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On the bottom bar of my screen, I have a red cross, saying “Warning you have security problems.” I have AVG antivirus. How do I get rid of this?

Windows Security Alerts

What you are seeing is a “Windows Security Alert” in your system tray area. It looks like a red shield with an “X” in it, correct? If you double-click the shield, the Windows Security Center window will open and you’ll be able to see the security recommendations that Microsoft suggests. Just having one security setting, such as the firewall, turned off will trigger this alert.

For example, many users find User Account Control annoying. User Account Control in Windows Vista is that nagging box that appears every time you want to make a change to your system. While it serves a purpose, it is a bit irritating to have to confirm every little change you make. If you have turned off User Account Control, you will see the red shield and Windows Security Alert warning in the system tray.

Likewise, if your firewall is turned off, you’ll be alerted. Clicking the alert is smart so that you can find out what’s going on with your system and make the necessary corrections.

If all looks good, buy you have User Account Control turned off, the red shield will continue to warn you unless you change the way Windows Security Center alerts you.

Fake Windows Security Alerts

Before I show you how to make the icon go away, I want to mention that fake Windows Security Alerts do exist. These imposters look remarkably like the real thing, only they prompt you to “upgrade” or “install” a particular product. Let’s make sure that you are seeing the real Windows Security Center in action. Does the alert prompt you to upgrade or purchase a specific product (which may sound remarkably similar to well known products)?  Or is the advice more general and geared toward your legitimate software or operating system utilities? One way to be sure is to go into the Control Panel and launching the Security Center directly from there.

Changing how Windows Security Center Alerts You

Once you’re sure that you don’t have an imposter and that the settings are just fine, if you want to get rid of the red shield, you can. For example, if you have User Account Control turned off and don’t want to see the warnings, you can change the way Security Center alerts you. Double-click the red shield icon and then choose the link that says, “Change the way Security Center alerts me.” You have three choices:

• Yes, notify me and display the icon
• Don’t notify me but display the icon
• Don’t notify me and don’t display the icon

Related Articles:

Fake Windows Security Alerts

We have a public computer for roommates but don’t know how to set up the restrictions for the public computer’s networking. It’s sort of like being able to get on trustworthy information sites, but not able to get onto, say, Myspace or anything like that. I want to know how to set up the securities for it. Thanks.

There are several ways to block certain sites or certain types of content from the users of a public computer. I’m not sure if you’re concerned about viruses and spyware, or if you are simply concerned about content issues, but these answers should address both.

Firewalls

In any case, you should have and run a good antivirus program. Many programs such as Norton Internet Security or Zone Alarm have security built in. These firewalls are built in to the programs that monitor and restrict information to certain websites. Check with the manufacturers of your specific system to see what controls you have.

Windows Controls

The easiest thing to use is the controls that come with your Windows system. The first thing you need to do is get the latest Internet Explorer version. Click on the link to download Internet Explorer 7.0. Once you have that installed, open IE. Go to Tools and then Internet Options. Choose Content and then Enable. Here, you can select filter settings for broad categories such as Nudity, Language, Violence and Sex. The further to the right you slide the control, the more restricted the system becomes.

Then click on the Approved Sites tab. Here, you can enter website addresses that you either want to always allow access to or that you always want to restrict. This is where you would type in the web address for MySpace, or any site that you didn’t want the users to be able to access. Choosing websites for this tab will override the controls you set above. For example, if you enter an approved site that does contain offensive language, you will be able to access that site because it has been approved.

To prevent other users from changing these settings, you need to go to the General tab and click on Create Password. This will give you control over the settings, as long as you keep the password to yourself. Click Ok and exit.

The major issue with this method of control is that it only works with Internet Explorer. If another user installs a different browser such as Firefox, these controls won’t apply. If you want to prevent the installation of a different program, you will need to create a different User ID and Password and have all of the roommates log in using this password. Once you set it with limited powers, they won’t be able to change or install new programs like Firefox.

If you want to use a different browser, you might want to look into a downloaded program that will give you similar controls. There are many downloads out there - two good ones to try are K9 Web Protection and CyberPatrol. These will give you similar control options.

You might also consider using the built-in Parental Controls found in Windows Vista. While designed for parents restricting their childrens’ Internet usage, it can also be used in your situation to limit access to social networking and adult sites. In addition, you can set it up to prevent users from downloading suspicious downloads along with numerous other settings.

Hello. I’m using Zone Alarm and I’ve noticed that after boot up it takes my computer 2 minutes to give me access to the Internet and while playing games on the net the games freeze for a second like the packets are being held up by Zone Alarm. Is there something better I can use for both gaming and surfing the net?

Switching from Zone Alarm to another firewall might not actually provide you with an improvement in Internet browsing or game playing. In fact, if in general you are happy with Zone Alarm, I would stick with it as the differences are probably going to be less favorable than you would want. From most of the reviews that I have read, Zone Alarm is the preferred option among gamers.

Some of what you are experiencing might be related to the latest update for Zone Alarm. It is possible that this will get tweaked and fixed sooner rather than later. Alternatively, it could be related to traffic conditions with online games or heavy demand for Internet bandwidth. However, alternatives to Zone Alarm do exist and I will provide some pertinent details on some of them below, although I cannot vouch for any of them since I haven’t used them personally.

Alternative to Zone Alarm: Comodo Internet Security Suite

Comodo Internet Security Suite offers exceptional protection against hackers, viruses, Trojans, and other forms of malware. This application offers firewall protection and anti-virus software. Additionally, it provides protection when using the Internet at hotels, airports, coffee shops, and more through its “TrustConnect^TM“. Plus, this application also offers protection for your critical operating system files, registry and more through its “Proactive Security” feature.

You can check it out for yourself at this link: Comodo Internet Security Suite. This is a free application if you download Comodo Internet Security, but if you get Comodo Internet Security Pro, the download only offers a free 30-day trial.

Alternative to Zone Alarm: Jetico Personal Firewall

Jetico Personal Firewall is another application that offers protection for your computer while gaming or browsing the Internet. It is available in a free version as well as a paid version. You can access the download for the free version at the following link: Jetico Personal Firewall v.1. This application offers a flexible firewall for computers using the following Windows operating systems: Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.

How to Keep Your PC More Secure

While every computer user understands the importance of keeping his or her PC secure, many people are simply unsure about the best ways to keep the bad guys out of their systems.

Fortunately there are some simple steps computer users can take to keep their PCs safe from harm.  If you want to stay safe while online you should:

• 1) Always make sure your virus scanning software is up and running, and up to date. Be sure to check the system tray icon to make sure that your virus scanner is running. It is also a good idea to review your virus scanning logs at least once per week.
• 2) Install anti-spyware and anti-adware software and keep it up to date. Spyware and adware can be used to track your movements on the internet and even install malicious programs on your PC.
• 3) Never click on links in emails from unknown sources. If you receive a suspect email just delete it. Even if the email appears to be legitimate it is a good idea to avoid clicking any links. Instead type the web address directly into your browser.
• 4) Do not download programs from suspect sources. These programs can have embedded code that can damage your PC or even record all your keystrokes to steal your passwords.
• 5) Make your passwords complicated and difficult to guess. Do not use the names of your children, your pets or other easily obtainable information. And try to use a combination of capital letters, lower case letters and special characters in your passwords. This will help foil many password guessing programs.

Went to a website (madphilosophers.com) which had a big banner over its home page that said it was being hacked by cyber root. What does that mean in terms of visiting that site again and am I going to be hacked from going there while it was being hacked?

CyberRooT

CyberRooT is the name of a very prolific group of hackers who leave their ‘tag’ all over forums and websites on the Internet. They usually leave the tag “Hacked by CyberRooT” and call themselves the Turkish Hacker. They often hack the first page of a website or forum, which can cause understandable concern for people who use the websites.

Hackers

Although the term ‘hackers’ has been adopted by geeks of all kinds, the hackers we’re referring to are nothing more than glorified street taggers. Many people consider them Internet vandals. They can put blocks of text, sound or photos into websites and forums. They insert the text as an SQL injection and no program is completely hacker proof. Hackers like forums in particular because it is easier to work in environments that allow users to upload text. Hackers are particularly fond of Simple Machines Forums (SMF).

Danger for Websites

The biggest risk for websites that have been hacked is losing visitors and therefore their rankings in search engines. Visitors who stumble on a hacked site are understandably fearful of going back. Websites who have been hacked must find out how the hacker accessed their site and fix the code that was inserted. Sometimes the hackers are able to change the entire site by changing one of the templates. They can also put a meta direct into the website’s address that redirects users to the hacked page.

Danger for Users

Luckily, unlike spammers who are gathering email information for evil purposes, hackers generally like to tag and run. They enjoy the shock value of defacing a site, but most hacked sites are relatively easy to fix. In most cases, users who come upon a hacked website are in no danger from their visit. Often, if you check back, the website creators have fixed the problem in hours and the site will be up and running normally.

In your case, I went back to madphilosophers and it looks like they have cleaned up the mess and are functioning normally as a forum. It does look as if they are in the middle of a reorganization, but that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the hacker problem. I would have no fear going back to your forum and pursuing your interests. I hope this has alleviated your fears.

Went to a website (madphilosophers.com) which had a big banner over its home page that said it was being hacked by cyber root. What does that mean in terms of visiting that site again and am I going to be hacked from going there while it was being hacked?

Congratulations on taking the first step in combating spyware

installing a good anti-spyware defense.

The thing about both spyware and computer viruses is that an endless game of cat and mouse occurs between the bad guys and the good guys. It goes like this: the bad guys create a nasty program that will steal your important data or destroy your computer files. The good guys learn about this nasty program and come up with a way to block it or remove it. The bad guys move on and either alter the nasty program or dream up a new one. The good guys discover the latest mutations, variations, or new infections and come up with yet another way to block or remove them. It goes on and on.

Security software developers are constantly discovering new threats and creating defenses against them - often on a daily (sometimes even more frequent) basis. When they discover new threats and come up with a valid defense against them, they must add the solution to the “database” or “definition database” and then get these database definitions to the people who count on them for protection.

Generally, these new updates are made available in several ways. First, update downloads are usually made available on the developer’s Web site. However, this requires action on the user’s part. The better approach is some sort of regular, automatic updating feature. Most good security programs provide such a mechanism.

Consider the following scenario. Y head down to the local Best Buy store and buy an anti-spyware or anti-virus program off the shelf and install it on your computer. You’re set, right? Wrong. Ask yourself how current the product’s database is. Chance are good that the software has been sitting on the shelf for a few weeks at least. During this time, all kinds of new threats have been introduced “into the wild.” This means that you may be protected from thousands of threats that have been previously addressed but vulnerable to hundreds of new ones developed between the release of your software and now.

That’s why the software immediately prompts you to connect to the database to retrieve the latest definitions. Do it. Once updated, go back into your anti-spyware or anti-virus program and setup automatic database updates so that you don’t have to worry about this ever again.  In the past, an interval of several days was acceptable. Today, daily updates are a basic minimum requirement. You may even want hourly updates.

Keeping your security products current is just as important as buying the protection in the first place. Fortunately, you can automate the process and most developers include free database updates for the entire term of the subscription.