PC Pest Control: Protect Your Computers from Malicious Internet Invaders [Paperback]

Preston Gralla (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2005

The Internet is rife with all kinds of creepy PC bugs. In the first six months of 2004, almost 5,000 new Windows viruses and worms were discovered that were capable of compromising computer security. But the pests that users deal with aren't limited to viruses. They're plagued with everything from spam to phishing.

But just because your computer is hooked up to the Internet doesn't mean your PC has to be at risk. In a constant battle of one-upmanship, the forces of good have devised a number of creative ways to fend off these Internet nasties in order to best protect your computer. And PC Pest Control from O'Reilly spells out how you can do just that.

Written in a friendly, engaging manner, this handy guide covers detection, prevention and cure, where you're vulnerable, and how to surf the web more safely. It also details how you can protect yourself against adware, spyware, home page hijackers, viruses, Trojans, spam, phishing attacks, and more.

For easy understanding, PC Pest Control describes each problem and its symptoms, rates the danger level, and then shows you how to solve the problem step by step. In addition, a supporting website keeps the book's content as up to date as possible, so you're always informed of the latest safeguards. And in a field that shifts as frequently as PC protection, that's a major advantage.

So if you want to make sure that your personal computer doesn't fall victim to attack-or if your system has already been infected and you want to start anew-then PC Pest Control is most definitely for you.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Preston Gralla, the author of more than 30 books, including Internet Annoyances and Windows XP Hacks, is also a freelance journalist and columnist. He has written for major national newspapers and magazines, including PC Magazine, Computerworld, the Los Angeles Times, the Dallas Morning News (where he was the technology columnist), USA Today, and several others. A well-known technology expert, Preston has also appeared on many TV and radio programs and networks, including CNN, MSNBC, and NPR. In addition, he's won a number of awards for his writing, including Best Feature in a Computer Magazine from the Computer Press Association. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596009267
• ISBN-13: 978-0596009267
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,715,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect title for all non-geek computer owners..., August 12, 2005

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PC Pest Control: Protect Your Computers from Malicious Internet Invaders (Paperback)

Since I live and breathe computer stuff, I'm pretty much up to speed on how aware someone needs to be when it comes to PC security. But every once in awhile, I'm forced to look at a PC through the eyes of someone who really doesn't understand what's going on... like my father... But there's finally a book I could give a typical user to allow them to sort through the nasty world of personal PC security... PC Pest Control by Preston Gralla.

Content:
Overall Protection: Your PC Is Not Your Own; Where You're Vulnerable; Pest Prevention and Monitoring; Killing Pests
Fighting Specific Pests: Throw Internet Explorer Out the Window; Adware, Spyware, and Home Page Hijackers; Viruses, Trojans, and Bots; Email, Worms, and Instant Messaging; Spam, Spam, and Spam; Protecting Your Identity and Kids Online; Wireless and Home Networking Dangers
Appendix: A Field Guide To Pests

Gralla has written a book that approaches PC security at a level that can be understood by nearly anyone that uses a computer. Terms such as "spyware" and "bots" will no longer be something that causes your Uncle Joe to scratch his head in total confusion. There's a clear explanation of the different security risks, what they do, how to tell if you have that problem, how to fix the issue, and how to monitor and prevent the problem in the future. There are also references to a number of additional software packages that can be downloaded (free and for purchase) to fill the security gaps that are inherent on Windows systems. Spending $25 on this book will pay for itself immediately when you learn what anti-virus and anti-spyware software is and how you need to have it running on your system. To me, it's second nature. To Uncle Joe, it's a complete unknown.

If the information wasn't so valuable, I'd probably ding the book on a minor nit that started to annoy me after awhile. There's the tendency to repeat the same commentary on something over and over. For instance, whenever the spyware software CoolWebSearch is mentioned, it's followed by "may well be the most reviled piece of spyware in existence". Fine the first time, OK the second, after that it was distracting. Same thing with the advice about upgrading to SP2 if you're running Windows XP. I really don't need to see that as the recommended solution to nearly everything (even if they do try to make it humorous after awhile).

If you're a hard-core geek and IT professional, you probably know most of this. But if you have the unenviable task of being the de facto help desk for your extended family, you might want to buy this book as a Christmas present for your most problematic "customers". It'll pay off for both of you...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, thoughtful and deep., August 5, 2005

By 

Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PC Pest Control: Protect Your Computers from Malicious Internet Invaders (Paperback)

For me this book was as scary as it was informative. The book taught me just how many different types of threats there were out there, and provided mechanisms for dealing with them. But it's up to me to do the work to get them implemented. No book can fix that. And certainly this book gave me a sense of priorities, which I appreciate. Since many security books treat unlikely threats with the same intensity as the most common threats.

Down to business. The book mainly covers Windows, which is so full of holes that it needs this trim 250 page book to cover it all. The different types of threats are covered in detail. Specifics are provided on bots, viruses, trojans and the rest. With this book you will be able to look at your task list to see if and how your machine has been compromised.

Easily one of the best books I have seen on Windows user-level security that covers real modern threats.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended if you want to try to resolve problems yourself, November 23, 2005

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PC Pest Control: Protect Your Computers from Malicious Internet Invaders (Paperback)

If there is one thing that is truly pandemic within the PC computer environment it is the various forms of pests. Whether it is SPAM, viruses, worms, pop-ups, page hijacking, adware, spyware, cookies, malicious scripts, phishing, or any number of other problems the one thing for certain is that it is all out there waiting to take advantage of you. This book examines these and other pests and provides both an excellent explanation of what they are and how they work as well as steps to be taken to try to avoid them. The author actually does an excellent job of explaining the various threats, common signs of infection, and how to remove them. He even includes a list of common file names used by pests. While this is all good information for the person who wants a basic understanding of what is going on and how it is accomplished it does not deal with some of the truly malicious pests that even pest removal software does not remove. For example, there are some now that cannot be removed even by entering the registry in safe mode and trying to remove the key. I've had some where I've had to boot to Linux, mount the drive, remove the key and then boot back into Windows. These particularly tenacious ones are not covered in this text and as such it cannot be recommended for the true computer geek who does this for a living or as a computer network administrator. On the other hand, it is perfectly suited for the home user who has some of the common problems and wants to both fix them and do all they can to prevent being reinfected. It contains one of the better discussions of pests for the average user that I have come across. The book is written for the average reader and contains no real technical terms. PC Pest Control is recommended for the average user who wants to become informed about PC Pests or who wants to resolve some of the more common problems.