The Most Dangerous Words on the Internet

There are many forms of security intrusions on your computer and you should be aware of all of them. Sometimes you don’t have to do anything you would normally think would infect your computer. Infiltrations can happen without any action on your part. You don’t have to click or download programs to lose control of your system.

Here’s a tip you may not have heard. Don’t click on any ad. In your Email, on Google or even Facebook don’t click on advertisements. You’d think big companies like Google or Facebook review advertisements that appear on their websites. You’d be wrong. Some of the most dangerous links appear as advertisements that look like search results on Google or product recommendations by your friends on Facebook.

If you click on an ad the most danger words you’ll ever see online are “FREE, You may be a winner”. If you see those words or anything similar use Ctrl-All-Del and close your browser. Web sites don’t give away Apple iPads. If they do the chances you’ll win isn’t worth the risk.

My mother always said, “You get what you pay for”.   She was a smart lady.  She also said, “If it seems to be good to be true, it probably is”.


If you see this message, press Ctrl-Alt-Del and kill your
browser. There’s no other safe way out of this dangerous message.

What you always need to do is take security seriously. Pay attention to any changes in behavior and make sure you have updates to all your software including system updates. Pay special attention to updates from third party software from companies like Apple and Adobe.

You may not care if your computer is infected but here are some examples of why you still need some kind of security on your computer.

1. Sensational Headlines
   You were tempted by a salacious headline. What happened when you clicked may vary but everyone in your contact list will receive the same headline and they’ll want to click. If they do, they’ll get the same attack you received and all their contacts will get the message as it spreads to all everyone’s friend. If you’re a Facebook user I’m sure you’ve seen this happen more than once.
   
   
2. Key Loggers
   There’s a program running on your computer that tracks each mouse movement and keystroke and sends it to an online server that may be monitored by many of the bad guys. This kind of infection is often called a key logger. In some cases a key logger may be installed by a controlling domestic partner or even your boss.  Key logger programs are sold openly disguised as ways to monitor your children. Everyone knows these programs are misused and often used in domestic violence cases.
   
   
3. Bots
   There’s a program running on your computer called a “bot”. You may never know it’s running. It just uses your computer as a tool so a police investigation will be directed to your house and not someone on the other side of the world. Someone controlling the bot could do everything from participate in denial of service attacks to hack into someone's bank account.  Don’t expect a CSI team to come in and clear you.  Not long ago bots were used to shut down nuclear computers in Iran. Chances are in our future they’ll be used against more sensitive sites in the U.S.
   
   
4. Credit Card Info
   You sent your credit card to a popular online store that doesn’t have the best security plan.  The latest example of this came from online store Zappos. This happens more than you can imagine and on rare occasions companies like Zappos will make the effort to let their customers know and encourage them to change their passwords. While most people fear credit card information will be stolen using the internet, an equal danger exists calling a company on the phone and giving them your credit card number. Monitor your credit card usage regularly and keep track of your purchases.
   
   
5. Scareware
   According to security friends rogue software or “scareware” is now the most common security threat. A message appears letting you know your computer is infected and for a fee they’ll remove all the viruses, Trojans horses, and tracking cookies that supposedly exist. 
   
   No matter how much you pay you won’t receive any help. As time goes on the infection will get worse and your computer will only get slower and slower 
   

So what else can you do?  Most people blame it on their kids or spouse. Many install 3-4 different anti-virus programs because they think the more protection they have the better. When it comes to security programs, I usually recommend one good AV scanner to back up WinPatrol and help clean up any garbage left by the infection.

When it comes to real “protection” I continue to stress a single, regular solution that will provide multiple solutions. Backup, Backup, Backup!
It’s that time of year when I remind readers they need to take doing regular backups seriously. Instead of blindly depending on security software invest your money in a good backup plan.

If you haven’t reviewed backup solutions in a while you’ll be surprised at what’s available. While I don’t currently recommend any single solution check out cloud backup services or invest in a media safe that keeps media protected during the hottest fire. Create a good backup policy and you will be a WINNER!

WinPatrol Update 24.1 – Delayed Start

The end of last year I was pleased to provide an update to our WinPatrol patrol.  This long awaited update was WinPatrol 2012 version 24.0. I’m sure it’s no surprise if I tell you that software updates can sometimes introduce new problems.

I’ve been known to tell readers it’s best to wait 7-10 days even before accepting updates to Windows. Occasionally, I’ll post an exception to security updates but only if there is a real danger. My advice for WinPatrol updates is the same as any software.  If never hurts to wait.

Some WinPatrol users have reported problems with our Delayed Start function.  Given the popularity of this feature it was given immediate attention and has been fixed in our current release along with a few minor issues.

Delayed Start is a feature that separates WinPatrol from other popular security and utility programs. It follows one of WinPatrol’s primary goals to “Start the computer as quickly as possible”.

Using WinPatrol’s Delayed Start lets you hold off launching programs you may want running in the background but they aren’t needed immediately. That allows Windows to load quicker and make it possible for important tasks like Internet connecting to be available when you really need them.

Moving a Startup program to the Delayed Start is easy. Just select a program or multiple programs on Windows Auto Startup list and right-click for the move to Delayed Start menu item.

Once an item is on the Delayed Start list you can change multiple custom launch options including how long to wait before a program is launched.

 

If you haven’t used the Delay Startup function it may be a great time to check it out.  Either way I recommend installing the newest version of WinPatrol 2012.    Click to Update to WinPatrol 2012 version 24.1

Kinect for Windows Opens Opportunities

I’ve been a programmer for over 30 years and I’ve had the honor and privilege to work on many fun projects.  For the last ten years most of my work has been on WinPatrol which has been very rewarding but not necessarily fun.

When the Kinect sensor was released for XBox it almost made me want an XBox for our playroom. Unfortunately, we had enough invested in the Nintendo Wii including the Beatles Rock Band and Wii Fit which gets used the most. On February 1st, Microsoft will begin selling a Kinect Sensor for Windows.

 
Click for More Info and pricing

Now comes the hard part, The possibilities are endless when it comes to the type of application I could create that uses the Kinect. I suspect there will be a wide variety of programs that will use the Kinect Sensor. I doubt a Kinect interface for WinPatrol is needed but hopefully I’ll come up with an idea that generates as much usefulness.

I’m not an artist but I probably won’t be creating a game. Most likely I’ll create way to interface the Kinect with other programs. I already have some experience controlling external programs so I just need to find the right combination of actions and results.  If you have any needs or ideas leave a comment.

AVG Reports “WinPatrol 2012” as a virus

If you’re a AVG customer you may see the following screen when installing WinPatrol 2012.   Fear not.  This is what we commonly call a “false positive”.  I have contacted our friends at AVG and await their response. Most companies will fix this kind of error quickly.

WinPatrol will run along with AVG but this screen incorrectly identifies one of our programs as a virus.  I can assure you WinPatrolEx.exe is not a virus. To verify our safety I tested our program against other Anti-Virus programs using a great service called VirusTotal.com.  Ironically, we found one other little known security program also mistaking WinPatrol as a trojan but the other 41 respectable programs acknowledge that WinPatrol is safe.

It appears a large group of users run both WinPatrol and AVG so hopefully we’ll hear back soon from AVG and they’ll offer a solution.

 

UPDATE: Fri 12/30/2011 3:03 AM