Phishing – Hook, Line and Sinker

Everyone has heard of fishing. You throw in a line, and catch a fish. A little time, a little effort, and it can result in a great reward. But not everyone has heard of phishing.

Phishing is when a website is not a legitimate website – and you can unknowingly enter personal details into it, giving the criminals everything they need to empty your bank accounts or steal your identity.

This can happen when you receive an email stating that your bank has ‘lost your personal records, and if you log onto the link below they’ll be sure to update them for you’. So you click on the link in the email, and are taken to a rather convincing website that looks almost identical to your regular bank/credit union/Paypal account/credit card website. You enter your account number, PIN, password and date of birth – and the criminal has everything they need as they obtain these details from you.

The simplest way to avoid this kind of phishing attempt is to ignore any emails purporting to be from financial institutions etc, and always log onto a website from the browser.

Of course, spyware/anit-virus software is also great for avoiding these types of attacks, but more about them later.

Downloading MP3’s

Do you download music from Limewire a Peer-to-Peer file sharing website?  Apart from being able to download the MP3 music files of your choice, you also have to share some of your own MP3’s so that other members may access and upload tracks from them.

It is vital that you choose a separate individual folder in which to download your Limewire MP3 music tracks.  Never use My Documents as a place to store your MP3 downloads because to do so, you place every document within My Documents at risk of being downloaded also.  If you have personal information files in My Documents, I am sure you would like to keep them private.

Have you had any problems associated with your use of Limewire?  Unfortunately, many people have.  However, if you follow the advice of the previous paragraph any untoward nasty attachments will be localized in that folder only.

It would also be in your best interests to have your computer protected by a well known anti-spyware program and make a point of upgrading your spyware program’s protection by regularly checking for and installing updates.

There are 2 anti-spyware programs highly recommended – AntiSpyware Bot which removes spyware only and it not suitable for use with Window’s Vista.  The other program is AntiSpyware which has been certified as Vista friendly, and it has the added bonus of being an adware removal tool as well.

Just remember, forearmed is forewarned.

Limewire : How to Use Properly & Prevent Computer Issues

We have all heard of Limewire, a Peer-to-Peer file sharing program, and many people blame it for causing issues on their computer.  Many people use the program to illegally download music and other media files.  You will not have issues on your computer if you use Limewire properly and have adequate protection. Here are some tips

• Never download .exe or program files.
• Do not download zipped or compressed folders.
• Do not download adult content.
• Designate a single folder only for the content you download. (Don’t use My Documents)

It is important to understand that, as a Limewire user, you not only are downloading files, but your are uploading them as well.  It is important to follow the last tip shown above.  The folder you specify to hold all of your music or other multimedia downloaded by Limewire, is viewable and can be downloaded by other Limewire Users.  For example: If I was to set up Limewire and set My Documents as my folder to hold my downloaded files, all of my other documents and files in my My Documents folder, could be downloaded by anyone using Limewire.  This includes tax information, social security numbers and more.

You need to be protected by an anti-spyware program when using Limewire.  I always use AntiSpywareBot because it protects me from nearly all issues associated with the use of Limewire.  Always make sure you have an updated anti-virus program.

With these tips you will safely use Limewire and protect yourself from issues associated with this program.

Best Regards,
Matt

AntiSpyware = Vista Spyware Removal

Here at mysafepc.net, I usually recommend AntiSpywareBot as a spyware removal tool. While this program is very effective, it is not very stable on Vista, and it’s not Vista Certified. I have found another program called AntiSpyware, which is Vista Certified and very user friendly. The program is also very effective in removing spyware and adware, two very annoying types of infections which slow down your PC. I highly recommend this software because I have made the switch from AntiSpywareBot to AntiSpyware now that I have vista.

Best Regards,
Matt

Why Paying for a PC Cleanup is a Rip-Off

With GeekSquad, Nerds-To-Go, and Firedog, there a certainly a number of choices when your are looking for PC support. I understand why most people do not want to set-up a wireless network. It does appear to be a daunting task. It is actually not too difficult and I will explain how to set one up in a later post. Many people call these places and have them come to their house an run a computer clean up. You can pay in the hundreds for this service. Why not do it yourself? Its really easy. Use the programs listed below to get the same results for a fraction of the cost of having a “geek” come to your house.

1. Find Out What’s Wrong: Many people cannot figure out what is wrong with their computers, so they don’t bother fixing it. There is a free diagnostic tool which runs a scan of your computer and makes various suggestions. Its called PCPitStop.com . It’s a great site. After you run a Full System Scan, select an issue and follow the instructions they give you to repair the issues. Don’t pay for their programs. They’re not work it.
2. Clean Up Time! : There are thousands of unnecessary files, including cookies and temporary files, which are hidden inside your computer. If you have never cleaned your hard drive, you will more than likely free up a Gigabyte of space. Use CCleaner. Its 100% Free and very effective. Check it out!
3. Defrag It! :If you have never defragmented your computer, you should. Your hard drive becomes fragmented with just daily use, which slows down load times. There is a defragmentor included in windows, but its not very good. I recommend AusLogics Disk Defrag. Its free and easier to use.
4. Remove Spyware: Spyware is the biggest threat to personal computer. If you do not have an antispyware program, GET ONE NOW! Your antivirus will usually not detect spyware. I absolutely love AntiSpywareBot. It’s the main reason my computer runs faster. The scan is free, but the cost is $20 to remove the issues.
5. Clean Your Registry: Your computers registry contains all the configuration settings in Windows and always contains missing keys, startup issues, errors, etc. This is the reason your computer crashes and shows error messages. I like RegCure. Its $30 but its money well spent. If you buy AntiSpywareBot, you can purchase their registry cleaner, RegClean, for only $10 more. This combo is also very effective.
6. RESTART!

If you follow all of these steps below it will cost you $30. This includes AntiSpywareBot and RegClean. Compare this to paying over $100 to some “nerd” like myself.

Software $30, Diagnostics $0, Hard Drive Cleaner $0 ……….Your sanity and computer’s stability = Priceless

Hope this helps,

Matt

AntiSpywareBot : Great Tool to Increase your PC’s Performance

Is your computer running slow? Chances are, you’re not alone. According to CNN, there is over a 90% chance that your computer is infected with spyware. Spyware is also the biggest threat to personal computing. But what exactly is spyware? Spyware is a program that performs malicious activity on your computer without your knowledge. This includes annoying pop-ups even if your not on the internet, tracking cookies that follow you everywhere you go online, keyloggers that record your passwords, and programs that leave your PC wide open for future attacks. These are all the things that annoy the heck out of you, and slow your computer down.

Currently there are a variety of programs on the market to help solve this problem, and choosing the best one can be a little overwhelming. Many people feel satisfied with a free antispyware program. The truth is with these programs is that you get what you pay for. I have tried several spyware removal programs and the most effective one I have used to date is AntiSpywareBot .

AntiSpywareBot , created by 2Squared Software, is a great antispyware program. It offers advanced protection against many computer issues that slow down your PC. I personally use this program and it removes what other programs leave behind. 2squared is the industry leader in computer privacy and security, and AntiSpywareBot is an award winning program that proves it. I downloaded the program and after a surprisingly quick scan, I had over 700 infections. Thats right, 700 infections. After I registered, I removed all of these issues, set a scheduled scan of my whole PC every night, and managed programs that start up with my PC. After that, I saw an immediate improvement in my PC’s performance. It really is an amazing tool. The price was right too. It only cost me $19.95 for a year of updates and customer support.

If your computer is sluggish, I would highly recommend you download AntiSpywareBot for a free scan.

Download AntiSpywareBot Here.

Best Regards,
Matt