The Leaked Secret to Apollo Discovered
Books are useless! I only ever read one book, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds! Sure it taught me not to judge a man by the color of his skin…but what good does *that* do me? I’m a Spalding Gray in a Rick Dees world. You don’t win friends with salad. The Internet King? I wonder if he could provide faster nudity.
August has come and gone and its back to school for many. Malware seems to be in the rise. What can you do if you find malware on your Facebook account? How can you decrypt your files being held for ransom by malware? In this newsletter you can learn how to handle both successfully. What’s the best malware protection out there? We’ll take a look at the ratings And my home tech tip is a car hackability chart!
Decrypt Those Ransomed Files for Free with DecyptoLocker
We’ve talked about CryptoLocker before (Ransomware) – that malware that likes to hold your files for ransom until you pay up. There are several variants out there but one in particular, CryptoLocker, has now got a fix: DecryptoLocker provided by FireEye and FoxIT.
When you provide the site with your email address (which will not be given out or sold) and an encrypted file, they will email you a master decryption key to be used along with their recovery program.
They advise that you don’t give them any files of a sensitive or personal nature. And each infected system will need its own master decryption key.
What’s the Best Malware Protection For My Computer?
In a recent test done by the independant Anti-virus research group, AV-TEST
Malwarebytes came out on top as the best malware protection with a score of 100% in total system repair! They beat out even paid security programs like Bit Defender, F-Secure and Kaspersky. While Malwarebytes doesn’t include anti-virus support and protection, it says a lot for a FREE security program.
How did the FREE anti-virus programs fare? AVAST! and AVG came out on top ahead of MSSE. But read the report for yourself
Strange “likes” and Posts Showing Up On Your Account? You May Have Malware
When you have a malware infection from Facebook it can show up as strange “likes” to many pages or comments or postings you didn’t make or a sudden surge in following a lot of people on Facebook. One particular malware that’s been recently re-spotted on Facebook this August is the “Color Changer” app. According to Information Week:
Cheetah Mobile found that this iteration of the scam stems from an apparent vulnerability in Facebook’s app page. This vulnerability lets hackers implant viruses and malicious code into Facebook-based applications, which direct users to phishing sites, it said.
The latest version of the scam works in two ways. First, it asks users who click the link to view a color changer tutorial video. If users view the video, it steals their Facebook access tokens, which gives the hackers temporary access to the user’s Facebook friends, Cheetah Mobile said.
What should you do if you suspect malware on your Facebook account? Go to the “Apps” tab and remove it. Then the following steps apply to any and all other malware scenarios on Facebook.
Facebook provides the links to some scanners and you can review the steps there. *While I normally recommend MSSE (Microsoft Security Essentials), I’m recommending a switch to a combination of Avast! or AVG and Malwarebytes for now (as far as FREE Anti-virus goes) PAID Anti-virus such as Bit-Defender, F-Secure, and Kaspersky will give you stronger anti-virus protection . If you continue to use MSSE, please use it in combination with Malwarebytes.
Access the ‘Hackability’ of Your Car
Questions have been raised since 2 hackers successfully hijacked the steering and brakes of both a Ford Escape and a Toyota Prius. Want to assess the ‘hackability’ of your car? Try the *chart below from Wired.com:
*DISCLAIMER: This chart is not considered conclusive or comprehensive. According to the article:
All the cars’ ratings were based on three factors: The first was the size of their wireless “attack surface”—features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular network connections, keyless entry systems, and even radio-readable tire pressure monitoring systems. Any of those radio connections could potentially be used by a hacker to find a security vulnerability and gain an initial foothold onto a car’s network. Second, they examined the vehicles’ network architecture, how much access those possible footholds offered to more critical systems steering and brakes. And third, Miller and Valasek assessed what they call the cars’ “cyberphysical” features: capabilities like automated braking, parking and lane assist that could transform a few spoofed digital commands into an actual out-of-control car.
You want a guarantee, buy a toaster
Yes! I am a citizen! Now which way to the welfare office? I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I work, I work. Bart, with $10,000 we’d be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like…love!
July has just whizzed right on by. Seems like its been packed with a lot of things to do like work, maintaining security on your sites, summer vacations and Client events. So let’s try to catch the last of July before it runs out on us.
Passwords. They have to be strong and long to be effective. And that’s a PAIN! You know it. So before we do a lot of other things, let’s get this password thing down so its a lot easier as well as safer for you. I’m going to give you a couple of sites that will help you create a password without having to think one up. And then, a PASSWORD MANAGER, so you don’t have to remember them. How cool is that?! Plus, I have a home tech tip that will help you maximize your bandwidth
You didn’t just use “iloveyou” or “monkey” for your password, did you?
In a recent talk by privacy/security expert, Lorrie Faith Craner, it was cited that the 2 most popular passwords are “iloveyou” or “monkey” and when asked to add punctuation to their password to make it harder to hack, 40% of people chose an exclamation point! (And we just told the hackers, right? Shhhhhh!) 😉 Lorrie is the director of the Carnegie Mellon Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University and a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation Board of Directors. (Love the EFF!)
Also cited in the talk were the following problems with getting users ( busy folk like you my readers) to choose strong passwords (at least 16 characters) :
All good points. However, the debate – passphrases vs strong passwords (which is better?) – continues. And I, myself, favor long, strong and ugly passwords. Clint Eastwood passwords; good, bad, and ugly. There’s no social media hack aspect to them whereas with passphrases there is the possibility of a social hack – especially if you use familiar words any hacker can pick up by doing a search on you and scanning your social media posts. Also, there’s a maxim that’s worked well for me for a number of years: If its easy for you to remember, its easy (or will be) for the hacker to hack.
Why all the concern about passwords in the first place? Because hackers have password cracking software. That software is now easier and cheaper to get because its being sold as SaaS (software as a service) And hackers have the computing power now in a single pc to very easily hack your short, easy to remember passwords in a shorter amount of time. (There are also easy ways now to hack into the computing power of other devices without the user knowing it to multiply the power and speed the hacker has available – but that’s another newsletter. ) That’s why I tell you to make a password at least 16 characters long or longer. I would add to that: 16 random characters long including punctuation.
That said, the most annoying aspect is making passwords up. Second annoying thing is remembering them. So I am providing you two password generators to make the whole thing easier to create. One is a passphrase generator and the other is a strong password generator. Both are excellent and easy to use. Second, so that you don’t have to remember them, I am recommending a password manager so that it will remember your individual passwords for each of your online accounts and all you have to do (once its set up) is remember ONE PASSWORD for everything you have online. You even get notification if there is a security breach. How great is that?!
The XK Passphrase Generator (image source)
Go ahead. Try them out. Have a little fun. Then start converting your current passwords to these new, stronger passwords. Bookmark these links in your browser.
Then go to LastPass and get yourself set up so that you only have to remember ONE PASSWORD for all of your online accounts. (It’s like “One ring to rule them all!” sort of thing) LastPass is based on a freemium model so you can choose either the free or the premium account. Another password manager is KeePass. It’s an open source option but I find that it is not as user-friendly. It is highly-recommended though.
A note of caution on password managers: they, too, have their problems. If you have been keeping up with this newsletter, you know I try to keep you informed of the most current and dangerous hacks. But hacks at every level of our infrastructure go on all the time. So password managers are no exception. The security advantage is that they will keep you in an instant notification loop. They do have a password generator of their own, but I recommend the two above first.
The BEST Wi-Fi SetUp Tip EVER!
Where should you point your Wi-Fi Router antenna ? UP! Right? Nope. Here’s a great tip for setting up your wi-fi router antennas for the most optimal coverage from LifeHacker.com along with WHY it works better!
I am the last of my species, and I know how that weighs on the heart so don't lie to me! Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush. You know when grown-ups tell you 'everything's going to be fine' and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?
Father Christmas. Santa Claus. Or as I’ve always known him: Jeff. You hate me; you want to kill me! Well, go on! Kill me! KILL ME! The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things.…hey.…the good things don’t always soften the bad things; but vice-versa the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant. Saving the world with meals on wheels.
What could possibly go wrong? Aw, you're all Mr. Grumpy Face today. They're not aliens, they're Earth…liens! Saving the world with meals on wheels.
Super squeaky bum time! You hit me with a cricket bat. You’ve swallowed a planet! You know how I sometimes have really brilliant ideas? Annihilate? No. No violence. I won’t stand for it. Not now, not ever, do you understand me?! I’m the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm – and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn’t you?
They're not aliens, they're Earth…liens! They're not aliens, they're Earth…liens! Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush.
All I’ve got to do is pass as an ordinary human being. Simple. What could possibly go wrong? I hate yogurt. It’s just stuff with bits in. Sorry, checking all the water in this area; there’s an escaped fish.
Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush. Heh-haa! Super squeaky bum time! Father Christmas. Santa Claus. Or as I've always known him.
I hate yogurt. It’s just stuff with bits in. Sorry, checking all the water in this area; there’s an escaped fish. Saving the world with meals on wheels. Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush. Annihilate? No. No violence. I won’t stand for it. Not now, not ever, do you understand me?! I’m the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm – and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn’t you? The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things.…hey.…the good things don’t always soften the bad things; but vice-versa the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant.
All I've got to do is pass as an ordinary human being. Simple. What could possibly go wrong? Father Christmas. Santa Claus. Or as I've always known him: Jeff. All I've got to do is pass as an ordinary human being. Simple. What could possibly go wrong? They're not aliens, they're Earth…liens! All I've got to do is pass as an ordinary human being. Simple. What could possibly go wrong? Aw, you're all Mr. Grumpy Face today.
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