Robert
Sun Apr 18 09:19:55 CDT 2004
maria koudellas wrote:
> hello , please help me i've just had a really big phone
> bill which i cannot afford to pay this is mostly from my
> internet as i need protection from premeium numbers coming
> through the computer and there is nothing to do to stop
> it . I have been told about a firewall which stops this
> from happening could you tell me more about it?? my server
> is tesco.net if this helps . please help me
Firewalls are not a magic pill to solve all security problems, and in fact
i'm not sure i would make a firewall my most important thing to stop the
problem you are having. I would certainly suggest you get one if you don't
have one already (zone alarm is free from www.zonealarm.com) but this is not
the beginning and end of protecting your computer.
Diallers enter into your system because someone is visiting the sort of
sites that install them and clicking "yes" on the download and install
windows that appear (usually, but not always, pornographic and other less
savoury sites). The most simple and effective way to prevent this problem
is to stop visiting those kinds of sites, or at the very least to stop
saying "yes" when these kinds of things ask to download crap onto your
system.
As you already have this junk on your system, you're going to need to do a
bit of a clean-up. If you grab adaware from lava soft (also free, from
http://lavasoft.element5.com/software/adaware/), install that, use the
UPDATE feature, and then have it scan for and remove all spyware, then your
system will be doing a lot better.
Lastly, you should be using an up-to-date virus scanner (AVG is free from
www.grisoft.com) and visiting windows update and installing all critical
patches to keep your machine secure.
--
--
Rob Moir, Microsoft MVP for servers & security
Website -
http://www.robertmoir.co.uk
Virtual PC 2004 FAQ -
http://www.robertmoir.co.uk/win/VirtualPC2004FAQ.html
Kazaa - Software update services for your Viruses and Spyware.