Filed under: Virus mitigation | Tags: bot, ddos, denial, firmware, linksys, netgear, router, security, spyware
Uh Oh.
There is a new “Worm” on the internet. What makes this one most dangerous and unique is that it doesn’t infect your computer. It infects your ROUTER and or DSL/CABLE MODEM!
Once infected, it turns your device into a BOT, which can participate in distributed denial of service attacks, effectively cutting off internet access for thousands of people!
It has been reported that more than 100,000 devices have been infected already!
To protect yourself from it, follow these guidelines.
1. Put a strong password on your router’s admin account. By this, I mean, certainly not the default which is usually “password” or simply blank for the account “admin”. It should contain a combination of UPPER and lowercase letters, numbers & symbols, and no actual words that can be found in a dictionary. (See your hardware’s manual for details).
2. Turn off any WAN admin abilities. This means remote access to the settings of your router.
3. You should also make sure your firmware is on the latest version.
If you need assistance with any of this, call on me. I would be happy to do a security assessment on your home networking devices and lock them down for you.
Until next time,
Charles Kelly
P.S. When will the hardware vendors learn from their mistakes and employ some REAL security into these devices? Default passwords are just lame!
Filed under: Product Reviews | Tags: Asus, compact flash, Dell, laptop, Netbook
Is a netbook in your near future?
Beware!
I will list the cons first:
1. No CD/DVD drive. You will need to buy an external one if you want to load any software this way or play a movie.
2. Usually no hard drive (the system runs from a memory card, most are compact flash.
3. You would think it would run faster than a similar laptop with a hard drive, but unfortunately, the compact flash drives are not all that fast, so performance suffers a bit.
4. Tiny screens. OK if your eyesight is perfect.
5. Tiny keyboards. Not for manly fingers!
6. Wont run Vista or Windows 7.
Pros:
1. Tiny and light! Could probably fit in a ladies handbag.
2. Excellent battery life if you get one configured correctly.
3. Linux operating system on some of the models is less prone to virus infection and either comes with a bunch of free applications or they are available to download.
4. Makes the ideal system to check email or IM from any wireless hotspot.
5. Cheap! There are many models under $300 (from Asus and Dell).
6. Wont run Vista or Windows 7. (Yes, this is listed as both a Pro and Con because of all the debates that rage over the benefits and problems with Vista)
To read more about it, visit this site: Netbook Buying Guide
If you want further advice, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Have a great week!
Charles Kelly
Filed under: Virus mitigation
Be wary of unsolicited PDF documents arriving via email.
If you don’t absolutely need the document, delete it or forward it to me for inspection.
If you trust the person it came from, then open with caution.
There is a new “Buffer Overflow Vulnerability” that actually affects (Acrobat) PDF’s.
It will most likely cause your computer to crash, or allow the installation of a virus. There is a patch available to fix this issue.
It used to be that you only had to be wary of “.EXE”, “.BAT”, “.COM” & “.VBS” files, but now there are so many image and other file formats that you never know what could be infected!
The bottom line is: Be certain your antivirus/antispyware solution is by a reliable company and updated with the latest “signatures” and most of all configured correctly and FUNCTIONING!
Please contact me if you would like a security review of your computers and any patches installed.
Have a great week!
Charles Kelly
Filed under: Uncategorized
Could this affect YOUR wallet?
Some internet service providers (ISP) are actually charging their customers if they use “too much bandwidth”.
Time Warner and Charter Communications are doing just that. This reminds me of the old ISDN lines. There were specific charges based on how much you sent/recieved.
Are you an “offender“?
If your family is downloading music (legally), probably not.
If they are downloading movies, probably!
You could get a huge bill one month as a completely un-welcome surprise!
If you are a heavy user, check your agreement or “terms of service” carefully with your ISP to make sure they don’t impose bandwidth caps and excessive usage fees.
If you don’t have a current T.O.S., you should contact them to get one. Usually they will email you the info or a link.
In my opinoin, if ISP’s are going to charge you, there MUST be a mechanism in place that warns you in advance, like the old AOL timer that told you how long you were on line, it could tell you how much bandwidth you have used.
If you want to read more about this, here is an article that goes more in depth.
http://tinyurl.com/b6j6vb
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Charles Kelly, Owner
PLL Computer Services
Filed under: Virus mitigation | Tags: computer, laptop, malware, slow, spyware
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
This is an excellent malware/spyware remover. Very effective. More so than AdAware and Spybot S&D.
Just remember to update it before you do a full scan. If you need assistance with it, please contact me.
http://www.supportspace.com/support/expert/Coach0
CK
Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in MalWare bytes and I take no responsibility for any lost data or consequential damage it may cause.
My goal here is to write interesting articles about current computer events that will hopefully keep you coming back for more.
1. Concise (Not too wordy!).
2. Authoritative (Excellent source of information).
3. Tried and true (I won’t give advice that I haven’t used myself).
4. Advanced support (If you need help, I will be there to provide it).
Best regards,
Charles Kelly
