There are a lot of sites that offer tools and information for various security issues.
Here are some that I visit on a regular basis for reference material and new tools to help keep my system secure. I have tried to organize them according to how 'geeky' they are, so you can find the ones that are right for you.
If you have a favorite site that is not listed, let me know!
Looking for Tech Support?
Free How-to Guides?
The Best Free Utility Programs?
Gizmo Richards' site has all of this and more. Information from speeding up your system and netwrok, to installation and configuration of peripherals are all available in .pdf format so you can easily print them out for reference. (It is hard to follow directions on a web site if you are adding a new card to your PC!)
And for his list of 46 free programs that work just as well as expensive commercial programs,
subscribe to Gizmo's free twice monthly "Support Alert" newsletter.
Handango.com
I am a true geek - I have a Pocket PC Phone that is like a portable desktop computer. I have found a LOT of programs for it here at Handango, and there are often free trial versions available. If you have a mobile device of any kind (Palm, PocketPC, phone, etc.) you can find great additions to it here!
Although not specifically a security related offering, Lockergnome is an invaluable resource for information about computers and all of the things that can be done with them. Chris Pirillo has been on the bleeding edge of technology for years, and has a team of folks that help create newsletters covering almost any aspect of computing that you can imagine.
In addition to the newsletters, Lockergnome offers tutorials, downloads, forums and a whole lot of like-minded people who are willing to help out whenever you have a question. If you are not familiar with Lockergnome, you don't know what you are missing!
Snopes is THE Urban Legend Reference site in my opinion. Any time I get an e-mail with a dire warning in it (especially when it tells me to forward it to everyone I know) I go to Snopes to check it out. Their Virus Hoaxes & Realities list tells you what you can believe and what is just junk, before you forward that e-mail to all of your friends!
DoxDesk.com http://www.doxdesk.com/DoxDesk offers a script that can check your browser for parasites as well as a lot of information about how to get rid of any it detects. This is a great site to learn how to manually remove anything that is causing you problems.
Since they offer the service to other web sites, I use the script from DoxDesk on the Other Nasties page.
CNet's site offers user ratings on the programs available for download - something that is rare in download sites. I like the fact that I can look at the ratings and see what real people have found to be the strengths and weaknesses of the programs, rather than relying on the manufacturer's claims.
Annoyances.org http://www.annoyances.org/Annoyances.org is one of the most complete collections of information assembled for and by actual users of Microsoft Windows.
Although there is a lot of information here, it can be hard to pin down exactly what you are looking for. Still, it is a good site to check if you are having problems with anything Microsoft.
Answers that Work http://answersthatwork.com/The Task List Programs section is one of the most complete listings of programs that could be running on your computer. These programs load when Windows starts and could be causing problems with your computer.
Pacmans Portal http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htmThe intention of this site is to provide a central resource for PC users and Tech Support staff alike who are concerned about the poor performance of their PCs due to the number of programs that run at system start-up. The site explains techniques that can be used to identify and disable start-up programs from running, and a comprehensive list of programs that are loaded at start-up. Well worth a look!
Gibson Research Corporation http://grc.com/default.htmSteve Gibson has been fighting battles that most people are not aware of, and he is usually going up against the Big Guys. He was one of the first to alert Microsoft to the problems with Universal Plug and Play, as well as holes in various parts of the Windows XP operating system. There are a lot of tools here to check your firewall, DCOM vulnerability, and open ports that might be allowing access to your computer without your knowledge.
Microsoft TechNet http://www.microsoft.com/technet/
The TechNet site offers a lot of information about a lot of things, but the main part to look at is the security section. You can find alerts, downloads, and information about problems that can affect your computer, as well as explainations of the patches that are available. These are written in microspeak, so they can be hard to understand, but the information is very helpful.
