Preventing Malware While Browsing The Internet



Posted: Monday, October 05, 2009

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Malicious software is being release at the rate of about 2000 a day, and that's just counting the ones made by people.  Viruses also have to ability to morph on their own so that they can escape being detected by your anti-virus software.  As the title states, anti-virus by itself is no longer enough protection to keep your PC malware free.

The solution is simple and free.  In this article I'll show you how to install and configure some software that will make your PC impervious to any virus that would normally get installed while visiting an infected webpage.

The software we'll be using is called Sandboxie.  Basically Sandboxie creates a virtual area in your pc that is isolated from the rest of your files and programs.  This virtual area is called a sandbox.  The great thing about the sandbox is that we can delete the contents of the sandbox automatically.  So, how do "trap" viruses in the sandbox?  It's pretty simple, you will browse the internet with a sandboxed web browser.  Everything downloaded unintentionally (like when you visit an infected website) will be trapped in the sandbox and destroyed once you close the sandboxed application.  Here are the steps you'll need to follow in order to get your Sandboxie installed and configured.

  1. Go to Sandboxie.com and download Sandboxie (it's a free download).
  2. To begin installing Sandboxie double click on the installer you just downloaded.
  3. Install Sandboxie with default installation options.
  4. Once Sandboxie has been installed you'll have a shortcut on your desktop called "Run Web browser sandboxed".  Double click this.
  5. You'll notice that your default web browser has been loaded.  The web browser looks almost exactly the same as your non-sandboxed browser except that the title bar has two # signs on each side of the title bar.
  6. Sandboxie is almost ready, but we need to tell Sandboxie to delete the contents of the sandbox when we close the sandboxed web browser.  This ensures that all files downloaded while browsing websites get deleted.  This includes cookies, temp files and viruses.
  7. Click Start.
  8. Click All Programs.
  9. Click Sandboxie.
  10. Click Sandboxie Control.
  11. Click Sandbox (from the top drop-down menu).
  12. Click DefaultSandbox.
  13. Click Sandbox Settings.
  14. Click Delete.
  15. Click Invocation.
  16. Select the first check mark and click apply and then OK.
  17. Close Sandboxie control.
At this point Sandboxie has been configured for maximum protection.  You should use Sandboxie (Run Web browser sandboxed) whenever you browse any websites on the internet.  In some rare cases some websites may not load properly while using the Sandboxed web browser.  In this case just use your un-sandboxed web browser.

My name is Matt and I offer st. louis computer repair and consulting services.  If you're not in St. Louis I can help with your PC remotely right over your internet connection!  Call my St. Louis office at 314.226.4279 and schedule your appointment today.  I also have a site that reviews cheap all in one printers.

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