Virus Proof: The Ultimate Guide to Protecting Your System Book

Lesson 1: You Must Be Aware of Computer Viruses

A Virus Is a Computer Program

Understanding How a Virus Infects a PC

Understanding E-Mail Macro Viruses

Lesson 2: Different Types of Computer Viruses

Understanding Boot-Sector Viruses

Understanding Viruses that Attach to Other Programs

Understanding Polymorphic Viruses

Understanding Worm Viruses

Understanding Macro Viruses

Lesson 3: 10 Things You Should Do Now to Reduce Your Virus Risk

Do Not Give Out Your Username and Password Information to Another User

Do Not Download and Run "Unsafe" Programs

Use Virus-Scan Software and Keep the Software Current

Stay Current on Viruses

Perform Backup Operations on a Regular Basis

Only Open Attached Documents Sent to You by Users You Know and Only After Scanning the

Attachments for Viruses

Do Not Exchange a Floppy Disk with Another User without First Scanning the Disk

Protect Your System Using a Firewall

Know What Programs Are Running on Your System

Fine-Tune Your Browser’s Security Settings

Lesson 4: Backup Files Are Your Best Virus Defense

You Must Back Up Only Data Files, Not Program Files

Selecting the Device to Store Your Backup Copies

Using Backup Software

Using the Windows Explorer to Create a Backup Copy of Your Key Files

Many Programs Create Backup Copies of Files as You Work

Lesson 5: Let's Get Cracking--Learning to Break into Systems

Cracking Is Easy--Just Ask

Cracking the Hard Way

Other Tricks of the Cracking Trade

Protecting Your Files by Moving Them from Common Locations

Lesson 6: Understanding and Preventing Telephone Attacks by "Phreakers"

Your Phone Card--Phreakers May Not Place Phone Calls without It

Want to Steal Cellular-Phone Information? Just Listen

Voice Mail Eavesdropping and Lodging

Understanding Phreak Hardware

Understanding War Dialing

Lesson 7: Protecting the Windows Registry

Understanding How Windows Uses the Registry Database

Understanding the Registry Editor Utility

Backing Up the Registry Database

Exporting the Registry's Contents to an ASCII File

Recovering a Corrupted Registry File Using an Exported File

Do Not Forget about Other Key Windows .INI Files

Lesson 8: Determining Which Programs Are Running on Your System

Listing Your PC's Active Programs

Finding Out a Program's Purpose

Listing All Active Programs and Determining Where the Programs Start

Removing a Program from the Startup Submenu

Removing a Program That Loads from the Windows Registry

Removing Programs from the WIN.INI File

Lesson 9: Preventing Computer-Virus Infections When You Open Document Files or E-Mail Attachments

Understanding Macros

Understanding Why Macros Are a Potential Virus Problem

Protecting Your System from Macro Viruses

Lesson 10: Understanding Anonymous Electronic Mail (E-Mail) and Remailers

Creating an "Almost" Anonymous E-Mail Account

Using an Anonymous Remailer

Chaining a Message through a Series of E-Mail Resenders

Beyond Remailer Basics

Lesson 11: Understanding Anonymous Web Browsing

Using an "Anonymizing" Web Site

Using a Proxy Server to Achieve Anonymity

Building an Anonymous Web Site

Lesson 12: Understanding and Managing Internet Cookies

Understanding Why Servers Store Information within Cookies

Other Than Consuming Disk Space, Cookie Files Cannot Hurt Your System

How Cookie Files May Threaten Your Privacy

How to Discard Your System's Current Cookies

How to View a Cookie File's Contents

Controlling Cookie Creation

Lesson 13: Combating the Never-Ending Stream of Unsolicited E-Mail (SPAM)

Who Is Sending and Receiving SPAM Messages?

Solicited Versus Unsolicited E-Mail

Ways to Combat SPAM

Choosing E-Mail Message Words, Phrases, and Subjects to Filter

What You Should Do with SPAM

SPAM and the Law

Lesson 14: Understanding Virus Hoaxes

Examining Computer Hoaxes

Taking a Closer Look at Several Virus Hoaxes

Learning More About Virus Hoaxes

Lesson 15: Protecting Your System While Chatting within NetMeeting

Starting NetMeeting

Connecting to a NetMeeting Server

Calling a Specific User within NetMeeting

Chatting with Another User

Exchanging Audio and Video

Exchanging Files with a NetMeeting Caller

Using the NetMeeting Whiteboard to Exchange Ideas

Sharing a Program with Another User

Lesson 16: Understanding Denial of Service Attacks

Looking at Simple Denial of Service Examples

Using a "Ping" Attack to Consume a Site's Resources

Using a Download Attack to Consume a Site's Resources

Using an Electronic Newsletter Attack

Web Servers that Deny Client Services

Understanding Programmer-Based Denial of Service Attacks

Lesson 17: Protecting Your Privacy

Deleting Your Browser Trail

Flushing Your Disk's Recycle Bin to Permanently Discard Your Deleted Files

Eliminating Internet-Related and Deleted Files in One Step

Cleaning Up Your E-Mail Folders

Managing Newsgroup Subscriptions

Managing Your Address Book

Clearing the Start Menu Documents Submenu

Setting Up a Password-Protected Screensaver

Lesson 18: Using Encryption to Protect Your Electronic Mail

Understanding Encryption

Understanding Public-Key Encryption

Purchasing Your Public and Private Encryption Keys

Lesson19: Using Digital Signatures to Identify "Safe" Files

Digitally Signing an E-Mail Message

Using a Digital Signature to Prove Your Identity

Using Digital Signatures for Program Files

Customizing Your Browser Settings for Signed Objects

Lesson 20: Using Firewalls and Proxy Servers to Protect Your PC

Understanding Proxy Servers

Test-Driving a Firewall

Lesson 21: Understanding the Risks and Benefits of Java and ActiveX

Remember the Problem of Downloading Programs

Understanding the Java Programming Language

Taking a Look at Java

Understanding ActiveX Objects

Controlling Java Applets and ActiveX Objects within Your Browser

Lesson 22: Avoiding Computer Viruses as You Exploit E-Commerce

Understanding Your Credit-Card Liability

Rule #1: Do Not E-Mail Your Credit-Card Information

Understanding the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

Do Not Save Password Information

Using the Internet Options Dialog Box Advanced Sheet

Storing Information within Microsoft Wallet

Lesson 23: Caution! The Y2K Bug Does Not Stop at 01/01/00

Understanding Why the Y2K Bug Exists

The Y2K Bug Can Affect Hardware and Software

The Y2K Bug Does Not Affect Just Programs--It Can Affect Data Files, Too

How To Determine Your System's Level of Compliance

The Y2K Bug Extends beyond 01/01/2000

Lesson 24: Tracking the Users Who Are Connected to Your System

Determining If Users Are Connected to Your System

Disabling File And Printer Sharing

Controlling Access to a Specific Folder or Printer

Lesson 25: Understanding How Programmers Create Viruses

Understanding How a Virus Loads Itself Into Memory

Viruses and Windows

Appendix A: Searching for Viruses Using McAfee VirusScan

Installing McAfee VirusScan on Your Disk

Scanning Your Disks for Viruses

Customizing the McAfee VirusScan Settings

Scanning E-Mail Attachments