The final deadline for Windows XP support will act as a starting pistol for hackers, as they target hundreds of millions of users on unpatched systems.

Microsoft has already granted the 12-year-old OS several stays of execution, but the firm has said it will finally end extended support on 8 April 2014 – despite the fact that XP remains the second-most popular OS, with almost a third of PCs running it.

These hundreds of millions of desktops and laptops will be vulnerable to hackers once XP stops receiving security updates, with Microsoft warning earlier this year that hackers could use patches issued for Windows 7 or Windows 8 to scout for XP exploits. [Read more…]

Finding the balance between security and ease of use.

A computer system, or almost anything else for that matter, can never be 100 percent secure. And generally speaking, the more security we apply, the less easy the system becomes to use. More security programs means more resources are being used, before you can start to work or play.

On the other side of the scale, less security means you will be troubleshooting more often to get rid of the unwanted software that landed on your computer. And that is an even bigger loss of “productive time”.

Of course there is such a thing as too much security.

The best example is the worsening cry for safer and more complicated passwords.

In some offices this has resulted in the password being written down and pasted to the bottom of the screen.

Not what you hoped for when you made the password mandatory and too hard to guess. In this case ease of use has won in the  end-users mindset.

Considerations to be made when you try to decide how much and which kind of security you want to apply: [Read more…]

Is Google Chrome’s attempts at making it “easier” for users to find where they want to go, show that their security purview isn’t focused enough on the internal threats?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Chrome, I think it’s a fantastic browser and has a great track record of protecting users from exploits and malicious sites.  However, their attempts at making it “easier” for users to find where they want to go, makes me think that their security purview isn’t focused enough on the internal threats.

Read full story on Malwarebytes Unpacked

Information from Malwarebytes Blog – http://blog.malwarebytes.org/intelligence/2013/10/cryptolocker-ransomware-what-you-need-to-know/

The Free version will still be able to detect the malware if present on a PC, but will need to upgrade to Pro in order to access these additional protection options.

 

I hope you have backups. It’s legit, it really encrypts. It can jump across network shares and encrypt anything with write access, and infection isn’t dependent on being a local admin. Most antiviruses do not catch it until the damage is done. The timer is real and your opportunity to pay them goes away when it lapses. You can pay them with a GreenDot MoneyPak, attempt to restore a previous version using ShadowExplorer, go to a backup, or be SOL.

It’s largely being spread via email attachments claiming to be a dispute notification, though members of the Zeus botnet have had the virus pushed to them directly. The virus is totally functional regardless of UAC or whether the logged in user is a local administrator, and has been reported on WinXP through 7 64-bit. No infections on 8 reported yet but that may be a market share thing, especially since MSE has proven ineffective at preventing the virus. [Read more…]

We have taken the time to provide you some helpful links that you can use to keep your computer running in tip-top condition. These are some of the tools we use in our shop that are available free to you. Get more information about our Virus & Spyware Removal page.

Helpful Links

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