Monthly Archives: February 2018

A Comprehensive (and I mean comprehensive) Security Recommendation

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A Comprehensive (and I mean comprehensive) Security Recommendation

Bleepingcomputer.com is a comprehensive security site with help from experts even for non-techies.

Here’s a post from one of those experts with just about every security recommendation he could think of:

Please take the time to read below on how to secure the machine and take the necessary steps to keep it Clean.

 

STEP 1 – UPDATING TASKS

  • It is possible for programs on your computer to have security vulnerability that can allow malware to infect you.
  • Therefore, it is also a good idea to check for the latest versions of commonly installed applications that are regularly patched to fix vulnerabilities.
  • You can check these by visiting Secunia Software Inspector or you can use the following application for this purpose PatchMyPC.
  • You may take a look at UCheck as well.

 
Visit Microsoft’s Windows Update Site Frequently

  • It is important that you check for Windows Updates regularly.
  • This will ensure your computer has always the latest security updates available installed on your computer.
  • If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.

 

STEP 2 – CLEANUP

Here are a few additional steps on how to remove all of the tools we used:

  • Please download Delfix.exe by Xplode and save it to your desktop.
  • Please start it and check the box next to “Remove disinfection tools” and uncheck the rest and click on the run button.
  • The tool will delete itself once it finishes.

Note: If any tool, file, log file or folder (belonging to the program we have used) hasn’t been deleted, please delete it manually.

 

You can delete the following folders:

C:\ProgramData\HitmanPro => to delete the leftovers from HitmanPro
C:\EEK => to delete the leftovers from EmsisoftEmergencyKit

C:\Users\tierz\AppData\Local\ESET => to delete the leftovers from Eset Online Scanner

I suggest you leave Malwarebytes installed for on-demand scans but if you want to uninstall it then you can use this tool

 

STEP 3 – SECURITY ADVISES
 

Keep your antivirus software turned on and up-to-date

  • New viruses come out every minute, so it is essential that you have the latest signatures for your antivirus program to provide you with the best possible protection from malicious software.
  • Note: You should only have one antivirus installed at a time. Having more than one antivirus program installed at once is likely to cause conflicts and may well decrease your overall protection as well as impairing the performance of your PC.
  • Note2: You should scan your computer with an antimalware program like Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware on a regular basis just as you would an antivirus software. Be sure to check for and download any definition updates prior to performing a scan. Also keep in mind that MBAM is not a replacement for antivirus software, it is meant to complement the protection provided by a full antivirus product and is designed to detect the threats that are missed by most antivirus software.

 

Be prepared for CryptoLocker and similar threats:

Since the prevention is better than cure you can purchase a license for Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (because Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware and Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit are also included in the Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 3) or try a free program such as Kaspersky Antiransomware for business.

In addition to whatever you choose to use I would suggest you to add CryptoPrevent to supplement them to secure the PC against these lockers. Also make regular backups of your important documents.

You can use a standard user account with UAC enabled. If you need administrative privileges to perform some tasks, then you can use Run As or log on as the administrator account for that specific task.

 

Practice Safe Internet

One of the main reasons people get infected in the first place is that they are not practicing Safe Internet. You practice Safe Internet when you educate yourself on how to properly use the Internet through the use of security tools and good practice. Knowing how you can get infected and what types of files and sites to avoid will be the most crucial step in keeping your computer malware free. The reality is that the majority of people who are infected with malware are ones who click on things they shouldn’t be clicking on. Whether these things are files or sites it doesn’t really matter. If something is out to get you, and you click on it, it most likely will.  Below are a list of simple precautions to take to keep your computer clean and running securely:

  • If you receive an attachment from someone you do not know, DO NOT OPEN IT! Simple as that. Opening attachments from people you do not know is a very common method for viruses or worms to infect your computer.
  • .zip, .exe, .com, .bat, .pif, .scr, .cmd, .cab .vbs or .js do not open the attachment unless you know for a fact that it is clean. For the casual computer user, you will almost never receive a valid attachment of this type.
  • If you receive an attachment from someone you know, and it looks suspicious, then it probably is. The email could be from someone you know infected with a malware that is trying to infect everyone in their address book.
  • If you are browsing the Internet and a popup appears saying that you are infected, ignore it!. These are, as far as I am concerned, scams that are being used to scare you into purchasing a piece of software. For an example of these types of popups, or Foistware, you should read this article:
    Foistware, And how to avoid it. There are also programs that disguise themselves as Anti-Spyware or security products but are instead scams.  For a list of these types of programs we recommend you visit this link: About Malwares, Rogues, Scarewares, SmitfraudFix
  • Another tactic to fool you on the web is when a site displays a popup that looks like a normal Windows message or alert. When you click on them, though, they instead bring you to another site that is trying to push a product on you. I suggest that you close these windows by clicking on the X instead of the OK button. Alternatively, you can check to see if it’s a real alert by right-clicking on the window. If there is a menu that comes up saying Add to Favorites… you know it’s a fake.
  • Do not go to adult sites. I know this may bother some of you, but the fact is that a large amount of malware is pushed through these types of sites. I am not saying all adult sites do this, but a lot do.
  • When using an Instant Messaging program be cautious about clicking on links people send to you. It is not uncommon for infections to send a message to everyone in the infected person’s contact list that contains a link to an infection. Instead when you receive a message that contains a link, message back to the person asking if it is legit before you click on it.
  • Stay away from Warez and Crack sites! In addition to the obvious copyright issues, the downloads from these sites are typically overrun with infections. Avoid using cracks and unknown programs from sources you don’t trust. There are MANY alternative open-source applications. Malware writers just love cracks and keygens, and will often attach malicious code into them. By using cracks and/or keygens, you are asking for problems. So my advice is – stay away from them!
  • Be careful of what you download off of web sites and Peer-2-Peer networks. Some sites disguise malware as legitimate software to trick you into installing them and Peer-2-Peer networks are crawling with it. If you want to download a piece of software a from a site, and are not sure if they are legitimate, you can use Bitdefender TrafficLight or Avira Browser Safety to look up info on the site. Note: skip this advice if your antivirus have a Web Guard.
  • DO NOT INSTALL any software without first reading the End User License Agreement, otherwise known as the EULA. A tactic that some developers use is to offer their software for free, but have spyware and other programs you do not want bundled with it. This is where they make their money. By reading the agreement there is a good chance you can spot this and not install the software.
  • You may want to install Unchecky to prevent adware bundled into many free programs to install.
  • Make the extensions for known file types visible: Be worried of files with a double extension such as image.jpg.exe. As a default setting, Windows often hides common file extensions, meaning that a program like image.jpg.exe will appear to you as simply image.jpg. Double extensions exploit this by hiding the second, dangerous extension and reassuring you with the first one.Check this out – Show or hide file name extensions.
  • Disable Autorun: It’s a good idea to disable the Autorun functionality to prevent spreading of the infections from USB flash drives. Check the article here for more information. Also you can install McShield – to prevent infections spread by removable media.
  • Disable and Windows Scripting Host: If you don’t use any script files then you can go ahead and disable Windows Scripting Host using the tool provided by Symantec – NoScript.exe. Simple download and run it and click on the Disable button and reboot the computer. If you need to run any js. or vbs scripts at a later stage you should run NoScript.exe again and select Enable, then reboot the computer.
  • Install Adblock Plus to surf the web without annoying ads!

 

 
Create an image of your system (you can use the built-in Windows software as well if you prefer)

  • Now when your pc is malware free it is a good idea to do a backup of all important files just in case something happens it.
  • Macrium Reflect is very good choice that enables you to create an image of your system drive which can be restored in case of problems.
  • The download link is here.
  • The tutorial on how to create an system image can be found here.
  • It’s a good idea to add Macrium to the boot menu to access it if Windows won’t start and you don’t have a Rescue CD.
  • The tutorial on how to restore an system image can be found here.
  • Be sure to read the tutorials first.

 

Follow this list and your potential for being infected again will reduce dramatically.

 

Safe Surfing !

 

Regards,
Georgi

Edited by B-boy/StyLe/, 28 March 2017 – 09:45 AM.

From: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/642995/winvmx-the-requested-resource-is-in-use-tried-all-suggestions-on-forum/#entry4208784

Google Docs vs Microsoft Office

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IMG:o365_gdocs

Google Docs vs Microsoft Office

Little Known Fact about MS Office

MS bills its “Office 365” as a “cloud suite”. Actually, it includes the regular old desktop programs of Office 2016 (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and in some versions Outlook).

Summary

In a 2016 review of Google’s G Suite business subscription service, Eric Grevstad of PC Magazine stated that Google Docs follows the “80/20” rule: “that is, 80 percent of users will never need more than 20 percent of the features”.[71]

–wikipedia

I would like to modify that somewhat. While he says “will never need” I think that’s a stretch. I think it’s more accurate to say “80 percent of the time users will only need 20 percent of the features.” The way this new view plays out, is that if you use Google Docs, once a year or so, you will run into a situation in which you need features Google Docs does not offer. That’s more what I experience from users in real life.

ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – Comprehenive Advanced Features

As I said in the “Summary” above, if you use Google, once a year or so, you will need some more complex / advanced feature that is in Microsoft Office but not Google Docs.

There’s always a workaround, with some additional effort and inconvenience.

(slight) ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – privacy

Educated guess, but I believe MS Office protects your privacy more than Google.

Here’s my reasoning. These aren’t proofs–just educated guessing and reasoning.

  • MS is less motivated financially to sell your content to advertisers or private investigators. Because you pay for MS Office. They have a buisness model where they get paid for the software they produce. Google’s only business model is to sell advertising based on your content. So it is an urgent need, a matter of corporate survival for them to violate your privacy.
  • This one seems backwards, but stay with me. MS was criticzied for their handling of privacy because they published visibly that they would turn over your Office 365 (OneDrive) content to law enforcement authorites without your consent or notification. This is true of ALL companies, because of the Patriot Act in the United States. So I give MS *credit* on privacy for being visible about this, instead of hiding it like other companies. It makes me trust them a smidgen more on privacy.
  • Last buy not least, MS Office supports a fully offline model, with all files stored on your local hard disk, instead of in the cloud (MS OneDrive). These files are much less likely to be scanned.

ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – offline and alternate cloud storage

Since MS Office 365 (or the desktop apps) run on your desktop, you can be fully operational without an internet connection. Eg, on a plane. Or the day that your ISP goes down. Or if the power goes out (assuming you have laptop battery to keep working, and assuming you don’t have battery backup or generator backup for your internet connection).

Offline, desktop acces model in MS Office also means you can use them with almost any cloud storage (Dropbox, Box.com, SugarSync) in addition to MS’s own OneDrive.

That is *IF* those services have a ‘local sync’ feature. All of those I listed do. (This local sync feature sync’s a folder on your desktop to the cloud. Changes you make in the cloud are replicated on your local disk. Changes you make on your local disk–with desktop Office 2016, for example–are mirrored in the cloud.)

Can not do that with Google Docs because there is no way to work on local files.

You can download offline files out of Google Docs, for storage and back. And you can edit them locally. With what? MS Office? Might as well have just used MS Office in the first place.

You could edit them with the free LibreOffice and get close to the MS Office experience. The disadvantage is that you’re working in two different interfaces, and LibreOffice is not quite as powerful as MS Office.

Or using only the Chrome Browser, and a Chrome extension “Google Docs Offline” you can edit offline with Google.

ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – printing

in Google Docs, if in Firefox or Internet Explorer, you have to dowload as a PDF to print. Using the browser print will make it print like a web page, not a document.

In the Chrome browser (only) Google Docs print normally.

Reports (I can’t confirm) that advanced printing is not available in Google Docs (but they’re upgrading all the time).

ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – upload limit

50MB (was: 2MB) upload limit for Google Docs (no limit once in Google Drive online cloud storage)

(slight) ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – huge size

Google Docs can’t handle HUGE data sets, eg, > 2 million (was: 400K) cells in a spreadsheet.

ADVANTAGE GOOGLE – FREE!

By far the biggest difference between the two is that Goodle Docs is FREE. You pay for that with Google scanning your docs and providing that info to advertisers so that they can target ads to you. But Microsoft is still doing at least some of that.

ADVANTAGE GOOGLE – “Explore”

GDocs new “Explore” feature

Launched in September 2016, “Explore” enables additional functionality through machine learning.[36][37][38]

  • In Google Docs, Explore shows relevant Google search results based on information in the document, simplifying information gathering. Users can also mark specific document text, press Explore and see search results
  • based on the marked text only.
  • In Google Sheets, Explore enables users to ask questions, such as “How many units were sold on Black Friday?”, and Explore will return the answer, without requiring formula knowledge from the user.
  • In Google Slides, Explore dynamically generates design suggestions based on the contents of each slide.

The “Explore” features in Docs follow the launch of a more basic research tool originally introduced in 2012.[39][40][41]

In December 2016, Google introduced a quick citations feature to Google Docs. The quick citation tool allows users to “insert citations as footnotes with the click of a button” on the web through the Explore feature introduced in September. The citation feature also marked the launch of the Explore functionalities in G Suite for Education accounts.[42][43][44]

In June 2017, Google expanded the Explore feature in Google Sheets to automatically build charts and visualize data,[45][46] and again expanded it in December to feature machine learning capable of automatically creating pivot tables.[47][48]

–wikipedia

NO LONGER ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – columns and image editing

In 2013, Microsoft released ads that called out specific features missing in Docs, including columns (eventually added by Google Docs in 2016) and image-editing support (eventually added by Google Docs in 2014).

–techwalla

NO LONGER ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – mail merge

You didnt used to be able to do mail merge in Gmail+Docs. Now you can.

NO LONGER ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – add-ons

In March 2014, Google introduced add-ons

–wikipedia

Before that, only MS Office had add-ons.

NO LONGER ADVANTAGE GOOGLE – real-time simultaneous co-authoring

Until MS Office v2016 MS Office did not provide real-time simultaneous co-authoring (unless you used Enterprise SharePoint).

By this I mean 2+ people working on the same document at exactly the same time with each seeing the other’s edits in real-time as they happen, letter by letter.

Before v2016 MS had less helpful co-editing techniques.

References:

Network speeds–WiFi/Wireless g/N/ac, Wired Gigabit Ethernet, Broadband Internet Connection (Eg, Comcast/Time Warner/Optimum)

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Presented below is a table of comparative network speeds.

It is important to know the relative speeds when making purchase decisions on networking.

It is also important to know that network speeds are subject to the principal that they only run as fast as their slowest link. They’re subject to bottlenecks.

For example, no matter how fast your in-building wired Ethernet or WiFi/Wireless speed is, your speed to the public Internet is likely limited to the speed your broadband provider gives you. It provides no benefit to upgrade your internal network, without also upgrading your bandwidth provider with a faster (more expensive) service.

On the other hand, in-building computer-to-computer or computer-to-device or client-server traffic does not touch the global Internet, and doesnt depend on your provider’s bandwith.

There was a time where “wired” was faster than “wireless” but with new innovations in Wirless N and Wireless ac (802.11n, 802.11ac) standards, that’s no longer true. However, BOTH ends (pc, router) have to support the standard to achieve that speed. And laptops sometimes skimp on the WiFi.

The common types of interent to consider, roughly in order slowest to fastest, are:

Broadband Internet
Connects the network in your building to the outside world, the wider public internet, the WAN (wide-area network). Typically provided by a cable or phone company, eg, Comcast, Time-Warner, Optimum.
Ethernet
Wired networking. Eg, cat5 cables and RJ45 wall outlets.
WiFi / Wireless
To/From the Wireless Network Adapter (NIC) in your laptop, printer, smartphone, tablet over the air to the wireless router, often provided by your broadband provider.

Table of Relative Network Speeds

Key
Broadband Internet (red)
Ethernet (yellow)
WiFi / Wireless (blue)
–
Description Speed
Low-end residential broadband 5 Mbps
Wirless g, 2.4 GHz band, mid-2000s (54 Mbps nominal, but only 50% efficient) 22.5 Mbps
Wirless N, 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz band, 2010, uses (MIMO), (54 Mbps nominal, but only 50% efficient) 22.5 Mbps
Mid-grade residential broadband 25 Mbps
Starting-level business, Hi-end residential broadband 50 Mbps
Standard Ethernet “Fasternet” (nominal 100 Mbps but only 50% efficient) 50 Mbps
Mid-grade business broadband 100 Mbps
Hi-end business broadband 150 Mbps
Wirless N-150 (MIMO) 150 Mbps
Wirless N-300 (MIMO) 300 Mbps
Wirless N-450 (MIMO) 450 Mbps
New Gigabit Ethernet (nominal 1000 Mbps but only 50% efficient) 500 Mbps
Wirless N-600 (MIMO) 600 Mbps
Wirless AC-1200 (MIMO) 800 Mbps
Wirless N-900 (MIMO) 900 Mbps
Wirless AC-1900 (MIMO) 1000 Mbps

Notes:

Mbps = Mega-bits per second; divide by 8 to get MBs = Megabytes per second)

MIMO = multiple input and multiple output antennas

You can test your current Internet speed from your current location via

SmallNetBuilder has good educational materials on routers, WiFi, and speed tests and rankings of routers.