From the Mind of Marc... » Security

Norton releases 2011 product betas

Marc — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:40:27 +0000

Norton recently released its 2011 line of products in their beta form, meaning they are available to people for free to test while they continue to develop and refine based on user feedback. You can read a more in-depth review from PC Magazine here: http://bit.ly/98ZVGp.

Windows Vista RTM and XP Service Pack 2 support ends soon.

Marc — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:52:00 +0000

Microsoft has announced that they will end support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 on July 13 and Windows Vista RTM (the original release without service packs) on April 13. You can find out which version you are running by right-clicking on My Computer (Computer in Vista) and left-clicking on Properties. You can download the latest service packs (SP3 for XP and SP2 for Vista) at www.microsoft.com.

Windows Vista Service Pack 2

Marc — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:45:48 +0000

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is now available for download from Microsoft. You can download the 32 bit version here and the 64 bit version here. To find out which version you need, simply right-click on Computer and left-click on Properties. Under the System heading, it will tell you whether you have a 32 bit or 64 bit version of Windows. Service Pack 2 should be available through Windows Update soon.

Service Pack 2 has arrived (for the most part)…

Marc — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:53:03 +0000

Service Pack 2 is here! Well, Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Office 2007 is here; Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista is on its way. Service packs are large updates that roll together all the little updates that have been released before them, and usually include added security and functionality. You can download Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2 here. Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 should be available for download soon, hopefully early May, here.

Free way to avoid web-based malware.

Marc — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:58:20 +0000

AVG is now providing its LinkScanner product free to download. LinkScanner will scan web pages as you surf and warn you if a page you visit is trying to install malware or is compromised in some way. It’s a good idea to use it, considering that the web is the most popular way to deliver malware these days. You can read a quick overview of the product here and download it at http://linkscanner.avg.com. There is free support available from AVG at http://freeforum.avg.com.

One of Conficker’s purposes revealed….

Marc — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:21:56 +0000

It looks like all that updating Conficker did on April 1st and in the past few days had a reason: to push rogue anti-spyware software. According to several security software vendors, Conficker is dropping a program called SpywareProtect2009 on infected machines. The purpose of rogue anti-spyware programs is to scare users into paying for the software to clean up infections that the software itself has downloaded to the machine. Typically these programs will besiege the user with large pop-up windows proclaiming, in big red letters, that the computer is infected with hundreds of pieces of malware. If you receive any of these so-called warnings, don’t click on any of them. Run your security software (Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro, etc) to remove the threat. You can also go to any of the security vendors’ websites to get free removal tools for Conficker or any of the rogue anti-spyware programs. Check out our previous blog posts here for more information on Conficker and how to check for and remove it.

Conficker is alive.

Marc — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:13:46 +0000

It’s been in the news recently, and we’ve talked about it here in previous posts and newsletters. The Conficker worm came to life yesterday according to TrendLabs, Trend Micro’s blog. It apparently downloads a file from other infected machines via P2P, similar to how file and music sharing services like Limewire work. From the TrendLabs blog:

Trend now detects this new Conficker variant as WORM_DOWNAD.E. Some interesting things (well at least in our perspective) found are:

(Un)Trigger Date – May 3, 2009, it will stop running
Runs in random file name and random service name
Deletes this dropped component afterwards
Propagates via MS08-067 to external IPs if Internet is available, if no connections, uses local IPs
Opens port 5114 and serve as HTTP server, by broadcasting via SSDP request
Connects to the following sites:
- Myspace.com
- msn.com
- ebay.com
- cnn.com
- aol.com

It also does not leave a trace of itself in the host machine. It runs and deletes all traces, no files, no registries etc.

Read more: DOWNAD/Conficker Watch: New Variant in The Mix? - http://blog.trendmicro.com/downadconficker-watch-new-variant-in-the-mix/#ixzz0CBXDoaOb

If you think you might be infected, use the Conficker eye chart to confirm, and follow the PC Mag Security Blog steps to help remove it; or give us a call.

The Conficker Worm

Marc — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:34 +0000

A particularly nefarious piece of malware has been in the news a lot lately: Conficker. Also known as Downadup and the April Fools worm, it is very sneaky and difficult to detect. Fortunately, because of its popularity, there has been a lot of research done to figure out ways to stop it from spreading and to remove it from machines that have been infected. The easiest way to determine if you have been infected with Conficker is to use the Conficker eye chart (available here). Part of Conficker’s programming is to block access to well-known security software vendors’ websites, such as Symantec and Trend Micro. The “eye chart” has a legend that explains what you should see if you don’t have Conficker, and also what you see if you do have Conficker. If the chart appears normal, then you most likely haven’t been infected; if there are some images missing, then you probably have Conficker. Don’t panic though, it can be fixed. You can access a list of steps to remove Conficker here, or you can give us a call. Even if you don’t have Conficker, make sure you have the latest version of your preferred security software and that it’s up-to-date. We recommend Norton Internet Security 2009 (available here).

Backing up… but not in reverse.

Marc — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:24 +0000

Do you backup? Should you? Backing up ensures that your information is not affected should anything happen to your computer’s hard drive. It can be as simple as copying your files to an external hard drive once a month, or you could use an online backup service that automatically backs up changed and new files every night. Let’s put it this way: If something were to happen to your computer and you lost everything on it, what files would you absolutely have to have? Professional data recovery services usually start around $1,200 and increase exponentially based on the size of your hard drive. What information on your computer would you be willing to pay that much to get back? If the answer includes music, videos, and photos, then the simplest backup solution is an external hard drive. If your answer is Word and Excel documents, email, and financial files like QuickBooks or Quicken, then you could benefit from an online backup solution. For an external hard drive backup, Western Digital and Seagate offer good solutions with the My Book and Free Agent line of hard drives, respectively. There are many online backup solutions. Two that I would recommend are Mozy Online (though I have seen some machines slow to a crawl when using the always on backup, meaning it will constantly backup throughout the day when it senses a change); and Dr. Backup. Mozy gives you 2GB of storage free, or charges a monthly fee for unlimited storage. Dr. Backup charges a monthly fee for storage depending on how much you need, and has excellent customer support available by phone, email, and instant message. A good rule of thumb for online backup is that if you have more than 20 gigabytes of data, you’re either backing up unessential files or you need to switch to an external hard drive method. This is especially true if your Internet connection is DSL, because it could take several days to back up several gigabytes of data. If you would like to discuss a backup solution, or have questions about any information here, feel free to contact us.

Thinking about Apples?

Marc — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:25:42 +0000

A lot of people have been considering Apple for a new or replacement computer. The most common question is "Will my files transfer?". The answer, in almost all cases, is yes. Pictures, music, Word and Excel files, and even email can usually be transferred without problems. If you are worried about specific programs, you can always check the manufacturer’s website to see if they have a version for Apple. In some cases, mostly where you’re working from home, you may need access to a Windows-only program such as Internet Explorer. In that situation, it’s ok, you can still switch; we can install a copy of Windows on the Mac so that you have access to any Windows programs you need (it’s difficult to explain, but you can actually use Windows and Apple software simultaneously on a Mac). Just don’t forget that you will need to think about security software for your new Mac at some point. Luckily it’s not at the same level as Windows machines, but it’s moving in that direction. And of course we can still help you with your Mac if you have trouble.