How to Avoid a Russian Phish

According to Kaspersky labs, Russia is the world  leader for spreading malware. (USA was number two). Phishing is on the rise again it was up 2.1%. How do you avoid a phish?

If you receive an email in a language you don't read, it's probably a phish.

я поздравляю вас время осел фишеров.

Notice the backwards R (Ya), the 3 (which is a z), the square with feet (a D), the circle with a line thru it (F) and the strange W (SH). All these characters are distinct to a cyrillic language. Even I read Russian and I won't open emails in Russian because they are either porn vendors or phishers. If you can remember any one of these characters or the general rule not to open foreign-language emails, it will help you.

That being said, some phishers are writing in English. Look for spelling errors, punctuation errors and grammatical mistakes. I spent more than one year over there and their English isn't polished. Even the English teachers, who I spent a lot of time with, make many mistakes. So mistakes are a clue that the email didn't originate in the US. 

A big, red flag should be raised when you are asked for your password in an email. Who does that???

 Credit card information should never be asked in an email.  


If someone asks for other personal information: social security numbers, phone numbers, addresses, or spouse names, it's probably a phish.


Don't reply to phishes. Resist the urge to reply with "you *&^%%$ phisher I'm not giving you anything!!!" If you reply, the phisher knows he has reached a maintained email address and will try again, but probably from a different email address and with a different angle. Replying is like painting a target on your back.

Surviving a Bootkit Infection

Infections on your computer are bad, but some infections are worse than others. A rogue antivirus may seem impossible to you, but to a technician it's a cold whereas a bootkit infection is more like a malignant tumor. Microsoft recommends reinstalling Windows after you've had a bootkit infection and so do I.  There's no fudge factor here. Even a really savy tech probably won't get all of the infection.

When a virus gets into your boot sector, it's so difficult to remove. It's a time consuming and tedious process to find infected files and you can never be sure that you got them all. That's why it's so important to have everything backed up on a daily basis. That way if you do get infected you lose only one day's work and not months' worth of work.

Make sure all of your photos, music and documents are backed up. Set up Windows backup if you don't want to do it yourself. http://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/backupdata.aspx That link will help you with Windows backup. Make sure your contacts are backed up too. Not much is worse than losing all your precious business contacts.

Having an external hard drive is a great way to add a little insurance that you won't lose your data, HOWEVER most folks don't take the proper care to insure that their data on their external hard drive will be safe.

• You must scan external hard drives on a regular basis.
• Disconnect the power and USB data cable from the external hard drive when not in use and, especially, during a thunderstorm. 
• Do not store the eternal hard drive on the carpeting. (You want to keep it in a drawer and out of the way of vacuum cleaners.)
• Don't leave an external hard drive in your automobile. (Greenhouse effects can destroy your hard drive.)

Ok, well I hope this helps you get prepared and scares you into being a safe surfer. If you're not scared of getting an infection, you should be. You carry a spare tire in your trunk so why not a spare drive for your computer? There's lots of sales going on; right now you can pick one up for not much money.

Be prepared..... or be prepared to cry! ;)

Are You Using the Same Password for Everything?

Using the same password for everything is rather dangerous.... especially if it's your name. I'm not talking the nickname your spouse calls you. If your spouse calls you smoogly bear probably no one knows about it. I'm talking the name your mama gave you. All someone has to do is find out your name and email address (piece of cake) and they have access to your personal account information. If your name is Jane and your email address is janesmith@anything.com... it's real easy to hack your account if your name is Jane.  That can put you in a financial pickle real fast.

Using your spouse's name is not a good idea either. That's public record material. I wouldn't advise using your children's names for everything either. That's also public record. Your pet's name isn't public record (unless you've blogged about the pet). 

Instead of using the same password for everything, come up with a password scheme. Here's an example
Google: googly2011
Amazon: amazony2011
Yahoo: yahooey2011

Notice they all contain numbers. They don't have your name. They are different. They are at least 10 characters long for added security.  Nowadays security experts are recommending passwords be 10-12 characters long and 12 is better. With 8 characters, your password can be cracked in a matter of hours. With 10 characters a matter of months. It would take centuries to crack your 12 character long password.

 Ok, it's not fun to change passwords and remember new passwords, but if you come up with a scheme it won't be too hard. You can alter the year in the above scheme so that your password changes every year. Just an example.  


I used to have the same 9 character password for everything. I switched to a scheme of more than 10 characters long so that my passwords are easy to remember and are more secure. If I can do it, so can you. You'll be safer!

You Need a Trim

Ok, your computer can do lots of amazing things, but don't expect your computer to do everything all at the same time. If you do your computer will get sluggish from the excess weight it's carrying. Trim down what you expect your computer to do.

Imagine your computer is a big, hunky guy and each application is a shopping bag. You go to the first store and pick up something: the Tom Tom application. You hand it over to the big, hunky guy to carry and he has no problem carrying it..... because that's all he is carrying. You go to the next store: the Blackberry store and you pick up the blackberry app. The big hunky guy takes the blackberry app from you and says no problem. I'm only carrying two things... this is a piece of cake for him! Next you go to the iTunes store and pick up the iTunes app and Quicktime. You ask the big hunky guy to carry them as well. Still he's having no problem juggling these four things around isn't that difficult. Then you pick up two more apps and hand them over. A few more and hand those over as well. Then you go the next store and as you walk in he gives you a dirty look. Really you need more???? Don't you think you have enough, he says?  He can feel the weight of all those apps and he's not running as fast as he used to. It's kind of a struggle.

The next day you are fresh and ready to get some more apps---but he isn't! He's still feeling it from the day before. When you go to check out another app, he mutters under his breath. His obvious displeasure with your decision to add yet another app to him is rather annoying to you, but HE is the one doing all the work. You are just having fun.

The next week when you suggest going and getting more for your computer, he says no. No way under the sun. Forget it. If you want the app so bad you carry it!

Ok, you get it? Just because the big hunky guy is strong and can carry many things, it might not be in your best interest to overload him with things that you really don't need all that much. If you think that you are starting to load up your computer, start trimming away at the unnecessary fat you have on it.

If you are sensible with what you expect your computer to carry, he will serve you long and well. If you get unreasonable, you can be sure that the days ahead will be full of grumbling!

Be Cheep Cheep (But Not Cheap) With Your Computer

Cheep is very good! Be chicken to click on that link that your friend sent you or open the attachment he/she sent you without scanning it. It's ok to be cheep cheep CHICKEN. Being cheep cheep may save you money in the long run. Before you do anything new to your computer, make a new restore point and back up your files that are important.

On the flip side, being cheap is bad. Sometimes folks try to tackle computer projects that they shouldn't and it ends up costing them. Sometimes you need to hire a professional. You'll pay for car repairs, plumbing repairs, but when it comes to computers people think they should pay the purchase price of the computer and then nothing more. That's not reasonable.

Here's my list of what you should do on your own (if you can):

• Clean the inside of your case
• Replace optical drives
• Replace the batteries (cmos or li-ion)
• Replacing the video card
• Replacing the failed hard drive (If you get the exact same one and have a manufacturer's recovery cd)
• Replace the power supply

Here's what you should hire a professional for:

• Upgrading memory (unless you consult with the manufacturer for exact part numbers you'll probably bungle the speed and not follow proper anti-static procedures or buy more than your system board supports)
• Troubleshoot failing hard drives. (you'll probably bungle the job and lose your data).
• Upgrade the processor (you'll probably bungle the cooling system on it or at least skip necessary steps)
• Hijacks that involve a system that has critical data (that hasn't been backed up) on it (you'll probably lose the data if you call in a professional too late)

Some of you are going to look at the first list and say you're kidding I can't do that, so ok hire a professional. I can't cut my hair myself so I hire a professional every couple of months. Some of you are going to look at the second list and say I can do all that. Maybe you can, but probably you won't get it right.  This list is my recommendation only, you can do as you like. Good luck and don't forget to back up your work this week. :)