A lot of the reason we see people buying Mac?s over PC?s is not just because of its ease of use but also because it has been virus free for the most part. Well now that might start to change as there are reports out there that a backdoor Trojan is floating around. The Trojan is a variant of a well known remote access Trojan *RAT*, it is known in Windows as the darkComet. It has come to be known on the MAC as the Blackhole RAT. The problem that can happen with Mac users is the Black Hole name is already being used by legitimate application that will increase security on your Mac. It helps you get rid of sensitive information like recently used file lists, data that is on the clipboard and much more.
It has been known to do these types of things to your PC:
Place text files on your desktop
Sending URLs to the client to open a website
Sending a restart, shutdown or a sleep command
Running arbitrary shell commands
Obstructing what you are doing by placing a full screen window with a message that only allows for you to click a reboot option only
Possible the worst of them all, using a pop up fake admin password window to try and phish out your password
It looks this Trojan is able to get on your system main through pirated software downloads, torrent sites, or anywhere you may download applications that need to be installed. So be careful where you download your applications.
Remember Monty Python’s Flying Circus? One of the skits is done in a cafe where the only item on the menu is Spam. “Spam! Spam! Spam! Spam! Lovely Spam! Wonderful Spam!” sang the Viking patrons at the cafe. That is where all that nasty lunch meat reference of an annoying computer scam comes from.
Not many people are big fans of a can of Spam, there are some who enjoy the taste, but I do not know of anyone who likes electronic spam. Spam is spread out all over the internet and is designed to attack computers gathering information, data, or just giving them viruses. It began back in the 90’s with the use of email, spammers sending out thousands of bogus emails. Email providers even had to get a service that detected spam and sent it to a separate folder. But even that is not keeping out the crap as spammers find new ways to infiltrate and bypass security systems to annoy you even more.
I read in a message that a person had 493 messages that were spam, wow.
Today, botnets are software agents that run by themselves and are independent once they are set up by a hacker or spammer. They are sent out through distributed systems, systems that are autonomous and communicate with other computers in a network. Hence the name: ‘roBOT NETwork’. These robots are designed to infect your computer with trojans, worms, and other malicious wares.
In fact, the email botnets send out so much spam equaling 85-90% of all messages send and received!
Spam does not stop at emails, they reach out to instant messaging, social media such as Myspace and Facebook, and even blogs like Computer Geeks. I cannot tell you how many spam comments I get with bogus links to websites or just random words to fill and clutter the inbox.
The number of spam messages for the United States reached 6.6??Trillion this past year, they were second only to Brasil with 7.7 Trillion, and India came in third with 3.6 Trillion.
This is a costly business, spam means manpower, loss of productivity, and additional equipment and software, in 2007 the United States spent $13 Billion alone on combating it. What can you do at home to fight back against these bots? Not a whole lot.
These botnets are so numerous to name, trying to will give you a headache, which is exactly why they are designed. The infected computers, called “zombies”, send out all those annoying emails about Viagra or Cialis, or new products, or a girl who wants ?to have sex with you(check to make sure it might be a real one).
You might not even know it, but your computer could be infected and be sending out messages! Once the virus is installed, the “botmaster” can control is from anywhere. Recently a botnet named Rustock has become the biggest of the bots, controlling over one million bots sending out over 44 billion spam messages a day(Symantec study).
They are getting harder to detect too. These new botnets can be detected right away with the security softwares, so they are switching from carrying bulk messages to carrying smaller amounts so they can slip right by and into your inbox.
Bottom line, there will always be spam sent out in the billions every day. It is a fact of life, as long as internet exists, so will spam. Yum!
For all you frugal frogs out there feeling jumpy about paying for that “extra protection” on your Anti-Virus program, here is some information that might help with that decision.
Personally I run two programs on my laptop, AVG and Avast, both on the free plan. That means on the “upgrade” screen that always keeps popping up to remind me to buy the “good” version, mine is the one with only one check next to it while the “good” version is the one with ALL the checks.
If you are unsure about whether to pay that $50 clams for the “good” version, there is a good reason to hesitate. AVG, or Anti Virus Guard, used to be free with all the protection available. Then it was bought out and was offered at a price, but what happened to the protection? You might have noticed the pop-up feature, and it pops up once per day for one month each year, all this is designed to make you buy the better version.
The free antivirus kit has less protection now, it has an outdated search tool for rootkits, which is malware that enables continuous access to a computer. Apparently the older free version 7.5 can search and root-out rootkits, but the newer version ?lacks any ability to do anything like protect your computer from such a threat, which is a dangerous one.
Are you thinking what I am thinking? If this trend of taking off protection on the free versions continues, then that so called anti-virus will no longer be free, it will cost you a crashed PC!
The recommended version of AVG includes online and identity protection, anti-spam, and enhanced firewall, along with the basic free version features of High Speed Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware with auto updates and LinkScanner for safe searching.
In a test run by PC World who were also concerned with this question, the results came in with AVG at number 3, Avast at number 2, and Avira AntiVir Personal came in at number 1 for detection, disinfection, and speed. The test was run through a program AV-Test based in Germany, and these three along with Microsoft Security Essentials, who came right behind AVG in the rankings, PC Tools, Comodo, Panda Cloud, and ClamWin.
That old adage comes back with “nothing is free”. If you want the best protection from those viruses, spam, and malicious software that is constantly attacking people’s computers, then you better whip out the dollars and pay up. It is unfortunate that there is no?altruistic?company out there offering it’s security for free, like Microsoft Security Essentials is boasting, but that is reality. I just checked my AVG’s status, and it told me LinkScanner and other “paid for” features are running smoothly. Interesting, very interesting how they offer this for a price yet it tells me I can use it for free.
The decision is yours, the information that Anti-Virus programs gives you is very confusing, so consulting with others is strongly recommended to get a good opinion on the right program.
If you are new to the Computer Geeks Blogs, then you are in for an awakening, as this blog is where you can come for the TRUTH. We are hit with information as soon as we wake up and it lasts all day until we go unconscious. This can lead to health problems, as well as bad habits, so at this blog we try to alleviate the symptoms by cutting out all the B.S. and getting down to the facts.
The fact is that leaving your PC unprotected, or relying on some third rate anti-virus program, is not just unsafe it is down right ignorant. Microsoft has released a security tool for everyone to use, oh boy! Is it what you need during these times of dangerous, unsecured websites, drive-by attacks by hackers, and malicious downloads that you don’t even know is happening?
Microsoft Security Essentials, the new free anti-virus software that replaces Windows Live OneCare which costs money and only protected against adware and spyware, is available for all. It will protect you from not just these two attacks, but also from rootkits, malware, viruses, and Trojans. It goes back to Windows xp, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. But there is some drawbacks here that are significant enough to complain about.
The first is that you need a computer that has a valid license to run Windows. This leaves a whole slew of companies with their computers unaccepted thus unprotected. By throwing this software into as many computers as they can, which is Microsoft’s aim, to give freely of what they found to be a “super” deal. Do not be too sure.
Think if this anti-virus program made up the majority of protection for millions of people with computers. Green light for hackers, red light for you. By trying to be altruistic Microsoft seems to have mixed motives. Maybe if this software was perfect in every way and made life worry free, then we wouldn’t have to explain the truth to you: Microsoft is looking out for themselves, the selfish company.
It is interesting how all these anti-virus competitor companies such as McAfee, Symantec, and Norton dismiss Microsoft Security Essentials as being insignificant compared to their programs. Yet their shares have fallen drastically since the release of MSE in July of 2009 when they released the beta. Who is right? Who is wrong? It seems the war against viruses has turned inward and now a battle for supremacy over who is the most protecting has taken over. What about us?
If you are looking for the right anti-virus program, I urge you to test each one out. Try Microsoft Security Essentials, see how it fits with your system. Do not take the word of any blog, article, or anyone who tells you that their software is the best. The world we live in is hostile, so take the right actions to prevent your personal and business life from being invaded.
These anti-virus programs all work. It is just a matter of scanning for the truth and quarantining the lies.
Yes, you have started to hear no doubt about the holidays and all it’s wonderful magic. No doubt you have also heard about being safe, usually in reference to too much drinking at those awkwardly awful family parties and the weather. But at Computer Geeks we want to key you in on more important matters: your computer safety.
How safe is your computer? If you use the internet you take the risk of catching a virus, like the cold it can be prevented if you take certain steps. No I am not talking about downloading the latest anti-virus software or the cool new tool that can fly around your computer like superman saving your files from the evil file corrupter.
I am talking about what is already on your computer, like your web browser whether that be Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome, that have the tools you need to protect yourself. You can find these tools in the ‘Tools’ menu bar located at the top of your browser. Look at ‘options’ on Firefox or ‘security zones’ on Internet Explorer. By telling your browser exactly what type of sites it is allowed to visit and the level of restriction, you are ensuring that you will be protected from spyware, unwanted advertisements, and those “drive-by” downloads.
You may have heard recently that there was a big “drive-by” attack that hackers did on IE6. What happened was that hackers were able to get into a certain website and make links using the sites name to another website, which people visited, and got screwed because just by being on the site malicious software and viruses were downloaded to people’s computers.They are still doing it on IE8, so be careful.
That is just one example of how easy it is for hackers to get into your system, simply by taking over a website and waiting for a user to walk aimlessly into the site, unaware that they will be regretting not listening to this blog and taking the necessary steps to prevent such a thing!
One of these steps involves securing your email, particularly in Outlook. A common pitfall that is easily overlooked is the text. You have two choices: HTML-Text, or Plain Text, which is better? It is not a question of better, but safer. HTML might look good, but in the long run it is dangerous because this is where all those phishing scams thrive on. By using Plain Text it disables the Active Content that opens email attachments automatically, and allows safer emailing.
Instant Messaging worms have become more and more vicious and prevalent in today’s internet world. Be careful when talking with your friends online, be wary of ‘Away’ messages, because if you are chatting with someone who sent you a malicious worm or virus masquerading as a link somewhere infected you could be in for a bad time. You can usually tell when a message like in email that is suspicious.
Hackers are always looking for new ways to get into your computer and screw things up. Do not allow them to, especially during the holidays when you should be out gallivanting around with your family enjoying the holiday spirit.
Adobe is releasing a new version called Reader X. Another name for that might be Adobe ?Bait-for-Hackers?. With the release of this new product which enables users to open PDF files and view them with even more content types, and expanded PDF access to mobile devices.
What also comes with the release of Adobe Reader X and other Acrobat X applications is the susceptibility of hacks and security issues that comes with the ongoing threat of malicious campaigns against programs such as these.
Even the chief security executive for Adobe said that there will be a bull?s-eye on this product once it is released in 30 days.
Adobe is taking the hackers into the sandbox.
To explain, a sandbox in the world of computers is a way of isolating running programs. This security mechanism restricts the ability of untested codes and third party programs to enter and see the network access and the host systems. In other words it makes the world of computers a better place because it plays nice and makes sure your computer isn?t running around the playground kissing every kid and telling about it.
While the sandbox protect mode will not stop attacks, it will at least stem them to a point where they are manageable. Hackers want bragging rights, so the first one to break into Adobe Reader X is a hero, and then it is off and running for them to cause chaos with your information and money.
Hackers can get into this program and exploit it by running the program with the looks and feel of the real thing. So when you put your credit card in to upgrading to full service or when you send money, although you think it is going to a legitimate company, it is really going to some fat over-weight asshole who needs your money to fuel his Twinkie addiction.
Sandbox is another word for isolation chamber.
Applets, which are self-contained programs that run in your operating system, are common in web browsers; they use the mechanism to safely execute untrusted code embedded in web pages. Java is a common one you might be familiar with. When it asks for your permission to run a program, that is an example of a sandbox doing its job.
The one major important job of the sandbox for Adobe and for your system is that is prevents viruses and Trojans from infecting you. If you do not want to get sick and lose all your memory and work that you have done for years on your favorite computer, make sure you have a sandbox application running. A common one is Sandboxie, which is a great tool for isolating the virtual processes in a controlled environment to allow for testing before it is sent out over the web and into your machine.
Adobe against the Hackers
The programmers at Adobe want to make sure that they come out on top over the hackers. A daunting task, but with 13,000 lines of code making it the most popular program to get this much attention, anyone trying to get into this sandbox will be tested to the fullest extent.
If you are downloading the new Adobe and are unsure about whether it is safe or not, remember the days of playing in the sandbox, and you should not have any more worries. The internet playground is a better place with a sandbox in it.
