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Stop Paying for Windows Security; Microsoft’s Security Tools Are Good Enough
Stop Paying for Windows Security; Microsoft’s Security Tools Are Good Enough
I have been using Microsoft Security Essentials since it was in beta. It does a good job, with very low overhead, and high rate of accuracy, including malware and Trojans.
If you use Security Essentials, keep your workstation patched, and use multiple browsers with ad blocking software, you can feel pretty secure running Windows.
Microsoft Security Essentials
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
Recommended Firefox Add-Ons – AdBlock Plus
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865/
Recommended Chrome Extensions – AdBlock v2.0
https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamgkkbiglidom
Orphaned by Blogger
Well, it was a good run. I was one of the first people to use Blogger, starting in late 1999, and although I experimented with other blogging software, Blogger was my primary publishing tool until May, 2010. The Google folks made a business decision to eliminate FTP publishing. I had the option of migrating to blogger.com, or another service, but I already have my own server, so I’m converting to WordPress.
I’m running WordPress 3.x beta, and I’m still working at importing my Blogger content. Until then, it will still be available through Google searches, and at https://paulbegley.com/blogger.html.
Malware as twitter password reset
Wow. This caught me by surprise this morning. The message below (forwarded to Google Mail) looks legit, but if you hover over the link, you see it points to a binary (password.exe) hosted on gameroomhaven.com.
Most of the message is legit. The links at the bottom of the post are legit, pointing back to twitter.com. However, the e-mail address in the SPAM is one I only use for a high school alumni site. Based on that, I started to look at the message more carefully and noted the malware link posing as the password reset URL.
Lesson here, don’t click on links in your e-mail without verifying the source.
Using the Google Mail ‘Show original’ feature (drop down in upper right corner of each message) showed the source code for the message where the malicious URL is obvious. A snippet from the original below:
Hey there. Can't remember your password, huh? It happens to the best of us. Please open this link in your browser: http://www.gameroomhaven.com/password.exe This will reset your password. You can then login and change it to something you'll remember.
Test post from Droid
On the bus coming home from NYC. Testing WordPress Android app. Pretty impressive, allows administration as well as posting w/GPS tag.