Windows Owners Be Aware of this Latest Threat!

An ALERT! for you folks who own Microsoft Windows PC’s. And you should know by now, “ransomware” is that (type of) hacker virus that makes you pay to get your files back. Please pass this item on to your friends and loved ones.

* New ‘Fantom’ Ransomware Poses As Windows Update

“Fantom malware comes disguised as a legitimate Microsoft Windows update to trick consumers and business users into downloading it.” Read more..

And.. to counteract all the bad news in the tech world, how about a dose of relief? (And yes folks, there’s enough of it that I am becoming thoroughly ‘anti-technology’ :( .)

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Today’s quote: “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo Buscaglia

Yes. I’ve posted that one before. But, be honest, it’s easy to let this slip one’s mind.
We can’t let it.

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Best read in a while..

This article is the most interesting ‘techy’ piece I’ve seen in a bit…

* The Good and the Terrifying Things at Black Hat 2016

“Car hacks, cash-spewing ATMs, Apple’s special blenders, and computers generating Taylor Swift songs were just a few of the things at Black Hat 2016.” Read more..

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Today’s quote: “Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day to day living that wears you out.” ~ Anton Chekhov

Beware of being ‘worn out’ folks. Take good care of yourselves. Get rest. Do what you have to for your emotional, spiritual, psychological, as well as your physical ‘well-being’.

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

While I was away…

Let’s take a look at some of the recent headlines in Tech. (In no particular order..)

* FCC privacy rules can’t stop ‘gold rush’ in personal data

“The flourishing ‘surveillance capitalism’ that profits from selling consumers’ personal data will be little affected by the new rules.” Read More..

* Malvertising Campaign Hits Top Websites to Spread Ransomware

“Hackers are always in search for an elite method to create loopholes in the cyberspace to implement the dark rules in the form of vulnerability exploitation. Top Trustworthy sites such as The New York Times, BBC, MSN, AOL and many more are on the verge of losing their face value as a …” Read more..

* Warning — Hackers can Silently Install Malware to Non-Jailbroken iOS Devices

“Hard time for mobile phone users! Just recently, two severe vulnerabilities in Qualcomm Snapdragon chip and Stagefright were spotted on the Android platform, affecting more than a Billion and Millions of devices respectively. And now: Hackers have discovered a new way to install malicious apps ..” Read more..

* Apple users, beware: First live ransomware targeting Macs …

“Security researchers have discovered what they believe to be the first-ever ransomware attack targeted at Apple users that actually made it out …” Read more..

* Android Trojan infiltrates mobile firmware, Trend Micro apps

“An Android Trojan which displays unwanted ads and installs nuisance software on mobile devices has been discovered in the firmware of smartphones and in popular Android applications, according to researchers.” Read more..

[ “firmware” is chip-level coding, which comes into play when you first power up, but before the operating system (and therefore, any ‘anti-virus’) launches. ]

* The 18 scariest computer viruses of all time (slideshow)

And, there’s also Apple vs the F.B.I., and other delightful stories… But.. none of them are happy.

Today’s quote: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Possible help for ransomware

Folks, this article discusses ransomware, and provides links to a ‘toolkit’ that may help you if you have been hit with an infection, and your files are now ‘locked’ by encryption. I have not tried any of this myself, and cannot comment one way or the other, except to say my advice is to seek professional help; but if you want to try D-I-Y decryption, well, then, here you go. Use at your own risk.

Article: Ransomware: To pay or not to pay

“There is no need to tell victims of digital extortion how successful it is. What is needed is a way to help victims respond to the ransom demands.” Read more..

And here is the toolkit’s Information page. It is vital that you thoroughly read it before using the toolkit. Ransomware Response Kit Overview.
Once you’ve read and understood the page, click the “Downloads” in the navigation pane. Be sure to read the “Readme” file before trying any tool.

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Today’s quote: “You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” ~ Joyce Meyer

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All weq really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Alert: Scary Windows Ten Scams

Folks, as you might know (or have learned to expect), there are some dangerous scams circulating you need to be wary of (and tell your less-savvy friends and family about).

• New Windows 10 scam will encrypt your files for ransom

  “Just days after Microsoft released its latest operating system, hackers have begun targeting soon-to-be Windows 10 users with an emerging kind of malware.” Read more..

• Don’t get fooled into clicking phony Windows 10 upgrade emails
  

  “If you’re still waiting for your reservation to come up as Microsoft rolls out Windows 10, we can’t blame you for being eager to get your virtual hands on Microsoft’s latest OS. But if you get an email encouraging you upgrade to Windows 10, you’ll want to exercise a little caution, lest you get taken by scammers. ” Read more..

So the fun just continues… Does anyone even use email any more? Or am I the last holdout..?

Today’s quote: “Life’s Tragedy is that we get old to soon and wise too late.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

How To Protect Your Wi-Fi (and other items)

Folks, there’s no good (tech) news, but (as usual) plenty of scary headlines. So I urge you to get proactive and harden your wireless router (as per the article below).

Bad News Sampler Platter: (Just today’s)

* Malicious Minecraft apps affect 600,000 Android Users

“So you love Minecraft? You might want to be very careful before downloading the cheats for the popular Minecraft game from Google Play Store. Nearly 3 Million users have downloaded malicious Minecraft Android applications for their smartphone and tablets from the Google Play store, security researchers warned.” Read more..

* Android ransomware distributed to English speakers in spam campaign

* Report: IRS breach impacts more than 100,000 taxpayers

Okay. So here’s today’s main article: How to stop Wi-Fi hackers cold

“When someone hacked a neighbor’s Wi-Fi router to engage in nefarious activities, the only effective defense was to plug a widespread WPS vulnerability.” Read more..

Please note that while the technique advised in the article will not make you bulletproof; but it will “harden” your gear to where you will no longer be quite the ‘low hanging fruit’. If you do not know how to access your router/WAP’s Control Panel, look at (and note) the unit’s Make/Model and do a search for “Make/Model+update firmware”. Go to the search result that contains the manufacturer’s URL (i.e., netgear.com if yours is a Netgear). (You DO look at URL’s before you click.. Right?)

Today’s quote: “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

More Tuesday Tidbits

Folks, here are a few items worthy of your consideration:

* VPN Unlimited: Lifetime Subscription 70% off

“Safety First–Protect Your Online Activity & Browse without Restriction for Life.” Learn more..

[Please note: I have no knowledge of, or experience with, this particular product.]

*A glimpse into the future of money: Spain’s banking revolution shows what’s next for your cash

“In Spain, where smartphone use is the norm and peer-to-peer lending is taking off, banks’ shift from payment processors to financial services advisors is particularly noticeable.” Read more..

* Florida law enforcement docs show widespread stingray use, secrecy

“Florida law enforcement documents obtained by the ACLU show widespread stingray use and troubling secrecy.” Read more..

[That’s warrant-less wiretapping, right here in the good ole US of A, folks..]

* Who Will Buy the $10,000 Apple Watch?

“The $10,000 gold Apple Watch is a move to make Apple a global luxury brand.” Read more..

[my fave part: “..in China, it will be given as gifts from officials to their mistresses, and from businessmen to officials.”]

* CTB-Locker virus: How to protect your systems, and what to do if infected

“Jesus Vigo examines the CTB-Locker virus, its effects on your data, and how to best protect your computer from this ransomware infection.” Read more..

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Today’s quote: “I’d far rather be happy than right any day.” ~ Douglas Adams

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.