Friday, October 29, 2010
Linkshare2
If your contacts are receiveing a message from you that you did not send with the web address of linkshare2.com your email account has been compromised. Your system may have a virus, or it may be as simple as changing your email password. Click Computers recommends changing your password to your email account.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Trojan.Spy.Banker.ABGS
While in operation, the virus searches for the presence of a running Internet Explorer instance which uses DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange). If such instance is found, the spy-banker checks for banking URLs it has been instructed to monitor and displays a fake web browser window that looks identical to the bank’s login system. Of course, if the user logs in, his/her credentials will actually land in the attacker’s inbox.
It is no secret that banker-Trojans spring mostly from Brazil and Trojan.Spy.Banker.ABGS is no exception to the rule.
It is no secret that banker-Trojans spring mostly from Brazil and Trojan.Spy.Banker.ABGS is no exception to the rule.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tab napping' - a new online scam
Watch out for this new online phishing scam which uses 'tab napping' to attack your computer - and your finances...
As internet users we’re all vulnerable to online scams. Unluckily for us, as soon as we become pretty good as spotting one type of attack, another more sophisticated version comes along in its place. In fact, technology company Mozilla - which developed the Firefox web browser - has recently warned against a possible threat from a new scam known as ‘tap napping’ which takes phishing one step further.
What is tab napping?
Tab napping is essentially a new kind of phishing scam. Until now phishing has involved sending hoax emails in an attempt to steal your usernames, passwords and bank details. Often the sender will claim to be from your bank and will ask you to verify your bank details by clicking on a link contained in the email.
The link actually directs you to a fake website which looks just like your bank's own website. Once you have typed in your login details they can be accessed by the criminals who set the fake site up.
But we’re beginning to wise up to phishing attacks like this, and many of us know we should be very wary of clicking URLs even if they appear to be in a legitimate email.
With awareness of phishing on the up, making it more difficult for scammers to succeed, tab napping could be the scam to watch out for next.
How does tab napping work?
Tab napping is more sophisticated than the phishing scams we’ve seen so far, and it no longer relies on persuading you to click on a dodgy link. Instead it targets internet users who open lots of tabs on their browser at the same time (for example, by pressing CTRL + T).
How does it work? By replacing an inactive browser tab with a fake page set up specifically to obtain your personal data - without you even realising it has happened.
Believe it or not, fraudsters can actually detect when a tab has been left inactive for a while, and spy on your browser history to find out which websites you regularly visit, and therefore which pages to fake.
So don't assume that after you have opened a new tab and visited a web page, that web page will stay the same even if you don’t return to it for a time while you use other windows and tabs. Malicious code can replace the web page you opened with a fake version which looks virtually identical to the legitimate page you originally visited.
How might tab napping work in practice?
Imagine you open the login page for your online bank account, but then you open a new tab to visit another website for a few minutes, leaving the first tab unattended. When you return to your bank’s site the login page looks exactly how you left it. What you haven’t realised is that a fake page has taken its place, so when you type in your username and password, you have inadvertently given the fraudster easy access to your account.
Even if you have already logged into your bank account before opening another tab, when you return you might find you’re being asked to login again. This may not necessarily rouse any suspicion since you might simply assume your bank has logged you out because you left your account inactive for too long. You probably won’t even think twice before logging in for a second time. But this time round you have accidently inputted your security details into a fraudster’s fake page which have been sent back to their server.
Once you have done so, you can then be easily redirected to your bank’s genuine website since you never actually logged out in the first place, giving you the impression that all is well.
How can you protect yourself against tab napping?
This is pretty scary stuff but thankfully tab napping should be relatively easy to avoid. Here are five simple ways you can prevent yourself from falling victim:
•Make sure you always check the URL in the browser address page is correct before you enter any login details. A fake tabbed page will have a different URL to the website you think you’re using.
•Always check the URL has a secure https:// address even if you don’t have tabs open on the browser.
•If the URL looks suspicious in any way, close the tab and reopen it by entering the correct URL again.
•Avoid leaving tabs open which require you to type in secure login details. Don't open any tabs while doing online banking - open new windows instead (CTL + N).
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
As internet users we’re all vulnerable to online scams. Unluckily for us, as soon as we become pretty good as spotting one type of attack, another more sophisticated version comes along in its place. In fact, technology company Mozilla - which developed the Firefox web browser - has recently warned against a possible threat from a new scam known as ‘tap napping’ which takes phishing one step further.
What is tab napping?
Tab napping is essentially a new kind of phishing scam. Until now phishing has involved sending hoax emails in an attempt to steal your usernames, passwords and bank details. Often the sender will claim to be from your bank and will ask you to verify your bank details by clicking on a link contained in the email.
The link actually directs you to a fake website which looks just like your bank's own website. Once you have typed in your login details they can be accessed by the criminals who set the fake site up.
But we’re beginning to wise up to phishing attacks like this, and many of us know we should be very wary of clicking URLs even if they appear to be in a legitimate email.
With awareness of phishing on the up, making it more difficult for scammers to succeed, tab napping could be the scam to watch out for next.
How does tab napping work?
Tab napping is more sophisticated than the phishing scams we’ve seen so far, and it no longer relies on persuading you to click on a dodgy link. Instead it targets internet users who open lots of tabs on their browser at the same time (for example, by pressing CTRL + T).
How does it work? By replacing an inactive browser tab with a fake page set up specifically to obtain your personal data - without you even realising it has happened.
Believe it or not, fraudsters can actually detect when a tab has been left inactive for a while, and spy on your browser history to find out which websites you regularly visit, and therefore which pages to fake.
So don't assume that after you have opened a new tab and visited a web page, that web page will stay the same even if you don’t return to it for a time while you use other windows and tabs. Malicious code can replace the web page you opened with a fake version which looks virtually identical to the legitimate page you originally visited.
How might tab napping work in practice?
Imagine you open the login page for your online bank account, but then you open a new tab to visit another website for a few minutes, leaving the first tab unattended. When you return to your bank’s site the login page looks exactly how you left it. What you haven’t realised is that a fake page has taken its place, so when you type in your username and password, you have inadvertently given the fraudster easy access to your account.
Even if you have already logged into your bank account before opening another tab, when you return you might find you’re being asked to login again. This may not necessarily rouse any suspicion since you might simply assume your bank has logged you out because you left your account inactive for too long. You probably won’t even think twice before logging in for a second time. But this time round you have accidently inputted your security details into a fraudster’s fake page which have been sent back to their server.
Once you have done so, you can then be easily redirected to your bank’s genuine website since you never actually logged out in the first place, giving you the impression that all is well.
How can you protect yourself against tab napping?
This is pretty scary stuff but thankfully tab napping should be relatively easy to avoid. Here are five simple ways you can prevent yourself from falling victim:
•Make sure you always check the URL in the browser address page is correct before you enter any login details. A fake tabbed page will have a different URL to the website you think you’re using.
•Always check the URL has a secure https:// address even if you don’t have tabs open on the browser.
•If the URL looks suspicious in any way, close the tab and reopen it by entering the correct URL again.
•Avoid leaving tabs open which require you to type in secure login details. Don't open any tabs while doing online banking - open new windows instead (CTL + N).
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
iPad Phishing Scheme Advertised on Facebook
Social networking is so good even for illegitimate marketing campaigns
How would you like to get one of the much-anticipated iPad gizmos in exchange of simply filling up a mere survey? Well, the offer sounds pretty good – in fact, it sounds too good to be true and that’s what it is.
The scheme is massively advertised on a Facebook Events page where about 2500 people signed up for the event and – probably – fell victim to the phishing attack. The idea behind it is extremely simple: you sign up for “reviewing” an iPad device, get the product and a questionnaire you need to fill in and return to the company. Needless to say that you get to keep the reviewed item without any commitment on your side
Concealed by a short URL, the target phishing page initially asks for some pretty reasonable info such as the first name and the email address, and culminates with requiring a full set of details, including the full name, home address and phone numbers, as shown below. In order to make the whole deal look legit, the attackers have thrown in logos belonging to high-profile media outlets, although the mentioned institutions have no clue about this initiative.
After all the data has been collected, the attacker asks the user to undergo a last security check and provide their Facebook username and password. Please note that our experiment is carried in a contained environment and we do not encourage you to type in your account credentials on any website except for the genuine one.
To add insult to injury and to maximize the damage, the unwary user whose account has just been phished would be required to download and install an adware application (a browser toolbar) that hijacks the browser’s start page and swaps the default search engine, among others.
Needless to mention that, after filling in the personal details, getting phished and installing the toolbar you’ll never get the iPad, nor will you hear from the attackers again.
The scheme is based on a common practice amongst product creators, namely sending sample units for reviewing. However, it’s not everybody who can receive a testing unit, as the offer is mostly pointed at opinion influencers, high-profile bloggers and – most of all – specialized review websites. Even that way, journalism ethics urge that the reviewer returns the tested unit to the provider after the process has completed. Now, repeat after me: if something looks too good to be true, then it probably is and you’ll end up hurting yourself.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Unwary Facebook® User Might Accidentally “Like” Clickjacking Worm
A documented feature in Facebook became a security breach these days: a transparent iFrame placed exactly on the “like” button redirects users to various Web pages hosted on the blogspot.com free blogging platform. This attack uses a technique widely known under the name clickjack.
Clickjacking is an old method that (as its name stands for) hijacks user’s mouse clicks on a page in order to force ill-intentioned web activities. A hidden or transparent iframe is placed on top of a legitimate button which is most likely known by users. Once they click what they know to be there - usually a message box - they are immediately redirected to a different page and asked to fill in forms, confirm their credentials, answer some questions or further click other links. Of course, this page looks legit and trustworthy so that the unwary Internet user has no idea what happened.
Social networking platforms are mostly targeted by this kind of attacks. The explanation is simple: a lot of people use them for socialization reason; hence their popularity. Moreover, the extensive database of such a community lures a significant number of cybercriminals inciting their ill-intentioned creativity.
The most recent Facebook clickjacker blends the documented feature of registering an anonymous "like" button without adding extra security checks with highly enticing comments, such as those depicted below:.
"LOL This girl gets OWNED after a POLICE OFFICER reads her STATUS MESSAGE.", "This man takes a picture of himself EVERYDAY for 8 YEARS!!", "The Prom Dress That Got This Girl Suspended From School.""This Girl Has An Interesting Way Of Eating A Banana, Check It Out!"
Upon clicking the infamous “like” button, users access transparent iframe which sends them towards various blogspot.com-hosted web pages. In some cases, they reach an apparently blank page with a “click here to continue” message or they are asked to fill in a questionnaire. Due to Facebook’s popularity and their extensive user base, this social networking service has become not only a preferred target of information harvesters, but also the favorite playground for commercial purposes (such as disseminating adware, making users click on ads or filling in forms). Now imagine that each form filled by the unwary Facebook user brings the hijacker a specific revenue times the number of lured users and you’ll see why clickjacking is that popular.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Clickjacking is an old method that (as its name stands for) hijacks user’s mouse clicks on a page in order to force ill-intentioned web activities. A hidden or transparent iframe is placed on top of a legitimate button which is most likely known by users. Once they click what they know to be there - usually a message box - they are immediately redirected to a different page and asked to fill in forms, confirm their credentials, answer some questions or further click other links. Of course, this page looks legit and trustworthy so that the unwary Internet user has no idea what happened.
Social networking platforms are mostly targeted by this kind of attacks. The explanation is simple: a lot of people use them for socialization reason; hence their popularity. Moreover, the extensive database of such a community lures a significant number of cybercriminals inciting their ill-intentioned creativity.
The most recent Facebook clickjacker blends the documented feature of registering an anonymous "like" button without adding extra security checks with highly enticing comments, such as those depicted below:.
"LOL This girl gets OWNED after a POLICE OFFICER reads her STATUS MESSAGE.", "This man takes a picture of himself EVERYDAY for 8 YEARS!!", "The Prom Dress That Got This Girl Suspended From School.""This Girl Has An Interesting Way Of Eating A Banana, Check It Out!"
Upon clicking the infamous “like” button, users access transparent iframe which sends them towards various blogspot.com-hosted web pages. In some cases, they reach an apparently blank page with a “click here to continue” message or they are asked to fill in a questionnaire. Due to Facebook’s popularity and their extensive user base, this social networking service has become not only a preferred target of information harvesters, but also the favorite playground for commercial purposes (such as disseminating adware, making users click on ads or filling in forms). Now imagine that each form filled by the unwary Facebook user brings the hijacker a specific revenue times the number of lured users and you’ll see why clickjacking is that popular.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Facebook Video Promosie to Bare All - But Bear Malware Instead
Invitations to salacious or funny videos could lead to adware
Just a week after hackers offered Facebook users the "Sexiest Video Ever" -- a promise that led to some nasty adware -- a new "video" has appeared, luring users to view "Distracting Beach Babes."
According to a blog by Sophos researcher Graham Cluley, this is the second straight weekend in which Facebook users have been broadly targeted with malware disguised as humorous or titillating video, apparently sent by friends or associates on the social networking site.
"The 'Distracting Beach Babes' scam appears to be the latest incarnation of the widespread 'Sexiest Video Ever' assault we saw spreading on Facebook last weekend, installing adware onto victims' computers, which can make money for the hackers behind the attack," Cluley blogged.
"Clicking on the 'video' link takes you to a rogue Facebook application. If you agree to give it permission to run [in your feverish desire to watch the video], then it will display a bogus message advising that you need to update your FLV player, and direct you to download adware to your computer. Meanwhile, the application has just forwarded the video in your name to all of your Facebook pals."
The exchange of such videos is common among friends on Facebook, and since the malware appears to be coming from trusted contacts, users can be easily taken in, Cluley said.
"If you have been hit, you should delete the offending message from your page, scan your computer with an up-to-date antivirus, change your passwords, [and] review your Facebook application settings [to ensure you have blocked the rogue application]," he said
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Just a week after hackers offered Facebook users the "Sexiest Video Ever" -- a promise that led to some nasty adware -- a new "video" has appeared, luring users to view "Distracting Beach Babes."
According to a blog by Sophos researcher Graham Cluley, this is the second straight weekend in which Facebook users have been broadly targeted with malware disguised as humorous or titillating video, apparently sent by friends or associates on the social networking site.
"The 'Distracting Beach Babes' scam appears to be the latest incarnation of the widespread 'Sexiest Video Ever' assault we saw spreading on Facebook last weekend, installing adware onto victims' computers, which can make money for the hackers behind the attack," Cluley blogged.
"Clicking on the 'video' link takes you to a rogue Facebook application. If you agree to give it permission to run [in your feverish desire to watch the video], then it will display a bogus message advising that you need to update your FLV player, and direct you to download adware to your computer. Meanwhile, the application has just forwarded the video in your name to all of your Facebook pals."
The exchange of such videos is common among friends on Facebook, and since the malware appears to be coming from trusted contacts, users can be easily taken in, Cluley said.
"If you have been hit, you should delete the offending message from your page, scan your computer with an up-to-date antivirus, change your passwords, [and] review your Facebook application settings [to ensure you have blocked the rogue application]," he said
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Monday, May 3, 2010
New Microsoft Connector Outlook Problem
A new version of the Microsoft Outlook Connector has caused some problems. The way to remedy this is to uninstall the Microsoft Outlook Connector in Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs (Vista & Windows 7 under Programs and Features).
This is only for 32 bit operating systems, however if you have Windows XP you probably have a 32 bit operating system. Before you begin, close Outlook, then uninstall the Outlook Connector. Click on the following link to install the new Outlook Connector update:
Outlook Connector Update
Follow the onscreen instructions.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
This is only for 32 bit operating systems, however if you have Windows XP you probably have a 32 bit operating system. Before you begin, close Outlook, then uninstall the Outlook Connector. Click on the following link to install the new Outlook Connector update:
Outlook Connector Update
Follow the onscreen instructions.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
iPad Users Targeted by Backdoor Dissembled as iTunes Update
An e-mail invitation to an iTunes update gets iPad users’ PCs into backdoor trouble.
Success stories are cybercriminals’ go to sources of victims and the iPad craze couldn’t have been left out of this picture. According to some reports, Apple sold 150.000 iPads in the first 60 hours of presale availability, with almost 100.000 of these coveted devices being pre-ordered in the first 10 hours. The figures make it clear as daylight why malware creators were so keen on crashing this promising party.
The invitation to the “contagious fiesta” comes via the e-mail: an unsolicited message instructs iPad users to download on their PCs the latest version of the iTunes software as a preliminary step to an update of their iPad software.
To carry conviction, the e-mail emphasizes that users should keep their iPad software updated “for best performance, newer features and security”.
It goes on to clarify the multi-step procedure by pointing out that in order for the update to be performed the latest version of iTunes should first be downloaded from the Internet. A direct link to the download location is conveniently provided. As a proof of cybercrime finesse, the webpage the users are directed to is a perfect imitation of the one they would use for legitimate iTunes software downloads.
Unfortunately for these users, following the malicious link means opening up a direct line to their sensitive data as instead of the promised iTunes update they get malware on their systems.
Identified by BitDefender as Backdoor.Bifrose.AADY,the piece of malicious code inadvertently downloaded injects itself in to the explorer.exe processand opens up a backdoor that allows unauthorized access to and control over the affected system.
Moreover, Backdoor.Bifrose.AADYattempts to read the keys and serial numbers of the various software installed on the affected computer, while also logging the passwords to the victim’s ICQ, Messenger, POP3 mail accounts, and protected storage.
It is important to say that Mac users remain unaffected by this piece of malware.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Facebook Application Spreading Adware
BitDefender researchers today have uncovered a new scheme that allows cyber-criminals to monetize on unwary users by leading them into installing adware applications. Rather than using hidden vulnerabilities in the social networking platform, this novel approach relies on social engineering in order to trick users into interacting with the attacker.
Chapter I: The Application
The central element of the scheme is the Dance Class Video, application, a third-party extension of Facebook that has neither been developed, nor approved by the social network. The application’s page has been artificially populated with content and friends to increase the victim’s confidence. The application’s main purpose is to send specifically crafted messages and to continue recruiting new victims, as described below.
Chapter II: The Bait
The infection vector is simple yet efficient. Compromised accounts send spammy messages that impersonate a Facebook video: “[victim’s name], this video is from the dance academy i went to last week.. what do u think?”. As soon as the victim follows the link, the application would ask for confirmation to pull out personal data, to send message on users’ behalf, as well as permission to always send these messages without any further confirmations.
Chapter III: The Payload
After all the necessary confirmations have been pulled from the victim, they would be redirected to the application’s page that displays a fake video player (which is in fact a JPEG image hosted outside of Facebook), prompting them to update their FLV player in order to be able to see the video.
The download page even contains an End-User License Agreement and the small provision that the SB 140 Alaska rule expressly forbids an application to engage in deceptive acts or practices described in this subsection using spyware by causing a pop-up advertisement to be shown on the computer screen of a user by means of a spyware program”. The page also triggers the automatic download of a binary file called FLVDirect.exe.
Once downloaded and installed, the binary file would hijack the browser’s start page and search settings without the user’s consent.
Apart from all the trouble a piece of adware may inflict to the average computer user, please remember that your social networking profile may hold sensitive information and granting third parties access to it or to act on your profile may have extremely dangerous repercussions on your privacy.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
McAfee Update Sends Windows XP Machines into Reboot Loop
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
McAfee perfectly illustrated today why you're supposed to thoroughly test software updates before pushing them out to the general public. Consumers and IT support personnel around the country found themselves in a nightmare situation this afternoon; at best, their Windows XP-based machines simply couldn't connect to a network, but more often than not were stuck in an endless loop of reboots.
The update, labeled 5958, causes McAfee to misidentify svchost.exe (an essential Windows system file) as a piece of malware and delete it. The official statement from McAfee indicates that the flaw only effects Windows XP machines with SP3, and results in "moderate to significant performance issues." Of course, reports from around the Web indicate this affects systems that are only up to SP2. And calling an endless cycle of reboots a "performance issue" is a bit of an understatement.
There are unconfirmed reports that the flaw has taken out banks of systems at Intel and Dish Network, and the New York Times is reporting that dozens of PCs at the Illinois State University in Normal were taken out as well.
McAfee has released a "fix" for the problem that really only suppresses the issue and doesn't directly address the false-positive issue. The fix also requires that a technician individually visit and repair any affected system, meaning that it may be a long night for support staff at companies and institutions who turn to McAfee for their virus protection.
Click Computers Can Help. Facebook Fans flat fee $49.00
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
McAfee perfectly illustrated today why you're supposed to thoroughly test software updates before pushing them out to the general public. Consumers and IT support personnel around the country found themselves in a nightmare situation this afternoon; at best, their Windows XP-based machines simply couldn't connect to a network, but more often than not were stuck in an endless loop of reboots.
The update, labeled 5958, causes McAfee to misidentify svchost.exe (an essential Windows system file) as a piece of malware and delete it. The official statement from McAfee indicates that the flaw only effects Windows XP machines with SP3, and results in "moderate to significant performance issues." Of course, reports from around the Web indicate this affects systems that are only up to SP2. And calling an endless cycle of reboots a "performance issue" is a bit of an understatement.
There are unconfirmed reports that the flaw has taken out banks of systems at Intel and Dish Network, and the New York Times is reporting that dozens of PCs at the Illinois State University in Normal were taken out as well.
McAfee has released a "fix" for the problem that really only suppresses the issue and doesn't directly address the false-positive issue. The fix also requires that a technician individually visit and repair any affected system, meaning that it may be a long night for support staff at companies and institutions who turn to McAfee for their virus protection.
Click Computers Can Help. Facebook Fans flat fee $49.00
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Click Computers Mini Notebook Special
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Through the month of April, Click Computers has on special the Hewlett Packard HP Pavilion 210-1030NR Mini Notebook PC. Retail price is $349.99. This month only $289.99.
Click Computers will optimize the system if you prefer at no extra charge. Remove all unnecessary trail version programs, install Open Office, and install an anti-virus, anti-spyware product absolutely free. For a fee of $37.50, Click Computers will come to your home or business and connect your printer and wifi. Click Computers can also transfer your data from your existing computer to this wonderful HP net book.
Small, slim and stylish, the HP Mini 210 lets you surf the web, stay connected, and be entertained wherever you go. Amp up the fun by playing videos and music or showing off your photos. Exclusive, integrated software keeps you in sync with your life by letting you e-mail, chat, and instantly access your files from anywhere. With bottom case cover that conceals component access points and matches the top cover, the HP Mini 210 looks great from every angle and is protected by world-class support.
SPECS:
•1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 Processor
•1GB DDR3 Memory
•160GB SATA Hard Drive
*10.1" Active Matrix TFT Color LCD with 1366x768 Resolution
•6 Cell Battery
•Integrated Intel GMA 3150 (256MB Graphics Memory)
•Integrated 802.11b/g Wifi
•Integrated 10/100 BaseTX LAN
•5-in-1 Multi-memory Card Slot (SD,MMC,MemoryStick,MemoryStick PRO,xD-Picture Card)
•Microsoft Windows 7 Starter
•1 Year Manufacturer's Limited Warranty
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Through the month of April, Click Computers has on special the Hewlett Packard HP Pavilion 210-1030NR Mini Notebook PC. Retail price is $349.99. This month only $289.99.
Click Computers will optimize the system if you prefer at no extra charge. Remove all unnecessary trail version programs, install Open Office, and install an anti-virus, anti-spyware product absolutely free. For a fee of $37.50, Click Computers will come to your home or business and connect your printer and wifi. Click Computers can also transfer your data from your existing computer to this wonderful HP net book.
Small, slim and stylish, the HP Mini 210 lets you surf the web, stay connected, and be entertained wherever you go. Amp up the fun by playing videos and music or showing off your photos. Exclusive, integrated software keeps you in sync with your life by letting you e-mail, chat, and instantly access your files from anywhere. With bottom case cover that conceals component access points and matches the top cover, the HP Mini 210 looks great from every angle and is protected by world-class support.
SPECS:
•1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 Processor
•1GB DDR3 Memory
•160GB SATA Hard Drive
*10.1" Active Matrix TFT Color LCD with 1366x768 Resolution
•6 Cell Battery
•Integrated Intel GMA 3150 (256MB Graphics Memory)
•Integrated 802.11b/g Wifi
•Integrated 10/100 BaseTX LAN
•5-in-1 Multi-memory Card Slot (SD,MMC,MemoryStick,MemoryStick PRO,xD-Picture Card)
•Microsoft Windows 7 Starter
•1 Year Manufacturer's Limited Warranty
Friday, March 19, 2010
Facebook Password: T_R_O_J_A_N
A deceptive password change message sent on behalf of Facebook® is used in a Trojan-spreading scheme
Yesterday evening, a malware distribution campaign using Facebook® as bait made some pretty nasty waves. Apparently legitimate e-mails notified Facebook® users that the passwords to their accounts have been changed due to security reasons. The recipients of this fake notification were supposed to open an attached .zip file in order to find out their new allocated password.
Instead of a new password, the zip file hides Trojan.Dropper.Oficla.G. As its name suggests – Trojan Dropper- this piece of malware contains malicious or potentially unwanted software which it ‘drops’ and installs on the system. Frequently, the dropper installs a backdoor which allows remote, clandestine access to the infected system. This backdoor may then be used by cybercriminals to upload and install additional malicious or potentially unwanted software on the system.
Infection rates are expected to boom because the social engineering behind this mechanism proves to be efficient. Facebook® is a highly popular social network and accessing it for discussions or for its popular applications has become a daily habit for very many people. No matter why they access the social network, the e-mail informing them about the alleged password change is likely to drive them towards the same result: open the file to take a look inside and ultimately… get infected.
In order to stay safe, BitDefender recommends you to never open the attachments coming from unknown contacts as well as to install and update a complete antimalware software solution.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business
Friday, February 26, 2010
KSL.COM Virus Warning
After receiving reports of a computer virus related to this website, the problem has been identified and it is now safe to browse KSL.com. The virus came through a third party network used to distribute ads on the site, but it has been stopped and measures are being taken to boost security.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Microsoft Hotmail Privacy Breach
A statement issued by Microsoft revealed that the company is looking into reports that some users of its Hotmail service were accidentally shown other users' inboxes when attempting to access their mail through their mobile phone.
The Windows Live sign-in service was down for an hour yesterday; whether the two events are related is as-yet unknown. The sign-in downtime was purportedly due to a server failure, and left many unable to log in to any Microsoft service dependent on Windows Live IDs, including both Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger.
In its statement, the software giant said, "Microsoft takes customers' privacy seriously, and immediately upon learning of these reports, we started an investigation. We will take appropriate action once we have completed the investigation."
Reports of the nature of the security breach suggest that it did indeed coincide with the sign-in service failure. Users with the problem describe being presented with an inbox that was not their own; subsequent logins presented a different inbox each time.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
The Windows Live sign-in service was down for an hour yesterday; whether the two events are related is as-yet unknown. The sign-in downtime was purportedly due to a server failure, and left many unable to log in to any Microsoft service dependent on Windows Live IDs, including both Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger.
In its statement, the software giant said, "Microsoft takes customers' privacy seriously, and immediately upon learning of these reports, we started an investigation. We will take appropriate action once we have completed the investigation."
Reports of the nature of the security breach suggest that it did indeed coincide with the sign-in service failure. Users with the problem describe being presented with an inbox that was not their own; subsequent logins presented a different inbox each time.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Social networking, govt sites hacked in global attack
A new type of computer virus is known to have breached almost 75,000 computers in 2,500 organizations around the world, including user accounts of popular social network websites, according Internet security firm NetWitness.
The latest virus -- known as "Kneber botnet" -- gathers login credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites and email systems from infested computers and reports the information back to hackers, NetWitness said in a statement.
A botnet is an army of infected computers that hackers can control from a central machine."
The company said the attack was first discovered in January during a routine deployment of NetWitness software.
Further investigation by the Herndon, Virginia-based software security firm revealed that many commercial and government systems were compromised, including 68,000 corporate login credentials and access to email systems, online banking sites, Yahoo, Hotmail and social networks such as Facebook.
"Conventional malware protection and signature-based intrusion detection systems are, by definition, inadequate for addressing Kneber or most other advanced threats," Chief Executive Amit Yoran said in a statement
The latest virus -- known as "Kneber botnet" -- gathers login credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites and email systems from infested computers and reports the information back to hackers, NetWitness said in a statement.
A botnet is an army of infected computers that hackers can control from a central machine."
The company said the attack was first discovered in January during a routine deployment of NetWitness software.
Further investigation by the Herndon, Virginia-based software security firm revealed that many commercial and government systems were compromised, including 68,000 corporate login credentials and access to email systems, online banking sites, Yahoo, Hotmail and social networks such as Facebook.
"Conventional malware protection and signature-based intrusion detection systems are, by definition, inadequate for addressing Kneber or most other advanced threats," Chief Executive Amit Yoran said in a statement
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Social Networks: SOS
Don’t chat with worms as you would do with your friend
As some of the fastest-growing communities in the cyberspace, social networks are also the favorite playground for malware distributors. One of the most targeted networks of its kind is Facebook, the keeper of a huge database of personal information acting like a magnet to cyber-criminals.
The infamous Koobface worm made a comeback as Win32.Worm.Koobface.AOJ. Once installed on the local machine, the worm looks for cookies belonging to well-known social networks, such as Facebook®, Twitter®, Hi5TM, Friendster® and MySpaceTM, among others. However, there's more in Koobface than the eye meets: each new iteration of the worm brings additional surprises to build on its previous features: CAPTCHA breakers, locally-installed HTTP servers, keylogger and ftp file uploader components, as well as a rogue DNS changer and an advertisement pusher.
In order to spread from one infected account to another, Win32.Worm.Koobface.AOJ sends messages on the behalf of the compromised users to all their friends. Since Facebook® is extremely restrictive with large numbers of messages originating from the same account in a short time span, the worm forces the infected user to solve the CAPTCHA dialog for it. After the CAPTCHA has been successfully "defeated", it would post a link to a fake YoutubeTM video concealed with a URL shortening service (usually bit.ly). Unwary users clicking on the malicious link will subsequently asked to install a codec, which ultimately turns out to be the very downloader that drops, installs and "configures" the Koobface worm.
The Koobface family is one of the most advanced e-threats related to social networks. Its ability to compromise a large choice of social networks and its extremely advanced infection mechanisms makes it the ultimate war machine ready to siege your social network accounts.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Worm Crawling the IM Network
Called Win32.Worm.IM.J, this malicious code spreads via links sent as instant messages on Yahoo! ® Messenger on behalf of infected users. The message uses social engineering tricks in order to make people believe they are in a very delicate situation and action should be taken immediately, especially since the embedded link ends with the Yahoo!® Messenger username of the victim.
The infected messages display two questions asking the victim whether he / she has pictures or a profile on a compromising site; a link towards the alleged site is, of course, provided after the informative note.
Once the users access the randomly-provided link, they are redirected towards fake Web page containing some ads and a blank space where the alleged photos should have been. A spoofed active content bar (that is not displayed under the hyperlink, but under the first row of ads) advises the victim to install Adobe Shockwave Player in order to be able to watch the pictures.
The worm would remove the locally-stored credentials from the infected computer in order to force the user to re-type them. The log-in information will be stored in Windows Registry under the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\first and would use them to stealthily authenticate and send these infected links to the victim's contact list.
Last, but not least, the worm also features a downloader component that would install additional malware on the infected system.
Win32.Worm.IM.J is built with Borland Delphi® and seems to have its roots in Romania, since the messages it sends are written in Romanian: "cine ti-a pus pozele aici?"(who posted your pictures here?) and "tu ti-ai facut profilu asta?"(was it you who created a profile here?).
In order to avoid infections, we recommend that you install and regularly update a complete antimalware suite with antivirus, antispam, antiphishing and firewall modules.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
The infected messages display two questions asking the victim whether he / she has pictures or a profile on a compromising site; a link towards the alleged site is, of course, provided after the informative note.
Once the users access the randomly-provided link, they are redirected towards fake Web page containing some ads and a blank space where the alleged photos should have been. A spoofed active content bar (that is not displayed under the hyperlink, but under the first row of ads) advises the victim to install Adobe Shockwave Player in order to be able to watch the pictures.
The worm would remove the locally-stored credentials from the infected computer in order to force the user to re-type them. The log-in information will be stored in Windows Registry under the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\first and would use them to stealthily authenticate and send these infected links to the victim's contact list.
Last, but not least, the worm also features a downloader component that would install additional malware on the infected system.
Win32.Worm.IM.J is built with Borland Delphi® and seems to have its roots in Romania, since the messages it sends are written in Romanian: "cine ti-a pus pozele aici?"(who posted your pictures here?) and "tu ti-ai facut profilu asta?"(was it you who created a profile here?).
In order to avoid infections, we recommend that you install and regularly update a complete antimalware suite with antivirus, antispam, antiphishing and firewall modules.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Adobe Warns of of PDF Phishing Scam
A new phishing scam is trying to fool people into thinking it comes from Adobe
A new phishing scam is trying to fool people into thinking it comes from Adobe, announcing a new version of PDF Reader/Writer.The message is making its way into e-mail boxes now, and the real Adobe urged any recipients to simply delete it.
The phishing scam has a subject line "download and upgrade Adobe PDF Reader – Writer for Windows," includes a fake version of Adobe's logo and provides links that would lead to malicious code or other trouble if a victim clicked on them. The e-mail appears to come from Adobe newsletter@pdf-adobe.org, which is part of the scam.
"It has come to Adobe's attention that e-mail messages purporting to offer a download of the Adobe Reader have been sent by entities claiming to be Adobe," the company said in a statement warning about it. "Many of these e-mails are signed as 'Adobe PDF' (or similar), and in some instances require recipients to register and/or provide personal information. Please be aware that these e-mails are phishing scams and have not been sent by Adobe or on Adobe's behalf."
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
A new phishing scam is trying to fool people into thinking it comes from Adobe, announcing a new version of PDF Reader/Writer.The message is making its way into e-mail boxes now, and the real Adobe urged any recipients to simply delete it.
The phishing scam has a subject line "download and upgrade Adobe PDF Reader – Writer for Windows," includes a fake version of Adobe's logo and provides links that would lead to malicious code or other trouble if a victim clicked on them. The e-mail appears to come from Adobe newsletter@pdf-adobe.org, which is part of the scam.
"It has come to Adobe's attention that e-mail messages purporting to offer a download of the Adobe Reader have been sent by entities claiming to be Adobe," the company said in a statement warning about it. "Many of these e-mails are signed as 'Adobe PDF' (or similar), and in some instances require recipients to register and/or provide personal information. Please be aware that these e-mails are phishing scams and have not been sent by Adobe or on Adobe's behalf."
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Former Iomega VP Chooses Click Computers
Former Iomega Vice President Leon Staciokas chose Click Computers for his home personal computer. Mr. Staciokas marveled at the speed, quality, and local prompt service. Mr. Staciokas is a pioneer in the industry of personal portable storage devices.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Facebook Applications Spreading Spyware
From the direction of Roger Thompson, Chief Research Officer at AVG - that hacked Facebooks apps are being used by Russian cybercrime gangs to peddle rogue antivirus software, part of an ever-increasing trend towards scareware-based schemes for raking in the cash. It should be noted that the applications' developers are victims here too, leaving aside the fact that they left the loopholes that let the bad guys inject code. These Facebook applications are web-hosted: when you add an app, you're using Facebook's servers to link to a third party site hosting that app. What's been happening is that the app has an extra iframe injected, which shows you a fake licensing frame, and when you accept the terms it points you to a Russian scam site that displays those "your site is infected" pop-ups - complete with a "click here to protect your computer" link. At the time of writing, AVG has found eight such compromised applications. My advice id don't use Facebook applications - full stop.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Beware of Social Networks in 2010
McAfee foresees threats to social networking sites, banking security and botnets in 2010
McAfee Labs, in its latest report called "2010 Threat Predictions", said it foresees an increase in threats related to social networking sites, banking security, and botnets in 2010.
With the ever growing footprint of social networking websites, McAfee says sites such as Facebook will face more sophisticated threats. The explosion of applications on Facebook and other services will be an ideal vector for cybercriminals, who will take advantage of friends trusting friends to click links they might otherwise treat cautiously. The company also points out that along with Twitter's success we have seen widespread adaptation of abbreviated URL services, such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com. These services now appear in all sorts of communications-making it easier than ever to mask the URLs that users are asked to click.
Email attachments have delivered malware for years, yet the increasing number of attacks targeted at corporations, journalists, and individual users often fool them into downloading Trojans and other malware. McAfee warns that home users and IT personnel should provide extra protection for computers.
Cybercriminals have long picked on Microsoft products due to their popularity. In 2010, McAfee anticipates that Adobe software, especially Acrobat Reader and Flash, will take the top spot. Also, Banking Trojans will become cleverer, sometimes interrupting a legitimate transaction to make an unauthorized withdrawal.
Botnets are the leading infrastructure for cybercriminals, used for actions from spamming to identity theft. Recent successes in shutting down botnets will force their controllers to switch to alternate, less vulnerable methods of command, including peer-to-peer setups.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
McAfee Labs, in its latest report called "2010 Threat Predictions", said it foresees an increase in threats related to social networking sites, banking security, and botnets in 2010.
With the ever growing footprint of social networking websites, McAfee says sites such as Facebook will face more sophisticated threats. The explosion of applications on Facebook and other services will be an ideal vector for cybercriminals, who will take advantage of friends trusting friends to click links they might otherwise treat cautiously. The company also points out that along with Twitter's success we have seen widespread adaptation of abbreviated URL services, such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com. These services now appear in all sorts of communications-making it easier than ever to mask the URLs that users are asked to click.
Email attachments have delivered malware for years, yet the increasing number of attacks targeted at corporations, journalists, and individual users often fool them into downloading Trojans and other malware. McAfee warns that home users and IT personnel should provide extra protection for computers.
Cybercriminals have long picked on Microsoft products due to their popularity. In 2010, McAfee anticipates that Adobe software, especially Acrobat Reader and Flash, will take the top spot. Also, Banking Trojans will become cleverer, sometimes interrupting a legitimate transaction to make an unauthorized withdrawal.
Botnets are the leading infrastructure for cybercriminals, used for actions from spamming to identity theft. Recent successes in shutting down botnets will force their controllers to switch to alternate, less vulnerable methods of command, including peer-to-peer setups.
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
New Pay Pal Phishing Scam
Following the receipt of an apparently genuine e-mail from PayPal, users are asked to log in to their account and to provide their credit card information, ATM Pin included, on a fake PayPal web page.
2010 opens with a phishing surprise for PayPal users. The mechanism behind it is simple and it aims two targets in one go: PayPal account and credit card information.
First comes the fake official PayPal e-mail, which urges users to confirm their e-mail address and credit card information as part of a supposedly "innovative" means of monitoring "inactive customers" and "non- functioning e-mail boxes".
As usual, social engineering ingredients come in handy in this kind of messages. In this case, there are two elements which emphasize the urgency of the matter: a restriction and removal warning and a clear deadline, January 12.
If the reference to credit card information in this context does not ring an alarm bell, gullible users will take the second step of the furtive procedure and they will log in to their PayPal accounts. And that's a first strike, as the user name and password are typed on a fake PayPal page.
The third and final step takes users to a page where they are supposed to fill in various personal information, all in the name of standard security maintenance procedures: name, address, credit card number and the like. If the request to provide the credit card's ATM PIN, strategically placed last, does not raise any suspicion, the deal is sealed.
Once again, standard preventive measures will keep PayPal users safe from harm:
•Make sure you always activate or turn on your antiphishing or phishing filter, as well as any other security applications or suites before browsing to your e-banking account. Ideally, you should install, activate and update a reliable security solution.
•Double-check the URL of the page you are on, especially if you are required to fill in credit card information.
•Make sure that the e-banking Web site uses SSL encryption (Secure Socket Layer) and security authentication methods - look for the "https" prefix and the locked padlock. If you are requested to accept a certificate for the session, check that the name on the certificate matches the name of the institution you wish to deal with and that the certificate is signed by a known Certificate Authority such as ThawteTM or VeriSign® before accepting.
•NEVER disclose your PIN to anyone, under any circumstances.
•Avoid using a non-secured computer (like a friend's desktop or job colleague laptop). Still, if you are forced to do so, make sure you at least run BitDefender's advanced scanning on-line tool, Quick Scan, before proceeding.
•Do not check your e-banking account from public computers connected to Internet (like those in a library or Internet Café).
2010 opens with a phishing surprise for PayPal users. The mechanism behind it is simple and it aims two targets in one go: PayPal account and credit card information.
First comes the fake official PayPal e-mail, which urges users to confirm their e-mail address and credit card information as part of a supposedly "innovative" means of monitoring "inactive customers" and "non- functioning e-mail boxes".
As usual, social engineering ingredients come in handy in this kind of messages. In this case, there are two elements which emphasize the urgency of the matter: a restriction and removal warning and a clear deadline, January 12.
If the reference to credit card information in this context does not ring an alarm bell, gullible users will take the second step of the furtive procedure and they will log in to their PayPal accounts. And that's a first strike, as the user name and password are typed on a fake PayPal page.
The third and final step takes users to a page where they are supposed to fill in various personal information, all in the name of standard security maintenance procedures: name, address, credit card number and the like. If the request to provide the credit card's ATM PIN, strategically placed last, does not raise any suspicion, the deal is sealed.
Once again, standard preventive measures will keep PayPal users safe from harm:
•Make sure you always activate or turn on your antiphishing or phishing filter, as well as any other security applications or suites before browsing to your e-banking account. Ideally, you should install, activate and update a reliable security solution.
•Double-check the URL of the page you are on, especially if you are required to fill in credit card information.
•Make sure that the e-banking Web site uses SSL encryption (Secure Socket Layer) and security authentication methods - look for the "https" prefix and the locked padlock. If you are requested to accept a certificate for the session, check that the name on the certificate matches the name of the institution you wish to deal with and that the certificate is signed by a known Certificate Authority such as ThawteTM or VeriSign® before accepting.
•NEVER disclose your PIN to anyone, under any circumstances.
•Avoid using a non-secured computer (like a friend's desktop or job colleague laptop). Still, if you are forced to do so, make sure you at least run BitDefender's advanced scanning on-line tool, Quick Scan, before proceeding.
•Do not check your e-banking account from public computers connected to Internet (like those in a library or Internet Café).
Friday, January 8, 2010
Computer Running Slow
Click Computers – Computer Repair Utah
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Click Computer's Utah's onsite computer repair leader can usually get your computer back up to speed in 1 hour. We come to you as well as remote sessions. Check out our daily specials, tips, tricks and become a Facebook Fan.
Click Computers is Utah’s Onsite Computer Repair Specialists for your Home and Business.
Click Computer's Utah's onsite computer repair leader can usually get your computer back up to speed in 1 hour. We come to you as well as remote sessions. Check out our daily specials, tips, tricks and become a Facebook Fan.
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