Need Geek Assistance?

Darknet wrote an intriguing post today on
Here’s a little taster
Important info, ignore at your peril!
The latest version of Flash player is no 10.0.32.18. You can grab the update here for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. If you want to know what version you currently have installed, here is a page that will help.

If you’re confused about updates then you might be better using Secunia’s PSI vulnerability checking tool to find vulnerable programs on your PC and help you update them.

Read the rest of this post here

The PC Doctor wrote an intriguing post today on
Here’s a little taster
Very worrying:
With news that 92% of Windows PCs are vulnerable to a zero-day attack that Adobe won’t patch until Thursday, is it time to dump Adobe’s Flash player?
The most current versions of Flash player, 9.0.159.0 and 10.0.22.87, are both vulnerable to hacker. According to security companies, hackers are launching wave after wave of attacks, using both malicious websites, and websites that have been compromised.

Take care out there folks!

Read the rest of this post here

The PC Doctor wrote an intriguing post today on
Here’s a little taster
It didn’t take long for scammers and spammers to take advantage of all the Swine Flu news.
First, the spammers are using Swine Flu, in conjunction with the names of famous stars, to encourage recipients to open spam emails.

First US swine flu victims!
US swine flu statistics
Salma Hayek caught swine flu!
Swine flu worldwide!
Swine flu in Hollywood!
Swine flu in USA
Madonna caught swine flu!

Then there are the scammers who are flocking to snap up Swine Flu related URLs.

Stay safe!

Read the rest of this post here

The PC Doctor wrote an intriguing post today on
Here’s a little taster
Sun Microsystems has released a security update for the widely used Java platform. If you use Java then it’s a good idea to install this update.
Here are some things you should know:

This update brings the Java version to version 6 Update 13.
Use this link to check out what version of Java you currently have installed.
The latest update available from here.
If you take a look under Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control panel you might find older versions listed. Feel free to uninstall those to free up space and keep your PC well organized.
The installer for this update also seems to what to install the new MSN toolbar. This is check by default (bloomin’ cheek!) so if you don’t want this installed, remember to uncheck this option.

Read the rest of this post here

The PC Doctor wrote an intriguing post today on
Here’s a little taster
I keep coming across loads of home security myths on forums an din blog posts on the web. Most of these myths start out as good intentions but spread widely to become damaging urban myths.
Here are a few for you:

Hiding the SSID on your WiFi router makes you safer - it doesn’t, and the same goes for MAC ID filtering and switching off DHCP
Writing down a password is bad - depends who you are trying to keep out!
A really long password is better than one that is 8 to 10 characters long - not usually.
You should run more than one antivirus/firewall software - that’ll cause more problems than it solves.
Trust your security software - no piece of software can replace common sense!
Most PC problems are the result of malware/hacker - no, most problems are down to the user!
Most data loss is down to hacker/malware - again, no
If you see HTTPS […]

Read the rest of this post here

The PC Doctor wrote an intriguing post today on
Here’s a little taster
… but were afraid to ask!
Microsoft has put together two pages all about the Conficker worm. One page aimed at home users and another for IT pros.
Here are the highlights:
Protection

Apply the security update associated with MS08-067. View the security bulletin for more information about the vulnerability, affected software, detection and deployment tools and guidance, and security update deployment information.
Make sure you are running up-to-date antivirus software from a trusted vendor, such as Microsoft’s Forefront Client Security or Windows Live OneCare. Antivirus software may also be obtained from trusted third-parties such as the members of the Virus Information Alliance.
Isolate “unpatched” or legacy systems using the methods outlined in the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Threat Mitigation Guide.
Implement strong passwords as outlined in the Creating a Strong Password Policy whitepaper.
Disable the AutoPlay feature through the registry or using Group Policies as discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 953252.
NOTE: Windows 2000, […]

Read the rest of this post here

The PC Doctor wrote an intriguing post today on
Here’s a little taster
One of the perks of playing PC games as opposed to gaming on a console is that you can extend the life of your game through the use of mod packs and add-ons. Games such as Crysis have had their lifespan extended dramatically thanks to a large and well-organized modding community. However, be aware that not all modders are filled with good intentions!
Take for example a modder that went by the name of Xpro132 on the Stream forum. This person was claiming to have tools that gave players access to cool new content in the game Left 4 Dead, but what the people installing these tools got instead was nasty malware.
Fortunately, malware attacks life this are both rare and short-lived since it’s not long before forum members become wise to what’s going on, but by then quite a bit of damage has been done.
My tips for safer game mod downloads are as […]

Read the rest of this post here

The PC Doctor wrote an intriguing post today on
Here’s a little taster
Just because you are installing the latest version of a piece of software on your PC doesn’t mean that you are getting the very latest (and most secure components). A good example is offered up by Brian Krebs of the Washington Post.
Users who accept the default installation options for OpenOffice 3.0.1 also will get Java 6 Update 7, a version of Java that Sun Microsystems released last spring (the latest version is Java 6 Update 12).
This is notable because not only could attackers target security vulnerabilities that were fixed in subsequent versions of Java, but Java 6 Update 7 was released prior to Sun’s inclusion of a feature known as “secure static versioning,” which is intended to prevent Web sites from invoking even older versions of Java that may be present on the user’s system.

OpenOffice.org, free substitute to Microsoft Office, was once an application only used by geeks. Now it’s […]

Read the rest of this post here