Triona's Tech Tips

My computer class schedule for fall is now available. In September I will debut a new class for the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce on Social Networking: Marketing Your Business Online. I have also added two new classes via the Cary Park District:

• Internet Safety For Kids
• Protecting Yourself From Cybercrime
• Computer Housekeeping
• Web 2.0 For Job Search (new)
• DIY Tech Support For PC/Mac (new)

Schedule and registration information is available on my web site. You can also download the PDF flyer.

A recent update for the Windows-based AVG antivirus program surprised users when it mistakenly identified several components of iTunes as a malware trojan called Small.BOG. This is called a false positive, when security software quarantines legitimate software.

If you run into this problem, the fix is to update AVG, then update iTunes. This technical bulletin from AVG provides more details.

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Microsoft is releasing a pair of out-of-sequence security patches tomorrow, to fix vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer and Visual Studio. It’s unusual for Microsoft to stray from their regular Patch Tuesday cycle (the second Tuesday of the month). While the Visual Studio patch will affect a small percentage of computers, the Internet Explorer patch applies to any computer running Windows.

To make sure you get these updates, either turn Automatic Updates on (bearing in mind the pros and cons of doing so) or visit update.microsoft.com to check for these latest patches.

Software patches (also called updates) are fixes for bugs that could allow malicious software to enter your computer. By staying current on these patches, you improve your computer’s defense.

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The latest buzz in the IT world is all about “cloud computing” and “software as a service” (SaaS). These two related terms refer to doing all your computing via the Internet rather than software locally installed on your computer. But the idea of consumers relying solely on cloud computing makes me cringe. Why?

1. It’s not secure
   Microsoft’s upcoming incarnation of Office is an example. Office Web will offer versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint than run directly from the Web. But consumers don’t know or care where their applications come from as long as they work. So let’s say Jane Consumer wants to open financial data stored in an Excel file. She may not know she’s trusting her entire fortune to the cloud (e.g. the Internet). What about a consumer who is working from a home computer, opening confidential documents that ought to be kept within the confines of the corporate network? When you use the Internet, you never know who might be intercepting your information. I wouldn’t want my data trusted exclusively to the cloud. I wouldn’t even be satisfied with regular local backups. I want my data where I can see it, smell it, touch it, and above all control it.
2. Your environment can be changed at the whim of developers
   Many web mail users complain to me that they don’t like it when their provider changes the look and feel of their email service without notice. Imagine if your word processor and spreadsheet did the same thing. There is something to be said for locally installed software that you can manage as you prefer. Apparently consumers feel the same way, given how many people are still using Windows XP so they don’t have to deal with Vista’s changed interface. You could also consider the huge number of complaints Microsoft received when they removed the tried-and-true Office menus in favor of Office 2007′s (gack) ribbon toolbar.
3. What if your Internet connection goes down?
   Purveyors of SaaS promise ways to work offline. But how well will it work in reality? Do you really want to count on having a reliable Internet connection just to open a document? What about people in areas who have no access to steady high-speed Internet?
4. What if your SaaS provider pulls the plug?
   You could wake up one morning, turn on your computer and discover that the software you need to do your work is vanished, gone, kaput. You might even be at the mercy of vendors who change your license agreement, then demand a ransom to keep your software alive. We’ve already seen that happen with the way some antivirus software vendors gouge you for automatic payments. What if they offer a full-fledged product, then strip the features and start charging extra for them? Or what if your vendor goes under? With locally installed software, at least you still have the software. With SaaS, you might lose the software and your data, too. Worse, what if they decide they now own all your data and can do with it whatever they like?
5. Advertising and fakes
   How would you like it if you were working on a document and an advertisement interrupted you? Or what if you received a phony popup pretending that your document is corrupt and you suddenly need to buy some nifty (fake) software that will solve the purported problem? This already happens with fake antivirus software. I don’t need it in my word processor.
6. The potential for censorship
   Look at China’s attempts to firewall their entire country and crack down on social networking sites. Relying exclusively on cloud computing could, in theory, give a government the ability to silence what it doesn’t like. This is the same reason I believe in net neutrality: freedom of expression.

Of course, there may be some advantages to consumer cloud computing.

1. Ease of use
   Imagine not waiting for your computer to start up or load an application. This would appeal to many consumers. With cloud computing you could access your software as easily as opening a browser window.
2. Your environment can be changed at the whim of developers
   Yes, I said that above, but it can be a good thing too. You could get new features without having to install new software. It might even be cheaper since you wouldn’t have to pay for the CD or DVD. Perhaps you could buy features for short-term use, as you need them. I’ll bet people who make casual use of super-expensive software like Adobe Photoshop would enjoy that ability.
3. Less expensive hardware
   Google’s Chrome OS will run at first on netbooks, inexpensive PCs that require only minimal hardware to operate. With cloud computing the vendor takes on the burden of processing power; all you need is a Web browser. Again, this might be highly appealing to consumers and could help bring computing power to those who currently cannot afford it.
4. Convenience
   Many consumers enjoy being able to work on their documents anywhere, anytime, without the need to log into a home machine or fiddle with a USB drive. That’s why Google Docs is popular. People are often willing to trade privacy for convenience.

In my opinion, cloud computing is too new and untested to be forced down consumers’ throats just because it’s the latest IT craze. But, as an option rather than a requirement, it may provide some advantages. For more, check out this op-ed from the WSJ. Be sure to read the comments, they’re interesting!

Being an astronomy aficionado, I can’t let today go by without celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

The Apollo Guidance Computer had 64 kilobytes of memory and worked at a snail’s pace of 0.043 megahertz. To put that in perspective, the computer I’m writing this on has 2 gigabytes of memory (=2,097,152 kilobytes) and a processor speed of 2 gigahertz (=2,000 megahertz).

Even in these economic times, it’s important to support our space program. I encourage you to learn more by visiting these web sites. And, while I’m at it, I’d like to ask all of you to promote dark skies in your neighborhood by pointing exterior lights toward the ground, using motion sensors, and encouraging legislation that discourages light pollution. Our children deserve to be able to see, and visit, the stars.

• NASA
• Citizens For Space Exploration
• The Planetary Society
• International Dark Sky Association

If you have a site that is on GeoCities, now is the time to find another Web host. On October 26, 2009, Yahoo will shut down all GeoCities sites. Once one of the most popular destinations on the Web, GeoCities has faded in recent years and now contains many defunct pages. However, some GeoCities sites still contain valid information and/or are referenced elsewhere, so it’s a good idea to have the site owner move valid data elsewhere and update your links accordingly.

This fall we have major upgrades for Windows and Mac. Windows 7, the successor to Vista, is slated to be shipped on October 22, 2009. Mac OS X 10.6, code-named Snow Leopard, is set to ship in September. What will these new operating systems mean for you, and when should you think about upgrading?

Windows 7 will look like Windows Vista, but there are some improvements meant to simplify the user experience such as changes to the Taskbar. Performance should be improved, especially if you have a 64-bit processor. Security is bolstered based upon Vista’s User Access Control feature, which disallows administrative privileges without typing a password. I’m also looking forward to BitLocker, Microsoft’s encryption option. It’s interesting to note that, for reasons related to antitrust investigations, Windows 7 will ship without Internet Explorer in Europe. I’m curious why U.S. users don’t rate the same advantage, but I digress. If you want Windows 7 you will likely have to ramp up your hardware. Microsoft claims it will work with a 1GHz processor and 1GB of memory, but since Vista hardly works without at least 2GB we can assume Microsoft’s system requirements, as usual, are not the same as the real (read: functional) ones. And just to keep things confusing, Microsoft is offering six different versions of Windows 7.

A recent McAfee study (pdf) reveals that searching for certain keywords carries a greater risk of being infected with malware.

McAfee found maximum risks associated with the word, not surprisingly, “free”. Studying the U.S. in particular, words associated with celebrities or song lyrics demonstrate how malware gloms onto recent headlines and trends. “Screensavers”, “free music downloads” and “free ringtones” remain popular ways to lure you into clicking malicious links. And the keywords “search engine marketing” or “search engine optimization” have become increasingly linked to sites that deliver malware or scareware antivirus scams. In short, just because a link comes up when you search for a particular keyword doesn’t mean that link is where you want to go.

I recommend free programs like McAfee SiteAdvisor or the even better LinkExtend for Firefox as plug-ins for your Web browser. These programs rank search results to give you a better idea of whether or not the links are malicious. But your safest bet is to type Web addresses manually, for example going directly to www.snopes.com instead of searching for it by keyword.

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There’s a lot of talk in the news about the recent cyber attacks on U.S. and South Korean servers. Computers in both countries were disrupted through what are called “denial of service” attacks, when hackers use infected computers called zombies to slow or crash target servers. Zombie computers are often owned by small businesses or consumers who are completely unaware they are infected. I’ve mentioned zombie computers before (here and here) but it’s important to reiterate how you can protect yourself and others.

Your best protection is prevention. Be sure to run a reliable antivirus program like those below (beware of the fakes!) as well as anti-spyware software. Security suites offer a way to combine those protections with a firewall to block unwanted network probes. Regular software updates are also key to keeping your computer protected. You can learn more about these techniques in my article on cybercrime. I am teaching a class on How To Protect Yourself From Cybercrime on Monday July 20th from 9:30am-11:30am in Cary, Illinois (click here for more details and registration information).

Antivirus software for PCs:

• Trend Micro
• AVG (free)
• Avast (free)
• McAfee
• (But not Norton; here’s why.)

Antispyware software for PCs:

• Malwarebytes (free)
• AdAware (free)
• Spybot (free)

Antivirus and anti-spyware software for Macs:

• Intego VirusBarrier
• McAfee VirusScan For Mac
• Avast Mac (free)
• ClamX AV (free)

For bonus tips, tricks, and other computer help, subscribe to the free email version of Tech Tips.