Microsoft Security Essentials
For a while now I’ve been listening to security experts tout the next big anti-virus program for Windows, a tool called Security Essentials. The only problem that I could see is that it was made by- um – Microsoft. Not a company with a track record for excellence especially in the area of malware defense. Actually the lack of security in Window’s PCs is the biggest reason the internet is so inundated with spyware and trojans and spambots. There have been a couple of bright spots, well one- the Windows Firewall which keeps user’s files from being seen/changed by others it only took a couple of service packs to get that turned on by default. And, they do put out patches and security updates once a month. (what if they have a fix the day after? Yes, you have to wait till next month)
However, it looks like a new day dawning for the company formerly owned by Bill. They’ve come closer than ever before to an actual operating system with Windows7 and now they have what looks to be a great Anti-virus solution. It is full featured, free anti-virus, anti-malware, auto-updating software. I’ve installed it on 3 PCs, 2XP and 1 Win7beta and it hasn’t gotten in the way yet. I have it running at a couple of client locations and haven’t had any new infections reported or reports that it is bugging the client every few minutes.
Supposedly the scan is much deeper (the initial and weekly deep scans take for-flippin-ever) and as a result returns fewer false positives than with other faster scanning solutions (avast, kaspersky in my experience). All in all, I’m hopeful that this is the product that should have always been in Windows, but I’m glad that it is here now, and freely available.
That having been said my biggest problem with Microsoft and its security policies is that to install Security Essentials or any of the security patches you have to validate your install of Windows. Thats fine for all the legitimate installs but the problem is that the majority of bots and internet attacks come from illegitimate installs of Windows. The internet, your PC, and all other computers for that matter would be safer if Microsoft pushed the security patches to all Windows users- legal or not, and made the bootleggers validate for features. Actually I think the installation should be validated before any functionality is turned on making it nearly impossible to bootleg a copy of windows at all.
Regardless Security Essentials looks to be a great product and if you aren’t protected or are at the end of your subscription, I would cancel and try http://microsoft.com/security_essentials
Be Safe out there.
Seeing as I rarely ever has an original thought. The opinions expressed in this post were shaped by the Security Now podcast with Steve Gibson and Leo Laportte. There is also a great “First Look” at Arstechnica
Twitter Spam
I have a ton of things I should be doing but this conversation tweaked me enough to have to weigh in on the subject…
Molly Wood, Veronica Bellmont, some Scott Johnson , and Leo Laporte had a conversation on TWIT recently about companies sponsoring tweets (stupid word).There ia a service, Izea, (there may be more than one) that will pay users to put ads in their Twitter streams. I don’t like it. Its difficult to listen to a show where the hosts talk around your point-of-view but they can’t hear you over the internet. Anyway. Here’s why I don’t like the idea:
When I go to my mailbox I expect, even though it rarely happens, to get a hand written letter or package from someone I know. Needless to say, I come away from the mailbox disappointed with a hand full of junk mail from business trying to “Sell me.” The only time a commercial enterprise doesn’t disappoint me is when I initiated the correspondence. If I want the catalog or coupon then the interaction is favorable. The same is true of my email inbox. Ideally it is the point of contact for my friends and the services I’m interested in.
Again, the same is true of twitter. I follow people based on their profile, if they are micro-blogging about their business or service that I’m interested in then I’m on board when they promote to me. But, when, for a real example, when I follow a guy that writes about alternative energy, I get a little slap in the face when I see, next to his avatar, an ad for a service to get more Twitter followers, or a mass email service. But when he tells me about a new energy service or product then he has much more credibility with me.
So, as @ScottWilliams says, “U do U.” Be who you say you are on Twitter and everywhere else in life.
Run Add Printer Wizard as Admin
OK, so I just logged in as the user and she needs a printer set up. I go to the Add Printer link in the Printers and Faxes window only to find out that she doesn’t have the correct privileges to install a local printer (what’s a user going to do hack the company database with an HP Laserjet 4?). Here’s what Josh Schwartz, LAN Admin from Saltillo, MS suggests…
Step 1 open the printers and faxes window. Step 2 goto tools on the menu bar and select folder options. Next in the general tab the first grouping of options is Tasks. Select the radial button next to Use Windows classic folders. You should now see an Add Printer icon at the top of the page. While holding down the shift key, right click the Add printer icon and select Run As. Supply the correct administrative credentials and you can now add a local printer without logging off and back on as an admin.
Awesome idea.
Via TechRepublic
Gmail Tips and Tricks ala The Geek Stuff
I subscribe to “The Geek Stuff’s” RSS feed. 1 of only 3 or 4 so it has to be pretty good. The latest installment is an article outlining “15 Awesome Gmail Tips and Tricks” all very useful to someone I’m sure…
15 Awesome Gmail Tips and Tricks by The Geek Stuff
Fact of Fiction: Forwarding Myths Hurts the Internet
Hoax emails:
- Waste the time of the people that read and forward them
- They cause well meaning citizens to notify the authorities and waste public funds and resources only to find out there is no “missing person” or other crime
- Shifts public opinion negatively. Pepsi doesn’t hate God, Starbucks DOES support our troops, and Obama isn’t a Muslim (as far as you know, and he’s in the whitehouse now so quit spreading the hate. (I voted for the other guy).
Here’s what I do to verify an email. I copy the subject line of the email (if it isn’t descriptive enough I will note a couple of key words in the message) then I go to google and paste it in with the word “snopes” (without the quotes). Within the first couple of links you’ll find a link that either tells you the story is a hoax or is true.
Snopes.com is THE last word in internet hoaxes, scams, and urban legends. They heave been collecting them since 1995.
On any given day I probably delete at least a couple of emails with subject lines that begin with “Fw:” Its not that I’m not interested in what my friends and family get passionate about, its just that I’ve been around these Internet pipes for quite a while now. Nowhere more than the web is the saying, “If its too good to be true, then it probably is” more true. Most of these emails are impossible at there primise. There is no way for Applebys to track how many people you sent a message to so that they can send you a $50 coupon. There is no way that the disposed ruler of a small African nation has access to your email address.
Read every email as if the sender approached you in a parking lot. How easily would you fall for what they were selling then?
Please people be careful out there.
