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.

 

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.

 

As many of you have heard by now Windows has been working on their new operating system “Windows 8”. While I still do not feel this is going to be a very business friendly operating system due to drastic changes in the layout/design, I do think Microsoft is coming up with some good ideas to build off of.

As the title states, once of the new technologies Microsoft is testing for possible release with the new operating system is the use of picture passwords. These “Passwords” can be personalized using your own pictures rather than a predefined group of pictures. Being able to use your own personal pictures, such as a family portrait, allows users to make unique and hard to guess picture passwords.

The way the password is designed to work at this point is by allowing a user to draw three separate images (either tapping on the screen, drawing a line, or drawing a circle) on the picture with their finger for touchscreen devices or with the mouse for computers to allow access to the computer. Users can use this alongside a normal password to make their computer more secure. This not only records what you have drawn on the image but the order you did it in as well as the direction of your drawing strokes.

One thing is for sure, Microsoft is developing some great technology that will improve overall security (though I still have my doubts about the operating system as a whole).

If you’re interested in reading more click here.

 

 

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.

Well once again scammers are out in full force. That’s right since the news broke of Bin Laden’s death scammers have been developing more new malware and optimizing their sites to show up with high rankings in search engines for related topics. I’ve said it one, I’ll say it again, keep your software updated! Many of the viruses/malware that were released on these sites target vulnerabilities within reputable software such as Adobe Reader, Internet Explorer, Java, Etc.. to infect a user’s computer.

Even if you are careful what you’re clicking on and do not download anything (on purpose anyhow..), you can still be infected by drive-by downloads which download and install themselves via the security holes you may have failed to patch by neglecting those important updates. That’s right, you do NOT have to be trying to download anything, it’s as simple as being in the wrong place at the right time.

If you are unlucky enough to get and infection whatever you do not “buy” anything from the so called antivirus, instead bring your computer in and we can get it fixed for you. If nothing else at least give us a call so that you don’t mistakenly give away your credit card number.

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

 In a recent study conducted by PandaLabs (www.pandasecurity.com) they have collected data and the numbers are scary!  More than 57,000 malware infected websites are put out on the Internet each and everyday.  Sites like Ebay, Amazon, and Western Union related sites are making up for most of the numbers, and the sites where credit cards accounts and PayPay accounts have seemed to be the target over the last couple of years.  If you're making online purchases from your personal computer, be sure to go directly to the URL web address, and don't rely on search engines to get you to your pages.  Google, Yahoo, Bing, and several others are making efforts by changing the indexing algorithms, they are still unable to bring down the huge number of users being effected by these malicious sites being made available!  Come see the TechExperts if you think you may be at risk!

 

Whether you want to launch an application when your computer goes idle or you just simply want to mute your speakers that way when you leave the office your email notifications do not annoy your fellow coworkers, System Silencer can help. System Silencer has a set of stock toggles such as turning off your monitor, muting your sound, and locking your workstation, all of which can be activated by your computer sitting idle for a specified number of minutes. This is a really nice program and works on most Windows based Operating Systems. 

HouseCall is made by Trend Micro, this program will help you to identify and remove viruses, Trojans, worms, unwanted browser plug-ins and other malware detected on your system.  You have the option to perform a quick scan, full system scan, or a custom scan.

This Program is free to download and is a portable application so it makes as a great tool to add to your thumb drive if you are an IT Professional. You can download 32 bit and 64 bit versions and it works on most Windows Operating systems including Vista and 7.

 

There are alot of great Anti-Virus programs out there that help to keep your computer safe from viruses, but what happens when it just isn't enough and your computer is now infected with tons of Trojans and you can't use it. Well thats when you would use a Rescue CD, and the free AVG Rescue CD would be your best bet. The AVG Rescue CD comes as an ISO Image that can be burned to a disc or you can download a compressed version that can be installed on to a bootable flash drive. Then you would boot the computer from the CD or Flash Drive, which ever you prefer.

Once you decide on how you want to boot the program up you will see a menu like the one I have below, from here you can simply scan for viruses, edit files, and even edit the registry.

The AVG Rescue CD is free to download directly from AVG's website at http://www.avg.com/us-en/avg-rescue-cd#tba1. This is a great tool for any IT Professional and something you should add to your tool kit. If you have any problems installing the AVG Rescue CD you can find a complete walk through on AVG's website. They even have video tutorials to walk you through the whole process.

This great adware removal tool named (Ad-Aware) just added Outlook email scanning and live download verification, and a rootkit removal system to its standard scans for infected files. If you are like me and leave your Outlook open all day during your work day or while at home, Ad-Aware 8.2 will monitor your emails as they come in and it will also catch the bad attachments.

Ad-Aware 8.2 is available as a free download, or they also have Plus and Pro Licenses for $27 and $40.

 

Spyware removal tool SUPERAntiSpyware has released a portable version of their application, and, just like the installed version, it easily removes most infections on your computer.

When you go to download the application you will notice the funny filename… SAS234543.com . The file name will have SAS and then some random characters. This is because many infections while stop you from running known AV’s or even exe files to prevent you from removing the infection. Then by clicking on it you still have the ability to update it to make sure the application is up to date so no need to keep downloading a new copy everyday just to keep updated.

SUPERAntiSpyware Portable is a free download for Windows users.

 

Windows operating system has a utility called system restore that allows you to restore your computer to a previous day and time.

The only thing most users do not know, in the event that your system becomes infected, chances are the system restore files are infected as well. The latest malware infections that claim that your system is vunerable, and you must protect it, can be hidden on your system for an extended period of time. To just restore the system to an earlier day and time will not remove the infection. It will more times then not be restored along with all the other files. Your best bet is to have a Tech Expert remove the infection.

When will it stop.

It seems that the rouge antivirus programs have been finding their way everywhere. I have seen infections before, but this one keeps on making itself known, over and over again. I can not stress the importance of watching every window that pops up and be careful. The malware that can infect you happens so quick, you have to pay attention, and realize what they are trying to do. They are trying to infect your system. It is like a bad practical joke. I just wonder... when will it stop. 

 With over 350 million users' worldwise, Facebook is becoming, if not already, the most popular social networking site on the web. From sharing comments, photos, videos, links to your favorite sites, and even creating invitations for events your going to or even hosting, there no wonder why it has become so widely used and popular. Well with all that traffic, comes a few concerns with security. Facebook users' have experienced their fair share of hackers, scammers, and even in some cases catching some malware, spyware, and virus infections. Well Facebook has now parterned up with software giant McAfee and is providing Facebook account holders with a free 6 month subscription to the McAfee Internet Security Suite. 

Well this is getting out of hand.

You think the box that just popped up is asking you to protect your computer. It says you could be at risk. You will be if you click.

The box that just opened may look legit, but it is not. The fake antivirus programs change so fast it is hard to keep up with them.

I just had one try to infect my system during a download of a driver I needed. We all have to watch and be carefuel not to click to fast. Because the program you think may be trying to keep you safe, is in fact the virus itself.

Ok, I know change is hard to accept. But the latest edition to the Window's tree is Window 7, which has been buzzing all over the Internet ever since its release. Windows7 has three releases Ultimate, Professional and Home Edition. Microsoft really wants to get as much consumer's attention they can possibly get and for this very reason they are now targeting the netbook users, by giving them option to download and install Windows 7 via USB drive. That is right ...download to a USB drive.

For netbook users whom probably don't have a CD or DVD drive, this is actually a nice option to get a hold of the new Windows 7.

The Microsoft tool would download the Window 7 files into the USB and convert your USB drive into a bootable installer. The program may also be called Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT). Remember you need to have a USB drive which has sufficient enough space to hold on all the files.

In this day of energy saving, many times we leave our gadgets Mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, Cameras, Laptops etc with charger plugged in overnight. Lets check if this is a major waste of energy..

I just saw a commercial on television, sponsored by some kind of environmentalist group. They claimed that a cell phone charger or any charging unit plugged into an outlet was "wasting energy" even when there was NOTHING attached to it. Is it possible to draw energy with nothing attached?

Because there is current being drawn from it. The power converter of your cell phone is constantly turning the AC power from your wall to the DC power that your cell phone requires for charging. The same is true for any object with a power converter (those bulky boxes between the device and the wall, sometimes plugged in directly to the wall). Common devices include laptops, some stereos, speakers, etc.

In the world of technology, this old saying is truly words of wisdom.

My fellow Expert Guys here on this site have written more than one blog about the importance of backups. I would like to call attention to the fact that at least 95% of the clients I deal with have only one backup in place, which is done right in their office and one has to wonder "is that backup happening and can I restore data from it". Any attempt at a backup is better then none at all. But we offer a service, at Tech Experts, that is very affordable for even the smallest backups. Online offsite backups allow you to relax and rest assured that your data is being backed up and will be ready, if and when needed at a moments notice.

These backups occur automatically and require no interaction on the clients part. But the best part is the data is being backed up to a backup and recovery device that is located in a different location. In addition to all local backups, this service offers peace of mind, and it is truly "out of sight".  

 

I was watching the 6 o'clock local news, and they had a warning for all computer users to watch for a new virus.

They went on to describe a type of virus that has been out there for sometime now.

These viruses parade themselves as legit programs that are trying to protect you from infections. But please be aware, these programs that claim they can help, are in the business of trying to get you to send them money. Antivirus 2009 is just one of many fake programs out there that claim they can help you get rid of a virus you never had... until you download them. So pay attention, and as always, if you did not ask for it....