Check out SkipLock

My first true tech article of this week and wouldn’t you know it involves mobile security. I have preached and begged everyone that I come into contact with to apply security to your smartphones. This is because our smartphones are now really mobile computing devices and very often they hold sensitive information that cyber criminals just love to get a hold of.

However setting a PIN or PATTERN code on your smartphone can be pain in the – you know what. I can understand this because who wants to constantly have to input these security access codes at home, at work or at other places where he are reasonably secure that your device is safe, especially if you “lose” it there.

 

It is very easy to add any wireless network to SkipLock where you do not want to be bothered by the security code.

This is where “SkipLock” can save the day. I found this app during the holidays and quickly installed it and tested it on my Galaxy Note 3. With this nifty app you can register wireless networks that are comfortable with and the app disables the “screen lock” while connected to the network. Once you leave the area of the network or networks you have registered the screen lock is enables again. With this app you do not need to constantly input the PIN or PATTERN when at home or other places you frequent and are comfortable with.

The app is free for a week and about $4.99 afterward. It is well worth the cost. I believe this is only available for Android devices and you can learn more here.

I Shopped at Target, Now What?

So you shopped at Target between Nov. 27 and Dec.15, now what should you do? Here is some information that may help.

If your card information was compromised you are likely to notice small charges on your statement that show someone is testing out your card or targeted email scams. Be sure to look at your charges on your card and specifically for your debit card and make sure you change your PIN.

If you notice activity call your bank or credit card company and Target. They will report the activity to your credit card companies and call Target at (866) 852-8680.

I would recommend cancelling your card and requesting a new number.  In addition it will be necessary to continue to monitor your account for the next six months for fraud.

Q: I shopped at Target during that time. What should I do?

A: Check your credit card statements carefully. If you see suspicious charges, report the activity to your credit card companies and call Target at 866-852-8680. You can report cases of identity theft to law enforcement or the Federal Trade Commission.

You can get more information about identity theft on the FTC's website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or by calling the FTC, at (877) IDTHEFT (438-4338).

Q: How did the breach occur?

A: Target isn't saying how it happened. Industry experts note that companies such as Target spend millions of dollars each year on credit card security, making a theft of this magnitude particularly alarming.

Experts disagree about how the breach might have happened. Avivah Litan, a security analyst with Gartner Research, says given all the security, she believes the breach may have been an inside job.

But thefts of this size are too big to be the work of company employees, says Ken Stasiak, founder and CEO of Secure State, a Cleveland-based information security firm that investigates data breaches like this one. Stasiak says that such breaches are generally perpetrated by organized crime or an overseas, state-sponsored hacker group.

Stasiak's theory is that the hackers were able to breach Target's main information hub and then wrote a code that gave them access to the company's point of sale system and all of its cash registers. That access allowed the hackers to capture the data from shoppers' cards as they were swiped.
James Lyne, global head of security research for the computer security firm Sophos, says something clearly went wrong with Target's security measures.

"Forty million cards stolen really shows a substantial security failure," he says. "This shouldn't have happened."

Q: Who pays if there are fraudulent charges on my account?

A: The good news is in most cases consumers aren't on the hook for fraudulent charges.
Credit card companies are often able to flag the charges before they go through and shutdown your card. If that doesn't happen, the card issuer will generally strip charges you claim are fraudulent off your card immediately.

And since the fraud has been tied to Target, it'll be the retailer that ultimately compensates the banks and credit card companies.

Q: How can I protect myself?

A: Like they say, cash is king. You can only lose what you're carrying, though admittedly many people may not feel safe walking around with a wad of bills in their pocket.

As stated before, credit card companies don't hold consumers liable for charges they don't make. Usually the worst thing consumers have to deal with is the hassle of getting a new credit card.
And the paper trail generated through credit card transactions can often make it easier do things such as return items you've purchased, or keep track of work-related expenses.

It's worth noting that while debit cards offer many of the same perks as credit cards, without the worry that you'll spend more than what's in your bank account, they often don't come with the same kind fraud protections.

As a result, those card holders may have a tougher time getting their money back if their number is stolen.

Q: How much is this going to cost Target?

A: It's too soon to tell. In addition to the fraud-related losses, banks may start charging Target a higher merchant discount rate, which is the amount retailers pay banks for providing debit and credit card services. While the percentage difference may be tiny, it could result in steep costs given the volume of transactions Target does, Litan says.

Litan added that the company could also face class action lawsuits from consumers, though most of them will be meritless, and fines from federal agencies. When combined, the costs of the breach could be so steep that they actually prompt Target to raise prices, she says.

"The real winner in this is Wal-Mart," she says.

Q: Can the bad guys be caught?

A: Stasiak says that given the sophistication of this attack, there's only about a 5 percent chance that the perpetrators will eventually be caught and prosecuted.

He notes that in cases like this, it's hard to determine where the attack originated and given the large mass of information involved it's not going to be found housed on someone's home computer.

Q: How can future breaches be prevented?

A: Litan says an easy way to prevent fraud would be to eliminate the use of easily cloned magnetic strip cards and upgrade to the kind of microchip technology used in most other parts of the world.
But she says banks have pushed back against the idea, because the microchip cards cost significantly more than the magnetic strip version and changing over all the country's ATMs could drive the total costs into the billions of dollars.

Lyne says it's unclear if the use of microchip cards would have prevented the Target breach, since it's unclear how it happened, but that it certainly wouldn't hurt.

Q: Why is the Secret Service investigating?

A: While it's most famous for protecting the president, the Secret Service also is responsible for protecting the nation's financial infrastructure and payment systems. As a result, it has broad jurisdiction over a wide variety of financial crimes. It isn't uncommon for the agency to investigate major thefts involving credit card information.

Target Customers Beware

Living in a digital world does not comes without it's dangers and if you recently shopped at Target it just got a little scarier. Happy Holidays from the cybercriminals.

That is because credit and debit card information of many Target customers have apparently been stolen during the Black Friday weekend, according to reports. In fact this may be been continued for another two weeks after black Friday weekend.

The thieves got access to data stored on the magnetic stripe on the back of the credit and debit cards through card swiping devices that could have been tampered with at the retailer's stores. This fact was reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

This is a real security problem because it is the data on the stripe which can be used to make counterfeit cards. If the thieves also intercepted PIN (personal identification number) data for debit transactions, they would have the ability to reproduce stolen debit cards and use them to withdraw cash from bank accounts through ATM's.

Millions of cardholders could be vulnerable as a result of the breach that is believed to have affected about 40,000 card devices at store registers, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the incident. The breach extends to nearly all Target locations in the United States.

If you have shopped at any Target store from late November through today I would recommend that you cancel the card you used there and have a new one issued. Also double and triple check your account (you used) and your bank account if it was a debit card.

Shopping with HTTPS

Being that it is the holiday season and if you are reading this fine tech blog you have no doubt shopped online, and chances are you have probably noticed, or been told to look for, certain indicators that you have a secure Web connection.

For many years, the primary indicator was a padlock at the bottom of your browser screen. Now, the padlock is likely to be found in the address bar up top. Sometimes the address bar itself will turn a different color (usually green) when you enter a secure website.

The "http" prefix on the website, if it's visible, will change to "https" The "s" stands for "secure."

Learning to read these browser indicators is an important way to avoid becoming a victim of cybercriminals.

What is HTTPS Anyway?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https) is a communications protocol for secure communication over a computer network, with wide adoption on the Internet. This security level is the result of layering the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) on top of the SSL/TLS protocol, which adds the security capabilities of SSL/TLS to standard HTTP communications.

If you do not see that a site is using the HTTPS protocol always avoid providing any personal or financial information.

FBI Issues Holiday Scam Reminder

Watch Out for Bad Santa when online.

This morning, a co-worker, who will remain nameless entered my office asking for help. It seems that after his wife was shopping online this past weekend their email account was compromised and began sending our spam to everyone in their address book. This tale of woe was hopefully resolved by having the victim simply change their email account's password, but the fix is often not that easy.

So here is more online holiday shopping scam information.

Following on the heals of this fine blog the FBI, this week issued a series of reminders to online shoppers to beware of scams and to use their common sense.

"Scammers use many techniques to defraud consumers, from phishing e-mails offering too good to be true deals on brand-name merchandise to offering quick cash to victims who will re-ship packages to additional destinations. Previously reported scams are still being executed today," the FBI states.

Here's a rundown of the FBI's advice, some are more obvious than others.

Keep a watchful eye on your personal credit information at this time of year for any possible fraudulent activity.

Be careful when receiving online correspondence from banks. Never click on a link embedded in an email from your bank. Rather, open a new webpage and manually enter the URL to avoid getting snagged in a phishing trap.

Stick mainly to reputable online sites. Those unfamiliar to you might be traps designed to swipe your personally identifiable information.

Don't assume even top search results will take you to a reputable site. Take a close look at the URL (website address) of any site you plan to visit to see if anything looks odd, such as extra characters. Make sure the payment page of any website you use starts with https, not just http.

Don't respond to unsolicited email (i.e., spam)

Be wary of emails claiming to contain photos in attached files... which could contain viruses.

Avoid filling out forms contained in email messages that as for personal info.

Be on the alert if you are requested to act quickly or if there is an emergency that requires your attention, as these could be scams.

Check out US-CERT's posting on Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns.

Finally, if it looks too good, it probably is.

Staying Safe on Cyber Monday... and Beyond

With Cyber Monday only a day away I wanted to post some reminders regarding how to stay safe while shopping online. Of course these tips are not only important for "Cyber Monday" but anytime your are shopping online.

• Keep a Clean Machine: All the devices you use for shopping - including smartphones and
  tablets - should have up-to-date software including security software, operating systems, programs and apps. 

• When in Doubt, Throw it Out: Links in email, tweets, posts, and online advertising are often the way cybercriminals compromise your computer. If it looks suspicious, even if you know the source, it’s best to delete or if appropriate, mark as junk email.

• Think Before you Act: Be wary of   communications that offer amazing deals that sound too good to be true, implore you to act immediately - including those about a problem with an order or payment or ask you to view the website via a provided link.                                    

• Get Savvy about Wi-Fi Hotspots:  Don’t share personal or financial information over an unsecured network (a connection that doesn’t require a password for access). Using the direct web access on your phone (via a 3G/4G connection) is safer than an unsecured wireless network when on your mobile device.

• Make Sure the Site is Legitimate: This includes a closed padlock on your web browser’s address bar or a URL address that begins with shttp or https. This indicates that the purchase is encrypted or secured. For new sites, check online reviews.

• Protect your Personal Information: Be alert to the kinds of information being collected to complete the transaction. Make sure the information requested is only that needed to complete the transaction. Only fill out required fields on checkout forms. Check the website's privacy policy. Make sure you understand how your information will be stored and used.

• Use Safe Payment Options: Credit cards are generally the safest option because they allow buyers to seek a credit from the issuer if the product isn’t delivered or isn’t what was ordered. Credit cards may have a limit on the monetary amount you will be responsible for paying. Never send cash through the mail or use a money-wiring service.

• Keep a Paper Trail: Save records of your online transactions, including the product description, price, online receipt, terms of the sale, and copies of email exchanges with the seller. Read your credit card statements as soon as you get them to make sure there aren’t any unauthorized charges. If there is a discrepancy, call your bank and report it immediately.

CryptoLocker Invades a PD

I have written about the CryptoLocker virus and other security problems countless times in this blog and here is yet another recent real life example of what can go wrong with computer security, even when police departments are involved.

A U.S. police department was so determined to get back important files that had been encrypted by the rampaging CryptoLocker Trojan it decided to pay the ransom being demanded by the criminals.

It sounds like a far-fetched and probably serious breach of law enforcement protocol, but according to a local news report, this is exactly what the police department in Swansea, Mass., decided to do when "several images and word documents," were found to have been encrypted by the malware.

The department had followed the instructions given by CryptoLocker and on Nov. 10 bought two bitcoins worth $750 which resulted in the criminals sending the decrypt key, police said.

The "Trojan" is so complicated and successful that you have to buy these bitcoins, which we had never heard of," said Swansea Police Lt. Gregory Ryan in an admission to the press many will find quite staggering.

Ryan didn't say why the files were so important that a police department saw fit to pay a digital ransom to criminals, but insisted "It was an education for [those who] had to deal with it," and that at least the infection had not caused damage to the system the department used for booking official reports and logging photographs.

"We were never compromised," Ryan said, a statement that many would deem inaccurate.

Only last weekend, the UK National Crime Agency put out an alert that the criminals behind CryptoLocker were now targeting UK SMEs on a large scale. Their recommendation is that affected businesses do not pay the ransom, not least because there is no guarantee that they will even receive an unlock key.

There is growing concern about the scale and success of the CryptoLocker campaign which, it is worth pointing out, is far from the first malware to use the technique of locking or encrypting victim's files. A key element of CryptoLocker's recent success is that it has started demanding untraceable bitcoins for payment rather than more conventional money channels that were easier to block or trace.

Another weakness is that there is often no central place for affected individuals to report infections, nor seek advice. Consequently, some victims pay up. The citizens of Swansea, Mass., now know that this helplessness includes their local police department.

"With the FBI stating that this type of activity should not be encouraged by paying the ransom, it is surprising to see that the local police department paying to regain access to the files," commented Gavin Millard, EMEA technical director of security firm Tripwire.

"What is more concerning though, is the apparent lack of security and backup procedures on systems that could be storing critical and highly confidential documents."

I have written this countless times on this little tech blog. Never ever open attachments that you did not specifically ask for. When in doubt, contact the sender by phone to verify that the attachment is legitimate. Otherwise you may be in the same sinking boat as the police department in this article.

Do You Know a Virus from a Worm?

Here is a question I am asked all the time. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Virus and a Worm? Perhaps you - yourself have stepped into my office and asked this very question.

Well very simply a virus is a program that replicates, which means it spreads from file to file on your system and from PC to PC. In addition, it may be programmed to erase or damage data.

Worms are generally considered to be a subset of viruses, but with certain key differences. A worm is a computer program that replicates, but does not infect other files. Instead, it installs itself once on a computer and then looks for a way to spread to other computers.

In the case of a virus, the longer it goes undetected, the more infected files there will be on the computer. Worms, however, create a single instance of their code. Moreover, unlike a virus, a worm code is stand-alone.

To sum this up, a worm is a separate file while a virus is a set of code which adds itself to existing files.

Curisosity vs. Attachments

Another quick security tip...
If an email or email attachment seems suspicious, do not open it, even if your anti-virus software indicates that the message is clean. Cyber Criminals are constantly releasing new viruses, and the anti-virus software might not have the signature yet. When in doubt contact the person who supposedly sent the message to make sure it's legitimate before you open the attachment.

This is especially important in the case of forwards. Even messages sent by a legitimate sender might contain a virus. If something about the email or the attachment makes you uncomfortable, there may be a good reason.

Don't let your curiosity put your computer at risk.

Disabled Services Trouble

Here is one last security tip in my security series of articles and I finish up on a sure sign of a malicious compromise.

If you notice that your antimalware software & antivirus software is disabled and you did not do it, you're probably exploited -- especially if you try to start Task Manager or Registry Editor and they still will not start and disappear, or start in a reduced state. This is very common for malware to do.

What to do: You should really perform a complete restore because there is no telling what has happened. But if you want to try something less drastic first, research the many methods on how to restore the lost functionality (any Internet search engine will return lots of results), then restart your computer in Safe Mode and start the hard work. I say "hard work" because usually it is not easy or quick. Often, I have to try a handful of different methods to find one that works. Precede restoring your software by getting rid of the malware program, using the methods listed above.

It is also likely it will be necessary to backup your data and re-format your computer.

The Windows Update Blues

OK so in the previous post I talked a little bit about Windows Update and how important it is that you have this setup properly in order to keep your PC up to date. In these times of trojans, worms, malware and viruses it is more important then ever before to keep your PC updated. However life is not perfect and neither are Microsoft's Windows Updates as I found out for myself this morning when I entered my office to see the following screen displayed.

Darn, I hadn't even turned my coffee pot on yet when I saw this!

Because I was aware that last night was "Patch Tuesday" for Microsoft I was certain that the update had gone horribly wrong and crashed my PC. Remember that I reported in the previous article the second Tuesday of each month is "Patch Tuesday" for Microsoft which means that these updates are usually automatically downloaded and installed if your PC is setup for this.

This does not usually happen, and it is no reason to not have these updates automatically downloaded on your PC, however once in a great the update will fail and depending on what was being updated at the time, damage can be caused to Windows. This was the case with my very own PC this morning.

What should you do if this happens to you?

First and most important do not panic.

• The first thing is simply trying to reboot the PC.
• The second thing to try is unplugging the PC for a moment or two, plug it back in and power it up.
• If these do not help try hitting F8 on boot to see if you can at least get the to configuration menu.
• Try the menu option, "Last Known Good Configuration".

Ok - now if this does not help your work is going to get a little more difficult. You need to check the hard drive for errors caused by the windows update errors. The best way to do this is to actually remove the hard drive from the computer and use a SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB adapter. By removing the drive and connecting it directly to another PC you can first make sure that your personal data is there and then you can check the disc for errors and repair any problems.

These adapter's can be found for under 20 dollars so it is good to always have one handy, just in case.

Once you have your hard drive plugged into another PC with the drive to USB adapter try the following:

• Open My Computer on your desktop.
• Right click on the drive letter that represents your malfunctioning hard drive. It will usually have a drive letter after your CDROM, something like E or F and so on.
• Select "properties".
• Select the "Tools" tab.
• Make sure the first check box "Automatically fix the system files" and select "Start".

This task may take 30 minutes or more to run depending on the size of your hard drive and the number of errors (if any) it needs to repair. Once completed try re-installing the hard drive into your PC and re-booting.

There is a very good chance this will repair the drive if it was indeed damaged by the failed Windows update. This is exactly how I was able to recover my PC from this very problem this morning and it only took me an hour or so.

If this does not work, well.... that's another story.

Getting to Know Windows Update



I have written here countless times how important it is to keep your computer up to date, both for security and performance issues. Microsoft is well aware of this and works to keep our computers up to date with "patches". Every second Tuesday of the month, Microsoft releases "patches" or "updates" for all of their operating systems. With Windows Update running on your PC these updates can, and should be scheduled to automatically download and install.

The one exception to this practice are servers which should have the "patches" and "updates" downloaded automatically however the installation of these changes should be manually completed by an IT professional on staff. However other then this situation it is almost always the best practice to have Windows Update running on your PC and scheduled to automatically download and install these updates.

You can check to make sure your PC is setup for this by:

1. Opening the Control Panel
2. Opening Windows Update
3. Open Change Settings
4. Make Sure "Install updates automatically (recommended) is selected.
5. Pick a time to install the new updates. I usually check 3am because in this manner I can be assured that while I am cozy and sleeping my computer is being updated by Microsoft.

By doing this you can be assured that your computer is up to date with Microsoft.

However, once in a great while this update can go horribly wrong as it did for me today, but that is a story for another day, or more likely my next post.

Microsoft's Malicious Tool Removal Tool

Did you know that Microsoft has a great "Malicious Software Removal Tool"? If you think your computer is effected with a bug check this site out as soon as you have run your antivirus software.

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool helps remove malicious software from your computers that are running Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows XP.

Microsoft releases a new version of the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool every month. After you download the tool, the tool runs one time to check your computer for infection by specific prevalent malicious software (including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom) and helps remove any infection it finds.

This article contains information about how the tool differs from an antivirus product, how you can download and run the tool, and what happens when the tool finds malicious software on your computer. The advanced user section includes information for the IT administrator and additional information about how to manage and run the Malicious Software Removal Tool.  

You can download the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool here.

Avoid Playful Mice



If your mouse pointer moves itself while making selections that work, you've definitely been hacked. Mouse pointers often move randomly, usually due to hardware problems. But if the movements involve making the correct choices to run particular programs, malicious humans are somewhere involved.

Not as common as some of the other attacks and computer comprises I have previously written about however many hackers will break into a computer, wait for it to be idle for a long time (like after midnight), then try to steal your money. Hackers will break into bank accounts and transfer money, trade your stocks, and do all sorts of rogue actions, all designed to lighten your cash load.

What to do: If your computer "comes alive" one night, take a minute before turning it off to determine what the intruders are interested in. Don't let them rob you, but it will be useful to see what things they are looking at and trying to compromise. If you have a cellphone handy, take a few pictures to document their tasks. When it makes sense, power off the computer. Disconnect it from the network (or disable the wireless router) and call tech support.

Using another known good computer, immediately change all your other logon names and passwords. Check your bank account transaction histories, stock accounts, and so on. Consider paying for a credit-monitoring service. If you've been a victim of this attack, you have to take it seriously.

A complete restore of the computer is the only option you should choose for recovery. But if you've lost any money, make sure to let the forensics team/law enforcement make a copy first. If you've suffered a loss, call law enforcement and file a case. You will need this information to best recover your real money losses, if any.

The Mystery of Unwanted Programs

Unwanted and unexpected software installs are a big sign that your computer system has likely been hacked.

In the early days of malware, most programs were computer viruses, which work by modifying other legitimate programs. They did this to better hide themselves. For whatever reason, most malware programs these days are Trojans and worms, and they typically install themselves just like legitimate programs. This may be because their creators are trying to walk a very thin line when the courts catch up to them. They can attempt to say something like, "But we are a legitimate software company."

Very often the unwanted software is legally installed by other programs, so you must take the time to read your license agreements. Frequently, I see license agreements that plainly state that they will be installing one or more other programs. Most of the time you can opt out of these other installed programs; other times you can not. The programs that do not allow you to opt out of other software should not be installed.

What to do: There are many free programs that show you all your installed programs and let you selectively disable them. The hard part is determining what is and what is not legitimate. When in doubt, disable the unrecognized program, reboot the PC, and re-enable the program only if some needed functionality is no longer working.

Dealing with Fake Emails

Have you ever received suspicious emails from a friend? It's fairly common for our email friends to receive malicious emails from us. A decade ago, when email attachment viruses were all the rage, it was very common for malware programs to survey your email address book and send malicious emails to everyone in it.

These days it's more common for malicious emails to be sent to some of your friends, but not everyone in your email address book. If it's just a few friends and not everyone in your email list, then more than likely your computer has not been compromised (at least with an email address-hunting malware program). These days malware programs and hackers often pull email addresses and contact lists from social media sites, but doing so means obtaining a very incomplete list of your contacts' email addresses. Although not always the case, the bogus emails they send to your friends often don not have your email address as the sender. It may have your name, but not your correct email address. If this is the case, then usually your computer is safe.

What to do: If one or more friends reports receiving bogus emails claiming to be from you, do your due diligence and run a complete antivirus scan on your computer, followed by looking for unwanted installed programs and toolbars. Often it's nothing to worry about, but it can't hurt to do a little health check when this happens.

The Dangers of Useless Passwords

Despite the endless warnings, despite all the advice, despite the plethora of useful articles on the seriousness of passwords, it seems computer users everywhere just can’t help creating really useless passwords. Analysis of user passwords gathered from a recent Adobe attack reveal a Top 20 list full of easy-to-remember but equally easy-to-guess passwords, with “123456” topping the list.


The Adobe hack affected 38 million accounts, yes that's 38 million. The security breach actually hit more than 150 million accounts, though most are no longer used.

Adobe has changed the passwords on affected accounts and contacted users to let them know how to reset their account with a personally chosen password. It also instructed users to change their passwords on any other website where they may have used the same user ID and password as their Adobe account.

Now some of the stolen data has started to show up across the web, with Internet security researcher Jeremi Gosney uncovering a mass of passwords, despite the US software giant saying they were protected by encryption. However, an Adobe spokesperson said last week that up to now there have been no reports of suspicious activity on user accounts affected by the security breach.

Now that you know “123456” topped the list of 1.9 million passwords, perhaps you can guess what came in at number 2…..“123456789”. Number 3 will be enough to make any Web security advisor consider giving up the day job in despair: “password”.

Here are the rest of the top 20 most popular passwords gathered from the Adobe hack: adobe123 / 12345678 / qwerty / 1234567 / 111111 / photoshop / 123123 / 1234567890 / 000000 / abc123 / 1234 / adobe1 / macromedia / azerty / iloveyou / aaaaaa / 654321.

The thing is, if someone uses a number like “123456” for their password on one site, it’s a safe bet they use the same number on all the websites for which they have accounts, unless, of course, you keep all your passwords in a big red notebook with “MY PASSWORDS” written on the front. And those who have “adobe123″ as their password no doubt also use “facebook123”, “twitter123”….so you get the idea. Useless passwords only place your security in real jeopardy.

If you are curious and would like to check out the top 100 used passwords on Adobe click here.

Today you should use a password manager like LastPass to manage your accounts. There are many other programs and services that you can use to manage your passwords as well. Otherwise if you  use useless passwords (say that 10 times fast) you are really taking a security risk with your personal information.

Dealing With Redirected Internet Searches

Many hackers make their living by redirecting your browser somewhere other than you want to go. The hacker gets paid by getting your clicks to appear on someone else's website, often those who don't know that the clicks to their site are from malicious redirection.

You can often spot this type of malware by typing a few related, very common words (for example, "spaceship" or "baseball") into Internet search engines and checking to see whether the same websites appear in the results -- almost always with no actual relevance to your terms. Unfortunately, many of today's redirected Internet searches are well hidden from the user through use of additional proxies, so the bogus results are never returned to alert the user. In general, if you have bogus toolbar programs, you're also being redirected. Technical users who really want to confirm can sniff their own browser or network traffic. The traffic sent and returned will always be distinctly different on a compromised computer vs. an uncompromised computer.

What to do: Remove any browser toolbars you do not absolutely need. Usually removing the bogus toolbars and programs is enough to get rid of malicious redirection.

Unwanted Browser Toolbar Blues

Another quick security tip.

Here is yet another common sign of computer exploitation: Your browser has multiple new toolbars with names that seem to indicate the toolbar is supposed to help you. Unless you recognize the toolbar as coming from a very well-known vendor, it's time to get rid of the troubling toolbars.

What to do: Most browsers allow you to review installed and active toolbars. Remove any you didn't absolutely want to install. When in doubt, remove it. If the bogus toolbar isn't listed there or you can't easily remove it, see if your browser has an option to reset the browser back to its default settings.

I have actually worked on computes with this many toolbars installed!

You can usually avoid malicious toolbars by making sure that all your software is fully patched and by avoiding free software that installs these tool bars.

Another problem with too many internet toolbars is that is that the more you have, the slower your browsing experience will be. Personally I use NO toolbars.

Hint: Read the licensing agreement. Toolbar installs are often pointed out in the licensing agreements that most people don't read.

Fake Antivirus Got You Down?

It seems that almost weekly someone contacts me with the sad story that there computer is inundated with "security pop-up messages".

Here is a sample fake antivirus program.

Fake antivirus warning messages are among the surest signs that your system has been compromised. What most people don't realize is that by the time they see the fake antivirus warning, the damage has already been done. Clicking No or Cancel to stop the fake virus scan is too little, too late. The malicious software has already made use of unpatched software, often the Java Runtime Environment or an Adobe product, to completely exploit your system.

Why does the malicious program bother with the "antivirus warning"? This is because the fake scan, which always finds tons of "viruses," is a lure to buy their product. Clicking on the provided link sends you to a professional-looking website, complete with glowing letters of recommendation. There, they ask you for your credit card number and billing information. You'd be surprised how many people get tricked into providing personal financial information. The cyber criminals gain complete control of your system and get your credit card or banking information. For cyber criminals this is the Holy Grail of hacking.

What to do: As soon as you notice the fake antivirus warning message, power down your computer. If you need to save anything and can do it, do so. But the sooner you power off your computer, the better. Boot up the computer system in Safe Mode, No Networking, and try to uninstall the newly installed software (sometimes it can be uninstalled like a regular program). Either way, follow up by trying to restore your system to a state previous to the exploitation. If successful, test the computer in regular mode and make sure that the fake antivirus warnings are gone. Then follow up with a complete antivirus scan. Sometimes, the scanner will find other sneak remnants left behind.