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"Meltdown" & "Spectre" are in the news. What are they and what should you do about them?

2018-01-05T12:46:00.000+00:00

So, Happy New Year. Unhappily new viruses are again in the news.

You may well have heard about "Meltdown" and "Spectre" which have been mentioned on the news recently. Just yet another virus scare? Not really, this time it's quite serious.

What are they?

These two bugs, flaws, vulnerabilities (call them what you will) are related, which is why the news programmes have lumped them together.

Effectively both of them can compromise the security of the main "Central Processing Unit", or CPU, in a computer device; (Server, Desktop, Laptop, iPad, Tablet, Smartphone, Toaster, Heating Controls, Smoke Alarm, CCTV) - all of these and many more contain a CPU, also known as a Processor.

The main difference appears to be that Meltdown affects only Intel Processors, whereas Spectre affects all Processors.

Why does it affect me?

Computers are built as a compromise. Manufacturers want to make computers that are as fast, as secure and as cheap as possible. But, effectively, you can only choose to have any 2 of the 3. As consumers we have been demanding fast and cheap, so that's what the manufacturers have built and sold to us.

Sadly, this means that security has been somewhat compromised. In any computer device the CPU has to deal with all of the data traffic. That obviously must include a lot of very sensitive data, such as passwords, online banking details, etc etc.

The CPU should be built to separate the data that is created by each piece of software, so that any piece of software only gets to see its own data. Had security been a greater criteria for CPU makers, they would have had to sacrifice some speed or to increase costs. They didn't do so.

So what?

So a malicious piece of software, such as a virus, could take a look at data from a legitimate programme and steal that information. As all data passes through the CPU it has now been discovered that such data may be at risk of being read.

Why do we only know this now?

Computers, and the manufacturing process of CPUs, are still very much an on-going science. Even though we have had personal computers since the mid-1990's it is still a fairly new science, and one which is hurtling ahead at breakneck speed. It would seem that the CPU manufacturers have not really been paying as much attention to security as they should have been doing, (see cheap, fast, secure above).

What can I do now?

The major software companies, such as Microsoft and Apple, are bringing out patches to their operating systems to combat the problem. But, such patches may cause their own issues with some software already installed on your computer. This is likely to especially be the case with anti-virus software. You should check with your anti-virus company whether, or not, their software is compatible. (We are Webroot Anti-Virus suppliers and this is compatible.)

Also, the CPU makers will be releasing "firmware" patches, to improve the way their hardware acts. You should check with the support website of your computer manufacturer, to see if they have any "Driver" updates for your computer - especially any "BIOS" updates.

These may not be available immediately as it can take some time to produce such patches. They need rigorous testing to ensure they don't cause more problems than they solve. So you should check every week or so for the next couple of months.

It is thought that any patches which affect the way that the CPUs work are likely to slow down the computer, by anywhere from 5% to 30%. I would think that the cheaper the computer, the greater the effect will be.

How can The IT Dept help?

Call us, if you're based in Lancashire, and we can arrange audits of your IT equipment to see what is likely to be vulnerable and to carry out the necessary checks for updated drivers, etc.

Call us now on 01257 42 92 16
or see our website at https://the-it-dept.uk

Keeping IT Simple!

____________________________________________________

The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2018

What is the WannaCry RansomWare virus?

2017-05-15T21:45:00.000+01:00

You may have read about the disruption caused to many computers across the world last week, that was caused by the WannaCry RansomWare virus. The NHS were amongst the organisations most badly affected. Here we try to explain what it is, how so many people were infected and how you can protect yourself.

What is WannaCry?

It is a “RansomWare” virus that almost certainly arrives as an email attachment, which a user is persuaded to open. They may believe the email to have come from a friend or colleague. Or the email may be suggesting that the attachment is an expected invoice, a problem with your bank, or an unexpected demand for payment. However it is presented, it would appear to have been crafted in such a way that many people have opened the attachment.

What is RansomWare?

“RansomWare” is the name given to a type of virus which infects your computer, encrypts most of your data and then demands a payment, or ransom, to provide a “Decryption Key”. Only with that key would you be able to recover your encrypted data back to a useable form.

Why didn’t Anti-Virus software stop it?

No anti-virus (AV) software is 100% effective. The way most AV works is by knowing each virus that exists. Any software that tries to install itself to your computer has a specific signature. That signature is matched against a database of known viruses and the AV blocks any malicious software.

However, whatever AV is in use by the NHS clearly wasn’t effective in this instance – in a big failure!

In the case of a new virus, most AV databases need to be updated with the new signature, and every computer then needs to download the updated database. This process is speedy, but inevitable time delays allow the virus to spread.

Some AV, such as WebRoot, (http://www.the-it-dept.uk/antivirus.php), works in a slightly different way by trying to spot the way viruses infect computers, as well as having a cloud based database of known viruses. WebRoot also sends back to base information on software that computers are installing, so any malicious virus can be spotted quickly, allowing the WebRoot database to be updated very fast, to block further infections.

Which computers are at risk?

The WannaCry virus exploited a vulnerability in older versions of Microsoft Windows. A “vulnerability” is, effectively, a mistake in the coding of Windows, which allows a malicious virus writer to exploit the poor coding. There are very many vulnerabilities within Windows, which is why Microsoft releases “Windows Updates” every month. These Updates are used to patch the holes in the software to make it more secure.

There is a governmental organisation in the USA, called the National Security Agency (NSA), which is tasked with keeping the computers of the USA, and presumably other friendly nations, as secure as possible. The NSA discovered a new vulnerability within Windows some time ago. But, they kept this information to themselves, in the hope of using the security flaw in an attack on their enemies.

Instead of this happening, the NSA themselves were hacked and the information that they held on the vulnerability was stolen. This meant that nefarious elements now had some very dangerous knowledge.

At this point the NSA had to fess up to Microsoft, who soon released a patch against the vulnerability. So, any computers which were running Windows Updates automatically, or whose users were installing such patches manually, were secure.

There are, of course, questions about the ethics of the NSA. “NSA's mission is to help protect national security” (from https://www.nsa.gov/news-features/press-room/statements/2013-08-09-the-nsa-story.shtml). Quite how the best interests of national security are addressed by keeping quiet about such a major flaw in Microsoft Windows is debatable.

But, surely the NHS were patching their computers?

Not necessarily. Many IT staff do not allow automatic updating of Windows. Historically this could cause more problems than it was worth, as some of the patches would create more serious issues than they fixed. (This hasn’t been the case for many years now. We recommend users run Windows Updates automatically on PCs, but not on Servers.)

In addition, Microsoft only publicly releases patches for what they call “supported” versions of Windows. This only includes newer versions, such as Windows 7 or Windows 10. It does not include Windows XP.

Many government departments, and particularly the NHS, operate annual budgets which mitigate against longer term investment. They therefore do not see the cost benefit of upgrading older computers. Or they have certain devices attached to a computer which will not work on newer versions of Windows. The NHS has many computers running Windows XP.

For some time the UK government was paying Microsoft to continue providing patches for Windows XP. Last year the government decided that this was a false economy and stopped paying this money from central funds. The NHS chose not to make a new agreement with Microsoft, and so their Windows XP computers have not had the benefit of any patches. I also suspect that many of their newer computers are not set to automatically update.

Why was WannaCry able to infect so many computers?

WannaCry is different to most other RansomWare as the exploit that the NSA had discovered allowed malicious software to spread from computer to computer, over the network. Previously most viruses would only infect the one computer that they had been installed to. So, if one user in an office opened a malicious email attachment, only their computer was infected. WannaCry infects all of the other computers that it can find on the same network.

Why can’t I decrypt the data myself?

The encryption methods used by this type of virus are extremely powerful. Without the Decryption Key it is almost impossible to recover your data.

The virus writers wish to be paid in “Bit Coins”, which are an untraceable, electronic currency. The WannaCry virus demands payment within 3 days, or the price doubles. Don’t pay within a week and your data is gone forever. But, setting up a Bit Coin account is neither straightforward nor fast. And, once you have paid the ransom, what guarantee do you have that the Decryption Key, if sent to you at all, will work?

Law enforcement agencies cannot, in this case “follow the money”. Bit Coin accounts have been designed to be untraceable and anonymous.

So, what can I do to protect myself?

There are several steps we can take to protect against viruses.

Use a backup system where most copies of the backed up data are not held on your network.

Cloud, or online, based backup is ideal. RansomWare viruses cannot infect the data in the cloud, so you can clean the virus and recover the data from backup very quickly.

Tape based backup, or backup to more than one external hard drive, allows the backed up data to be removed from site each night, offering some protection.

Backup. Backup. Backup

Keep Windows Updates running automatically and check that they are installing occasionally.

Install a good anti-virus system and keep it updated.

Install CryptoPrevent and pay the $15 annual fee to keep it updated. This is a small piece of software aimed only at preventing RansomWare style viruses (https://www.foolishit.com/cryptoprevent-malware-prevention/)

Don’t visit websites that your mother wouldn’t approve of. And don’t click links in emails to websites. Especially if an email consists only of a link.

But, most importantly, be wary of any email attachments.

Do you know the person who just sent an email to you with an attachment?

Do you really know them? Anyone can fake an email address, so does the email read correctly, as if your friend or work colleague that appears to have sent it actually did so?

Were you expecting the email attachment? Not just, were you expecting an email attachment. Were you expecting this specific one?

Is the attachment a Zip file? No-one sends Zip files very much, apart from virus writers!

Have a regular IT Support visit to report on the health of your computers. You may wish to have a monthly contract, or just the occasional one-off visit.

Just as you service your car to keep it running smoothly, so you should service your computers.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or concerns. Or if you'd like further advice.

Call us now on 01257 42 92 16
or see our website at https://the-it-dept.uk

Keeping IT Simple!

____________________________________________________

The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2017

Have you been affected by the WannaCry Ransomware virus?

2017-05-13T13:53:00.000+01:00

If you have been affected by the Ransomware virus get in touch for advice.
01257 42 92 16
https://www.the-it-dept.uk

To protect yourself from this or future attacks there are 4 simple steps:

1. Train all computer users to be very wary of email attachments or links in emails that you are not absolutely convinced have come from a trusted source. This doesn't just mean knowing the email address that the message appears to have come from, but does the email read as if that person actually sent it to you?

Are you expecting that email attachment?

Does the email only contain one link to a website?

2. A decent anti-virus programme. Yes, you do need to pay for this, but it is invaluable. (Most of the free programmes aren't licensed for business use anyway.) Whatever anti-virus software the NHS or Nissan have been using clearly isn't up to the job!

3. Update Windows. Most systems are set to automatically update, but even then many will still wait for your input before actually installing the updates. Learn how to check that Windows has been updated. It's very simple to do.

4. Backup. Backup. Backup.
Backing up your data is by far the most important thing you have to do on a computer. If you're not backing up the computer then you may as well switch it off and not bother switching it on again!

These Ransomware viruses attack not just the data on the computer, but will also search for any data on the network. So, if you use some form of backup which remains attached to the network that will also be affected and rendered pointless.

You need a backup system whereby a tape or drive is removed from site each night, (to protect against fire, flood or theft as well as Ransomware.) Or, use cloud based backup.

Online, cloud based backup is not as vulnerable to Ransomware attack as it is held remotely and you can generally rescue any data from any day up to 30 days old.

Backup. Backup. Backup.
Please :)

Call us now on 01257 42 92 16
or see our website at https://the-it-dept.uk

Keeping IT Simple!

____________________________________________________

The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2017

It's World Password Day!

2017-05-04T16:09:00.004+01:00

Secure, Complex, but Easy Passwords

4th May is World Password Day!

There are many different ideas on passwords; whether you should change them regularly; that you should have a different password for every website you visit and every app you use; how difficult to guess your password should be, (and therefore how hard to remember it is?)

One of the most sensible approaches to security is to use "complex" passwords of at least 8 characters, and to have a different password for each situation. A complex password is built up with at least 3 of the 4 elements of CAPITAL letters, lower-case letters, numb3rs and pun&tuat!on marks - such as P4ssw0rD! Some websites like some punctuation, some don't. They will all accept the other 3 elements.

But, how can you easily create dozens of acceptable passwords, that are difficult to guess, and how would you ever remember several such passwords?

Here's a simple solution.

Decide on a random word which will form the basis of all of your passwords. But that word shouldn't be a real word or name which is associated with you in any way, or able to be guessed. So, let's put that into practice.

At school I really liked a girl called Carol, (although I never dared tell her so!) So the basis of my randomly generated passwords shall be "arol". This isn't a real word and who would be able to guess it?

I'll now add 2 numbers, to the front and end of the base - 1arol9

To make it unique, to each and every website or app that I use, I shall add the first 2 letters of the name of the company operating that website or app to the end of my new password in Capital Letters.

So, if I am dealing with Amazon, I would create the unique password of 1arol9AM
Ebay is given 1arol9EB
Marks and Spencer gets 1arol9MA
The IT Dept = 1arol9TH

I have quickly and simply created an infinite number of exceptionally strong passwords which are extremely memorable.

(4th May is also Star War's Day. May the Fourth be with you!)

Call us now on 01257 42 92 16
or see our website at https://the-it-dept.uk

Keeping IT Simple!

____________________________________________________

The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2017

Should I upgrade to Windows 10?

2015-08-09T15:28:00.001+01:00

UPDATE: This blog no longer applies. Windows 10 has improved immeasurably since this blog was first written and we do now recommend upgrading to Windows 10. Call us for advice on 01257 429216

Windows 10 has been flagged up for a while as an upgrade for legitimately licensed users of Windows 7 or 8.1. Some time ago Microsoft started adding a small flag to the System Tray of such PCs with the title, "Get Windows 10".

As this is a free upgrade to the operating system, why not? It is free for the first year for Windows 7 users, (from 29th July 2015), and for all time for Windows 8.1 users.

You won't have the option to upgrade if you have Windows XP or Vista. Microsoft isn't keen for people to still be using such old operating systems, and hasn't provided an upgrade path for them. Also, if your PC is old enough to have XP or Vista, it is very unlikely that it would work with Windows 10 anyway.

If you have Windows 7 you almost certainly don't wish to upgrade. It is quite possible that Windows 10 would work on the PC, but why change from the excellent Windows 7 to a much clunkier user experience with 10?

If you have Windows 8 then you will have to upgrade to Windows 8.1 before you can try to install 10. And, if you have Windows 8.1 then you may as well upgrade to 10. The user experience is very similar, but marginally less difficult to navigate than 8.1.

Having said that, you may be unlucky enough to find that some components may not work, such as sound, graphics or network cards. The correct drivers, (which tell the hardware how to integrate with the operating system), should be available from your PC manufacturer but it may be best to check first.

Windows 10, in common with Windows 8.1, is clunky to use. Finding the programmes that you use most can be time consuming and frustrating. There has been lots of talk about the Start Menu coming back, after Microsoft received so many complaints at the loss of this most useful feature of Windows 7.

The Start Menu is back, after a fashion, but it can be confusing to find what you need. If you realise that you can quite easily remove items that have been added to the Start Screen by default (by right-clicking and choosing "Unpin from Start" or "Remove from this list") then you can clean this up. You then need to find the programmes (or Apps as they are now called) that you wish to add to the Start Menu. (Right click and choose "Pin to Start".)

Under the hood Windows 10 is much more secure and even faster than Windows 7, but just as awkard and clunky to use as Windows 8.1, negating the enhanced speed of the operating system, which is lost in the overall speed of use.

The default installation of Windows 10 will send a huge amount of information about you, your contacts, and the way that you use the computer and the internet, to Microsoft and to many of their advertisers. To avoid this you need to be careful when installing to avoid "Express Settings" and to look for the small link to "Customise settings". Choose "No" to all of the default settings to secure your own computer.

Once you have installed Windows 10 you should then look for "Privacy Settings" by typing this into the large Search box on the task bar. You'll need to wade through these to turn off any settings that you are uncomfortable with. Very few of them are for your benefit.

Our strong recommendation, should you choose to upgrade, is to wait at least 6 months, until early 2016, while the bugs are ironed out and the PC manufacturers get up to speed and release updated drivers.

Otherwise, if you have Windows 7 stick with it. If you have Windows 8.1 then upgrade to 10.

Call us now on 01257 42 92 16
or see our website at http://the-it-dept.uk

Keeping IT Simple!

____________________________________________________

The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2015

Windows SBS 2011 is denying users access to shared folders and services are stopping

2015-06-16T11:22:00.000+01:00

Last week we installed the May 2015 Windows Updates to a Small Business Server 2011 for a client. We usually wait 2 or 3 weeks from release before installing such patches, to see if anyone else has problems when doing so.

The day after the patches were installed the users reported that they were being refused access to their Shared Drives. We logged on to the Server to find that the User Profile wouldn't load and it was very, very slow in operation, eventually hanging and requiring a forced reboot.

It would boot to Safe Mode, suggesting that the problem was less likely to be hardware related. The Windows patches of the day before were the most likely culprit, but once it had rebooted it would work well for anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.

We saw a lot of SharePoint errors in the Event Logs, and we discovered that the SharePoint 2010 VSS Writer service was being stopped and set to "Disabled", rather than "Automatic". There had been a number of SharePoint updates installed the day before, but these didn't have an uninstall option. This led us down a blind alley for some time and we discovered that running psconfig.exe made no difference.

No issues were reported by a Best Practices Analyser scan. Running the "Fix My Network" wizard suggested minor errors in IPv6 and DNS settings, but resolving these saw no change. Updating the network card drivers didn't do anything either.

The problem appeared to be getting worse as reboots now led to the Server waiting a long time after entering a password on “Applying Group Policy Drive Maps Policy”.

A slow process of fault finding made us realise that the following services were among those being stopped:

a.    Group Policy Client
b.    IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
c.    IP Helper
d. Server
e.    Shell Hardware Detection
f. System Event Notification Service
g.    Task Scheduler

All of these would allow themselves to be restarted, with the exception of the Group Policy Client service.

Cutting a very long story short, the problems were eventually tracked to the Windows Updates service and the WSUS Role on the Server, which controls how Windows Updates are rolled out to client PCs. Disabled the "Update Service" service and the "Windows Update" service, as well as removing the WSUS role from the Server has made everything stable again.

Removing the WSUS role and stopping the Updates services means that the client PCs needed to be reset to go direct to Microsoft for their own Windows Updates. This is achieved through tweaking the relevant Group Policy.

We adjusted the GPO "Update Services Common Settings" - Computer Configuration – Policies - Administrative Templates - Windows Components - Windows Update:

“Specify intranet Microsoft update service location” - Set this to disabled

The SharePoint issues seem to be a completely separate red herring and we are willing to ignore them as we don't use SharePoint anyway and these failures are having no impact on the users or the Server.

____________________________________________________

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2015

Has my email address been stolen?

2014-09-23T20:52:00.000+01:00

We hear about email addresses and passwords being lost all of the time. Quite often they are stolen by hackers who have managed to breach the lax security of some of the larger, and possibly more trusted, companies in the online world.

Personal and financial details, such as names, addresses, dates of birth and credit card information, are often lost along with website usernames and passwords.

One of the more infamous such breaches was of the Sony PlayStation databases, back in April 2011, in which 77 million user accounts were stolen, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Network_outage)

In a more recent hack the huge software company Adobe are reported to have lost data on 150 million accounts! To discover if your email address was one of those lost by Adobe go to the website https://lastpass.com/adobe/ and enter your email address(es).

Even if your email address hasn't ended up in the hands of the hackers you should take the opportunity to change all of your passwords for more secure and complex pa$3-WOrd!

There is another website at https://haveibeenpwned.com/ which can check against a lot of other hacked databases to see if your email address may have been compromised.

But, you should also ensure that you use different passwords on each and every website where you open an account, so if one is hacked you do not risk having all of your website accounts hacked. Not so easy though! Or is it?

Ideally you need to use "complex" passwords of about 8 characters, and have a different password for each website that you deal with. A complex password is built up with CAPITAL letters, lower-case letters, numb3rs and pun&tuat!on marks, such as P4s$w0rD! But, how would you ever remember several such passwords?

Here's a simple solution. Decide on a random word which will form the basis of all of your passwords. But that word shouldn't be a real word or name which is associated with you in any way, or able to be guessed. So, let's put that into practise.

At school I really liked a girl called Carol, (although I never dared to tell her so!) So the basis of my randomly generated passwords shall be "arol".

I'll now add both punctuation and a number - arol9!

To make it unique, to each and every web site that I use, I shall add the first 2 letters of the name of the company operating that web site to the front of my new password in Capital Letters.

So, if I am dealing with Amazon, I would create the unique password of AMarol9!
Ebay is given EBarol9!
Marks and Spencer gets MAarol9!
The IT Dept = THarol9!

I have quickly and simply created an infinite number of exceptionally strong passwords which are extremely memorable.

____________________________________________________

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter
The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

Cost - Quality - Time - A Business Challenge

2014-09-05T11:46:00.004+01:00

This Blog isn't about IT, or computers, which may make it more palatable to most folks! (Although we try to write our IT Blogs in English, we do realise that we don't always fully succeed.)

I had a 1-2-1 meeting with Amanda Jackson of TigerFish PR earlier today. They're a great PR company for the logistics market. If you make it or move it, let TigerFish PR it!

During a wide ranging and fun discussion Amanda mentioned an issue that many businesses will come across, based on a triangle of often competing business staples.

Here at The IT Dept we are always striving to offer a quality service, within a declared time frame, at a known cost. As Amanda put it, a client can have any 2 of the 3, but achieving all 3 can be impossible.

We regularly have competing factors at play, especially when scoping work within the IT sector for clients. We often don't know exactly how long a job will take, but we do know that the client will expect a high quality job, and we need to charge for the work.

The client, of course, wants to know how much the job is likely to cost, as well as how long it will take. They may well assume that a high quality service is to be taken for granted.

We try very hard not to skimp on the quality of our services. Which can lead to us taking longer to carry out work than some of our competitors. Obviously this may clash with the budget that a client has set for the work.

Fortunately, my meeting with Amanda followed directly on from a seminar run by Michael Finnigan, of i2i (Impossible to Inevitable).

Michael is great at explaining to his clients how they must believe that they can achieve the impossible. With such beliefs the dream becomes inevitable.

We shall endeavour to marry all three of the factors above into our proposals for clients in the future: To spend sufficient time on the work; To offer the highest quality; At a cost acceptable to both parties. The results should be inevitable.

And, on the subject of marriage - Congratulations and Good Luck to Andy and Ruth of Eat My Logo on todays nuptials!

____________________________________________________

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter
The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

Is your iCloud data safe?

2014-09-03T12:30:00.000+01:00

Following the recent revelations that a number of celebrities have had nude photos of themselves hacked, seemingly from within their iCloud accounts, what does this mean for you?

Do you have an iCloud account?

Probably. If you have ever bought music from the iTunes Store, or if you have ever owned an iPhone or iPad, then the chances are very high that you have set up an iCloud account.

What is an iCloud account?

It is storage for your data provided to you, for free, by Apple on the internet (i.e. in the "Cloud"). Ostensibly this allows much easier use of your Apple devices as all stored data can be shared by all of your devices. So, if you have iTunes on one device you can listen to the same music on your other Apple devices. Photos you take on an iPhone can also be viewed on your iPad.

Why is this free?

Clearly the supply and maintenance of iCloud Servers costs Apple quite a lot of money. It could be argued that they are simply giving something back, given the very high price of iPhones and iPads compared to equivalent devices from other manufacturers. But, it could also be useful for Apple to know how and why people use their phones and tablets, for market research purposes.

But I don't need that functionality

Maybe not. But your Apple device may be set to store backups of your data in the iCloud. Useful, of course, if you ever lose your iPhone with all of the precious photos on it.

Nobody wants my photos!

Obviously not, but that won't stop them looking around. You may think there isn't much in your house worth stealing, but you lock the door every time you leave.

How do they get into my account?

Apple's iCloud service is protected by email address, password and the answers to 2 out of 3 security questions.

Your email address is, of course, public knowledge.

These hackers seem to have used a "Dictionary" attack on the passwords, whereby software is set up to simply scroll through every word in the dictionary until it finds a match. (It will also substitute letters for numbers to try common pa55w0rd5.)

The security questions can be fairly easy to guess if you can access sufficient information about someone. For celebs this comes from Hello magazine interviews. For you and I, Facebook, Twitter or Linked In are the main sources of personal information.

But, I use 2-Step Verification

Good! 2-Step Verification sends a one-off code to your mobile phone when you try to access an online account. So, to access the account you have to know the username, the password, the answers to security questions and the one-off code. This makes life much more secure and you should use it whenever possible.

But! Apple's iCloud data is not protected in this way. Only the actual account is, to prevent hackers changing your password or answers to your security questions. If they are able to guess these then they have access to the data anyway.

What can I do to protect myself?

Even though you don't believe that you have anything worth stealing, people feel very vulnerable after suffering an intrusion into their personal space.

1. Just as you use a different key for every lock, so you should use a different, and complex, password for every website. Using a one word password, (such as password), is simply inviting trouble. Make your pa$5-WOrd£ hard to crack. See our Blog at goo.gl/occvS to learn how to do this very easily.

2. Remove or mask all personal data from Facebook, Linked In, Google+, etc.

Set up a free email address and use that for logging in to Social Media. (You only need to use the email address occasionally, to verify that you have access to it the first time you use it for each site.)
Change your date of birth (not just the year.) Your real friends know your real birthday anyway.
Don't be tempted by the "Find Your Friends" features of such sites. This is simply a way for them to collect your address book, so they can target your friends.

3. Set up 2-Step Verification whenever you can.

4. Use obscure answers to security questions, such as "Fantastic" for Mother's Maiden Name, or "Keyboard" for First Car, etc.

5. Don't trust companies to keep your data secure, no matter who they are or how big they are. The bigger they are, the less control they have over all of their Servers.

6. Delete your iCloud account. On your iOS device’s Home screen, go to Settings > iCloud, then at the bottom of the screen, tap Delete Account.

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

Viruses in the news again. What to do about CryptoLocker, GameOverZeus etc?

2014-06-03T09:12:00.000+01:00

You may well have seen the recent news articles about the work of international law enforcement agencies in taking down the networks of computers that run some exceptionally malicious viruses, with names such as CryptoLocker, P2PZeuS, GameOverZeus, etc.

What does it all mean for you and what should you now do?

Here in the UK the National Crime Agency (NCA) have warned users that they have 2 weeks to protect themselves (see http://goo.gl/sPf39B). They don't seem to have made it very clear why you only have two weeks and they seem to only be suggesting that you should run good anti-virus software and to install any waiting Windows Updates. This is, of course, solid advice at any time and not just now.

It appears that the damage the NCA, along with the FBI, Interpol etc, have managed to inflict upon the main servers running these viruses is what has given us a "2 week window". The suggestion is that the "Command and Control" Servers which run these global virus operations are expected to be back up and running soon, i.e. within 2 weeks.

These Servers rely on millions of innocent computers doing the majority of their work, whilst also allowing the virus writers to hide behind many smokescreens.

Your computer may be one of those infected and running as part of this "BotNet" without you knowing about it. The point of updating anti-virus software and keeping Windows up to date is to reduce the chances of your own computer remaining infected in this way.

Internet Service Providers can spot when PCs are participating in a malicious BotNet, by the amount and type of internet traffic that is passed. To date, in the UK, they have never warned anyone that they may be infected, but there are suggestions that they may do so now.

CryptoLocker is a very effective virus which will encrypt and lock all of the data on your computer. You will then see a message on-screen, telling you that this has happened and explaining how to pay a ransom in order to buy a key that will decrypt the data. That ransom apparently varies between £250 and £400. There is no other way to decrypt the locked data.

Any data which can be seen on your network will become locked, once the virus has successfully infected any one computer on the network. This includes data held on Servers and backups held on external hard drives, which are left connected to the PC.

There are several steps that you should take to avoid infection:
1. Use off-site or online backup. This is very unlikely to become encrypted even if you do contract the virus. You simply clean the virus, restore the data from backup and continue.

2. Use a solid anti-virus. We recommend and resell WebRoot. Others are available, but some are less effective than others. Most of the "free" products are not licensed for business use.

3. Run "Windows Updates" regularly, and preferably automatically.

4. Ask us about our "CryptoPrevent" software, which attempts to stop or to disrupt such viruses from running in the first place. This is free to our own clients.

5. Most importantly. Use your own common sense! The vast majority of viruses come through Zip attachments in emails. Does anyone ever send you a Zip attachment? Probably not. If not then do not be tempted to open such an attachment, no matter who it appears to have come from.

Call us for free advice on avoiding virus infections. If you are based in Lancashire and you believe that your computer may be infected, switch it off and ask us to visit as soon as possible.

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

Upgrading from Windows 8 to 8.1

2014-05-02T12:38:00.000+01:00

Whenever we can we dissuade our business clients from using Windows 8. This is because it is designed with Home Users and social media at the very forefront of the entire operating system. It is clunky to use and difficult to navigate, and really needs a touch screen to get the most out of it. Windows 8 is also part of Microsoft's long-term intentions to move everyone to the "Cloud", which may not be the ideal scenario for business users.

The concept behind Windows 8 was to have the same operating system on your phone, tablet and computer. Except that all 3 devices are used for very different purposes. Oops.

We supply Windows 7 Pro as the operating system of choice for our computers. This is an excellent version of Windows, and by far the best yet offered by Microsoft. Many of our clients who buy their own computers will find that they have bought Windows 8, so they ask us to move them to Windows 7 instead. (Microsoft refers to this as a "downgrade", whereas we prefer to think of it as an "upgrade")

This is a free upgrade if they bought Windows 8 Pro, but this is rarely offered unless requested. Most computers ship just with Windows 8 - which is different to Windows 8 Pro. Not very obvious, is it? Again, this is fine for home users, but not so for business users.

Windows 8 Pro comes with the upgrade rights to use Windows 7 Pro instead. Windows 8 does not, so you would have to buy an additional Windows 7 licence, at approx £100. Officially, since Oct 2013, this is no longer possible.

With Windows 7 we have always, as per best practice, moved the User Data from the C: drive of the computer to a secondary D: drive. The C: drive is then used exclusively for Windows and other programmes, (such as Office, etc.) This helps to protect the user's data in the event of failure of the Windows operating system and is a much more efficient use of the hard drive in a computer. It also makes data backup much simpler.

Microsoft's own take on this practice is,
"For Windows, the most common reasons are as follows:

It is easier to back up data from a single drive & from a drive that contains only user files.

It is easier to rebuild the operating system drive on a user’s computer if user data is located on a separate volume. In this case, the drive that contains the Windows directory can be formatted, and Windows can be reinstalled without having to worry about how to remove user data."

However, it will eventually be the case that we will no longer be able to supply Windows 7. Microsoft originally said this would be in late 2014, but have since changed this to a date "to be determined". They have already stopped selling Windows 7 as an off-the-shelf product, as mentioned above.

So we will be forced to supply Windows 8, or its successor, whether or not that is good for our business clients. Which is all in the name of progress, of course. Or is it?

A Windows 8 computer will still allow us to move the User Data folders to the secondary partition, or D: drive. Indeed, this is becoming a vital necessity as we are starting to see relatively small SSD (Solid State Drives) being used for the operating system, (as they are very fast indeed), with more normal, larger hard drives used for the User Data, (as they are very cheap).

All well and good. Until we decide that we wish to upgrade the awful Windows 8 to the slightly less appalling Windows 8.1. In that case we can spend many hours downloading the Windows 8.1 upgrade, only to then see a message on screen saying, "Sorry, it looks like this PC can't run Windows 8.1. This might be because the Users or Program Files folder is being redirected to another partition.."

The reasoning behind this is very unclear indeed and is very much a backward step by Microsoft, especially in the face of SSD drives becoming more widely used.

The way around this problem is to manually move each user's data folders, one at a time, to the D: drive, but to leave that user's "profile" on the C: drive. This is a poor compromise which goes against Microsoft's own reasoning for moving the user profile completely, as shown above.

Microsoft says, "By changing the default location of the user profile directories or program data folders to a volume other than the system volume, you cannot service your Windows installation. Any updates, fixes, or service packs cannot be applied to the installation. We recommend that you do not change the location of the user profile directories or program data folders."

This means that, in one Microsoft article on this very issue, they recommend keeping the operating system and user data separate, and then tell us that we cannot do this! (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949977)

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

HeartBleed - what do I need to do?

2014-04-15T15:00:00.000+01:00

The HeartBleed "Bug" is not a virus which may infect your computer. It is a flaw, or vulnerability, in the software which protects some "Secure" websites.

If you see HTTPS at the start of a web address, the letter "S" stands for Secure, which gives you peace of mind when sharing sensitive information with that website.

Except that some sites may not have been so secure as we'd once thought!

Effectively this bug could have allowed attackers to read the memory of affected web servers. That memory may have included information such as your username and password, etc.

No-one knows for sure whether, or not, this flaw was ever exploited by any hackers. It has been present in the affected software for about 2 years and the world has yet to stop, so my own suspicion is that it hasn't been used against any Web Servers so far.

A fix for the flaw has been issued and almost all affected web servers will have been patched by now.

So, that's OK, panic over then. Phew!

But, and there's always a but, because we don't know too much about whether or not this flaw was ever exploited, the recommendation now is to change all of your internet passwords anyway.

Why bother? Because it is very good safe-surfing practice to change your passwords every 6 months or so, and why not do it now?

You should use complex passwords, which are different for every web site that you visit. A complex password is built up with CAPITAL letters, lower-case letters, numb3rs and pun&tuat!on marks, such as P4ssw0rD! But, how would you ever remember several such passwords?

Here's a simple solution. Decide on a random word which will form the basis of all of your passwords. But that word shouldn't be a real word or name which is associated with you in any way, or able to be guessed. Let's put that into practice.

At school I really liked a girl called Carol, (although I never dared tell her so!) So the basis of my randomly generated passwords shall be "arol".

I'll now add both punctuation and a number - arol9!

That is the core of all my new passwords.

To make it unique, wherever I may need a password, I shall add the first 2 letters of the name of the company I am dealing with to the front of my new password in Capital Letters.

So, if I am dealing with Amazon, I would create the unique password of AMarol9!
Ebay is given EBarol9!
Marks and Spencer gets MAarol9!
The IT Dept = THarol9!

I have quickly and simply created an infinite number of exceptionally strong passwords which are extremely memorable.

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

Windows XP goes “End of Life” on 8th April 2014

2014-03-25T21:36:00.000+00:00

Q. End of Life? What does that mean?

A. Microsoft’s most popular operating system ever, Windows XP has been with us since Oct 2001. It is still installed on almost 30% of computers. Microsoft bring out newer, more secure, operating systems every 3 years or so and they are now retiring Windows XP, so that they can stop having to support it.

Q. How does that affect me?

A. After 8^th April Microsoft will no longer release security patches for Windows XP. Hackers are forever attempting to discover new vulnerabilities in the operating system of your computer, which could allow them to gain control. If you are still using Windows XP then the chances of a successful hack, or virus infection, of your system will quickly grow over the next few weeks.

Q. How do I know if I have Windows XP?

A. Click the “Start” button. You should see either “Run” or a blank white box. Type “winver” and hit the Enter key. This should bring up a box showing information on the version of Windows that you have. Also, if you do have Windows XP you’ve probably had annoying pop-up messages from Microsoft, warning you of its end-of-life status.

Q. Why should I care? There’s nothing worth stealing on my computer!

A. Don’t be so sure. All of your banking details? All of those photos you’d rather keep private? All of your friends email addresses? Your Facebook log-in details? Also, any new hardware or software will probably not work with Windows XP.

Q. What do I need to do then?

A. You need to upgrade from Windows XP to a newer operating system, with the choice currently being either Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Q. Is this a free upgrade?

A. No. Microsoft isn’t one of the world’s most profitable companies for nothing. You either need to buy a new computer, which will come with a new operating system, or you could buy a Windows 7 or 8 licence and upgrade your PC from DVD.

Q. So, what will it cost?

A. A new computer can cost anywhere from £350, but for a decent spec, business-grade PC, expect to pay more like £450. A copy of Windows 7 or 8 on DVD can be bought for £85 or so.

Q. The new licence sounds a cheaper option. Is that best?

A. Probably not. A computer running Windows XP is almost certainly too “old” in computer terms anyway. You would not find that upgrading it would suddenly make it run any better. In fact, the reverse may well be true; and it is possible that the computer simply won’t accept the upgrade. This isn’t for the faint-hearted though, so seek advice first!

Q. Will Microsoft offer any advice or support on upgrading?

A. The effective answer is “no”. You can find material on Microsoft’s websites, but this tends to be factual information regarding the cut-off dates and why they are doing this. You should contact your IT Support Company or a local, independent computer shop for serious advice.

Q. April 8^th? That doesn’t leave me much time, does it?

A. No, but “Don’t Panic”. We recommend upgrading as soon as possible, not only because your computer will become more vulnerable, but because the very fact that it is running on Windows XP means that an upgrade is well overdue anyway. We would definitely advise making the move before May 31^st 2014, which gives you some planning time without taking too many risks with your PC.

Q. OK, I’m willing to upgrade, but should I go with Windows 7 or Windows 8?

A. This really depends on what you use the computer for. The two operating systems are much the same “under the bonnet”, but they look very different in use. (Microsoft would tell us that Windows 8 has much greater security built in, which is true, but not of great importance to businesses with good IT support). In our opinion, Windows 7 is more suited to business users, whereas Windows 8 is better for home users, especially those with a touch screen computer.

Windows 7 looks more like Windows XP, so the inevitable learning curve is much less onerous for a normal computer user than is the case with Windows 8.

Windows 8 is also targeted more at “social” use, rather than business use.

Q. What if my business critical software will only run on Windows XP?

A. You could run a “virtual” instance of Windows XP within your new computer. Or, could you keep one or two PCs separate from the rest of the network, just for running that software? But, your best option is to accept that the time has come to also upgrade that software, which has to happen sooner or later.

Q. Wow. This is more involved than I thought. What do I do next?

A. Speak to The IT Dept about your best options, as there may be different solutions for different people. As Microsoft Partners we are very well placed to offer you the right advice, with the minimum of confusion.

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

Unable to send emails through a BT Broadband account

2014-02-26T15:24:00.000+00:00

Almost all of our clients have their own domain names, which they use for their own websites and email addresses. Many of those clients have set up their email system at home to check their work email accounts.

Those who have a residential BT Broadband line, as opposed to a business line, may find that they are suddenly unable to send emails from their own domain from home. This may be the case even though they have successfully used their own domain to do just this for some time.

You may see an error message pointing you to a web address similar to http://www.spamhaus.org/query/bl?ip=xx.xx.xx.xx (where xx.xx.xx.xx shows your computers "IP Address". Going to that link shows that your IP Address is blocked. Going further into the SpamHaus pages gives an explanation (See http://www.spamhaus.org/pbl/query/PBL231589)

That page explains that BT Retail do not allow unauthenticated emails through their system. That is different to refusing to allow emails sent from authenticated domains other than BT Internet, of course, but let's skip over that issue.

Why they do not allow you to send emails from your own, authenticated, domain is hard to fathom, although BT claim this is an anti-spam measure.

The way round this would appear to be that you need to add your own domain email address as an additional account within your BT Mail system.

When I sought help on this issue from BT, 3 different Techies spent some time telling me that they had no idea what I was talking about, but one of them did eventually send me a Help Document - see http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/10903 - which shows the solution, (although this is for their email system when it was linked with Yahoo!, so the pictures are different, but the principle is the same.)

I then discovered that you do not get a BT email address by default when you sign up to their broadband system. Why not, when you aren't allowed to use any other email addresses? (They obviously expect everyone to use a Web based email service, which would work.)

So, you have to contact BT Sales to ask for an email address to be set up on your account.

You then have to log on to your BT Portal, at http://www.bt.com, and choose the Email tab. Once in there look for Settings, Accounts and add a new account.

You need to know the settings for your own domain's email accounts, but once configured everything works again! Magic.

I have no idea why this is such a difficult proposition for BT, or why their Techies have never before encountered the problem. Even my old Dad has his own domain and unique email address!

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

Costs of an old, slow computer

2014-02-18T10:01:00.001+00:00

Many of our clients, when faced with the prospect of upgrading their old computers, tell us, "We can't afford it right now". But, can they afford not to?

Just as older cars start to become more expensive to run than a newer car, the same is true of computers. However, the costs of slow computers are more hidden.

We believe that most decent spec, business grade computers should last about 4 to 5 years. After that they become less efficient for many technical reasons and the cost of upgrading becomes greater than the cost of replacement.

As a very rough guide, the computers we sell generally cost around the £400 mark. Add £100 for the configuration, installation, delivery and set up in your office. Then add another £100 for a nice new monitor, if you need one, to get an estimated overall price of £600 (+ VAT).

If that computer lasts only 4 years then the annual cost is around £150.

If an employee earning £10 an hour has a slow computer, which loses them only 20 minutes per day, that is costing your business £3.33 per day purely in staff costs, (ignoring the higher power costs of old equipment). That is equivalent to £765.90 per year (of 230 working days).

Upgrading your computers can save you money, as well as reducing frustration and annoyance, giving you a much happier and more productive workforce.

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

Emails from "ICANN" asking to verify the WHOIS contact information

2014-01-18T17:41:00.002+00:00

The organisation responsible for domain names across the internet is called ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).

They have determined that many people who have registered domain names have used false email addresses to do so. The reasoning behind people wishing to do this is likely to be in order to reduce spam, as ICANN happily publish those email addresses to all and sundry.

For reasons which remain unclear, and without any publicity that we are aware of, ICANN now wish any Registrant of a domain name with suffixes such as ".com", ".org" and ".net" to verify that they actually have access to the email address held on the ICANN database. I couldn't find any definitive information on this unexpected move on ICANN's own website at http://www.icann.org/

However, we have clients who have reported to us that their domain has been suspended, following receipt of an email from ICANN asking them to click a link to verify their email address. That this email has every appearance of a phishing scam seems to have passed ICANN by in their rush to enforce the rule that domain names must be registered to people with legitimate email addresses.

Had I received this email I would have deleted it without a second thought as it screams "SCAM!"

The body of the email being sent out reads:

Please be advised that as of the 1st January 2014 it has now become a mandatory requirement from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Name and Numbers (ICANN) that all ICANN accredited registrars verify the WHOIS contact information for all new domain registrations, domain transfers and registrant contact modifications.

You have received this email as you have recently transferred one or more domains to Your domain services provider with the following registrant details:

Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxxx

Email Address: xxxx@xxxxxxx.com

Under the changes requested by ICANN you need to verify your registrant email address. Please click on the link below to verify this email address.

https://www.verify-whois.com/?DW%2bXxjsfv7sldjfvsdnfv;kjsd6bsadcflkj7slkdjfcv

You have 15 days from the time the transfer completed to verify your email address. If your email address is not verified within these 15 days the domain name(s) will be suspended until the email address is verified.

Once the link above is clicked this email address and the domains listed below will be instantly verified.

Please note this email is not a phishing email and is being sent to you following the change outlined above from the 1st January 2014 by ICANN.

Whilst this email is genuine, and clicking on the link did indeed verify the email address with ICANN, you can expect to see similarly worded emails being sent out by malicious scammers.

How do you tell the difference between the real email and a scam?

If your domain is registered through us then you will be the "Registrant", or legal holder, of the domain name and so you will receive the email from ICANN. We won't be aware of this as, unlike many domain registration companies, we do not register the domain name in our own name, as it is your domain and not ours.

You can forward any such emails to us for checking if you wish. This service is free of charge if the domain name has been registered through ourselves, of course.

UPDATED: 05 March 2014

As we said above, "you can expect to see similarly worded emails being sent out by malicious scammers". Today we saw the first such email, which was pretending to be from Microsoft, starting with the line, "New Regulations from Microsoft Corporation and your email host, now require that email account holders must verify their email account information."

As suspected that email isn't genuine and clicking the "Verification Link" would take you to a malicious website which would install viruses on to your computer.

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2014

No computers are shown in Remote Web Workplace (RWW)

2013-11-27T13:44:00.002+00:00

If you regularly use RWW to access your computer on a Windows Domain then you may notice the website now only gives you the option to access your email system. The button that used to give you access to the list of computers available has gone. The screen looks similar to this: This could be the result of an “upgrade” pushed out by Microsoft to their Internet Explorer (IE). IE11, the latest version, seems to be incompatible with RWW. However, you have to use IE in order to access RWW, as it won’t work correctly with other browsers. To resolve the issue: 1. Ensure that you are using Internet Explorer 2. Browse to the RWW website as usual, but don’t sign in yet. 3. Press the “Alt” button on your keyboard (usually to the left of the Space Bar), which should show a menu at the top of the browser screen 4. Click Tools / Compatibility View Settings to see this box: 5. Click the “Add” button. Click Close. 6. Sign in to RWW again to see the button has reappeared: 7. You must now add this website to your “Trusted Sites” in IE. On the menu click Tools/Internet Options. On the screen that appears click the Security tab, highlight the Trusted Sites icon and click the “Sites” button. 8. You should see this screen, click the “Add” button: 9. Click “Close” then “OK” and you can use the “Connect to a Computer” button. 10. You may then see this screen, to which you need to click “Connect” __________________________ __________________________

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2013

Blocking Zip attachments in Outlook

2013-11-20T19:47:00.000+00:00

The majority of viruses reach users as "Zip" attachments in emails. How many people ever receive Zip attachments that are of any use to them? Very few, I would suggest. In my experience most users don't know, or care, what Zip attachments are. Yet so many emails come in every day with such files attached, virtually all of which are malicious. So, how do we block Zip files from getting through to Outlook? There is a simple procedure, although it does involve messing with the "Registry". If you don't know exactly how to do this then you should ask for professional help. 1. Close Outlook 2. Open the Registry using Regedit (If you don't know how to do this you may wish to consider whether you should be doing this yourself.) Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK 3. Backup the Registry, just in case 4. Browse to the relevant Key for your copy of Outlook, i.e. a. For Outlook 2000 use HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook\Security b. For Outlook 2002 use HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\Security c. For Outlook 2003 use HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security d. For Outlook 2007 use HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Security e. For Outlook 2010 use HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Security 5. Check for any other instances of this key, such as HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Security and make the necessary changes to those keys as well. 6. Right-click a blank piece of white space in the right hand side of the screen and choose to create a new "String Value". 7. Name the String Value "Level1Add" (Without the quotes and it is Case SenSitiVe) 8. Double-click the newly created String Value and add to the Value Data the type of attachment you wish to block - e.g. .zip. (You need the full stop at the start of the name) 9. If you wish to block more than one type of attachment use a semi-colon between each type, e.g. .zip; .exe; .bat 10. Close the Registry Editor and reboot the PC. ____________________________________________________

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2013

CryptoLocker Ransomware virus

2013-11-15T14:22:00.000+00:00

This week we've come across a couple of instances of clients who have been infected by the "CryptoLocker" virus.

This virus has changed their desktop wallpaper to become a message from CryptoLocker, which explains that the data on the computer has been encrypted and that the user has 96 hours to pay a ransom in order to have the data unencrypted again.

This type of virus is known as "Ransomware", because you must pay a ransom in order to have your data returned to you.

The virus runs when you click an infected attachment in an email, or if you visit a rogue website. It isn't immediately apparent that you have been infected, as it slowly encrypts all of your data in the background, before announcing itself with the desktop message. Sneaky, huh?

In the case of the first client to report this issue we were able to successfully remove the virus and to then restore all of their data from the Online Backup service that we provide them with.

Sadly, the second client didn't subscribe to this service, in favour of holding their backup on an external hard drive. As this was attached to the computer when the virus did its work, the external drive was also encrypted. Oops.

Whilst we could clean the virus itself off the computer, we weren't able to get any of their data back. The ransom requested is £200, so they are deciding whether or not to trust that paying out this money will actually lead to the data becoming usable again.

There are a number of lessons to take from this problem:

1. Always keep a backup copy of your data away from the computer. This may be through an Online or "Cloud" based backup system, or simply backing up to two separate hard drives, keeping one of them off-site at all times, (in the car for instance).

2. Take a backup copy on a very regular basis. It isn't enough to do this job weekly if you can't afford to lose the last week's worth of data.

3. Test your backup on a regular basis. Can you restore data if you have to? Rename a file and try to restore that file from backup. Do the two files match?

4. Viruses almost invariably come in emails these days. By far the most common method is via a "Zip" attachment. Who ever sends Zip attachments to you? Certainly not the banks, PayPal, the Government, or any parcel delivery companies! Don't trust any Zip attachment.

5. Never believe that the Sender address of an email is where it has actually come from, as this is easily spoofed. Emails which appear to have come from someone that you know and trust are an easy way for virus writers to fool you into opening their attachments. Read the text first and wonder, "Does that sound like this particular Sender, and why would they have sent me this attachment?" If the attachment is a Zip file, don't trust it!

6. If there is no attachment then the email may be trying to trick you into visiting a rogue website. Never click a link held within an email, but instead open your internet browser and go directly to the required website. (Keep your most used websites - such as online banking or PayPal etc. - in the "Favourites" or "Bookmarks" of your internet browser).

If you're worried about your backup method and whether or not it is suitable then call us for a free check up. 01257 42 92 16

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2013

BYOD? What's That Then?

2013-09-13T10:31:00.000+01:00

The latest buzzword coming from the world of IT is "BYOD", which stands for "Bring Your Own Device". Nowhere near as much fun as a BYOB restaurant, the practice has a number of advantages as well as drawbacks. Essentially it relies on employees using their own computer devices for the benefit of the business that they are employed by. Why have two smartphones, two tablets, two laptops, etc. At work an employee only needs one and it may as well be their choice as to which one, right? After all, the majority of employees already bring their own devices into the workplace and attach them to the business network. 60%, or more, of mobile phones are now smartphones and staff will usually expect to connect them to an available wireless network. How does the business protect itself against what should be seen as a "threat" to their network security? How many businesses have ever thought about this issue? So, what are the implications of BYOD? Pros: The business could save on computer costs. The business may share the costs of the device with the employee. The employee gets to use a device that they have chosen. Employee productivity could increase if they feel happier and more trusted. Cons: Whose responsibilities are any necessary repairs? Who is expected to fund the replacement of the device when something newer appears on the market? Surely the employee is able to spend more time on non-business activities while at work? Corporate governance of policies and standards (e.g. anti-virus) is harder to police The most important thing for any business to do is to have an IT Policy in place, whether BYOD is encouraged or not. If it is not allowed then employees must know where they stand if, for instance, their mobile phone were to introduce a virus to the business network. If BYOD is a part of your strategy then clear guidelines on the use of each device, and the cost of buying, using and insuring the devices, should be documented. There is a good blog at http://www.ukmdm.com/byod-explained/ which tries to explain BYOD in greater depth. Or you can call us in for a cuppa and a chat, and we'll give you some IT Policy guidelines. ____________________________________________________

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2013

Windows Updates failing to install

2013-04-19T17:17:00.001+01:00

It used to be reasonably common for some Windows Updates to fail to install on PCs, but not an issue we've come across for some time now. Until this week, that is, when we've suddenly seen quite a few PCs failing to install the required updates.

This can be very frustrating as you've waited for some time for the large amount of updates to be downloaded, then installed. You reboot the computer to see "Failure configuring Windows updates. Reverting changes. Do not turn off your computer."

This can happen if you turn off the computer while it is updating, or it can happen quite randomly. Why it happens isn't so important to you as the way to get round the issue, as it is likely to keep happening every time you try the operation.

To get round the problem there are a couple of things to try before taking the PC to the repair man;

1. Use Internet Explorer to browse to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949358 (You may not get the right results if you try using an Internet Browser other than Internet Explorer.).

This will offer you a "Fix-It" where a Microsoft programme will try to resolve the issue automatically. Run through the wizard to see if this will work.

2. If Step 1 hasn't solved the issue then try these steps:

a. Open Command Prompt as Administrator (In Windows 7, click the Start Button, type cmd.exe into the Search Box immediately above the Start Button, wait for the programme to appear in the box above, right-click and choose "Run As Administrator")

b. In the Command Prompt black box type (without the quote marks)

"Net stop WuAuServ"

c. Wait until the service is reported to have stopped successfully.

d. Browse through My Computer to find C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution

e. Rename C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution-old

(If the system reports it is unable to rename the folder then try step b again.)

f. Back in the Command Prompt window type "Net Start WuAuServ"

g. Click the Start Button again and type "MSConfig.exe" in the search box, then double-click the programme that appears in the list.

h. In the General Tab, choose "Selective Startup", un-check "Load Startup Items"

i. In the Services Tab, check “Hide all Microsoft Services”, then click “Disable All”.

j. Click OK and you'll be prompted to restart the PC.

k. Once the PC has restarted try adding Windows Updates in small batches of 5 at a time, rebooting the computer between installations.

l. Assuming all has worked OK, open MSConfig again to ensure it is set to "Normal Startup" with all services set to run.

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2013

Windows 8 - to upgrade or not to upgrade?

2012-10-30T16:21:00.000+00:00

Microsoft have released Windows 8 - the latest in their line of Windows operating systems - only 3 years since releasing Windows 7. Widely accepted as the best PC operating system from Microsoft yet, Windows 7 itself was preceded by the much-derided Windows Vista.

It is the experience of users who rushed to Vista, from the well-liked and stable Windows XP, which may stem the tide of early adopters of Windows 8.

So, what does Windows 8 do better than Windows 7, and should you upgrade?

The objective of Windows 8 is to give a standard look across all devices running the system, whether these are mobile phones, tablets or PCs. On the face of it this seems to make sense, as users would surely benefit from the same interface on all of their technology.

But, it could be said that such an argument only holds true if all the technology is being used for the same purpose. This is clearly not the case and what a smartphone user wishes to do, an office worker on a PC may not need to do.

Windows 8 is, essentially, an overlay wrapped around Windows 7 to give the same appearance across all devices running Windows 8. This gives it the benefit of Windows 7, with the downside of a new and confusing look.

The Windows 8 interface looks clunky and poorly designed to my eye, being essentially a very large number of square boxes, each representing an “App”. The usual starting point of any Windows PC was the Desktop, but in Windows 8 this is just another App. It is difficult to navigate to find the “classic” Windows experience, and having every app available to everyone may well result in numerous problems being caused by user curiosity.

The large number of Apps which are shown by default can be whittled down and the order can be changed, but in my experience users will not do this.

The concept behind Windows 8 is for it to be used with a touch screen. This is fine for mobile phones and tablets, but not for PCs. Not only do very few PCs have a touch screen, how many users sit so close to the monitor on their desk to make it a practical proposition?

Given that businesses will be unwilling to invest in touch screens, and even less willing to allow users to access many of the available Apps, I could not recommend any business users upgrade to Windows 8.

For a much more in-depth review of Windows 8 see the PC World blog at http://goo.gl/VXLFu (Possibly the only time I have suggested anyone go to their website!)

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2012

Facebook forces @facebook.com email address on users

2012-06-26T16:25:00.000+01:00

Facebook has forced another unannounced change on all users. They have given you an @facebook.com email address and made that the default address for your profile. They have also decided that this address should be shown on your profile, even if you had hidden any previous address which you may have been using. It is easy to undo this change. Click your name at the top right hand side of your Facebook page, to show your Profile. Click the "Edit Profile" button, then look for "Contact Information" across on the left of the page. At the top of this page you should see your email addresses that Facebook knows about. You can choose which email addresses, if any, to show on your Profile, who they are shown to, etc. Given Facebook's reputation I'd like to show none at all! To the right of the email addresses are two drop down boxes which, when clicked, allow you to choose options. Being Facebook the saved settings mysteriously don't actually save. Log out & back in again a few times to keep making the changes to see if you can get them saved. You can't remove the @facebook.com address from your profile altogether, of course. Emails sent to this new @facebook.com address will be sent to your Messages folder, but Facebook haven't said how they will combat the menace of spam hitting every account. ____________________________________________________

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2012

Have you been infected with DNS Changer virus?

2012-05-23T20:30:00.001+01:00

News of an interesting development from the world of computer viruses. For some time a virus known as "DNS Changer" has been infecting computers around the world. The point of the virus was to mischievously re-direct the internet browser of infected PCs to sites which were linked to "pay per click" adverts. The virus writers would then make money from users clicking on those adverts.

When you access the internet your computer goes to a "DNS Server" for information on where to point your browser. This virus pointed you to rogue DNS Servers in a simple scam.

The FBI seized the DNS Servers which were running these web sites back in November 2011, and converted them into honest DNS servers.

However, they now wish to close them down, as running such servers costs money and it isn't really what the FBI do. The servers are to be closed down on July 9th 2012.

But, after that date, infected computers won't be able to access the internet at all. The computer will attempt to find a DNS Server which no longer exists.

Still, all is not lost. To see whether or not your computer is infected visit http://www.dns-ok.us

If you get the message "Your computer appears to be looking up IP addresses correctly!" all well and good. If you get a warning you should contact your IT Support company for guidance.

If you know how to check your own DNS Settings you need to do so on all computers, tablets, smartphones etc as well as your router.

If your router configuration can be accessed using the default password you should change this to a more secure password - and write it on the router.

The following is a list of rogue DNS Servers. If your equipment is using any of the DNS Servers listed you should change these, or set the equipment to get a DNS Server automatically.

64.28.176.0	-	64.28.191.255
67.210.0.0	-	67.210.15.255
77.67.83.0	-	77.67.83.255
85.255.112.0	-	85.255.127.255
93.188.160.0	-	93.188.167.255
213.109.64.0	-	213.109.79.255

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.

What information does your SmartPhone give out?

2012-01-27T13:45:00.001+00:00

O2 have recently admitted that their system has been giving out the mobile phone number of users accessing the internet from their smartphones. If you have accessed a website from your O2 smartphone the website owner would be able to see quite a lot of information about your phone, including the phone number, make, model, software version, etc. O2 say that this was only the case between 14 Jan and 25th Jan, due to a poorly configured maintenance update. (They haven't stated which year this started, although we assume they mean 2012.) They have now fixed this vulnerability. However, they do admit that they have always shared such information with "Trusted Partners", and this is on-going. They haven't said who those Trusted Partners are, which has caused a lot of Twitter activity from outraged O2 customers. It is extremely unlikely that this is limited to O2. It is probable that your own phone provider does the same thing. You may wish to check with them, without holding your breath for any serious feedback. You can also check for yourself if your information is being given out freely, by using your smartphone to browse to www.mulliner.org/pc.cgi. You must do this through the mobile phone network, so turn off the wireless capability of the phone first. If the page you see is red you may have an issue, if it is green then you should be OK. ____________________________________________________

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The IT Dept offers computer support services in Lancashire, including Monthly On-Site or Remote Support Contracts; Secure Online Data Backup; Domain Hosting; Server and Desktop Sales; Software Supply & Installation. We cover all of Lancashire, including Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool, etc.
© Michael Donkin 2012

Blog All About IT !

"Meltdown" & "Spectre" are in the news. What are they and what should you do about them?

What is the WannaCry RansomWare virus?

Have you been affected by the WannaCry Ransomware virus?

It's World Password Day!

Should I upgrade to Windows 10?

Windows SBS 2011 is denying users access to shared folders and services are stopping

a. Group Policy Clientb. IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modulesc. IP Helperd. Servere. Shell Hardware Detectionf. System Event Notification Serviceg. Task Scheduler

Has my email address been stolen?

Cost - Quality - Time - A Business Challenge

Is your iCloud data safe?

Following the recent revelations that a number of celebrities have had nude photos of themselves hacked, seemingly from within their iCloud accounts, what does this mean for you?

Viruses in the news again. What to do about CryptoLocker, GameOverZeus etc?

Upgrading from Windows 8 to 8.1

HeartBleed - what do I need to do?

Windows XP goes “End of Life” on 8th April 2014

Unable to send emails through a BT Broadband account

Costs of an old, slow computer

Emails from "ICANN" asking to verify the WHOIS contact information

No computers are shown in Remote Web Workplace (RWW)

Blocking Zip attachments in Outlook

CryptoLocker Ransomware virus

BYOD? What's That Then?

Windows Updates failing to install

Windows 8 - to upgrade or not to upgrade?

Facebook forces @facebook.com email address on users

Have you been infected with DNS Changer virus?

What information does your SmartPhone give out?

a. Group Policy Client
b. IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
c. IP Helper
d. Server
e. Shell Hardware Detection
f. System Event Notification Service
g. Task Scheduler