User Guides Guide on how to keep your computer malware free

A Small Guide on how to keep your computer malware free

I've observed that many people have infected PCs, so I'd like to share a few things I've learnt over time about how to keep your computer malware free.
Although many things would be obvious, but they are still important to reduce the potential of a possible infection.

Most common reasons for a malware infection -
  • No Antivirus Program installed
  • No Firewall running
  • Email Attachments, sometimes even from people you know (especially those ending with .exe, .com or .bat)
  • P2P programs
  • Suspicious links in emails and from people via IM programs
  • Adult Websites
  • Crack/Warez Websites
  • Outdated software/plug-ins (especially not updating Windows regularly)

Some things to keep in mind:

  1. One of the most important (and obvious) things is to make sure that you have a working, updating Antivirus software. It isnt always necessary to get a commercial antivirus program, there are some decent free ones available too. Also, never have more than one antivirus programs installed on your PC.
  2. Always have a firewall running. The inbuilt Windows firewall is all you will probably need. From Vista onwards, the Windows Firewall protects your computer from both incoming and outgoing traffic.
  3. Have an anti-malware software installed on your PC. There are some decent free ones available, and make sure you do a scan regularly (Once a week preferably).
  4. Be careful while opening attachments that end with .exe, .com or .bat or suspicious links in emails or IM programs even from people you know. An infected computer can send an attachment/link to everyone in the contact list of the infected person, containing malware.
  5. While browsing if you encounter a pop-up saying that your computer is infected and that you need to install some software for it, ignore it. Its probably a scam to trick you into buying/installing something that might be a rouge software. Check here for a list of rogue anti-sypware programs.
  6. Always make sure that all the software installed on your computer is updated to the latest stable version, outdated software and plug-ins can have security loop-holes that can allow malware to infect your computer. Use Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI).
  7. Keep your web browser updated to the latest stable version. Also, it is very important to keep Windows updated.
  8. While installing software, always click on "Custom" installation and uncheck any foistware (toolbars etc.) that may try to install itself with the software you intended to install.
  9. Avoid visiting pornographic or crack/warez websites. It's recommended that you have a software which provides info about websites and warns you against dangerous ones, such as Web of Trust or McAfee SiteAdvisor installed.
  10. Use something like TFC (Temporary file cleaner) to clean up all temporary files regularly.
  11. If any Trojan is detected on your PC, it's always a good idea to change any online banking passwords or any other important passwords immediately and not to connect to the internet till the infection has been dealt with.

List of recommended security programs:

Free Antivirus Programs:
Microsoft Security Essentials
Avast Home
Comodo Antivirus

Free Anti-malware Programs:
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
SuperAntiSpyware

Free Firewall programs (Optional):
Outpost Firewall
Zone Alarm Free

Other Malware/Spyware Removal Utilities:
a[SUP]2[/SUP]
Spybot
Ad-Aware
SpywareGuard

Other important programs to have:
Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI)
FileHippo Update Checker(Optional)
Temporary File Cleaner
Web Of Trust


Free Online Scanners:

BitDefender Online Scan
ESET Online Scan
Mcafee Online Scan
GFI Trojanscan
Panda Active Scan
 
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SunnyBoi said:
I disable Autorun on all drives as soon as I install windows ;)
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Which is by default removed from Windows 7 64 bit (all 64 bit?).

At present I do two things apart form what mentioned. I use a normal user account, in case I do not trust the site AND I use 64 bit IE for that.

I am not updated on current scene but last when I worked on it, none of the malware launched on 64 bit OSes perfectly.(approx 300-400 samples)

in windows vista and above, any generic operation (like file open), if asking for elevation, should raise alarm and treated accordingly.

And yes, common sense is the key,
 
very nice tutorial!
I just wanted to add the use rKill to stop malware/virus activities so these files will be ready to be deleted by antimalware/antivirus during scanning. we know that malware uses rootkit so they will not be deleted.
 
SunnyBoi said:
The best solution again is to use common sense. I am not using any anti virus or malware protecting software since the last 4 years, haven't had any attacks so far.
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Amen brother!!,i haven't been using any antivirus software either.Not because i am a macho or something,but because if you download games from ahem sources you will know what a PITA these software can be.(quarantining sob's)
 
Got to say, I need this trick for checking my laptop's HDD. Thanks for this good guide for checking and find a malware on our PC without paying any money.
 
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