Is your desktop cluttered with so many shortcuts and documents that you can’t find anything?
If so, you might be a digital pack rat.
How to Know If You’re a Digital Packrat
Here are a few “symptoms”:
- You feel that you should keep a lot of files “just in case”.
- It takes you entirely too long to find stuff on your PC.
- You have 20 or more folders/subfolders on your hard drive.
- You have an unimportant email from 5 years ago.
- Your hard drive is practically full.
Being a digital packrat can become an issue overtime; it can slow down your PC significantly & cost you valuable time!
How To Rid Yourself of the Digital Packrat Bug:
The most practical solution is to go through a massive purge, clear your desktop. Go folder by folder and delete files, pictures, emails, etc that are not longer necessary Got any duplicates, junk mail, old project information? Get rid of them! This may be time consuming so pace yourself.
Once you have determined what items you are keeping, get organized! Determine how you would like to store your files. Stick to the routine of saving items in their specified folder or location regularly. In addition, make purging a routine, maybe once a month to avoid the piling up of digital clutter all over again!
According to Symantec, they have discovered a file-deleting “Trojan” targeting Mac users.
The Trojan is disguised as a Apple Mac space invaders game that deletes files from the host system’s hard drive as the price of zapping aliens.
Symantec has created a video of the game’s behavior and posted it on YouTube. In the demo, the game is clearly shown to delete files from the Mac user’s home folder, starting with doc files and moving on to preference files. Each alien “killed” in the game destroys a single file.
Don’t fret, getting the file on to a Mac would require a deliberate act as it is not distributed using any subterfuge, yet. IN other words, you have to download it & play it for your Mac to be infected. The author of game actually informs people on his website that the game deletes files, however there’s nothing stopping someone with more malicious intentions from modifying it and passing it on to unsuspecting users.
How To Protect Your Mac:
Please make sure that your MAC is protected with a form of malware/spyware protection. Contact MTI for assistance in locating & installing compatible software.
Virus, Spyware and Malware protection software is a level of Internet security that protects your servers and PC’s from viruses and spyware. With this level of protection, you can create user specified rules to protect your systems from outside threats.
What Is The Difference Between Virus & Spyware Protection?
To understand the difference between virus and spam protection you need to understand the difference between what a virus is and what spyware is.
A virus is a piece of code designed to replicate itself as many times as possible, spreading from your computer to any other computers connected to it . It is designed to infect and cause harm to your computer without your permission or knowledge.
Spyware is a computer program that imbeds itself into your operating systems. The purpose of many spyware programs is to track your internet habits and bombard you with unwanted solicitations and advertisements.
As you can see viruses and spyware are two different woes for PC users each requires a separate software program to combat it.
Firewalls: A firewall is a software program or hardware device that filters the information coming through the Internet connection into your private network or computer system. Firewalls are customizable, you can add and remove filters to limit or block activity from or to certain websites at any time. Firewalls can also extend security to remote networks/offices.
Do I need a hardware firewall if I have a software firewall?
Many PC’s and servers have built in software firewalls; once the attacker hits your software firewall they are already knocking on the door of your PC, a hardware firewall is one step removed (almost like a security screen door and then your front door).
For companies with multiple PC’s and/or servers, a hardware firewall is the best option. It will allow you to set global policies to protect all machines and can be monitored and managed from one centralized location versus monitoring and managing each individual PC/server and firewall in your facility.
Which Brand Should You Pick?
There are several different brands of firewalls the most common are CISCO, Watchguard Sonicwall, & Linksys.
Each brand offers similar protection and has the ability to add service features such monitoring attacks, email alerts and report creation.
If you need assistance with choosing the rightr type of virus and spyware protection for your company, contact MTI today.
Microsoft says it will deliver its largest-ever number of security updates on Tuesday to fix flaws in every version of Windows, as well as Internet Explorer (IE), Office, SQL Server, important developer tools and the Forefront Security client software.
A total of 13 update were released Tuesday, eight of them pegged “critical,” the highest threat ranking in its four-step scoring system.
Of the 13 updates, Microsoft put the patches scheduled for SQL Server, Visual Studio and IE at the top of the list.
Windows 7 also received it’s first official set of patches: Five of the 13 bulletins were marked today by Microsoft as affecting the new operating system. Although Windows 7 won’t reach retail or be available on new PCs until later this month, some customers — primarily enterprises with volume licensing agreements — have been able to obtain the OS thus the updates must be applied.
To ensure that your systems are up-to-date MTI Tech Solutions recommends installing the latest set of patches as soon as possible. Contact MTI today to schedule a service visit!
* Please note, not all machines are equipped for the updates; similarly some software programs like Oracle & QuickBooks can be rendered inoperable. Contact a professional to install the critical patches.
What is the difference between Virus & Spam Protection? To understand the difference between virus and spam protection you need to understand the difference between what a virus is and what spam is.
A virus is a computer program designed to infect and cause harm to a computer without the permission or knowledge of the owner.
Spam is social network nuisance, it is basically an unsolicited commercial advertisement distributed online. While some spam can be harmful, the majority of spam is advertising gone array.
As you can see virus and spam are two different woes for PC users each requires a separate software program to combat it. Virus protection stops viruses, spam protection stops spam.
We all love a good thunderstorm; we don’t love power outages or power surges but the can happen during the Valley’s monsoon season. What can you do to ensure your data & critical technologies are protected?
1). Back-up your data to an external hard drive or have an outside company back-up your data for you . Monsoon season is notorious for causing power outages and can result in the loss of your important data. We recommend backing up your PC every night and implementing the use of a surge protector.
2). Avoid keeping your PC in areas that are exposed to the high temperatures. As with any electronics, the heat can take it toll on your PC. We recommend placing your PC in a well ventilated/cooled area during these hot summer months.
3). Rid your PC of all the dust that it collects over time. If you have ever opened up a computer, you would know that tons of dust settles inside & in time it could affect the PC’s efficiency. There are several products you can purchase that can help you “Spring Clean”.
4). Keep your PC up-to-date with the latest Microsoft critical updates, virus protection, spyware cleaning & disk defrags.
Google Chrome OS , set to be released in late 2010, is “being created for people who spend most of their time on the Web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems” , said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management.
What the Difference between the new OS and existing operating systems?
Google Chrome Os, an open source operating system, will be free of charge to the consumer. Open source code is easily accessible and allows users to change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified forms. Before getting your hopes up on anything free, MTI cautions: modifications and customizations will be a process that may be above the standard PC user’s level but without customizations the free product may not function in the desired way.
Some Features Of Google Chrome:
· Chrome OS will run on both ARM and x86-based chips and is designed for netbooks. · Apps developed for Chrome OS will run on Google Chrome OS, and on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux. · Designed to boot and get individuals on the web in seconds.
· Security Architecture is designed so that viruses and malware are not an issue.
· Mobility: Google Chrome will run on multiple platforms, include mobile.
Interested in the OS? Stay tuned for more updates about The New Google Chrome OS.
A New virus threat is on the prowl.
There is limited information about the latest offshoot of the Conficker attack.
AVG, Symantec and other virus definitions are in the process of releasing fixes/updates for this new virus.
What it does: The recent virus attacks your system and utilizes logs to view other user names that have logged onto the machine, then using a database of passwords the virus attempts to log onto the machine
Issues that can occur: In an attempt to login to the system the virus floods the PC with password attempts, thus far this causes the each user account it tries to be locked out of the system. It does attempt to do this on the administrator account; however at this time has not been able to affect it from our experience
Symptoms to look for: loss of network connectivity (loss of ability to connect to shared drives, internet etc), loss of program functionality, inability to log onto system with username/password, inability to go to microsoft.com, blocks updates
Actions MTI strongly recommends you take: if you notice any of the above symptoms immediately unplug your computer from the network to help minimize the spread of the virus: If you are connected wirelessly turn off wireless capabilities on your system, if you are connected via network cable unplug the cable. Immediately contact MTI 480-812-0489
What is XP Mode:
Windows XP Mode was designed to integrate XP with Windows 7 so that you can still run XP-based applications even if you upgrade to Windows 7. In fact XP will launch inside its own window inside of Windows 7. You will be running an actual copy of the XP operating system. you can copy and paste between any window inside XP and any window in Windows 7. The Windows clipboard is shared between the two. You can also use the printer attached to your Windows 7 machine, as long as you install the proper driver inside XP.
The downfall?
Your PC may not be able to handle Windows XP mode. XP Mode requires that your CPU be capable of hardware virtualization. Hardware virtualization consolidates multiple environments into a single PC. Many PC’s on the market currently DO NOT have this feature built in.
How do you determine if you have the technology capable of using XP mode?
Contact MTI Tech Solutions, we have several utilities that we can utilize to determine whether your PC , specifically your processor supports hardware virtualization.
Personal AV 2009; the newest dirty trick utilized by spammers to get you to install and buy fake antivirus products.
How It Works:
Personal Anti-Virus 2009 is a rogue anti-spyware program created by a company named Innovagest 2000. The program advertises fake security alerts on your computer alleging that threats have been detected. Any“button” that you click on, yes, no, cancel, or x to close the window prompts a download to start which installs Personal Antivirus on your system . It may also prompt you to purchase a rogue trial version of the anti-virus software for threat removal.
Once installed, the rogue anti-virus uses highly aggravating techniques, such as changing the Windows desktop background to warn of additional supposed infections, all in hopes to push you to buy the full version of the software.
Tell Tale Sign That You Are Infected :
*An Abundance of Pop-ups warning you of a bloated amount of threats found.
How to Prevent Infection:
Follow basic security precautions, keep your bona-fide antivirus software up-to-date if you don’t have anti-virus software it’s highly recommended purchasing some, be careful with email attachments and downloads, you can significantly reduce the odds of getting infected.
If you do see pop-ups or other fake warnings from rogue AV on your computer, it’s a good idea to try to determine whether it’s from a site or from actual software installed by a bot (or by someone else who uses the PC).
What To Do If You Are Infected:
For complete removal, seek professional help. Often times, Personal Anti-Virus 2009 can and will mess up Windows system files; which may require a complete wipe and re-install of the operating system. Wipe & re-installs can be a tricky process and should be handled by an IT professional.
Contact MTI Tech Solutions today if you suspect your systems maybe infected by Personal Anti-Virus 2009.