BT troops have been let out to upgrade part of layton’s fiber optic network. Confirmed on thier website, it’ll be available by September 2013.

check out our previous blog post where it explains speeds and how to check for your area.

I think Microsoft Security Essentails or MSE has had its day (check out its review from PC Pro) and as a result we’ve decided to give avast! Pro Antivirus a try this month.

It took  less than 24 hours for us to receive a suspicious email:

avast! did the perfect job of detecting and blocking the threat. It’s early days yet but so far the software gets a thumbs up from AGT. If you’re currently still using MSE and would like information on how to purchase  and install avast! then get in touch here or pop into any of our repair shops located in Blackpool and Lytham.

Know your Malware!

You’ve heard the word ‘Malware’ many times before, no doubt. But what does it actually mean?

The word Malware is short for Malicious Software and is a general term used to describe all the different types of Viruses, Trojans, Spyware and all other forms of software that is developed specifically to cause harm to your computer or steal information stored within. Here are some specific examples of the different types of malware:

Viruses

A fitting name for this malware as it is able to spread from one computer to the next, infecting each computer as it travels through via the document or software which it is attached to. It is then passed along through emails, file sharing, networking or external storage devices. A virus can transmit by inserting a copy of itself into a legit program. Once the executable file for the infected software is opened, the virus is executed along with it. The effects of a virus range from annoying effects to damaged data, damaged windows files and other damaged software.

Worms

Computer worms, similar to the nature of viruses in the way that they replicate functional copies of themselves and are known to cause similar types of damage. The difference here is that worms are standalone programs and do not require a host program to infect and execute. To spread, worms exploit network vulnerabilities so make sure your firewall is enabled, locked down and up to date. In the past, worms have been known to have cost billions of pounds worth of damage to business companies.

Trojans

The name comes from the ‘Trojan Horse’. A wooden horse that the Greeks hid inside to infiltrate the city of Troy. A harmful piece of software in a package that is made to look legitimate. Users are tricked into opening a file on their system which can cause attacks such as pop ups, damage to system files, deletion of files, data theft and the infection of other viruses.

Scareware

Scareware is developed to look like a legitimate program that will produce alarming warnings or threat notices. Often mimicking security software to deceive unsuspecting users into paying fee’s to remove fictional malware. It can also be very persistent, not allowing you access over your system while it is active. If you are unsure that you have legitimate security software installed then you are welcome to give us a call.

Keyloggers

A keylogger is a malicious program that can monitor the real time activity of a user on a computer, namely each individual keyboard key which is pressed. These keystrokes are then sent to a malicious individual who can the use this information to steal passwords or credit card information. Detecting the presence of a keylogger can be difficult so we suggest a full format of your computer if this malware is thought to be present in your machine. In fact, due to the serious fraudulent nature of keyloggers.

All types of malware removal are dealt with regularly in both of our Blackpool and Lytham laptop repair shops. If you are concerned that your computer may be infected, then do not hesitate to have your PC health checked and give us a call.

-JS

Malware, OS upgrade or messing with drivers can sometimes have an adverse effect on your file extension association resulting in all programs having a .lnk extension.

 

once you are at this point, clicking shortcuts or programs from the start menu windows will proceed to ask “what program would you like to use to the .lnk file”.

Resolution

• Download the following .reg file (this will reset the .lnk settings to default)
  • Download the .lnk REG fix for Windows XP
  • Download the .lnk REG fix for Windows 7 & Vista
• Double click the file, click yes and ok to the prompts from Reg Edit
• Reboot your machine.

You’re done!

it wouldn’t be surprising  if this was a result of malware. we would suggest a thorough scan from a trusted antivirus or malware package.

if you are still concerned about security, fetch it into one of our computer, tablet and laptop repair shops located in Blackpool or Lytham.

 

Attempting to phone Namesco for a customer, only to find the lines are constantly engaged due to a new, forced, mass password change. Lines have been hammered since 21November (see http://www.names.co.uk/network_status.html), and we had to find out this information from the site by Googling ”namesco server status“. When you try and call their support line (0845  363 3630), all you hear is an engaged tone. On some accounts, the message “Please update the password for the following user(s) at your earliest convenience. This will allow us to store it using the latest, most secure method of cryptographic hashing, which is part of an important security upgrade. Failure to complete this process may result in the user(s) being automatically locked in future.”

We have been using Namesco for several years; their servers are reliable, and help has always been on hand when we needed. However, we feel that their re-seller control panel is outdated, and renewal prices for domains are extortionately high! (Namesco – .co.uk 2 years £19.99,  Heart internet – .co.uk 2 years £5.98). Thing is, Namesco fool you in by charging £5.98 for a new .co.uk domain, but when it comes to renewal time, the price goes up to twenty quid plus VAT! (prices correct December 2012 – see here). If you want to transfer the domain away from namesco, a £10 + VAT charge is payable (all the other players will do this for free).

Along with their security breach in January, we feel this is the last straw, and will be looking elsewhere for reseller hosting.

Having said that, let’s leave Namesco in a good light – we have always found their DNS propagation to be very fast, the DNS control panel to be one of the simplest to understand, and the customer service to be outstanding.