Subject: Free Microsoft Security Tools: by Bob Rankin
Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014 12:51 PM

------------- Begin Message -------------
Group: alt.comp.freeware
MsgID: 

Bob Rankin  wrote:

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

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