In recent times it has been noticed how hackers opposed to regimes, governments and multinationals are able to pull down any website. Recently the Italian government website had also been put out of action for a few hours (maybe these hackers had to be told that no Italian is looking for information on the government website).
However, as explained in the article on the example of a Ddos attack, to send websites offline and to send spam to the whole world, cyber criminals use networks called botnets, made by zombie computers, i.e. online computers infected by a virus and managed from the outside without the user's knowledge. Botnets are one of the largest illegal sources of income on the Internet.
The question everyone should ask when reading in the newspapers or on computer blogs about the existence of botnets is: but it's not that my computer is inside this hacker network and is used to launch attacks around the world "> Center anti-botnet has been launched in Italy to minimize the number of zombie computers and shows instructions for removing botnet threats from your computer, in collaboration with some of the major cyber security companies: Avira, Kaspersky and Symantec (Norton).
The basic rules for making sure your pc is safe from these illegal and criminal networks are:
1) Check your computer with a scan using the DE-Cleaner program that eliminates all threats.
2) Install Windows security service packs and updates .
3) Install an antivirus and update it regularly.
4) Use a Firewall program or the Windows firewall or connect via a router.
Regarding point one, this DE-Cleaner program is distributed in three different versions by Avira, Norton and Kaspersky .
DE-Cleaner is an on-demand virus scanner that can be installed or used in a portable version. The use is very simple because just start the scan and wait until the end of the verification which will highlight the threats. Even if they are programs, for now, only in German (at least Avira DE-Cleaner that I have tried), there are not many options so you can guess that the only thing to do is to start scanning on your computer.
The " Vollständige durchführen Systemprüfung " checkbox, if enabled, allows you to do a complete check of your computer instead of scanning the most important directories and files. Starten Suchlauf starts scanning your computer. It is possible to cancel the scan at any time with a simple click on the Abbrechen button.
The scan window displays the number of potentially dangerous objects that have been found during the scan. Obviously, before deleting all the dangerous files, it is better to look at the details so as not to delete absolutely safe things. Better to be cautious in using these Avira, Norton and Kaspersky DE-Cleaners if dangerous files or infected email messages are found which can always be false positives. Avira DE-Cleaner and others work on any 32-bit and 64-bit Windows version .
If you want additional security and if you consider your computer to be a botnet risk, you can download and install a Trend Micro tool, called RUBotted, a program designed to remove threats and files that can turn a computer into a zombie, used by the outside for illegal activities. It is not just a scanner but a computer monitoring program that warns you when your computer gets infected in real time. RUBotted is light enough, easy to use and works silently, protecting your computer without being noticed.
Another anti botnet that is used to check if the PC has been infected with malware and included in a botnet network is that of QuickHeal
Finally, I remember the article on how to eliminate malware from your computer and report the Norton Power Eraser program, another Symantec scanner that allows you to find and remove all crimeware programs that could lead to infections and unauthorized access on your computer. At least one scan with Norton Power Eraser I would do it anyway, even if there were no signs of virus because it shows itself to be quite reliable.
Tonight, leave the computer on and start the scans.
