April Security News is Serious

Many of my friends have been asking for my opinion of a couple security issues which have been in the news.

The first is Windows XP which was launched in September of 2001. Microsoft announced last year that after April 8th, 2014 it would no longer provide support for Windows XP and Office 2003.

The second concern is for something known as HeartBleed. This could be dangerous to anyone who visits a website no matter what kind of device you use.

Microsoft Windows XP
I realize that many of you can not or will not upgrade your computer currently running Windows XP.  It may not happen today or even next month but it’s only a matter of time before your computer is infiltrated and is useless.  Start putting aside some money, backup your data regularly and look for alternates to programs you can’t do without.  I’m sorry but it’s only a matter of time.

If someone on your home or business network is using Windows XP, turn off their access. When their machine is attacked it will compromise your entire network.

If they really need Internet access consider getting them a separate connection perhaps through their phone or with a separate hotspot.

Many of you asked about using WinPatrol which is a great idea but doesn’t address the big picture. The security guru’s at Microsoft spend a lot of attention on flaws or vulnerabilities in software.  When they find a hole that lets hackers in, they create a patch. After a great deal of testing they release fixes on what we called “Patch Tuesday."

WinPatrol will continue to notify you of regular changes to your computer but the ability to patch vulnerabilities isn’t its specialty. What I will be doing is paying attention to what I hear from hackers. When possible, we will notify WinPatrol users if a particular file or ActiveX component is found to have a vulnerability. WinPatrol PLUS will allow you to disable ActiveX components by setting their Kill Bit. This is the most we can do and will require quick action.

OpenSSL - Heartbleed
On Monday researchers disclosed a serious flaw in a open source program used by almost half the web servers around the globe. A version of the program called OpenSSL allowed hackers to grab a chuck of recently active protected memory.  This memory could contain anything from names and passwords to someone’s grocery list to decoded government or industrial secrets.  Any kind of data that is communicated could be snatched. After collecting unlimited chucks of data a hacker could make a game out of figuring out what segments could be valuable. Each chunk was 64K like the total addressable memory of the Commodore 64.

Some media outlets like the BBC have repeated the advise to change every password you have. There is no trustworthy list of up-to-date/time safe computers but a list created yesterday claims to have tested 10,000 popular sites. Most have been updated by now but you’ll want to be sure before changing any password or even signing on.  An updated list should be available soon.

A number of tools for consumers have sprang up allowing you to verify in real-time if a website is currently safe. I found the following to run my own tests.

 

Click image to test your favorite site

My web sites have been hosted by the company, Verio and I was pleased to see my information was safe It doesn’t mean it was always safe but if not, at least Verio was quick to apply a fix. I can confirm no personal or financial customer data is stored on our web servers.

I wouldn’t necessarily advise you to change all your passwords. Before you do, you’ll certainly want to be sure the company is aware of Heartbleed and has updated their security.  Over 56.8% of the companies on the list of 10,000 are listed as safe because they don’t even use OpenSSL.  Another 36.9% tested safe yesterday. That leaves only 6.3% were vulnerable when the news was announced.

I have changed some of my more important passwords but I regularly changes passwords anyway. I did change my Yahoo passwords since they were mentioned in many news reports and acknowledged using OpenSSL.  Considering Google was involved in disclosing this bug it’s interesting that Yahoo was used as an example. Many friends of Google were notified so they could update their version of  OpenSSL before the information was made public.

While you may notice my tone is not meant to create panic, I personally consider this failure as devastating. I started developing online services for consumers 30+ years ago and this is the “utmost cock-up”.  I don’t fear the damage caused by this threat as much as I worry about what this general lack of  oversight represents.

You can find more details online from our favorite security investigator, Brian KrebsonSecurity  and official reports sponsored by Homeland Security on the Carnegie Mellon CERT database.   The list of 10,000 is located at
https://github.com/musalbas/heartbleed-masstest/blob/master/top10000.txt

Safe Updates & Discounts For Windows XP

There are a variety of services that help keep your important software updated. We've added a  "Check for Safe Updates" button  to integrate a new version checking feature directly into WinPatrol. It won’t be the most powerful but in the WinPatrol spirit our goal is to make sure updates are safe and folks are educated to all possible risks.













Previously this button checked for new versions of WinPatrol but it has been expanded to include version checks for popular software packages. When you click this button we'll compare your version against the newest safe version available. If updating is recommended you'll see a safe link that goes to the official download page for the software.

This is critical because bogus sites are showing up on the top results page with Google, Bing and other search engines. It's easy to find yourself on web page that tries to trick you into downloading software wrapped with a setup program that installs additional unwanted software.

Even a legitimate company like Oracle has partnered with toolbar and anti-virus companies. The revenue they get when anyone installs the parasitic software is significant. Considering the installed base of Java users and now often they need security updates it’s a very lucrative market. The WinPatrol PLUS Safe Update Engine will also warn you about these threats and show you sample screen shots of what you might expect.


Every time a new version of Java is available Oracle will try to push other software unrelated to Java. In some cases they’ll receive over a dollar for each customer lead.

Restore Deleted Files

Our second big feature came after feedback from radio host and America’s Digital Goddess, Kim Komando. In a recent article, Kim recommended WinPatrol but cautioned her readers about the dangers of deleting files that may be required. WinPatrol has always provided a History button that allows you to Restore any Startup Programs but she had a point when it comes to the removal of hidden files.

The files will now quarantined in a WinPatrol vault. We will also include a command line scripts that can be used to restore any files that had been hidden. The command-line scripts are created for a worse-case scenario when someone deletes a file that is required for Windows to run. The script or .bat file can be run in safe mode or a command-line mode.

PLUS Discount for Windows XP

The new Safe Update Engine will also detect which version of Windows you're running. If appropriate we will advise you to any potential problems. For instance, if someone is still using Windows XP we will offer timely protection tips. It’s clear not everyone can or will be upgrading immediately. Some businesses have software or hardware that still requires Windows XP.  Unfortunately, an XP machine could be infiltrated and turned into a "bot" that could be used to send SPAM or deploy viruses.

If our Safe Update Engine detects you're using Windows XP you'll see a link to a special Windows XP purchase page. The name of this page will routinely change but it will have a PayPal button that allows you to upgrade to WinPatrol PLUS for only $2.00 USD. If you can’t afford a Windows upgrade we’ll make sure WinPatrol PLUS is affordable.

This is section of the results provided by the WinPatrol PLUS Safe Update Engine. In this example, the special offer is provided when the Safe Update feature detects Windows XP is running.

Opportunity for 3rd Party Application Developers

As the time grows closer to the release of WinPatrol 18 I wanted to use BitsFromBill.com to share new possibilities to my friends in the developer community. The new custom Registry Lock feature could be a application all by itself but instead it will be integrated into the robust real-time monitoring of WinPatrol PLUS.

The custom Registry Lock feature has the added benefit for other programs to have their critical registry locations be protected.

To Trusted Developers,

I’ve always been pleased that WinPatrol runs fine along with your program. I plan on continuing to promote WinPatrol as a non-intrusive program well suited to run along side your favorite full featured AV/Security programs and/or firewalls.

The new Custom Registry Monitor provides the ability for users to keep a watch on a limitless range of registry keys. WinPatrol will either lock them down or users can be notified if they change. WinPatrol will also log any attempts to change the default value.

Having the average consumer add an individual registry entry isn’t the best usability experience so I’ve solved that problem too. As a service to other developers I will create custom add-on scripts of registry entries related to a particular theme or 3rd party programs like yours.

I’d like to offer you an opportunity of both added protection for your customers and promotion of your program. Your program could be listed on our “Suggestions” web page not only as compatible with WinPatrol but I would create a custom add-on which would be available as a free download. This add-on would protect critical locations needed for your program to function properly. When WinPatrol 18 is released next month over 70,000 PLUS members will be directed to this suggestion web page.

Participation is Simple
All I would need from you is a list of basic registry entries which if modified indicate a possible problem or perhaps an indication that Malware is trying to remove you or shut you down. I recommend a list as few as 2 or as many as 10 entries. You can decide if these values should never change or if you’d like your customer notified. These default values would exist in our own registry tree so it would be WinPatrol’s responsibility to remove them at uninstall time.

WinPatrol has never been a target of malware programs trying to disable us so having Scotty protect our mutual customers is a win for everyone

If you’re interested just send me a list of registry keys and values you’d like monitored. Even if this doesn’t meet your needs I still welcome any registry entries you’ve seen abused lately. WinPatrol 18 will be very flexible in protecting our fans.

Thanks,

Bill Pytlovany
support@WinPatrol.com

Submit your Tips on Dangerous Registry Values

Soon you’ll be hearing more about a new version of WinPatrol. I hope to have a beta test start by the end of the month. I’m confident WinPatrol fans will be happy with all the work I’ve done to continue making WinPatrol a must have addition to their computer protection.

WinPatrol 18 with Custom Registry Lock

One of the many goals of WinPatrol has always been to prevent changes to critical registry values. Many locations are unique which makes WinPatrol ideal secondary protection for your regular AntiVirus/Malware program. Some WinPatrol features include locking down file type associations, changes to Windows Update status, changes to UAC status and more.

The newest malware has expanded their reach into the registry values including locations which make it difficult for popular AntiVirus to do their job. The new version of WinPatrol will greatly expand registry protection and customize what gets monitored based on your configuration and even 3rd party applications. Here are some of the new registry values which will be protected by WinPatrol.

Many locations listed above are monitored in previous WinPatrol versions but I hope they’ll make good examples to help you think of others. Many users don’t know that Windows can be set to “DisableRegistryTools” or AntiVirus tools. The ability to disable SafeBoot is used by the bad guys more than legitimate purposes.

These days there is no limit to potentially dangerous registry keys and values. The newest WinPatrol will be to ready protect them. In preparation for launch, I’m looking for advice from my fellow malware researchers and malware victims. Have you experienced malware that messed up a registry key or value. It’s now possible to share that info and protect others.

I’m anxious for your suggestions and especially looking for groups or themes related to registry values. Are you a software developer which has found your software disabled by malware, corrupted by faulty registry cleaner programs? I’ll help make a special script to protect your customers and promote your program as compatible with WinPatrol.

Email your suggestions to support@WinPatrol.com and you can say “WinPatrol 18 with Custom Registry Lock Down was my idea!” ;)

New WinPatrol Even More Windows 7 Friendly

Are you using Windows 7 or Vista? If so, you’ll probably want to take advantage of the newest release, WinPatrol 16.1.2009. Microsoft announced today that they have released Windows 7 to manufacturing (RTM) so I'm pleased WinPatrol is now set to work with the final set of Windows 7 features.

What’s New?

16.1.2009.0

• Detects if other programs are monitoring HOSTs and some other system files to prevent conflicts.
  
• Fixed rare bug where Scotty barked a few times for no reason.
  
• Support for Accessibility Sound Sentry in Vista or greater.
  
• Scotty icon used in new Windows 7 Taskbar.


• Better handling of events that are blocked by User Account Control.

http://www.winpatrol.com/upgrade.html

Microsoft continues to take security seriously with their new operating system and WinPatrol complements their efforts well. While some functionally is redunant I still pride myself in filling in the gaps that I personally think are important. One example is WinPatrol’s monitoring of your AutoUpdate settings. While it may be the least of your worries, WinPatrol wants you to know about system configuration changes just as much as changes to your startup program list.

New web design

Friends of Scotty will also notice a big change in the WinPatrol website. I’m not a professional web designer, nor can I afford one but I’ve spend a great deal of time in making sure folks get what they want with the least number of clicks. Expect more changes as I receive more feedback and review out web stats.

A special thanks to all my supporters who have helped with suggestions, moral support and especially for sharing their views of WinPatrol with others. When I travel I still run into folks who have never heard of WinPatrol so feel free to continue spreading the news.

WinPatrol PLUS Boycott of Brazil

I’m not usually one to mix business and politics but growing up in America you learn that sometimes you just have to stand up and make a statement. One issue in the news that hits home is the story David Goldman of New Jersey who has been trying to be reunited with his son Sean currently being held in Brazil.

Background
In 2004, Sean’s mother returned home to her native Brazil for what was supposed to be a two week vacation. Instead she filed for a divorce and stayed in Brazil marrying an influential lawyer. Efforts for David Goldman to see his son were ignored by Brazilian officials even though a treaty between countries called “The Hague Convention” would have given Mr Goldman custody of his son. Last year, his wife died while giving birth to a child with her Brazilian husband. You might think that would solve this problem but the Brazilian courts have allowed the new husband to maintain custody and have kept Sean from returning home to his father.

This past week it seemed like the nightmare for Sean was ending after a Federal Judge in the country ruled that Sean, who turned nine May 25th order Sean be returned to his father.

Update
In an unusual move, a small political party convinced a member of the Brazil Supreme Court to stay the transfer and now the 11 member Supreme Court of Brazil will rule on the case. They’re claiming the Hague Convention is unconstitutional and that Sean would be removed from a happy family environment he’s had in Brazil for five years. A decision is due to be revealed on June 10th.

If the highest court in Brazil can strike down this international treaty it would be devastating to David and Sean. In addition the ruling would affect up to 50 similar cases currently in the courts of Brazil.

It’s Personal
Many of you have heard me talk about my grand children who live in Germany. Long story, short… while in the U.S. Army their father was stationed in Germany. He met a girl, got married and started a family. The kids have lived in both the US and Germany but at the time of their parents separation they were in Germany and had been for the previous six months. The US courts abiding by international law gave custody jurisdiction to Germany. Thankfully, in our case, the parents have common sense and cooperate so we do get to see our grandkids 3–4 times a year.

Stand Up
Mr. Goldman has had support from both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton so there’s probably not much I can do. My software program WinPatrol is popular around the world and we have many friends who live in Brazil. I appreciate their support in the past and it’s nothing personal but I will be blocking the purchase of WinPatrol PLUS from all Brazil domains effective immediately. The free version of WinPatrol will still be available because it’s not fair to the folks who really need the help. I just can’t in good conscious accept currency from a country who allows international agreements to be ignored. Purchases will be blocked until Sean is home with his dad and I hope our friends in Brazil understand. Current WinPatrol PLUS members in Brazil will not be blocked.

Links:
Website: http://www.bringseanhome.org/
Bring Sean Home Blog

MSNBC: Brazil Custody Battle Hangs in the Balance

WinPatrol Honors World War II Veterans

Memorial Day is always an emotional weekend for my family and others. Last year I discovered a nationwide programs called the Honor Flight Network.  The goal of this charity is to help send World War II veterans to Washington D.C to visit the five year old WWII National Memorial. The Honor Flight Network won’t be around for long because our World War II veterans are passing away at a rate of 1,200 a day.

Last year, I started what I hope will become a WinPatrol tradition. I took all our $29.95 Memorial Day upgrades to WinPatrol PLUS along with my own cash and donated everything to our local Honor Flight Network chapter. Last year I raised $1,078 to help send World War II vets to Washington.  I regret my dad who served on Siapan never had a chance to participate before he passed last month. Hopefully this year if I can get the word spread via Facebook or Twitter. we can beat last years total.

So, if you’ve been thinking about upgrading, May 25th, 2009 might be a good day. Click here to purchase your WinPatrol PLUS activation code.

WinPatrol PLUS Database Available in 13 New Languages

There’s no denying we live in a global society and those of us who speak English aren’t alone. Most content on the Internet is in English but that’s slowly changing. Currently 18% of new downloads of WinPatrol are of the non-English version. I respect that people want text in their native language and have tried my best to support my friends in other countries.

My job just got easier thanks to the Microsoft® Translator Widget. 

Currently only available by invitation, the Translator Widget provides an easy, quick translation into 13 new langauges. It’s like magic. Granted, no translation technology is perfect but I hope my readers and WinPatrol fans will appreciate the effort.

Starting today, most of you who read Bits From Bill will have the option of reading my leaking thoughts in your native langauge. What’s even more exciting is now all WinPatrol PLUS members can view our PLUS database in other languages. Over the years with the help of my research manager Robin, we’ve created a database of over 20,000 program descriptions for WinPatrol PLUS members. These descriptions were created so mere humans could understand what a program file is for and if it was safe. The entire database is now available in 13 additional languages. Click here for example

The WinPatrol.com stats below for the last two week show how much support I’ve had from friends outside the USA. This is a clear indication that Microsoft has helped provide a solution for a large part of my user base.

Top Ten Countries Accessing WinPatrol.com May 2009

Currently the following languages are available with more to come.

Arabic
Chinese Simpified
Chinese Traditional
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Polish
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish

The Microsoft® Translator web page widget is currently a “Technology Preview” so I’m honored to be chosen as a participant. I look forward to improvements in the technology and seeing this widget on other popular web sites.

 

BillP Birthday 50% Off Sale

I’ve always had special ways to include WinPatrol as part of my birthday fun.  In the early days, WinPatrol was distributed as something called free Birthdayware. This year I thought I’d do something special again. Just like the Hobbits, I like giving my friends a present to celebrate the day of my birth.

On today, April 24^th, I’m offering WinPatrol PLUS for $14.98 USD which is a savings of 50%.  ( Approx. 11.50 EUR ).  So if you’ve been thinking about upgrading or have friends who need WinPatrol PLUS today is the day!

Just go to http://www.winpatrol.com to upgrade.

The 50% discount will be valid from April 24^th, at 12:01 AM EST until April 24^th, 11:59 PM EST.  This sale includes WinPatrol 1 GB wirstbands and sport shirts while supply lasts.

The BillP WinPatrol Story

I was asked recently about my history in the computer industry so I thought today was a good day to share some personal information. I’m sure many of my readers will be surprised by some of the fun projects I’ve been involved with. If you’re interested, I created self indulgent and gratuitous post but it’s all part of the BillP WinPatrol Story. I don’t have enough to write a book but here’s a summary of some highlights.

I have had the good fortune to pick some real winners but I’ve also been extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time. When I graduated from college my first job was programming employee payroll for Schenectady County, NY in a language called COBOL. After work, I discovered the bliss of a “personal” computer, the Commodore Vic-20 which would eventually change my life.

The more interesting part of the story begins in 1985 at a Commodore trade show when I was introduced to Marc Seriff and Steve Case. We shared a vision of a large online service that would be easy enough, even our mothers could use it. I joined their company in Virginia which at the time was known as Quantum Computer Services. It was later renamed America Online.

I was one of the 30-35 employees original AOL employees, half of which were devoted to customer service. In the book, “Stealing Time” the author includes the true story of my first week when I was given a hammer and screw driver so I could put my desk together. During my time at AOL I managed the software development and user experience for our C64 service; Q-Link, AppleLink Personal Edition for the Apple II and Mac, PC-Link and Promenade for the PC and lastly the prototype of our first version of Windows based software. I left in the early 90's but continued to work as a consultant for many years.


My main interests at the time and role with AOL was creating synergy between content on TV and the online world. ABC and CBS both hired me to help get their content online. One of my applications was used to take closed captioning from news events and stream it to a specialized AOL rooms. I was the first to create a tool that over layed online content to a live broadcast via something called a Chyron machine. One of our big events was a live simul-chat with Michael Jackson and AOL members. MTV was the first to adopt the technology for video chats and called it MTV’s Yak Chat.


In the winter of 1995-96 I was invited to Redmond to work on a secret joint Microsoft/Gateway project called the Information Highway PC.  This was a large screen TV/PC  combining the TV and Internet with content provided by a satellite link from DirecTV. This was the same time Microsoft was trying to conquer the online world with their first version of MSN. It was before they realized the key was just to own the browser and not the portal.  Meanwhile AOL had declared war on Microsoft so some of my friends were a little suspicious but my focus was completely on the TV/PC and not MSN.   

Our project was a little ahead of its time and our group was gobbled up so I headed back home to upstate NY. It wasn’t long before Gateway asked me to be part of their own PC/TV initiative called the Gateway Destination. This 30 and 36 in PC/TV was still a little ahead of its time. This was before cheap memory, fast hard drives and lighter flat screen monitors. Nobody really wanted to share a single PC/TV device in their living room.


In 1997 my old friends at ABC asked me come to Maryland part time and help in the creation of a joint venture between games developer MicroProse and Capital Cities/ABC. Our goal was the creation of ABC Sports themed games(Indy Racing and Monday Night Football).  

Soon afterwards came an exciting merger of Walt Disney Co and ABC. I joined Disney’s Buena Vista Internet Group and worked with a brilliant team of innovators to launch ABC's Enhanced TV.
My role was to quickly put together PrimeTime Player™ the first game which combined real-time game play on the Internet in sync with broadcasts of Sunday/Monday Night Football as well as College Bowl games.

In the midst of my fun and exciting projects in 1997 I was caught off guard by a password surfing program. This annoyed me but not as much as when AOL support suggested the only solution was to reformat my entire hard drive. That’s when I created my own personal project called WinPatrol.  This program was originally designed to help my family and friends prevent programs from taking over their computers.

I soon specialized in small utilities and created a number of useful programs for my friends at Gateway and new friends at Epson America. Both were pleased with my Ink Monitor program which detected when your ink was low and immediately connected users to an online store for ink purchase.

As the threat of spyware grew the distribution of WinPatrol expanded and soon became my prime focus. WinPatrol grew from word of mouth and slowly developed its own cult following. In winter of 2002 I first launched the premium version, WinPatrol PLUS. Since 2004 WinPatrol and internet safety has become my passion.

As a member of the security community I’ve had the honor to work with volunteers who spend countless hours helping users decipher hijack logs. I’ve as the pleasure of sharing data with AntiSpyware crusaders who pour over millions of bytes of captured data proving how reputable companies were encouraging invasive adware popups. I’ve reverse engineered malware attacks tracing their roots to countries whose governments turn a blind eye to criminal activities. I’ve been threaten, received cease & desist orders from lawyers and offered big bucks to join the dark side.

I’m now happy to write and share my experience with others. I hope that my insights into the ever changing consumer technology industry may be valuable to others and encourage their thoughts and imagination. I don’t expect everyone to agree with everything I write, but I continue to consider myself lucky if I can spark new innovative thoughts from my readers.

On the personal note, I’m married with four grown children and four grand kids. Tomorrow, I’ll be celebrating my 54^th birthday and in the BillP WinPatrol tradition I’ll be offering something special for Fans of WinPatrol.

WinPatrol Maintenance Release 16.0.2009.2

I’ve often talked about how there are so many different favors of Windows out there. It’s one of the reasons why beta testing is difficult these days.
Windows versions are like SnowFlakes

When WinPatrol 2009 was released we had over 100,000 downloads in the first week.  Naturally, there were so many different system configurations there were a few problems that I was alerted too.  Unless it’s somehow dangerous, I usually wait a couple weeks before releasing a fix just to be sure there aren’t other problem reports.

Here’s a summary of what’s new.

1) On some Vista systems, WinPatrol 2009.1 conflicted with a Windows library called NTDLL.DLL. The new build has fixed this problem.

2) I’ve also had some folks getting notified more than they should that WinPatrol needed to switch UAC mode.  This has also been corrected.

3) Clicking on Active Tasks on the WinPatrol system tray menu would go to the Recent list instead of Active Tasks.  Corrected.

Unless you’ve experience the problems above there’s no reason why you need to bother upgrading but you’re always welcome to use our newest version for no additional fee.

http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html

Special thanks to everyone who reported problems and provided details and screen shots to make my life easier.

International users: I will be updating all the localized setup programs this week as quickly as I can build and test them.

Real Conficker Danger is on March 31st

Yesterday, I wrote about the Conficker worm and how it was expected to launch a new attack on April 1^st.  I showed you the reverse engineered code which included a specific date stamp of April 1^st, 2009.

What I forgot, and what everyone else missed is the real danger begins on March 31^st. I woke up this morning remembering that sometime in the world, it’s already tomorrow.

Many years ago I distributed my free WinPatrol program as something called Birthdayware.  On  my birthday each year a message would pop up inviting folks to thank me by wishing me a happy birthday.

Birthdayware Easter Egg

To my surprise, the day before my birthday Emails started to flood my inbox. At first I thought a lot of people had their PC clocks screwed up. Then I looked at the Emails and saw they came from Philippines, Australia, Japan and other countries across the international date line.

It will be March 31^st in most parts of the world when it turns April 1^st across the Pacific. Most reports have indicated a majority of machines currently infected with Conficker are in China. 

Forget April Fools Day and make sure you take steps to protect yourself before March 31^st. Somewhere in the world it will be April 1^st for nearly 48 hours.

Good Public Relations Can Really Work

Most people use the free version of WinPatrol so I have never invested any funds in advertising or public relations. Any revenue from upgrades to WinPatrol PLUS typically goes directly back into research and development.

I thought with the release of WinPatrol 2009 I’d try an experiment. I sought help from Public Relations professional Marie Domingo (@MarieADomingo) and I wasn’t sorry. Marie knew about WinPatrol and understood that Scotty the Windows Watchdog wasn’t getting the attention he deserved.

I’ve been pleased seeing myself and WinPatrol getting a lot more mentions than normal and in some serious press.

Hackers poison PCs that Google "March Madness"

"And here’s a tip: WinPatrol offers very powerful protection. It's a terrific free tool, popular with techies since it was created 10 years ago by Bill Pytlovany, one of the original designers of AOL and a longtime open-source practitioner. The premier version, called WinPatrol Plus, costs just $30 for a lifetime subscription, which includes all updates, and is designed for the average consumer. WinPatrol takes a snapshot of your Windows run registry, and from then on blocks and alerts you to any new executable program, such as a malicious backdoor, that tries to install itself on your hard drive."

- USA TODAY   03/18/2009

---

15 free downloads to pep up your old PC
"This freebie from BillP Studios helps you stop unnecessary programs from running on start-up, and in doing so, speeds up your PC."

"...the result is a smoother-running PC"
- Preston Gralla, PC World  03/13/2009

So, I’m happy with some mention in the press and even happier that I had over 100,000 downloads around the world last week.  While word of mouth has been good for spreading the word about WinPatrol I guess it never hurts to have some professional help.

Marie also convinced me to create a Fans of WinPatrol group on Facebook which has been a lot of fun. The Opt-In Facebook group is a great way to get out any news about WinPatrol. I’ve also enjoyed getting a little more personal with friends of Scotty the Windows Watchdog. As I post this message we’re only nine new members shy of 400.

Click to join WinPatrol on Facebook

Find What's New to Clean Up Malware

My thanks to everyone who has participated in the beta test of the newest WinPatrol. I’ve heard a lot of good comments and one suggestion was so valuable I couldn’t wait for a future release to make it available.

Available today is the last beta of what will become WinPatrol 2009. If you’re like to participate you can download beta 4 at http://www.winpatrol.com/beta16.html.

The latest WinPatrol feature is so simple I can’t believe nobody has thought of it before. One of WinPatrol’s unique features is to keep track of when a program, service, hidden file or registry entry was first detected on your machine.

When any kind of infection occurs all its related files will show up as recent additions to your system. WinPatrol 2009 includes a new single list that sorts critical files and entries by their date detected. There’s a really good chance any new malware files will show up at the top of this list.

WinPatrol new Recent Tab

In the past months I’ve had a number of friends and family members bring me their laptops to clean up malware. If I had a Recent list at the time I probably could have helped them over the phone.

This should be the last beta version so if you’d like to participate I would love to hear from you. Next week I’ll be in Redmond blogging from Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professional Summit.  I hope to announce our official launch soon after I return.

Thanks!
Bill

Top Ten Reasons to Try WinPatrol Again

WinPatrol is known for many functions and is often classified as a spyware monitor or an AutoRun program manager. Over the years I’ve packed a number of important functions into two small program files that make up WinPatrol.

WinPatrol was a first of its kind intrustion detection program 11 years ago and continues to have many unique features not found in other utilities.

WinPatrol is a program I use personally on every computer I own. It really runs in the background without slowing down other applications. Its small foot print, robust proformance and new features are based on what I want myself and I hope you do too.

I’ve put together a list of features that some folks may not know about.

1. Delay Startup Programs
   While WinPatrol can be used as a one time tool to clean up your startup programs, perhaps you have some programs you’d like to keep. Using WinPatrol, you can schedule some programs to run once your system is up and running successfully.
   
   
   


2. Warn if Auto Update Status Changes
   It’s not unusual for malware to change your auto update setting but some folks noticed that occasionally Microsoft has been known to change this value also. Either way WinPatrol is one of the only programs designed to alert you to this kind of change.
   
   
   
   


3. Track Date/Time Programs are First Detected
   Have you ever wondered when you installed a new program? WinPatrol will keep track for you. This works best when, as many do, you install WinPatrol as the first application on your new or restored computer. If you’re ever infected with malware with random filenames this feature makes it easy to pick out all the related bad guys.
   


4. Automatically Remove Reoccuring AutoRun Programs
   Many legitimate programs from Apple, Adobe, Google and Microsoft think they’re so important that just running the program they’ll add companion applications to your startup list. WinPatrol’s “Disable” button will tell WinPatrol to remove them automatically when added to your Startup list.
   


5. Prevents Changes to File Type Associations
   This feature was originally designed to prevent malware from changing .exe and script settings. It has proved to be useful to stop programs that try to reassign themselves to play your MP3’s or edit your JPG files.
   


6. Kill Multiple Tasks in One Step
   Unlike Windows Task Manager, WinPatrol uses the standard multiple select keys to highlight more than one program so you can kill multiple tasks in one step. This is especially useful for removing malware that reproduces itself
   


7. Twenty Thousand Program Descriptions
   WinPatrol PLUS is designed to be educational. We now have over 20,000 program descriptions created so they can be understood by mere mortals. PLUS members can just double click for more information on any program they find.
   


8. Secret Startup Registry Entries
   While MSConfig will show you the basic RUN registry startup locations, WinPatrol digs deeper into the registry to display programs using non-traditional locations commonly used by malware and even some legitimate programs.
   
   Click for list of secret locations
   


9. Disable Vulnerable ActiveX Controls
   You won’t have to wait for a Tuesday security patch when a new activex vulnerability is found. WinPatrol allows you to safely use the kill-bit function to disable any dangerous code objects.
   
   
   


10. Create Hijack Style Log Files
    Many online helpers have become accustom to reading logs from HiJackThis. WinPatrol creates a log using this familiar format while including additional benefits.
    

If you haven’t looked at WinPatrol lately, I’m hoping you’ll give Scotty another look. It’s a small download at http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html.
(International versions available as well)

Thank you to everyone who has supported the development of WinPatrol by upgrading to WinPatrol PLUS. I wouldn’t be able to continue adding new features without your support. Feel free to add some of your own favorite unique features as comments.

Sale This Week on WinPatrol Stuff

First, thank you to all for the cards, Emails, Prayers and well wishes while I was recovering from a recent hospitalization. Everything is progressing according to plan and I’m anxious to get back to work on new WinPatrol features.

While I was recovering I was able to spend time doing a little holiday shopping. I know most of you will be doing the same this week so I wanted to offer some specials on the purchase of WinPatrol stuff for your friends and family.

This week I’ve reduced the price of our WinPatrol 1 GB wristbands and WinPatrol Sport Shirts.

Click Order Now to go to WinPatrol Store

Click Order Now to go to WinPatrol Store to select your size

Happy Holidays!
Bill

 

 

Veteran's Day is special all week long.

I’m lucky that I frequently get a chance to honor our veterans with special offers or reminders to others who read my bits. On Memorial Day 2008 I took all the purchases of WinPatrol PLUS, matched them and donated the funds to the Honor Flight Network.

Our son Chris during a break with his friends in Kosovo

For Veterans Day 2008 I’d like to provide something special just for vets. Good this week, I’m offering a 50% discount to anyone who is a veteran.  This offer will expire midnight Saturday Nov 15th EST.

This offer does rely on the honor system and doesn’t require proof. It’s a reasonable risk since those without honor are typically using a friends PLUS code or an illegal keygen type PLUS code.

To obtain your discount use the coupon code, “IAMAVET”  when ordering WinPatrol or other items at the BillP Studios online store. This includes WinPatrol shirts and Wristbands. (Limit 2)

Given all the friends Scotty has made around the world, this offer is extended to veterans who fought for freedom even if it wasn’t in a US uniform. I would request you’re at least a citizen of one of our of allies.

Pssst…  If you’re currently the wife, husband of, or someone currently deployed in harms way, just Email support@winpatrol.com and I’ll see you get a complimentary Winpatrol PLUS activation code.

 

How to Stop AntiVirus 2009

I’ve often said, even some of the smartest folks I know can find themselves infected with malware. Last week a family member found themselves with frequent pop ups telling them they were infected.  They didn’t do anything wrong. Their machine had a vulnerability that allowed the infection just by being connected to the Internet.  They finally gave up and downloaded Antivirus 2009.  Luckily, they had WinPatrol available to remove it but one simple step could have saved them a lot of anxiety.

It happen to me today as well.  I clicked on a legitimate link and suddenly received the following pop up.

This appeared just by being on the Internet

It won’t do you any good to click any button including the X.  The result will always be a fake scan by Extortion-ware Anti Virus 2009

STOP here, clicking on the Red X won't save you.

Eventually, most folks give up and end up downloading Antivirus 2009 which turns into Extortion-Ware.  They try to convince you that upgrading and paying is the only way to clean up the viruses listed above.

Solution: Ctrl-Alt-Del
The answer to this situation is simple. As soon as you experience your first pop up that can’t be closed by the X in the upper right-hand corner your next step should be Ctrl-Alt-Del.  This is your opportunity to open the Windows Task Manager. Check the list of Applications and Kill your browser.

Windows XP Task Manager

You could also use WinPatrol’s Active Task list to kill the browser but since you only need to kill a single task, Ctrl-Alt-Del is even easier.  If however you did download AntiVirus 2009 you’ll want WinPatrol so you can sort, select and kill multiple tasks in a single operation.  You can also use WinPatrol to “Delete File on Reboot” any files which don’t seem to want to go away. WinPatrol users see http://www.winpatrol.com/helpme.html.

Prevention: Security Updates
Your next step is to make sure you’ve downloaded all the available Windows security updates. Many of you know, I typically recommend against automatically installing new Windows updates on the day they’re released. Last month Microsoft did release a number of new security patches. Guess what?  It’s time to update.

Let me repeat. The first pop up I received came with I clicked on a valid link. I went back to the same link and it was fine. IT’S TIME TO UPDATE!!!

 

Fun on Google's Birthday

This week our friends at Google are celebrating their 10th birthday. In the tradition of the Hobbits, Google had decided to give us all a present in the form of their oldest available search index.

Click on http://www.google.com/search2001.html and you can go back in history to 2001 and see what kind of results were delivered by Google. Search on Sarah Palin and you'll find nothing. A search on Windows Vista won't bring many computer related items. An iPod was an Image Proof of Deposit Document System.

I often use my own unique last name (Pytlovany) to test search engines. On Google in 2001 there were 77 items found when I searched. Today, Google reports that are 5,500 pages that include my last name. In 2001, WinPatrol was mentioned on 371 pages.  This morning a Google search on WinPatrol shows well over a million.

What makes this really fun is that Google as partnered with archive.org so that when you click on the results there’s a good chance you can see what the resulting page actually looked like in 2001. Searching on John McCain or Joe Biden will give you access to many of their historic positions. There’s even a chat with John McCain on AOL.

Click on “View old version of the Internet Archive”

Here’s what our WinPatrol web page looked like seven years ago.

WinPatrol.com in 2001. Click for more

I’m told that Google 2001 will only be available for the month of October so use your imagination and see what fun you can have.

 

More screen shots:
Technologizer: Time Travel via Google

 

 

Vote2008 WinPatrol Discount Coupon

This is a historic week in our country and while I’m trying to stop watching the news it’s like a train wreak. I just can’t turn away as the trains keep plowing into the current mess.

I’m not an expert on economics or politics so I try to only write about what I know.  Knowing that I have a reasonable audience it’s hard not to inject my political opinion into what I write about. 
While I have been successful recently in getting help from our friends at Dell(thanks Catherine), I doubt anyone in Congress will care what I say.

What I can do is provide some economic assistance to folks who’d like to upgrade WinPatrol. So, I’m suspending my faith in the folks in Washington and offering a $10 discount on the purchase of WinPatrol PLUS.  This offer is good until a reasonable agreement is reached to prevent additional collapse in the financial market. Hopefully it won’t be long.

To take advantage of this discount, upgrade to WinPatrol PLUS at http://winpatrol.stores.yahoo.net/winplusmemre.html.

Use coupon code “Vote2008” for $10 off.

If you need to use our Paypal option, just include the coupon in the comments or Email us to receive a $10 rebate refunded to your PayPal account.

Update: While it's still to be seen if the "rescue" bill was a good idea, it was signed into law today. The Vote2008 coupon will expire tonight at midnight.  I'm pleased to welcome 24 new WinPatrol PLUS members who took advantage of this offer.