Even though this story is not “local”, it does happen locally, it has happened twice to me over the years. Fortunantly both restaurants went out of business quickly.

Every time a credit card leaves the hands of a patron, an opportunity for ID theft and credit card fraud is created. CATS eliminates the tableside security gap by allowing patrons to swipe their credit card right at the table.

A woman of Port Richey, Florida was arrested along with two others in connection to a credit card skimming scheme.

Kathryn Shana’e Perez, 25, who worked at an eatery known as Mugs N Jugs, used the credit card skimmer from May 30th to June 23rd on at least nine different customers. The skimmer used by Perez was given to her by her cousin, Brandon Quillen, 25, who used the stolen information to make new credit cards. Quillen then gave the new cards to his ex-girlfriend to make purchases at Radio Shack and Walmart, totaling over $5,000 in merchandise. Perez told Pasco County Sheriff’s Office detective John Suess that the customers whose information she stole deserved it because they were bad tippers. All three have been arrested and face multiple charges, including fraudulent use of a credit card.

My wife has a netbook that she takes around and uses on open (free) wireless networks wherever she is. She also does not turn it off but rather just closes the lid. Apparently while opening an email (she is a couponer so she opens any and all emails) her machine became infected. Even though I have talked to her about the dangers her attitude is “I have got your to fix it if something happens”, my issue with that is about four times a year I am cleaning a big mess of the laptop, and this time the infection allowed the hackers software to have access to and harvest our Yahoo email password.

What I did next is exactly what I preach here and what you should do. I turned off her laptop. I then went to another PC in our SonicWall protected network (I have NEVER had an infection make it through the SonicWall – contact me for a quote on one that will meet your needs). On the clean PC I logged on to Yahoo and changed my password.

Next I ran my security software on all computers (except the netbook). First Malwarebytes then Spybot and finally ESET. All machines were clean. On the netbook I ran Combofix, TDSSKiller then Malwarebytes, Spybot and finally ESET. I ran them all in normal mode (I did not bother with SAFE mode at this time). After running those (which takes hours), I logged on her system and did a little surfing, cleaning up Internet Explorer, installing Firefox and its security add-ons I have mentioned numerous times (WOT, Adblock Plus, Ghostery, and NoScript), she had not been using Firefox because “she did not like it”, which really turned out to mean the security add-ons kept me from clicking on anything and everything.

Regardless, after a Saturday night spent cleaning all computers I have a story to tell. The moral, don’t jump on any and all open wireless networks, get a SonicWall, even for your home, use Firefox with the security add-ons and quit clicking on every darn email.

Until we meet again, have a virus free week!

To get to the Action Center, click on the “Start” button which is the Windows symbol in the lower left of your monitor.
In the “Search Programs and Files” box immediately above the Start button type in “Action Center” without the quotes. Now select “ACtion Center” from the list on the pop up window, it will be at the top, under the heading “Control Center”

After a moment the Action Center opens up. Listed here will be any known and possible some unknown issues with Windows 7.

If there is a YELLOW section block, you can “View Message Details” or maybe “Check for Solutions” is an option. If you check for solutions, the program naturally goes to Microsoft for the solution, not the hardware or software vendor.

This process may take a while, but could be worth it. Sometime Microsoft request more information, feel free to select the “Send Information” button. Once the checkup is complete, you will be notified.

If Microsoft thinks it has a resolution but is not sure of one specific one or even sure of its fix you will be taken to a window with several choices or with a “how to” for resolving the issue(s). Feel free to follow the steps, they are setup in plain, non-geek terms and are easy to follow.

If the issue or issues could not be automatically fixed, you now have an idea of what could be wrong with your computer. You simply need to go to the web site of the manufacturer of the hardware or software that was listed, then search for patches and updates that might solve unknown or known problems on your computer.

Now if you only could choose “View Message Details” (as in my example above) go ahead and do so, for me, each time Microsoft has found the issue was not them but the other guys fault, ok, I can accept that, simply click on the link provided by Microsoft. In my case it took me to a page in ESETs web site about uninstalling and reinstalling ESET, not a patch.

Back at the window that showed the problem, you will need to click on the “ok” button in the bottom right of the page to close it. Continue on with each issue listed.

Once you have completed this you can look on the left hand side of the Action Center window and select the text “Change Action Center Settings” (look for it on the first image above). Here you can select of de-select what warning appear with a flag.

Well, that is enough fun for now, Over the next few colums I will try to cover more of the Windows 7 built in features that help resolve computer issues, until then, have a virus free week!

An Optical lens is just like binoculars, you truly zoom from where you are to where the subject of your picture is. The higher the optical zoom the closer you can get to the subject matter. This is  great for sports and nature shots where you cannot be right on the space of a Grizzly bear or down on the baseball diamond. The quality of the picture taken no matter what the zoom is will be the same. If you blow up an image taken via optical zoom, it remains a quality picture (to a certain point).

Digital zoom was a word developed to sell more cameras. Much like the word “Sniper” or “Tactical” on a firearm or ammunition. Same product with a fancy word to increase sales and price.

Now, I am not against digital zoom, I just want to be sure we fully understand what it is and means. Digital zoom is simply cropping the picture, not actually zooming in. The more you zoom the lower the quality and more pixelated the image becomes. This zoom is simply removing the image around your cameras subject, and is why you see blocky images at times, when you look at a picture, expecially enlarged pictures.

Now, before someone freaks out, please remember, the higher the “mega pixels” in a camera the clearer the zoomed image. Basically a pixel is the number of dots in a certain area, so 1.3 mega pixels is 1.3 million dots 9of color making up the picture) while 8 mega pixel would be 8 million dots in the same amount of space, this makes for a “clearer” image and for one that can be blown up to a larger size or zoomed in further.

For example, a 1.3 Megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom will be very grainy, while a 3 Megapixel camera will be clearer, with an 8 Megapixel camera giving the best of these three cameras quality.

So if you are using a digital camera or looking to purchase one, make sure you know how much you will need to zoom in, if you are not sure, go with the highest megapixel and the highest optical zoom you can afford.

Until we meet again, have a virus free week.

1. Run Windows updates (using a modern operating system such as Windows 7), all of the critical ones including Office updates but none of the hardware ones offered by Microsoft.

2. Hardware updates, video card, NIC, motherboard drivers, get them from the manufacturers. If you own a Dell go to Dell, if you built your computer or it was built by a local company, find the motherboard name and go to their site, same with any add-on cards like video cards. Don’t forget the motherboard BIOS updates too.

3. General software updates such as Adobe, Java, and QuickTime. These are all programs that we have in common. Yes, they seem to constantly need updating. Remember, because they are free and they are updated, then there is a reason. Most of the time it is due to security flaws.

4. Specific software updates to your programs , QuickBooks, Quicken, your medical programs, ticket programs, Point-of-sale, I don’t know your use of the computer but there are other programs you have, make sure they ALL are updated.

5. Properly configure your browser. Whether you use Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera, Safari or another, they all have security flaws. Once you are sure you have the most recent version, find out how to configure for security (not convenience) and then see if there are some add-ons available. FireFox is best known for this. I have an article from Feb 2010 that still applies here http://www.theweeklygeek.com/2010/07/09/firefox-tweaks/

a. Use security add-ins such as No-Scripts, WOT, Ad block Plus and Ghostery are four I have on my machines.

6. A GREAT anti-virus, properly configured for security and scans (including mapped drives). I like ESET because it is NOT a system resource hog, it is not a marketing campaign and it tends to be in the top 3 when it is compared against others.

7. A Great anti-malware program properly configured, we use Malwarebytes and Spybot Search and Destroy.

a. Configure the HOST file!

8. Software firewall, the one built into Windows is fine but you need to review its settings and see what it is allowing through.

9. Hardware firewall: SonicWall or Meraki, not a $59 Linksys or D-Link. When the firmware is updated and the security is kept up (via subscriptions) these devices block far more attacks than you would realize. They also have the benefit of blocking a large variety of attacks from Viruses to Worms to Junk email and plain old penetration testing. The new breed of these UTMS (Unified Threat Management Systems) that has come out in the last 3 years or so, totally changes the way you should look at “perimeter security” devices. Make sure to change the logon password (and username if it allows that).

10. Properly configured Wireless security. Hide your SSID and don’t use identifiable names such as your last name, it gives hackers a place to start hacking such as your dog’s name or phone number), use WPA2 or higher encryption and be sure the passphrase it complex, for goodness sake write it down too.

11. Tight and different passwords, yes different ones. One everything from your Wireless router (not the access but the actual router), to the UTM/router to email and Facebook and your bank account to your favorite shopping sites, use different passwords for each one. I know that it is difficult to remember them all so write them down but for the sake of love, don’t put them under your keyboard. Put them in a logical place that you can get to easily (not your safe under the 1987 tax returns) but also not where your niece will look (even though she says she was not snooping).

12. Don’t read every email that comes to you, if you did not expect it, don’t open it, if you know who it is from but it is a link only or with a 1 sentence message, don’t open it. “Knock knock”, “who is it?” “Land shark”.

Dana Scully was told by Deep throat in The Erlenmeyer Flask, “Trust no-one” http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/The_Erlenmeyer_Flask. How about we hold to that thought for a while?

If you would like to see more in depth articles on the above topics, drop me a line and I will see what I can do.

If you are in the Greene, Christian, Taney County area of Missouri, my company can provide the above services for your entire business, so rop me a line.

Until we meet again, have a virus free week.