Is something "Rouge" on your computer?

(Please ignore the SP above I had a linking error to my site that required it)

Another entry from that anti-virus files, rogue security software.   On at least two occasions I have had clients come in with rouge security software, in both cases XP Antivirus Pro 2010.   What is rogue software, here is the description from wikipedia, 

"Rogue security software is a form of Internet fraud using computer malware (malicious software) that deceives or misleads users into paying money for fake or simulated removal of malware or claims to get rid of malware, but instead introduces malware to the computer.  Rogue security software has become a growing and serious security threat in desktop computing in recent years (from 2008 on)."

Link to Article

The types and names of software are always changing, but again wikipedia provides a pretty good list, List of rogue security software.

How do you avoid rogue software, only download or install software from a trusted source.  If you have questions about trusted sources, I will provide a follow up blog post next week,  or call us in the meantime.  

In the meantime, please give to wikipedia

Avoid the tech support phone scam

If someone calls you and says you have a virus / malware on you computer, it is probably a scam.    A recent experience has led me to this blog post,  and the importance of pointing out that this scam becoming more common.   

This scam can be one of the most damaging, here are some great tips from the FTC, 

If you get a call from someone who claims to be a tech support person, hang up and call the company yourself on a phone number you know to be genuine. A caller who creates a sense of urgency or uses high-pressure tactics is probably a scam artist.

Keep these other tips in mind:

• Don't give control of your computer to a third party who calls you out of the blue.
• Do not rely on caller ID alone to authenticate a caller. Criminals spoof caller ID numbers. They may appear to be calling from a legitimate company or a local number, when they're not even in the same country as you.
• Online search results might not be the best way to find technical support or get a company's contact information. Scammers sometimes place online ads to convince you to call them. They pay to boost their ranking in search results so their websites and phone numbers appear above those of legitimate companies. If you want tech support, look for a company's contact information on their software package or on your receipt.
• Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone who calls and claims to be from tech support.
• If a caller pressures you to buy a computer security product or says there is a subscription fee associated with the call, hang up. If you're concerned about your computer, call your security software company directly and ask for help.
• Never give your password on the phone. No legitimate organization calls you and asks for your password

Here is a direct link to the FTC article, Tech Support Scams

For further information, here is a good bulletin from Microsoft, Avoid tech support phone scams

As always if you have any questions, feel free to give me a call. 

Is it a dangerous website?

One question that I am frequently asked is, "Is this website safe?"   Determining the safety of a website is a challenge, the site functions might be safe, but the content inside might be suspect or dangerous. There is not one single way to determine if a website is safe, but I have found a site that can help.

http://zulu.zscaler.com/

For every website that you submit, zscaler provides a risk assessment,Benign, Low, Medium, or High, based on the following factors,

- Content Checks – Inspection of page content to identify potentially malicious code in a variety of categories

- URL Checks – Inspection of the full URL to identify malicious patterns and check the URL/FQDN/TLD against third party and Zscaler block lists

- Host Checks – IP, DNS and netblock reputation checks

Here is a sample report,

 This is a good tool to help understand the risk associated with websites, but ultimately the decision to yours on weather a website is safe.

Why I like Microsoft Security Essentials

There are hundreds of antivirus programs made for Windows operating systems.   Time and time again I am asked what is the best antivirus solution?   Most recently I have been answering this question with Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE).   I like MSE for 3 reasons,

-          Performance,  MSE has a minimal impact on system resources where other packages tend to eat system resources up.  This combine with a effective antivirus engine makes it stand out for me.

-          Cost, MSE is free.  Though the axiom you get what you pay for may come to mind, the reality is Microsoft has a vested interest in your computing experience. With other operating systems such as Linux, Mac OX / OS X, and even Android to a lesser extent as possible alternatives, Microsoft must ensure that their operating system runs as smoothly and trouble free as possible.

-          Ease of use.   With a single interface of four tabs and ease to configure regular checks MSE wins hands down in this case.

With that being said there are many other options that might better fit your computing needs, but more often than not I think MSE might be the best fit.

Microsoft Security Essentials