The MVPS HOSTS file should be an integral part of your Windows security. It will keep you, or anyone using your machine, from going to known problem web sites. A new version comes out once a month and I always try to make sure I have the latest. Did I mention it is FREE?
The current version became available on May 5. On the above page, right click on hosts.zip and select Save Link As and download it (I recommend downloading to your Desktop because you will use this file and delete it after you install the current version). Once downloaded to your desktop, right click on the zipped folder and select Extract All. This will create another folder named HOSTS. Open up that folder by double-clicking on it and then right click on the file MVPS.bat, and select "run as administrator". The new HOSTS file will then be installed, replacing our old HOSTS file (yes, you will always have one, even on a new machine, since an empty and useless HOSTS file already exists on your system). The blue window that next appears will inform you that the new file has been installed.
Lastly delete both of the HOSTS folders on your desktop. They have served their purpose and are no longer needed..
Okay, it's true: I get a lot from the Kim Komando web site, and you should too. Visit it every day at komando.com.
Today's post here:
"There's dangerous new malware out there called Rombertik that could
steal your personal information and destroy your PC. If you try to get
rid of it, the malware could trap your computer in an endless reboot
cycle.
Rombertik usually infects computers using a malicious file attached
to a phishing email. In some cases, this email is designed to look like a
message from Microsoft. The malware can steal login credentials and
other information you enter into websites.
Rombertik also checks to see if it's being analyzed or if other
programs are trying to delete it. If it detects this kind of activity,
it will try to delete a file called the Master Boot Record (MBR). This
can cause your computer to go into an endless restart cycle when it
is turned off and turned back on. The malware also has some other tricks
up its sleeve.
One involves writing a byte of data to
memory 960 million times to overwhelm analysis tools that try to spot
malware by logging system activity.
And, remember, never open an email attachment from a sender you don't
know. It's most likely filled with malicious software that can harm
your computer.
If you're computer is infected by Rombertik, you'll likely lose
valuable data. If the malware successfully deletes the MBR file on your
computer, you will have to reinstall the Windows operating system."
I am not sure why anyone would shy away from Windows 8 at this point, but there is still the opportunity to buy a Windows 7 machine if that is your preference. I saw this article on USA Today.
Q. My Windows 7 desktop died; is it wise to buy a new model with
Win 7 if I can find one? I'd rather not have to relearn software after
switching to Windows 8.
A. Some two and a half years after Windows 8's arrival,
Microsoft's earlier desktop operating system remains easy to find on
new computers if you're flexible in your hardware choices.
At Dell, ranked second in market-research firm IDC's latest data,
a similar pattern prevails with laptops. Although you have far more
choices with Windows 8 than 7 — 101 choices on the menu compared with 29
— choosing the older software still gives you choices among Dell's
major product lines.
With Dell desktops, opting for Windows 7 will exclude that manufacturer's all-in-one designs.
At
Lenovo, fourth in IDC's ranking after Apple, specifying Windows 7 on a
laptop also requires compromises. Not only does its site list only 19
laptops with Win 7 vs. 100 with Win 8, you have to forgo more advanced
models such as its Yoga and Flex series.
This selection does not represent a huge shift from what I found in late 2012, not long after Windows 8's debut.
Microsoft's support of Windows 7 has changed since then, but it's not as big of a deal as it might seem. Although that 2009-vintage operating system exited "mainstream support"
Jan. 13, all that means in practice is that Microsoft's updates to
Windows 7 will consist only of security fixes, not new features. Those
security patches will keep coming until Jan. 14, 2020, the scheduled end
of "extended support" for Win 7.
That leaves potential Windows 7 shoppers few reasons to worry, Directions on Microsoft analyst Wes Miller wrote in an email.
"They
can buy a Windows 7 Professional PC today and receive security fixes
for almost four and a half years," he said. "I also don't expect vendors
to drop support for Windows 7 anytime soon — it's extremely popular
with consumers and business."
Microsoft's Internet Explorer will get left behind — the Redmond, Wash., firm is retiring that browser in favor of a new app called Microsoft Edge that will ship with the upcoming Windows 10. Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox
can easily take IE's place. Since both still support Windows XP, you
can expect Windows 7 to remain welcome at both browsers for years to
come.
Don't rule out upgrading to Windows 10 from 7 when that
ships this year. It should look much more like Windows as you've known
it, including a streamlined version of the traditional Start menu. It
will be a free upgrade from Win 7 as well as Win 8.
Your HOSTS file can provide you with an extra level of protection from the known bad guys. I download and install this every month (to get the latest updates). It takes just a minute, (start to finish) and is definitely worth the time. You can find the latest version here:
I look at Kim Komando's web site every day. Every day I see new things that I am interested in. You should so the same. I am nowhere near the prolific writer I once was. This is obvious when you look at this blog. I used to be very faithful to it and there were times when I was posting daily. No more.
Do yourself a favor and go to Kim's web site. Bookmark it if you haven't already, and then make it a daily stop. Whereas at the top of my game I might post one item a day, Kim posts many new items every day. My advice: GO THERE! If you have questions on something you see there, feel free to write me for an opinion or clarification or assistance. If I can help, I will.
I am just getting used to my Apple iPhone, which I love. Then along comes articles like this! This is from bgr.com. If you are a Samsung Galaxy user, check this out and feel good that you waited!
Beginning in two weeks on April 10th, we’re in store for an epic battle of the sixes. Apple’s iPhone 6
burst onto the scene this past September and helped Apple rack up more
profit in the holiday quarter than any other company has ever earned in a
three-month period. iPhone 6 sales are still going strong according to
estimates, but the phone will finally see some real competition next
month when the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge hit store shelves.
All three of these phones are fantastic options, but there are a few
key features on Samsung’s new handsets that could make iPhone 6 owners a
bit jealous. In this post, you’ll find 10 of the most impressive things
the Galaxy S6 can do that Apple’s latest iPhone can’t.
More good stuff from guess who? Yup, Kim Komando. She has been at this a long time and has had great success. She apparently has grown to the point where she has a top notch technical staff - in addition to herself - who spend time researching things that seem to apply to all of us. And most of what she publishes on her web site seems to be very timely. I recommend a daily visit to her web site.
5 ways to test your computer's security
"You can't turn on the news without hearing about some scary new
computer security problem. Just in 2015, we've already had major Windows security flaws, Adobe Flash security flaws, Lenovo's Superfish scandal and more.
That doesn't even include the threats that are always out there, such
as hackers, snoopers, viruses, phishing attacks, and I could go on. If
you don't think computer security is a big deal, think again.
Those are all good things, and I highly recommend them, but the big
question is whether it worked. Is your computer and information really
safe?
If you don't test your security, you might have a wrong setting or
unpatched flaws and never know it. Companies regularly hire hackers to
test their security for them. Fortunately, you can do it yourself for
free."
If you are serious about "cutting the cord" this is a good place to start. This is a pcmag.com article.
"Cable TV was once considered the ultimate entertainment
necessity. The over-the-air days of VHF/UHF television signals couldn't
keep up with the voracious need of viewers who needed more, more, more
channels. Having a cable directly pumping all that high-definition
content into your home became the norm, and the cable providers—who now
likely provide your high-speed broadband Internet access—knew they had
you on the hook.
Of course, they didn't factor in that the Internet would become their
worst enemy. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Instant
Video are just the most well-known names in what's become known as "cord
cutting"—namely, doing away with pay TV and using Internet-based
services to get all your "television" programming. No more paying a huge
monthly fee for thousands of hours of TV you don't watch. Instead, pay
individual services for a la carte programming. It's almost like paying
for just what you watch. Almost.
Cable companies, of course, are freaking out. The average cable TV
bill went up by 5.8 percent from July 2013 to July 2014, according to ABC News. That's because subscribers are dropping like flies to become cord cutters; MoffettNathanson says 3 percent of subscribers made the switch between early 2012 and mid-2014. Experian says
that in 2013, 18.1 percent of households that had Netflix or Hulu
became cord cutters. It's almost ironic that the cable companies
probably don't lose those people entirely as customers, since most of
them will need a hefty Internet pipe to get the same quality of TV over
the Internet.
The FCC recently redefined
what really constitutes "broadband" speed in the U.S. as 25 Megabits
per second (Mbps), up from 4 Mbps, which was the standard since 2010.
That puts about 17 percent of the population (55 million households)
without true broadband. But, in theory, to be an effective cord cutter, a
5Mbps connection should do it."
Important post from Kim. I had been a little bit ahead of this, experiencing a performance degradation when using Adobe Flash.
I had heard about the Youtube parameter and HTML5 and did that. I now live with Adobe Flash Firefox plugin for Shockwave Flash set to ASK TO ACTIVATE. It is annoying living with this setting, but it is the prudent thing to do.
I try to make sure I get the latest version of the MVPS HOSTS file installed on all of our PCs. It seems now to be published about every 5 weeks, and the latest was made available on January 24.
"Yet another end is nigh for Windows 7. After months of buildup—Microsoft
killed standalone software sales of the operating system in October
2013, and Windows 7 consumer PCs stopped being manufactured in October 2014—the
venerable OS is finally exiting “mainstream support” on January 13,
2015. And for months now, the Web has been flooded with a wave of
confused or downright fearmongering headlines and articles implying that Windows 7 is following Windows XP into the graveyard.
It's not.
The confusion here stems from Microsoft's maddeningly obtuse naming
conventions. Leaving mainstream support only means that Windows 7 won't
be receiving any new features or product tweaks, such as the impressing-sounding DirectX 12 gaming technology slated to launch with Windows 10. You won't be able to call Microsoft for free help if you run into an issue with Windows 7 either.
Once a Windows desktop operating system leaves mainstream support, it
enters the extended support phase—the very same support phase that
Windows XP found itself in from early 2009 until its death earlier this
year.
You'll still receive those oh-so-critical security patches during
extended support, meaning that while Windows 7 won't be in active
development beyond next January, it won't be tossed to the wolves of the
Web, either. Hotfixes
will still be provided, too, assuming they're security related.
(Business can sign up for an extended hotfix support plan if your
company wants hotfix support for non-security issues.) And those
security updates will be coming for a long time, too: Extended support
for Windows 7 lasts until January 14, 2020. Heck, commercial PCs with
Windows 7 Professional will even continue to be sold for the foreseeable future."
"Another day, another hack. This one isn't cut and dry, though. The
notorious hacker group Anonymous released 13,000 passwords on the
Internet recently and claimed they came from several popular online
stores and sites, including Amazon and Walmart.
But, not everyone is so sure the hack is real. In fact, Walmart has
denied the claims outright and others think it might be a
hoax. Anonymous posted the file to a file sharing site called Ghostbin.
The group also claims that it posted a copy of the controversial movie "The Interview" for users to download.
The file also included the accounts of a
number of dating and porn sites, and it appears to have some passwords
for a popular security program known as CyberGhost, which protects you
from a hacker snooping on you when you use public WiFi hotspots.
Allegedly, the passwords come from Amazon, Dell, Hulu Plus,
Origin.com, PlayStation, Shutterstock, Twitch.tv, Walmart and Xbox Live.
Just in case the hack is real, there are some security precautions you
should take.
While many think the hack is hoax, you should still make sure your
accounts are safe just in case. If you have an account on any of the
sites possibly affected by the supposed hack, just go in to your account
and change your password. That way, if the hack is real, the stolen
password will be outdated.
Changing your password is a simple way to make sure your account is
secure. Sadly, nowadays we have to take every hacking threat seriously -
even when many think it's nothing more than a hoax."
If you are serious about keeping your computer secure, you need a HOSTS file. The one that comes pre-loaded on any Windows system is empty and does us absolutely no good. Fortunately there is a man who updates and makes available at no charge, a monthly updates loaded HOSTS file. (He does accept contributions!)
Over the course of the life of this blog I have spoken of it very often. Once I created a series of 5 blog posts containing everything one needs to know about what a HOSTS file is, how to get it, and how to install it.
The author of the MVPS HOSTS file has kept everything in place so that his file can be loaded and used in every Windows operating system. I have it loaded, and I download and install the monthly updated file, on my XP, W7, and W8 systems.
If you feel uncomfortable doing this, you can follow my older series of 5 blog posts to give you much more detail. Since I recently deleted Spybot from my security baseline, and if you do the same, you can ignore anything contained in these 5 steps that has to do with Spybot.
Here is a link to the first of the 5 posts. After reading the first one you can use the search box at the top of this page to find #2, and then #3, and so on.
This is an update to my security baseline. The biggest change is that I have dropped good old Spybot from the list. I never got to like their newer versions and they stopped providing updates to the older version. If you still have version 1.6 be aware that you have not been given updated information in many months, and running the old is probably not doing any good.
Also, and this is very new news, I have upgraded my copy of Malwarebytes to the Premium version. At a price of $24.95 which covers 3 machine installations, I felt the realtime option, available only in Premium, was worth the small expense. Will I upgrade in a year to the newer version as it becomes available? That remains to be seen.
Our home hardware profile has also changed. We now have 2 Windows 8.1 Dell laptops and one Windows 7 desktop. These are the 3 machines we run the Premium Malwarebytes on. Although we still have 2 Windows XP machines, these still run but are not used as regular "production" machines. On these I still run MSE and the free version of Malwarebytes.
1. My anti-virus program of choice is the free Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) aka Windows Defender in Windows 8 & 8.1. This is a very impressive anti-virus program and can replace any you have now. DOWNLOAD HERE
2. Windows Firewall (Standard part of your operating system. Check the Security Center to be sure it is on.)
3. MVPS HOSTS File - download the current month's version and update monthly DOWNLOAD HERE
4. CCleaner - free version - check for newer version than you may already have. Run weekly. DOWNLOAD HERE by clicking on Download Latest Version in the upper right hand corner of the page.
5. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware - run bi-weekly. DOWNLOAD HERE As noted above I run the Premium version, but the free version is still excellent.
6. SuperAntiSpyware Free Edition - run bi-weekly in the off week after #5. DOWNLOAD HERE
I will be happy to assist you with any or all of the above installations. This can be done remotely.
Questions? Comment below or write me, pcdoc at brpcdoc dot com
Today I took the plunge and bought Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium. Those of you who know me know that I am loathe to pay for software, preferring to use the free, less featured program.
I have been using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware free version for years. I think it is the best of its kind hands down. So why did I make the switch to the fee-based premium version? I think I made the decision for 2 reasons: realtime monitoring of my systems, and the price is a dramatically low $24.95 for one year, and that one license covers 3 systems, and that is exactly how many production systems we have in our house. So for a little over $8 I can get the realtime monitoring and all of the other bells and whistles that come with the premium version on all of our machines.
Security today, it goes without saying, is a red hot topic, and I want to do all I can do to make our systems secure. So there you have it in a nutshell: great protection at a very affordable price.
You should consider doing this too.
FYI, we have 2 Windows 8.1 and one Windows 7 machines in the house. The Windows 7 machine runs Microsoft Security Essentials for its anti-virus protection, and the 2 Windows 8.1 machines use Windows Defender for their anti-virus protection (for the uninitiated, Windows Defender in Windows 8 is the new name for Microsoft Security Essentials).
It is really hard to keep up a blog like this one, and I have not been giving it the time and effort needed to keep it going. Apologies.
I am going to take a rest. Yes, I have my health and I am doing fine. It's just that priorities change. I may or may not be back to this blog. I'm not sure, but I have my doubts.
Finally Kim Komando agrees with me! :-) No, but seriously, I have
been recommending Malwarebytes as a free tool to clean up malware on
your system. It is one excellent tool and normally the first thing I run
on YOUR systems when you ask me to clean your system.
As
Kim points out, it is a passive tool. This means you have to run it.
Unlike your anti-virus program which is active and always looking out
for bad stuff, you take control with this tool. Please note that
Malwarebytes does have a fee-based tool as well, and this is an active
tool. If you don't mind spending the money go for it!
For
the time being I am using the free version, the one I have been
recommending all these years. It is an excellent tool. Kim recommends
running this once a month. I recommend every 2 weeks. I am considering buying the fee-based version.
