Mike's Window : Security

Some good news..

Mike Hall — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:19:32 GMT

If you haven’t come across CyberSecurity 2009 yet, I can tell you that it looks almost like the Windows Security Center. The two real difference are the name and the fact that you can’t shut it down. It infects Internet Explorer by blocking any website...(read more)

Change your passwords..

Mike Hall — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:20:00 GMT

In light of the recent password scare re web based Messenger and mail accounts, change your passwords at your earliest convenience. That is another way of saying ‘ NOW ’.. Please note that you will have to log into your account with your old password...(read more)

Cloud security..

Mike Hall — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:00:12 GMT

You can fall through them, fly through them, and even walk through them in certain circumstances. Clouds offer little or no resistance. Will cyber clouds be any different? Presently, we have some privacy in what we do on our computers. We can restrict...(read more)

Free doesn’t cut it..

Mike Hall — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:31:37 GMT

It is easy to see why Ubuntu & Co. does no good. If something is given away for free, the general perception is that the product is crap. If a Microsoft operating system was offered at half the regular price, more people would buy it than would download...(read more)

Internet Security..

Mike Hall — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:11:31 GMT

We all need it, but how many really want it? The good ole days of Windows 98, iIf a computer user wanted to transfer a file via MSN, Yahoo, AOL Buddy or ICQ to another user and it wouldn’t transfer, what was the the first thing that both users would do...(read more)

Oh, the fragility..

Mike Hall — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:46:01 GMT

I don’t know very much about the world of espionage, be it ‘Bond, James Bond’ style or plain old boring commercial skullduggery. I do know that all sides went to extraordinary lengths re technology in order to gain an edge. In the days of paper and filing...(read more)

Conficker alert - here we go again..

Mike Hall — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:58:28 GMT

Apparently, Conficker is out in the wild and doing it’s stuff according to those ‘in the know’. Just for the record, other worms are doing exactly the same. So don’t panic. Ensure that your system is up to date. Run your anti-malware programs, use common...(read more)

Have you been ‘confickered’?

Mike Hall — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:24:53 GMT

You may not necessarily realize that you have, but there are people out there who monitor the progress of worms, Trojans and viruses. The good news is that on this day, April 1st 2009, the Conficker worm does not appear to have propagated as the rumors...(read more)

Internet Explorer 8

Mike Hall — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:44:48 GMT

.. is finally RTM, and despite some saying that it still has bugs, it works for me. In fact, in 64bit guise, it works extremely well for me, but then all I want to do is browse with it. The compatibility button (to the left of ‘refresh’) seems to work...(read more)

Reputable anti-Malware solutions..

Mike Hall — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:24:00 GMT

Antivirus Avira – AVG – Avast – Kapersky – ESET NOD32 Antispyware Spybot S&D – Malwarebytes – SuperAntiSpyware OK, there are others BUT The decent ones never produce unsolicited popups which warn of multiple infections...(read more)

One Care? Who cared?

Mike Hall — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:40:44 GMT

Microsoft are discontinuing their 'One Care' protection service as of next year. I know of only one person who advocated it, and many who wouldn't even take a look. To be honest, I don't trust one stop protection, wouldn't recommend...(read more)

Wi-Fi Security - Queen to WPA.. Checkmate..

Mike Hall — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:52:09 GMT

In the beginning, nobody really cared Then we heard that wireless Internet and networks could be intercepted So we all set up WEP encryption Last year, WEP Wi-Fi encryption was cracked in under a minute So we all moved to WPA encryption This year, WPA...(read more)

Clicking on links in bogus e-mails..

Mike Hall — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:03:32 GMT

Are you a 'Network Solutions' customer? There is a 99% chance that you are not. There is also a 99% chance that you do not even have a domain. So you will not be clicking on the link in the e-mail shown between the dotted lines anytime soon, will...(read more)

Security Update for OS Microsoft Windows?

Mike Hall — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:31:23 GMT

Yet another feeble attempt to mess up my computer. In this e-mail, the creator/sender has not even tried to make it look like an official Microsoft message. These boys are getting lazy.. :-) The reference in the e-mail text below is to this helpful update...(read more)

Even Script Kiddies Can Do It..

Mike Hall — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:48:10 GMT

I always tell my clients who have a small business not to use Hotmail or Yahoo mail accounts. It doesn't look too professional.. They can be hacked so easily.. There are even hacking instructions on the Internet. I'll wager that there are a good...(read more)

More Spam Stupidity..

Mike Hall — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:54:54 GMT

Received today.. NOD32 took out the attachment.. Message title - Your internet access is going to get suspended "The Internet Service Provider Consorcium was made to protect the rights of software authors, artists. We conduct regular wiretapping...(read more)

Spammers, you are wasting your time..

Mike Hall — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:54:00 GMT

I am not in the market for a fake Rolex watch. I have a perfectly good 20 year old Casio digital watch good for depths of 200 metres, thanks very much, and it keeps perfect time. Replacement batteries and straps have cost me more than the original watch...(read more)

New and potential Vista users please take note!!

Mike Hall — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:31:30 GMT

If you have bought a computer recently.. ..you will have had a first taste of Windows Vistas UAC (User Account Control). This is the box which pops up now and again to tell you 'NO'. As annoying as this feature can be, it is exists for your benefit...(read more)

AVG 8.0 Free Version..

Mike Hall — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:37:22 GMT

In the past, I have been an advocate of AVG and, until this version, had no reason not to be. Unfortunately, it has been slowing my system down. The automatic scan, set to start at 01:00 hrs, was still running on the 160gb SATA drive at 09:00, with an...(read more)