PG ships on your desktop!!
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BlackHoleSun
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Hello nice of you to think of us and share the link.
Virus scan 1st, install 2nd.
FYI
Operation Ghost Click
International Cyber Ring That Infected Millions of Computers Dismantled
11/09/11
Six Estonian nationals have been arrested and charged with running a sophisticated Internet fraud ring that infected millions of computers worldwide with a virus and enabled the thieves to manipulate the multi-billion-dollar Internet advertising industry. Users of infected machines were unaware that their computers had been compromised—or that the malicious software rendered their machines vulnerable to a host of other viruses.
Details of the two-year FBI investigation called Operation Ghost Click were announced today in New York when a federal indictment was unsealed. Officials also described their efforts to make sure infected users’ Internet access would not be disrupted as a result of the operation.
The hazards of downloading
When you transfer a file to your computer, you're downloading it. Downloading includes installing programs from a CD, opening pictures or links to websites from e-mail, copying Word documents and Excel spreadsheets from a network, upgrading software acquired from the web, or transferring music files from a computer half a world away. If you're not careful, these files could be a vehicle for malicious software (also called malware). Malware could be installed on you PC without your knowledge or explicit consent or it could be bundled with a program you intend to download.
Download with caution: Think first. Click later.
Your computer should now be well-defended, although no technology can protect it against every danger. And that's where you come in.
Consider the following list before you click an attachment (or link) in an e-mail or instant message, download a file from a website (or a pop-up ad), or share music or other files from a stranger's computer.
1. Pause before you open attachments and click links
Never open attachments in e-mail or instant messages from strangers. If you know the sender, but the message arouses your suspicions, check before you open the attachment.
Don't click links in e-mail or instant messages. (If you know the sender, check before you click.) The same goes for pop-up windows and banner ads.
Do not click Agree, OK or I accept to get rid of a pop-up advertisement, an unexpected warning or even an offer to remove spyware. Instead, close the window by clicking the X in the upper-right corner of the dialogue box or by pressing Alt+F4.
2. Download from reputable sites
Not every Internet neighborhood is safe. Be cautious about downloading from a website if you were referred there by e-mail from an unknown source. Also be wary if the site contains objectionable material, makes offers that seem too good to be true or does not include a clearly written privacy statement.
3. Respect the law
Illegal downloads could have negative consequences for your / company. For example, if you use pirated software on your company's computer, the company may be held liable.
4. Install and use file-sharing programs cautiously
When you use file-sharing (also known as peer-to-peer or P2P) programs to trade music, video and other files on the web, you make some of your files available to others using similar software. Of particular concern to your company, if you're doing this at work, is that some programs share your entire hard disk drive by default, which makes anything there, including confidential corporate or personal content, available to anyone using the program. Using some file-sharing programs can also mean leaving an open back door to your computer while it's connected to the Internet.
File-sharing programs have other risks. The programs can themselves be purveyors of malware. Or, they may lead you to unwittingly download something that is illegal, such as a copyrighted song or certain kinds of pornography. Any of these programs could also put your company's network at risk. After it is installed on your computer, some software can be exceedingly tough to remove (assuming you can even find it).
Be more cautious with certain file types
Although no type of file is perfectly safe, pictures, music and text files with names ending in .JPG, .GIF, .MP3, or .TXT are less likely to be harmful. Be extra cautious with all other file types. Files with names ending in .EXE, .COM, .BAT, .VBS, and .ZIP in particular can contain code, which if harmful, could damage your system.
Virus scan 1st, install 2nd.
FYI
Operation Ghost Click
International Cyber Ring That Infected Millions of Computers Dismantled
11/09/11
Six Estonian nationals have been arrested and charged with running a sophisticated Internet fraud ring that infected millions of computers worldwide with a virus and enabled the thieves to manipulate the multi-billion-dollar Internet advertising industry. Users of infected machines were unaware that their computers had been compromised—or that the malicious software rendered their machines vulnerable to a host of other viruses.
Details of the two-year FBI investigation called Operation Ghost Click were announced today in New York when a federal indictment was unsealed. Officials also described their efforts to make sure infected users’ Internet access would not be disrupted as a result of the operation.
The hazards of downloading
When you transfer a file to your computer, you're downloading it. Downloading includes installing programs from a CD, opening pictures or links to websites from e-mail, copying Word documents and Excel spreadsheets from a network, upgrading software acquired from the web, or transferring music files from a computer half a world away. If you're not careful, these files could be a vehicle for malicious software (also called malware). Malware could be installed on you PC without your knowledge or explicit consent or it could be bundled with a program you intend to download.
Download with caution: Think first. Click later.
Your computer should now be well-defended, although no technology can protect it against every danger. And that's where you come in.
Consider the following list before you click an attachment (or link) in an e-mail or instant message, download a file from a website (or a pop-up ad), or share music or other files from a stranger's computer.
1. Pause before you open attachments and click links
Never open attachments in e-mail or instant messages from strangers. If you know the sender, but the message arouses your suspicions, check before you open the attachment.
Don't click links in e-mail or instant messages. (If you know the sender, check before you click.) The same goes for pop-up windows and banner ads.
Do not click Agree, OK or I accept to get rid of a pop-up advertisement, an unexpected warning or even an offer to remove spyware. Instead, close the window by clicking the X in the upper-right corner of the dialogue box or by pressing Alt+F4.
2. Download from reputable sites
Not every Internet neighborhood is safe. Be cautious about downloading from a website if you were referred there by e-mail from an unknown source. Also be wary if the site contains objectionable material, makes offers that seem too good to be true or does not include a clearly written privacy statement.
3. Respect the law
Illegal downloads could have negative consequences for your / company. For example, if you use pirated software on your company's computer, the company may be held liable.
4. Install and use file-sharing programs cautiously
When you use file-sharing (also known as peer-to-peer or P2P) programs to trade music, video and other files on the web, you make some of your files available to others using similar software. Of particular concern to your company, if you're doing this at work, is that some programs share your entire hard disk drive by default, which makes anything there, including confidential corporate or personal content, available to anyone using the program. Using some file-sharing programs can also mean leaving an open back door to your computer while it's connected to the Internet.
File-sharing programs have other risks. The programs can themselves be purveyors of malware. Or, they may lead you to unwittingly download something that is illegal, such as a copyrighted song or certain kinds of pornography. Any of these programs could also put your company's network at risk. After it is installed on your computer, some software can be exceedingly tough to remove (assuming you can even find it).
Be more cautious with certain file types
Although no type of file is perfectly safe, pictures, music and text files with names ending in .JPG, .GIF, .MP3, or .TXT are less likely to be harmful. Be extra cautious with all other file types. Files with names ending in .EXE, .COM, .BAT, .VBS, and .ZIP in particular can contain code, which if harmful, could damage your system.
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