ICTworks by Inveneo

In places where Internet access is hard to come by but computer viruses spread like wildfire, protecting a single PC or an entire computer lab is a huge challenge. When files are shared between friends and colleagues, so is malware. This is not necessarily a problem if the user has taken proper measures against viruses and other types of malicious programs. However, in the developing world many computer owners are either unable or unwilling to purchase good anti-virus/anti-spyware software, and even with the proper software installed, limited Internet access means less frequent download of the critical updates. Without these updates, anti-virus and anti-spyware software are essentially useless.

To mitigate this problem, Inveneo has adopted the Faronics DeepFreeze software. DeepFreeze is a software program that creates a “frozen” snapshot of a workstation’s configuration and settings. It can freeze entire drives or select files, allowing a computer to boot to a pristine Operating System every single time.

Viruses can be malicious, disrupting the current session, modifying the registry, destroying user content, but when the system is restarted the effects of the virus or malware are wiped away. This is the only solution that Inveneo has found to be bulletproof in low resource settings, keeping the computers up and running over an extended period of time.

The Cisco Community Knowledge Centers (CKCs), scattered in eleven locations across Kenya and Ethiopia, are a great real-world example of Inveneo desktop installations utilizing DeepFreeze. The CKCs are community centers, places where locals from a village or region can gather to learn, explore the Internet, print or copy documents and socialize through events like movie nights. Even after two years, the CKC computers are still up and running with little to no maintenance from Inveneo or our local partners. This is a huge accomplishment considering the harsh environment and number of infected external media constantly cycling through the centers, all a testimony to the effectiveness of DeepFreeze.

DeepFreeze is valuable because it is both flexible and secure. Here are a few of the key features:

1. Password protected software so that non-administrators cannot access the software to make changes or thaw a drive
2. Choose which drive(s) to freeze. Further, the administrator can take a more granular approach, freezing/thawing only specific directories and files.
3. Create up to eight thaw spaces, leaving frequently updated program files or system files thawed.
4. Schedule a maintenance window so the system will reboot thawed for a specific time period, possibly synched with automatic system maintenance.
5. Specify a WSUS (Windows Software Update Server) and batch file for scheduled maintenance period.
6. Create embedded events schedules, like scheduling the system to reboot everyday at a specific time. Configure network settings, security options, and administer License Keys.
7. There are many other more advanced options available with the Administrator Console. Examples include pushing configurations and installations from a centrally located or remote console.

We are grateful for the generous donation that Faronics has made to our efforts in Haiti, contributing complimentary licenses for use in the 40 rural schools participating in the “Haiti Connected Schools” program. This contribution is already making a great impact on the sustainability and longevity of the technology Inveneo is deploying, ensuring use by deserving Haitian schoolchildren for years to come.

For more information on DeepFreeze, please see the Faronics DeepFreeze Enterprise product page. From there you can see more product details, screenshots, read user reviews, and download user guide/tutorials.

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When it comes to anti-virus software, everyone has an opinion. Most people choose one of the many commercial anti-virus software options, like Kaspersky or Norton, and are quite happy with it.

But there is a major drawback - buying a license only includes one year of updates. Every year the client must pay for new updates, or their anti-virus definitions quickly become outdated and then cannot remove new viruses.

Many clients don't understand the need to pay for updates. They are confused by the need to pay for software or see its cost as too high. Some don't have credit cards, so they cannot pay for yearly updates even if they wanted to. (Typically updates are bought directly from the anti-virus company using credit cards.)

At Inveneo, we usually steer our clients toward anti-virus software that doesn't require paid annual updates.

1. Avast
2. AVG
3. Avira
4. ClamWin (for MS Server)
5. Microsoft Security Essentials (for legal copies of XP/Vista/7 validated on Microsoft's website)

Ultimately, though, it depends on the client. If your client is a bank or large institution, going with a trusted commercial product like Kaspersky makes complete sense. They understand the need for updates and have the means to pay for them.

But what about rural ICT clients? How best to meet their needs? What do you recommend to them?

PandaLabs, the anti-malware laboratory of Panda Security, has produced a simple guide to the 10 most common symptoms of infection, to help all users find out if their systems are at risk:

1. My computer speaks to me: There are all types of pop-ups and messages on the desktop either advertising things, saying that the PC is infected and needs protection… This is a typical, surefire case of an infection. There is either spyware on the computer, or it has been infected by a fake antivirus (also called “rogueware”).
2. My computer is running extremely slowly… This could be a symptom of many things, including infection by a virus. If it has been infected by a virus, worm or Trojan, among other things, which are running on the computer, they could be running tasks that consume a lot of resources, making the system run more slowly than usual.
3. Applications won’t start. How many times have you tried to run an application from the start menu or desktop and nothing happens? Sometimes another program might even run. As in the previous case, this could be another type of problem, but at the very least it’s a symptom that tells you that something is wrong.
4. I cannot connect to the Internet or it runs very slowly. Loss of Internet communication is another common symptom of infection, although it could also be due to a problem with your service provider or router. You might also have a connection that runs much more slowly than usual. If you have been infected, the malware could be connecting to a URL or opening separate connection sessions, thereby reducing your available bandwidth or making it practically impossible to use the Internet.
5. When I connect to the Internet, all types of windows open or the browser displays pages I have not requested. This is another certain sign of infection. Many threats are designed to redirect traffic to certain websites against the user’s will, and can even spoof Web pages, making you think you are on a legitimate site when really you have been taken to a malicious imitation.
6. Where have my files gone? Hopefully nobody will be asking this type of question, although there are still some threats around designed to delete or encrypt information, to move documents from one place to another… If you find yourself in this situation, you really ought to start worrying…
7. Oh, oh… My antivirus has disappeared, my firewall is disabled… Another typical characteristic of many threats is that they disable security systems (antivirus, firewall, etc.) installed on computers. Perhaps if one thing shuts down it might just be a specific software failure; but if all your security components are disabled, you are almost certainly infected.
8. My computer is speaking a strange language. If the language of certain applications changes, the screen appears back-to-front, strange insects start ‘eating’ the desktop… you might just have an infected system.
9. Library files for running games, programs, etc. have disappeared from my computer. Once again, this could be a sign of infection, although it could also be down to incomplete or incorrect installation of programs.
10. My computer has gone mad… literally. If the computer starts acting on its own, you suddenly find your system has been sending emails without your knowledge, Internet sessions or applications open sporadically on their own… your system could be compromised by malware.

How is this for a bit of hyperbole: Business Day says "Kenya tops list of EA countries worst-hit by computer viruses":

International data security firm Kaspersky says Kenya now tops the list of East African countries for computers that are infected with dangerous threats and malicious viruses.

“Given East Africa’s recent Internet connectivity boom, with the landing of SEACOM the number of security infections in Kenya has increased approximately 10 times and roughly four times during the last six months,” said Mr Sergey Novikov, head of the region’s research at Kaspersky Lab. Mr Novikov says such statistics are a cause for major concern as hackers infect computers to gain access to private and important information, from personal banking details to company data bases and information that should not be shared.

“Looking at the number of security detections in East Africa during the last eight months, Kenya ranked in first place with 40 per cent, Tanzania in second place with 14 per cent and Ethiopia in 11th place with 1.1 per cent."

But before you get too afraid to turn on your computer, realize that rankings are relative. Kaspersky notes that on the international scene, Kenya has less than one per cent of infections and ranks at number 37.