Exciting news huh? Well, unfortunately for those of you tuning in from a Windows XP machine, no, Microsoft did not extend XP’s support any further. XP is set to die in August of 2014; this means that Microsoft will no longer give updates to the already out dated operating system. What they did extend was support for Windows Vista and Windows 7. 

So what does all this news mean? Well at this point it means that if you get that Windows 7 upgrade in now you will have at least 8 more years of support from Microsoft. This support is what keeps your operating system secure. If you hang on to Windows XP past its extended support date you risk serious security problems. Taking bets now on how quickly XP will be overrun with Malware, spyware, etc! That’s right; it’s a pretty safe bet that as soon as support ends hackers will be working overtime trying to get around the unsupported operating system.

Now is the time to get that upgrade in! We’ve been saying this for a long time and time is starting to run out. In some cases depending on your computer it may be more cost effective to replace your computer altogether while you’re in the process.

If you would like some prices for a new computer or are curious what the process is on upgrading your computer don’t hesitate to call us!

If you're interested in reading more click here.

A new study out is showing that you are far more likely to get a virus emailed to you in the morning hours than any other time of day. Many users around the world login to their computers first thing in the morning and review any emails they may have missed during the evening as well as those just coming in. 

According to a study by “Trustware” the time frame from 8 AM EST to 9 AM EST is the most likely time to come across an infection in your email.  According to Trustware, the amount of viruses being sent to users also begins to rise in August and peaks in September. 

The study also finds that Franchises are also one of the more likely targets due to the fact that if they are able to break into one location it is likely that multiple locations use similar IT configurations.

If you’re interested in reading more about the study click here.

Android is becoming more secure. Apple being known for their very locked down operating system is soon to not be the only “secure” device out there for consumers to choose. While no device is entirely secure, Android is starting to take steps to ensure its users that the software available from legitimate sources is just that, legitimate. 

In the past there have been many malicious programs introduced that can cause everything from privacy issues, identity theft, or fraudulent charges to the phone users phone bill. Google is now taking some initiative to help secure the Market. While Android remains open source meaning anyone can create an application for the Market for users to download, Google has begun scanning all applications and running them in a virtual environment to watch them for malicious intent. Google is not only monitoring new applications uploaded but is also monitoring those already in existence.

It is nice to see that Google is taking security a bit more seriously but not actually locking down their software entirely. With Android being open source it allows its users/developers a very fertile ground for development and advances. With that openness comes security risks though that needs to be monitored. Keep up the good work Google!

To read more on the topic click here.

This past week a group of hackers from India indicated that they had found source code from Symantec’s Endpoint Protection software. Endpoint Protection is enterprise level antivirus software that is designed to be ran in a client/server environment. 

The hackers claimed to have source code from two older versions of Endpoint Protection, version 11.0 and version 10.2. While Symantec is currently on version 12.0 version 11.0 is still supported even though it is four years old. Symantec claims that even though the hackers have access to the source code they have no way (yet) of breaching their software. 

There are a lot of companies out there that try to hold on to everything as long as they can to try to avoid the various costs involved with replacing a product with a newer product. In the case of your antivirus software however, this is a dangerous practice. The longer a product is in existence the higher the chance is of someone finding a way to hack into it. In the case of Endpoint Protection this is particularly dangerous since it operates in a client server setup. Imagine if your server’s side antivirus agent was compromised. This could mean that your workstations are no longer receiving updates, and could potentially mean your entire network is vulnerable. 

We sell a better solution to client server antivirus solutions. Through Tech Experts Businesses are able to purchase our Managed Vipre Antivirus which does not have to operate on a client server setup, but can if you need it to function that way due to your networks bandwidth.

At any rate, if you have old antivirus software, I recommend updating it to something current so you are properly protecting your valuable assets.

If you would like to read more click here.

Many people know that whenever a file is downloaded to your computer it should be scanned with an antivirus program to ensure it is safe before opening it. The fact is, if the file you just downloaded and scanned has a virus that is new, your antivirus may not catch it before it’s too late.

So what’s a better way of going about scanning files that you’ve downloaded? Well one thing you could do is to use multiple antivirus products to scan your files. The main problem with this method is that for you to do this you would need to install and uninstall every antivirus software you wish to scan with since you can only have one antivirus software installed on your computer at a time. The reason for this is that having multiple antivirus products on your computer can conflict with each other and cause a lot of problems.

The best way to scan your downloaded file (provided it is under 20 MB) is to use this handy website: http://www.virustotal.com/ this website gives you the ability to upload your file and scan it against a list of major antivirus companies.

Wanting to test this out, I hunted down a virus on the internet (Not to terribly difficult) and once I found out where it installed itself on my computer, moved it to my flash drive and used it to test their website. After uploading I was able to see what antivirus programs were currently able to detect this particular virus. Only 5 of the 42 it looks at were currently able to detect the virus.

Needless to say, always be very cautious about what you open (even if it appears someone you know sent it to you). As this website shows, just because you have an Antivirus installed, doesn’t mean that yours is able to detect everything.

If you are interested in reading more click here.

If you would like to check out the “Virus Total” website, click here.

This week was an interesting week... Just wanted to write this week about a sudden rash of computer viruses we have been seeing. We have had a number of clients hit with this virus recently and you don’t want to be next so pay close attention.

There is a newer virus going around that appears to have several different strains, some not as bad as others but they all have one thing in common. When a user is infected with this virus they were browsing their favorite website at the time. I have heard users getting infected with this from doing their normal Facebooking, YouTube, etc. So…there is no defined website that users are getting this from.

When a user is infected it causes all icons on the desktop and the start menu to “disappear” (Basically it hides everything). The virus in some stains delete all of a user’s programs from their start menu folders, and opens a door for other infections to enter. All of the infections I’ve seen so far make fake errors stating that you are having a hard drive error. If you notice any of the above shut your computer down immediately and bring it in and we can take a look at it. In some cases if the infection has not progressed too far damage can be reversed. In most cases however the user waits too long and there is too much damage caused for it to make sense to just do a virus removal and users end up having to format their machine and reinstall everything. Don’t get too worked up if you do get this virus, either way we can save your data, pictures, etc.

One note, it has been noted that this virus appears to come into computers via unpatched Adobe Flash and Java components so make sure you are keep them up to date to try to prevent this from happening to you.

New reports from McAfee show hackers making their next targets the computers that run inside of newer cars.  Hackers are trying to take over vehicles, stealing personal information, tracking people’s whereabouts, and even manipulating your cars sensory units including air bags, cruise control, door locks, and even power seats in some vehicles.  At this year’s Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, for instance, security consultants with iSEC Partners demonstrated their ability to remotely lock and unlock a car, as well as start it, by communicating with the car’s computer system using only text messages.

I wonder who the first company to manufacture cars with built in anti-virus' is going to be?

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has been working with the authorities in eleven other countries to take down scareware scammers.  The effort dubbed ‘Operation Trident Tribunal’ has seized more than 40 computers being used to host Web pages and fake scans designed to scare people into believing they needed to purchase bogus security software to clean their systems. 

“Today’s operation targets cyber crime rings that stole millions of dollars from unsuspecting computer users,” said the FBI Criminal Division’s Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer, in a statement. “These criminal enterprises infected the computers of innocent victims with malicious scareware, and then duped them into purchasing fake anti-virus software. Cyber crime is profitable, and can prey upon American consumers and companies from nearly any corner of the globe. We will continue to be aggressive and innovative in our approach to combating this international threat.”

More than $72 million have been collected by these scareware scam artists from its victims of innocent Computer users.  You should avoid putting in any personal information into any program or website that asks you for sensitive data if you are unsure of the form you are filling out.  It is likely you may be the next victim of this type of cyber-crime.  If you suspect your Computers have been infected with a fake Anti-Virus program it is best to shut off the machine and have the Computer inspected by a PC technician or a friend or family member who have experience in removing Computer Virus.

Yesterday Google release a browser extension for their popular Chrome internet browser that is designed to make the internet a safer place for its users. Google release an extension they call “DOM Snitch”. DOM Snitch is designed to check websites software for possible exploits and/or common security issues within webpages. This extension is still in its experimental phases but when completed will allow users to browse the web and have this “program” check the websites they browse to for various security issues. The goal is to catch websites that are trying to deploy malware or other security risks to your computer without your knowledge.

If you’re interested in reading more or downloading the extension in its early form click here.

In the past months especially attack attempts on corporations and home users alike have been on the rise. With large corporations like Sony, Google, and even RSA, a company whose business is network security, how are you supposed to defend your company and its intellectual data? Well according to many articles out that talk about these attacks and our government’s response, it’s not them.

According to most sources the U.S. Government is doing little in the way of thwarting the attacks on its citizens networks and it does not really have much of a plan in place to stop the attacks. Now I don’t know that I can believe that our government is sitting back and watching this take place and not making any attempt at stopping it, but one thing is for sure, making sure proper security measures are in place is a must…

If you or your company has important data that is not properly secured your just asking to be compromised. Even though China is among one of the largest perpetrators right now as far as where the Cybercrime is coming from, there are many other countries where hackers are making the same attempts. If you feel safe and you do not have good security measures in place for both your network and the way that you store data, you may not feel the same way once you get hacked…yes it does happen and I would hate to have to say “I told you so”.

If you’re not sure if your network and data are secure schedule a time with us and we can come out and take a look at your network systems setup and let you know some of its weak points to help you better protect your data.

If you’re interested and would like to read more about the attacks that have happened in the recent past click here.

Mac users beware! There is a new malware attack that is taking place on Mac’s. That’s right; contrary to popular belief the beloved Mac is vulnerable to Malware attacks.  Those Mac advocates try to lead people to believe that Macs are better than PC’s simply because they do not get malware. Mac’s do get attacked on occasion by malware, the reason you don’t see this more often however, is that, they are such a small market share in comparison to the Windows based PC’s that almost everyone owns. That fact alone means that hackers developing this malware are being smart and trying to get the most bang for the time they put into developing.

While I do not agree that Macs a less susceptible to malware I will acknowledge the fact that Macs are generally made with higher quality parts and then to have a bit longer life due to that. Only problem I would point out when it comes to Macs hardware, if say your screen went bad they generally want to replace the screen and the motherboard at an authorized dealer only. On a PC a screen replacement would only cost you a fraction of that price.

When it comes to what PC you choose to buy the choice is yours, I just recommend that people do a bit of research before believing all the propaganda that implies that Macs are “Malware and Problem Free” because, let’s face it, even Macs can break.

If you’re Interested in reading more about the recent Mac malware attack click here.

The Playstation Network (or PSN for short) was hacked and possibly 77million of Sony’s Playstation, and Qriocirty customers’ data have been obtained by the hackers.  Included in the list of data that may have been obtained includes the username, password, email address, house addresses, and any other data you may have linked with your account.  That being said, there is a chance your credit card information has been stolen as well.  There are no reports of fraudulent charges (yet) but that doesn’t mean the hackers could be holding the information to be used in the future.   It is best to keep an eye out for any unknown charges on your credit card statements and if you see something strange, report it right away.

According to the antivirus company “Cyber Defender”, there is a new tactic that Malware creators are beginning to use to get your money. The new method involves you using your phone and using the SMS service to text a number to the malware creator which in turn pays them. Also, like most other malware, paying them does not remove the malware from your computer.

Cyber Defender has said this new malware has taken the form of many reputable antivirus protection companies. They have seen installers that appear to be from Norton, McAfee, and Avast just to name a few. So if you are confronted with this new attack do NOT send them a SMS, you’ll just be wasting your money.

Supposedly if you just click cancel when the installer comes up it will cancel the “installation” and will not continue to prompt you to buy it like most other fake antiviruses. If you have this happen to you I would still highly recommend bringing your computer in and having us check for a virus/malware, especially if you do nay purchase or online banking on your machine…you can never be too safe.

Malware is on the Rise! That’s right, according to Dasient(An online security company), Malware over this year has drastically increased in amount. Dasient says that the number of infected website on the internet has jumped to over 1.1 million websites. This is why it is more important than ever to make sure that you’re protecting your computer. Make sure that your anti-virus is up to date and running. Like we’ve said in the past, an anti-virus is not a 100% effective way of protecting your computer from malware; it’s just the best step you can take aside from not using the internet on your computer at all…

Above graph from Dasient’s Report on the Rise in Malware.

On a similar topic Dasient also said that Malware in ads on the internet is also on the rise. They say that advertisements have gone from 1.5 million being infected in the third quarter of 2010 to over 3 million by fourth quarter. That’s a 100% increase in 3 months! Dasient said that the likelihood of a user coming in contact with an infected website or advertisement in a three month period would be somewhere in the area of 95%!

All this being said, keep yourself protected. Use an up to date anti-virus, try to avoid clicking on ads on webpages, and whenever possible only use webpages from companies or individuals you can trust. These steps can greatly reduce your chances of becoming infected with malware. When all else fails and you wind up infected, come on in and see us. We can get you fixed up quickly!