Internet Security

By Justin Phelps, PCWorld

Between your computer and the Internet (or any other external network) stands a firewall. Designed to allow legitimate traffic into your computer and keep unauthorized traffic out, a properly configured firewall protects you from the thousands of attackers and malicious programs trying to gain access to your PC. Both Windows Vista and Windows 7 include a firewall called Windows Firewall, which is turned on by default; you should turn it off only if you are using another (third-party) firewall. In this article, I explain the basics of configuring Windows Firewall in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Understanding these basics will reduce your vulnerability and allow you to tweak Windows Firewall to suit your needs.

In both Vista and Windows 7, you can access Windows Firewall settings by clicking Start and opening the Control Panel. Click System and Security in Windows 7 or Security in Vista, and then click Windows Firewall.

Step by Step: Configuring Windows Firewall in Windows 7

Step 1 You can configure two types of networks: private (home and workplace networks) and public (airport, library, or other networks open to the public). You will see status and settings reports displayed for both types of networks here. Begin by clicking Change notification settings in the left pane so that you can turn Windows Firewall on or off for each network type.

Step 2 To change how the firewall alerts you when it blocks a program, check or uncheck Notify me when Windows Firewall blocks a new program. Finally, you can stay really safe by checking Block all incoming connections, including those in the list of allowed programs. I'll talk more about allowed programs below.

Step by Step: Configuring Windows Firewall in Windows Vista

Step 1 After enabling the Windows Firewall control panel, you will see a window with Windows Firewall status and settings. Begin by clicking Change settings on the right.

Step 2 In the next window, you will see three tabs. Within the General tab, you can turn the firewall on or off, as well as check the Block all incoming connections box. Checking this box instructs Windows Firewall to ignore your list of exceptions (more on exceptions below).

Step 3 Within the Advanced tab, you will see a list of the networks to which you connect. To enable Windows Firewall protection, ensure that the box next to each network is checked.

Step by Step: Setting Up Allowed Programs in Windows 7

In Windows 7, Windows Firewall protects you by blocking your programs from accepting connections from the Internet (or your network). Allowed programs are applications that you tell Windows Firewall not to block. For example, you may want to allow an instant messaging program or a multiplayer video game to accept incoming connections in order for those applications to work properly.

Step 1 To allow a program in Windows 7, click Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall on the left pane.

Step 2 On the new screen, click the Change settings button that appears at the top. Find the program you wish to allow in the list, and check the box next to the name of the program, as well as the box under the type(s) of network(s) through which you want to allow the program to communicate. If the program you want to allow is not listed, click Allow another program and find it in the list that appears; you may have to click Browse and navigate to the program.

Step by Step: Setting Up Exceptions (Allowed Programs) in Vista

Step 1 Select the Exceptions tab and choose the program you wish to allow by checking its box on the list.

Step 2 If you cannot locate the program on the list, click the Add program... button and select it from the list that appears. If you still cannot locate the program, click Browse to navigate to the program.

By Eric Geier, PCWorld

Is your computer running slower than usual? Are you getting lots of pop-ups? Have you seen other weird problems crop up? If so, your PC might be infected with a virus, spyware, or other malware--even if you have an antivirus program installed on it. Though other problems, such as hardware issues, can produce similar symptoms, it's best to check for malware if you aren't sure. But you don't necessarily need to call tech support or the geek across the street to scan for malware--I'll show you how to do it yourself.

Step 1: Enter Safe Mode

Keep your PC disconnected from the Internet, and don't use it until you're ready to clean your PC. This can help prevent the malware from spreading and/or leaking your private data.

If you think your PC may have a malware infection, boot your PC into Microsoft's Safe Mode. In this mode, only the minimum required programs and services are loaded. If any malware is set to load automatically when Windows starts, entering in this mode may prevent it from doing so.

To boot into Windows Safe Mode, first shut down your PC. Locate the F8 key on your PC's keyboard; turn the PC on; and as soon as you see anything on the screen, press the F8 key repeatedly. This should bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu; there, select Safe Mode with Networking and press Enter.

You may find that your PC runs noticeably faster in Safe Mode. This could be a sign that your system has a malware infection, or it could mean that you have a lot of legitimate programs that normally start up alongside Windows.

Step 2: Delete Temporary Files

Now that you're in Safe Mode, you'll want to run a virus scan. But before you do that, delete your temporary files. Doing this may speed up the virus scanning, free up disk space, and even get rid of some malware. To use the Disk Cleanup utility included with Windows, select Start, All Programs (or just Programs), Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup.

Step 3: Download Malware Scanners

Now you're ready to have a malware scanner do it's work--and fortunately, running a scanner is enough to remove most infections. If you already had an antivirus program active on your computer, you should use a different scanner for this malware check, since your current antivirus software may have not detected the malware. Remember, no antivirus program can detect 100 percent of the millions of malware types and variants.

There are two types of antivirus programs. You're probably more familiar with real-time antivirus programs, which constantly watch for malware. Another option is on-demand scanners, which search for malware infections when you open the program manually and run a scan. You should have only one real-time antivirus program installed at a time, but you can keep a few on-demand scanners handy to run scans with multiple programs, thereby ensuring that you're covered.

If you think your PC is infected, I recommend using an on-demand scanner first and then following up with a full scan by your real-time antivirus program. Among the free (and high-quality) on-demand scanners available are BitDefender Free Edition, Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool, Malwarebytes, Norman Malware Cleaner, and SuperAntiSpyware

Step 4: Run a Scan With Malwarebytes

For illustrative purposes, I'll describe how to use the Malwarebytes on-demand scanner. To get started, download it. If you disconnected from the Internet for safety reasons when you first suspected that you might be infected, reconnect to it so you can download, install, and update Malwarebytes; then disconnect from the Internet again before you start the actual scanning. If you can't access the Internet or you can't download Malwarebytes on the infected computer, download it on another computer, save it to a USB flash drive, and take the flash drive to the infected computer.

After downloading Malwarebytes, run the setup file and follow the wizard to install the program. Once installed, Malwarebytes will check for updates and launch the app itself. If you get a message about the database being outdated, select Yes to download the updates and then click OK when prompted that they have been successfully installed.

Once the program opens, keep the default scan option ('Perform quick scan') selected and click the Scan button.

Though it offers a full-scan option, Malwarebytes recommends that you perform the quick scan first, as that scan usually finds all of the infections anyway. Depending on your computer, the quick scan can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, whereas the full scan might take 30 to 60 minutes or more. While Malwarebytes is scanning, you can see how many files or objects the software has already scanned, and how many of those files it has identified either as being malware or as being infected by malware.

If Malwarebytes automatically disappears after it begins scanning and won't reopen, you probably have a rootkit or other deep infection that automatically kills scanners to prevent them from removing it. Though you can try some tricks to get around this malicious technique, you might be better off reinstalling Windows after backing up your files (as discussed later), in view of the time and effort you may have to expend to beat the malware.

If Malwarebytes' quick scan doesn't find any infections, it will show you a text file containing the scan results. If you still think that your system may have acquired some malware, consider running a full scan with Malwarebytes and trying the other scanners mentioned earlier. If Malwarebytes does find infections, it'll bring up a dialog box warning you of the discovery. To see what suspect files the scanner detected, click the Scan Results button in the lower right. It automatically selects to remove the ones that are known to be dangerous. If you want to remove other detected items, select them as well. Then click the Remove Selected button in the lower left to get rid of the specified infections.

After removing the infections, Malwarebytes will open a text file listing the scan and removal results; skim through these results to confirm that the antivirus program successfully removed each item. Malwarebytes may also prompt you to restart your PC in order to complete the removal process, which you should do.

If your problems persist after you've run the quick scan and it has found and removed unwanted files, consider running a full scan with Malwarebytes and the other scanners mentioned earlier. If the malware appears to be gone, run a full scan with your real-time antivirus program to confirm that result.

Step 5: Fix Your Web Browser

Malware infections can damage Windows system files and other settings. One common malware trait is to modify your Web browser's homepage and/or connection settings to reinfect the PC, display advertisements, prevent browsing, and generally annoy you.

Before launching your Web browser, check your homepage and connection settings. In Internet Explorer, click Start, Control Panel, and open Internet Options. Find the Home Page settings, and verify that it's not some site you know nothing about.