Archive for September, 2009
Microsofts Security Essentials AV Requires Valid OS
Sep 29th
Microsoft released their free Security Essentials Anti-Virus program and it’s free to download as of today! It’s available in three versions, Windows XP 32bit, Vista and Win7 32bit, and Vista and Win7 64bit. It sports a clean interface, and from published accounts, it has good detection rates. File scan times aren’t going to break speed records anytime soon, but time will tell… actually, when it comes to Microsoft and speed, perhaps time has already had it’s say. Anyway, I was reading the License Agreement and noticed that it requires a valid OS installation, otherwise the Security Essentials program may be disabled, and that the OS itself may be reduced in functionality – depending on the version. Here’s a screen-shot of the wording…
Security Essentials License Agreement
I would guess that folks with illegal copies of Windows will opt to forego the protection this would afford them, and stay with whatever they currently have, if any! Of course many will argue “that’s what they deserve for not buying a legal copy”. But who knows how many of those machines running illegal copies of Windows are already harboring malware or being controlled by bots… bots that are sending spam email to an inbox with your name on it? I won’t harp on this because there are free Anti-Virus solutions out there, namely Avira Antivir Personal, and Avast Home Edition, but any solution which would reduce the total number of infected machines would be welcome.
What is a rootkit and why should I be concerned?
Sep 22nd
“Rootkits… they are PURE EVIL… NO ONE IS SAFE… LOCK UP YOUR DATA!!!” OK, I admit that’s a little over the top, but hopefully I have your attention, because this is a very serious issue for anyone connected to the Internet that cares about their personal and financial data. What are rootkits? I’m SO GLAD you asked! More >
Vulnerability in SMB 2.0 affects Vista, Windows 7RC
Sep 13th
A bug has been discovered in Microsoft’s new-and-improved version of the file server service, SMB 2.0 that lets you send just one malformed packet to a system… and bluescreens that system. More >
About PC Protection Software
Sep 11th
You can never achieve 100% protection against all the computer “nasties”. There are just too many ways your system can be compromised. However, you can achieve reasonable protection and still have a computer which performs well. Here are our current recommendations for computer protection. More >
Busy year for Cyber-Criminals
Sep 10th
Just how busy were cyber-criminals last year? If the latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report is any indication, they’ve never been busier. According to Volume XIV of the report, issued in April, attackers released Trojan horses, viruses, and worms (also called “malicious code”) at a record pace in 2008, primarily targeting computer users’ confidential information. More >
Beware The Short URL
Sep 8th
Twitter’s messages (tweets) are fairly short at 140 characters max. Many people abbreviate words in interestingly cryptic ways to maximize the space available and get their message across. When including long web links, they use a “link shortening” service like bit-ly or Tiny.url. Twitter can do this for you as well. That’s great, but don’t take it for granted that URL shortening services like bit.ly and TinyURL are redirecting you to trustworthy web sites. More >
WordPress versions prior to 2.8.4 under attack!
Sep 5th
Update now to 2.8.4! The following link may help!
Piano Prodigy
Sep 4th
Some things you just have to share. This video is Emily Bear, age 6, playing piano on the Ellen Degeneres Show.
Improving WordPress Security
Sep 3rd
We recently setup a WordPress website and after lots of tweaking, we ended up with something that would serve as a front-end to our ZenDesk Help Desk. WordPress also provides a great way to communicate with everyone. After making sure things were working pretty well, we decided to find ways to improve the security of the site, so a little research was in order. We want to pass on what we found. More >
Climate Change – The New World
Sep 1st
I’ve been reading news articles regarding climate change since the mid-80’s or so. I forget exactly when – perhaps 25 years ago. It started with a Newsweek cover article. The cover itself showed a graphic of a sweating family. I was so alarmed by that story that it never really left my mind. Over time, I kept my eye on the issue, telling others when I had the chance, often being thought of as some sort of wacko. More >
