The Firewalls-and-Virus-Protection.com
   Security Alert News Reporter   

    The "NewsReporter" is published to keep you up-to-date on the latest information we gather for avoiding and surviving the hectic hacker attacks on your computer security and personal identity that take place constantly on the internet. Many of our comments are based on personal experiences. Protecting your safety, security, sanity, and privacy is not a simple task. We are trying to make it a bit easier for you to accomplish.
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     ► IMPORTANT UPDATED RECOMMENDATIONS ! 
 
How to detect and get rid of malware and  Zombie (hijacking) programs
 
Usually, it's very difficult to repair the damage they cause, however, there are some really fine and very effective Programs available to Home and Small Business computer users to improve online security and minimize adware, Trojan horse/Zombie and general malware threats. You'll need three.
 
Eric Howes, an independent tester at the University of Illinois recently compared and tested more than 20 of the most popular and best respected anti-malware applications against hundreds of these threats, and the results surprised a lot of the experts.
 
           The new recommendations, based on Howes' research are
Microsoft AntiSpyware* with a detection score of 63% and Webroot Spy Sweeper (CLICK for Free trial) - next best with 48%. Combined, they had a rate of 70%, by far the best of any possible combination of two packages.               
 
The third recommended program, SpywareBlaster (Download) is a little bit different. It doesn't scan for and clean SpyWare, it prevents it from ever being installed by
 
    ● obstructing the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser
       hijackers, dialers and other potentially unsafe pests, locking spyware/tracking
       cookies in the Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox web browsers; and
 
    ● restricting the actions of potentially dangerous sites in Internet Explorer.

* Microsoft AntiSpyware  was acquired from Giant Software  in December 2004 --
    it's currently available as a FREE Download
 
There are other programs, of course. Among them are HijackThis and
cwsshredder which can help identify and remove many variants of the
insidious CoolWebSearch browser hijackers. (Check out Free Resources)
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We post Kid Safe Sites, because like you, we care about the safety and security of our children and grandchildren
...and to help parents, grandparents and guardians guide today's young internet surfers to safe sites. There are many other website creators who feel the same concerns and responsibility. These are just a few of their sites that we have personally reviewed and tested as safe for our Grandchildren. Check them out and share them with the young people you care about.
  Please note the 'AMBER ALERT" scrolling at the bottom of this table
  If you would like to help support the Code Amber project, please click here.

Reviews of Family Safe Sites
CRAYOLA	The Crayola website goes beyond being just for Kids with its sections for Parents and Educators, too. We wouldn't hesitate to send our children and grandchildren here for entertainment and education. Here's the LINK
	PBS Kids is a respected and trusted site. We would not hesitate to send our children and grandchildren there for entertainment and education, either. Their Privacy Policy is very assuring. Families visiting the site can feel safe regarding potential threats to family privacy and their children's welfare. Jump to it from HERE http://pbskids.org/
	Our Firewalls-and-virus-protection.com website has been Certified 'Family Safe' by the Institute of Family Safe Businesses.
Ask Jeeves for Kids	Enter your question here: Ask Jeeves is a trademark of Ask Jeeves, Inc., Copyright 1996-2000 Ask Jeeves, Inc. Ask Jeeves for Kids has great Study Tools, Fun and Games and News Resources, all Safe. Visit Ask Jeeves for Kids Home page Here
Kid Safe Site from		A really cool Index to the Web for net Surfers ages 8 - 14. Parents will love this one, too.
	Check out the Kid Friendly pages HERE	and the Parent Friendly Links  HERE
Click to visit Site	Your Site Support Supporting your Play Time with Kids for Kid approved activities that grownups love
	We receive no compensation for displaying these links and you will be under No Obligation when you visit them. They are here because we care about the safety of everyone who uses the internet, especially our Kids.

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Publications - Use these Free Reports to help your family and friends:

    Many people using the internet sometimes wonder if their firewalls and virus protection are good enough to keep them safe. For those of you who have visited our Firewalls website and Security Alert Blog, you know that the information there is directed toward keeping you safe from hacker and cracker attacks. Additions to our bookshelf are selected with the same purpose - and we encourage you to share our reports freely.
    
Because it isn't always convenient to share your computer with family and friends, we have created small downloadable reports that can easily be printed and distributed to the people you'd like to help avoid 'virus grief'.

Bookshelf and Special Report Alerts
	"23 CRITICAL ALERTS You Should Consider when Maintaining Your Computer Security and Protecting  Your Personal Safety" FREE Downloadable eReport for ALL Subscribers  to the Security Alert News Reporter    Already a Subscriber? CLICK HERE to get your Free copy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Protect Yourself and Family from Dangerous Chat Rooms and Instant Messages. If you use them, you and yours are the Hacker's newest targets.   Hackers are already taking advantage of problems with today's IM systems. People not familiar with these new threats could easily open a new, harmless looking IM message that pops up on their screen. With one well intentioned click of their mouse on a Hacker’s phony message, could get infected. It's no longer just the teen age Chat Room users that are in danger. Whole families are threatened   In case you missed this FREE report on the Firewalls-and-Virus-Protection website, you can read it here.  Please print the report and share it with your family, friends and associates. Help them avoid the hidden dangers and threats often buried in IM messages and of predators lurking in Chat Rooms.                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you take your laptop computer with you on your travels, this interview with the Author of "Travel Cheap-Travel Well" contains tips and advice to help maintain your  Online Security while Traveling in the United States and Abroad. The author, Victor K Pryles, discusses computer security and offers first hand advice on maintaining personal safety while on the road, high seas and in the air. Click to read it here or Down Load it from this link and share this 10 page report with the travelers you care about. (It's in eBook format and takes less than a minute to download and zip open) DOWNLOAD HERE                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't get trapped by Rogue Anti-Spyware software     Trying a new anti-spyware program? Avoid being duped     or robbed by false positives.           "Rogue/Suspect" means that these products are of unknown,      questionable, or dubious value if used for anti-spyware      protection.      In case you missed this FREE report on the Firewalls-and- Virus-Protection website, you can read it here.  Please print the report and share it with your family, friends and associates. Help them avoid the hidden dangers and threats often buried in software programs that are supposed to clean up, not infect your computer.                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is Your Firewalls and Virus Protection Safe Enough? This FREE report will help you identify viruses, prepare for attacks and infections and guide you in their removal. It's a  9 page, easy reading guide that covers the threats we all face in our daily use of the internet. It's a basic education in understanding and Avoiding Virus Grief Down load it from this link (it's in PDF format):                          http://www.RichardPresents.com/safefirewall.zip The download includes a ReadMe page with instructions for unzipping and using your Acrobat Reader, and even a link to the Adobe website where you can get your own free Acrobat Reader if you don't already have one                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is a Keystroke Logger Being Used To Spy On You? Many of the tools and tricks in use today to spy on your internet activities are exposed in this 7 page report. This look into spyware will alert you to the ease in which your identity could be compromised, or stolen. Open the FREE report in a new webpage by clicking Are Keystroke Loggers Spying On You? (No downloading necessary, and you can print it right from your browser window.)                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How Much Money would it cost you to regain the use of your computer after a serious virus infection? It cost one of our friends a whole lot of money, much aggravation and lost time, lost records, and a major inconvenience to recover from the havoc caused by the worms and viruses that had infiltrated their computer over a period of many months. In case you missed this FREE report on the Firewalls-and-Virus-Protection website, you can read it here. Our friends have recovered full use of their computer and now encourage everyone to learn from their experiences. Please print the report and share it with your family, friends and associates.                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are a lot more Articles and Reports at the Firewalls and Virus Protection website. Two of the most recent cover these topics              How to Avoid Spam Robots by Jim Edwards. Despite the                fact that Federal legislation (the CANSPAM act) made it illegal,                harvesting email addresses from the web using automated                robots remains alive and well.                A few Basic "Being Safe Online Tips" by Guest Author                    Bea Kunz. Opening e-mail and surfing the web is like going to                the mall late at night alone. Keep Surfing Safe and Fun.

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Browser Hijacking hasn't gone away. One of the outstanding sources for information about browser hijackers and tools to remove these predators is still available on the SpywareInfo.com website.       It's loaded with powerful information and helpful advice that zeros in on the hijacking problem. If you are experiencing any similar problems, be sure to follow the link to their forum. There are literally thousands of postings from which you will learn and possibly find the advice that will help you resolve your own issues.      You can download HijackThis from the Software link on the SpywareInfo website. Be sure to read and follow their instructions to the letter if you want good results.                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We learned about this program from the extraordinary website and forums built and maintained by James Healan, webmaster of SpywareInfo.com.

DOWNLOAD latest cws shredder from Softpedia. It'll find and remove those nasty Cool Web Search trojan horses.

Here are A few more helpful resources   "Keep Your Private Information PRIVATE"   Lock away all of your Passwords, Images, Documents, Video and Audio into one Encrypted database for your eyes only. Enigma enables you to Encrypt and store almost anything so that only you can access the files through a master password chosen by you. Of course, all or any of your Encrypted files can be restored to their original state any time you choose. You can even backup and restore the entire database to and from CDs to ensure that you lose nothing even if your hard disk dies. Click to get your Free Trial Here                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Hackers, virus and spyware writers and other unethical persons are becoming more and more sophisticated every day. Their attacks and the undesirable and often dangerous stuff they sneak into our computers slow them down, and threaten our personal lives with increasing severity.   For example: Everyone who owns a computer — at home or in the office — is exposed to more security risks than they can possibly imagine. Deadbeats, criminals and swindlers prey on unsuspecting victims every second of every day. In your own defense you must discover how to...     ● root out malware that has already taken up residence in your PC   ● protect against future attacks   ● recognize the tricks of the spammers, scammers and eavesdroppers   ● keep your sensitive documents & data away from prying eyes Then you can enjoy the computing pleasures and watch your computer miraculously perform once again like the day you brought it home. Fact: 99% of the time it is some form of malware (virus, trojan, spyware, etc.) that is the cause of diminished performance (slowing down) in a PC over a period of time. But there are much more serious implications than just reduced performance, because malware can be designed to do incredibly invasive and destructive things.    Ever since I found the eBook, "The Hacker's Nightmare" that tells how to really Keep Hackers, Worms and Germs out of my PCs, it has received my highest recommendation to family and friends.   It's my Computer Security Bible.      This eBook is by the 20 plus year veteran of internet security consulting ...Mr Bill Hely. There's so much valuable information and just plain common sense contained in it, that we could fill this and future issues of our News Reporter for the next few months just talking about it.          Bill has designed a webpage that describes many of the security tricks and tools that will help keep that nasty stuff out of your computer. Review The Hacker's Nightmare Story HERE. Some sample (Free) chapters are available to early visitors.   Here's a testimonial Bill received recently-   "Bill, there is no way I can thank you enough for creating this wonderful program. I have done little else since I got it downloaded than print, read, experiment and learn. You are truly a genius and a very kind person for helping me 1-on-1 with my problem. The information in that book is so all encompassing that it is far more than a book on how to protect a computer. It also gives all the basic information on different concepts from Computer 101 to Advanced. My biggest question is why you are not charging more?      All of that information would cost a fortune if it were sold separately. At any rate, thank you again and again!! I would love to be an affiliate as soon as I learn a little more. It would be the only thing I ever sold that I truly believed in. You are incredible!"                                      - Barbara Dingman (USA) As you can see from Barbara Dingman's letter, The Hacker's Nightmare eBook isn't just for Professionals and Small Business Operators. Much of Bill Hely's information can easily be applied to keeping even the less experienced internet user out of the deep and murky depths of despair resulting from Hacker attacks, virus grief and spyware intrusions.   Visit now and Learn the Truths About Computer & Internet Security. (Bill expects to increase the price sometime in the near future. Visiting now could avoid that price increase). I feel it's really worth it, even at a bit higher price. ... Richard   i-Cop is a resource I'm proud to be a part of. You have probably noticed the various references to it throughout this newsletter, the Firewalls and Virus Protection website and my Blog.   It's the International Council of Online Professionals, i-Cop for short. I believe anyone  actively using the internet to provide information, services or sell products would benefit by subscribing to i-Cop's publication - The Internet Marketing Trade Journal. It truly sets the standard for Honesty and Integrity Online. I'm proud to be a member.   This FREE ezine is vitally important to online business owners and anyone even considering making money online! We keep folks informed about all online issues and programs to participate in, or avoid. Subscribe to The Internet Marketing Trade Journal here:: http://www.i-Cop.org/trade-journal.htm                  ...Richard

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No doubt, this will lead to further litigation, but hopefully the long term end result will be a reduction in spyware propagation as Kazaa, Grokster and other file sharing services are monitored and encouraged to clean up their acts.
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Intermix to pay $7.5 Million to Settle Spyware Case
 
As reported in last month's News Reporter, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's case against Intermix had been closely watched because it represented the first effort by law enforcement to crack down on spyware and because Intermix was seen as exhibiting much of the same behavior as hosts of other online marketing companies.
 
Intermix Media said it has struck a tentative agreement with New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to settle charges that the company used its network of Web sites and freeware downloads to distribute adware and spyware programs to unknowing consumers.
 
Intermix said it agreed to pay US$7.5 million to the state of New York over the next three years. It also agreed to permanently stop distributing its adware, redirect and toolbar programs, freeware that Intermix had stopped offering on its own recently. The Los Angeles-based company said the agreement does not include an admission of wrongdoing or liability.
 
      Other Recent News of efforts to improve our personal Security
 
Senators propose sweeping data-security bill (Read ZDNet full report HERE)
An avalanche of new rules for corporate data security and stiff penalties for information burglars are included in a far-reaching bill introduced during June
in the U.S. Senate.
 
The bill represents the most aggressive--and at 91 pages, the most regulation-oriented--legislative proposal crafted so far in response to a slew of high-profile security breaches in the last few months. "Reforms like these are long overdue," Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said in a floor speech.
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Business leaders who fail to tell consumers when they may be at risk of identity theft could face jail under a bipartisan bill expected to be introduced in the U.S. Senate in late June. (Read ZDNet full report HERE)

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter and Sen. Patrick Leahy, the committee's top Democrat, would also restrict a freewheeling trade in Social Security numbers that are prized by identity thieves.

The bill, the first to draw Republican sponsorship, comes on the heels of the largest security breach announced to date after an outsider gained access to 40 million credit card accounts held by CardSystems Solutions, a payment processor.

Dozens of similar breaches have been disclosed this year after a California state law required businesses to make such incidents public.
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The Supreme Court and US Senate each get June's 'Good Guys' credits.√ √
Here are our  'Good Guy Check Marks' to date ) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ (See Archives)
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"User Education" is the focus of our Firewalls and Virus Protection website and the "Security Alert News Reporter".  
 
Are your IM and Chat Room Buddies alert to the growing Instant Messaging threats?  In case you missed this FREE report on the Firewalls-and-Virus-Protection website, you can read it here.  Please print the report and share it with your family, friends and associates.
        
  As a P.S. to the above comment, encourage your friends to check out our  "Security Alert Blog". The most recent Blog entries include these helpful and timely posts:
 
               ●  Beginner's Guide - Browser Hijacking and How to Stop It.
                       This is probably one of the easiest to understand beginners' guides on
                       the Internet -- and it's Free!
 
               ●  Add this excellent  information blog to your list of Must Read spyware
                       avoidance resources. The more useful information you have about the scourge
                       of malicious spyware, the better chance you'll have of avoiding the grief it will
                       bring.

  There are dozens more posts available in the Blog Archives. Read our Blog Posts HERE. I urge you to Comment, Challenge and add your own opinions to ours.
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  With your permission, we'll publish your questions and answers in future issues of the "NewsReporter".
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  Sharing ? If you have the opportunity to help family members, associates, or friends by sharing any of the information in this "News Reporter", please suggest that they subscribe for their own personal copy.

  They can subscribe here and we'll never share their information with third parties.

  If they are hesitant or uncertain about the benefits of visiting with us,
suggest that they review the help that's readily available at this one page summary of the Online Security Consideration and Protective Tactics that are designed to keep them safe on the Internet. They Can Check out these Considerations and Tactics HERE.

 
And finally for this issue, we hope you can take our one minute mini- survey (We'll give you a nifty and entertaining Free eBook on Coping With Your Stresses for your time) and visit our Blog Pages, read our postings and contact us with your comments and opinions. Everything you have to offer will help us do a better job of helping you. Thank you. ...Richard
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As promised in our first issue, we aren't going to stuff your mail box with un-ending mailings every day, week, or whenever. When there's important news about the topics we've noted, we'll let you know, usually monthly. 
To avoid unwanted and unnecessary filtering of our messages, we will send a very brief text email to you. It will have a link to this News Reporter and an un-subscribe link. The email subject line will identify the contents as "Latest Security Alert News Reporter - Issue ##" and the email "FROM" address will be "richard@richardpresents.com"

                                                      
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