Bryans Blog

Excerpted from The Seattle PI

Android has been a target for malware creators for a while. Usually, these cyberscum try to get their evil code onto your smartphone through apps masquerading as something else. They may show up briefly in the Android Market (now known as Google Play) only to be yanked once they are discovered.

But now, for the first time, researchers have spotted Android malware that leaps onto a device on its own via a compromised website. Lookout, which makes smartphone security software, says it’s the first Android Trojan that’s delivered by a so-called drive-by download of a site hosting poisoned code. The malware has been given the name NotCompatible.

From Lookout’s blog:

    "In this specific attack, if a user visits a compromised website from an Android device, their web browser will automatically begin downloading an application. This process is commonly referred to as a drive-by download."

When the suspicious application finishes downloading, the device will display a notification prompting the user to click on the notification to install the downloaded app.  In order to actually install the app to a device, it must have the “Unknown sources” setting enabled (this feature is commonly referred to as “sideloading”).  If the device does not have the unknown sources setting enabled, the installation will be blocked."

What exactly does the software do if you allow its installation? Lookout says it serves as a “relay/proxy” and doesn’t necessarily hurt your device. But it could be used to access private networks.  Not good!!!

Smart Android owners should not allow the installation of any software they weren’t expecting.  It may not be a bad idea to install an antimalware app on your Android device. This may be a first, but it certainly won’t be the last Malware Trojan.

If you have any system questions or concerns on this topic, contact the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800.672.4806 or email us

-Bryan

Excerpted From KOMONEWS

Google is hoping to build the world’s largest digital filing cabinet in the latest attempt to deepen people’s dependence on its services.

The Internet search leader began its pursuit of the audacious goal Tuesday with the much-anticipated debut of Google Drive, a product that stores personal documents, photos, videos and a wide range of other digital content on Google’s computers.

One of the advantages of using cloud storage is by keeping files in massive data centers, users will be able to call up the information on their smartphones, tablet computers, laptops and just about any other Internet-connected device. Content can also be more easily shared among friends, family and co-workers by sending links to the information instead of emailing large attachments.

There are different price points for the amount of storage you may need, but the first 5GB is free. The service is initially available for installation on Windows-based computers, Mac computers, laptops running on Google’s Chrome operating system and smartphones powered by Google’s Android software. A version compatible with Apple Inc.’s hot-selling iPhone and iPad is due in the next few weeks.

From looking around, the price points seem very competitive compared to services like Dropbox which offers 2GB for free or ICloud which does offer 5GB free and then charges for extra storage.

Although it is not available everywhere yet (I was not able to get in) you can go to http://drive.google.com and have them send you a notification when your "drive" is ready.

If you have any system questions or concerns, contact the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800.672.4806 or email us

-Bryan

According To KOMO News

"For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer.

Unknown to most of them, their problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world. In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users. But that system is to be shut down.

The FBI is encouraging users to visit a website run by its security partner, www.dcwg.org, that will inform them whether they’re infected and explain how to fix the problem. After July 9, infected users won’t be able to connect to the Internet."

It is very important to check if you are infected or not.  Besides possibly losing your access, you could be infecting your family and friends PC’s and not even be aware of it.  It would be prudent to check the site I listed above, besides having a list of different places that will check your PC for this particular infection, there is also some good information to read weather or not you are infected.

As always, if you have any system questions or concerns call the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800.672.4806 or email us.

-Bryan

From Foxnews

"The end is coming. Repent!

That’s the message from Microsoft as it reminded consumers that its support for Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will end on April 8, 2014. 

According to Microsoft marketing director Stella Chernyak that means the software giant will nix security updates, non-security hot-fixes and technical support after that date. So let the countdown begin. You now have less than two years to get your affairs in order and hightail it to more current software."

Although it is a couple of years away,getting used to a new OS can take a little bit.  Also testing any software, new and old should be done way before then. 

Windows XP was/is a great OS.  But Windows 7 in my opinion is even better.  There has been very few apps/devices if that, that have not worked for me.  Don’t forget that Windows 7 Pro and Ultimate have XP mode which will run older software/hardware if needed.   Keeping up on your security patches should be number 1, after April 8 2014, you will not be able to keep your Windows XP PC up to date, which is asking for trouble.

CounterPoint SQL is supported running on Windows 7 32 and 64 bit, along with most other software nowadays.  There really is no reason not to start looking into upgrading your PC to Windows 7 (Or Windows 8, if that’s your fancy).

If you have any system questions or concerns, call the CCS Retail Support Department at 800.672.4806 or email us.

Mac Flashback Trojan

Excerpted From The Seattle PI

Even if it’s not the "Macpocalypse" some have been warning about, it is something Mac users should be aware of.  It is being called the Flashback Trojan, and has infected more that 600,000 Macs, including 274 in Apple’s hometown.

The Trojan doesn’t attack OS X itself, but rather exploit a flaw in the Java platform that runs on Apple’s OS.  Oracle (the owners of Java) patched the hole sometime ago, but Apple only got around to releasing a fixed version this week.

It’s important to note that Flashback doesn’t require the user to do anything to install it, unlike previous Mac malware attacks. It uses poisoned Web pages that look for a Mac with the unpatched Java module, then infects it.

If you have not run Software Update on your Mac this week, do it now. And if you’re one of those folks who ignore update notifications on OS X and let them pile up, it’s time to change that behavior.

And shame on Apple for not releasing this patch sooner. The fix has been out for a while, and Apple’s dragging its heels in distributing it likely contributed to the number of infections.

-Bryan

If you have system problems or concerns, call the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800.672.4806 or email us.

What is bgoog???

If you have a smartphone, you know how precious battery time is.  It seems the smarter and smaller these devices get, the more battery power they use.  If you were not aware, Google has designed a special Search page to help save your battery.  

I’ve noticed that most of the the brighter colors displayed on your phone will use more power,  I don’t exactly remember where I heard about this, but I have noticed a slight difference in the battery consumption of my phone since using this special search page as my home page.

The site is www.bgoog.com.  It is basically the same as the normal Google page but in black.  Darker colors supposedly use less power to display. Although it is designed for smartphones, it can be used on a regular PC but the benefit is more for phones or tablets.

Give it try!!! If you like it great, pass it on.

-Bryan

If you have any system questions or concerns, call the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800.672.4806 or email us.

Excerpted From MSN

The security firm Symantec did a research study revealing that people who found a lost smart-phone violated the loser’s privacy a whopping 89 percent of the time.

The project called "Honey Stick" sought to quantify just how likely you were to get back a phone you had lost, privacy and data intact.  And from what they found the odds are not good.

“There is a very high likelihood [that] attempts to access both sensitive personal- and business-related information will be made if a lost and unprotected smart-phone is found by a stranger,” Symantec wrote in the study. They also concluded that “In today’s world, both consumers and corporations need to be concerned with protecting the sensitive information on mobile devices,”

What they did was to "lose" 50 smart-phones, intentionally leaving them in a number of highly trafficked public areas — elevators, malls, food courts, public transit stops and so on — in major cities across the U.S., including Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.  They used the GPS function of the phone to track its location and simulated apps meant to mimic banking and social networking apps as well as  simulated data clearly labeled "private pictures" or "HR salaries."

"Nearly all of the phones were found, and used — and half of the finders contacted the owners. But far too often, those people crossed the line at the same time, the study said.

“People are naturally curious, but when a lost mobile device is discovered, curiosity can lead to the violation of personal privacy and the exposure of sensitive personal information.”

•     A total of 89 percent of devices showed attempts to access personal apps or data.
•     Attempts to access a private photos app occurred on 72 percent of the devices .
•     An attempt to access an online banking app was observed on 43 percent of the devices.
•     A “Saved Passwords” file was accessed on 57 percent of the phones

Their conclusion is clear – "Guard your privacy careful, and your gadgets even closer"

The results do not amaze me.  We as people are curious and the old adage of "Curiosity Killed the Cat" seems to come to fruition.  The study justifies the requirement of making sure you have a password or other type of locking mechanism for your gadgets.  It also reinforces the need to regularly change your online passwords. 

With the many different password saving apps available for PC and Smart-phones, there is no reason to fall victim to identity theft.

-Bryan

Excerpted From Fox News

PayPal, the payments service owned by eBay Inc, unveiled a new device on Thursday that helps small businesses accept credit and debit cards through mobile devices, entering a fast-growing market now led by start-up Square Inc.

"PayPal Here" — as the service is called — will provide a free, triangle-shaped card reader and mobile application to small merchants.

That gadget, sometimes referred to as a dongle, plugs into the top of mobile devices like Apple Inc iPhones and, soon, Google Inc Android smart phones, allowing merchants to take payments through these gadgets on the go.

PayPal charges a fee of 2.7 percent of the purchase price for all types of credit and debit cards — including those issued by American Express Co ; transaction fees for processing AmEx cards are often higher on other services. That compares with the 2.75 percent charged by Square.

PayPal is a dominant online payment processor, but the company is trying to expand into the physical world. It has a point of sale service that it hopes big retailers will use in thousands of stores. Now it is going after much smaller merchants with the new swipe device.

CounterPoint SQL Software accepts Mobile Credit Card transactions by using the CPMobile option of the software.  Besides being able to complete transactions, CPMobile can assist in taking inventory (Physical Counts), scan bar-codes, take cash, and print receipts to a mobile receipt printer.  CPMobile can send email receipts, if your customers prefer, and several other functions.  

If you would like some more information on CPMobile, send an email to sales or visit our product page.  If you have any other system questions or concerns, call the CCS Retail Systems Support Department or email us

-Bryan

Google has changed their privacy policy

As I hope you have heard, Google has changed their privacy policy.  Although the data that they do collect has not changed, the way they collect it has. If you were unaware, Google has had a way to allow you to clear this collected data and stop tracking.  You need to be logged into your Google account to access your "Dashboard".  There are a lot of options, so take your time to look through them all and decide what you do and do not want turned on.

Below are 5 things to check when you get logged in.

1. Turn off web history and YouTube history. Both the basic web search as well as YouTube can gather a history of where you’ve visited as well as what you’ve searched for. You can clear your history and “pause” the tracking.
 

For web search: Make sure you’re logged in to your Google profile. Click “remove all web history.” Also be sure to click “pause” to pause the history gathering. If you decide you want to bring it back, you can click “resume.”

For YouTube: Make sure you’re logged in, then visit YouTube and click on your icon in the upper right hand corner. Click on “Video Manager,” then click on “History” in the column on the left. Clear viewing history and pause viewing history. Then click on “Search history” on the left and do the same with that option.

2. Explore other options. Other search engines exist, like Bing and Yahoo, as well as search engines that specifically don’t track what you search, like DuckDuckGo. You can use chat alternatives to GChat or choose to use GChat “off the record,” which won’t store chat transcripts. Select that option in each the GChat window under “Actions.”

3. Sign out before you search. This option’s simple: If you’re not signed into your Google profile while you’re using a Google product, your search and visit history won’t be logged to your profile. Your browser could still store history and cookies, but the information won’t be tied to your Google account.

4. Make sure you know what is Google-owned. It sounds obvious, but you might be surprised. Anything with Google in front of it is a company product — or a “G” in the case of GMail and GChat. Others: YouTube, Picasa, Blogger, Orkut and Android.

5. Familiarize yourself. Poke around your Google Dashboard, which puts all its products and privacy options in one place.

-Bryan

From Komo News

"Microsoft is for the first time letting consumers try out its upcoming Windows 8 operating system, which it hopes will be used to power a new wave of computer tablets and traditional PCs.

The test "beta" version of the revamped system was introduced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the planet’s largest cell phone trade show.

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday offered it up free for download, along with free applications in a new "Windows Store." Windows 8 doesn’t have the traditional "Start" menu and applications are spread across a mosaic of tiles in a design Microsoft calls "Metro."

The tiles, which resemble road signs, can be navigated with a finger swipe on the screen or with a keyboard and mouse."
So you want to see what Windows 8 looks like with out having to lose your files.  Try it in a Virtual Machine.  A while back I tried the "Preview" of Windows 8, and as the title "Preview" relates to, it was just that.  Most things were not ready for public consumption, as a "beta" things might still not work correctly, you can get a better picture of the look and feel.

Give it a try in a VM.  To me it was more like how a smartphone looks and feels.

-Bryan