Triona's Tech Tips

Another question about Conficker I’ve been asked a lot lately. Short answer: no.

More specifically, not unless you are running Windows on your Mac (through Apple Boot Camp or a virtual environment like Parallels). However, I do recommend antivirus software for Macs. Click here to see my suggestions for both Mac and PC antivirus solutions, and don’t forget to subscribe to Tech Tips for computer help for both Macs and PCs.

Lots of people have asked me about the Conficker virus and its April 1, 2009 deadline. The short version is, make sure you have your latest antivirus updates and Microsoft patches.

Conficker aka Downadup has been around for months (you can find my other entries about it here, here and here). Like other viruses it works by installing a core piece of itself, then downloading so-called “payloads” that enable other abilities. Hackers test variants of the virus by unleashing them on an unwitting world, in this case Conficker A, Conficker B, and Conficker C, the latest and most aggressive. On April 1st, researchers predict Conficker C will download its payload, this one possibly with far-reaching consequences. But it’s hard to tell if this is media hype or real danger.

Your best protection is prevention. Even if you think you’re okay, a scan with a Conficker detection tool wouldn’t be amiss. And be sure to subscribe to the email version of Tech Tips for the latest computer news.

ADDENDUM: Scammers are poisoning search results, so if you try to do a web search for instructions to remove Conficker you may wind up at malicious web sites. Be sure to obtain removal tools only from legitimate sites like Microsoft’s. When in doubt, type the address manually into your address bar instead of clicking on a link.

This spring I’m offering several new computer classes as well as a reprise of my Blogs For Business seminar. For full information on class times and registration, please visit the Guidry Consulting web site.

To receive updates on these and future classes, click here.

• Blogs For Business
  Sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce
  Thursday, May 21, 2009
• Protecting Yourself From Cybercrime
  Sponsored by the Cary Park District
  April-August 2009
• Computer Housekeeping
  Sponsored by the Cary Park District
  April-August 2009
• Internet Safety For Kids (ages 5-10 years)
  Sponsored by the Cary Park District
  April-August 2009
• Internet Safety For Teens And Tweens (ages 11 years-adult)
  Sponsored by the Cary Park District
  April-August 2009

You may have heard that Internet Explorer 8 has been released. What does that mean to you? Expect Microsoft to push this new version of their web browser out to you via Automatic Updates sometime in April.

IE8 offers increased security as well as new features. However, some web sites are reported not to work with the new version. That could mean anything from failing to load a page to intermittent unusual behavior. Approach upgrades with caution, and try to use an alternate browser as your primary method of surfing the Web.

Subscribe to Tech Tips to learn more about this and other computer news.

The Internet can be information overload. How can you keep up with news from hundreds of web sites and blogs? With bookmarks, tabbed browsing, and news aggregators.

Bookmarks, or favorites, are the most common and least understood method of following Web sites. Instead of keeping all your bookmarks in one long list, try organizing them into folders. In Internet Explorer, choose Favorites, Edit Favorites to edit your bookmarks. In Firefox, go to Bookmarks, Organize Bookmarks. I especially like Firefox’s Bookmarks Toolbar, which lets you put your most important bookmarks right at the top of your browser window.

Tabbed browsing lets you open more than one web site in a single browser window. Use New Tab under the File menu or my favorite, right-click on a link and select Open Link In New Tab. Another nifty trick, if you close a tab that you want to re-open: right-click the tab bar and select Undo Close Tab.

News aggregators are programs that consolidate information from web sites and blogs. You can organize news feeds (anything with an RSS link) into folders and further sort by topic and thread. I like FeedDemon for Windows and NetNewsWire for Mac.

In April we’re going to reveal the mysteries and dangers of The Admin Account. If you have any computer questions click Comments below this article, and don’t forget to subscribe to the email version of Tech Tips for bonus tips and product reviews.

Do you despair over your email? Many of us store everything in one great big Inbox, but that’s not very efficient. You can use a combination of folders, rules, and spam filters to pare your email down to manageable size.

Folders let you sort email any way you like. You might want to create one folder for business and another for personal correspondence. Create subfolders for each person and voila! organized email.

Rules redirect messages to folders, keeping your Inbox clear for the most important emails. I subscribe to many mailing lists, but don’t have time to read them every day. I use my email program’s Rules option to direct these messages into subfolders. I can see when these subfolders have new unread messages, but I don’t have to weed through them until I’m ready.

Spam filters, like puppies, behave best when trained. Check your email program or provider’s Help for your settings. Once your spam filter knows what you consider spam, it’ll do its best to redirect to a Junk or Spam folder. You’ll still get the occasional spam sneaking through, but if you keep marking as spam your filter will continue to improve.

Next month I’ll answer a frequently asked question: What Is Java? If you have any computer questions click Comments below this article, and don’t forget to subscribe to the email version of Tech Tips for bonus tips and product reviews.

I was minding my own business, installing a wireless router for a client, when Linksys gave me the screaming heebie-jeebies.

At first I was pleased with the latest Linksys/Cisco installer. It’s become common knowledge that wireless routers aren’t secure out of the box, but what isn’t widely known is how to configure them correctly. So the wireless makers have been improving the install process to help folks secure their wireless networks. The installer for the Linksys WRT110 walks you through password-protecting first the router itself, then the wireless network. Nice, I thought, until I got to the last screen…

Heebie-jeebies! Bad enough to display those passwords right there on the screen, but saving them by default to a text file on the desktop?! Text files are like candy to viruses, easy to devour. How soon before some malcontent writes a virus that searches for those text files? Hackers already scan the wireless networks of hapless users, hoping to get in with a default password. Saving plain text files of passwords is like leaving the code to the burglar alarm on the front door. The Linksys installer gives people a false sense of security, helping to change the passwords then revealing them in plain sight.

Shame on Linksys for such an obvious security gaffe, and let’s hope they eliminate it in their next installer version.

Another day, another exploit for your computer. Today it’s Adobe (formerly Macromedia) Flash Player, used by just about everyone to view video on Web pages. You may have it without realizing, as it is often automatically installed by various sites and programs.

Why is this update important? If you don’t have the latest version, your computer could be attacked by viruses simply by viewing an infected Web page. “Trustworthy” sites are often infected, so your only protection is updated software, good antivirus, and a little computer security savvy.

Download the latest Flash Player today, and stay tuned to Tech Tips for the latest computer news.