Malware Learning Guide

This guide introduces you to three types of malware: spyware, spam and viruses. Each malware-specific section explains how to recognize the problem, protect Exchange and Windows from attack and handle the clean up if you've already been hit. You'll find the best malware articles, tutorials, tips and expert advice compiled from SearchExchange.com, SearchWindowServer.com and SearchWindowsSecurity.com to get you up to speed on these critical security issues.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:    Spotlight: Spam    Spotlight: Spyware    Spotlight: Viruses

Microsoft: "Malware" is short for malicious software and is typically used as a catch-all term to refer to any software designed to cause damage to a single computer, server or computer network, whether it's a virus, spyware, et al."

Spotlight: Spam

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Spam is unsolicited e-mail on the Internet. From the sender's point-of-view, it's a form of bulk mail, often to a list obtained from a spambot or to a list obtained by companies that specialize in creating e-mail distribution lists. To the receiver, it usually seems like junk e-mail.In addition to e-mail spam, researchers predict that the onslaught of spam via instant messages, or "spim," will triple this year -- to about 1.2 billion worldwide messages, from 400 million in 2003.Overall, spam has become a major problem for all Internet users, and America has been named the undisputed spam-producing capital of the world.Get help recognizing spam and preventing it from infecting Exchange and Windows with the following collection of editor-selected spam articles and tips bookmarked from SearchExchange.com

• Article: Microsoft hunkers down to fight spam
• Article: Tiny fraction complying with spam law, study finds
• Article: Compliance with spam law sinks further
• Article: Market for antispam software red-hot
• Article: 10 tips to help combat spam
• Expert Advice: Detect spam in earlier stages with Exchange
• Expert Advice: Software to filter or block spam
• Expert Advice: Protect your clients from spam using layered protection
• Tip: Third-party security products to the rescue, part 1
• Tip: Third-party security to the rescue, part 2
• Tip: Exchange Server's built-in spam fighters
• Tip: Outlook 2003 tool filters spam
• Tip: Third-party products help filter spam at Outlook's door
• Tip: Freeware tool sinks spam on the server
• Tip: Freeware tool fine tunes Exchange's Intelligent Message Filter
• Tip: Stay above spam-induced SMTP queue floods
• Chapter Download: Blocking spammers with DNS blacklists

Spotlight: Spyware

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Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet (where it is sometimes called a spybot or tracking software), spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program.Spyware is often installed without the user's consent, as a drive-by download, or as the result of clicking some option in a deceptive pop-up window. Adware, software designed to serve advertising, can usually be thought of as spyware as well because it almost invariably includes components for tracking and reporting user information.Get help recognizing spyware problems and preventing them from infecting Exchange and Windows with the following collection of editor-selected spyware articles and tips from SearchWindowsServer.com.

• Commentary: The spy(ware) who shagged me
• Commentary: Microsoft needs to keep its antispyware free
• Article: Is Windows AntiSpyware a good fit for enterprises?
• Article: First look at Microsoft's antispyware beta
• Article: One company's spyware is another's monitoring tool
• Article: 12 steps to improving stability in Windows
• Expert Advice: What is the best approach for getting rid of spyware, popups and other junk?
• Expert Advice: Stop the Windows installer from always popping up
• Expert Advice: Where does spyware and adware information end up?
• Expert Advice: Free spyware software
• Expert Advice: Can a firewall prevent spyware from entering the internal network?
• Tip: Blocking spyware via the ActiveX kill bit
• Tip: What cases slow startup in Windows 2000
• Tip: Spyware, spyware everywhere: Anti-spyware software
• Tip: Seeking anti-spyware options for the enterprise

Spotlight: Viruses

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A computer virus is a program or programming code that replicates by being copied or initiating its copying to another program, computer boot sector or document. Viruses can be transmitted as attachments to e-mail notes, in downloaded files, or on a diskette or CD.The three basic types of viruses are file vectors that attach themselves to program files, systems or boot-record infectors that infect executable code found in certain system areas on a disk, and macro viruses that infect Microsoft Word applications and are among the most common, yet least damaging viruses.Get help recognizing viruses and preventing them from infiltrating Windows with the following collection of editor-selected virus articles and tips from SearchEnterpriseDesktop.com.

• Article: New solutions for the zero hour
• Article: Security threats growing increasingly malicious
• Article: AV products mixed on detecting new malicious .jpg files
• Article: Get-tough network policies now the norm
• Tip: When malware attacks: Steps to proactively defend Windows
• Tip: Interesting times in your e-mail inbox
• Tip: Remind users never to patch from e-mail attachments
• Tip: Eight ways to protect Windows from perimeter threats
• Tip: Network perimeter defenses for smaller shops
• Tip: Awareness training is essential to an antivirus strategy
• Tip: Find that infected computer
• Tip: WMI script to clean up worms and virus registry keys
• Tip: Windows security strategy
• Expert Advice: Which file extensions on e-mail attachments are safe?
• Expert Advice: Virus may be blocking access to antivirus sites
• Expert Advice: Pre-emptive measures for preventing virus attacks
• Expert Advice: Is NetBEUI able to prevent virus transmission over a LAN?
• Expert Advice: What is the best way to remove a boot virus from Win XP Pro?
• Book Excerpt: Most common virus-targeted file types
• Book Excerpt: Historical patch process window
• Ask Microsoft: Virus scanners