CrexTechs Blog

CrexTechs has three radio ads running this month on WXCX Red Rock On Air Radio out of Pine City.  We'd like to make this information and the same offers available to our readers who may not have heard the ads.

Here is the text of our ads. To redeem offers, just mention you read about it on our blog or mention WXCX or Red Rock On Air.

Slow computer?  Give your desktop or laptop a tuneup at CrexTech in Grantsburg.  We can add memory to increase speed and upgrade you to a better anti-virus program. Get support with a paid Vipre anti-virus subscription purchased through CrexTechs. Mention WXCX and receive half off a spyware cleanup and a one year Vipre subscription.  That’s a $70.00 value for just $35.00. Visit us at CrexTechs.com and CrexTechs.com/blog.

Get rid of that old computer, monitor and printer cluttering up your garage or basement.  Recycle your old computer at CrexTechs in Grantsburg.  Drop that old computer system off for $20.00 recycling fee.  We take towers, monitors, printers, keyboards.  Recycle your Laptop for $15.00.   Mention WXCX and get a coupon for an equal amount off your next service at CrexTechs.

Need a new laptop?  Look no further than CrexTechs in Grantsburg.  Our Lenovo IBM laptops are fast, rugged and ready to meet your wireless computing needs.  As a Lenovo retailer we can service your laptop quickly and troubleshoot your Lenovo or any machine, laptop or desktop, remotely over the internet. We build custom Windows 7 desktops too! And can service any machine here in our shop. Visit us at CrexTechs.com and CrexTechs.com/blog.

We also have two refurbished IBM Think Pads running XP with 1.6 ghz Intel Centrino processor and 33.4 gb and 51.1 gb hard drives at really great prices! Come on in and see them.

I have lots of those cheap little power strips around the house that I plug stuff into--ours is a 70 year old house with inadequate outlets.  I have thought that these little strips give me some protection against power surges as they have little built in breakers that will pop and have to be reset from time to time.

I know now that this is not true.  They are convenient and cheap but they really offer no protection, especially for your electronic equipment.

We are advised by most electronics manufacturers to unplug all appliances when they aren't being used including TVs, sound systems, microwaves and computers (and especially toaster! and other small kitchen appliances).

I only unplug when I'm going on vacation but significant power surges can take place every day and can blow out computers, monitors, printers, TVs as well as toasters, microwaves etc.   (Toasters can actually heat up due to shorts caused by a power surge and cause house fires when left plugged in--this is one of the leading causes of house fires.  Unplug those toasters when not in use!)

Most of these electronics items are not covered by homeowners insurance -- they don't amount to enough to cover the deductible of most policies.

So the question is, what protection is enough protection for computers and other expensive electronics?

Some computer users need to know that if there is a power outage, their computers will stay up and running, at least long enough to be shut down properly--they need battery backup.

Other users, most users, don't need battery backup but we do need to know that if there is a significant power surge, our computers will not be "blown away" or adversely affected in other ways.  All computer users need more than those cheap little power strips to be certain of this.

When shopping for a "surge protector" you will want to look at the "joules."  Protecting against up to 2400 to 2800 joules of surge is great coverage.  We recommend at least 1800 joules.

If you don't know what a joule is, here is a definition: a single joule is  a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second.

Okay, so that wasn't very helpful.  Suffice it to say, a joule is a small unit of energy.

Small surges that can be accommodated by the appliances themselves are very common (though this can shorten the life of the appliance).  Spikes that can cause significant wear and tear or damage your equipment are quite common too.    The life of your electronics can significantly shortened by failure to protect against daily common power surges.

CrexTechs sells CyberPower surge protectors as well as battery backups.  Check out our offers at http://crextechs.com/blog/category/forsale/

Keep in mind that surge protectors suffer wear and tear and can fail over time and will be burned out by large surges caused by electrical storms and transformer malfunctions.

Here are a couple of website that can give you some more information on power surges.

For an "reader friendly" explanation check out:

http://vagabonders-supreme.net/SurgeElectric.htm

For a more in depth discussion check out:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_spike

We just want to remind our readers that right here at CrexTechs in Grantsburg you can a buy new or refurbished desktop or laptop computer.  We will set your new machine up with the software you use and with state-of-the-art  anti-virus protection.  We can even build a computer to your specifications if you have specialized needs!

We also sell lots of other stuff!  Stuff even the hard-core techie can use.   We have new or refurbished hard drives,  RAM, cards of all sorts, power supplies, fan motors, cpu coolers, the works.  And, for those who are, what we fondly call, less-than-technically-savvy, we have surge protectors and power backups, keyboards and mouses,  screen cleaners, laptop cases, cables and cords of all kinds, and a sympathetic ear not to mention a tech-savvy person who can come out and show you a few tricks for a reasonable hourly rate.  We also do remote troubleshooting and problem solving.

Check out some of the things we have for sale at http://crextechs.com/blog/category/forsale/

Let us know what you need and we will let you know if we have it or can get it for you.  We are here to serve all your technical needs!

Call CrexTechs at (715) 463-2365

or visit us at 506 West Saint George Avenue in Grantsburg

(just off  State Road 70 and West Olson Drive)

If you are not sure what "Phishing" is, it is just what it sounds like but with a Ph instead of an F.   These sly hackers set their bait and then wait.  When someone bites, they get the info they want.  I guess we could call these hackers anglers or maybe fanglers as they are anglers with fangs!

There is a new kind of  "phishing" expedition out there now that everyone should be aware of, it is called tabnabbing.  This new MOD involves users who have multiple browser tabs open at one time.  While the user has let one tab go dormant the hacker substitutes the target with a page of their own that looks just like a log-in page for maybe Yahoo or Gmail.  When the user goes back to that tab they think they have "timed out" so they go ahead and log back in.  Now the hacker has a user ID and a password.  They can search your mail for private information, they can try your user ID and password on other locations you might frequent like credit card sites (hackers know people like to use the same IDs and passwords because they don't have to remember so much), or they can launch other operations from your mail account using your contacts.  The sky is the limit once they have crack one of your accounts.

At present it appears that Firefox Beta edition is shielded from these attacks.  If you have Firefox, be sure to update it before you rely upon it to protect you.

If you don't want to use Firefox, always close tabs when you are done. And never log back into a site that you  have timed out of without first closing your browser and reopening.    Also, be sure you log out of sensitive sites when you are finished.  One of my banks allowed me to navigate away then use the back arrow to get back into my page.  That should not be allow so I always, always, always logout of pages when I am done with them especially bank and credit card pages.

Here is a link for more information on this new kind of phishing expedition: http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/a-new-type-of-phishing-attack/

I don't like to leave my computer on at night to run Vipre at 1 am and I don't want to set it to run earlier because I might be working on my machine and hate to have it run a deep scan while I'm working.   I do like to run my Vipre scan at the end of the day so I manually set my Vipre to run and shut down my computer automatically when it finishes.

Here is how:

When you are finished for the day, open the Vipre program by double clicking the icon on your desktop. (If you don't find the Vipre icon on your desktop look for the icon on the bottom right of your screen on the task bar or click on Start to bring up the Start Menu.  Vipre  might be listed on the left column of the Start Menu.  If not,  go to All Programs then to Sunbelt Security then to Vipre).

Once Vipre is open you will see four tabs across the top of the Vipre screen.  These are  Overview, Scan, Manage and Tools.  Click on the Scan tab.

The Scan screen will open.  Select Deep System Scan on the top left side of the Scan screen then on the bottom of the Scan screen select shut down computer after scan.

Click on Scan Now.

The scan will begin.  It might automatically download some definitions.  You can turn off your monitor but leave the computer running.  Vipre will deep scan and then will shut down your computer automatically when the scan is done.  The scan should take from 20 to 50 minutes.

I do this everyday, once a day, with my computer.

This comes to us from Vipre's SunBeltSecurityNews newsletter

You can subscribe using the following links:

http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/Subscribe/

If you run Windows XP, subscribe to WXPnews and get the latest on keeping XP up & running, hints, tips and techniques to keep it fast and secure. You can subscribe here, and tell your friends: 
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/NK7DJ1/100317-WXPNews

If you run Vista or Windows 7, subscribe to Win7News and get the latest on keeping Win7 up & running, hints, tips and techniques to keep it fast and secure. You can subscribe here: 
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/NK7DJ1/100317-Win7News

Run Windows Server? WServerNews is the world's largest newsletter focused on system admin and security issues for Microsoft Windows Servers. Subscribe here, and tell your admin friends: 
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/NK7DJ1/100317-WServerNews

The Virus Doctor Speaks

A good friend of ours, Ken Dwight, is known as "The Virus Doctor". Recently, he ran into his own set of Internet problems which he so elegantly and eloquently explains below. I am sure many of you will sympathize with his plight. Fortunately, being the experienced computer guy that he is, Ken does offer some solution. 
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/NK7DJ1/100526-VirusDoc

One week ago today, on Saturday, May 15, my e-mail account was hijacked. The person who took control of my e-mail sent a message to 62 addresses he found in my Sent Items folder. The subject of the message was "My Deadlock," and it told a tale of woe that I was on vacation with my family in Wales and had been mugged. It stated that all cash, credit cards, and cellphones had been stolen and we were desperate for a way to get home.

The first I knew of the problem was about 9:00 Saturday morning, when I received a call on my cellphone from a friend in South Carolina. When he started the conversation with "How are things in Wales," I laughed because this is a fairly well-known scam. I've actually received two messages like this in the past year from friends and clients. I just did a Google search on "mugged in Wales scam" and got 121,000 "hits," so it's generated a lot of interest.

I wasn't too concerned initially, assuming that the scammer had somehow acquired a list of e-mail addresses on my computer and sent the message to them hoping for a big payday. But as I dug deeper I realized this was a far more sophisticated attack than I first suspected. Here are some examples of the advanced techniques used in this ruse:

The hacker discovered my e-mail password and actually logged into my e-mail account; as a result, the message was sent from my account, and the message headers made the e-mail appear to be legitimate.

The initial message didn't ask for money, but hoped for a concerned reply; then the hook was set for a payoff.

The hacker changed my e-mail settings to forward all messages to his new Yahoo address, so I did not receive any messages sent to my address during the time my account was compromised.

The hacker did not change my password, so it would not look suspicious to me; to the average user all would appear to be normal.

The hacker replied manually to any message sent to my address, with instructions on how much money to send, how to send it, and the address to send it to.

Although the attack probably originated in the U. K., perhaps in Wales, he made his request in U. S. dollars.

One of the first questions that usually comes up in a case like this is the possibility of catching the scammer, having him arrested, and possibly recovering any money that was sent to him. Unfortunately, there is almost no chance of success in that direction, for several reasons:

He is probably outside of the U. S., where there are most likely no laws against this type of crime. The structure of the Internet and e-mail makes it pretty much impossible to trace the actual origin of these messages and the follow-up messages gave an address in Wales to send the money to (almost certainly not the scammer). It's probably someone who has been recruited to "process payments from home in your spare time" for some percentage of the money received. That person may be naive but probably is not a criminal.

How this affects you:

For all practical purposes, the recipients probably have not been affected by this scam other than the time it's taken them to read the original message. There is no reason to believe their e-mail address or identity has been compromised in any way. The only other possible affect them is if the scammer could have sold the target e-mail addresses to others who would send spam to those addresses. That's a fairly common payload for virus attacks, but clearly not the primary intent of this scam.

For future reference, be very skeptical of any e-mail message, even those that appear to come from friends or individuals you know personally. If you receive any message like this, and believe that it could be legitimate, call the alleged sender on the telephone to verify the authenticity of the message. Also be aware that criminals frequently direct that funds be sent via Western Union, as they do not verify ID.

To prevent your e-mail account from being compromised as mine was; I recommend that you change the password on that account. This is especially important if your e-mail is hosted by one of the major carriers, such as Yahoo (which includes att.net, swbell.net,sbcglobal.net, and many others), AOL, MSN, or Gmail. For an added layer of protection, take the time to choose "challenge/response" questions and answers, which are used to verify that you are really the person talking to the Customer Service or Tech Support rep.

As far as the password itself, it needs to be stronger than most people use. Serious hackers use password-cracking programs, so your password should be more complex than those programs can quickly resolve. It should be at least 7 characters long (longer is better) and should not spell a word that would be found in the dictionary. As a minimum it should include numbers and letters, and it's better if you start with a number. Including caps and lower-case letters makes it much harder to crack, but be sure you write it down somewhere so that you don't lock yourself out.

For the challenge/response questions, don't use the obvious questions and answers, such as "who was your childhood hero?" and the obvious answer is Superman. Instead, choose questions and answers that nobody else is likely to know or be able to guess. Again, the objective is to keep the hacker from being able to change your password and your account settings.

Finally, be sure your computer is fully protected with capable anti-virus and anti-spyware software and that the malware definitions are absolutely up to date. There are some 70,000 new viruses released every day, so it's a constant battle to keep your computers secure. It's a good idea to run a full scan every day, to catch any malicious software that may have gotten past your defenses.

Ever wondered what you can do with your old computers?  Here are a few suggestions offered by ComputerWorld:

• Home media server
• Guitar Amp
• Gaming Rig
• Run scientific calculation for Sanford University, yes, really

Check out the full article.  Seven pages of ideas to get the techie tinkerers busy!

Your Old Computer, Born Again

I know I get a little nervous sometimes accessing my bank accounts online, not to mention using my credit cards online. There are a number of things I do to protect my accounts. Here are a few as well as links to some good articles on how to keep your identity safe when accessing accounts online.

1.  I never access my accounts from computers other than my own.  I don't know what kind of firewall or anti-virus protection my sister has at her house or how often she scans for viruses so I don't access any bank or credit card accounts from her computer.  That goes for computers at the libraries I use when I am on the road.  I also avoid accessing my accounts from wireless connections away from home especially in coffee shops and hotels.  A bit inconvenient but it is better to be safe than sorry in my opinion.

2.  I use different user IDs and passwords for my various accounts.  That way if someone cracks my ID/password for one account they don't have a free-for-all with all my accounts.

3.  I never give out my user ID or password to anyone else.  And I don't store them on a file on my computer.  I do have them written down at home but in a cryptic way that would be hard for a bricks-and-mortar thief to figure out.

4.  I keep a hard copy list of my accounts as well as phone numbers so that if something is breeched I can quickly contact the appropriate institutions.  Now that I am thinking about it,  I think I will put these numbers in my cell so I have them really handy.

5.  I use one credit card for on-line purchases.  That way if it gets stolen I only have one card to report.  I have alerts on all my cards but by the time I would get an alert my card could have circumnavigated the virtual world via cyberspace.

6.  I never access my accounts from email links.  If I get an email that says use this link to update information on your account, I discard the email then I go check with my account to see if there really is a message out there for me to update information.   There has never been one.

7.  I do use the security questions suggested by my account providers.  I select questions that only I know the answers to.  I do genealogy on line and am very careful not to put too much family info out there or to use security questions that relate to family members.

For more information on keeping your accounts safe, check on-line with your bank and credit account providers under Security.  Read what they suggest and follow these suggestions.

Here is an old article from Consumer Reports that is still valid:

Consumer Reports on Security

And a more recent article on the Identity Theft Resource Center website.

Identity Theft Resource Center

Make sure you run your Vipre Updates!

A glitch in a recent release of Vipre caused systems to slow down.  If you are experiencing a slowdown in your computer, find the Vipre Icon on the task bar  at the bottom right of your screen.  Move the mouse to hover over the V.  You should see a little box open with Vipre, then under that AP: enabled and under that Defs: with a number.  If the number is lower than 6275, double click on the V to open the Vipre program and click Update Now. You may need to restart your computer to activate the update!