ASAP member? Your training?

I was curious about where have you guys trained at for your malware removal and use of HJT? I know many of the top online schools/forums for these and know many of the best trainers in this field. So it's possible I have come across your work at other places and are probably friends with your trainers! lol

I didn't notice the ASAP member logo anywhere either, or am I missing it somewhere? lol

Sorry for all of the questions. I just like to have several security forums to direct many of the people that I help to, depending upon their problem, but I like to know more about the different forums, before I recommend them.

I love Origin's sig! Malwarebytes is one of the programs that I recommend as well.

I don't however agree with some of the firewall recommendations you guys have listed. ZoneAlarm and Comodo are NOT among the recommended any longer among the experts in this field due to their more recent activities. Nor is Ad-Aware, when it comes to Adware removal.

It's sad to see so many of these programs who have gone to the dark side, just to make an extra buck! Very sad.

Edit: Originally I posted this in my introduction in the welcome to the new members section, but I thought the question was probably better off asked here.

Hello,

Thanks for your feedback.

Belahzur got his training from SWI's Boot Camp, Origin got his from MRU and we only help with malware removal here. We are not affiliated with ASAP, we're an independent malware removal forum.

We will also review the firewall recommendations, but for now, do you have any in mind?

Feel free to volunteer your help here too.

Ask more questions if you have to.

Thanks for the info.

I know ChrisRLG, Tally, Nellie, LDTate, LittleEagle, Corrine as well as some others fairly well. I am sure you are familiar with them. Especially Origin, since he game from MRU.

That is where I WAS under training at. But then due to health and some other personal issues I had to back off for awhile and just have not gotten back into it.

Instead I went into doing support for forumotion, because I was so burned out on security. While I could not do the actual logs for people and help them with the actual removal, I would educate them, get them set up and such with the arsenol needed to run before messing with the HJT logs, in hopes that some of the programs we had the members add and run would make our jobs easier by removing some of the stuff.

I used to give online, in person in homes, and libraries, assistance in training people how to protect their computers and keep them protected.

So basically I did a lot of the pre and post work when the experts would do the actual HJT logs.

And of course since I know how to manage, and build forums, I would assist in the organization and maintaining the forum for them.

I am by no means an expert myself. I was taken in under LittleEagle's wing and taught lots by him and LDTate. And of course Corrine and I are still friends to this day, we talk often. I always knew how to find some of the best people in the field when it was needed. lol

I was even approached by Lavasoft for a job, when I moved to Sweden due to the work I did in their forum and others. But I turned them down. That's another story.

But what I am trying to say, is that I am not a techie. I don't know hardware, just software for the most part. I don't know techie terminology, but rather laymen's terms so that makes it easier for me to explain to those who don't know much at all about computers. And I just love to help.

All that I have learned has come by talking to my expert friends and hands on experience. Which is why MRU was a challenge because it was a bit too techie for me to understand and comprehend. So it takes a lot of stress for me to get it around my head. lol But once I do, then it's usually there to stay.

As for firewalls, at this time both myself, Corrine, and Bill, the creator of WinPatrol have been discussing the exact conversation.

Click Corrine's blog here for the reason's why we do not use zone alarm any longer.

And here she has info in regards to Comodo first HERE and then again with an update to the other HERE.

I am still unsure exactly why you have not become an asap member. Many independent malware removal forums are asap members.

Well it's way past my bedtime here in Sweden. It's pushing 5am now. lol I was heading to bed about 4 hours ago! lol

Hello Skittles, I have seen you about in some Malware Removal forums and I welcome you here to ours

On your Firewall issue, I am making one myself at the moment which I will include in my prevention speech:

Please, consider maintaining a firewall with HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention Systems). Firewalls are extremely important and are the first part of your computer's defense. HIPS stops malware by monitoring its behavior and it's very important, too.
A firewall is a software program or piece of hardware that helps screen out hackers, viruses, and worms that try to reach your computer over the Internet.
If you are using the Windows Firewall please note that it doesn't monitor or block outbound traffic and is therefore less effective than other free alternatives.

These firewalls are good and do have free versions available

• Outpost Firewall Free
  
  
• Online Armor Firewall
  

A tutorial on understanding and using firewalls may be found here.

**Note If you are running an internet security suite with a personal firewall this is not recommended as they could cause huge problems and conflict with each other.

I know some programs are outdated which is why I am making an up to date prevention speech. If you have any more questions feel free to ask

P.s If you would like to use the sig go ahead, I designed it for anyone to use

Hi Origin!

I tried Outpost a long time ago, but struggled constantly with trying to get it set up properly so that it didn't block many programs. I even had it somehow block my internet, if I recall. It was a couple of years ago at least that I tried it.

I admit that I do not know much about Firewalls only that it takes 10 seconds to be infected without one. Or at least that is what I have been told, and of course I know that you cannot run more than one at the same time, just as the AV.

Configuring the firewall is a bit over my head in terms of techie terminology. LOL

I recently had talked to Bill, the creator of WinPatrol, and he had given me the suggestion for Sunbelt, so I am gonna check that out.

Currently I don't run a firewall since I have a router. But I am gonna go ahead and run one anyway, since my boyfriend who has his computer connected to the network (same router) as mine, and he is not as security savvy as I am, and is not as well protected. I always find small things coming up, from things on his computer. grrrr

He's a computer techie, but into the hardware. And no matter what, I cannot get it thru his head that he needs more than Windows default firewall. Nor does he think he needs any anti-malware programs. So I figure I better protect my computer from getting any more things from his, thru the network. LOL

Lately I have been getting refresher courses so to speak on computer security because I get more and more friends of mine on Facebook who are unprotected and totally naive when it comes to security. It's hard to get it into their heads that it is NOT the actual game that is infected on many different games but rather the ads that are circulating thru FB. They use one advertising provider, for all applications. Lately, we have been finding a lot of problems with RockYou.

The hardest thing is to try to get these people, including the developers that you do NOT have to click an ad to become infected!! They just don't get it!! LOL

So I have had to do a lot of research and start doing a bit of support on FB in regards to this with my friends or on the DB's of various games who have had problems and I have been helping a few of the developers of games with them as well.

I am thinking about having Jalokim make me a nice siggy that contains the names of the security that I run and recommend. That will be nice, if I can do that.

What I heard from Digitalocksmith, our other admin, Outpost Pro is one of the firewalls he is unable to penetrate from a remote PC out of the other he tested (zonealarm etc.) So Outpost ought to be a good firewall.

^^^^

oh?i dint know...
nyways,
what about the offical windows firewall which i had since the assembling of my PC? (Microsoft Windows Firewall)

Hello.
I too know of/heard of the people you listed, I see them around other forums I lurk on at times.

I've had Corrines blog bookmarked for a while now so I can link back to it when I get users with the ZA Spyblocker Toolbar on their machine.

I don't know hardware

That makes two of us. I don't like hardware problems neither.

vedu_king wrote:

^^^^

oh?i dint know...
nyways,
what about the offical windows firewall which i had since the assembling of my PC? (Microsoft Windows Firewall)

"Rely on the free Windows firewall?" (the one that comes with XP and Vista)

Unfortunately, this gives you a false sense of security. It only protects incoming traffic. But outgoing traffic, with your credit card info, social security number, bank accounts, passwords and other confidential information is not protected. The Windows firewall will let it all go out. (both in XP and Vista) (quoted by Corrine)

Belahzur, I also refer to Corrine's blog often, altho quite a bit of it is over my head. But thankfully I am pretty good friends with her, so then I message her and ask her what in the world she is talking about! lol She also posts the same info on her Facebook account and since I am a FB addict, I get a lot of her updates to her blog there. hehehe

Dr I, yes I have always heard good things about outpost as well. But like I mentioned I had problems figuring out how to configure it properly. But it sounds as if I might run into the same issue with Sunbelt. I had the girl I am helping download and install that, and it blocked her internet. LOL So she had to disable it.

I have downloaded it but haven't yet installed it as I know it's gonna be a headache. I hate learning new software when it's a bit techie. lol

Thanks for the help skittles!And cornnie is sure a good helper!say her thanks from my side also

Haha i wanted to learn about malware removal, but gave up... it was too tough. What's the benefit of being an ASAP site by the way? I seen many people using ASAP sigs in other forums.

See here, easier than re-typing it all out.
ASAP

Skittles wrote
"Rely on the free Windows firewall?" (the one that comes with XP and Vista)

"Unfortunately, this gives you a false sense of security. It only protects incoming traffic. But outgoing traffic, with your credit card info, social security number, bank accounts, passwords and other confidential information is not protected. The Windows firewall will let it all go out. (both in XP and Vista) (quoted by Corrine)"

Not sure what is meant by the above statement, how is outgoing traffic affected by a firewall that is meant to protect you from incoming threats?

Also I am baffled by what the abbreviation "lol" means

Outgoing basically means it stops malware from downloading more rubbish onto the machine.

lol = Laugh Out Loud

Thanks everybody, it's getting clearer

Doctor Inferno wrote:

Hello,

Thanks for your feedback.

Belahzur got his training from SWI's Boot Camp, Origin got his from MRU and we only help with malware removal here. We are not affiliated with ASAP, we're an independent malware removal forum.

We will also review the firewall recommendations, but for now, do you have any in mind?

Feel free to volunteer your help here too.

Ask more questions if you have to.

Belahzur pointed me here, so I will comment so we can get all the info at once.

I was trained for a while at GeekU, then I switched to SWI Boot Camp. Then, I dropped from Boot Camp, when my friend - who is a security professional trained me on the rest. I have worked for Comodo as a malware researcher, and have met the qualifications to become an employee for Emsi Software as a malware analyst. I am professionally trained in English and Communication (visual) - and have a lot of background with the Windows File System. I, on average, am in contact with security companies to test their products and report feedback.

That is about it.