Safe Internet Downloading Tips

1. Computer Download Survival Guide
Maribeth Turner
Automation Assistant
Central Kansas Library System

3. Who is the Creator of the Site?
Is it sponsored by a company you know? (Yahoo!,
MSN, Adobe, Microsoft)
Does the site look professional? Are there spelling
mistakes or grammatical errors?
What is the site asking of you?

4. • Before downloading a program see what others say
CNET.com
Majorgeeks.com
Microsoft Forums

5. Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses, Spyware, Adware,
Crimeware and Rootkits are Considered Malware.

6. Removes Malware!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtUHWlHXn0U

7. • Software sold to consumers by scaring them with warnings like: “virus
infected your computer!”
• convinces a user that a virus has infected his computer
• Usually the virus is fictional and the software is non-functional or malware.
• According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, the number of scareware
packages in circulation rose from 2,850 to 9,287 in the second half of 2008.
• In the first half of 2009, the APWG identified a 583% increase in scareware
programs.

8. What is Spyware?-Harmful software that gathers personal
information from a user's computer
What’s the Threat? it collects personal information and searching
habits
 sends that information to another user
Spyware can also change user settings on the computer or Internet
browser
 Causing slower Internet Searches and slower computer
responses.

9. The Good
Anti-Spyware:
Spybot Search and
Destroy
The Bad
Anti-Spyware:
Search and Destroy

10. Viruses spread to computers through the Internet or Inter Office

Network
Viruses can slow down a computer or Replicate and take up memory


11. The Good Anti-Viruses:
AVG, AVAST!, Norton/Symantec,
Microsoft Security Essentials
The Bad Anti-Virus:
XP Anti-virus 2008
OR
Internet Antivirus 2011

12. Java http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09Ll2QSc-Bo
Your Anti-virus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hJCsrdJvw
Windows Updates http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1fPExK6smo
Adobe
Reader http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmbXWdty9mE
Flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx9l9q5Rc2Q
Shockwave Player

13. • Sites like BitTorrent, The Pirate Bay, Utorrent etc.
• files are actually bootlegged, pirated, and copyright violation
• Files are downloaded from several computers
• Putting your computers at higher risk for malware
Seed
Computer--
73%
Seed Seed
Computer-- Computer--
23% 4%
Home
Computer

14. File sharing programs like Napster, Kazaa, or FrostWire
• illegal files that have been bootlegged, Pirated, or violate copyright
• Be careful!
• files may contain viruses (camouflage viruses, etc.)
• Or files that make you computer vulnerable to hackers.

15. • Those little bars along the top of your browser window.
• Can get Installed during JAVA, Adobe, etc Updates.
• Uncheck the box
• toolbars can be used to track your searching history.

16. Instead of opening the downloaded file right away:
SCAN THE FILE FIRST!
• Right-Click the file in the download file
• Go to “Scan File” with and Choose your Anti-Virus or
Malwarebytes
• It will scan for viruses.
• If it has a virus in it, remove it!
• If it’s safe, can click the file and install or open it.

17. Limewire, FrostWire, Vuze, uTorrent
• allows user to illegally download Copyrighted material
• makes the computer more susceptible to Malware.
iWon—
• free casual game site with a chance to win cash and prizes through activities or
playing online games.
• the website also puts Malware like tracking cookies on the user’s computer.
My Way Search & My Web Search—
• Earlier versions of the program were classified as adware
• later versions were found to not function like malicious programs
• However, it is a program that is very difficult to remove and makes your computer
more vulnerable.

18. Games: MSN ZONE games, Yahoo! Games,
Kings.com, More
Add-ons for Microsoft, Internet Explorer, Firefox

19. un-safe downloading sites
• MediaFire
• MegaUpload (A downloading site came from Hong Kong),
• Instead buy the game.
• The cheaper price method is safer, from Amazon.com or eBay
• Plus you'll get to enjoy it's multiplayer features (if any) to its fullest.

20. Software that cleans up Computers—removing hidden and temporary Files.

21. Best Windows Maintenance Tools:
Ccleaner & Auslogics Disk Defrag
Bad Windows Maintenance Tools:
Spyware Cleaner & Registry Cleaner XP

22. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd5Pd_vknC8

23. These steps won’t prevent all malware, but now you can
download with confidence!

24. Maribeth Turner
Automation Assistant
Central Kansas Library System
mturner@ckls.org
www.ckls.org

25. 1. Kansas Attorney General Consumer Beware: http://www.ksag.org/page/consumer-corner-
beware-of-phishing-email-scams
2. How to Keep Your Computer Safe, Clean, and Backed Up in 2011. Adam Dachis.
http://lifehacker.com/#!5720731/resolved-keep-your-computer-safe-clean-and-backed-up-
in-2011
3. How to Know When It is Safe to Download Something http://www.wikihow.com/Know-
when-It-Is-Safe-to-Download-Something
4. Microsoft.com:http://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/phishing/symptoms.aspx
5. http://majorgeeks.com/
6. Windows Maintenance Tips: The Good, The Bad and The Useless. Kevin Purdy & Jason
Fitzpatric. http://lifehacker.com/#!5520447/windows-maintenance-tips-the-good-bad-and-
useless
7. http://www.wisegeek.com/do-exe-files-harm-my-computer.htm
8. http://www.wikihow.com/Know-What-Not-to-Download