Welcome to the Geek Choice Blog

This threat has been an on-going concern for web browser developers and security experts for the past five years. It is a very serious threat because it involves you and me, the victims when a hijacker takes over the computer without us even knowing what hit us.

Hackers can easily snatch up all the cookies in the jar. HTTP cookies are the reason we have anti-spyware, malware, and weaknesses in the wall against attack from invaders. They leave a trail of information, since they are basically text files saved by the web browser, a hacker can follow the trail towards sensitive, personal information saved from the internet. Here is a couple tricks the hackers will use to pull your pants down, no one wants to be caught with their britches hanging out in the wind, so Geek Choice will tell you how to prevent this from happening too.

Session Fixation: A session is when you log onto the internet, either through LAN or Wireless. The fixation is sending a link that will set the user’s session id once the user logs in. Once this is done, the hacker has easy access to that user’s computer.

Sidejacking: This is a common attack from hackers where they sniff out the packets of information being sent back and forth between two parties and steal the session cookie. While many sites encrypt the login password at the homepage, the rest of the site is often unrestricted, allowing hackers to intercept the information that the user might think is secure yet little does he know…a hooded, sniveling little junior high genius knows this is his in, his entrance into your computer. WiFi are vulnerable and are perfect for hackers to run around hijacking your browser and stealing all the files you thought were safe.

Cross-site scripting: Another widely used and widely damaging attack by hackers who want to hijack your computer is by a trick. The trick is by fooling the computer into thinking the code is trusted, meanwhile it is malicious and once in your computer-devastating.

Man-in-the-Middle: The worst one of all. Let’s set the stage for this attack: Two people are involved in a private conversation online about matters that do no need to be heard by anyone else. On the side is a third party, an unknown party that could benefit from the information being said between the two people. All the third party has to do is wait for one of them so send the public key, and once that is intercepted, the third party can impersonate the two people and take complete control of what is talked about. Scary. The best way to prevent this is to put passwords on public keys so that when you are using WiFi, it is not open for hackers to jump right in.

We talked about the different types of hijacking, now let’s talk about preventing them.

Use a long, random number as your session key, this stops the hacker from guessing the key through trial and error. Encrypting your session is a good way to waylay attackers by creating complicated algorithms that will make the sensitive information only readable to you and others who have the key.

One simple and easy tip that Geek Choice will leave you with: log out when you are done with a session, it will save your life.

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 Geek Choice 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.

Flash Drives, or SSD (Solid-State Drives as they are not commonly known) have become one of the best ways to transfer information from on computer to another. It is so simple, you plug in this little piece of plastic with a USB connector into the proper receptacle on the desktop or laptop, and presto there are your saved files, reports, presentations, and homework papers.

SSD’s are like HDD’s or Hard Disk Drives in the sense that they are a data storage unit. The difference is that it is not a disk, but a microchip. This makes data storage more durable, as it is encased in plastic it can withstand shock and temperature damage, it also provides a longer life as it does not need batteries . SSD’s became popular in the military in the 90′s for it’s fast and reliable use when dealing with enemies and missions.

Flash Drive got the name for it’s ability to erase with the speed that of a camera’s flash.

It has become widely used by students today. They are the perfect tool for getting the homework, research papers, and essays done on time. It makes the student’s life easier because they can do the work out on their laptop or desktop at home, save it to the Flash Drive, and bring it to school to print it out.

They used to be costly to buy, now they are only $10 to $15 dollars depending  on how much memory you buy. They go as low as 4GB and get up to 16GB.

Protection

One thing that is a drawback of the Flash Drive is it’s vulnerability to viruses and malicious software, or mal-ware. For example, when you save the work you did all night, the last night before it is due, and take it to school to print out. Sure, when you save it on YOUR computer it is free of any viruses, but you do not know what kind of mischief is lingering on the school computers. Chances are they are filled with crap just waiting for a USB Flash Drive to plug in so they can invade it. Say goodbye to that hard worked, procrastinated paper. Those worms that squirm around computers that are unsafe can ruin you just by plugging in your Flash Drive.

So how can you protect yourself from this threat?

Download this free anti-virus software that can scan for viruses within Flash Drives here. By doing this you ensure that your work will be safe, because you can run system checks to see if has any potential viruses before you plug it back into your home computer. That is the last thing you need, a worm working it’s way through every computer that you put your dirty little Flash Drive in.

Another little tip to top the virus trick can be downloaded free here, this will make sure that when you plug in your Flash Drive that it won’t immediately jump out and start screwing up. By disabling the Autorun file, you will have to open it manually, but if that is the price to pay for being safe? Take it.

A few blog posts ago, I touched upon Microsoft Security Essentials’ recent accolades from AV-Comparatives, an anti-malware testing group that compares various anti-malware solutions and ranks them accordingly. As reported, Microsoft Security Essentials is one of just two anti-malware packages — the other being F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 — that were rated “very fast” in every test category included in the company’s comparisons.

Adding to that initial honor, AV-Comparatives has also given Microsoft Security Essentials the award for the best performance of those programs tested.  Subjecting the competing anti-maleware solutions to a variety of tests derived from real-world scenarios — downloading, extracting, copying, encoding files, application launches, etc. — gave a  clear leader in Microsoft Security Essentials.

What became most noticeable was how little Microsoft Security Essentials demanded of a system’s resources, contributing to AV-Comparative’s decision to rank it as the best-performing anti-malware solution that you can get for free. Brisk performance in every major category, while being light on resources, is reason enough to give this highly recommended anti-malware program a look — particularly when you taking into consideration that it’s free, outpacing those solutions that cost money.

Proving its mettle against the competition, Microsoft Security Essentials is a great tool to protect your computer with.

Read AV-Comparative’s findings here.

If you’re interested in using Microsoft Security Essentials, you can find it here.

Most of us are already well familiar with the frustrations of spam: unsolicited email advertisements. In recent years, unwanted emails have evolved in an attempt to avoid increasingly advanced filters and wary consumers. The contents and goals of unsolicited emails are not always the same, however, and some emails are more dangerous than others. We’ve put together a list of red flags to help you quickly identify emails that may be harmful to your computer and your wallet.

Suspicious attachments

Attaching files to an email is a quick and easy way to share files with your contacts. The downside is that unscrupulous spammers can attach files like viruses and trojan horses in the hopes that an unwary recipient might download the file and infect their computer. Any time you see an email with an attachment that you weren’t expecting, be very cautious about downloading the attachment or even opening the email.

Links that don’t make sense

In an email supposedly from Yahoo, a link to a specific page on Yahoo’s site appears. So why does the text of the link not begin with “http://yahoo.com”? Because it’s a scam. Many scam artists attempt to gain account information or even credit card numbers by posing as respectable web companies looking for information about your account. These emails typically contain a link where you can reset your password, confirm your credit card information, or log in to access some special new feature. To spot these bad links, you need to look at the url: the address of the page that is being linked to. All urls begin with “http://” or “htpps://” and from there vary from website to website. If the url is not visible in the link, you can hover your mouse over the link and see the url in the lower left corner of your web browser.

email containing links that don't match up and suspicious sender information

Notices about accounts you don’t have

Virus spreading emails that mask themselves as emails from major websites are banking on their recipients actually having accounts with that website in the first place. If you get an email about your facebook account when you never signed up for facebook in the first place, the odds are very good that this is a phishing or virus email.

Password reset requests you didn’t send

One of the most common phishing emails currently is the fake password reset. These emails claim that you recently requested a new password, and direct you to a webpage where you can enter your “old” account name and password. You may be able to identify these emails by the link urls or because you don’t have the account that you would supposedly be resetting a password for in the first place. Even if you don’t see anything wrong with the link or the account information, never respond to a password reset email that you didn’t specifically request.

Sender addresses that don’t add up

An email from YouTube.com will be sent from an account that ends with @youtube.com. If “joey5683426$$@ytmail.com” is sending you important updates about your YouTube account, it’s a safe bet this is also a malicious email. If your email system hides sender information, you can change your settings to show full headers or usually click a link right in the email to show all of the sender information.

Money transfer requests

Typically from Nigeria, these emails claim that there is some obscene amount of money sitting in an account somewhere that the sender wants moved to the United States before something terrible happens to it. It’s not uncommon for these emails to be completely in upper case and poor English, although there are exceptions. These emails are scam attempts, trying to get your bank account information so that the sender can access your funds. No matter the pretense for the email, you should never share bank account information with anyone you don’t know. Recent versions of these emails claim to be from “a member of your church.”

Weird emails from friends

The most dangerous and difficult to spot malicious emails are the ones sent by your friends and other contacts. Usually if you receive a suspicious email from a friend or co-worker, it’s either because their system has been infected or because their account has been compromised. If you see an email from one of your contacts that contains strange characters in the subject, has attachments that you weren’t expecting, links to a file sharing site, or otherwise looks unlike the correspondence you’re used to from that person, take the time to check with them before clicking on any links or downloading any attachments. If you do find a strange email from a contact that later turns out to be a virus or online scam, it’s important to remember that your friend most likely was not the one that sent the email to you. These are almost always sent either by a virus or by someone who gained unauthorized access to your friend’s email account.

Email from the user's account containing a suspicious link and subject

Emails from yourself (that you didn’t send)
These emails can be disturbing when you find them. If you find an email from your own account sitting in your inbox that you know you didn’t send (and you have not allowed anyone else access to your account) immediately change your password and security question for your account. Next, check your “sent mail” folder to see if any other emails went out that you were unaware of. Let everyone who received one of these suspicious emails know that you did not send the emails, that they should not open them or click any links or attachments and that you suspect your account was compromised. You can also let your email provider know about your concerns. If this problem recurs, your system may be infected and need virus cleanup service performed.

As users and spam filters become more aware of these malicious emails, scammers will develop new schemes to get at your computer, bank account, and other information. The best weapon against these attacks is a healthy dose of skepticism, though even vigilant users can fall victim to scams and viruses. If you believe you may have a compromised email account or infected machine, or if you just want more information about how to prevent these problems, give our office a call at 1-800-GEEK-HELP (433-5435).

A new variant of the virus known as “Bredolab” has been identified and is spreading at breakneck speed through the Facebook user base. It appears as an email with the title “Password Reset Confirmation Email” and has an attachment that supposedly contains the recipient’s new Facebook password. The attached file is in reality a Trogan Horse:  a small program that exists solely to download other programs onto your computer. The program hides its download activity by going through other programs that access the internet legitimately, so your anti-virus may not be able to notice when new files are being downloaded by this virus.

Cleaning up after viruses can be a time-consuming ordeal and even with professional assistance viruses can sometimes re-infect your computer from hidden files, so prevention should always be your first priority.

Bredolab is a simple virus to avoid, just don’t open the attachment.

Facebook would not send you a password reset confirmation email unless you asked to have your password reset in the first place, and such an email would never contain an attachment anyway.

You should already be protecting your computer with anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, along with a firewall to protect your network from other intruders. These protections are excellent ways to reduce the chances that your computer will be infected, but it’s important that everyone who uses your network also learn safe browsing practices as well. The most important rule of safe browsing: never open an email attachment unless you know exactly what it contains. Other important guidelines include avoiding sites that commonly host malware, closing all pop-up ads with the red “x” in the upper right corner, and never downloading any program from vendors you don’t know.

If you think you might be infected, or if you’d like more information about safe browsing habits and security software, don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Whether it’s Conflickr or a new fake anti-spyware program, it seems like spyware and viruses are inescapable for any computer connected to the Internet. It’s estimated that the amount spent annually on security software in the United States has risen to over $800 million in recent years, but computers are still getting infected daily. Why aren’t we virus free yet?

The answer lies in the nature of malicious programming. Computer viruses don’t spring up out of nowhere, they’re designed by programmers who either have nothing better to do and think it will be interesting, or professionals who make money by abusing your computer. Whenever anti-virus vendors are made aware of a new virus, they create a new definition for their anti-virus software to help isolate and remove that virus if it is downloaded onto your computer. Once the new definition is widespread enough that a significant percentage of computers are safe against that virus, a new one is created by the malicious programmers and the cycle begins again. Nearly two thousand new viruses were identified every day in 2007, and the problem isn’t going away any time soon. This is why you need to allow your anti-virus software to download new virus definitions so often.

Frustrated hackers tired of the rapid turnover of “regular” viruses have graduated to attacking your computer’s defences directly: your anti-virus software. Many new viruses include programming that either hides itself specifically from several popular anti-virus programs, prevents them from downloading new virus definitions, or shuts them down entirely. Even when these new viruses are identified quickly, many computers will already be infected and the software on the machines will be unable to remove the virus. In cases where one virus shuts down the anti-virus software entirely, other viruses will often infect the machine and can render it inoperable in a matter of hours if not minutes. Still other nasty viruses employ tricks to avoid removal techniques, and will re-infect a machine after an anti-virus program or a user tries to delete them.

The fight against computer viruses is non-stop, but you can do something to help protect your system. Installing a good anti-virus program and allowing it to update frequently is just the first step, but beware of fake anti-virus programs you may find online (many of these are viruses themselves). The fake anti-virus programs normally go by the names: Antivirus 2010 Pro, Windows Pro Police, System Guard  2009, Personal Antivirus, Antispyware XP 2009, and many more. You can see a pattern in how they name themselves. Never download anything from a person or website you don’t trust, never open a suspicious email (you don’t always have to open the attachments to get infected), and don’t go to websites with a poor reputation. If you take these steps and your computer still gets infected, have a trained professional remove the virus for you instead of trying to remove it yourself. Modern viruses can be very difficult to isolate and remove, and it’s very easy to damage your system accidentally while trying to remove one.

If you’ve got a slow computer and think you’re infected, call Geek Choice today. Our techs have the tools needed for proper virus removal and have access to fast breaking news about new types of viruses and their removal. Geek Choice is a nationwide on-site computer service and repair company.  If your computer has any of the following problems, we can help: Slow computer, Virus or Spyware, Computer startup problems, Printer not printing, Not connecting to the Internet, Scanner not working, or the “blue screen of death”. We also offer other technical support services, including: New pc setup, Data Backup or Recovery, Wireless network setup, Business Network Firewall setup, Upgrading memory, cpu, hard drives, video cards, and more. You can pick up the phone at any time and call us at 1-800-GEEK HELP (433-5435).

Within the private confines of their home, away from the prying eyes of co-workers lurking nearby, the average user of a home PC figures they can surf  the internet without worrying about intruders. Spyware and Viruses are all that concern them, the installation of malware protection enough to ward off any stress about their computer’s vulnerability.

Yet, no matter how much we caution users against leaving their computers unprotected from malware, those pests are not the only threat to which your attention should be turned.  Many home networks remain susceptible to the ill intentions of unwanted visitors.

Piggybacking ranks as one of the most common offenses, the term referring to the unauthorized use of bandwidth by an outside party.  With a wireless connection, piggybackers access an unsecured network, using it as if it were their own. While piggybacking is a relatively mild transgression, usually committed by a struggling college undergrad who can’t afford internet service, it can impact the availability of bandwidth on your network — resulting in a slow response time when using the internet.

The more serious violations of network security occur when an intruder invades your network for the express purpose of retrieving private information.  Housed on your network are files of all sorts, personal data that you wish to secure against snoops and thieves. Without ample safeguards in place, unauthorized users can ferret sensitive information from your network and use it for their own design.

Many people unwittingly leave their networks open, unaware that they’re leaving themselves subject to the unwelcome motives of the internet’s less scrupulous population. Protecting yourself against these incursions is paramount, and one of the most effective ways to do so is the establishment of a  firewall.

Firewalls do exactly what the term suggests, erecting a wall of protection that shields your network from outsiders, blocking entry to those who haven’t been granted authorization. They can be implemented through software or hardware, to varying degrees, depending on just how secure you want to be.

For those looking to set up a firewall on their network, here are a couple free solutions that I like:

http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/firewall.php

http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/free-upgrade-security-suite-zonealarm-firewall.htm

Creating a firewall can be an involving process. If not properly configured, your firewall will leave you no more protected than you were  before its installation.  Should you have any questions on how to build one, feel free to give our office a call. We are here to help you.

Geek Choice is always staying on top of the latest malware to emerge from underbelly of the internet. In addition to the providing the best onsite technical assistance in this industry, we pride ourselves on alerting you to the latest pests to watch out for.

Most recently, hapless internet users have fallen prey to the URLZone Trojan, a decidedly nasty bug that rewrites their online bank statements to conceal fraud.

This bug is tucked away on websites – many of them legitimate – with the Luckyspoilt toolkit. Unbeknownst to visitors of these websites, bogus .PDF files or Javascripts traffic the URLZone Trojan onto their computers.

Once planted on the victim’s system, the bug begins to record keystrokes that are performed whenever they’re logged into their online bank account, pairing that with screenshots it takes of the user’s activity while they navigate the account.  This information is then fed to the source of the bug, a command and control center located  in the Ukraine.

With your information in their possession,  the perpetrators of this fraud transfer money from the user’s account. After the theft, the Trojan forges a bank statement to deceive the user into believing their account is not compromised, always ensuring that their online bank statement reflects a positive balance.

A more in-depth overview of this threat and its implications can be found here.

Geek Choice always advises its clients to exercise vigilance when browsing the internet. If you think your computer has been compromised by malware, call our offices immediately.