‘Unprecedented wave’ of Java exploits hits users, says Microsoft

Via Computerworld:

Microsoft said Monday that an “unprecedented wave” of attacks are exploiting vulnerabilities in Oracle’s Java software.

According to a manager at Microsoft’s Malware Protection Center (MMPC), attempts to exploit Java bugs have skyrocketed in the past nine months, climbing from less than half a million in the first quarter of 2010 to more than 6 million in the third quarter.

“Some of our exploit ‘malware’ families were telling a scary story … an unprecedented wave of Java exploitation,” said Holly Stewart, a senior program manager at the MMPC, in a post to the team’s blog Monday.

Stewart went on to call the jump in Java attacks “scary” and added, “The spike in exploitation was surprising to say the least.”

Read more on Computerworld.

If you need assistance to remove any viruses or solve computer issues, contact ComputerDoc!

Watch out for malicious ‘anti-virus’ software scam

Malicious anti-virus scams (also known as ‘rogue AV’) involve web users being misled into downloading and paying for anti-virus software that is actually malicious software in disguise. Learn more about how these scams work, what the risks are, and the simple steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim. More…

Firesheep

Via Computerworld: Firesheep is a new Firefox add-on that lets amateurs hijack users’ access to Facebook, Twitter and other popular services.

Firesheep adds a sidebar to Mozilla’s Firefox browser that shows when anyone on an open network — such as a coffee shop’s Wi-Fi network — visits an insecure site. Read the full article here!

Browser choice screen

Microsoft agreed to provide a browser choice screen with the rival’s browsers to European users. If you have Windows auto update enabled, you have probably come across this screen already.

Did you try any other browsers? Are you happy with the one you use?

I’d like to know more about readers here, so please vote about browsers. Thank you! The ComputerDoc

NOD32 and ESET Smart Security

I’m pleased to announce that ComputerDoc  now is a reseller of ESET products, NOD32 and ESET Smart Security.
I was really happy, when I got the confirmation e-mail from ESET Ireland.

I’ve been using ESET antivirus solutions with satisfaction for about 4 years now. It’s really lightweight, works fine without slowing down my computer.
I can work, watch videos or photos without noticing that there is a full computer scan is running in the background.  Unfortunately this is not obvious with other antivirus softwares.

I won’t do comparisons here, because you can find them on their website.  And there is a lot more useful information, why you should have ESET products.

If you want one of these great products installed and properly set up on your computer for the peace of mind, please contact me .

ComputerDoc

Fake antivirus softwares

It’s amazing, how good these things look! But they are not real! They only look like antivirus softwares.

If a new software tells you after a short scan, right after Windows boot, that your computer is infected, and you can remove these threats if you buy the full version of the software, you probably have a fake antivirus on your computer. Don’t pay for it!!!

The big deal is you can’t uninstall these programs by using Windows default program removal tool ‘Add/Remove Program’. You need a special type of application which can remove it.

CA has a nice collection of these fake wares here. It’s not a full list, but have a look, and if your “software” looks like any of the listed ones, do the following things, as soon as possible:

If you can, run Malwarebytes or Spybot Search & Destroy or SuperAntiSpyware’s online scan on your computer.
If you can’t, call an expert!

Be careful on the internet, don’t download suspicious files!

Backup for the peace of mind

I was asked yesterday to reinstall Windows on a computer after the system crashed.
My first question to the owner was: Any important files on the hard drive to save or to recover?
She said no, she had a backup!

I was very surprised! Unfortunately, I hear this answer very rarely, although backing-up is not rocket science!
Keeping family photos, videos, personal files ( school, work) only on your computer is very risky. These are irreplaceable documents!!! You can’t buy them, or download them from the internet again.

So what to do to know these are on the safe side? Backing-up is the answer.
How? Burn the files on DVD, or just copy them onto an external hard drive or USB key regularly! That’s it! Do it before it’s too late!
If you want to back-up your system settings, program settings or anything else, there are many third party softwares on the market. You can buy one, or you can get one for free. Sometimes your CD-DVD burner sofware can do it.

Here’s a free and easy-to-use sotware for all your backup needs: GFI Backup

Have a nice day!
ComputerDoc

Antivirus softwares

Your computer came with a pre-installed antivirus software? Is it a full version or a trial only?
Is it up to date? Does it tell you to renew your licence?
Your licence has expired and you don’t want to pay for renewal?
You don’t have one at all? ( Get one quickly and perform a full scan!!!)
Even a free antivirus software is better than an out of date one!

Here are some free solutions for home users only:

Avast! antivirus: after registration it’s free for non-commercial and home users.

Avira AntiVir Personal

The best solution is to buy one, of course! You don’t know which one?
Try them, before you buy them!

You can download a trial version first, test it on your computer, and buy it, if you like it.
If you don’t want to spend time configuring a separate firewall, anti-spyware, anti-malware software, then download a suit version. These are special packages, containing all you need in one application.

Some of the big names:

Eset Smart Security 4 (for old and new computers)

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 (only for powerful computers, imho)

BitDefender Total Security 2010

F-Secure Inernet Security 2010

Remember! Only ONE antivirus at a time, or your system may crash!

Have a nice, virus free day!

Computerdoc

hal.dll missing?

This week I had 2 computers with the same problem:

The hal.dll file was missing and Windows XP didn’t find the hard drive to boot up. Booth computers had the Ask toolbar installed.  The missing file message came up when the owners restarted their computers after installing Explorer 8. What can you do, if the same thing happens to you?

Follow the instructions on this website!

If this doesn’t help, ask an expert!

About the domain

You might wonder, what is a  .cc domain?

According to Wikipedia: .cc is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Australian territory. It is administered by VeriSign through a subsidiary company eNIC, which promotes it for international registration as “the next .com”; .cc was originally assigned October 1997 to eNIC Corporation of Seattle WA by the IANA. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also uses the .cc domain, along with .nc.tr. This is due to them not being recognized as a sovereign state by anyone except Turkey.

So why I chose  .cc domain for an Irish business? First of all, it was cheaper (30$ for a year) than a .ie domain. Secondly, it was easier to register.

Last, but not least, I think it’s convenient because it is short and easy to say, and hopefully easy to remember.

Have a nice day!

ComputerDoc