Tekblog

The dark side of the Internet is darker than it has ever been at any point in history .  Economic downturns tend to breed new tactics, and cybercriminal organizations now have the knowledge, tools, and capability to directly impact global financial systems.  Everyone needs to become part of a Solid Internet Security Solution by making a concerted effort to proactively protect data, whether on an individual computer or a corporate network.

The use of  Microsoft’s operating system leaves you vulnerable to possible infections and reinfections if your system is not patched.  Security software can’t update definitions if the threat is under-reported and still in-the-wild.If you use a security suite that includes an anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, privacy/parental/phishing controls, — you are not protected against ALL Internet threats.

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”  — Robert F. Kennedy

Before connecting to the Internet you should make sure that your computer is safe to surf  the Internet via a layered approach.  Aside from using a good anti-virus suite you should also use browser security add-ons such as Finjan Secure Browsing, McAfee SiteAdvisor 2.9, and W.O.T. If you frequent social networking sites, you should become familiar with current security threats and take precautions seriously in order to avoid becoming infected.  If you constantly connect to sites via shortened URLs, download and install AVG free LinkScanner, ( a free security tool that can detect malicious pages.)

If you use Twitter, download and install Immunet Protect:  “The solution is clever. It leverages the idea of safety in numbers. Every time someone in the Immunet Protect network encounters a virus, the threat is identified, logged, and blocked on a centralized server platform. Instantaneously, because of the way Immunet works, everyone in the network can be protected from that identified virus.”   –venturebeat.com

More recommended security tools to add to your arsenal

Secunia Software Inspector

Be sure to check your computer system and application software with Secunia Software Inspector as part of your regular security maintenance routine.

Secunia Software Inspector will detect vulnerable applications and provide you with the link to the update site.  After you update your operating system or  application software, be sure to re-scan to validate that the vulnerabilities have been corrected.

The Adobe Reader 9.x example screenshot listed below includes the application that is vulnerable, current version, and the version that you should update to in order to correct the problem.

If you want even better security update advice for your computer system(s) then you should use:

Home User,  Personal Desktop:

Business User:

If you don’t have a regular security maintenance routine,  be sure to stay tuned to this blog and I should have one available for download by the end of this month. If I forget about it, please tweet me up @teksquisite.

Trend Micro: RUBotted

The next uber cool security tool that I highly recommend is RUBotted: an anti-botnet detection tool from Trend Micro that sits silently in your desktop tray, while watching for incoming botnet activity.  RUBotted co-exists comfortably with current AV software.

Update [10-18-2009]: This tool could use a bit of tweaking to give more information than “Detected DNS query of malicious domain.”  (It would be nice to get the domain name and IP number too.)  RUBotted only has one solution available, and that is to go toTrend Micro’s Housecall site to get it cleaned. The solution may become part of the problem for this particular tool, as more Internet security sites become blocked by malware.

“RUBotted monitors your computer for suspicious activities and regularly checks with an online service to identify behavior associated with Bots. Upon discovering a potential infection, RUBotted prompts you to scan and clean your computer.” –Trend Micro

This tool is a worthwhile tool to include in your security toolbox…

Using a “layered approach” is the suggested method to better secure your system(s).  It is a dog-eat-dog Internet when we are dealing with the $$$ bad boys from the dark side over yonder.  Being part of a “Solid Internet Security Solution” or SISS,  is the ability to take responsibility for policing your own Internet security FIRST.

On a holistic level, what goes around comes around — don’t share your viruses or botnet connections with other Internet users.  Stay tuned for Part II of Intruder Defense SISS in November!  Comments are welcome at this blog

I will close with my new Twitter #FF recommendation signature gratis Rik Ferguson, Senior Security Advisor at Trend Micro:

Until Next time — one-off, security terrior here, and I never let go of a bad guy (wink)

Tags: botnet, botnets, Immunet Protect, intruder, Malware, RUBotted, secunia, Trend Micro