet is not that dangerous. Unfortunately, it is targeted at “Control Systems.” Siemens is most known for making software for sophisticated systems used in such areas as the military, large industrial plants, and utility plants. If any of these were to be infected the damage could be irreparable. The infection is clearly tailored to steal confidential information and possibly shut down “smart grids.” Therefore, while it is not a danger to consumers, any large corporation or plant must be very careful to avoid this infection.
A Stuxnet Malware FAQ and How to Avoid It
Stuxnet is a new piece of malware that is spreading widely through the use of USB flash drives. It is starting to be quite a danger, especially in industrial plants, and many in the security business are getting very nervous. What follows is an FAQ about the Stuxnet malware.
How does Stuxnet spread?
Stuxnet spreads through USB devices. A recently discovered Microsoft Windows vulnerability has been found to allow a program to run just by browsing to a folder that contains a shortcut to it, or a “.lnk” file. Once the worm runs it scans to see if the computer is running software created by a company known as Siemens, which is very popular in certain industries. If this is the case, the worm is able to install itself on the victim computer. It will infect all future removable media that is connected to the computer and installs a rootkit, a very sophisticated type of software that deletes all record of the worm existing on the computer. After that the computer continues to steal as much data as possible from the computer and transmit it back to a remote location.
What does Stuxnet do?
Stuxnet is considered by many people to be the first-ever “control system” malware. What this means is that it has the capability of infecting control systems for large companies and factories that use software created by Siemens. Unfortunately, this software is very widely used, especially in large industrial manufacturing organizations, small and large utilities, and even defense systems. In one case it was found that this software could infect nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
How widespread is Stuxnet and where is it most common?
At the moment Stuxnet is not that widespread. It is most common in India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States, and Malaysia, in that order. However, it has the potential to spread very rapidly. It only affects computers running Siemens software, but computers without that software can still act as “carriers,” infecting other removable media that is inserted into them. Other countries have seen infections, but mostly they have been localized and have not caused any damage so far.
How dangerous is Stuxnet?
This is always the big question with a large virus outbreak. Right now Stuxnet is not that dangerous. Unfortunately, it is targeted at “Control Systems.” Siemens is most known for making software for sophisticated systems used in such areas as the military, large industrial plants, and utility plants. If any of these were to be infected the damage could be irreparable. The infection is clearly tailored to steal confidential information and possibly shut down “smart grids.” Therefore, while it is not a danger to consumers, any large corporation or plant must be very careful to avoid this infection.