Boot Into Safe Mode

Some viruses may not be detected, or may be only partially removed, if the system is not booted into Safe Mode for the scan. Booting in Safe Mode prevents extraneous services and programs - including most malware - from loading at startup.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Less than a minute
Here's How:
1.If the system is already turned off, power it on.
2.If the system is already on, shutdown the system normally, wait 30 seconds, then power it back on.
3.Begin tapping the F8 key every few seconds as the system boots up until the screen offering the Safe Mode option appears.
4.Use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode and press the Enter key.
5.The system will now boot into Safe Mode.
6.On Windows XP, you may receive a prompt asking if you really want to boot into Safe Mode. Choose Yes.
7.Once Windows has booted into Safe Mode, open your antivirus program using the Start | Programs menu and run a complete virus scan.
Tips:
1.If your PC is a multi-boot system (i.e. has more than one operating system to choose from), first select the desired OS and then begin tapping the F8 key every few seconds while it boots.
2.If tapping F8 did not result in the Safe Mode option being offered, repeat the steps.
3.If after several attempts you are still unable to boot into Safe Mode, post a message in the Antivirus Forum. Be sure to note which operating system you are using.

4 Tips IT Security Experts Use

Security experts often say things like securityy is never passive", “technology alone is not enough", or "people need to be more proactive about their own security". But what does this mean from an actionable standpoint? The following tips, adapted for home users, are built on the same principles employed by IT security practitioners to guard enterprise assets.

1. Assume the worst and plan accordingly
For home users, this means assuming your credit card number or username/password will be stolen. Always check your credit card statements carefully and report any sign of abuse. To quickly detect identity theft, enroll in a credit monitoring service. Several antivirus vendors have teamed up with IDWatchDog so you can now get free credit monitoring along with your antivirus scanner.

You may also want to enroll your kids - regardless of age - in the aforementioned credit monitoring service. Not surprisingly, identity thieves often target children's social security numbers because the theft will likely go unnoticed until the child is old enough to apply for credit.

2. Know what others may know
Know what sort of information is out there about you and your family members. Use your favorite search engine and perform a search on your name. If you have a relatively common last name, it will help to encase your name in quotes so only exact matches will be returned.

If you use Facebook, assume your privacy settings will be reset at any time. Check your Facebook privacy settings often or use Bitdefender Safego to monitor Facebook privacy settings for you.

Help your kids understand the risks of TMI (too much information) posted online. To reduce the risk of rebellion, don't make it solely about them - explain you need their cooperation to help safeguard the family's assets. As one example, don’t tweet your vacation plans before you go; wait to deliver news of travel events after you’ve returned home.

3. Segregate and encrypt the sensitive
Store sensitive documents on external drives and make sure those documents - or better yet, the drive itself, are encrypted. Sensitive documents include things like tax returns, electronic credit card statements or any other correspondence that includes your social security or credit card number.

If you plan to use cloud-based storage or a service such as Evernote to store sensitive information, make sure it is encrypted before you upload it. That way, even if your username and password to the service was compromised, your sensitive documents should still be safe.

4. Always consider the domino effect
If a company you do business with online gets breached, stolen passwords from that service could be used to compromise other accounts if you happen to use the same password across multiple sites and services. This leads to a cascading series of compromise, the so-called domino effect. A successful password management plan actually lets you use fewer passwords by using them more effectively.

Segregate online accounts into password groups so you have fewer total passwords to remember. For example, if you subscribe to a gardening forum and a recipe site, chances are there’s nothing financially sensitive in your account info so there’s no harm in using the same password for both.

Sites that might allow someone to impersonate you should be considered sensitive even if no financial information is involved. Consider that if your Facebook account were compromised, attackers could abuse that account to social engineer friends and family, tricking them into installing malware – all under your good name.

Your bank account password should be unique. It’s fine to write it down somewhere if you need help remembering. The goal isn’t to keep someone from breaking and entering and gaining access to your account. The goal is to prevent someone from stealing the password to one of your other accounts and successfully being able to use it to access your online bank account.

Minimize the number of online financial accounts – use your bank’s online bill pay whenever possible rather than setting up and maintaining separate online accounts for each and every credit card or bill you owe. If you do have separate accounts for these, make sure each has a unique (and strong) password. Once again, it’s perfectly fine to write these down somewhere if you need help remembering.

Your email account password should also be unique. Since email is often used for account resets, attackers who gain control of your email account could then use it to reset passwords for other accounts you have. Always consider your email account as one of your most sensitive online assets.

To recap, assume the worst and monitor accordingly. Find out what’s already out there about you and take steps to minimize TMI online. Enlist the cooperation of your entire family. Segregate and encrypt sensitive documents. Use a password management system that will make it easier for you to keep your online accounts secure. Follow these tips and you will be following some of the same basic principles of IT security best practices.

Anti Spam Server Software

The anti-spam tools correspond to different classes of products depending on whether they are installed on the server or on the PC. The anti-spam server software is considered more efficient and superior in terms of quality, yet it can only be achieved with a serious investment, more costly monthly fees to pay. Anti-spam server software is generally used by large companies or corporations that want to prevent unwanted mail messages from reaching their employees. There is 99% protection and detection of spam with the most technically advanced programs. Another issue of main concern for business is that it should not prevent the passage of legitimate mail messages.

When the anti-spam server software scans messages it actually organizes the emails into legitimate and spam folders by using special techniques and filters. Once the identification is over, the end user receives the legitimate mail while the rest of the messages are discarded. Just imagine what it would be like for someone who works on the computer, to clean hundreds of mails and select legitimate message from the multitude. This would slow down the business development by wasting at least one or two work hours per day. With an anti-spam server software, you are safe from such inconveniences.

The anti-spam server software meets corporate needs because of the possibility to be used throughout a network. The network administrator is usually in charge of the accuracy of the program, constantly checking for ways of improving the operation level. During a first stage of implementation, users may be required to check the mails on the server and flag the potential spam messages. It is also important to signal out any false positives, meaning, legitimate mail messages that are detected as spam by the tool. Notifying the network administrator about this inconvenience will allow for a finer tuning of the program and a better performance of the anti-spam server software.

Program combinations for superior computer defenses are also possible. Anti-Trojan and anti-virus protection can be incorporated in the anti-spam server software so that the spam emails with a high risk of infection may be isolated. This out-of-the box function has great applications for personal users too, not just for companies alone. The setting that allows one to check the emails on the server and detect the potential spam without getting it into contact with the PC operating platform is crucial for minimizing virus infection risks. The features of most anti-spam server software tools include various management functions that enable Internet reports, server-based auto replies and mail monitoring.

How to Avoid Anti-Spam Filters in Email Marketing

Anti-spam filters are one of the major troubles that all email marketers are forced to face. The most important thing that you have to follow when it comes to avoiding the anti-spam filters is to make sure that all the contents in the email are passed along completely in accordance to the standards of the W3 browser. In other words, you should treat it like an HTML document and pass the contents of your email likewise.

Trying to construct your emails like a HTML design is quite difficult and very tricky and you should be very careful from the very beginning. You whole campaign would become an utter waste of time if you don't manage to avoid the anti-spam filters and it also takes a lot of patience. The worst part is that different browsers have different standards and come up with different issues when it comes to rendering HTML. With the conflicts being different for each browser, the worst and hardest one for email marketing is definitely considered to be the Internet Explorer.

If you are looking for a way to avoid all these problems, you should focus on the three different parts of the email - the header (the address details of the sender), the content body of your email and also the subject line. The first thing you should do to keep your emails out of the anti-spam filters is to make sure that your emails are all sent from the same server. None of the headers should be blank. It is mostly construed to be spam if your email does not have all the headers filled. It would also be a better idea to not use the BCC and CC headers.

When it comes to the subject line, the first thing to remember is to actually put in a subject line every single time. The subject line should also be very concise and also interesting. There are certain words or phrases that attract the attention of the anti-spam filters. 'Free' is one such word and it is a very bad idea to use it. Other phrases that you should avoid using would be words like discounts and teen.

When it comes to the content of your email, it is best to use a normal font and to avoid using all caps. It is best to avoid words that might sound like you are spamming the inbox like 'free' for example. You would have received a lot of spam emails and you should do just about everything they didn't and try to avoid whatever they did. When you have all the rules in your bag, you will not have any problems whatsoever.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6517727

Anti Spam Software: To Ensure the Only Spam You Get Is the One You Eat

In this day and age, when people say spam, no one refers to the canned precooked meat product anymore. Spam is now a term that applies to the bulk of unsolicited email messages sent to en masse to unsuspecting recipients on the web. These messages are usually sent by businesses or entrepreneurs to advertise or market their products and services. This is done all over the internet by users and businesses all over the world, to the point that spam has become such a nuisance, and various techniques have been devised to block them from people's inboxes. One such innovation is antispam software, which has proven very effective in the past and still continues to do so today.

The act of sending spam is called spamming, while those who send spam are called spammers. In the year 2011 alone, it is estimated that there were around seven trillion spam messages sent throughout the web. This type of guerrilla marketing campaign is so popular because it doesn't require manpower or money to run it: all you need is en email address and some time to manage your email, and you can launch your own virtual spam campaign. It is also difficult to hold the spammer accountable for flooding your inbox with spam, as it's difficult to trace the spam to an actual sender.

According to the Internal Market Commission of the European Union, "junk email" is estimated to have wasted about €10 billion worldwide, while according to the California state legislature, spam cost United States organizations more than $13 billion in 2007. This is because combating this problem costs money, equipment, and manpower. With spam costing people and businesses around the world time, money, and precious resources, many seek a way to keep from getting spammed.

Fortunately, this modern problem comes with a modern solution. Antispam software was initially developed at the onset of the spam scourge: now anti spam software is one of the most effective programs any individual or business can implement in order to keep from getting spammed.

How does this work? Simple, that's through the use of state-of-the-art filtering technology. Mail filters can be installed on computers as a separate program or as part of their email program. These filters work by scanning each email you receive for junk mail, as well as for viruses, worms, malicious files, and even links to other sites. More effective types of anti spamming software also include an outbound filtering system which safeguards intellectual property from leaving the company's systems by scanning outbound email for sensitive keywords, phrases, or symbols.

Combined with antispam software is 24 hour monitoring that can make sure no spam slips through to an individual's mailbox. Also, there are many companies out there that offer this technology combined with email infrastructure redundancy, which allows for the queuing of inbound and outbound messages if internet connection fails and enables the queued messages to be instantly delivered once the connection is restored.

Since spam costs people and businesses time and money, it is up to these same individuals and organizations to select the right anti spam software technology they need to effectively block this problem.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6218504

Anti Spam Software Review

Before reviewing the effectiveness of the various anti-spam software available in the market, it is good to have a first-hand knowledge of what it really is.

First, what is spam? Spam is basically unwanted e-mail messages, usually commercial in nature, which is sent to a bulk of e-mail addresses.

When this type of message falls on your Inbox, it is quite annoying to have to sort through the e-mail messages that you don't need and those that you actually need to read.

Not to mention the fact that some of these e-mail messages may contain viruses, bugs or attachments which can be harmful to your system.

To prevent spam from flooding your mailbox, computer software manufacturers developed anti-spam software. There are also web sites on the Internet where you can download free trial editions of such anti-spam software.

Here is a brief run through of the top anti-spam software that you can use to help eliminate those unwanted e-mail messages from crowding your mailbox:

-e-Trust Anti-spam Software

Qurb Anti-Spam Software, which was acquired by CA, offers the e-Trust anti-spam software.

e-Trust can easily be used with your Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. It easily filters spam from getting into your Inbox.

Here's how it works: e-Trust scans your Inbox to check for messages from your safe list, or those who are already added to your address book.

An e-mail from an unknown sender will be placed on your e-Trust folder so you might want to check this from time to time, especially if you are expecting to receive a message from a new sender.

This anti-spam software is therefore 'trained' to scan your mailbox for the messages that you need and those that you throw away as junk.

-Spam Shield

Just like e-Trust, Spam Shield is an anti-spam software which can be integrated with Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express.

Spam Shield gets rid of 99% or your junk mail so that it will not clutter your mailbox anymore.

With its easy installation option, Spam Shield works seamlessly with your usual e-mail application, making browsing through your wanted e-mail messages a breeze.

-Choice Mail One

This is also a good anti-spam software which gets rid of all unwanted e-mail messages. With Choice Mail One 3.x, you can integrate this anti-spam software with your AOL, MSN, Yahoo or Hotmail account. It also lets you import your contacts list for approval.

The free trial version of this anti-spam software is ChoiceMail Free.

-Spam Bully

Spam Bully offers to end your spam problems by cleaning your mailbox and keeping it free from spam. Spam Bully works with Outlook and Outlook Express.

Its 'allow and block list' is the feature which decides which mail goes to your Inbox and which ones go straight to your junk mail folder.

It also has the 'auto-delete' option to automatically delete spam instead of the messages just going to another folder.

-Spam Eater

Spam Eater conveniently checks your mailbox every ten minutes, and once a spam or a virus is detected, they are automatically "eaten" by the software.

Unlike other anti-spam software, this requires no downloading or installation and is quick and easy to set up.

With hundreds of options in the market, you can easily find a good anti-spam software that will fit your budget and your needs so that you would never have to encounter spam on your mailbox again.