April 19, 2010

Not Protected After All: Antivirus Infections Strike Despite Your Security Software.

Filed under: Computer Performance, Fake Antivirus, Viruses, data recovery — Tags: anti-spyware, anti-virus, antivirus, Antivirus 2009, computer infection, computer recovery, computer security, data recovery, firewall, firewalls, Pro Antivirus, Safe mode, security software, Software, System Antivirus, Ultimate Antivirus, Vista Antivirus, Windows registry, Windows repair, XP Antivirus, XP Antivirus 2008 — admin @ 3:10 pm

You got your polio and whooping cough shots as a kid and you never came down with either of these dreaded diseases.

You might think that your security software on your computer works the same way. You took the preventative measures to avoid the infection, so you should be safe.

But, surprisingly, security software does not always provide the kind of protection to your computer that your childhood vaccines provide to your body’s immune system.

Your anti-virus/anti-spyware programs and firewalls can be made vulnerable through fake antivirus program scams that fool even savvy computer users.  The fake antivirus program scams arrived last year as “XP Antivirus 2008.”  It lives on in many variations, including “Antivirus 2009.” This scam is successful because it cleverly mimics Windows warning screens and legitimate antivirus programs. Virtually every legitimate antivirus company has a product called Antivirus 2009, so it’s no wonder so many computer users are confused–and duped!

Here’s how the infection scam works. You get an official looking popup warning or an e-mail message telling you that you are infected. To remedy the situation, you are instructed to click on a link that takes you to a website. Then you are told you need to download software.

As a result, you click on links that generate malicious code or downloads and runs questionable files. You will inadvertently override your own installed protection. In some cases, you will actually disable your protection programs! Even worse, the scam will make it look as if your protection programs are still running, so you will be none the wiser.

Any popup or error message that refers to Antivirus 2008 or 2009 (including System Antivirus, Ultimate Antivirus, Vista Antivirus, Pro Antivirus or XP Antivirus followed by a number) should be considered extremely suspicious. If you see any reference to a virus that is not specifically from the product that you have installed in your computer for protection, you should consider it a fake–and dangerous.

Windows won’t ever alert you of a virus infection.

Getting rid of the code once it has infected your system is quite involved. In our service business, we use a combination of several manual detection and removal processes, along with multiple scanning programs to recover your data. This ensures that all potential re-infection avenues (temp files, restore points, modified dll files, etc.) have been removed or restored. We routinely warn novices not to attempt this without help.

Depending upon how long and which version of the malware you have been infected with, you may also need to run a Windows repair after you remove the code. Certain Windows files become corrupted as a side effect.

If you know how to work with the Windows registry, operate in Safe Mode and have a current backup of your critical files, you should be able to find instructions online for removing the exact version of the infection that you have. If not, consult a tech savvy friend or a professional. Again, removing this infection so that you don’t re-infect is technically complex and not for the novice.

April 15, 2010

Don’t Fool Around with the F1

Filed under: F1 Scam, Microsoft, Microsoft Security Essentials, Viruses, security advisory — Tags: computer, computer help, computer security, computer service technician, computer services, computer technician., computers, F1, F1 Scam, internet explorer, keep your computer safe, malicious web page, march Microsoft advisory, march Microsoft security advisory, March security advisory, Microsoft, Microsoft advisory, Microsoft Essentials, Microsoft Security, Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft virus, Microsoft viruses, security advisory, security services, security virus, security viruses, service technician, snopes, snopes.com, virus, Viruses — admin @ 12:59 pm

It sounds like it couldn’t possibly be true, but Microsoft itself confirms it: pressing F1 on a computer keyboard can actually activate malware for Internet Explorer users.

Microsoft released an advisory March 1, 2010 that warns of the F1 scam.

“Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a vulnerability in VBScript that is exposed on supported versions of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 through the use of Internet Explorer. Our investigation has shown that the vulnerability cannot be exploited on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008. The main impact of the vulnerability is remote code execution. We are not aware of attacks that try to use the reported vulnerabilities or of customer impact at this time[…] Upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to help protect our customers. This may include providing a security update through our monthly release process or providing an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs.” By: Microsoft TechNet.

With this security issue, a dialog box is displayed by a malicious web page or other Internet site. Then a prompt occurs that urges users to press F1. The prompt often appears repeatedly. When users hit the F1 key, malware can cause malicious code to be run on the user’s computer.

Microsoft admits that there is not a patch for this vulnerability at this time.

If you are online and a site is trying to convince you to press F1, you are advised to simply log off the system. You could also use the Task Manager to kill the Internet Explorer process. Making sure that you have working security software such as Microsoft Essentials is most essential to keeping your computer and information safe.

The F1 scam is currently one of the Hot 25 on the scam-busting website Snopes.com.

Check back for updates on security advisories!  Should you suspect that your computer has been infected with a virus, contact your local computer service technician.

April 8, 2010

Open your eyes when surfing the internet!

Filed under: E-mail, Online Safety, Viruses, Wireless Internet — Tags: computer, computer expert, computer security, computers, cybercrime, Internet, minneapolis, minneapolis minnesota, minneapolis mn, minnesota, open wifi, security, spam e-mail, spam emails, spyware, surfing the internet, surfing the net, virus, Viruses, WiFi — admin @ 2:57 pm

Would you cross the roads with your eyes shut?  Open your eyes when surfing the internet!

Reading the Star Tribune on Sunday, we learned that Minneapolis is now ranked the seventh-riskiest city in America for cybercrime!!  Eeek, now that is hitting a little close to home.  Every day we are hearing or seeing in the news something about a new virus attack or online threat to our computers.  It’s not like all the computers in Minneapolis are going to grow legs and arms to strangle us.

The Minneapolis area does have one of the highest populations of in-home computers and computer users in the nation.  Minneapolis is growing to become known as a very internet savvy city.  Due to this, we are more likely to encounter spyware, spam emails and other viruses.

Keep yourself safe by never fully opening an email, use a preview window to read your messages  (both entourage and outlook allow you to do this), do not log into confidential sites when you are on an open wifi network unless it is secure, and make sure you know what you are downloading before you hit ok.  It’s just like you’re a kid again and your mother is teaching you how to cross the road. Look both ways to ensure that there are not any viruses coming before you begin to access the site and keep looking both ways as you access the site to make sure a virus doesn’t pop up out of nowhere.  If you are nervous or have questions, ask a computer expert. We’re here to help and answer questions.

April 6, 2010

Gmail Introduces New Security Against Scammers

Filed under: E-mail, Gmail, Google, security advisory — Tags: computer, computer security, computer security expert, computer security expert warns, computer security experts, computer security experts warn, computers, E-mail, e-mail security, gmail, gmail account, gmail account hijacked, gmail advisory, gmail hijacked, gmail scam, gmail security advisory, gmail security system, gmail’s new security, gmail’s new security system, Google, google engineering director, pavni diwanji, scam, security advisory — admin @ 12:28 pm

A friend in need is a friend indeed, says the old axiom.

Computer security experts are warning you to be wary of old friends who show up in your e-mail box and in need of your money. Your friend may be an innocent and unknowing pawn in an elaborate scheme that seeks to rip you off.

One of Google’s own, an engineering director named Pavni Diwanji, was targeted by such a scam. The Google executive reports that he recently received an e-mail from one of his legitimate acquaintances who was reportedly in a jam in London, broke and desperate due to a series of unfortunate events.

Turns out a scammer had hijacked the acquaintance’s account. That allowed the scammer to not only know where the acquaintance was, but to also have access to all of his e-mail contacts.

It’s not an isolated case. The Data Doctors have seen several cases where local clients have unknowingly had such e-mail pleas issued from their accounts.

The scam prompted the Google engineering director to initiate tightened up security measures in an effort to prevent Gmail customers from having their accounts hijacked.

The new measures are especially effective when logins appear in quick succession from different countries.

Here is the link to find out more about how to protect yourself and to learn about the new “security system” in place with Gmail accounts.

March 31, 2010

Picking Better Passwords Is Key to Security

Filed under: Internet, Online Safety, Passwords — Tags: choosing a password, computer, computer security, computers, online security, password, password security, password use, Passwords, security, security expert, security experts, symantec, symantec report, symantec survey — admin @ 10:31 am

Security firm Symantec heard from 400 customers in a just-completed survey about password use.

Turns out far fewer of them (a mere 3%) admit to using the old favorite ‘password’ for their password.  The name of a pet is the top category of passwords in the survey, with 10% of respondents reporting that they tap in ‘Tigger’ or somesuch name when logging into secure accounts.

Security experts frown on using the name of a pet, a significant other, a child’s name, a middle name or a birth date when choosing a password. All of these passwords could be ascertained from information readily available or easily guessed, especially with the information now available on social networking sites.

Choosing and using effective passwords is considered an efficient and effective way to keep your online accounts secure and lower your risk with online scammers.

A whopping 59% of those who responded to the Symantec survey reported that they relied on their memory for recalling a password.

Here are some suggestions on how to choose passwords that will be memory-stickers for you, but will be tricky enough to thwart a thief:

• A longer password is more secure than a shorter one
• Alter passwords with numbers or symbols at the beginning or end
• Mix up letters and numbers. Toss in punctuation symbols as well. For example, if “Billie Jean” has always been your favorite song, replace each ‘e’ with a number, and toss in an exclamation point at the end, so now you have Billi9J9an! which is both memorable and difficult to crack.

You can view the full responses to the Symantec survey.