Malware and Bin Laden

We should watch out for Bin Laden info we didn't ask for. They probably have a virus or malware. Also watch downloading pdf's, they can contain the same info.  This article is from Security Park. It talks of how these issues effect FB.
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Bin Laden's death used by cybercriminals to spread malware 

(06/05/2011)

Just a couple of hours after the initial announcement of Bin Laden`s death, a large amount of fake news pieces started flooding search engine queries. According to BitDefender®'s statistics from its social networking safety app safego, 11.21% of Facebook scams in the last days are themed around Osama Bin Laden`s death.
Three variants of messages claiming to show footage of Bin Laden`s death have been identified and once unsuspecting users click through to the malware ridden content notifications will flood their friends` walls to further promote its existence and ensure longevity.
BitDefender researchers have been monitoring malicious activity related to Bin Laden`s death since the news broke and have also identified some `classical` threats already beginning to develop. A couple of samples named `Fotos_Osama_Bin_Laden.zip` have been identified via the automatic submission system with preliminary analysis revealing them to be variants of the Banload banker family, identified by BitDefender as Trojan.Generic.5849157. Just like any Brazilian Banker, the attack vector appears to be a spam message purporting to bring extra visual cues about Bin Laden`s death.
BitDefender now expects PDF exploits to begin appearing in mail attachments, an approach successfully implemented by the now defunct Storm Worm gang a few years ago.
``Bin Laden`s death has not gone unnoticed by cybercriminals and users searching to find content around the subject may well stumble upon a series of websites hosted with the free domain provider co.cc which are heavily optimised for keywords such as Bin Laden death,`` states Catalin Cosoi, Head of the BitDefender Online Threats Lab. ``If users do land on this kind of site they will be presented with a fake scanner page and prompted to download a rogue antivirus utility, which they should definitely avoid.``
Cosoi continues, ``Users looking for more information about Osama Bin Laden`s death should consider visiting the website of their favourite news outlet. Always remember that newsletters don`t come with attachments and if you happen to receive such messages from unknown senders we recommend that you delete them immediately.``

We let them in

When we get a virus or malware on our computers the first reaction is to blame someone else. Once we realize that every time we download, install in app, request info, we open the front door to our pc. We install programs and what ever the factory sets we accept and alot of times this program is set to start up with your pc so it starts before your antivirus is active. You can have the best AV in the world but if you invite them in or leave the front door open what can the alarm system do? Most of these programs you never use but they are running and that is taking up cpu and memory space which will slow down your pc. Does your AV have a boot scan feature? This will allow you to scan your pc before anything starts up. This is where most viruses and malware hang out. We might want to start using proactive solutions instead of reactive ones. Have your system scanned once a month or weekly. These services will monitor your system and catch changes in your pc. Some offer small monthly fees which would probably come out cheaper than paying a tech for virus removal 3 or 4 times a year. If you have any questions contact us at:
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Cybersquatting

Cybersquatting (also known as domain squatting), according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. The cybersquatter then offers to sell the domain to the person or company who owns a trademark contained within the name at an inflated price.

Most of the people that do this are selling fake antivirus. Selling fake AV products is one of the most recent socially-engineered scams and has become very popular. Fake AV is a program that does not do anything wrong and thus was initially difficult for real AV programs to detect. Instead of trying to steal information or do bad things to a user's computer, all it did was pop up a real-looking message pretending to be from the user's antivirus program. This message would tell the user that they were infected and that the infection could be fixed by buying the product. After buying the fake product, the message would of course stop. One of the recent sites even offered toll-free 800 number ordering support for customers that were having problems ordering online. After the purchase you really have no antivirus protection and your pc is being attacked. Have you noticed that with a lot of the big antvirus companies when you get to the renewal period that you tend to see more viruses? This is done to scare you into renewing. Wow, look at all those viruses, I better pay. Do your research and ask questions before purchasing. It will save you time and money.

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Hard drive health

If you had a way of knowing that your hard drive was having problems thus giving you enough time to form or implement your backup plan, would you use it? Just like your car's dashboard which gives you an option to see that all levels are working properly why not have a dashboard for your computer? The goal is to find, test, diagnose and repair hard disk drive problems, report and display HDD health, performance degradations and failures. This can be used to prevent serious damage or data loss. It warns before a problem can occur and this gives opportunity to backup important and valuable data. Everybody's info is critical now. What use to be stored in a box or little metal file cabinet is now stored on your computer.(Picture below) This is my hard drive and even though I'm at 94% it is letting me know if I keep having spin issues it could be the drive itself or the power supply. So now I will watch for power issues also.It gives you an average temp so if it goes too far outside the zone you can look to see if the air flow is being blocked or your fan has a problem. This is very helpful info for the tech and could save time on saving all of your info. PC's are like cars, the little things help it last longer but 9 times out of 10 at some point we all have to upgrade. Take your important info with you.

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What is Kinect?

Pre-order Now! http://store.microsoft.com/content.aspx?cntid=3066

You are the controller Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways - no controller required. Easy to use and instantly fun, Kinect (formerly known as "Project Natal") gets everyone off the couch. So what is Kinect? Essentially Microsoft's answer to Nintendo's Wii. With Kinect, Microsoft has eliminated the controller altogether. Simply stated, it is an add-on for Xbox 360 that uses a sensor containing cameras and microphones to enable you to interact with the system through gestures, spoken commands and other objects. Want to join a friend in the fun? Simply jump in. And the best part is Kinect works with every Xbox 360. Pre-order Now. http://store.microsoft.com/content.aspx?cntid=3066

VirusSource

Most of the time we associate a virus with websites but this is not always the case. New software, older(no updates) software and programs such as IE8 always have some type of issue that can be exploited. Should you update every program you have? If not all,which ones?It's not always Lil Johnny being on your pc that causes issues. Every piece of software on your computer has a door open.You must patch and monitor these areas. Are you protected?

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Home Network

A home network or home area network (HAN) is a residential local area network. It is used for communication between digital devices typically deployed in the home, usually a small number of personal computers and accessories, such as printers and mobile computing devices. An important function is the sharing of Internet access, often a broadband service through a cable tv or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) provider. Additionally, a home server may be added for increased functionality.

Most homes probably have more items attached to their home network than half of the small businesses out there but are we thinking network? The kids have a computer(always on yours and it doesn't act right afterwards), one for work, the one you have had since '98 and your entertainment PC. Most people accept the pre-installed anti virus on pc's and when they run out users seem to ignore, forget or just won't renew. Is your router set up with all non used ports closed? Are you blocking sites so the young ones won't get lost. With our busy lives who has time for those type of issues?

There is help

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