Alert: How malware / viruses can ruin your day

From the Panda Labs Blog ( http://pandalabs.pandasecurity.com/ (http://pandalabs NULL.pandasecurity NULL.com/) ), shows how malware and viruses can make small changing to your online banking screens and fool you into giving up information that can then be used to make unauthorized charges or clean you bank account out. (Click on the link below “Live Demo” or look on the sidebar under VodPod Videos)

Live Demo: Banking Trojan (http://vimeo NULL.com/6491332) from Panda Security (http://vimeo NULL.com/pandasecurity) on Vimeo (http://vimeo NULL.com).

I had a client a couple of days ago who asked me to clean her pc of viruses, during the conversation, she mentioned to me that on top of having to deal with the virus on the PC that she was dealing with her bank because someone got her info and drained her bank account in one evening. She mentioned that she didn’t know how they did it because she knew she followed all the rules people know for keeping her information private……

- She would shred old documents

- Had a very difficult sign on passwords

- Only thing she did online was banking at her bank, she would never buy anything online because she was afraid that somehow her info would be compromised (which it was anyways).

I unfortunately had to explain to her that the virus I was cleaning from her PC was the reason she had her information compromised and her bank account drained. The panda labs demo in this post shows how normally going to a banking site (they use Bank of America in the example, however, I should point out that B of A was not the bank my client was using) you get prompted for your Online ID and Online password for your bank. However, as shown once the machine is infected, the entire site looks normal to an untrained eye except for the fact that your sign on suddenly wants you to enter your pin #. Considering your at your banks website by all appearances most people would not think twice in entering that information. However, in fact, as shown in the video the information is on the sign in is actually being sent to criminals who can then use it to steal from you without ever meeting you in person.

Just another example as to why you need a good anti-virus, a good anti-malware (and yes these are 2 different functions) on your machine and that both programs need to be updated regularly and run regularly on your machine to try and keep your PC secure. Also if you do get infected, you should either directly address the issue and make sure to clean your machine if you know what your doing, or make sure that a trained professional cleans your machine before doing any sensitive work on your pc.

Tech: Don’t Copy that floppy makes a come back (Did it really have to!)

Since the early days of computers, the software industry has had a campaign against software copying. In the early days (before CD’s) there was an “educational” video produced that was supposed to teach people of that era about why they should “Copy that Floppy”. The video, which was aimed at young computer users of the time, has 1 major flaw in it. It has the feel of someone in a suit in an office somewhere tried really badly to fit in with a younger crowd that they probably knew nothing about.

For the sake of review here is the Original “Don’t Copy that Floppy”

Now fast Forward to 2009, and someone in the software industry figured it was a good time to try this again with the release this week of “Don’t Copy that 2”. Again, another video that looks like someone who has no clue about its target audience wrote it. In this latest version, we get everything from great looking 90’s effects to klingons (Yes the same ones from Star Trek. Also note, for any Trekkies out there that they have on the 60’s Star Trek look, or is it just me), and also great references to the latest and greatest video game of all time “Doom” (I’m being sarcastic as Doom was released in the early 90’s).

So Here is “Don’t Copy That 2”

(Soapbox) I’m not here to say if piracy is good or bad or if it is stealing or not. Everyone has to make their own choices as to if they want to “Copy that Floppy” or not. However, efforts like these will not do anything but give those who chose to copy, download, share a good laugh. Instead of just telling people Don’t do it, maybe if the industries like the RIAA, MPAA, Software Industry looked at why “Good People” would chose to do it and look at addressing those issues, maybe then they could actually make a dent in the problem. (End Soapbox)

Newsweek has an article on the new “Don’t copy that 2” ( http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/techtonicshifts/archive/2009/09/10/need-to-appeal-to-teens-here-s-a-hint.aspx (http://blog NULL.newsweek NULL.com/blogs/techtonicshifts/archive/2009/09/10/need-to-appeal-to-teens-here-s-a-hint NULL.aspx) ) where they interview interview Keith Kupferschmid, the Software & Information Industry Association’s policy director and one of the most telling reason as to why “the adults just don’t get it” comes from a question concerning the latest video

“Keith Kupferschmid, the Software & Information Industry Association’s policy director, was magnanimous enough to answer my sputtering questions about some of the video’s inexplicable choices. Like: why rap, in 2009? (That’s like sending a disco star to lecture a ’90s classroom to get its “groove thang on” by respecting copyrights.) If you’re referencing a videogame, why choose Doom, which dates to 1993? Why Klingons, instead of teenage vampires or wizards? ”

“We just didn’t think about the vampire thing, I suppose,” says Kupferschmid”

With that being said……I hope you enjoyed the Don’t video’s.

Website: lmgtfy (Otherwise known as Let me Google that for you)

As tech’s we always get questions about “How do I”…”Where can I”….and so on. This always comes from family and friends (or clients who are trying to do something on their home pc) and most of the questions would have simple answers if they would just do an online search.

This is where LMGTFY (Let me Google that for you) comes in ( http://lmgtfy.com/ (http://lmgtfy NULL.com/) ). It allows the more experience users to educate others on how to use an Online search (Believe it or not there has to be people out there who don’t know, because if they did I wouldn’t be getting half the questions I do).

All you need to do is from the LMGTFY page

#1 Type the question they just asked you

#2 Click on the Google Search

#3 Copy the link in the middle of the page and send that link back to the person who asked you the question.

When they get that link and click on it they get the following

As the video shows, the LMGTFY site opens and automatically types in the search term for the person and then clicks on the Google search button (also has a short message of “Was that so Hard”) and then the person who asked the question gets a full list of Google results that will hopefully educate them. so that they can look up their own questions in the future.

Tech: You can’t run any .exe files after cleaning viruses off your pc.

A friend of mine was working on a laptop that he was asked to clean up after the laptop got infected by viruses. He was able to clean up the viruses with very little effort, but (there is always a but in these stories, isn’t there!) one of the affects of the clean up is that some of the “opens with” file type associations were gone. Some viruses are written in such a way that if you clean them out, they will go and cause as much destruction as possible on there way out (Basically a sore loser).

In my friends case it was the ability to open files that ended in exe that was affected. What are exe files, well simply almost any file that is used to install, start, or open a program is an exe file (So they are kind of important for the purposes of using your pc). He would see this message when he tried to open anything that was an .exe file

The solution for this problem (and of course for every problem there is always a solution), which was not to reinstall windows came in a small registry file that puts all the .exe settings and .exe “open with” file associations back in place. In case anyone else runs into this issue, here is the file that fixes the issue. Just click on the folder below to download the file (Because this is a registry file, your pc may alert you to a security warning, just click on allow if it does).

.EXE fix download (http://cid-8804db538b4de88c NULL.skydrive NULL.live NULL.com/browse NULL.aspx/ NULL.Public/exe%20Fix) (http://cid-8804db538b4de88c.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.Public/exe%20Fix (http://cid-8804db538b4de88c NULL.skydrive NULL.live NULL.com/browse NULL.aspx/ NULL.Public/exe%20Fix)) (http://cid-8804db538b4de88c NULL.skydrive NULL.live NULL.com/self NULL.aspx/ NULL.Public/exe%20Fix?authkey=OSitJlxxXDg%24) )

Once you download the file (just save to your desktop or other easy to find area), double click the file and you will add a message that says

(Note where my file says \XPMUser yours will have the name that your signed on to the pc with) click on the yes button.

You will now see a message that says

click ok…..and that is all. You should now be able to open .exe files without being prompted

Software: Microsoft Updates for September

One Tuesday a month, Microsoft releases fixes and updates for various MS software, this is commonly known as “Patch Tuesday”. For September 2009, Microsoft has 5 important updates that address “vulnerabilities in Windows. I know that term sounds fancy to most, so lets explain it this way -

Your home (Own or Rent), has numerous windows and a few doors (Of course, duh!) and whenever you leave your home you make sure to look all your windows and doors (and some people have a security system they turn on). So imagine that you had the lock on your front door break and you couldn’t lock your door anymore what would you do? Of course you would go out and change the lock to an updated working lock. Well in this case that’s what Microsoft did, they figured out that the side door and back door and a couple of windows (no pun intended) of you “PC house” had broken locks. So before you step outside (the internet), they have the new replacement locks for you, and its all done automatically for you. You just have to request the “lock change” from the Microsoft website.

Here is a list for those of you who are a little more Geek and want to know what is being updated ( http://www.microsoft.com/security/updates/bulletins/200909.aspx (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/security/updates/bulletins/200909 NULL.aspx) )

Microsoft security updates for September 2009

As part of Microsoft’s routine, monthly security update cycle, we released 5 new security updates on September 8, 2009.

Latest Security Updates

MS09-045 (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-045 NULL.mspx)- addresses a vulnerability in Jscript (KB 971961)

MS09-046 (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-046 NULL.mspx)- addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows (KB 956844)

MS09-047 (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-047 NULL.mspx)- addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows (KB 973812)

MS09-048 (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-048 NULL.mspx)- addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows (KB 967723)

MS09-049 (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-049 NULL.mspx)- addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows (KB 970710)

How to get the Updates

If you have automatic updates turned on, you might already have the updates. To learn how to turn automatic updates on for your operating system, see Update your PC automatically (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/windows/downloads/windowsupdate/automaticupdate NULL.mspx).

If you do not have automatic updates turned on, or to check whether you need the updates, go to Microsoft Update (http://go NULL.microsoft NULL.com/fwlink/?LinkId=148275) if you have any version of Windows that isn’t Vista or Windows 7. If you have Vista or Windows 7 go to the Start button on your desktop and click on setting –> Control Panel –> Windows Updates and then select Check for Updates (Arrow #1) followed by looking at the status center (Arrow #2) and selecting install updates if any are listed.

Tech: Happy 40th Birthday to the Internet

On this day (Sep. 2nd 1969) in a lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, two computers passed test data through a 15-foot gray cable. Bringing with it the 1st steps to the internet being born. Later in 1969 computers from Stanford, UCSB, and the University of Utah joined the 1st computer connection at UCLA and the internet was born.

National Geographic has an interesting 5-min video on the birth of the internet. You can find it at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090831-internet-40th-video-ap.html (http://news NULL.nationalgeographic NULL.com/news/2009/08/090831-internet-40th-video-ap NULL.html) .

The web (or inter-tubes) as we know it came to life at the hands of Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.

So Happy Birthday

Internet

Just imagine what life would be like without social networking sites, EBay, Twitter…….

Tech: How to tell how long your PC has been running

One of the 1st questions a tech will ask when they receive a support call is “When did you last reboot the pc”. This is because Windows over time will lose more and more resources, which will cause the pc to “Run Slow” or have “Random errors” or “programs that don’t work anymore”, etc. The non-technical explanation to what happens is that the computer gets “tired”. If you have ever stayed up all night (if you went out to clubs or parties, or stayed up studying for an exam) where you didn’t get any or very little sleep (less than an hour) before you had to start your normal day to day activities, how did (or would) you feel. You would feel run down, not sharp, you would be slow and probably struggle doing even the most simple of tasks. Well that is what happens to a pc that stays on for days on end. So what do you do, if your the person lacking sleep, your probably looking for that “15 min cat nap” to try and make it to the end of your normal days activities. Well for a computer it doesn’t need 15 or even 5 min. A simple restart of the pc will refresh its memory and give the pc the rest its needs. So now back to our story……..

When I (or another tech) asks “When did you last reboot your pc”, we will get answers from “Oh I just rebooted” or “I don’t know it was on when I got here”, etc……

As a tech it really helps to find the exact time that the pc has been running and this is a simple way of getting that information directly from the pc itself.

1 – Go to start –> Run –> and type CMD (Then click on OK)

2 – From the Command Prompt (That’s the black window with the blinking cursor window to some of you)

Type cd \

(There is a space between the cd part and the \ part) (Then hit enter)

3 – Now from where the cursor is type

net statistics workstation | find /i “statistics since”

(After the word workstation is | which is called a pipe and is the character on the same keyboard button with the \ which is most likely above the enter key and there is a space after i before the ” )

(Then hit enter and you will find the following info)

In this case it shows that the pc has been on since 9/1/2009 at 10:14 PM. That way if the person says “we just rebooted”, you can double check and make sure.

Credit for this post goes to Julie @ thebackroom tech blog ( http://thebackroomtech.com/2009/09/01/find-windows-system-uptime-from-the-command-line/ (http://thebackroomtech NULL.com/2009/09/01/find-windows-system-uptime-from-the-command-line/) )

UPDATE: Gmail is back up

Google has posted a notice on its blog concerning today’s Gmail outage. (*Times posted on the Gmail blog are Pacific Standard Time (US) – I believe)

From the Gmail Blog (http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/todays-gmail-problems.html (http://gmailblog NULL.blogspot NULL.com/2009/09/todays-gmail-problems NULL.html))

Today’s Gmail problems (http://gmailblog NULL.blogspot NULL.com/2009/09/todays-gmail-problems NULL.html)

Tuesday, September 01, 2009 1:15 PM

Posted by David Besbris, Engineering Director
Update (2:37 pm): We’ve fixed the issue, and Gmail should be back up and running as usual. We’re still investigating the root cause of this outage, and we’ll share more information soon. Thanks for bearing with us.
We know many of you are having trouble accessing Gmail right now — we are too, and we definitely feel your pain. We don’t usually post about minor issues here (the Apps status dashboard (http://www NULL.google NULL.com/appsstatus) and the Gmail Help Center (http://mail NULL.google NULL.com/support/) are usually where this kind of information goes). Because this is impacting so many of you, we wanted to let you know we’re currently looking into the issue and hope to have more info to share here shortly. If you have IMAP (http://mail NULL.google NULL.com/support/bin/answer NULL.py?hl=en&answer=75725) or POP (http://mail NULL.google NULL.com/support/bin/answer NULL.py?hl=en&answer=10350) set up already, you should be able to access your mail that way in the meantime. We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience and will get Gmail back up and running as soon as possible.

Alert: Anyone trying to get to Gmail – Gmail is currently out of order

Anyone currently trying to get to Gmail will see

No formal explanation has been released of of yet. If you need to access your Google Email, then as of now, just keep trying every so often.

**Note: For myself and all other Tech’s out there, unless the Tech you know directly works for Google, there isnt much we can do. So for all those calling your local tech now (or me) asking them “why is Gmail not working” and “how long will it take for us to fix it”, we don’t know.

Soapbox: Thank You to all the Visitors of TechGeekandMore

On this late evening of Aug 31, 2009 I just wanted to say Thank you to everyone who has been visiting my blog for the past 7 months. When I started this, it was because a lot of people (Family, Co-Workers, and Clients I support as part of my “real” job) all kept asking basically the same Tech and Geek questions, in March it was Conflickr, last couple of months it was virus removal, now its all about Windows 7. So I figured if enough people kept asking me about the same thing, maybe I could post answers online and make it easy for the people with questions to get answers and more importantly to get informed.

The 1st month I did this, I had 87 people visit TechGeekandMore, and honestly, I wasn’t ever expecting much more than that. I haven’t done much of any advertising for TGM(other than whatever links are either posted directly by WordPress or by Bing or by Google), and when I write my posts, I try to write them in as much simple English as I can as opposed to Tech speak or Geek Speak. I’m no formal writer, and had no idea where this whole blog thing was going to go when it started.

However, a couple of minutes before September 1, and I’m happy to say (and a little shocked too in a good way) that every month TechGeekandMore has been around it has received more views than the month before and as of this writing for the month of Aug 2008, TechGeekandMore has received 1513 visits. I know to some of you, those who also write blogs or those who like to read a lot of blogs, that 1500 visitors may not be a lot, but to me it is an incredible feeling.

So with that to those of you who have visited, I say Hello and Thank you……I didn’t start with any formal written plans for this blog, just an idea, and the rest I have learned along the way. I now see more interesting posibilities in the near future of TGM. So please come back and visit TGM often, I may not post every single minute (as it was never my idea to post just for posting sake), but I do plan to post as often as I can, things that I hope will help those who do not understand the foreign languages of Tech and Geek, how to communicate and survive in a Tech and Geek world.

Sincerely

Alex (In charge of this crazy thing called TechGeekandMore)

Tech Geek and More

Technology Explained for All