Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tips and hints from Intel and industry experts

As technology races ahead at a speed that most consumers can't keep up with, Intel® is providing a cheat sheet outlining what consumers need to look for in their new laptop. Each component of the PC is explained and a take-away tip under the 'remember' section provided so consumers can be confident of what they need for their computing requirements.

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Friday, July 3, 2009

How to disable MS Word 2007's Mini Toolbar.

When you highlight text, MS Word 2007 displays the Mini Toolbar. It’s a toolbar that puts a number of formatting options at your fingertips [versus searching through the Ribbon options]. Not everyone likes the Mini Toolbar. Some people report that they find it downright annoying. So if are one of these people, then you can disable it, as below:

1. Click the Office button.
2. Click Word Options [bottom right].
3. Popular is selected by default in the left pane. Uncheck the first option, Show Mini Toolbar On Selection.
4. Click OK.

If you decide that you really do need it, just repeat the sequence and check Show Mini Toolbar On Section in step 3.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Stop your Homepage from being Changed.

I've noticed several different programs that will stop your homepage from being changed, this however seems like a lot of fuss for a simple thing.

to keep your homepage the same all you need to do is change the target of your internet browser shortcut.
right click on the shortcut on your desktop or in the start menu and click properties, there will be a box labelled "target" which will have the value:
"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"

by simply adding the web address of your homepage to the end of this it will override your homepage preferences in the internet options tab.
"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" www.google.com


this is sometimes a bit tricky for the shortcut pinned to the start menu but if you play around with it for a few minutes then its not a problem.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Conficker (Downadup) - New Developments

A recent development regarding the Conficker virus has been detected, where it is now directing infected machines to download new, harmful files, thus activating the botnet. Here’s how this new behavior works:

Conficker sends out email spam without the PC owner’s knowledge. In addition, Conficker uses pop-ups to warn of PC infection and offers fake antivirus software, called 'SpywareProtect2009' at a price of $49.95. If purchased, credit card information is stolen and the virus downloads even more malicious software.

If you encounter a pop-up like this, do not click on the pop-up at all - not even to close the box. To remove the pop-up without infection, open your Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete), and end the task from your Browser (Explorer, Firefox, etc.). You should take additional precautions to ensure you are not already infected and have adequate protection: Info thanks to ZoneAlarm.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

How to handle suspicious e-mail

Phishing dos and dont's

Phishing, pronounced "fishing," is a type of online identity theft that uses e-mail and fraudulent Web sites that are designed to steal your personal data or information such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information.
Follow these guidelines to help protect yourself from phishing scams sent through e-mail.


1. If you think you've received a phishing e-mail message, do not respond to it.
If an e-mail looks suspicious, don't risk your personal information by responding to it.


2. Approach links in e-mail messages with caution.
Links in phishing e-mail messages often take you to phony sites that encourage you to transmit personal or financial information to con artists. Avoid clicking a link in an e-mail message unless you are sure of the real target address, or URL.

Most e-mail programs show you the real target address of a link when you hover the mouse over the link.

Before you click a link, make sure to read the target address. If the e-mail message appears to come from your bank, but the target address is just a meaningless series of numbers, do not click the link.

Make sure that the spelling of words in the link matches what you expect. Fraudsters often use URLs with typos in them that are easy to overlook, such as "micosoft." For more information, see Typos can cost you.


3. Don't trust the sender information in an e-mail message.

Even if the e-mail message appears to come from a sender that you know and trust, use the same precautions that you would use with any other e-mail message.
Fraudsters can easily spoof the identity information in an e-mail message.


4. Verify the identity and security of the Web site.

Some sites feature verified identity and security information. When you visit a verified site using Internet Explorer 7, the browser address bar turns green and the identity information appears on the right-hand side of the address bar. This makes it easy to check the identity information and ensure that it matches the site that you expected to see.

Make sure the site is secure before you type. You can do this by checking the yellow lock icon on the status bar, as shown in the following example.
Example of a secure site lock icon. If the lock is closed, then the site uses encryption.

Example of a secure site lock icon. If the lock is closed, then the site uses encryption.

The closed lock icon signifies that the Web site uses encryption to help protect any sensitive, personal information that you enter, such as your credit card number, Social Security number, or payment details.

Note that this symbol doesn't need to appear on every page of a site, only on those pages that request personal information.

Unfortunately, even the lock symbol can be faked. To help increase your safety, double-click the lock icon to display the security certificate for the site. The name following Issued to should match the name of the site.

If the name differs, you may be on a fake site, also called a "spoofed" site. If you're not sure whether a certificate is legitimate, don't enter any personal information. Play it safe and leave.

Tip: If you don't see the status bar at the bottom of your browser window, click View at the top of the browser, and then select Status Bar to activate it.

5. Type addresses directly into your browser or use your personal bookmarks.


If you need to update your account information or change your password, visit the Web site by using your personal bookmark or by typing the URL directly into your browser.


6. Use an updated browser

Regularly updated Web browsers incorporate an ever-expanding set of features, such as the , Phishing Filter, designed to help protect you when you click links in e-mail messages.


7. Don't trust offers that seem too good to be true

If a deal or offer in an e-mail message looks too good to be true, it probably is. Exercise your common sense when you read and respond to e-mail messages.

8. Report suspicious e-mail.

Forward a copy of the e-mail to the faked or "spoofed" organization. In Australia contact the Australian Communications and Media Authority on sub-111383-DB892846EB0E3F9BFF6B@submit.spam.acma.gov.au


9. Don't enter personal or financial information into pop-up windows.

One common phishing technique is to launch a fake pop-up window when someone clicks a link in a phishing e-mail message. To make the pop-up window look more convincing, it might be displayed over a window you trust. Even if the pop-up window looks official or claims to be secure, avoid entering sensitive information, because there is no way to check the security certificate. Close pop-up windows by clicking the red X in the top right corner (a "Cancel"button may not work as you'd expect).


10. Update your computer software.

Visit Microsoft Update to scan your computer and install any high-priority updates that are offered to you.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Criminals extort money from users, through 'scareware'

Criminals are continuing to extort money from vulnerable users, through 'scareware' practices that trick users with bogus security threats.

The threat of rogue security software, or 'scareware', has risen dramatically over the past year or so, according to a new report from Microsoft, but there was good news for the industry after a fall in the number of vulnerability disclosures.

Scareware is used by criminals to extort money from vulnerable users by persuading them that their PC is at risk or infected, and urging them to buy bogus security software.

The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report Volume 6 claimed that these threats are now among the most prevalent in the computing world.

The report highlighted Win32/FakeXPA and Win32/FakeSecSen, which Microsoft has detected on more than 1.5 million computers, pushing them into the top 10 threats in the second half of the year.

Win32/Renos, meanwhile, which is used to deliver rogue security software, was detected on 4.4 million unique computers, an increase of 66.6 per cent over the first half of 2008.

"The criminals are playing on people's fears. People are aware of security, and these guys want to prey on that," said Microsoft security and privacy lead Cliff Evans.

"We are not seeing a whole new attack vector, but things are changing. There is a different emphasis on rogue software now, and a shift from operating system to third-party application vulnerabilities."

This continuing trend of attacking the application layer means that users should always keep application versions up to date, apply new patches as soon as possible and keep anti-malware software current, Evans advised.

While the "vast majority" of corporates understand the importance of these precautions, education is still required for many consumers who do not understand the value of automatic updates and the like, according to Microsoft chief security advisor Ed Gibson.

"The report shows again that, because of the steps we're taking to make the operating systems more secure, and working with partners and suppliers to improve their [security] processes, [criminal] organisations are moving towards the weakest link: you and me," he said.

There was a note of optimism in the report, however. Industry-wide figures for unique vulnerability disclosures were down by 12 per cent from 2007, while high severity vulnerabilities were down 16 per cent.

Graham Titterington of analyst firm Ovum agreed that the drive to improve standards is having an effect on the quality of applications and systems being built.

"To win the battle IT systems need to be engineered to be significantly less vulnerable, and we are making progress on that," he explained. "Much is being done to improve the standards in the engineering of systems and security products."

Jay Abbott, threat and vulnerability leader at consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers, praised Microsoft for the work it had done in improving the security of its products. But he warned that major risks still exist in web applications and browsers.

"People are focused on delivering the product, and security is a secondary problem so the code is often weak," he said. "Certainly we need better coding practices, but even secure code can have holes picked in it."

Friday, March 20, 2009

Getting maximum life from a laptop battery

by Watzman - http://forums.cnet.com/

Laptop Lithium Ion batteries are very expensive (quite a few of them are over (WAY over, in a few cases) $200). They CAN last 10 years (in fact I have some 1995 Toshiba batteries that are still nearly as good as new), but they can also be destroyed in less than 6 months. As an engineer who has both worked for laptop manufacturers and who services laptops, here is what I can tell you:

The most important rule of getting good life from a battery is this: If you are not traveling, if you are stationary and are going to be plugged into a wall outlet for a day or two or perhaps essentially all of the time, take the battery out of the computer entirely and store it in a cool, dry place (some people will recommend a refrigerator, but that is not necessary, will probably not make a difference that you will really notice, and can damage the battery if the temperature gets too cold (freezing)).

It's not clear why this is necessary, and on some models it may not be necessary (your post, however, suggests that it IS necessary on your model). However, there is OVERWHELMING anecdotal evidence that this is the single most important thing that you can do to have your battery last years and years, for the times when you really do need it, when you are traveling and want to use the laptop in a car, on a plane or in various transient locations.

The two likely culprits here are overcharging and heat.

While in theory the charging circuits should shut down [COMPLETELY] when the battery is fully charged, there is evidence that in many laptops they don't; they continue charging the battery continuously , albeit in a "trickle charge" mode. This may sound good, but in practice it can damage the battery.

Secondly, it is a well known fact that Lithium Ion batteries are terribly sensitive to permanent damage by exposure to elevated temperatures (and "elevated" in this case starts in the range of around or just over 100 degrees F (about 40C)).

With regard to elevated temperatures, storage in a turned-on laptop is problematic for two reasons. First, there is a lot of heat in the laptop (from the various laptop components: CPU, hard drive, power supply, etc.), and the battery is, to varying degrees, exposed to this heat (note, however, that battery exposure to this heat varies by model depending on the thermal design and placement of the battery relative to other heat generating components). Secondly, if the charging circuits do not shut down COMPLETELY, charging itself (even "trickle charging") generates heat from directly within the battery itself which is harmful over time.

Now, a few more comments:

First, it's probably not a good idea to remove the battery while you are staying in a hotel for a few days, even if you won't need it. The risk of forgetting the battery in the hotel room when you check out is significant (you can mitigate this by leaving the battery in your laptop bag, but ask anyone who uses PC Cards about "lost dongle cables").

Second, notwithstanding the general advice to remove a battery that is not needed and not being used, the battery needs to be exercised 2 to 4 times a year. So, once in a while, put it back in the laptop, draw it down to about 25% (NO LOWER!!) and then charge it back up to about 60% (or 100% and then back down to 60%; Lithium batteries store better with a less than full charge although in my personal experience I have not found the difference to really matter very much).

Third, if your laptop is really used as a compact desktop at home or at work and in fact doesn't travel much, removing the battery robs you of it's function as a "un interruptible power supply". Solution: Buy a [real] UPS. For a laptop, you only need a small one (300 to 350VA), these can be found for $40 or less (sometimes even "free after rebate"), and a UPS is a lot cheaper than using a $200+ lithium battery as a UPS but destroying it over a period of 6 to 24 months in the process.

Also note that Lithium batteries have a finite and limited life in terms of the number of charge/discharge cycles, calendar time not withstanding. Although this varies by battery model, it's in the low-to-mid hundreds (say 300 to 600 cycles as a typical range). If you really are using your battery while traveling, charging and discharging it on a daily basis, this fact will "get you" no matter what you do. But, more commonly, people find that they have destroyed their battery without ever really using it, by leaving it in the laptop while the laptop was plugged in continuously. And we have already covered the solution to that problem.

One last comment, given the price of laptop batteries, it's worth noting that SOME extended warranties cover the batteries. If you are really going to be using the battery heavily (see the previous paragraph), this may be worth taking into consideration when the colored shirt guy at Buy More offers you an extended warranty at the time of the laptop purchase. Find out (IN WRITING!!) if the battery is covered, and if your use pattern is such that you will probably be going through more than the initial battery over the course of the extended warranty, maybe you are in one of those situations in which an extended warranty really does make sense.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

New tool in the war, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is considered to be the next step in the detection and removal of malware [Trojans]. In this product they have compiled a number of new technologies that are designed to quickly detect, destroy, and prevent malware. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware can detect and remove malware that even the most well known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to detect. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware monitors every process and stops malicious processes before they even start. The Realtime Protection Module uses our advanced heuristic scanning technology which monitors your system to keep it safe and secure. In addition, they have implemented a threats center which will allow you to keep up to date with the latest malware threats.

Get this from www.malwarebytes.org