IE needs your attention immediately

Just picked up the news that Microsoft has admitted a huge security hole in Internet Explorer. The problem appears to be how it handles displaying videos (none of us use IE to watch videos, right?) and this one allows a lurker to act on your computer with the same rights you have... which means they can install their software if they like.

Microsoft has a temporary fix here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972890#FixItForMe

A more permanent fix will likely come out in a week or so.

If you are concerned, install Firefox (that's my default browser), which you can get here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/ (US English version)

For a more thorough article, you can check out Mashable's analysis of the Internet Explorer issue: http://bit.ly/Ar4Jl

If you think you're already infected with something, free solutions I'd recommend include Malwarebytes, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Avira... but I've talked about them in earlier posts.

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Happy July 7th to you! - Jon

Who controls your computer: Malware Cleanup

Free Tools

•

•MalwareBytes - This is shareware, free to try. It has a quickscan feature. 90% effectiveness against malware. Upgrade to paid version activates real time scanning. I like this program!

– http://www.malwarebytes.org

•Spybot Search and Destroy - Free, fully functional. Regular updates, manual scanner, manual updates. 80% effective against malware, finds different things than Malwarebytes.

– http://www.download.com (search for program by full name)

•The Cleaner (Moosoft) - trial version (scanning can take hours), they’ve changed their model, so I’m not sure if the trial version only alerts, or if it will also clean the infections it identifies.

– http://www.moosoft.com

•Trend Micro Housecall - manual online scanner, downloads a complete virus and malware scanner, scans can take hours. Since Trend is a major AV company, some viruses are specifically designed to hide from Trend Micro Housecall. Anti virus effectiveness – 80%. Anti malware effectiveness – 60%

– http://housecall.trendmicro.com

Paid Tools

•

•Webroot Spysweeper with AntiVirus - You can download and run the scanner in trial mode, but it will not clean or quarantine infections until you subscribe, usually $40 for a single computer. I recommend the version listed here, although there is a malware only version, Antivirus and malware effectiveness – 95%

• http://www.webroot.com

•Trend Micro Internet Security - Fully functional trial version for several days, purchase for $50/year. Trend is very strong on the anti-virus side, but not as strong in handling malware.

• http://www.trendmicro.com

Update! Update! Update!

If your defense software doesn’t get updated, it cannot protect you from all the new forms of viruses and malware that are updated by the malware programmers each day. Some programs update themselves automatically, some require us to manually update them.

Inclusion here reflects Jon’s opinion and ratings are based on his recent observation against current malware, May 2009

Facebook Friend: Did you send me that?

So how do you know when you get a message if it really came from your Facebook friend or if it's some sort of viral email going around.

Oh, and while we're on the topic, please! Please! Christopher Butterfield is not a hacker. Ok? He's just some poor Facebook shmuck like you and me who's name has been used in a new round of social engineering viral emails.

Ok, now that's off my chest.

I look at messages I receive and ask myself, does this have the feel of my friend? or does it feel like some sort of automated response.

The last viral email I got had the subject line: "Hey, look at this!" and it looked like a Facebook login page. I think there was some text inside that implied a doorway to view the old Facebook interface. They always try to craft a message that will push us to click or accept before our brain has a chance to question.

Of course, I wanted to see, and I trusted the person who it came from (part of the ploy). As soon as I logged in to what appeared to be the facebook login, all of my facebook friends got an email from me that had the same subject as the one I'd just received. Then my brain said. "You? You clicked on that link? You moron! You know better!"

So now when I receive an email from one of my friends, I slow down and ask myself, "does this sound like my friend's voice?" Then I hover my mouse over the link and see where I'll be going if I click on it: it may look like a Youtube video link, but the url is somewhere in .cn (China).

Just as a side note, yesterday I posted a note on one of the game forums I play about ads that spawn or in this case entirely redirect my browser page to a non facebook, non application website and this one insisted my computer was infected with malware and I just had to click here to scan my computer and clean it.

Not on your life.

I say... be savvy... be wary... take your time... there's no rush... leave poor Mr. Butterfield alone, he's probably a good guy.

Free Tip: Hard drive Error Check

Hard drive maintenance: Windows XP

A friend of mine called the other day to ask how to check his hard drive for errors, to ensure the drive isn't searching for its final reward. Here's my reply back to him with instructions on how to run Windows XP's built in boot-time drive check program "Autochk". This is the old, more thorough method of scanning your hard drive for errors in the Windows operating system.

You are welcome to forward or republish this blog entry provided you include the credit to its author intact at the end, including a link to this blog page.

Open My Computer

Right click on the hard drive in question (usually labeled "C")

Click on Properties

Switch to the "Tools" tab

Click the "Check Now" button in the Error Checking section

Select (check) both option boxes in the pop up (Automatically fix… and Scan for...)

Click "Start"

You will get a dialog alert that asks you if you want to schedule the check for the next time you reboot your computer. Answer yes.

Restart your computer.

This may take a while, so don't plan on getting back to work on your computer for 30-60 minutes (although it may take only 15 min on faster computers).

When the computer restarts, it will wait for about 15 seconds to allow you to interrupt the "autochk" (Windows name for this boot time scan for errors), but don't interrupt it… just let it run.

There are 5 stages; the first three go pretty quickly; the last two take the most time.

If Autochk finds no errors, or finds and fixes all the errors it finds, then you should be in good shape. If it does find errors, run this again in a day or two. See if Autochk finds and fixes more errors. If it finds more errors on subsequent times you run it, this is an early warning that your hard drive is going to fail soon. If it doesn't find any errors, then plan on running it again every few weeks, to keep an eye on your hard drive's health.

For a more indepth discussion (other versions of Windows) see the Tech Tips article on RichardsonTech website: http://www.richardsontech.net/TTScanDisk.htm

Jon Richardson, MCSE
www.RichardsonTech.net
Computer network consulting for businesses in Albuquerque, NM

There's always and answer for those who persist...

Computer network support in Albquerque, NM

Greetings from the Enchanted State,

My name is Jon Richardson, founder of Richardson Technology, providing technology integration consulting for schools and businesses in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico. I decided to start this blog in an effort to share my views and observations about technology issues that we face.

Jon Richardson, MCSE
www.RichardsonTech.net