BR>> Free Microsoft Security Tools   
   BR>> Category: Security   
   BR>>   
   BR>> When it comes to computer and online security, Microsoft Windows is often   
   BR>> portrayed as the problem rather than the solution. But don’t get the idea   
   BR>> that Microsoft doesn’t care about security. In fact, Microsoft publishes   
   BR>> several free and effective security tools for home and professional   
   BR>> users. Try some of these to see if your currently installed security   
   BR>> software is doing everything it should to protect you...   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Beyond Anti-Virus: Try These Free Microsoft Security Tools   
   BR>>   
   BR>> News of security breaches frequently mention a “vulnerability in   
   BR>> Windows.” The fact is that any software is vulnerable to hacking; it just   
   BR>> so happens that Windows is the most popular target because it’s the   
   BR>> biggest.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Are you sure your Windows system is correctly configured, has all the   
   BR>> latest security patches, and that your anti-virus software is adequately   
   BR>> protecting you?   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Here are several free tools from Microsoft that you can use to find out.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool scans for and removes malware   
   BR>> after finding it. However, its signature database includes only the most   
   BR>> prevalent threats. It would be a good idea to run Microsoft Safety   
   BR>> Scanner (see below) after MSRT for greater assurance that you haven’t   
   BR>> missed anything.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Free Microsoft Security Tools   
   BR>>   
   BR>> If you use Windows Update (and you should!) there's really no need to   
   BR>> download the MSRT, because Windows Update will do so automatically. But   
   BR>> you can download and run it at any time if you suspect a problem.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Microsoft Safety Scanner is a good, quick way to check for known malware   
   BR>> on your computer. It includes a malware signature database of known   
   BR>> threats and a barebones program that searches your files for matches.   
   BR>> Options include a quick scan of disk areas where malware is deposited   
   BR>> most often; a full scan of entire drives; or a targeted scan of   
   BR>> user-selected folders.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> During the download, you have the option to run the tool right away, or   
   BR>> save it to a flash drive or CD for use on another computer. To ensure   
   BR>> that you use the most recent malware signature database, MSS expires   
   BR>> every ten days and must be downloaded again. Because it's a rather large   
   BR>> download (over 90MB), I recommend using Microsoft Safety Scanner only if   
   BR>> you suspect that your existing anti-malware program has failed to catch   
   BR>> or remove a problem. It can also be run every few months to double-check   
   BR>> your antimalware program's effectiveness.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> The Microsoft Malware Prevention Troubleshooter goes by the short name,   
   BR>> “FixIt.” This utility turns on Windows Firewall; Automatic Update (so you   
   BR>> automatically receive and install critical security updates); Pop-Up   
   BR>> Blocker in Internet Explorer; and User Account Control. Note that many   
   BR>> users disable some or all of these features deliberately, either relying   
   BR>> on third-party firewalls and other protections or simply preferring not   
   BR>> to be bothered by UAC.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> FixIt also enables features that check for active anti-malware software   
   BR>> and nag you if you don’t have any installed; stops the Remote Registry   
   BR>> service if it is active, preventing hackers from modifying your registry   
   BR>> settings; monitors Internet Explorer to make sure it is up to date and   
   BR>> privacy/security settings are tight; and resets your proxy settings to   
   BR>> ensure a normal browsing experience if malicious software has hijacked   
   BR>> them.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> The Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit makes malware’s attacks more   
   BR>> difficult by protecting certain operating system features that must be   
   BR>> circumvented before vulnerabilities in Windows can be exploited. It will   
   BR>> also "harden" the defenses of certain programs that are commonly used as   
   BR>> attack vectors, such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader   
   BR>> and Java.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> In addition, it tightens the rules for verifying the identity of popular   
   BR>> online services such as Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo. EMET supports   
   BR>> Windows 7 or 8, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and the Home or   
   BR>> Premium edition of Windows XP.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer scans local and remote computers to   
   BR>> see if they have the latest Microsoft security updates for Windows or MS   
   BR>> Office and whether there are any security misconfigurations that leave   
   BR>> the door open for malware or hacking. Some things the MBSA looks for are   
   BR>> missing security updates, weak account passwords, and misconfigured   
   BR>> firewalls.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> The Microsoft website says the MBSA is a tool for IT professionals and   
   BR>> system administrators, but don't let that scare you away. If you're a   
   BR>> typical home computer user, then you ARE the system administrator. You   
   BR>> will need to know in advance if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit version of   
   BR>> Windows, and then select the corresponding download. Note that the   
   BR>> program doesn't automatically run after the download. You'll need to find   
   BR>> the downloaded program and then launch MBSA. After it runs, MBSA will   
   BR>> display a report of any problems found, with links to remedy them.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Windows Defender Offline is a tool that's fundamentally different from   
   BR>> all of the ones I've mentioned here so far. The difference is that it   
   BR>> doesn't run while Windows is active. it's a standalone program that runs   
   BR>> from a bootable disk. WDO will boot up a bare-bones environment in which   
   BR>> neither the Windows operating system nor viruses can activate. It then   
   BR>> scans your hard drive for malware, and will remove any if found.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> If your system is so badly fouled up that you can't even download or run   
   BR>> a malware scanner, or if you cannot boot Windows because of a malware   
   BR>> infection, then WDO is a handy tool to get back to good.   
   BR>> What About My AntiVirus Program?   
   BR>>   
   BR>> To be clear, I'm not recommending that you use any of these tools instead   
   BR>> of your current anti-virus program. Consider the tools listed here as an   
   BR>> extra layer of defense against malware. Use them as a "peace of mind"   
   BR>> scan to check for cyber-nasties that can sometimes creep in undetected.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> No anti-virus program is going to protect against 100% of all threats   
   BR>> 100% of the time. The reason for this is that new viruses are being   
   BR>> created all the time, and viruses can morph (change their identifying   
   BR>> characteristics) and attack before your antivirus program is updated.   
   BR>> It's also possible in some cases for a virus to disable your antivirus   
   BR>> protection.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> I'm sure many people reading this will be wondering why I didn't mention   
   BR>> the obvious -- Microsoft's free Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus   
   BR>> program. The short answer is that I don't recommend it. The long answer   
   BR>> is in my article Microsoft Security Essentials: EPIC FAIL.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> For a list of free antivirus software that I do recommend, see my article   
   BR>> Free Anti-Virus Programs.   
   BR>>   
   BR>> Have you tried any of these free anti-malware tools? Tell me your   
   BR>> strategy for staying safe online. Post your comment or question below...   
      
   BR>-------------- End Message --------------   
      
   All well and good EXCEPT those Microsoft Products are rated VERY low   
   by reviewers even when compaired to other FREEWARE products out there   
   that do the same thing.   
   ---   
    þ SLMR 2.1a þ Typo Tom strikes agaoin   
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