Beat back that
Trojan
horse
By Jessica Dolcourt
(2/28/07)
Like its mythical namesake (dramatized
in Lego), whatever
crawls out of a digital
Trojan Horse will be
a nasty surprise. A Trojan
horse usually takes the form
of an innocuous software
program that unleashes a
flood of malware or viruses
after it's installed and
run. Since attacks and ease
of removal vary--an ad
generator is easier to
remove than a stealth
rootkit--there's
no one-size-fits-all
solution. However, there are
some common techniques for
picking your way through the
wreckage.
What is Safe Mode?
Safe Mode is a diet
version of the Standard Mode
of Windows that your
computer ordinarily runs.
Rebooting in Safe Mode loads
minimal programs and
disables most device drivers
that manage hardware like CD
drives and printers. The
result is a more stable
iteration of the Windows
operating system that's
better suited for disabling
malware while you perform a
system scan.
How do you use it?
If you can, follow the
necessary steps for a safe
shutdown process and then
reboot. When you restart
Windows, as the screen
begins to load, press F8
repeatedly until the Windows
booting options appear.
Select "Boot in Safe Mode"
from the menu of options.
Once in Safe Mode, you
should be able to run your
installed antispyware
software with less
interference from the
malicious software that the
Trojan brought onto your
system.
System Restore
What is System
Restore?
System Restore strings out a
safety net if everything
goes kaput. Under default
Window settings, System
Restore saves a snapshot of
your computer configuration
once a day and on major
upgrades that can be used to
replace corrupted files. In
the event of a Trojan
attack, System Restore can
revert Windows to a
previous, uninfected state.
It won't restore everything,
like changes to your user
profile, but it does
reinstate biggies like your
Registry and DLL cache.
When do you use it?
When purging your computer
of spyware, System Restore
has an optimal time and
place. You wouldn't want
your computer including
corrupted files as the
reference point of the day,
so it's important to disable
System Restore before
you start cleaning. You can
reactivate it once your
system is spick-and-span.
How do you use it?
The paths for accessing
System Restore differ by
operating system. In Windows
XP, disable System
Restore by right-clicking
My Computer and
selecting Properties.
Under the Performance
tab, select File System,
then the Troubleshooting
tab, and finally check
Disable System Restore.
You'll be prompted to
reboot. Follow these steps
to uncheck the box before
restoring your system.
To use System Restore after
scrubbing your computer,
choose Accessories
from the program list in the
Start menu. You'll
find System Restore under
System Tools. |