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2012 Home and Garden Show

Just realized that I had forgotten to update the SSL Certificate on the https://www.cybertechcafe.net/ website. If you visit our website, you'll get an SSL warning that the certificate has expired. I'll have this resolved by end of day today but wanted to let folks know that I was aware of the problem. This is a case of the mechanics car always being broken :)


Cyber Tech Cafe, LLC
www.cybertechcafe.net
Welcome to Cyber Tech Cafe, your Complete Technology Resource for Home, Office and Web. We are a full service technology support company providing the IT products and services that you need at competitive prices and with unbeatable customer service.

Still think that you're 100% safe just because you have a Mac? That's not entirely true (nor has it ever been) but F-Secure has some encouraging news.


F-Secure outlines the 2011 Mac malware scene
reviews.cnet.com
Despite increases in Mac malware, the overall level for OS X is relatively minuscule; however, analysis shows a potential break from malware increases following the Mac's market share trend. Read this blog post by Topher Kessler on MacFixIt.

A hacker by the name of "Yama Tough" said that he is going to release the source code for Norton Antivirus today. This means that new attacks against Norton Antivirus customers are likely to pick up this week. If you have Norton, you may want to look at another solution. We suggest Microsoft Security Essentials. It is free, and does a great job. You can get it here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials


Microsoft Security Essentials - Free Antivirus for Windows
windows.microsoft.com
Find out how Microsoft Security Essentials guards your PC against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software and download Microsoft Security Essentials for free.

With the January 2012 update cycle pretty much behind us, we're getting a flood of computers with the 'Fake Antivirus' virus and other malware coming in, mostly on computers that are missing not only this latest round of updates but updates from months past. The easiest way to prevent your computer from getting a virus is to plug the hole that the virus uses to get in. If you're not plugging the holes, you're asking for trouble. If you don't have time to install updates and do routine maintenance, it's a lot less expensive (in time and money) to outsource the preventative maintenance than to outsource the cleanup and we can help with both (preventative maintenance and cleanup).

Relatively light update month but one of the updates is listed as critical and a number of the important updates can allow an attacker to run code remotely. At least 4 of the updates have a reboot requirement.

If you don't do updates, don't know how to do updates or don't want to do updates, ask us about or low fixed-pricing for monthly updates and sleep well knowing that you're covered.


Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for January 2012
technet.microsoft.com
This is an advance notification of security bulletins that Microsoft is intending to release on January 10, 2012.

Here's the 'proof' video for the previously posted DDoS attack services.


Scamproof
www.youtube.com

This is a link to the actual video. Kindof spooky that the spokesperson is a young, innocent looking female.


Gwapo's Professional DDOS Service
www.youtube.com
Please visit our thread posted here : http://www.hackforums.net/showthread.php?tid=1971939

Think it's hard for someone to 'rent' a botnet? Think again. Update.


Cheap Professional DDoS Service - F-Secure Weblog : News from the Lab
www.f-secure.com
F-Secure Security Labs brings you the latest online security news from around the world. Ensure that you are up-to-date with the latest online threats to guarantee your online wellbeing.

Ever had a device that you updated, or changed some setting and it completely stopped working right? GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!! There is a website called factory-reset.com that has lots and lots of instructions for resetting those devices. Here is an article about the website, that also has a link to it.


FactoryReset.com Details Reset Instructions for Tons of Different Gadgets
lifehacker.com
Whether your tech is in need of troubleshooting or you've just messed with the settings beyond repair, FactoryReset.com will show you how to get it back to its out-of-the-box state.

Firefox 3.6 will be going end of life soon, and will no longer be supported by Mozilla. If you are one of those people who never update anything, now is a great time to start. The current version of Firefox is 9.0.1.


Firefox 3.6 Support Ends April 2012 - Slashdot
news.slashdot.org
An anonymous reader writes "Mozilla for some time after switching to the rapid release process talked about releasing Extended Support Releases that would give companies and organizations some breathing space in the race to test and deploy new browser versions. With the first ESR release (which will...

Good bye and good riddance. It looks like IE6 (Internet Explorer version 6) is finally officially dead (almost). This can't happen soon enough. Although the income generated from viruses that this should-be-dead-and-gone browser is nice, trying to explain to the people using it that it (the thing that came with it FROM MICROSOFT [as has been explained to me, note the use of all caps, that wasn't an accident]). Now, we need to work on getting IE7 out the door (then IE8 and IE9, maybe it would be easier to just come out and say IE altogether).


IE6 is nearly dead and buried
www.theinquirer.net
Usage in the US drops below one per cent

Are you a small business that relies on computers and technology for that business that needs some IT support but you don't need, can't justify or just can't afford a full time IT staff to handle day-to-day maintenance, computer and network security, regular updates, backup / disaster planning and recovery and other IT related tasks? If so, we'd love an opportunity to earn your business. Give us a call, email, Facebook message or contact us via our website at http://cybertechcafe.net/ for information on how we can help with your technology needs. If you're unsure or if you've been burned by an IT company in the past, let us know and we'd be happy to provide references to customers that have used us in the past.


Cyber Tech Cafe, LLC
cybertechcafe.net
Welcome to Cyber Tech Cafe, your Complete Technology Resource for Home, Office and Web. We are a full service technology support company providing the IT products and services that you need at competitive prices and with unbeatable customer service.

Got a Android Phone with a Data Package? Got a Laptop? You can now use your phone for internet on your laptop without paying extra a month for it. Clockworkmod (android developers) have released an application that will allow you to tether your phone to your laptop for free, without having to root it (Android term for jailbreak). Here is a link to an article about it, and it has a link to download the program.


ClockworkMod Tether Tethers Your Android Phone for Free, No Root Required
lifehacker.com
Android and Windows/Mac/Linux: Most tethering apps require root, or at the very least cost a fair amount of money. ClockworkMod Tether is a completely free wired tether app for unrooted Android phones.

Backup, backup, backup. We have seen 3 computers in less than a month that have had mission critical data on them that were never backed up and now the hard drives have suffered mechanical / catastrophic failure. We can recover data in most instances but, when there are hardware failures on the drive, the cost goes up exponentially. The alternative would have been to have backed up the data regularly, which would have cost a fraction of the cost of the recovery. Now, stop reading Facebook and backup your stuff. If you don't know how, swing by the shop and we can show you, help you or do it for you. If the data's important, it will be far cheaper to back it up than it will be to recover it.

I know that this is going to cause grief for some folks but the fact is that this is a good thing. Too many people don't understand the dangers of failing to update their software (or using Internet Explorer at all, but that's another rant / post) and no amount of lecturing / chiding / etc. from tech-types will force them to update responsibly. The inability to use sites that they *want* to use though (like Facebook) will force their hand. Good move Facebook. Now, go install your updates.


Facebook Shows Signs Of Ending Support For IE7
www.techtree.com
Will not render the Timeline feature for IE7 users.

Folks, the fake antivirus scam is making it's way around with a vengeance again. The basics are that you turn your computer on and BAM, a message pops up telling you that your computer has a virus and lists a number of files that it's 'found'. If you get this, it's not an indication that you 'may' be infected but that you are infected.

Verizon has dropped their online payment fee!


Verizon Drops Its Absurd $2 Online Payment Fee
gizmodo.com
Well done, consumers! In a brief press release issued just this afternoon, Verizon has announced its change of heart on the $2 "convenience fee" it was prepared to charge customers just for paying their bills online or by phone.

Microsoft has announced a vulnerability in ASP.NET (which is used in web development). this vulnerability can let an attacker craft a web request on a site that would be full of thousands of form data values which would eat up all available CPU resources. There is no fix for it at this time, but it is in the works. Also Microsoft noted that at this time there does not seem to be any exploits using this venerability in the wild. Here is an article about it.


Microsoft Announces ASP.NET Zero-Day Vuln ≈ Packet Storm
packetstormsecurity.org
Information Security News, Files, Tools, Exploits, Advisories and Whitepapers

Recently Anonymous hacked Stratfor, a Texas-based private security company. They were able to get a hold of tons of credit card information from thousands of companies from the Stratfor hack because they say Stratfor did not encrypt the data like they are supposed to. So what is the Hacktivist group going to do with this information?? On Christmas they announced they would be using the stolen credit card information to make donations worth 1 million dollars to various charities. Here's an article about it.


Thousands warned of charity hacking threat - FT.com
www.ft.com
Tens of thousands of people and thousands of companies have been told their bank accounts could be at risk after hackers stole credit card details and personal data held by a US security company. Anonymous, the loose-knit hacking network known for