Dear Apple, We Don't Want Safari

Have you downloaded and installed Safari?
Would you use it?

Apple has used an interesting approach to market their Safari browser for Windows users.  The folks in Cupertino realized that plenty of Windows users had iTunes. I guess they figured Windows users aren’t too bright so maybe they could trick them into downloading Safari and they would start using it without noticing.

I’m not a big fan of autoupdate programs. I’ve written before about annoying updates form Google, Adobe, AOL and Apple. My point today is even with all these efforts Safari still hasn’t made any impact on the browser market.  According to my recent web stats, Safari only has 3.5%.  That includes Mac users!

Wait a Minute?
I have my settings set to NEVER!!!

Someone needs to tell Apple that Windows users aren’t stupid. They’ve tried to force Safari on folks for a couple years and it’s just not working. If they really want to enter the browser war they need a new approach.  Maybe we need some commercials with “I’m on a Safari” vs “I’m an Explorer”.

 

 

 

Conficker Judgement Day on April 1st

I would never want to be labeled as an “Alarmist’ but I hope my post today will make some folks take some reasonable steps to protect themselves.  After a lot of research and debate I have been convinced that April 1^st is not going to be a good day for the Internet.

I’ve written about the Conficker worm (alias Downadup) a number of times and this may not be the last time I mention it.  There are well over a million Windows PC’s which are currently infected with Conficker.  On April 1^st the infected machines will be reaching out to number of web domains to download an additional component which will contain new instructions. How Conficker will mutate is anyones guess. It could be anything from turning a machine into a spam-bot or launching a widespread cyberterror attack. My guess it will be something designed to make money.

Reverse engineering Conficker exposes April 1st

Complements of Zarestel Ferrer

April 1st will be a day that shows us who's winning the battle against malware.  If your machine doesn't already have all the Windows security patches installed ,I'd unplug from the Internet on April Fools Day. Getting a new computer?  If a new un-patched computer arrives on that day I'd wait until the 2nd before connecting it to the Internet.

So, if you’ve been planning on running the Windows Update service, this would be a good week to do it. If you don’t have a routine back-up plan you might want to back up your important data by the end of the month.

I’m really not trying to be Chicken Little and freak people out. I’m not predicting any kind of global outage. I’m just suggesting that a properly patched Window system is good idea. I’m also not trying to scare you into upgrading to my WinPatrol PLUS to protect yourself. The free version offers just as much protection against this threat.  The key point here is to make sure you have all the security patches available for free from Microsoft.

I’m actually flying to Washington Dulles Airport on April 1^st so I really hope that United Airlines has all their systems protected. 

Update: Real Conficker Danger is on March 31st
It's important to point out that April 1st begins earlier in other parts of the world.  We'll be watching for activity to begin on March 31st from Austrailia, China, Japan, etc...

Update 3/29: Conficker Fact or Fiction

References:

SRI International Conficker C Analysis March 19^th, 2009

CA Security Research Blog

The Last Watch: Countdown to Conficker...

Internet Storm Center: Third party info on conficker

Microsoft: Virus alert about the Win32/Conficker.B worm

Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08–067  October 23^rd, 2008

F-Secure WebLog Conficker Q&A  March 26,2009

Leaked Memo says Conficker Pwns Parliament

 

Vista AutoUpdate Kills USB

If you’re a new reader to Bits from Bill you may not know how I feel about auto updates. I’ve written about it before and documented some problems.

• Detect Changes to Windows Automatic Updates (10/07)
• Not All Computers are Updated Equal (04/07)
• More AutoUpdate Problems (04/06)
• Microsoft Security Update Problems (04/06)
• AutoUpdates Are Evil (03/06)
• Windows Blackout caused by AutoUpdates (01/06)

Last week Microsoft deployed a new update and again, some problems were reported. PC Magazine reports a number of reports of USB failures that occured following the update.

“Users who installed the update, however, soon found their USB devices unresponsive, particularly mice and flash drives. Removing and re-installing the programs reportedly did not immediately solve the problem”

I often write about new security updates which are generally deployed on Tuesdays. I tell folks to set Windows Updates in the control panel to “Download updates for me, but let me choose whether to install them”. In most cases, I recommend waiting at least a week to 10 days before installing updates. That way you’ll benefit from everyone else in the world testing the changes. The only exception is when there are serious security vulnerabilities with many threats already known to be out on the net.

If you do experience a problem with a Microsoft update support is available for free at 1-866-PC-Safety.