What on earth is a rootkit?

October 18 | Peter Daley

Stop giggling! This blog has nothing to do with a kit to improve your sex life – in fact, it would probably have the opposite effect!

So what are rootkits? They are super stealth hacks that are hidden from most virus checkers and spyware detectors.

Trouble is, large numbers of computers using the Windows operating systems are being infected with rootkits. I do a lot of computer troubleshooting and repairs, and in the last few weeks I have been finding an increasing number of computers infected with them.

So you’ve been diligent, and kept your virus, spyware and firewall protections up to date, but one of the family has decided to use one of the music-sharing systems, or visited a site, and your computer has been hacked through your web browser.

Hidden inside your supposedly safe computer is a super stealth rootkit.

You can run your virus checker or spyware removal tools till the cows come home, but you won’t find anything.

You need to run this special tool called rootkitrevealer which can be found here.

Most of you are going to find the information on the rootkitrevealer page gobbledegook. Read it if you feel you will understand some, or just cut to the chase and go to the bottom of the page and download the Rootkitrevealer.zip file.

It is a compress zip file, so save it onto your computer and unpack it. Then run the Rootkitrevealer.exe file on you computer.

If you have no understanding of the last two lines in the above paragraph, you’re in over your head, and should immediately stop all internet banking on your home or work computers.

Change your banking password immediately and stick to phone banking or physically go to the bank. This type of basic security knowledge is essential to your banking and business security on the internet.

Most people’s faith in computer security is unfounded, and based on poor information.

So, you run Rootkitrevealer on you computer (by the way, there are more steps involved to run rootkitrevealer on Vista at present), and you get discrepancy results. What do they mean?

The best I can tell you, in brief, is to look to the end of discrepancy lines, and you may need to widen the column to see them – items like SAC, SAI are normal, as are entries that may refer to your virus checker name (eg Symantecs, which is Norton’s anitvir, or Nero, a CD burning program).

Most clean computers will only have a few normal discrepancies as described above. The more discrepancies, the more likely the breach to your computer security. Most people will not have a clue what are normal discrepancies and what are abnormal, but anything over about four or five is suspicious.

All I can say is take a deep breath, and read this free book on stress management.

If you find any rootkits, getting rid of them is another story. Have you got all afternoon?

I really feel that most of you out there should stop internet banking and use phone banking or go physically to the bank. I have been demonstrating the use of Rootkitrevealer to Sunshine Coast Computer Club members.

 

 

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Help Save the Environment With Your Computer

support.com Offers PC Users Energy Saving Tips

October 16, 2007: 08:02 AM EST

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program estimates that you can save up to $75 per year by activating the power management functions on your desktop computer(1). support.com, a remote tech support service which helps consumers get relief from frustrating computer problems, offers tips to consumers to help them save both energy and money by reducing the power consumption of their computer.

Whether you use a desktop computer or a laptop computer, the two things that you can do to save the most energy are:

1.  Turn your computer off completely when you know you will not be
    using it for more than several hours, such as overnight.
2.  You can still save energy when your computer is not shut down
    completely by setting the power management functions on your computer
    to put both your monitor and computer (CPU, hard drive, etc.) into
    "sleep" mode after a certain amount of time of non-use, which saves
    energy when you are not actively using your computer. Set your monitor
    to go into standby mode first, followed by your computer.

Keep in mind that even if you have set the power management functions on your computer, there are some things which will prevent your computer from going into sleep mode. Use the following guidelines to make sure your computer is properly sleeping:

1.  Certain applications, such as some games and third-party software,
    will run in the background and prevent your computer from going into
    sleep mode. Be sure to close these down completely.
2.  If you use a virtual private network (VPN), disconnect it when you're
    not actively using it, since VPNs can prevent your computer from
    entering into sleep mode.
3.  Some applications which continually scan can prevent your computer
    from going into standby mode. Shut off Wi-Fi antennas and infrared
    ports when you are not using them to prevent this from happening.
    Anti-virus software can be set to scan more periodically yet still
    be safe.
4.  Some Web sites will not allow your computer to enter into sleep mode
    because of active advertisements and banners. Close down all Web pages
    when you are not viewing them to allow your power management function
    to work properly.
5.  If you have set a screensaver (like that fish tank) for your monitor,
    you may not realize that it is actually wasting energy by preventing
    your computer from going to sleep. A blank screen is the best
    screensaver so let your computer go to sleep to save energy instead
    (it won't sleep with the fishes).
6.  Peripherals, which are plugged into your computer, can also prevent
    your computer from going into standby or "sleep" mode. Unplug your
    peripherals when they are not charging or synchronizing.

Don’t limit your energy savings to just your monitor and computer. Other things you can do to help save energy in your computing use include:

1.  Increase your memory (RAM) to reduce disk usage, which can be a power
    draw.
2.  If you have a desktop computer, upgrade to an LCD flat panel monitor
    instead of a CRT monitor, which can account for half the energy use of
    a desktop computer. According to the EPA, the use of an ENERGY STAR
    qualified monitor can save up to 85% of the electricity used by a
    standard model.
3.  Did you know that the power supplies for your peripherals (such as
    your mobile phone or iPod) still draw power even if the peripheral is
    not plugged in? If you plug all your electronics into one surge
    protector, you can easily switch them all off when you leave the room
    or go to sleep.
4.  Shut off that printer. Printers also have a sleep mode that still
    consumes a significant amount of power.
5.  Replace wireless mice and keyboards with wired mice. Wired mice and
    wired keyboards use relatively little energy and they avoid unnecessary
    wasting of batteries.