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Our users are still being plagued by the porno link virus. You cannot catch this virus from visiting the board. You get it from clicking on pop-ups at other sites, or from running "free" software that has infection as its price.
What the virus does is sense that you are posting to a bulletin board. When it does, it inserts links to porno sites into your messages. These links are different every time, so this means it is running in the background on your machine, constantly fetching new porno links to use from the hacker's web site. He is likely snooping on your web activities and perhaps stealing personal information from you at the same time. You do NOT want this virus on your machine.
We cannot allow porno links to be posted on the board. Not only do they violate the rules that this is a family-friendly space, but also the sites they link to might infect other users if they click on the links.
If you post with this virus, we will remove the porno links the first time we find them. We will also e-mail you to let you know you have it, and that you won't be allowed to post until you have removed it. If you have not posted with your e-mail address (or given us some other way to contact you), we will include a note inside one of your cleansed posts once. We will have no other way to notify you, and your posts will just be rejected thereafter until the virus is cleansed. ("Not getting contacted about something important" is one of the risks you always take when you post without your address.)
Some users have cleansed themselves of this virus and then become reinfected. If this happens and the moderators have recent memory of your infection, you will not get a notice the second time, since the moderators will see it as one infection.
If your posts are continually being rejected when there is clearly no reason apparent to you, and you have never given us a way to contact you, you should take steps to eradicate this virus.
To eradicate this virus, one should run two types of programs. One is an anti-virus program such as Norton's or McAfee. The other is an adware/spyware program such as AdAware.
That's just a real jerky virus. You know what other pop up is really annoying? It's one for Norton Anti-Virus or something and it freaks you out because your CD drive(s) open(s) up on their/it's own. It's even worse if you're using the one CD drive.
Two of the best free anti-spyware are AdAware and Spybot S&D. Unfortunately if you just do a Google search for these programs you will get hundreds of hits, MOST OF WHICH WILL BE SPYWARE. Here are the LEGITIMATE links to these two valuable utilities:
AdAware
Spybot S&D
With my old computer I did an ixquick.com search for a pop up blocker and got one downloaded for free, said I would never see a pop up again. But oh was it wrong, you see ever since I got that thing I would be getting ten pop ups every time I opened a new page or something and even when the internet wasn't on nor was AIM or anything internet related still pop ups would come.
I'd come home and have to restart my computer because the least I ever got was 90 with the internet stuff off. But now I have a new computer and just deal with the pop ups. :(
Use Mozilla Firefox. Really. Never again see a popup, and absolutely free. I've been using it for the last five months or so and I'm absolutely loving it.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
The browser I use is called Slimbrowser. It's got a built-in popup blocker that works wonderfully, and it's based on IE, too. Uses less memory to run, so it goes faster most of the time, and it's got many other nice features including skins and tabbed windows and the like. I highly recommend it:
www.flashpeak.com
I use Yahoo! Pop-up blocker, it's free to yahoo members and really good.
Other alternatives: Use Netscape, Mozilla or Opera instead of Internet Explorer. Use Eudora or Pegasus as mail client instead of Outlook.
If you have an old Pentium PC collecting dust and cobwebs in your closet or basement, put 2 network interface cards in it and install a Linux firewall. Configure one of the interfaces as firewall and connect your DSL/cable line to it. Connect the Windows machine(s) to the other interface. If you have problems contact a Linux user group in your area - you will find people there willing to help you.
There are several anti-spam and anti-virus applications for Linux - I use Clam Antivirus, SpamAassassin and a homebrew system to keep spam, viruses and other junk out of my hair.
--
A Linux Longhair
hey look at that all those tips are already on this comp my brother is crazy when it comes to his firewalls and his server and such.
To avoid this kind of Virus Infection you don't need to be a Computer Guru, you just need to follow best security practices:
- Do NOT DOWNLOAD/INSTALL Programs of the Internet. Often these downloads can start automatically, but you will always be prompted with a "Security Warning." If the security warning dialoge box appears on your browser unprompted, click the cross in the top right to kill the download. Do the same to your browser (Internet Explorer) to prevent the download restarting automatically again. DO NOT GO BACK TO THAT WEBSITE.
- Keep your Antivirus Product up to date, you should ensure your Antivirus downloads the latest set of antivirus definitions every week.
- Do not open email attachments which contain files of the type: .com; .pif; .exe.; .bat; or .zip. They invariably contain viruses. Do not be fooled just because you recognise the sender.
- If you open a Microsoft Office Document such as a Word Document; Excell Spreadsheet or PowerPoint Presentation, run them WITHOUT Macros, until you have ascertained they are safe.
- Never give out your email address in exchange for "FREE" software or services... you name will be added to a mailing list and probably sold to spammers and those looking to circulate viruses.
- Avoid All Software from the "GAIN corporation" or "Gator Corportation. Their free software is largely ADWARE, it will clutter your computer and reduce performance.
Sorted
A Windows Systems Administrator by Trade.
I tried updating and installing McAfee firewall, and now my USRobotics modem causes a blue screen error and the modem doesn't work. I don't know how long it will take to fix that computer. Most people will give up unless be do something about the greedy corporate giants who bought the US government.
This statement is way too broad. I can think of a handful of products that are commonly downloaded on the net and are trustworthy: Adobe Acrobat, Quicktime, IE, Windows updates, antivirus software, the list goes on.
In fact, many products that you buy from a store will update themselves over the web once installed.
Furthermore, some boxed software has been known to include viruses. Wordperfect, for example, at one point was shipped with viruses (I know this to be true circa 1993, but haven't kept up since then).
The point is that the medium of installation isn't the problem. Learn to recognize trustworthy sources. If in doubt, consult usenet for reports of problems. If a product is infected with a virus, it most likely will have already been reported there.
Thanks for the suggestions. After many hours, the help of people here and Google.com, I found the problem with my computer was not a virus but something I did when installing the McAfee Personal Firewall. When I installed it, I configured it to block IE and a stream of information coming off the Internet. A few minutes later the system crashed because I interfered with the operations of the WindowsXP operating system. After reconfiguring the firewall to let IE operate, the operation system and modem work fine and I can connect to the Internet. Now I'll probably use Adaware, as suggested by others here, to control the information being transferred over the dial up connection. The firewall tells me a lot of the contacts come from Microsoft.
Thanks
Fair Enough, you're correct, I should have been more specific. Many are indeed safe. But unless your capable of making a distinction between what is safe and what isn't then your better off if you install NOTHING.
The exception to this is Windows Updates, whereby every PC user should be shown how to download and acquire critical updates, as no action in this area is dangerous.
