It's my understanding (but I'm not a legal expert) that if you were actually being served as a defendant in ANY legal action, you would be getting physical paper delivered to you one way or another.
Email legal summons? I don't think so.
Real law firm, fake spam email, real virus. See the Wall Street Journal article.
This might also be construed as a denial of service on the actual law firms phone lines . . . I can't imagine the pain those guys must be feeling as their phone rings off the hook.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Dear NVidia . . .
I don't want your stupid PhysX driver, nor do I want your "3D Vision Discover Driver."
Please give me the option during a driver update to not install those components in the first place.
At least I can uninstall them separately after the fact, but it's extra work for me and my clients. (And usually a second reboot before I can get back to work.)
Signed,
- meh
Please give me the option during a driver update to not install those components in the first place.
At least I can uninstall them separately after the fact, but it's extra work for me and my clients. (And usually a second reboot before I can get back to work.)
Signed,
- meh
Saturday, February 13, 2010
PDF Vulnerabilities, Adobe, Critical Updates and YOU
For some time I've dreaded going through the update process for Adobe Reader and Acrobat. Let's face it; the process is painful and can take a long time if you don't have super-high-speed broadband.
But in the last year being current on Adobe patches has become as important as being current on Windows patches.
Last month we saw an explosion of exploits that entered the victims machine via malformed PDF files. Adobe patched Acrobat and Reader versions 8.x and 9.x to close that exploitable vulnerability in the middle of January.
Now it's one month later and we have a new vulnerability that's already being actively exploited by malware distributors. Adobe will be releasing another new update to block it this coming Tuesday, Feb 16th.
As painful as it is, if you accept PDF's via email or view PDF's on the Internet via any browser - you need to be completely up to date to protect yourself.
If you've been letting Adobe's auto-updater run and accepting updates when it offers them - the pain won't be too bad. If you turned it off in the past, or have ignored the update requests - then you've got up to an hour or so of updates to get through. I suggest you start now, then check again Tuesday night or Wednesday morning for the new patch when it's released.
Here's the painful part if you're behind:
1) If you are running any version older than 8.x, you need to upgrade NOW to 9.x. Get thee to www.adobe.com and download the newest Reader. (On a side note, while you are there, update your Adobe Flash and Shockwave plug-ins for your browser too!) If you bought and use Acrobat 5, 6 or 7 -- it's time to bite the bullet and get the newest version. Remove that old version completely . . . seriously. However there are alternatives that are more affordable. (See the list at the bottom of this post.) If this is you, be sure to completely UN-install the older version first, and reboot even if you are not asked before installing the new version.
2) Open Reader and click the Help, Check for Updates option. (If you're running Vista or Windows 7 you need to right click the Reader icon and "Run as Administrator" first.)
3) Allow the update to download and install. Reboot if asked, no need if not asked.
4) Repeat from #2 until you finally get the message that there are no new updates.
5) If you have Acrobat, repeat the entire process for that as well.
I just did this to a new clients old machine -- it took about an hour to download and install ALL the updates to bring his copy of Acrobat 8.0 completely up to date. It required two reboots. It required several iterations of steps 2 through 4.
My rant: Why can't Adobe provide roll-up updates that would bring any version of 8.x or 9.x completely up to date with one download and install cycle!? I mean jeez, join the 21st century already would you Adobe?
Now: if you have an ancient version of Acrobat, you should know that there is no need to pay Adobe 450 bucks or more to get the ability to create or edit PDF files. Gone are the days of their monopoly on the format. Here are some alternatives that range from free to "less expensive than Adobe" depending on your usage requirements.
If you need to create (but not directly edit) PDF's from any program you can use that programs Print To function using the excellent and free CutePDF Writer. It installs and behaves like a printer, but instead of paper it "prints" to a PDF file in your Documents folder.
If you own Office 2007, and you need to create PDF's only from Office programs, then you can download and install the free Microsoft Office 2007 Save as PDF or XPS add on directly from Microsoft's download site.
If you need to edit, merge, create forms and just about any other creative task relating to PDF's I suggest either CutePDF Professional or the new "Foxit Phantom PDF Suite". They both include page sizes for all professional fields, load very quickly compared to Adobe Acrobat Professional, and do not (yet) have the security problems plaguing Adobe products. (That may change if they become a big enough target.)
And of course, you could always get the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.
Compare features and price, do your research, and decide.
But in the last year being current on Adobe patches has become as important as being current on Windows patches.
Last month we saw an explosion of exploits that entered the victims machine via malformed PDF files. Adobe patched Acrobat and Reader versions 8.x and 9.x to close that exploitable vulnerability in the middle of January.
Now it's one month later and we have a new vulnerability that's already being actively exploited by malware distributors. Adobe will be releasing another new update to block it this coming Tuesday, Feb 16th.
As painful as it is, if you accept PDF's via email or view PDF's on the Internet via any browser - you need to be completely up to date to protect yourself.
If you've been letting Adobe's auto-updater run and accepting updates when it offers them - the pain won't be too bad. If you turned it off in the past, or have ignored the update requests - then you've got up to an hour or so of updates to get through. I suggest you start now, then check again Tuesday night or Wednesday morning for the new patch when it's released.
Here's the painful part if you're behind:
1) If you are running any version older than 8.x, you need to upgrade NOW to 9.x. Get thee to www.adobe.com and download the newest Reader. (On a side note, while you are there, update your Adobe Flash and Shockwave plug-ins for your browser too!) If you bought and use Acrobat 5, 6 or 7 -- it's time to bite the bullet and get the newest version. Remove that old version completely . . . seriously. However there are alternatives that are more affordable. (See the list at the bottom of this post.) If this is you, be sure to completely UN-install the older version first, and reboot even if you are not asked before installing the new version.
2) Open Reader and click the Help, Check for Updates option. (If you're running Vista or Windows 7 you need to right click the Reader icon and "Run as Administrator" first.)
3) Allow the update to download and install. Reboot if asked, no need if not asked.
4) Repeat from #2 until you finally get the message that there are no new updates.
5) If you have Acrobat, repeat the entire process for that as well.
I just did this to a new clients old machine -- it took about an hour to download and install ALL the updates to bring his copy of Acrobat 8.0 completely up to date. It required two reboots. It required several iterations of steps 2 through 4.
My rant: Why can't Adobe provide roll-up updates that would bring any version of 8.x or 9.x completely up to date with one download and install cycle!? I mean jeez, join the 21st century already would you Adobe?
Now: if you have an ancient version of Acrobat, you should know that there is no need to pay Adobe 450 bucks or more to get the ability to create or edit PDF files. Gone are the days of their monopoly on the format. Here are some alternatives that range from free to "less expensive than Adobe" depending on your usage requirements.
If you need to create (but not directly edit) PDF's from any program you can use that programs Print To function using the excellent and free CutePDF Writer. It installs and behaves like a printer, but instead of paper it "prints" to a PDF file in your Documents folder.
If you own Office 2007, and you need to create PDF's only from Office programs, then you can download and install the free Microsoft Office 2007 Save as PDF or XPS add on directly from Microsoft's download site.
If you need to edit, merge, create forms and just about any other creative task relating to PDF's I suggest either CutePDF Professional or the new "Foxit Phantom PDF Suite". They both include page sizes for all professional fields, load very quickly compared to Adobe Acrobat Professional, and do not (yet) have the security problems plaguing Adobe products. (That may change if they become a big enough target.)
And of course, you could always get the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.
Compare features and price, do your research, and decide.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
New attack vector via IE may prompt out of cycle hot-fix from Microsoft
From http://www.itworld.com/security/93009/attack-code-used-hack-google-now-public
and http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10436083-245.html
“The dangerous Internet Explorer [ exploit ]attack code used in last month's attack on Google's corporate networks is now public.”
Short summary of action items:
If anyone you know still uses IE 6 or 7 – for any reason – get them to upgrade ASAP. IE 8 might be vulnerable on XP, likely not on Windows 7 at default security settings (although if the end-user has lowered security defaults on the Internet Zone, or turned off Protected Mode, then all bets are off.)
Firefox 3.5.7 with current versions of the NOScript + Adblock Plus plugins installed and properly used by the end-user is a fairly safe browsing tool.
Not browsing the web until a hot-fix is released is not likely a satisfactory solution, but tempting none-the-less . . .
and http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10436083-245.html
“The dangerous Internet Explorer [ exploit ]
Short summary of action items:
If anyone you know still uses IE 6 or 7 – for any reason – get them to upgrade ASAP. IE 8 might be vulnerable on XP, likely not on Windows 7 at default security settings (although if the end-user has lowered security defaults on the Internet Zone, or turned off Protected Mode, then all bets are off.)
Firefox 3.5.7 with current versions of the NOScript + Adblock Plus plugins installed and properly used by the end-user is a fairly safe browsing tool.
Not browsing the web until a hot-fix is released is not likely a satisfactory solution, but tempting none-the-less . . .
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
New Trojan horse that encrypts files: the .vicrypt file extension
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10388541-245.html
Symantec's technical description and removal tool:
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-102708-2133-99&tabid=2
There's a new Trojan propagating across the web that encrypts files and changes their extension to .vicrypt. Rather than popup enticements to "offer decryption services" (ransom-ware) to the victim, they are relying on end-users searching for that file extension, in the hopes of landing on the malware authors website, where a tool is being sold.
Now you can get a free removal and decryption tool from Symantec, see link above.
This virus is not yet wide-spread, and hopefully won't become so. But if you see that file extension on your system, you should review the details and get cleaned up.
Symantec's technical description and removal tool:
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-102708-2133-99&tabid=2
There's a new Trojan propagating across the web that encrypts files and changes their extension to .vicrypt. Rather than popup enticements to "offer decryption services" (ransom-ware) to the victim, they are relying on end-users searching for that file extension, in the hopes of landing on the malware authors website, where a tool is being sold.
Now you can get a free removal and decryption tool from Symantec, see link above.
This virus is not yet wide-spread, and hopefully won't become so. But if you see that file extension on your system, you should review the details and get cleaned up.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Prepare for your Windows 7 Upgrade after October 22, 2009
Here are a few tips to help prepare for your Windows 7 upgrade once it's released to the public on October 22nd.
- Run the Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor :
From Microsoft: In general, if your PC can run Windows Vista, it can run Windows 7. But if you're not running Windows Vista, or are just not sure if your system is ready to run Windows 7, there's a quick way to do a simple check.
Just download, install, and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta. You'll get a report telling you if your PC can run Windows 7 and if there are any known compatibility issues. If an issue can be resolved, you'll get suggestions for next steps. For example, it may let you know that you need an updated driver for your printer and where to get it.
- Centralize or identify your data and take a full backup of it:
Make sure everything you care about is either located under your "My Documents" folder, or that you know where it is. When you perform an upgrade to Windows 7, you will find that making a full copy of your data onto an external storage device -- such as a USB drive, then deleting all your data on the old hard drive, will make for a much faster and smoother upgrade experience. Once you've completed the upgrade, copy your data from that external storage back to the proper folders.
- Get Windows 7 compatible drivers for all your system devices in advance:
Go to the sources for your devices: nvidia.com for NVidia video cards for example, Intel for your Intel network adapters, or your motherboard manufacturer for so-called integrated network adapters. Get a copy of each driver, expand it using WinZip or 7zip if needed, all into a special sub-directory on a separate partition or onto that external storage device you used earlier. At the very least get that network driver -- even if you skip the others -- so that once Windows 7 is up and running you can use auto-update to get further drivers as needed.
- Check your hard drives health:
Most problems that I've seen so far with interrupted upgrades were due to hard drive failures that happened before the upgrade. This may be an excellent time to upgrade your hard drive to a newer, faster model . . . You should at the very least force a full chkdsk on your drive. Open a CMD prompt (in admin mode under Vista, or normal under XP) and type: "chkdsk c: /f" and press enter. Answer "Y" without the quotes to any questions asked, then type EXIT and press enter. Now reboot your system and let the scheduled disk check proceed uninterrupted.
You can also do a deeper analysis using any of the excellent tools available online that can read your hard drives SMART status. All attributes from that analysis should read OK. If any show as weak, or failed, replace the drive. Here are two of my favorites:
Speedfan (use the SMART tab to check HDD status.)
Hard Disk Sentinel
- Add more RAM:
Now is the time to finally upgrade your on-board memory. If you're already at 3 or 4GB of RAM, disregard. If not, I recommend adding or replacing your RAM to get to the 4GB level. Windows 7 will run under less, but it will run great if it has more memory to use -- and so will your applications. If you're sitting at 2GB or less, it's highly recommended that you upgrade.
- Check your RAM's health:
One of the more . . . interesting . . . scenarios where an upgrade can fail is when some of your RAM has gone bad. It worked fine on the old system, but Windows 7 uses more RAM than older operating systems and will reveal weaknesses that you did not know existed. Before you upgrade - and even when you buy new RAM - you should test the installed memory to be sure it's in good shape.
A decent memory tester can be found at:
Memtest86+
Download the ISO and burn it to a CD, then boot to that CD and run the test through at least two full passes. If you get a 100% pass, you're good to go.
- Consider upgrading to the 64 bit version of Windows 7:
If your hardware is fairly recent, and you have 4GB or more of RAM, then you will find that Windows 7 64-bit will run faster, be more stable, and is more secure against some of the worst exploits on the internet than the 32-bit edition. This will likely require a clean install for you though, so it's up to you to balance your needs and scenario. Windows 64-bit is much more compatible with older applications than any previous 64-bit OS from Microsoft, plus there is a much larger library of drivers for old and new devices for 64-bit than ever before.
- Run the Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor :
From Microsoft: In general, if your PC can run Windows Vista, it can run Windows 7. But if you're not running Windows Vista, or are just not sure if your system is ready to run Windows 7, there's a quick way to do a simple check.
Just download, install, and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta. You'll get a report telling you if your PC can run Windows 7 and if there are any known compatibility issues. If an issue can be resolved, you'll get suggestions for next steps. For example, it may let you know that you need an updated driver for your printer and where to get it.
- Centralize or identify your data and take a full backup of it:
Make sure everything you care about is either located under your "My Documents" folder, or that you know where it is. When you perform an upgrade to Windows 7, you will find that making a full copy of your data onto an external storage device -- such as a USB drive, then deleting all your data on the old hard drive, will make for a much faster and smoother upgrade experience. Once you've completed the upgrade, copy your data from that external storage back to the proper folders.
- Get Windows 7 compatible drivers for all your system devices in advance:
Go to the sources for your devices: nvidia.com for NVidia video cards for example, Intel for your Intel network adapters, or your motherboard manufacturer for so-called integrated network adapters. Get a copy of each driver, expand it using WinZip or 7zip if needed, all into a special sub-directory on a separate partition or onto that external storage device you used earlier. At the very least get that network driver -- even if you skip the others -- so that once Windows 7 is up and running you can use auto-update to get further drivers as needed.
- Check your hard drives health:
Most problems that I've seen so far with interrupted upgrades were due to hard drive failures that happened before the upgrade. This may be an excellent time to upgrade your hard drive to a newer, faster model . . . You should at the very least force a full chkdsk on your drive. Open a CMD prompt (in admin mode under Vista, or normal under XP) and type: "chkdsk c: /f" and press enter. Answer "Y" without the quotes to any questions asked, then type EXIT and press enter. Now reboot your system and let the scheduled disk check proceed uninterrupted.
You can also do a deeper analysis using any of the excellent tools available online that can read your hard drives SMART status. All attributes from that analysis should read OK. If any show as weak, or failed, replace the drive. Here are two of my favorites:
Speedfan (use the SMART tab to check HDD status.)
Hard Disk Sentinel
- Add more RAM:
Now is the time to finally upgrade your on-board memory. If you're already at 3 or 4GB of RAM, disregard. If not, I recommend adding or replacing your RAM to get to the 4GB level. Windows 7 will run under less, but it will run great if it has more memory to use -- and so will your applications. If you're sitting at 2GB or less, it's highly recommended that you upgrade.
- Check your RAM's health:
One of the more . . . interesting . . . scenarios where an upgrade can fail is when some of your RAM has gone bad. It worked fine on the old system, but Windows 7 uses more RAM than older operating systems and will reveal weaknesses that you did not know existed. Before you upgrade - and even when you buy new RAM - you should test the installed memory to be sure it's in good shape.
A decent memory tester can be found at:
Memtest86+
Download the ISO and burn it to a CD, then boot to that CD and run the test through at least two full passes. If you get a 100% pass, you're good to go.
- Consider upgrading to the 64 bit version of Windows 7:
If your hardware is fairly recent, and you have 4GB or more of RAM, then you will find that Windows 7 64-bit will run faster, be more stable, and is more secure against some of the worst exploits on the internet than the 32-bit edition. This will likely require a clean install for you though, so it's up to you to balance your needs and scenario. Windows 64-bit is much more compatible with older applications than any previous 64-bit OS from Microsoft, plus there is a much larger library of drivers for old and new devices for 64-bit than ever before.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Migration in Process from Livejournal
This space under construction . . . I'm in the process of migrating all my Livejournal entries (sadly, sans comments) over to Blogger. Due to a Google imposed limitation of 50 posts per day -- to prevent abuse -- this will take me at least a week from today.
Once the posts have been successfully moved, I will lock the LJ side and continue my musings about computer security right here on Blogger.
Thanks for your patience while the dust settles!
Thanks to http://linuxlore.blogspot.com for his excellent Blog2Blog application, which is making this chore much more feasible than I first suspected!
Once the posts have been successfully moved, I will lock the LJ side and continue my musings about computer security right here on Blogger.
Thanks for your patience while the dust settles!
Thanks to http://linuxlore.blogspot.com for his excellent Blog2Blog application, which is making this chore much more feasible than I first suspected!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Texting While Driving PSA
Parental guidance suggested
I personally feel that anyone that uses a cell phone and drives a car should view this. But be warned -- this is a very graphic video. I totally lost it when the little girl asked why her mommy wouldn't wake up.
I personally feel that anyone that uses a cell phone and drives a car should view this. But be warned -- this is a very graphic video. I totally lost it when the little girl asked why her mommy wouldn't wake up.
Your search = malware drive by?
cnet posted an interesting summary from McAfee's SiteAdvisor:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10317029-83.html
Through no fault of her own, actress Jessica Biel is now the most hazardous celebrity on the Internet.
Fans searching online for Biel have a one-in-five chance of hitting a Web site with malware, according to McAfee's third annual report listing Hollywood's most "dangerous" online celebrities.
In general, hunting for Hollywood's in-crowd poses a much greater threat than searching for just about anyone else. For example, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama ranked No. 34 and No. 39, respectively.
Add to this the fact that searching for things like "free wallpaper" or "free screen savers" can also land you on a compromised site that can infect the majority of machines . . . it's a parasite laden jungle out there.
But by far the worst infections these days still seem to propagate via email. Spammers send links or attachments -- and users still open them!
You -- you know who you are: stop that!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10317029-83.html
Through no fault of her own, actress Jessica Biel is now the most hazardous celebrity on the Internet.
Fans searching online for Biel have a one-in-five chance of hitting a Web site with malware, according to McAfee's third annual report listing Hollywood's most "dangerous" online celebrities.
In general, hunting for Hollywood's in-crowd poses a much greater threat than searching for just about anyone else. For example, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama ranked No. 34 and No. 39, respectively.
Add to this the fact that searching for things like "free wallpaper" or "free screen savers" can also land you on a compromised site that can infect the majority of machines . . . it's a parasite laden jungle out there.
But by far the worst infections these days still seem to propagate via email. Spammers send links or attachments -- and users still open them!
You -- you know who you are: stop that!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
PDF Users - lock down your 'free' reader
I've not yet figured out just why Adobe's PDF document structure needs JavaScript. It's a document, I read it, act or think on it, then close it! I don't need code handling ability within my document.
Perhaps someone in the know can enlighten me? Anyway . . .
For several weeks now there have been several viruses circulating that take advantage of a now-patched security hole in Adobe's PDF viewers, both the free and paid versions.
Patch your Adobe Reader
The first thing you should do is force a check for updates to your Adobe PDF viewer. Open Adobe Reader (7, 8 or 9) and click the menu item "Help, Check for Updates." Then click the small text saying "List Details."
Compare the left side of the list to the right side. Anything on the left side thats not listed on the right should be checked, and updated -- unless it's a Language Support update, that's optional.
If you are asked to reboot, do so.
Then check again . . . repeat until no new updates appear. At the end of this, you want to check your version and make sure it's at or higher than:
Reader 7: 7.1.3
Reader 8: 8.1.6
Reader 9: 9.1.3
Turn off JavaScript in Adobe Reader
Now that you've patched your Reader, I suggest you turn off the JavaScript feature entirely. You won't miss it . . . and it might help prevent trouble in the future.
Open Adobe Reader again . . .
Click the Edit menu item, select Preferences.
Find and click the entry on the left side for JavaScript, and click to clear the first check box labeled "Enable Acrobat JavaScript."
Be warned that earlier versions of the reader may prompt you to enable JavaScript every time you open a PDF document . . .
Click OK and close the Reader.
Done!
More info about this here: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-133B.html
Better yet, get rid of that bloated PDF viewer entirely!
Those interested in alternatives can Uninstall Adobe Reader and try the (free for personal use) Foxit Reader 3.0 instead. I recommend you decline the free toolbar they ask you to install, but other than that it's much faster than Adobe's product, and does not currently have the security vulnerabilities.
See http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/
Perhaps someone in the know can enlighten me? Anyway . . .
For several weeks now there have been several viruses circulating that take advantage of a now-patched security hole in Adobe's PDF viewers, both the free and paid versions.
Patch your Adobe Reader
The first thing you should do is force a check for updates to your Adobe PDF viewer. Open Adobe Reader (7, 8 or 9) and click the menu item "Help, Check for Updates." Then click the small text saying "List Details."
Compare the left side of the list to the right side. Anything on the left side thats not listed on the right should be checked, and updated -- unless it's a Language Support update, that's optional.
If you are asked to reboot, do so.
Then check again . . . repeat until no new updates appear. At the end of this, you want to check your version and make sure it's at or higher than:
Reader 7: 7.1.3
Reader 8: 8.1.6
Reader 9: 9.1.3
Turn off JavaScript in Adobe Reader
Now that you've patched your Reader, I suggest you turn off the JavaScript feature entirely. You won't miss it . . . and it might help prevent trouble in the future.
Open Adobe Reader again . . .
Click the Edit menu item, select Preferences.
Find and click the entry on the left side for JavaScript, and click to clear the first check box labeled "Enable Acrobat JavaScript."
Be warned that earlier versions of the reader may prompt you to enable JavaScript every time you open a PDF document . . .
Click OK and close the Reader.
Done!
More info about this here: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-133B.html
Better yet, get rid of that bloated PDF viewer entirely!
Those interested in alternatives can Uninstall Adobe Reader and try the (free for personal use) Foxit Reader 3.0 instead. I recommend you decline the free toolbar they ask you to install, but other than that it's much faster than Adobe's product, and does not currently have the security vulnerabilities.
See http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/
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