All Animes: Re: [animeontv] Re: crashes query?

Once upon a time Kameusagi shaped the electrons to say...
> Whenever I hear so many issues occuring to one person (Hijacked
> email, applications crashing randomly that don't crash for anyone
> else) I have to recommend the worst case solution ...

That's very, very drastic and I would defintiely NOT recommend that
for something as simple as an app crash. Apps crash on windows,
that's just a fact of life. And it is not uncommon for an app to
crash for one user and not another, because systems are different. It
can be a browser extension one user has the other doesn't.
Interaction with different 3rd party apps - AV, toolbars, etc. Plenty
of reasons.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions. If malware is suspected, then use
anti-malware tools and do the scans. Make sure everything is updated,
etc. If nothing is found then it is probably not malware, and going
through the pain of scrubbing the box is not warranted.

I haven't had one of my Windows boxes get infected in over ten years.
And when I was running IT for a small company the only infections we
had were when a user deliberately did things we said not to do -
downloaded and ran EXEs, disabled the AV scanner, etc. Which we
recovered without a wipe, and read the user the riot act so they
didn't do it again.

The nuclear option isn't the first thing I'd resort to. If a system
really is rotten - it hasn't been maintained and it is just infected
to the core - sure, nuke it and start over. But it probably isn't an
infection, and even if it is, unless it is a nasty one most of them
can be fixed automatically by today's tools. Faster to try that and
only if it doesn't work invest all the time in a wipe and reinstall.

And if you do a reinstall, remember to scan all of your data files
before putting them back on the machine so you don't just re-infect
it.

> Malware is becoming so nasty these days that even the best tools
> cannot get rid of all the damage they cause.

Only a few of the infections out there are really that bad. The vast
majority are still fairly benign. And the tools get better constantly
too, it is an arms race.

The best cure is prevention of course - keep Windows fully updated.
Keep your applications updated - ESPECIALLY when someone releases a
security update, install it immediately. Install at least anti-virus,
keep it updated (daily if not a few times a day - mine is set to check
ever 4 hours for new updates), make sure auto-protection is on, run a
full system scan regularly (like once a week, set it to do it in the
middle of the night), etc. Turn on Windows Firewall and/or isntall a
3rd party firewall. Download and install Windows Defender from MS -
it is free.

Even better than just plain anti-virus is a full anti-malware package
- I like AVG Internet Security myself: http://www.avg.com/

And not being able to afford AV is no excuse: http://free.avg.com/

It is basic, but it is solid and better than nothing - MUCH better.

And don't connect your computer directly to the Internet, use a home
router with a built in firewall - defense in depth.

-MZ
--
megazone-at-megazone.org http://www.MegaZone.org/ Gweep, Geek, Human, me.
http://www.GizmoLovers.com/ http://www.Eyrie-Productions.com/ -><- Hail Eris
"A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171