BOTNET. What is that? Just another scare tactic? Consider the arrest recently made in Spain. The BOTNET owners were “normal people”. They had control of 12,000,000 + computers affecting 800,000 users with information stolen from some of the largest companies. How could they do this? OUTSOURCING. Software for sale that allows anyone with modest tech skills to become a cyber criminal. Our economic crunch is probably not helping either.
“The three main propagation vectors (how this thing spreads) include MSN, removable media (flash drives, etc.), and through P2P, targeting the following networks - Ares, Bearshare, Imesh, Shareaza, Kazaa, Dcplusplus, Emule, Emuleplus, Limewire.” I personally believe P2P software is the worse culprit. It’s almost like the user “leaves a key under the doormat” for the cyber criminal. But for the Limewire addict, it’s like asking a smoker to give up cigarettes. They know the risks but for some reason consider it worth the trouble. Just remember, nothing in life with value comes without costing someone, somewhere. Be vigilant folks.
Windows 7 is all over the stores these days. According to TechRepublic statistics, it is off to a much better start than the infamous Vista operating system release. Is it really better? Yes. It has a much cleaner interface (Mac like) than Vista, use only as much resources as XP (Vista was a resource hog), yet still has the improved security.
Our beloved XP though a fine system is just too vulnerable in the wild world of the internet. Like it or not, professional malware writers have its number with 10 years to perfect their software craft. Even with a fully patched version of XP, and current antivirus, I regularly see machines get infected just by browsing around google (although a protected machine is much easier to fix). An XP machine that is not protected you can almost count on a clean install to repair it. Even the large companies are beginning to migrate to Windows (7.0) unlike with Vista.
Upgrading to 7.0 on XP software is feasible though a minimum of 1 Gig of RAM is ideal. Fresh installs are always the best. A cluttered XP (with many programs) won’t necessarily translate over perfectly.
The bottom line is Windows 7.0 will keep Microsoft as the dominant PC player for another 5-8 years. Currently, usage is approximately (92% for PC/Windows, 6% for Mac, and 1-2% linux/other). It’s still a windows world. Although Mac is definitely an attractive alternative. Expect to pay more, have much less troubles with virus/malware, and to have a great look and feel. That is unless you don’t enjoying getting used to a new way of doing things (the menus, apps, and commands are different). You will have “gaming and business application” envy.
For me, if I’m allowed one machine only, I still find the PC’s to be a better value with a little web surfing discretion. It is time to let go of the past (unless your corporate IT guys won’t let you).
P.S. - There are many additional ways to keep a system safe in corporate IT with server policies. It is called “taking away user rights” through network policies and restricting Web Usage. Very effective but more expensive.
I don’t mind some superstition. It adds some color to the job of logic that I do. Sometimes it is great for a good laugh too (: Tech Republic has a decent video of some of the more common ones here. Personally I am not superstitious but I realize that all things cannot be explained by logic and what is seen. I can get a firm diagnosis of what happened to a computer about 1/2 the time and the other 1/2 “I just fix it”. Most of the “just fix it” is because customers don’t want to pay me big bucks just to find the byte out of place in the 7 layers of the network model. But there are times when the problem is inexplicable (not often) but enough for me to say ” sometimes there are gremlins” in your computer.
Good to see the FBI is getting to some of these rats. A good example of phishing is receiving an e-mail from your bank requesting personal information. Banks do not collect information that way so do not respond. If in doubt call your bank for verification.
Click here for details on “operation phish phry“.
Personally, I have yet to witness an infected Mac so I wouldn’t be too worried. However, the malware writers are beginning to put Mac in their crosshairs (including IPhone) and there have been some trojan reports due to users loading contaminated software. Stay away from pirated stuff and that should solve most of that problem. Click here for full details.
More to come on Mac versus PC. Here is a more balanced assessment than what you see on the TV commercials. Enjoy…
September 30th, 2009 in
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This is an example of why the miscreants try and infect your computer. The banker trojan means real money stolen with the worse case scenario being identity theft. A botnet is a group of computers controlled (unknowingly) by these trojans to expand the reach of these criminals and also enable them to hide. So, make sure you have a reputable, updated antivirus, keep your computer updated with security patches from Microsoft and Apple, and use good judgement on what you view and download from the web. If your computer begins behaving strangely (excessive slowdowns, pop-up ads, lock ups, programs you haven’t seen before begin showing up) then run a full disk scan with your “known” antivirus program already installed (not anything new saying it is here to help). If you have no luck, better call a professional because it will be much cheaper than the damage the criminals can inflict.
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The black hat hackers see serious problems with LoJack theft security that is loaded on 60% of new laptops to deter theft. Because authentication is not strong, it can be perverted to be an almost undetectable rootkit; meaning someone else controls your computer and the method is very hard to find because it lives in in the hardware bios (not the operating system); even a clean “wipe” won’t remove it. At this point, I recommend skipping this service. I don’t like the privacy implications either.
Click Here for Full Article
It’s getting more popular daily and the idea of someone else dealing with the problems of managing your systems via the web instead of out of your office comes with a serious downside. As with anything, make your descisions with care and I like the old adage of “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”; just replace eggs with data and you have a good IT fundamental. Click here to get a security expert’s perspective who was a former hacker.
Perhaps it takes the 800 pound gorilla to do it, but Google finally has something to worry about in the search engine world. After dispatching “Yahoo” some years ago it’s pretty much been Google, Google, Google regarding web dominance. Microsoft’s “Windows Live Search” has floundered for years and it looked for a time that their hopes lie in acquiring the next most popular search, Yahoo (a distant second).
But then out of nowhere is “Bing”. And surprisingly, it does impress. I think what I like best about it is the conciseness of the results. Searching on video, text, and picture all in one shot or in parts is a breeze. You can scroll the live video feeds without leaving the summary results making finding the relevant digital clip very quick. I don’t know that the sheer relevant links matches a Google search but I find myself hunting through less static.
I still relish Google’s utter simplicity in presentation, but the Bing page backgrounds are very “desktop” like and will feel natural to your eyes. I would also give it a slight Edge in relevant suggestions/categorizations. I’ve already known that live office was already a strong contender with the Google App world but felt that Microsoft’s search doomed the platform. I actually give live office the edge in “windows” like presentation which most folks seem to recognize and prefer. Of course it has the integration advantage with the Microsoft’s popular desktop office suite.
I’m not ready to declare a victor just yet and find myself bouncing between the two on my searches, but I will say that “bing.com” is definitely worth a try. If you surf from MSN.com, bing is already there. I’m staying with Google calendar for now because it does sync with outlook and I have a G-Phone. It’s great to have good choices!
I’d be interested in what some of you think…
So how come my brand new computer from Best Buy takes 10 minutes to boot up? I thought it had all this memory and a Quad Core thingy that makes it fly? Sometimes it zips along then all the sudden that little “circle” shows up and…
There are a “many and varied” reasons for sluggish bytes, but if your computer is new, keep your eye out for these:
1) More Features Mean More Work - Like that shiny new presentation and sharp pictures on your beautiful new LCD screen? Well, every time Microsoft or Macintosh adds more “whiz-bang” graphics, eye candy, easy search indexing, or your personal security assistant it means the little mice in your computer (CPU) need to work harder than ever. So, if you get any computer with “Ultimate” in its name then automatically make sure it has double the memory of the “regular”. If you want to play the latest version of “Halo” then a specialized “graphics card” is a must. You don’t have to break the bank, but don’t expect to walk out with a “Movie playing, multimedia” computer extravaganza for $595. You’ll suffer an acute case of computer constipation unless you really did catch that end-of-year closeout.
2) Crapware - Please excuse my language but that is what it is. Manufacturers like HP and DELL love to put all these nifty little programs that let you know they can do stuff too; call it “branding” if you like. Ask one of your tech-savy friends what you can remove and you’ll notice a definite “pep” in your computer steps. And make sure your friend helps you zap all the trial software while your at it. Retailers get paid to offer the trials; the “Geek Squad” and other tech professionals will clean off this stuff for a fee.
3) Security - This is not so much a problem for our Mac friend because even though he or she’s gaining popularity, it is still less than 10% of the market; though it may be time to consider some protection. In the “World of Windows”, security programs are a must. Even though Vista is much better a keeping the doors locked, there are just too many miscreants out in the world to go without a guard dog. Now, I’m not a big fan of the “Security Suites” offered by big names such as Norton and McAfee; not because they don’t protect well but because their “body armor” is quite heavy and will slow your speedy computer down. If you have reasonably good habits, I recommend saving your money and downloading AVG’s free virus protection at www.avg.com. If you install your Microsoft updates and keep AVG current, then you will have pretty good protection without undue strain on your CPU. Just remember to remove the trial-security program first. Two anti-virus programs can “crash” your computer.
4) What’s all those little Icons on the bottom right of my screen? Well, this is called the “system tray”. Software programs are like people; they like to put on a good show. To do so, they don’t want to be slow “getting out the door”. Which means many tend to “autoload” waiting to be taken out for a drive. Sort of like keeping the engine running. Problem is when you get 10 or 12 engines cranked it starts sucking all of your gas. Best to find one of your geeky friends but if you are brave enough, go to the “Start search” or “run” line on the start menu and type in msconfig. Go to the “startup” tab and uncheck programs that don’t need to start like a dragster. Common “sneaks” are Adobe, Google, and multimedia programs. Just don’t turn your antivirus off. This DOES NOT remove the program from your computer and it will still run if you open it from the program menu.
Well, I’ve just gotten started but it’s past my bedtime. Goodnight.
