Headlines of note

Interesting ‘news’ items today.

* PayPal Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Steal All Your Money

“A critical security vulnerability has been discovered in the global e-commerce business PayPal that could allow attackers to steal your login credentials, and even your credit card details in unencrypted format.” Read more..

* Supercookies are back, and they’re as unappealing as ever

“Supercookies are back in force. But if supercookies are so great for consumers, why aren’t mobile carriers bragging about using them?” Read more..

* Scanner identifies thousands of malicious Android apps on Google Play, other markets

“A team of researchers have created an app vetting scanner referred to as “MassVet,” and they used it to identify more than 127,000 potentially harmful applications (PHA) in more than 30 Android markets – including Google Play.” Read more..

* The Internet of Things is a safety issue, and therefore a business risk

“When you merge the physical and the digital, it’s not just about InfoSec any more. People’s lives could be at risk.” Read more..

* Adobe Flash steadily heading toward demise

“After multiple malvertising campaigns on major ad networks, including Yahoo and AdSpirit.de, as well as the disclosure of major vulnerabilities, companies have begun banning Adobe Flash ads on their websites.” Read more..

[ Well.. that’s about 5 years too late.. But, better late than blah blah. ]

* Here’s How Iranian Hackers Can Hack Your Gmail Accounts

“Hackers are getting smarter in fooling us all, and now they are using sophisticated hacking schemes to get into your Gmail. Yes, Iranian hackers have now discovered a new way to fool Gmail’s tight security system by bypassing its two-step verification – a security process that requires a security code (generally sent via SMS) along with the password in order to log into Gmail account.” Read more..

* Warning! How Hackers Could Hijack Your Facebook Fan Page With This Trick

“Facebook bounty hunter Laxman Muthiyah from India has recently discovered his third bug of this year in the widely popular social network website that just made a new record by touching 1 Billion users in a single day. At the beginning of the year, Laxman discovered a serious flaw in Facebook graphs that allowed him to view or probably delete others photo album on Facebook, even without …” Read more..

Oh, yes, there’s more, but…

Today’s quote: “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

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.

Bravo, Maryland! + Troubleshooting USB + More

Today’s reading includes a download for help in fixing troublesome USB ports.

Big, big news: Maryland Lawmakers Ban Employers from Requesting Facebook Credentials from Employees or Interviewees

“Last week, Maryland’s House and Senate passed legislation prohibiting employers from asking for a current or prospective employee’s logins to Facebook and other social media sites. Once Governor Martin O’Malley signs the bill into law, Maryland will become the first state in the nation to pass legislation protecting employees from having employers access their social media accounts.” Read more..

(I think this absolutely should be Federal Law, and I wonder why they (Congress) voted down similar legislation. Oh. Wait. I don’t wonder at all actually. But if we have to gain this “protection” state-by-state, let’s do so. If your state doesn’t have at least one politician looking out for their constituents and smart enough to propose this — start a Proposition.)(Unbelievable there’s been no public outrage on this..)

* Map and troubleshoot your USB ports with Microsoft USB View

“After some deep investigation, Greg Shultz came across a Windows 7 compatible version of the old Windows utility USB View.” Read more..

These next two might be a little too corporate for most readers, but..

* Five ways companies use social media and look like jerks

“Let’s take a look at five ways companies use social media and end up making themselves look like complete and utter fools.” Read more..

(I enjoyed this one.. even though I don’t use “social media”, or work for the man.)

* Connect your iPhone to Microsoft Office 365

“Office 365, the cloud-based collaboration platform from Microsoft, can actually be iPhone-friendly. Will Kelly shows you how to connect your iPhone to Office 365.” Read more..

And.. this can’t be good..

* Seventeen years worth of Emory patient data missing

“Emory Healthcare in Atlanta lost the personal information of surgery patients treated at its three hospitals when 10 backup discs went missing.

How many victims? 315,000 patients treated from September 1990 to April 2007.

What type of personal information? Names, Social Security numbers (on 228,000 patients), surgery dates, diagnoses, and other information about the procedures, such as whom performed them and what types of devices were used” Read more..

More news on the Apple botnet..

* Russian security firm says Flashback infection rates still high

“Last week’s reports of a sharp decline in infections by the Flashback malware may have been premature. A new report by Dr. Web says 566,000 Macs are still infected, with new infections appearing.” Read more..

* New Flashback variant silently infects Macs

“A new Flashback Trojan has been discovered that infects Macs without prompting the user for a password. If you haven’t updated Java on your Mac, or disabled it entirely, you could be a victim.” Read more..

And in the News From Around The World Department..

* In China, plagiarization is an established business model

“Copying business ideas from both foreign and domestic firms has been standard operating procedure for Chinese Internet companies. But these borrowing practices could be losing their momentum.” Read more..

Well, I’m out of time for today. See you next time.

Today’s quote: “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” ~ Booker T. Washington

Copyright 2007-2012 © “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.

A Smorgasbord

* Firefox add-on allows session hijacking of popular sites

	“In this digital age, we are all connected, and each of us plays an important role in securing cyberspace

“A computer researcher has released a plug-in for the Firefox web browser that lets anyone scan open Wi-Fi networks and hijack, for example, Twitter and Facebook accounts“

(Yeah.. that’s just what we needed… Anyone else think that this “computer researcher” is an asshat?)

* Firefox zero day being exploited

“Cybercriminals are exploiting a “critical” zero-day flaw in Mozilla’s Firefox web browser to distribute malware, security firms are warning.“

* Google Street View Cars Collected E-Mail Credentials

“A blog by Alan Eustace, Google’s Senior VP, Engineering & Research admits that the payloads sniffed by the company’s Street View cars contained e-mail usernames and passwords. The statement came as part of an explanation of how the company is improving privacy controls.”

Folks, let’s not make it any easier for the Evil Doers than it it already is, see Protect your computer from cybercrime..

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In other news: The good folks at TuneUp Utilities have asked me to let you know that – as of today – TU2011 is available — and they sent me an evaluation key. I installed it a few days ago.

“TuneUp Utilities is designed to keep PCs running smoothly, extend their lifecycles and provide users with a noticeable boost in speed and performance. Key features include:

• With the new TuneUp Program Deactivator, users can turn off unused programs completely to avoid the loss of PC performance. Any services, start-up entries, background processes or scheduled tasks in a program that are turned off will remain inactive until they are needed again.
• TuneUp’s Turbo Mode is 10 times more powerful than before—with a single mouse-click, users can increase PC speed by shutting down more than 70 background processes that slow down Windows 7, XP and Vista.
• The Live Optimization feature is even more focused to speed up the program that a user is working with and prevent background programs from using up too much of the PC’s resources.”

My review of TU2010 is here, and the TuneUp Utilities website is here (you can read more, and/or download a trial version…). Though I have only had it going a few days, I can say that my earlier review expresses my initial impressions here. Check it out.

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October is National Cybersecrity Month, and the theme is STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Protect yourself and help keep the web a safer place for everyone.

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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How To Clear Your Cache 2

At some point in your computing career, it is likely that a tech has told you to “clear your cache”.

They weren’t telling you to empty your wallet, they were telling you to “dump” (aka “flush”, aka “delete”) your Internet cookies and “temp files”. That’s because old and stale (or duplicate) cookies can create browsing and/or login problems — like those times Yahoo! Mail tells you you are already signed in. But you aren’t.

Follow these steps to optimize Windows Internet Explorer 6 or 7:
1. In Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options.
2. Follow the steps for your browser:
a) If you have Internet Explorer 6, do the following:
i. Stop. IE 6 is the most hacked and exploited piece of software in Man’s History. Click on Start > Programs > Windows Update and upgrade to IE 8, and then get used to it. Or…
ii. (Optional)  Switch to an “alternative” web browser like Firefox, Chrome, or Avant, and then get used to it. 2010 is half over…
b) If you have Internet Explorer 7, do the following:
i. Under Browsing history, click Delete.
ii. In the Delete Browsing History window, click Delete all, and then click Yes. It may take several minutes for the files to be deleted.

To optimize your IE8 browser, follow these steps:
1. Clear cache and delete cookies.
a) Open Internet Explorer.
b) On the Tools menu, click “Internet Options.”
c) Under Browsing history, click “Delete…”.
d) Put a check mark beside the “Temporary Internet files” and “Cookies” dialog boxes. (Note: You may prefer to put a check mark on the other dialog boxes as well.)
e) Click the “Delete” button.
f) Click “OK.”

2. Enable the “Every Visit to the Page” option.
a) Open a new Internet Explorer window.
b) On the Tools menu, click “Internet Options.”
C) On the General tab, click “Settings” under the Browsing history.
d) Under Temporary Internet Files, click the “Every time I visit to webpage” option.
e) Click the up arrow on the Disk space to use option for the maximum setting. (Note: Recommended setting: 50-250MB)
f) Click the “OK” button.
g) Click on “OK” again to close the Internet Options window.

3. Verify that Active Scripting, ActiveX, and Java applets are not blocked.
a) Click “Tools” and then click Internet Options.
b) Click on the Security tab.
c) Verify if the slider is set to Medium-high, If not, click on the Default Level button.
d) Click on Apply and then OK.

Related articles:
Restore Missing Favorites In IE*

Internet Explorer Runtime Error!!*

Quick Tip: Turn on ClearType in Internet Explorer

Can’t Download? Reset IE

How To Clear Your Cache

View Multiple Mail Identities in One Browser

Extracting text from Web pages*

Precautions for your Internet privacy*

Quick Tip: Customize new tabs behavior

IE’s Menu bar, Taskbar icons, and bad Updates*

Internet/E-mail Troubleshooting – JavaScript

What is a “homepage”?

How to use tabs in IE 7

Saving webpages as files

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.

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Firefox Quick Tip – Deleting Old Passwords

Most web browsers offer to “remember” the  user name and password combination you use to log into certain websites (such as Hotmail, or your bank, etc.) which allows for faster access when you return to the site. Firefox is no exception.

If you should need to change the remembered login on your machine – say, if you “remembered” an incorrect combo, or if you changed the login using a different machine (it is highly recommended that you change your passwords several times a year..) – the following steps will allow you to delete the ‘bad’ ones.

Tip of the day: Manage your login passwords in Firefox.

1) Open Firefox, and click on “Tools” from the menu bar at the top.
2) From the Tools menu, click on “Options…”
3) A new window will open. Click on the “Security” tab.

4) Now click the “Saved Passwords” button.
5) Now a new window will show you all of the “remembered” logon combinations that Firefox is storing for you. Simply click on the troublesome/obsolete item and then click “Remove”.

This deletes the (old) entry. Now go to the website in question. You will be asked to log in. Then Firefox will offer to “Remember” this (new) password – click Yes.

That’s it. You’re done.

Today’s free link: For those of you who may like to learn what constitutes a good password (and, what does not) please read, Strong passwords, hidden Admin

Today’s free download: Portable Glary Utilities. Folks, I have mentioned the wonderful, free, Glary Utilities program here before. It contains a safe Registry scanner, Privacy sweeper, anti-spyware sweeper, temp file emptier, and more. Now you can carry this tool around on your thumbdrive by downloading the “portable” version. I suggest using the first link; the “self-installer”.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Heavy-Duty IE Repair – Road Warrior’s Gmail

Folks, due to an unusually large number of questions received here at Tech–for Everyone Headquarters recently, I am re-posting this article on repairing Internet Explorer. I’d like to remind readers that that the tips, tricks, and how-to’s posted here are searchable..

Tip(s) of the day: (How about that? Two for the price of one!)
Tip 1) In response to public demand, Google has added a feature to its Gmail service which will force it to always use SSL encryption when you logon (HTTPS). This is particularly beneficial to those of you “mobile” types -who use wireless, public computers, and/or public ‘hotspots’. All you need to do is turn it on.
[note: a secured session is not the same thing as encrypting your individual messages. For my How To on that, click here.]

To turn on the “always use” feature, log on to your Gmail account, and in the upper-right area, find, and click on the “Settings” link.
Now, scroll down to the bottom, and in the “Browser connection” option, click on the “always use https” radio button, and then click on “Save Changes”.

That’s it. You’re done. Now your connection to the mail server will be encrypted and you’ll be protected from packet sniffers and “cookie-jacking“.

Tip 2) Sometimes programs get “corrupted” and just refuse to work right, and usually the way to repair them is to uninstall them (Add/Remove Programs), and then re-Install a fresh copy.
One of my more popular articles has been how to repair the hyperlinks function in IE when clicking on a link doesn’t open a new page (if that’s your issue, click here), and this tip goes a little further than that. (To see all my articles on Internet Explorer, click on “IE 7″ in my Categories widget.)

You can resolve many troublesome IE issues by “resetting” it (which also re-registers .dll’s).

[note: Export your Favorites to a file on your Desktop first, and then Import them again after the repair.]
For IE 7:
Click on “Tools” and then “Internet Options”.
On the Advanced tab, and then click the “Reset” button.

For IE 6:
[note: I highly, sincerely, and ardently, urge you to stop using IE 6, and switch to 7, or Firefox 3, or Avant, or whatever. Please? IE 6 is only the most hacked piece of software ever!]

a: Click Start, click Run, type “%systemroot%\inf” (no quotes) and then press Enter.
b: Find the Ie.inf file that is located in Windows\Inf folder.
c: Right-click the Ie.inf file, and then click Install.
d: Restart the computer when the file copy process is complete

Today’s free link: In one of the tips above, I mentioned Windows’ Add/Remove Programs tool (found in your Control Panel) which is the standard method for uninstalling programs from your machine. Long-time Windows users can attest that this utility doesn’t always work as it should, and completely remove all traces of the app you want gone. To really remove a program, you may want the power of a 3rd-party uninstall program, and the one that’s most recommended in the Geek community is Revo Uninstaller (also available in a portable version).

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Financial Phishing Attacks On The Rise

Cyber-criminals have been capitalizing on the global financial crisis in the past several weeks by increasing the volume of phishing and spam messages being sent.

These emails are not much different from older attacks, but because they are topical and look authentic, nervous consumers are at risk for falling for the scam.

Internet users should be on alert for fake emails that look as if they have come from an authentic financial institution. These phishing messages are seeking personal information – account numbers, passwords and Social Security numbers – which cyber-criminals will use to empty out accounts, and then sell on the underground market.

These e-mails (usually) contain links which take you very legit-looking login websites, which in fact are created by the crook. This short video from the good folks at WOT demonstrates how this works.

Tip of the day: Follow these security tips to get protection from phishing attacks:

• Review your financial account statements as soon as you receive them
• Financial institutions never require customers to give account information via email. If you receive an email requesting this data, don’t reply.
• Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software and update them regularly.
• Use a firewall.
• Use WOT as preventative protection against online threats to avoid spyware, browser hijacking, identity theft, phishing and other Internet scams.
• Always be suspicious of e-mail, and never click the link.

Today’s free download: Yes, this is a repeat; but if you haven’t downloaded the WOT browser plug-in, maybe today you’ll go ahead and give it a try. Why not? It’s light-weight, effective, easy to understand, and free!

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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