http://www.scbp.net Johnny Doe, meet the McGeeks. Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:18:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Malware, basically is malicious and unwanted software designed to get into a user's PC system and do any number of things, such as damaging important files or stealing private data. We have discussed Malware here before, and have offered some (we believe) good solutions for preventing and responding to malware threats. However, ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/12/05/malware-what-it-is-and-how-to-remove-it/ We're always on the lookout for good anti-spyware, anti-adware and anti-virus tools, and it always pleases us when we can talk about tools that are free or open source. We haven't had time yet to really put this one to the test, but on first glance it appears to be a ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/07/31/another-free-tool-for-spyware-protection/ We received several messages thanking us for Heather's recent piece on speeding up your PC by preventing and getting rid of Adware, among them several people mentioned Windows XP seeming slow enough on its own to them without the addition of unwanted Adware, so I thought a follow-up piece on ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/07/24/7-more-ways-to-speed-up-your-pc/ In addition to the many threats and security risks that your computer faces, there's also the annoying element of unwanted advertising being thrown at you right on your Desktop. I'm not talking about the advertising that you see on web sites you visit, even if you find those annoying (and many ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/07/23/make-your-pc-faster-and-less-annoying/ We've written a lot here about how to prevent or get rid of spyware, but it hadn't dawned on us that some of you might appreciate a basic description of just what spyware is until one reader emailed us with that very question, so here it is, the ugly truth, ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/07/20/what-exactly-is-spyware/ We write about the threats of viruses, spyware and malware a lot, but it's still what we're most often asked about so we are happy to continue trying to provide you with the best information we can find on the subjects. The bottom line with these threats is that while a ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/05/19/computers-and-viruses-and-spyware-oh-my/ Businesses struggle with securing their Information and Data against intentional and unintentional breaches on a daily basis. Everything from hackers to hardware failures pose a threat to digital files, but one area many businesses overlook or tend to not be cautious enough in is the Internet access of their employees. Information ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/03/24/internet-security-in-the-workplace/ We've received a few messages recently from people who unfortunately found their PC's infected with the Vundo Trojan. Some have called it a virus, but it's really a trojan horse which most often causes popups and other dubious and unwanted advertising to appear on your screen. This trojan horse has also ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/03/23/removing-the-vundo-trojan-from-your-pc/ My friend has taken her Laptop to a local shop for security "clean ups" 5 times in the last year because she believed it had been compromised by either a virus or some form of spyware. Each clean up trip costing her $74.95 That's almost $400 in one year to do ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/03/13/almost-anyone-can-remove-spyware-or-a-virus-save-money/ We talk about this topic often here, but the fact is people tend to hear the warnings but not act upon them until after they've experienced a problem. Waiting until after some malicious hacker steals your personal information, credit card numbers or even identity is not a good plan, so we'll ... http://www.scbp.net/2009/03/11/basic-and-vital-security-measures-to-protect-your-pc/