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Exposing How Rogue Antivirus Sites Snag Victims

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This is the question.  If something labels itself an anti-virus, is it?  What do you do when you are on the internet and a window pops up telling you that you have many viruses?  Here is what you need to know.  I have previously described the effect of viruses and spyware.  If you are not experiencing those problems, you probably do not have any viruses.

If that pop-up tells you that you have many viruses, it is lying.  The purpose of that lie is to get you to spend money and purchase a useless program in order to remove those viruses or spyware.  These programs may have names like Antispyware 2009, Antivirus 2009, Personal Antivirus, and the like.  But whatever name is used, programs of this type are known as fraudulent or rogue programs as opposed to legitimate programs which you can trust.

How do you know if you have one of them?  Warnings of infections and an antivirus or antispyware program which cannot be removed normally.  They are not easy to remove and your best chance is to disconnect that computer from the internet and call us.

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Here are what they may do.

1. Block access to legitimate websites or your homepage.  If you find that you cannot access Microsoft.com, Redcross.org, or your homepage and other valid websites, you may have a virus.
2. Delete Windows files.  This means that Windows will not work properly and it may mean that even if we remove the virus, Windows will not work properly and may need to be reinstalled.
3. Steal your identity.  A virus may install a keylogger that tracks what you type and can therefore steal information like your name, address, your user name and passwords for websites, your email address, and any other information you may type.
4. Download and install spyware and viruses.  Think 1 virus is bad?  What if that virus installs 20 more? 

Of course, you can prevent all this by having a good security system on your computer.  We recommend Norton 360.

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I do not check my office number frequently, so please do not use it.  Messages on it occasionally get lost.  The very best way to contact me is to call my cell 329-6671 or email me.  If you want to contact Jeff, you can email him or call him at 787-0184.  If you want to contact Suzanne, you can call her at 657-0552 or email her.  And of course you can always go to the website and contact us from there.  At times, when I am unavailable, Jeff will answer my phone or when Jeff is unavailable, and I will answer his phone.  However, you should always be able to reach one of us during normal business hours.  And we will return your call as soon as we can.

So make note of these numbers and use them!

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CENTERING ON GOD

From Eugene Peterson’s book Reversed Thunder.

. . . [E]very casual or pompous way station at which people seek easy and instant centering [is a delusion].  People who do not worship live in a vast shopping mall where they go from shop to shop, expending enormous sums of energy and making endless trips to meet first this need and then that appetite, this whim and tat fancy.  Life lurches from one partial satisfaction to another, interrupted by ditches of disappointment.  Motion is fueled by the successive illusions that purchasing this wardrobe, driving that car, eating this meal, drinking that beverage will center life and give it coherence.

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Much of this information was contributed by Jeff Lutz.  You can learn more about him here. (You'll have to scroll down the page).

Facebook has been growing by leaps and bounds because it's an easy way to find old friends and stay connected with current ones.  I have a Facebook page where you can connect with me.  But should YOU use Facebook?  Think first about your job.  People have been fired or not hired based on what employers learned from their Facebook account.

But if you decide to get a Facebook account, here are some tips to increase your safety:

• During account setup Facebook asks you for your email password so it can automatically find your friends.  While this may save you some time, it gives Facebook access to everything in your email:  contacts, letters, attachments, etc.  Facebook does give you the option to skip this step. I recommend you skip it or wait until it finds your friends and then change the password on your email account so Facebook no longer has access.
• Don't enter any more personal information than you feel comfortable sharing with the world. After you do this, go to Settings, Privacy and restrict this information to your friends, only.  If you have teenagers or younger children using Facebook, monitor their information.  Predators have used age, name of school, and other personal information to contact children. Keep your children safe by being their Facebook friend and frequently monitoring what they have posted, the messages they have sent and received, and who their friends are.  Remind them that their true friends already know this information.
• Finally, Re-check your privacy settings (Settings, Privacy) to make sure that no one has access to information you would not want them seeing. 
  If you would like more information or help review your settings or your child's settings, call or email.  Click and send an email to Diana or Jeff.  Or call us at 329-6671.

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Microsoft's announced release date for Windows 7 is Oct. 22, which means it might be on shelves by Nov.  If you are buying a new computer now, go to the manufacturer's website and search for Windows 7.  They should have a place for you to sign up to receive a free or greatly reduced upgrade to Windows 7.  Here is where new Dell owners can register.  People running business editions of Vista can only upgrade to business editions of Windows 7.  People running Home Basic or Premium can upgrade to Windows 7 in the same version.  f you are running Vista Ultimate, you can upgrade only to Windows 7 Ultimate. I do recommend that anyone running Vista who is having any problems, upgrade to Windows 7,  All Vista computers should be able to run Windows 7, but if you want to kn ow for sure, click here to download Microsoft's tool.

You can click here to see the difference between the versions.

Then decide if Windows 7 is something you will want.  If you would like more information, please contact me.

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Internet Explorer 8 has answered some of the short-comings of Internet Explorer 7.  Internet Explorer now has tabbed browsing, private browsing, easy links to Microsoft products and more security.  Firefox 3.5 has tabbed browsing, private browsing, and lots and lots of add-ons (extensions) that enable you to connect with almost anything or do anything or see anything. . . you get the picture.  It also has more security.  What I have found in Internet Explorer 8, however, is that it has so much security that some things don't work or don't display properly.  [For the few of my clients using a dial-up connection, I would advise using Google Chrome because of its speed.]  

Tips for Firefox users: 

1. My favorite Add-On is Adblock Plus.  It blocks ads on most web pages.  And makes it easy to unblock those you want.
2. Check to see that you have the most current version: Go to Help, then About and check that you have version 3.5. If you don't, click here to get it.
3. Finally, an extension called Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant 1.0 may have been installed.  Go to Tools, Add-Ons, Extensions, and disable this feature because it presents a possible security problem.  (You will not be able to uninstall it, but it can be disabled.)

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I was thinking about snipe hunting that I participated in as a teenager.  I never did find one, but here is information about one I might have found if I had quietly looked in the right place.  North American Snipe.  And if you look at the video you’ll notice that no one with a video camera has seen one either.

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There's plenty on the internet to give you a few laughs when you need it?  Warning:  there is nothing bad in these videos but I wouldn't want to scare young children or give them nightmares, so view them first before showing them to young children.

• Outsourcing:  always a sore subject, here are 2 videos that shed a different light on it. 

First, Outsourcing work.

Second, Outsourcing childcare.

• Using your talents, gifts, and possessions to create unusual art.

• And finally, a most useful product introduction (but don't watch while eating!)

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