iPhone owner be aware (alert)

iPhone owners need to look at this.

* Apple releases “important security update” for iPhone after spyware discovery

“They would have been able to turn on his iPhone’s camera and microphone to record Mansoor and anything nearby, without him being wise about it. They would have been able to log his emails and calls — even those that are encrypted end-to-end. And, of course, they would have been able to track his precise whereabouts” Read more..

I hope Apple owners no longer think they’re immune from this “viruses” stuff… ‘cuz they ain’t. If it has an operating system, it can be ‘hacked’.

Today’s quote: “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” ~ Ashley Smith

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.

Warning: Critical Patch for Windows Issued

Oh, yes.. more of the same. Act now and protect yourself. * Microsoft releases emergency patch for all versions of Windows

“The flaw, affecting Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1, can allow a hacker to take over a machine.” Read more..

And when I went to Start>Windows Update, I saw this new item..

No, thanks. I never want the first version of any thing.

Other news: More Items Like This * UCLA Health hit by hack; medical data on 4.5 million people exposed

“The LA-based university health system says the data stolen was not encrypted.” Read more..

[Silly me! I thought there were laws making such PII mandatory-encrypted.. ]

*     *     *

Today’s quote: “Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.” ~ Robert Green Ingersoll 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.

More bad security news

Well, right after (“Patch Tuesday”) major software vendors released Updates to patch several major security vulnerabilities, news of a very serious database software flaw (named “venom”) makes the news (click here to read more).

Ho hum. Not terribly surprised. This is just the flavor of the week..

So, here’s something maybe a little more useful to some of you.. How To Deal With Difficult & Toxic People

Today’s quote: “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” ~ Lao Tzu

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.

Major Java Security Fix Now Available – Oracle Recommends Immediate Action

Folks, due to a severe vulnerability, that is currently being exploited (attacked) by hackers, Java needs your attention. And no, this is not just for Microsoft Windows.

Oracle issues major Java security fix; recommends immediate action

“Amid some controversy, Oracle issues a patch to fix up some nagging Java security vulnerabilities.” Read more..

And, last time I checked.. “immediate” means “right now”.

Copyright 2007-2012 © “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.

No, You Were Not Hallucinating…

Nor did you have a power failure during the night.

I received several calls, at unfortunately hours, this morning from concerned clients. With very few exceptions, this proved to be “much ado about nothing”, as they were simply caught off guard (and alarmed) by finding their computers off when they awoke, when they left them running overnight.
(One had a spreadsheet open, and hadn’t Save-ed in a while.. ahem.)

Here’s why: Microsoft releases emergency patch for Windows flaw. This update takes a while to install, requires a reboot, and doesn’t always go smoothly.
(Microsoft provide tech support for all security-related issues for free, just call 1-866-PC-SAFETY. [includes Updates])

As you may have noticed, this “out of cycle” release of Updates is becoming a consistent and persistent occurrence, which prompted me to write What’s With All These Updates?!*

The fact is, “updates” are really ‘patches’ that plug holes in programming that Evil Doer’s can/do use to plant code on target machines (guess who’s a target? Yes! Your machine!) such as keystroke recorders or mailer bots.
The more attacks, the more patches. Do the math.

Patches (aka “updates”) are good, and you want them.

Today’s free link: Keeping your programs patched and up-to-date is the most effective method we have of keeping the “hackers” at bay. The best tool I have found for evaluating your currently installed programs, and helping you get them patched, is a ‘scan’ I have posted here before, but the Software Inspector at Secunia is just too important, too good, and too easy not to mention again.
You not only want to do that now, you want to visit regularly.

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

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Do Not Want That Update? How To Stop A Nag

IE 8 is an “Important” Update, Yes, But I Don’t Want It

Sometimes we need to tell Windows Update to stop prompting us to install a particular Update.

When Microsoft has released important and/or critical Updates (aka “patches”) for us, Windows has various ways of letting us know, including a System Tray icon. [note: The normal route for accessing Update choices is Start >Windows Update, or Start >Programs >Windows Update. Click “View available updates”.]

I am a big fan of Updates. I (almost) always install them the moment I become aware of them. I use Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector to keep an eye on all my installed programs’ update state.. and I recommend you do too. Updates are ‘good’ and you want them.

Tip of the day: Manage Windows Updates prompts.
Currently, Microsoft Update is annoying me by continuously nagging me that there are Updates available. And when I click on the icon to see just what these updates are…

.. and I see that there is just one Update Microsoft wants me to install (the others only rate “optional”) — Internet Explorer 8.
Now, I understand why Microsoft wants us to be using a more secure browser (and I understand why it’s considered “important”) and I will upgrade from IE7 on most of my machines — but not all. Not yet.

So I right-click on the Update I don’t want to be nagged about and then click on “Hide update”.

That’s it. I’m done. Windows Update will no longer prompt me to install this (now) ‘hidden’ update. At a later date, to see Updates that I’ve hidden, I just click on “Show hidden updates”. I can undo my change.

Note: This technique can be used on troublesome Updates that cause incompatibility issues such as BSOD. If a Windows Update install causes you trouble, and you need to uninstall it, the “Hide” tip won’t help you (it’s too late). Please refer to the 3rd answer in this article, IE’s Menu bar, Taskbar icons, and bad Updates*, to see how to remove Updates.
After you get that Update uninstalled, (then) use the Hide feature to prevent Windows Update from re-Installing it on you again.

Today’s free link(s): Panda Cloud Antivirus – Free Cloud Protection
Panda Security has launched a brand new type of antivirus, and Security blogger Bill Mullins has this excellent write up. “FREE, antivirus thin-client service for consumers which is able to process and block malware more efficiently than locally installed signature-based products.” Click the link for more..
[update: For more, also see Panda Cloud Antivirus – Is it netbook ready?]

Today’s free download: Adeona is the first Open Source system for tracking the location of your lost or stolen laptop that does not rely on a proprietary, central service. This means that you can install Adeona on your laptop and go.

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

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Tips For Safe Online Shopping*

I think it is a pretty safe bet that quite a few of you are doing some last minute holiday shopping.. and that some of you are going to use the Internet to do some of that shopping.

I would like to remind you that there is a healthy, active, and well-financed underworld of cyber-criminals who are well-aware of the fact that the next few days are prime credit card and “identity” theft opportunities, and are going to be particularly active in trying to GET YOU.

You will see an increase in spam, and bogus pop-opens that tell you you are infected when you’re not. (Note: The phraudulent Skype alert is active again, too. see Skype — “Windows Requires Immediate Attention”.. Not! )

I am posting the following Basic Internet Shopping Tips in the hopes that Tech–for Everyone readers will not join the 9 million Americans who had their identities stolen last year.

• Download Software Updates — Regularly!
• Use Complex Passwords (include numerals and @#$%^&*[])
• Use Onetime Credit Cards
• Verify Secure Connections See that little padlock symbol at the bottom of your screen, and in the URL address bar?
• Check Your Credit
• Enter Your Shopping Site’s Web Address Manually (embedded links=no!)
• Shop From Your Own computer (not a public ‘hotspot’)
• Enable your browser’s phishing filter, or install a add-on. (such as the super-easy WOT toolbar)
• Don’t Send Credit Card Information Over E-mail. Even if you think it’s secure. Don’t send it over IM either. If you feel uncomfortable about sending personal information online, call up the business.

I would like to direct your attention to the first bulletpoint. The programs on your computer need to be fully “patched” with the latest updates, as exploiting weaknesses is the primary method hackers use to infect your machines. (You visit a website that they’ve ‘poisoned’, and if you have an unpatched ‘hole’, bingo – you’re infected.)

How do you know if you have the latest updates? For all your installed programs? Do you think you are patched? Don’t guess. Be sure!

Today’s free link+download: Secunia offers a tool that I highly recommend. The online scanner (which you should bookmark, btw) will scan your machine for roughly 100 programs and tell you if there is a patch/update you need. If you go this route, you will need to visit once or twice a week.)
Better yet, they offer a download, a Personal Edition, which will scan your system against a database of over 7,000 programs.
Even better yet, it includes direct download links to the missing patches it finds.

I just ran it and it found an old ActiveX plug in, and told me that my Java Runtime Environment was out of date.. and I didn’t think I had installed JRE on this machine!

Further reading:
Computer Security – Time to Think About It
A Teen Texting Trend All Parents Should Be Aware Of

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

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