Help Support my Blog!

Virgin Mobile USA
Glasses USA
Amazon
Newegg
VPN4ALL
Netflix
Hulu
CafePress

 

Subscribe to Paul’s Tech Talk Affiliate Marketing Blog

Subscribe to Paul’s Tech Talk Science Fiction Blog

Subscribe to Paul’s Tech Talk Scams Blog

  • Acer 11.6
    Acer 11.6" Laptop 2GB 16GB | C710-2856
    Acer

    Currently  in process review this Acer Chrome book and boy is it nice!

Navigation
Sponsors

Entries in Microsoft (122)

Friday
Jan032014

Microsoft did WHAT to Google?

Microsoft smears Chrome OS!

In the lastest attempt by the Microsoft, who seems content to throw mud and some fud over the Chrome OS.   Microsoft got a hold of the Scroogle Domain in late 2012 and has been holding onto it eversince.   Scroogle was an attempt to keep advertising and secured search going through Google but was not sponsored by Google.  It Ended in early 2012 due to throttling and DDOS attacks.   I don’t know this sounds suspciously like Microsoft wanted that domain, it wouldn’t surprised me if that was the case.  Some of the things that I just are not happy about this little campaign of theirs is these facts.

No easy way to print!

This one was an obviously no brainer for me, when I bought this Acer Chrome book because I really don’t have any reason to print anything and if I did, I can go to a library or to Kinkos to print what is needed to print.   I am not going to go into detail because when I did m FAQ section about the Chrome OS.   I was pretty much thinking Microsoft is worried because they will loose so much profit from Windows.   A Small fact for those who think Windows 8 can print, not without some jumping through some hoops will you be able to print.

NPD and that elusive 21% figure!

NPD published an article about how Chrome Books have a 21% sales in 2013.   I tend to think this may be a little low but that is probably because people don’t really advertise they bought the Chrome OS and thus it will grow in the coming years, I am sure of it.   You see, the reason I bought this laptop was a really serious question for me.   One of money, one of Security and Battery life, each of these were a value for me and I did like any person who buys a laptop.   I reasearched it long and hard, and new what i would be facing and what my limitations were going to be.   So I didn’t not walk into this half handed.

No windows 8!

I only had two options one with Windows 8 or Chrome OS.   I only had around 300$ to use to buy a new laptop with my other laptop breaking down.  Don’t get me Wrong, I had no problems with Windows 7 but from the way I was reading it with Windows 8.   I just didn’t want to have to worry about all those major problems associated with the release of the that operating system.  I am sure I am not alone in this venture because this had many features of Windows 7 and how to approach the problem.   

Resolution for Microsoft!

Hey Microsoft, if your really worried about loosing the sales and money from your consumers, then you should come up with an easy way to dual boot a Chrome OS and Windows 8 into one cheap laptop like this one and thus we can have access to everything we may ever need.   A Good browser when we need it and ways ways to print and download movies when we want to!  Hey now there is a concept that would make everyone happy.   Also, it shouldn’t cost an arm or leg to buy a Windows machine because you will still make money in other areas besides licensing!  

So I tell you this right now, Microsoft you are no long the Alpha dog in my life and you will just have to learn your new place in this changing world!   Until you learn you will always be on the sidelines!

 

Friday
Dec272013

4 Free alternatives to Microsoft Publisher!

The Alternatives are out there!

I was inspired by a friend of mine who asked on Facebook, She wanted something that was freeware or shareware preferably because she didn’t have the money to go by Microsoft Office 2013.  So I thought tis was high time, I tried to help some of my readers out by showing you what you could use that is just as good as Microsoft Office!

Open Office (Free Productivy and Open sourced Suite)

Open Office has been used by me in the past and you can even use it on the go with little to no major problems.   All you will need is program call Portable Apps and a USB drive preferrably 8 to 16 gb of space because of all the programs you will need to install it!

Google Docs

The Next one that is really useful is Google Docs which comes with any Google account.  I personally have used this and in fact, I created the image at the top of the page!   The pacman eating Microsoft Docs! So it can be quite useful for doing what you might need.   I have much success with the using this with my Chrome OS computer, you really can’t use much else but something that is online anyways!

Scribus (Open sourced desktop publishing)

I have never used this but I was told by a few friends that it is really good and works just like most other publishing tools.   You can try this one and see if it helps!

PagePlus Starter Edition

Another one that I have yet to use because I have had no major need to use more than the first two.   This however has been brought to my attention from several friends on my facebook page and can’t but at least mentioned it!   

 As you can see you have several you can pick from and from time to time there will always be new ones but these were a few that  I found thanks to crowsourcing the problem.   I do hope this helps you also in making an informed decision on what you will use for your project(s).  Know of one that I missed please feel free to leave a comment and tell people about it!

Monday
Jul292013

Webhost Deathmatch: Linux Vs. Windows

When you choose a desktop operating system, there is a pretty significant difference between Windows and Linux. The user interfaces are vastly disparate, many applications are designed for one OS or the other and the underlying kernels are worlds apart. The same concept applies for Linux VPS hosting and Windows hosting. While the differences in user experience tends to be lessened because you’re typically working through control panels, and not the operating system proper, you still have features, scripts and technology that one server OS supports that the other doesn’t. Here’s what you need to know.

Script Support

The script languages supported by Windows and Linux differ greatly. Perl and CGI are both difficult to support on Windows, while Windows technologies aren’t supported on Linux servers at all. While the latest Windows server operating system supports PHP, you aren’t guaranteed to have that version of Windows on specific hosts, so confirm the OS version if you want PHP scripts to work properly on a Windows server. Always keep essential script support in mind when you choose the server operating system. Scripting really is the primary decision maker for choosing Windows or Linux, as the two operating systems don’t share a lot of cross-platform scripting support.

Pricing

Linux distributions are generally free and are all open source operating systems. Some distros do require a paid commercial support package, but the pricing and overhead is less expensive than comparable Windows servers, due to Windows’ licensing costs. Windows also depends upon more hardware resources to run properly, requiring a more powerful server than you would otherwise use. Keep your price point in mind, and be aware of the capabilities you’ll get with Windows compared to Linux.

Microsoft Technologies

If you’re using FrontPage extensions, ASP, ASP.NET or .NET, you are essentially locked into a Windows server. Microsoft doesn’t make it easy to use this technology on Linux, BSD or OS X servers, although some emulation is possible. However, performance is not optimal, and it tends to take a lot more time and energy than just getting a Windows server on hand.

Database Technology

Database-driven scripts are common in web applications, and Linux database support covers MySQL technology. It does not, however, cover Access databases or Microsoft SQL. Enterprise-level applications use extensive database technology, and Access is great at handling high volumes of fields and information. If you need a specific type of database, confirm it is compatible with the server operating system you are choosing.

Security

Linux is widely considered a more secure operating system than Windows, mostly because the Linux architecture is not as easy for virus creators to program for. The lack of executable support in Linux prevents standard viruses from working, and security holes are plugged up by the many programmers looking at the open source code. Windows gets attacked by hackers on a consistent basis, and users have to wait for Microsoft to develop and deploy patches.

Which do you prefer for web hosting: Linux or Windows? Tell us in the comments.

Gregory Adams

Greg is a technology and mobile trend freelance writer with a penchant for rollerblading.

Thursday
Dec202012

Nexus not as hot as you think, Chitika

Google’s tablets really made the news after the release of Nexus 7 [Affiliate Link] and one might consider Nexus 7 to be bought by almost everyone but when it comes to the web traffic the results are not that much convincing. According to the Chitika’s current web traffic report Google’s Nexus tablets hardly make a difference. Chitika compared Nexus tablets with Microsoft surface and examined the web traffic for a week in November and surprisingly Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 [Affiliate Link] together accounted for almost 1% of the web traffic.

Well, part of the reason Nexus tablets have accounted so less of web traffic is because Google has not been able to cope up with demand of their devices. No doubt the demand for Nexus tablets is skyrocketing but Google has not been able supply with enough units or perhaps the supply was not enough from the get go. And to aggravate the situation, there is no official figure regarding the sale of Google Nexus devices.

As for Nexus 7 things have settled down in terms of demand and supply and Google is trying to take care of Nexus 10’s supply as well. But if supply has leveled out for both devices and still they lack behind in web traffic then it means that Nexus tablets are not that much of hit of hit among masses as we thought. There are other factors to be taken under consideration.

For those who do not know Chitika is one of the research firms that play a significant role in mobile advertising space. Also we are not aware of any official report manifesting the exact number of units of Nexus Google has sold. Nexus tablets may be hot among the techno geeks but when it comes to average masses it might not be as much demanding as the Apple’s iPad.

As for Microsoft Surface the results were even worst. It only accounted for .13 percent of the web traffic even lower than Nexus’s .91 percent. Again, there is no official figure regarding the sale of Microsoft’s Surface so in situation like this third party analytics for instance Chitika provides a much vivid story. The people at Microsoft might be happy with the figure Chitika has presented since Surface is first of its kind from Microsoft.

In a nutshell, if it isn’t Apple it is not on the top of food chain. iPad is the only tablet which in enjoying the healthiest share in the tablet market and even the iPad mini was able to make its mark the despite the tough competition it faced because of the reasoned price it offered.

Other tablets such as Amazon Kindle fire and Samsung’s Android based tablets may also be enjoying a healthy share because of their strong marketing campaigns. For now we cannot say anything and it would be better to wait until the early 2013 when 2012’s Q4 reports will be out. But according to the numbers now, we anticipate not more than 10 percent of the market share of both Microsoft’s Windows and Google’s Android together. 

 

 

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.


 

Sunday
Feb122012

One thousand GamerTags have been Hacked on Xbox!



Brought to you by Pastebin

XBOX has been Hacked!


From what I can tell there are 1,009 GamerTags with passwords and email addresses. I am unsure how many of them are real and how many are just fake or if they are all fake. I do know if you have an XBOX account and you want to know if your account is hacked you can go to Pastebin and hit Control-F and either enter your GamerTag or email address.

Change your Password!


If you need to change your password on your XBOX account, all you really need to do is reset your live account.   Somethings to remember when changing your password is to have a difficult password and also something that can have a Dictionary Attack on it.  This has happened in the past with Xbox having accounts being hacked, it actually happened in 2007.  I recommend using something like Lastpass to create a very strong password that is hard to crack.   I know the pain of entering that password into XBOX but that is one way no one will gain access to your account!

Paul Sylvester




Friday
Dec162011

Android Malware, Ridiculous!



English: A candidate icon for Portal:Computer ... Image via Wikipedia

 

Malware for Android??


Nothing I have read from what people have said or done indicates that it is actually malicious in being installed.   Yet, Everyone keeps saying it is malware!

Software is considered to be malware based on the perceived intent of the creator rather than any particular features. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, scareware, crimeware, most rootkits, and other malicious and unwanted software or program.

[Via Wikipedia]


What is with people saying Android has Malware!   I don’t understand that and I have been scratching my head when I read this.   It really burns my buttons on my computer when I read it.

Use your Head!

If you haven’t been keeping up with my blog, you will know that it isn’t really unwanted.      Most programs you download using your android device is something that is being sought out but yet it isn’t going to be truthful when it comes to something you don’t know.    I can’t understand for the life of my why they are trying to scare people into thinking that you need antivirus for Android for security.   I’ve talked about this in past post but I will say it again:

 

This is something I tell my friends and family when buying an Application on the Market place from anywhere there is usually a bunch of reviews of it from various users and thus will help you determine if this application is worth the money or could be a problem.

 

My Underware!


I’m calling anything that is unwanted and stuff you didn’t know what is being rune’d on an OS.   I call this underware due to the fact that is programs that you installed on your OS but didn’t know that it is doing something it shouldn’t.  This is something that I called it because when you say malware, it makes me think of software that is being forced to be installed and running under the radar.   You really don’t know it is running and thus that is why you call it malware, but if you install a program accepting the consequences then, it should just be called underware.

What should it be called?

I’m really not sure what else to call it but the idea of underware is UNDER the radar programs.   If you can come up with something better please let me know but I don’t want it to be called malware.

Paul Sylvester

 

Have you tried Glasses USA!   

 

 

 

Saturday
May212011

Why you should use Linux!

I've been using Kubuntu 11.04


Hey let's
Monday
Aug312009

List of malware sites for Sept 1, 2009

personalantivirus3


Well with it being the end of the month it was to be expected here is a long list of sites.   So please read these carefully.


[intlink id="4403" type="post"]Personal Antivirus Scareware Site and How to Remove them:[/intlink]




  • live-virus-scanner9.com

  • tryantivirusscan.com

  • antispyware-scanner2.com

  • bewareofvirusattacks2.com

  • antivirus-scanner6.com

  • valueantivirusshop1.com


[ad][intlink id="4217" type="post"]Internet Antivirus Pro Scareware[/intlink]*SUPERAntispyware gets rid of these too*

  • adjudg.info

  • atwain.info

  • caretz.info

  • gaudad.info

  • krapen.info

  • nevils.info

  • outliv.info

  • penvie.info

  • stampo.info

  • ticedu.info

  • unwept.info

  • gelded.info

  • dolchi.info

  • figgle.info

  • botled.info


[intlink id="3977" type="post"]Rogue Antivirus scareware sites[/intlink]:

  • securepcshield.com

  • myprotectedzone.net


[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend]

[rating:4/5]

[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend1]

[ad#SUPERAntiSpyware]
Tuesday
Aug252009

AVG 8.5 Free Version Best on my system

AVG Free 8.5



Pcworld has a released there top free Antivirus software picks.     Now let's be clear on this, I am an a average user, and have tested these products out on my own laptop plus others and here is what I find.

According to Pcworld, Avira Antivir Personal is the top pick and claims to block 98.9 percent of samples:
Such less-than-friendly default behaviors make Avira AntiVir Personal a better choice for tech-savvy users who know how to muck about in the settings. If you're willing to put up with a somewhat clumsy interface and the recurring pop-up ads, in return you'll enjoy top-notch, free protection against malware. It's not a bad trade-off by any means.

[Via Pcworld : Avira Antivir Personal Antivirus]

[ad]Now with Pcworld saying it isn't a bad trade-off to have the Pop-ups and the default behaviors of this program, it doesn't make me want to use this program since I am a gamer and the pop-ups would interfere with playing online games, not to mention if your not that tech savy person you'd have a lot of head scratching to  figure out this program.

Then we go to the Second pick and Avast Antivirus Home in this pick Pcworld claims to blocking 98.2 percent of samples tried with this program:
Avast Antivirus will do a decent job protecting a PC from malware, but if you're willing to put up with a less-than-perfect interface (and some ads), you're better off going with Avira's top-notch blocking.

[Via Pcworld : Avast Antivirus Home Edition]

Now unless you want to be scratching your head on this product you have to go through the Tutorial that pop-ups after installation to walk you through how to use this product.   Then there are some more ads that popup during the day that reminds you that this is a free program and suggesting you pay for it.   Also you will have to register with Avast  to get a personal free license to be able to keep this program running on your system.  The interface of this Antivirus makes you think you will be playing music, which can cause some confusion when it comes to understanding this product.

Third place was AVG 8.5 Free edition according to PcWorld.   With there being no pop-ups reminding me this is a free product.   Also the easy to understand interface also makes this very user friendly.   I also like the Linkscanner and blocked 95.8 percent of the samples meaning it is still rather good to use for the daily user who wants a less intrusive  pop-ups or ads.   AVG has not yet done a pop up with me but it is far less annoying than the others because of the interface and the ads that are shown in the main program.

Now if you want to add even more security to your system and keep it cheap as possible I would suggest Downloading and using  SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes.  These with AVG 8.5 Free edition to better protect your system and these don't interfere with AVG and actually helps boosts the removal of virus, Trojans, and Malware.




Download Malwarebytes Download Malwarebytes

Download SUPERAntiSpyware Download SUPERAntiSpyware
















If your current antimalware software let an infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of SUPERAntiSpyware or Malwarebytes License to protect your computer in the future. SUPERAntiSpyware Professional or Malwarebytes License features highly advanced Real-Time Protection to ensure protection from installation or re-installation of potential threats as you surf the Internet (Both are trusted Vendors by CCSS Forums).

Buy Lifetime Subscription SUPERAntiSpyware For $30, save $8.90 if you order now. This is a special offer from this website.
Friday
Aug212009

List of Fake AV sites for Aug 22, 2009

personalantivirus2If you know anything about the Malware writers they are always registering new domains and here is the newest ones they are using:


[intlink id="3607" type="post"]Personal Antivirus Scareware Site[/intlink]:




  • antispywarebestscanner.com
  • [ad]
  • professionalvirusscanv3.com

  • professionalcomputerscanv2.com

  • scan-your-pc-now.com

  • professionalspywarescanv8.com


[intlink id="4217" type="post"]Internet Antivirus Pro Scareware[/intlink]:

  • hopest.info

  • suffic.info

  • cressy.info

  • unowed.info

  • inclin.info


[intlink id="3977" type="post"]Rogue Antivirus scareware sites[/intlink]:

  • securitytoolsite.com (Fake Scanner)

  • webscansecurepc.com (Fake Scanner)


[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend]

[rating:4/5]

[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend1]

[ad#SUPERAntiSpyware]



Friday
Jul242009

Computer Security : How not to get Infected.

In my [intlink id="3999" type="post"]previous blog post[/intlink] we talked about how the computer would get infected with Malware. Now on this blog post we will discuss how you can prevent most to all of these from ever happening again on your system.

Now let's face it we are more and more going to be on the internet.   This is almost a necessity for a business or individuals.  You see Businesses have built there product around the internet and that is why it is necessary to be on the internet.

What program not to use to Surf the web


You should consider getting away from Internet Explorer,  I don't say this lightly.   It may take Microsoft Months to fix a hole in something that involves [intlink id="2301" type="post"]ActiveX or Something like that[/intlink].  We know how Microsoft will only[intlink id="1951" type="post"] push out the really big security holes[/intlink] out of Cycle but keep the minor ones in Cycle.   [intlink id="2301" type="post"]Hackers have jumped on exploits[/intlink] before when it comes Internet Explorer and use them on Black Wednesday, not less than 24 hours after the patches have been released.

Although these examples I showing doesn't mean that they haven't been fixed they are showing you how long it takes sometimes to fix them.

What you should use to Surf the web


One of te ways to prevent getting infected is keeping your browser up to date as quickly as possible, and I believe Mozzila Browser which is called FireFox is the answer.   One reason I recommend this to anything else is it is a community based browser and that means there is no waiting for a fix to come out when you know about it they have been working to fix the security hole.

They don't wait till next month to send out a patch they usually only take a week or two to come up plugging the hole.   So that is why I always recommend to my clients to use FireFox instead of Internet Explorer.

I have 3 Addons that I would recommend along with FireFox, these addons help stop some of the most common ways to exploit your system.   The first one is called NOSCRIPT it is good to prevent scripts from being used on the web or on your system.  The next Addon I would recommend is Bit.ly Preview this is good for any shorten URL that is out there and will show you where it is really going.    It will also work well with Twitter web interface really well and let you know were a url is actually going to easily. Finally the last on I would recommend to my customers is AdBlocker Plus, this one is really good to use for like Facebook or other social sits where there might be a scareware redirect advertisement.  This will prevent some of those Notorious attempts at getting you to click a fake ad.

Also you may want to consider also installing some [intlink id="2205" type="page"]Firewall and Antivirus[/intlink] software to better protect your system from getting a virus in the first place.

On my next post I will talk about some common ways to trick you into installing a virus or scareware on your system. So stay tuned.

[ad#SUPERAntiSpyware]
Friday
Jul102009

Microsoft Get Ready for Patch Tuesday. 6 Bulletins

According to Arstechnica there will be 6 Bulletins and each of them are very interesting:

  • Bulletin 1: Critical (Remote Code Execution), Windows

  • Bulletin 2: Critical (Remote Code Execution), Windows

  • Bulletin 3: Critical (Remote Code Execution), Windows

  • Bulletin 4: Important (Elevation of Privilege), Virtual PC, Virtual Server

  • Bulletin 5: Important (Elevation of Privilege), ISA Server

  • Bulletin 6: Important (Remote Code Execution), Office


[ad]It looks like there will be another Directx Patch for those who have Directx 7 through 9.0c.  It also seems they will be Patching the Virtual PC and Server and ISA Server.    Microsoft will also be patching 2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1.  They will also Be Releasing 14 different patches for non Critical status.

The Directx Flaw that was reported in May is reportedly being patched and that is why we have these Directx updates that are comming down from Microsoft.

So Now is the time to get [intlink id="2883" type="post"]Autopatcher[/intlink] updated to the lastest updates and schedule a time next week for you to test and install these updates.   I would recommend updating your [intlink id="2205" type="page"]anti-virus and Firewall[/intlink] software if you have any, if not it is time to get them and install them.
Monday
Jul062009

A few Zero Day Exploits in the wild -- Heads up

Several different Security Vendors are Reporting that there is an ActiveX and Directshow exploits out in the wild.

The Directshow file in question is : msvidctl.dll

[A work around to prevent this]

[ad]It involves an ActiveX control called the Microsoft Streaming Video control and there is no workaround that I know of just yet.   Microsoft is aware of these exploits but we don't know when they will release the patches.
These flaws mean that if you visit an Infected site you will most likely install software that you really don't need or want.   You should be cautious where you go especially on chinese servers because some of them are reporting that they have seen an overnight bloom of sites that have these exploits in place.

People should take care and [intlink id="2205" type="page"]install anti-virus and firewalls[/intlink] even the free ones are the best choices right now to defend againts these types of attacks.  You should also make sure you have the updated virus definitions and make sure you have the latest version of the AV program.

It is also suggest for users to not use Internet Explorer to prevent some of these exploits but take care and install a good browser, I would suggest Firefox to better protect your computer from some of these exploits.
Tuesday
Jun092009

Microsoft Drops a 9 Security updates on Patch Tuesday

So I get home and here is what they updated for those who would like to keep track:

  • Vulnerabilities in Active Directory Could Allow Remote Code Execution (KB971055) -- This update is only for Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003.  This one is Rated critical due to Remote Code Execution, which means a program can install malware or viruses on your system and you wouldn't know it.

  • Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (KB969897) --This security update resolves seven privately reported vulnerabilities and one publicly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer.

  • Vulnerabilities in Internet Information Services (IIS) Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (KB970483) --This security update resolves one publicly disclosed vulnerability and one privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). The vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker sent a specially crafted HTTP request to a Web site that requires authentication.

  • Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (KB969462) -- This security update resolves several privately reported vulnerabilities that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Excel file that includes a malformed record object.

  • Vulnerabilities in Windows Print Spooler Could Allow Remote Code Execution (KB961501) -- This security update resolves three privately reported vulnerabilities in Windows Print Spooler. The most severe vulnerability could allow remote code execution if an affected server received a specially crafted RPC request.

  • Vulnerability in Windows Search Could Allow Information Disclosure (KB963093) -- This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Windows Search. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure if a user performs a search that returns a specially crafted file as the first result or if the user previews a specially crafted file from the search results.

  • Vulnerability in Microsoft Works Converters Could Allow Remote Code Execution (Kb957632) -- This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Microsoft Works converters. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Works file.

  • Vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (Kb968537) -- This security update resolves two publicly disclosed and two privately reported vulnerabilities in the Windows kernel that could allow elevation of privilege.

  • [ad]
  • Vulnerability in RPC Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (Kb970238) -- This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in the Windows remote procedure call (RPC) facility where the RPC Marshalling Engine does not update its internal state appropriately.

  • Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution (Kb969514) -- This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Word file.


As you can see these are rated from being Critical to Moderate.   Each and every one of these should be updated and can be easily done using [intlink id="2883" type="post"]Autopatcher[/intlink].   Something you should consider before doing these updates is to make a Restore point before proceeding or a [intlink id="682" type="post"]Complete backup[/intlink], just in case.  Also it is suggested to install these at your earliest convenience due to the fact that the malware authors will start using and is called Exploit Wednesday. Also it wouldn't hurt to install some[intlink id="2205" type="page"] free Anti-virus and Free Firewalls[/intlink] instead of using Windows Firewall. This will help protect your in the future also.

Thursday
Jun042009

Ms Patch Tuesday For June 2009

Photo by Andrew Magill Photo by Andrew Magill

Microsoft has released the upcoming patch information for this Tuesday, and boy does it look like a big one. It looks like there will be 10 bulletins this time around:

  • Bulletin 1: Critical (Remote Code Execution):   Windows

  • Bulletin 2: Critical (Remote Code Execution):   Windows

  • Bulletin 3: Critical (Remote Code Execution):   Windows, Internet Explorer

  • Bulletin 4: Critical (Remote Code Execution):   Office

  • Bulletin 5: Critical (Remote Code Execution):   Office

  • Bulletin 6: Critical (Remote Code Execution):   Office

  • Bulletin 7: Important (Elevation of Privilege):        Windows

  • Bulletin 8: Important (Elevation of Privilege):        Windows

  • Bulletin 9: Important (Elevation of Privilege):        Windows

  • Bulletin 10: Moderate (Information Disclosure):    Windows


It will also include one or more updates on WSUS and Windows update, and Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.   This looks to be quite a big set of updates.   Each one is very serious and will probably be a big download.   If your in corporate IT you may want to get ready the [intlink id="2883" type="post"]Autopatcher program [/intlink]this will help update all the important files on each system without having to have a internet Connection.

[ad]We don't know what they will be until they have dropped from Microsoft, but we can guess that the Latest Directx vulnerability isn't going to be one of them.  I wouldn't be surprised if this was going to be pushed out of cycle but that is going to have to wait a see.

The Affected systems are Windows 2000 Through Windows Vista and Server 2008.   Which means if you have windows it most likely will need to be updated.   Although on a side not the Office suite from 2000 to 2008 also will be patched and that includes the Macintosh systems.

It also looks like 7 out of the 10 will require restarts, so the autopatcher will save you time.  I wouldn't expect this to notbe exploited on Wensday because most of them are Remote Code Execution which means it is easy for a hacker to take control of your system.   These should be installed ASAP and you also should have a [intlink id="2205" type="page"]Firewall and Antivirus installed[/intlink] to better protect your system.
Saturday
May092009

Microsoft to Release One Crictical update for Tuesday

Microsoft has release the information for May's Patch Tuesday and it looks like there is one major update for Power point:

ms09patchtuesday1


The Affected software is MS Office 2000, MS office Xp, MS Office 2003, Ms Office 2007, Power point viewer, and MS compatibility pack for Word, Excel, and Power point 2007.



[ad]What will be coming out for Tuesday is as Followers for Non-security Releated:

  • Windows PowerShell 1.0 for Windows Vista (KB928439)

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 Family Update (KB951847)

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1 (KB867460)

  • Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - May 2009 (KB890830)/Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - May 2009 (KB890830) - Internet Explorer Version

  • Update for Windows Mail Junk E-mail Filter [May 2009] (KB905866)


Although some of this is usual like the Malicious software removal tool, and Windows Junke e-mail filter, we won't know what else will be released until Tuesday.  Some of the updates will be minor like the Powershell, I am guessing tis will help get ready for SP2, and the SP1 for the .NET framwork also looks to be getting ready for SP2.  So I will keep you updated if i find out what else is released on Tuesday!
Sunday
May032009

Miketechshow Listener Roundtable : #242 Backups

We had a great time talking about backing up our system. On a side note, I'd like to tell people that During the Round table, I was restoring my system due to a major network issue. The system wouldn't stay connected at all to my network or my [intlink id="3059" type="post"]USB A600 Cricket Modem[/intlink].  I used the A600 Modem during the podcast [intlink id="2601" type="post"]with Skype[/intlink], so the quality isn't as good as it should but that is due to two different factors.  One I had a cheap headset and two the bandwidth limitations.  This however shows that this is possible and works really well.  I also used the [intlink id="3387" type="post"]Antenna[/intlink] for the Skype meeting.   It actually seems like a stable connection.   Although Mike has told us in his email this might be the last Round Table, so if you want this to continue you can either email him or twitter him telling him you want to keep seeing these podcasts.  I also talk about [intlink id="2646" type="post"]Roboform[/intlink] and how I make sure the passwords are backed up.   We did talk about making sure to test our backups, so we know if the backup process works.   I have to say my backup procedure was without doubt working for me.   Even though I had some issues with Vista security updates after the restore, my restore to laptop didn't take more than an hour to get the programs that I wanted back on the system.
Mike Tech Show Listener Roundtable #242 Backups

Follow us on Twitter -

IRC chat log from show [here]

Show Links -


System Image:

Syncronization Programs:

Backup Software:

Online Backups:

Online Photo Backups:

Other Solutions:
Wednesday
Apr292009

Adobe PDF Zero Day Warnings : Experts agree

All the Security experts online are talking about The 2 Zero Day Adobe Vulnerabilities:

[ad#cricket-right-ez]As you can see this seems to be one of those Adobe problems we had in the past with [intlink id="2963" type="post"]Javascript[/intlink].   They seem to be having a major problem with Javascript vulnerability and the old saying is to just to disable Javascript in PDF'S again.   Adobe is calling this a Potential Adobe Reader issue and is suggesting that the users disable Javascript until this is fixed with a security update.

This is mostly affect the corporate world more than the private sector because of the fact corporate world will use PDF by sending them through emails.   I suggest installing another reader and these are all free.

Be advised the vulnerabilities affects Linux, Windows, and Macintosh systems.  This will most likely mean that even Macintoshes could be used to [intlink id="2173" type="post"]create even more botnets[/intlink] and will need to disable there Javascript until this issue is fixed or maybe they would like to find another reader themselves.  This also goes for Linux users but I have not heard of anything in the wild yet.

Don't forget to install some [intlink id="2205" type="page"]free Anti-virus and Free Firewalls[/intlink] to help protect your system from becoming a botnet.
Tuesday
Apr282009

Microsoft sends out KB955430 to get ready for SP2

kb955430

This looks like it is to help with some problems with other issues of updates that they have been having.  I am unsure of why they are wanting to install this update but it doesn't look to be harmful.  I am betting this is to fix a flaw that has been exploited by the warez community to make them either pay for there copy or go with another OS.   For the one fact that this "will enable future updates" and "This update may be required before selected future updates can be installed".

[ad#cricket-right-ez]I went to  KB9555430 support page:

Updates to the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 installation software are included in this update. The installation software is the component that handles the installation and the removal of software updates, language packs, optional Windows features, and service packs. This update is necessary to successfully install and to remove Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 on all versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. This update is not necessary to successfully install the service pack if you install the full file version of the service pack. The full file version of the service pack includes this update.


This is probably to get ready for the Service Pack that they are going to release soon for Vista. So I am guessing this will be required when the Service Pack comes out.