Google Chrome (PWS:Win32Zbot) treated as a virus by Microsoft (MS) Security Essentials is a false positive

I read reports, that overnight users were having their Google Chrome browser blocked or removed from their computer by Microsoft Security Essentials. An update to MS Security Essential incorrectly treated the Chrome browser as a virus. You can read more from the Microsoft site here.

I don’t have Google Chrome installed on my computer so I didn’t experience the issue.

I would suggest forcing an update of Microsoft Security Essentials as soon as you start your computer. I’ve verified the update the fixes this issue will be installed.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you need assistance with your computers.

 

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Best antivirus. Virus removal. Antivir, Virus scanner

A fairly common problem I get calls for is the removal of malware from a computer. I ask people how they received the virus and in a lot of cases they don’t know. In the past I found the infection was an email attachment, but more recently the infection has not been associated with an email.

One customer was tricked into thinking their computer was infected when a pop-up message appeared as they were browsing the internet. They went ahead and paid their money to have the problem removed, which in turn actually infected their computer and provided the scammer with their credit card details. Pretty scary stuff really.

I thought I’d share this article which shows that around 85% of infections are now caused when browsing and of the 85% just five programs result in 99.98% of infections. If the information is correct it means all people need to do is keep five programs up-to-date and that could significantly reduce their chances of being infected. Unfortunately whilst that sounds logical it isn’t. This will help with malware which isn’t new, but new malware will find exploits in programs which have not yet been patched so people are still exposed. The lesson here however is keep the programs updated if they’re installed on your computer.

The programs are:  Java JRE, Adobe Reader/Acrobat, Adobe Flash, MS Internet Explorer, Windows HCP (Help) and Apple Quicktime. The first three account for 85% of abuses by malware. Interestingly Internet Explorer is only 10%. Just applying the updates for five software packages when they are ready may reduce your chances of being infected considerably.

For clients how want to feel more protected, I provide a disk which is based on software made available to American soldiers. The software allows you to boot your computer from the disk and protects your computer from being infected. This is a great option for those who are worried their computer may be infected but still want to do their online banking or pay bills. Great for those who are travelling and would like to connect to the internet on a family member or friend’s computer, but are concerned that it may be infected. Great if you want your children to be able to use the computer but not risk infecting it. Great if you want staff to use a work computer and not risk infecting it. If clients need a disk contact me. There is a small distribution fee of $9.95 plus postage if required.

It now makes more sense why people don’t know how they infected their computer. The flaws in unpatched software enable people to infect their computer just by visiting a site on the internet. It has happened to me. I once searched using Google, went to a site, and the site infected the computer using a vulnerability in Internet Explorer SP1. That vulnerability was patched in Internet Explorer SP2.

What is also interesting is a lot of people push alternate browsers in the belief they somehow provide a greater level of protection. From the article this doesn’t appear to be the case. Based on the percentage use people using browsers to the percentage being infected, it appears to be fairly consistent across the browsers. The other browsers will most likely be exposed to the same issues because they use the same applications. You shouldn’t necessarily think that changing your browser will give you any greater level of protection. You’re most likely better off making sure your software is kept as up-to-date as possible.

Another more drastic approach might be to also disable or even remove the programs giving you the greatest exposure. I wouldn’t like to suggest that because of lost functionality. That would have to be a choice each person makes for themselves. For example I don’t have Java JRE installed on my computer and haven’t noticed any issues for a long time. When it was installed I did notice quite a few infections in the cache which was a concern. Doing without Acrobat Reader would be hard and a lot of sites still use Flash. Both Flash and Adobe Reader can be fairly easily disabled until you need them, so that is an approach which could be used.

Whether we like it or not, when we are on the internet there are a lot of people who have a lot to gain by infecting our computers. We need to make decisions and take action which minimises our risk to an acceptable level.

If you’ve infected your computer and live within 10kms of the Doncaster/Templestowe/Eltham area and need assistance, you can contact me on 0415 910 703. As part of cleaning customers’ computers I also install free antivirus software which I’ve tested for over a week that has shown to be better than other common free software and also the commercial software I’ve tested.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

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MyAnswers: Thoughts and notes on the Amazon Kindle Fire.

The following MyAnswers solution 2163 is now available:

Thoughts and notes on the Amazon Kindle Fire.

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

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Alert: Incorrectly filled tax form NAT3799 from subscribe@ato.gov.au

I’ve received a number of emails lately which have been faked to appear to be from the ATO. I’d recommend you delete these emails.

What is particularly interesting with these emails is who the emails are addressed to. When I check the To and CC fields they contain a number of my emails address that I use publicly. Not just one, but a number. That is the first time I’ve seen anyone do that. It shows whoever has the mailing list is now consolidating the email addresses. Perhaps it is an attempt to hit an entire organisation in the one go leading people to think the information may be legitimate. All it needs is one person in the organisation to think the email might be legitimate and others may be encouraged to check it out.

The email displays correctly if viewed using an Apple iPhone, but is malformed if received using Outlook. In Outlook the message appears as an attached text file and there is no body to the message. It is very obvious to Outlook users this message is a fake.

It is important that you delete suspicious emails. I read yesterday that up to 85% of malware infected computers are now caused by people visiting web sites controlled by hackers. These sites may be legitimate sites where hackers have gained access and installed code or code to redirect people to another site. The owner of the site may have no knowledge they’ve been hacked. In the past the email attachment was a major cause of infection. Now it appears the main cause has moved to people visiting web sites which uses exploits in unpatched software the user has on their machine to infect their computer.

I’d highly recommend that you don’t let curiosity get the better of you. Clicking on a link in an email you receive could end up costing you a lot in both money and inconvenience. If an email appears suspicious, it probably is.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you need your computer fixed because curiosity got the better of you.

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Amazon Kindle Fire press release

The Amazon Kindle Fire has just been announced in the States at a price of $199USD. For many this is a game changer. The Amazon Kindle Fire is a 7” tablet based on a fork of the Android operating system. Amazon have the resources and build and evolve the software so we can have confidence it should be around for a while. In addition, for Amazon, this is part of their product range and approach to doing business, so for them, it isn’t just a stand-alone device.

In Australia it may be some time before we see the Kindle Fire. One thing for sure though is it will put pressure on the entire tablet industry.

For those interested in reading the press release you can find it here.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

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Apple iPhone 5 and iOS5 Australian release date

In June, if my memory serves me correctly, Steve Jobs announced iOS5 would be launched in September, which I thought was a bit strange. It appeared the new operating system would be released before the next iPhone and to me that didn’t make marketing sense. September is nearly gone, so it looks like iOS5 will most likely be released either at the same time or even possibly slightly after the Apple iPhone 5, which makes more sense from a marketing perspective.

The rumours are for an announcement on October 4 with supplies be released after that date. There are rumours in the UK that staff in Apple stores have been advised not to take holidays in the first two weeks of October. If the rumours are true then the Apple iPhone 5 will be released early October.

Has the iPhone 5 bug bitten you? Or are you happy to evaluate the iPhone 5 against your requirements and take your time. I know which one we should do, but somehow, for a lot of people, emotion rules their purchasing decisions. Sometimes I think why not. You might as well enjoy your money. You’ve worked hard for it.

For me I’m looking forward to the new messaging application. Now I know it is only Apple specific, but it will be interesting to see how useful it is.

What feature are you looking forward to the most?

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Helping people with their computers, tablets and mobile phones.

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Alert: Australia Post - Get your parcel No306. (do_not_reply.id.5133@auspost.com.au)

I’ve received a number of emails in the past week with the message Get your parcel. By coincidence these started arriving a day after Dodo said they’d send me a replacement Buddy Box for the one which didn’t work. One client fell for a UPS malware email because they received an email from UPS and were expecting a UPS parcel. If you’re expecting a parcel, receiving an email like this could easily trick you.

In this case the body of the email is very basic and unlikely to be from a large company like Australia Post.

Dear customer.

Your package has been returned to the Australia Post office.
Reason: The package is too large
Please find the attached document containing detailed information about delivery failure.
Read all information carefully and come to the "Australia Post" office to receive your package.

Thank you for attention.
Customer service.

Attached is a zip file (Attached_Document_AU18489.zip) which contains the file Attached_Document.exe. This file is an executable file but it has been designed to look like a Word document with a Microsoft Word icon. Since most people can’t see the file extension they could be easily tricked into thinking this is a Word document. Opening the file will not open a document, but instead run a program, most likely designed to infect your computer.

I use OzEfilter to check the emails at my mail server before receiving them into my computer and in this case OzEfilter showed me the email was sent from Canada. Just another piece of information which confirms this is most likely malware. Microsoft’s Security Essentials doesn’t show this file as malware. This is where you need to use common sense and not open files like this. Just delete them as soon as you receive them.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you need help with your computer
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding areas.

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