What is Scareware?
September 21, 2009
If you’re a PC user chances are you know that you need software to protect you against not only viruses, but a new class of malicious software called “Spyware”. If you’ve been reading our series of articles here at Computer Rooter you know that it’s a scary situation. The potential for fraudulent activity is high if you don’t take precautions to protect yourself online, including stolen credit card numbers, compromised passwords and even identity theft.
Unfortunately the ‘bad guys’ know that you’re worried and they’re preying on that fear. They’ve unleashed a new class of spyware that many are referring to as ‘Scareware.’ Scareware is software that makes you think you’ve been infected or somehow compromised, usually masquerading as legitimate anti-virus or other security software. These malicious pieces of software will try to scare you into purchasing them, or even convincing you to install additional malicious programs. Some of the most common infections we’ve seen are Antivirus2008, XPAntivirus and SpySherrif. None of these are legitimate computer security solutions. Microsoft reports that in the 2nd half of last year that 7 of the top 25 pieces of Spyware were members of this new Scareware category.
So the question becomes one of what can you do to protect yourself? We still strongly recommend that you have a good anti-virus PLUS anti-spyware application. One of our favorites is currently Vipre from sunbelt software, but there are many other worthwhile considerations such as Avast (free to home users), AVG Pro or Webroot. Additionally, it is very important to insure that your computer remains up to date. Make sure have enabled Microsoft’s automatic updates (found in your control panel), and that you manually check for updates on any other software you are using. Many of these ScareWare programs are installed using vulnerabilities present in older application revisions, including older copies of Microsoft Office (such as Office 2000).
What do you do if you suspect you’re already infected? First insure that your anti-virus and anti-spyware are up to date and run a complete scan of your system. You might also download the free Spybot Search and Destroy and run a complete scan with that tool. If you still have problems do a Google search online for the type of behavior you are experiencing (there are many tools that are designed to handle just a handful of infection types and they do a better job at removing the infections than the “all in one” tools). Lastly, call a computer support professional if you have been unsuccessful in remedying the situation on your own.
Testimonials added
September 16, 2009
Check our our new testimonials page to see what our customers are saying about Computer Rooter technicians.
Protecting Yourself Online, Part 2 – Malicious Emails and Websites
September 15, 2009
Malicious emails and websites can take many forms, but with some basic information you can have a better chance of recognizing/avoiding them.
Malicious Emails often take the form of a “phishing” message, that’s a message where the bad guys are ‘fishing’ for information. Examples include:
1) Emails that appear to come from your paypal account or your bank or any other legitimate account that you may have. They will often ask you to verify your account or that the matter is ‘urgent’. Be on the lookout for any messages that appear to come from a legitmate source but that ask you for personal information (Social Security #, Credit Card #, bank account #, etc..), or send you to a website that asks for personal information. If asked to give personal details, call the institution in question prior to filling out any form or email. Your bank, paypal, ebay, etc… will never ask for personal information via an email.
2) Emails that appear to come from someone you know but seem just a little too vague. Common names first names are often used, or the email might be crafted to appear to come from your boss or colleague. Again, if any personal information is requested, do not provide it.
3) Lookout for misspellings, bad grammar and generic introductions. An example might be “Dear Customer, I am informed that you recently perchased from us. Please fill this form so that we may send you rebate”.
4) A link in the mail is different from the web address you are directed to when you click on it. For example, if a link indicates that you are clicking on it to go to paypal.com, but instead takes you to something entirely different – be suspicious. You can determine the actual address before clicking on the link by hovering your mouse over the link briefly before clicking.
5) If it is too good to be true it typically is. Be wary of emails telling you that you have unclaimed money, that you’ve won the lottery, that provide a link to unlimited free games or software, that offer a heavily discounted mortgage rate or that offer you thousands of dollars to assist in transferring money from an offshore account, etc…
Malicious websites are becoming more and more common. Grisoft research (the makers of the popular AVG Antivirus suite) estimate that 1 in every 1000 websites is currently infected or has malicious intent. They are often used in conjunction with malicious emails as noted above. There are things you can do to avoid them however:
1) Purchase a current antivirus/antispyware application. If you have an antivirus suite from a couple of years ago, chances are it’s not doing enough to protect you. Look at products such as Vipre from Sunbelt Software, or the AVG Internet Security Suite (there are many others but those are 2 of our favorites).
2) Upgrade your browser. User Internet Explorer 8 or Firefox 3. Both have features that are designed to help you avoid malicious websites.
3) Be on the lookout for typos in the domain name. For example if you thought you were visiting www.mybank.net but instead your address bar showed www.mybnk.net, that’s a sure sign that you’re not on the website you thought you were.
If you think you’ve been pray to either a malicious email or website, first contact any institution that might have been referenced (such as your bank or paypal). It’s also a good idea to call a computer professional who can scan your computer with several tools to insure that you are not currently infected. A good technician will also give you further information on how you can avoid these pitfalls in the future.
Protecting Yourself Online, Part 1 – Passwords
September 11, 2009
Going online these days can be a scary thing. With everything we hear about identity theft, spyware, online predators and more you sometimes wonder if there’s really anything you can do to stay safe. Well your internet experience doesn’t have to be one fraught with worry and concern. In this series of short articles we’re going to discuss some basic precautions you can take to keep yourself and your computer safe online.
One of the most fundamental precautions you can take is to create a strong password and to protect it. It is so easy to use a birthdate, a spouse’s name or other easily discovered password that most of us choose to do so without thinking of the implications. Those who are out to steal your confidential information can ‘crack’ a poorly chosen password in a matter of minutes.
Now that the bad guys have your password, they can use it to potentially drain your bank account, open up a new credit card in your name and pose as you in numerous fraudulent online transactions.
The first step to protecting yourself is to choose a STRONG password. The strongest passwords are those that look like random garbage to attackers. You can create a somewhat random looking password and still make it memorable to you.
1) Use a long word or phrase that is easy to remember (the longer the password the better, never less than 8 characters, preferably over 16) (example phrase: I like ice cream).
2) Replace some of the letters with numbers AND special characters (for example replace an e with a 3, or an L with a ‘[’ ). (example: I_[ike_1c3-cr3am).
3) Continue to add complexity by making some of the characters in your password lower case and some upper case. Consider prefacing or suffixing your password with a number or special character. (example:I_[ike_1c3-cr3aM! ).
4) Check your password with one of the many online password strength checking tools such as www.passwordmeter.com. (our sample password above gets an 84%, or VERY STRONG rating)
Now you have a password that’s not that hard to remember, but nearly impossible for an attacker to guess and even harder for them to crack.
Things to avoid when creating a password:
1) Dictionary items. Using a word that is found in the dictionary is easily guessed.
2) Avoid using a single password for all of your accounts.
3) Do not use anything that can be associated with you personally (such as your spouse’s name, your house number (or a previous house #), your logon name, your anniversary, etc…).
Lastly, you need to keep your new password/passwords safe. Here are a few tips:
1) Don’t give your password out to others and never send your password in email or via instant message.
2) Be careful where you store or write down your passwords. Don’t carry them around in your wallet or put them on a sticky note next to your computer.
3) Never use your password on a public computer. For example don’t logon to your bank account at the public library or internet cafe as Keyloggers and other tools can be used to easily steal your password.
Stay tuned for the second article in the series, How to recognize malicious emails and websites.
Should I upgrade to Windows 7?
September 2, 2009
On January 30, 2007 Windows Vista was released to the world. It was received by many as an unwelcome “upgrade” to windows XP due to driver problems, hardware/software incompatibility and numerous performance issues. For the past 2.5 years we’ve largely recommended to our customers that they stay with Windows XP if buying or upgrading a computer. There are exceptions of course, but in general Vista caused too many headaches for the majority of end-users we worked with.
In just over a month (October 22nd, 2009) the successor to Vista will be released, Windows 7. We’ve been using the release candidate (a “pre-release”) for several months and have recently been able to test the final release version. Windows 7 is what Vista should have been from the start. The driver and hardware compatibility issues that came with Vista seem to largely be a thing of the past. We’ve also found it to be faster and more responsive in almost every area, and with the addition of the XP Mode virtual machine, compatibility problems are largely non-existant.
We’re also huge fans of the new and improved Aero interface with features like Aero Peek and Aero Snap as well as the new and improved taskbar (similar in many ways to the Mac’s “dock”). For those of you with Media Center PCs, the new Media Center in Windows 7 is vastly superior to the Vista version (check out Engadget’s in-depth review on Win7 Media Center).
We here at Computer Rooter are excited about this release of Windows and are wholeheartedly recommending it to our clients. If you’re in the market for a new machine, we recommend you wait until the official release of Windows 7 next month (or buy a computer that comes with a free upgrade to the new operating system).
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