Maki & Brian DeLaet EduCyber founders

Are you infected?

Spyware may be more of an issue than even you realized. While we here at EduCyber continue to find client computers that have become infected with spyware, it turns out to be far beyond the confines of our clientele.

Site Advisor (siteadvisor.com – a McAfee web site) has an online quiz with eight simple questions. When presented with an image of a web site front page, the user has to simply choose whether the site is safe or not. 96% of respondents got one or more question wrong meaning they would likely inadvertently install spyware if they visited that site and downloaded the “free” download.

We took the test and correctly identified every unsafe and safe site. But it took some time and we were specifically looking for the “bad guys”. When you're out surfing, especially for pleasure, who knows what you might end up with?

• Did you send Mom an e-card for Mother's Day?
• Have you downloaded a free screensaver?
• Are you using a file sharing program?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, your computer could be compromised.

How can you tell if your computer has spyware? There are several key indicators:

• Your computer has slowed down considerably
• Toolbars have suddenly appeared in your browser
• Pop up windows appear frequently
• You try to go to site A but your browser takes you to site B instead

What can you do? We recommend one of two options if you determine that your system is infected. You can:

1) Call EduCyber for assistance at 720-275-4646

2) Download and install one or more antispyware programs:

· Microsoft Defender

· Spybot Search and Destroy

· Ewido (free for 2 weeks)

· Adaware (free for home use, $40 / year for business use)

Run the program(s) you install and then reboot and then run it again. If it finds more spyware the second time, repeat the process until you can reboot and not find any spyware.

_____________________________________________________________

Some Cool Beta Programs

A beta program is one that is not yet ready for general release. Its developers feel it is nearly there so they make it available for download but it is not quite ready for general usage. In other words, there are still bugs in the software and those bugs could mess up your computer.

Having said that, there are some excellent beta programs out there and there are two from Microsoft that we recommend. The first is mentioned in the article above: Microsoft Defender. An upgrade from their Microsoft Antispyware beta, Defender is much closer to the product that will be released. And it is excellent at finding and removing spyware as well as running behind the scenes to protect you from spyware as it tries to take over.

The second Microsoft beta program we like (though it is quirkier and one installation we did left the computer useless until we reformatted it) is Internet Explorer 7. Firefox users might yawn at many of the “new” features they've been using for awhile like tabbed browsing but we definitely like what we see in this nearly ready for prime-time browser. Download either of these from Microsoft .

____________________________________________________________

Mac Update

I've been eyeing developments at Apple as they *gasp* roll out their Intel-based computers. I'd love to get my hands on one of their new laptops – a MacBook Pro. But with prices STARTING at $1999, I think I'll wait. Yes, I know that the dual-core processor makes it blazingly fast. Yes, I know that Tiger runs like a Cheetah and makes computing fun. But by the time I had the suite of software I needed, I'm sure I'd be paying about $3500. Oohh but it would be nice.

____________________________________________________________

Are you subscribed to EduNotes or does someone send this to you? If you're not signed up, sign up now and get our “10 Mistakes in Designing Your Website” for free. If you're already signed up and would like this publication, send a message to edunotes@educyber.com and we'll send it to you.

Like what you just read? Send your friends a copy or direct them to our site so they can get it, too!

© 2006 EduCyber, Inc. This newsletter is brought to you by EduCyber, Inc. EduNotes can be viewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online at http://www.educyber.com/edunotes/ . Visit us on the web at http://www.educyber.com or call us at (720) 275-4646. Permission is hereby granted to redistribute all or part of this newsletter as long as this entire copyright message is included.