Steps you can use to Enhance your Windows XP Security

What you do to keep your XP Operating system secure from virus attack? Putting an antivirus? Update antivirus everyday?.

All that steps above can be used to defend your operating system stability, but that’s not all.  To overcome the worst scenario, which is Reinstalling your computer, I’ve compile some steps :

1. Turn “Autorun and Autoplay” function off.

Autorun or autoplay is a function that will instantly offer you to open file when USB disk or CD ROM inserted into it’s place. This function sometimes helpful, but virus often use this function to run their program. So it’s wiser to turn this function off.

To turn this function off, you can use 2 ways, which is using REGEDIT for autorun, and GPEDIT for autoplay. Both has the same function, but with a different way to do so. Find the most suitable for you.

a. With Regedit command.

Open Regedit by clicking start > Run > write “regedit” (without quote) at the box availabe, then > click ok

Follow this string :

HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Policies/Explorer

Double click at NoDriveTypeAutoRun and enter number 95 at Value Data.

b. with gpedit.

open gpedit by clicking start > Run > write “gpedit.msc” into box  available > click ok.

Follow this string :

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System

Double click Turn Off Autoplay and click enabled.

2. Disable Copy Paste function through USB.

Activate USB copy paste function only if needed. This can be set with regedit using string as follow:

a. Click Start > Run > write “regedit” > then click ok.

Click HKEY_LOCALMACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control

b. Right click at Control, choose New>Key, Name it “StorageDevicePolicies”.

c. Right click at  StorageDevicePolicies, choose New > DWord Value name it “WriteProtect”.

d. Double click at  WriteProtect tersebut, and change the value data to 1.

e. Then  Restart your computer/Laptop.

If  success, every time you copy and paste file, there will appear a message  : Error Copying File or Folder.

If you want to activate this function again, change the value data to  0.

3. Update Your Antivirus Regularly

The purpose of updating antivirus is to add a new virus data, so antivirus will know if there’s new virus found. Updating can be done by clicking automatic update, if your computer connected to internet, or by manual updating. Just check your antivirus site to do so.

4. Scan your Flash Disk

Scan your  flash disk connected to the computer. Open flash disk files only after they’re scanned and free from virus. Rescan your flash disk after yang terhubung ke komputer. Buka file-file flash disk setelah proses scan selesai dan dinyatakan bersih atau virus yang bercokol di dalam flash disk telah terhapus atau diperbaiki.

5. Recognize Strange File Application

This action is a pre-caution for us not to click or run unrecognized file, except file that we really know what that’s file is. This is because sometimes antivirus can’t detect new version of some virus, for example when we are not update our antivirus yet.

6. Do not save file where Operating system Installed (usually drive C:)

This step is very important, and most people often forget it. Why are we should do this?. When your hard drive got virus, or something happen to your operating system that force you to re-install it, then your data is not lost. So, save your data file in  D:\ or E:\, or another partition. You can use free disk partition software like Easeus Disk Partition or other to make a partition.

7. Do a Operating System Backup using application like Ghost.

This will help you to avoid reinstalling operating system when it crash or broken by virus. Actually, ghost is similar to reinstalling, but it’s simpler and faster because all of your computer setting were saved in Ghost image file, you you just put back the files and everything (including softwares you previously install) will be appear as if there’s nothing happen. Besides Ghost (most popular is Norton Ghost), you can use Easeus Ghost maker.

Well, that’s a steps you can do to increase your computer security. Who will aware about our computer if not ourselves?

Please comment and add your experiences in increasing your own computer security.

2010 Antivirus Performance test result

In the beginning of 2010, I am again serving an antivirus test result by Raymond, where yesterday he execute several antivirus performance test ( speed and memory use). This test consist of 106 antivirus products, which range from free product, premium to internet security.

For the complete result, you can check Raymond blog. This is a resume of popular free antivirus comparation. Raymond use Windows XP SP3.

Raymond test using several criteria as follow:

• Application Launch Time, running firefox browser 10 times, then calculate the average running time. 
• Boot time Increase, Calculating how long time addition booting time with antivirus installed. 
• Idle Memory Usage, Use of memory when idle. 
• Peak Memory Usage, Use of maximum memory usage. 
• Installation Size
• Detection, using one encripted virus sample to avoid detection. 
• Full Scan Time, computer scan time ( with the data samples 13.32 GB)

This graphs shows free antivirus test by Raymond. For detection test, only Spyware Terminator which able to detect and block encripted virus sample.

Launch Application Time

Boot Time Increase

Idle Memory Usage

Peak Memory Usage

Installation Size

Full Scan Time

Examining the result above, it’s rather difficult to conclude what is the best free antivirus performance, because there’s no one antivirus that powerful in all categories tested. Actually, Avast 5 has a relatively good result, and compared with it’s 4.8 version, lighter. But for full scan, this antivirus looks more slower than other free antivirus. So,  decide yourself what antivirus suit your need……

$250,000 for Conflicker Maker?

On February 12, 2009, Microsoft announced a U.S. $250,000 reward for information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally launching the Conficker malicious code on the Internet. Microsoft’s reward offer stems from the company’s recognition that the Conficker worm is a criminal attack. Microsoft wants to help the authorities catch the criminals responsible for it. Residents of any country are eligible for the reward, according to the laws of that country, because Internet viruses affect the Internet community worldwide.

Beware, An Antivirus Program Infected with Virut

I found an interesting website speaking about virus analyzing in advance. In one of their post, I found an analysis about antivirus which infected by virus. Horrible.

http://anandavgeek.blogspot.com/2008/02/antivirus-setup-file-infected-by-virut.html

Don’t be wrong, it’s not mean they sell virus (which is virut), but unfortunately their was were infected. They have removed infected version now, but still, funny isn’t it?. Antivirus Got Virus!

How Good is your Antivirus? (Antivirus 2009 Performance)

Ever trying many antivirus programs and disappointed?. Yes, there’s many antivirus programs today, and we must choose the best from the rest. In my opinion, Mc. Afee is the best pay antivirus program because of it’s fast and easy update. ( I think this antivirus is the fastest in response a new virus). But you, who loves free program, Mc.Afee as long as i know, doesn’t provide free edition.