NEW BLOG ADRESS:

Hello,
I have updated my blog software to wordpress and I am hosting it directly on my domain now. Please go to the url below to see the new updated blogsite. This site will no longer be used moving forward. Thank you for following us.

http://heroblogs.herotechs.biz/

-TKM

A security hole that is two years old is being exploited by scammers.

“If the front gate of your castle is your login page to Yahoo Mail, they’ve done a good job of securing it,” said Ryan Barnett of Breach Security regarding a backdoor that exists due to Yahoo’s failure to carry out a variety of security checks that follows the login page of Yahoo Mail. Barnett told Yahoo about the hole in 2007.

The article also notes that the company also has no rules barring weak passwords for its users.
“Yahoo! takes online security very seriously. We are investigating the situation and will take appropriate action,” said a company spokesman.

Source: The Register

‘Shipping confirmation’ malware.

Sophos has posted a blog entry about malware regarding ’shipping confirmation’.

The spam tells a user to open an attached zip file. Two examples are included in the blog entry. Both of them notes that the user has ordered an electronic item and that the item has been shipped to their shipping address. The zip file is supposed to contain a tracking number for the order. The malwares are detected as Mal/Bredo-A, Mal/BredoZp-A and Troj/BredoZp-C.The remote site where the malware report home to is classified as a known C&C point.

Source: Sophos

Skype Trojan

A researcher for Sophos has created a Trojan for research and education purposes. This Trojan injects code into a .dll component of the skype application which then hooks into the send and receive of skypes API’s. This allows the Trojan to intercept the incoming and outgoing conversations being transmitted between callers and send this video and audio data back to the attacker. Worse yet the Trojan can deliver its payload if only 1 of the two parties are protected. This means that if your computer is protected but the person on the other end is not you can still have the words stolen literally right out of your mouth.

Source: Sophos
http://www.sophos.com/blogs/sophoslabs/v/post/6257

For Virus Removal Services check out the HeroTechs service:
http://www.herotechs.biz/long-island-computer-repair-virus-removal-with-security-overhaul.html

Free Networking & Diabetes Charity Awareness Event Sponsored By HeroTechs

Cornell Cooperative Extension is a key outreach system of Cornell University with a strong public mission and an extensive local presence that is responsive to needs in New York communities.

Save The Date:
Monday, October 19, 2009 6PM - 8PM

Host:
Mac's Steakhouse 12 Gerard Street Huntington, NY 11743

Charity:
Health and Wellness Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension

Awareness (Diabetes):
Much of the focus the educators emphasize is centered on teaching children and adults how to live a healthy lifestyle which reduces the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. These educators work with limited resources to teach people, many of them children battling weight problems and at high risk to this disease, how to change their lifestyle. An important part of this education is teaching proper food and nutrition habits which allow people to properly manage their Diet to avoid or reduce their risks of developing type 2 Diabetes. The educators help adults make healthy food choices and teaches them how prepare healthy meals for their families.

Supplies Needed:
Kitchen Supplies are needed for this program, items such as: Vegetable peelers, potholders, icepacks, measuring cups, insulated bags, spatulas, slotted spoons, etc.

Cost:

FREE

Event Coordinators:
Tom McCabe – HeroTechs.biz
David Gussin – 516ads.com

Event Sponsors:
Tom McCabe - HeroTechs.biz

Rick Bange - Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Brian White- ameripriseadvisors.com/brian.x.white
Mitch Gold & Gary Crino - Classic Home Services - liPainting.li,
Bruce H. Guttman, Esq. - guttmanlawfirm.com ,
Luke Jensen - Genxvoip.com

Twitter & Facebook outages and the Koobface Internet Worm...

Did Koobface Cause Twitter, Facebook Outages?

August 6, 2009By Alex Goldman:

A new variant of the widespread Internet worm Koobface made its debut today -- just as Twitter and Facebook were hit by denial-of-service attacks (define). Coincidence? Researchers admit it's too early to say for sure, but some say it's likely.
Koobface is a virulent worm that was originally designed to compromise Facebook accounts. Since last year, there have been hundreds of variants of the malware, some of which attack other Web sites.

At the very least, Koobface remains up to its old tricks....

Click the Link to Read More

Customers of the Week

This week the customers HeroTechs was able to help consisted of:

• Dr. Mazza and his Synergy Multi-Care Professionals consisting of 3 multi-disciplinary offices (You got Pain? Se my friend Ron he is the best well rounded approach to curing your blues)
  
  
• Mike Grannum of Cedarhurst Florist (Truly the best florist on LI, we’re talking the Garden of Eden when they do an arrangement)

• Joe Procella of Rose Reality Management (This is a rising star company on Long Island)
  
  
• Martin Levine of Pillar Construction (These people build the best commercial properties around NY)
  
  
• Cheryl Mera of the American Barter Association (You want to keep your cash and still get quality goods and services join ABE, Barter is great in these economic times)
  
• Residential Customers consisted of Pam O’Brian, Josh Mendel, Joe Porcella, Dan Rubinacker
  

HeroTechs is also working on our next charity awareness event. More details to come soon. Check out HeroHope for more information

If HeroTechs can help all of these people we are sure to be able to help you too. For your next computing or website need please contact us at 1-888-4-HEROTECHS that 1-888-443-7683. or visit the HeroTechs.biz website for more information.

An article covered by Time magazine recently asked the question, “Could a Computer Glitch Have Brought Down Air France 447? It is extremely well written and inquisitive as are all of Time Magazines feature articles.

Read the synopsis of the Time article below:
As the French team leading the investigation into the Air France Flight 447 crash works through the multitude of likely and less likely disaster scenarios — from the repercussions of stormy conditions to an act of terrorism — perhaps among the most difficult to assess will be possible flight computer malfunctions. Air France CEO Pierre-Henry Gourgeon noted on Monday that immediately preceding AF447's disappearance, automatic messages sent by the plane indicated "multiple technical failures." As details emerge regarding these messages, experts will struggle to understand whether they were the inevitable result of the plane's breaking up or indicators of the failures that led to the accident. (Read "What Brought Down Air France Flight 447?")

Gourgeon said the "succession of a dozen technical messages" sent by AF447 showed that "several electrical systems had broken down" immediately prior to the crash. A chronology of these messages acquired by the São Paolo daily Jornal da Tarde show that moments before the plane is believed to have plunged into the ocean, its autopilot became disengaged and the plane sustained damage to its stabilizing controls and flight systems, as well as a failure of the systems that were monitoring the aircraft's speed, altitude and direction: the ADIRU (Air Data Inertial Reference Units) and the ISIS (Integrated Standby Instruments System). These are key components in fly-by-wire systems, which use computers and wires instead of mechanics and hydraulics to control a plane's flight. (Watch TIME's video of the rescue of US Airways flight 1549.)

On Wednesday, TIME revisited an October 2008 incident in which a Qantas Airbus 330 — the same model as AF447 — unexpectedly went into a brief yet harrowing 20-second nosedive, causing multiple injuries and requiring an emergency landing. The investigation that followed blamed an ADIRU failure for the 330's uncommanded dive: one of the plane's three ADIRUs, which are designed to help the plane's flight-control computer fly the plane safely, began sending erroneous data spikes to the flight-control computer.

Posted By Time.com

This Technical information is brought to you by http://www.herotechs.biz/.

Why Call A Geek? When You Can Call A Hero!

Critical Patches from Microsoft & Adobe

Microsoft will deliver ten patches next tuesday. Six of them are rated as critical.

One of the most serious flaws affects Internet Explorer 8.
Updated versions of Malicious Software Removal Tool and Windows Mail Junk Filter will also be released.

The article at Information Week also mentions that Adobe will release updates for Reader and Acrobat during the same day. These updates are for versions 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x. Adobe promised to release quarterly security updates and this batch will be the first.

Source: Information Week

For More Computer Information visit HeroTechs on the WEB @ http://www.herotechs.biz/

Conficker Still At IT! - Penetrating Nearly 50,000 Computers Every Day

Originally Published by SPAMfighter.com

According to security researchers at Symantec, the computer worm, Conficker, is still infecting systems worldwide at fast rate and will continue to infect computers of Fortune 1000 companies (top global companies).

After thorough analysis of the worm, researchers have concluded that it infects nearly 50,000 new computers every day, with Brazil, the US and India are the hardest hit countries. Researchers also add that the hype created by media about Conficker/Downadup has almost vanished, but the worm is still propagating worldwide.

To Read The Rest Click The Link:

http://www.spamfighter.com/News-12428-Conficker-Penetrating-Nearly-50000-Computers-Every-Day.htm

President Obama stresses need for computer security

President Obama stresses need for computer security

President Obama will choose a "cyber czar," someone to head the White House office of cyber security

Mark Fujii

As reported by Yahoo News, President Barack Obama announced that he will be naming a cyber czar to help bolster the security of America’s computer networks. “It’s now clear this cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation,” Obama said in his press conference. “We’re not as prepared as we should be, as a government or as a country.” Obama additionally added that “cyber czar” may not necessarily be the exact name of the position. Regardless, whoever is appointed by Obama to head the White House Office of Cyber Security will reportedly work directly under both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council....

To Read More:

http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/president_obama_stresses_need_for_computer_security_05292009310/

How to read 300+ Articles a Day

A great new tool from Google is called, “Google alerts” and it is in beta form. To keep up to date with all new technological trends and new businesses requirements I read on average 300 articles per day. Now there would be no way I could imagine to read so much if I had to waste my time searching for the content so I have turned to Google alerts for the much needed help. Google alerts is like having a research team behind you looking for the data you require to read. I read to keep myself much further ahead of my competition. Reading allows me to keep my skills professionally generalist enough to work on any type of technology project but here is the important part…..Coupled my reading with my 15 years experience of business experience working on $$$$ Billion dollar networks managing $$$ multi-million dollar projects I enjoy the confidence that I know enough subject matter in all technology fields that I can maintain a sense of calm and clarity my customers require from their “Computer Guy”. Now my experiences have molded me to who I am…but who I will become is directly related to the knowledge I acquire moving forward and having a tool such as Google Alerts is just what the doctor ordered.


Here is what Google alerts do for you:
Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

• Monitoring a developing news story
• Keeping current on a competitor or industry
• Getting the latest on a celebrity or event
• Keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams
  

To create your own Google alert go to:
http://www.google.com/alerts

To find a reputable website dedicated to computer security for the non technical person is hard to find. Enter http://www.yoursecurityresource.com/ which was created just for the purpose of educating the non technology professionals by using authors to interview the expert within the industry and then writing their findings in non layman’s terms. The site is heavily sponsored and promoted by Symantec the makers of Norton Antivirus so you know that the information contained within is trusted otherwise Symantec would have never put their name behind it. HeroTechs Inc. was fortunate enough to be used as an expert security source for Internet Threats within the following article:


NEW TARGETS: New Source of Internet Threat: Banner AdsBy Kim BoatmanLocated at: http://www.yoursecurityresource.com/articles/banner/index.html. We were fortunate enough to have Kim quote us 3 times within the article and the quotes are listed below for your convenience.


Quote 1:
The problem is particularly alarming because hackers often target high-volume websites with ads that don’t look suspicious, says Thomas K. McCabe, president of HeroTechs Inc., a Long Island, N.Y.-based computer service company. “There is plenty of advertising out there, but you can’t tell which ones are good versus which ones are not,’’ he warns.


Quote 2:
A popular ploy directs you to an infected site where a screen pops up showing that an antivirus scan has found viruses on your computer, says McCabe. You are directed to “click here” to remove the virus. Instead, clicking loads the malware onto your computer.“I witnessed this thing hitting my wife when she visited a legitimate cooking web site,’’ McCabe says. “She was about to hit the click here button, and I had to swing the mouse away.”


Quote 3:
Be smart when you click. The value of a banner ad is measured in its ability to get users to click on it. So a lot of banner ads pull out all the stops, and some go a little too far. “Ads that say ‘Click here to win a free whatever’ are preying on people’s vulnerability,” says Colburn. If you’re interested in an advertiser, type their web address into your browser or go to Google and find their website. “If you want to take an IQ test, go to Google and type in ‘IQ test’ and take a legitimate test rather than clicking on the ad,’’ says McCabe.


Please check out the entire article located on Your Security Resource:
http://www.yoursecurityresource.com/articles/banner/index.html

And be sure to check us out at http://www.herotechs.biz/ for more information about Long Island Computer Repair.

PC Vs. Mac 3

There have been many MAC Vs. PC commercials and I must admit that most are witty. Finally there are some PC commercials which are aiming at showing the value of a PC Vs. a MAC and they seem to be just as witty. Here are some videos.

PC Vs. Mac 2

There have been many MAC Vs. PC commercials and I must admit that most are witty. Finally there are some PC commercials which are aiming at showing the value of a PC Vs. a MAC and they seem to be just as witty. Here are some videos.

PC Vs. MAC

There have been many MAC Vs. PC commercials and I must admit that most are witty. Finally there are some PC commercials which are aiming at showing the value of a PC Vs. a MAC and they seem to be just as witty. Here are some videos.

Noticed on Long Island by 516ads.com

Below is text from an eMail that went out today from David Gussin of 516.ads.com about HeroTechs. Enjoy!

We couldn't bring you the info and FREE networking events without the support of our 516Ads.com and our 631Ads.com advertisers, sponsors and contributors. Lloyd Gutin and his Long Island 1800GOTJUNK.com team are back for another year. We would also like to welcome computer repair expert Tom McCabe's Herotechs.biz & Independent Energy Consultant Sharon Millard yourenergychoice.com.

When we had the AHAny.org - autism fundraiser in November, Tom's Herotechs.biz donated $1,000 of computer repairs to be raffled off. Tom has given us the word, anytime something good is going on, he wants to be a part of it. We hope to keep you busy. Sharon has attended many 516Ads.com & 631Ads.com networking events. She didn't even know you can advertise with us. As soon as she found out, she signed on. Welcome Sharon & Tom, and welcome back 1800GOTJUNK.com, we appreciate your support.

Check out the 516Ads.com & 631Ads.com - FREE Networking Night - Wednesday, May 6, 2009 6PM - 8:30PMHoliday Inn - hiWestbury.com369 Old Country Road Carle Place, NY 11514516Ads.com & 631Ads.com is proud to be teaming up with Command Force Security Systems, Inc. - Alarms.li, Jacqueline McDermott - The North Coast Financial Group northcoast.metlife.com/, Steve Free - TheBugsStopHere.com and Tom McCabe - HeroTechs.biz for what should be an excellent night of networking @ The Holiday Inn - hiWestbury.com. Additionally, we hope to raise awareness and collect supplies (toothpaste, shampoo, soap, conditioners) for Familyandchildrens.org. Great people, excellent networking, Cash Bar, FREE Food, worthy cause, hope to see you there.

AntiVirus Software: A False Sense of Security

I am writing this article to tell a story of how many people get computer infections and why each time they do there is a surprise which seems to cloud over them as if this could never happen to them. Each time I have to tell somebody that they have a virus or another type of infection I am forced into explaining how computers get infected and why your Antivirus from years past is not good enough anymore. There is a secret to why computers get infected and I can tell it to you now. The problem is that even armed with this highly valuable information many people do not call themselves to act upon this information. I am going to tell you the secret now, are you ready? The secret as to why a computer user gets a computer infections is simple, and it has nothing to do with having or not having proper antivirus software. The secret is that the end user is a non-computer-educated end user. Plain and simple, that’s it!

In the corporate world we are faced with people in high level positions who do not wish to educate themselves about computers and need to be caressed into a position thinking that their computer really does have a problem because they could never admit to not knowing about something. In the corporate world we call the issue a “PEBKAC issue”. Inside circles more commonly referred to this as a, “Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair issue”. In other words it is the end user. In the residential and Small business arena we see it a lot as well. That is why people like I can make a living and why HeroTechs can employee people here on Long Island. We at HeroTechs have no problem teaching people how to maintain their computers regularly if they are up for the regular preventative maintenance activities that each computer requires. We would rather teach to fish than always fish for you. For those who are not up for the regular work required we provide this support as a Service Contract and even offer a Virus Removal service free of charge should you get infected while we are maintaining your computers.

The sole purpose of this HeroTechs Blog is to inform people and educate them about what a computer requires to run healthy and always be ready for use without any slow response or bottlenecks. We do that by writing about what we are seeing in our Service shop regularly. What does that have to do with an article entitled, “AntiVirus Software: A False Sense of Security”? Today I have a machine on the workbench which has infections and yet the Antivirus software is installed and working just fine. For someone who is uneducated about computers they have a false sense of security that they cannot get infected as they have Antivirus. This person had an expired version of Antivirus from 2005 which has had not updated properly since a few years ago. It’s amazing the machine did not get heavily infected sooner. Every time I ask if someone has Antivirus the answer is, “yes”. When I ask other questions such as does it include a resident shield? A link Scanner? Does it scan daily? At what time? Does it check cookies, eMail, IM? I get the same answer, “I don’t know.”. Not all Antivirus software is the same and you may not need to have a fortress of security if your just gaming. Knowing all the reasons how a computer gets infected, all the ways to protect your computer and balancing the two is what a computer literate person does. That is why I can do it fast and why I choose to educate others as well. Having Antivirus never makes your computer safe alone. You need to ensure you have the latest major revision, latest updates and you need to scan daily for viruses and malware. Weekly clean out all temp files and cookies. That means your stored passwords go too. Make sure that your Security Center is up to date regularly as well. HINT: Your Security Center has a traffic light approach to make it simple. Green = Good; Yellow or Red = BAD!.

You should also go to update.microsoft.com weekly to see if there are major service packs or version changes which are larger in size and keep being put off by auto updates due to your connect speed or how busy your computer is. In other words if you miss any updates you will find out this way and have the opportunity to update the computer prior to being hit with an infection.

So there you go…..Now you too are enlightened and know the secret of how to stay infection free. You have to educate yourself regularly (I just gave you a quick lesson on the street). Now there is a call to action which is for you to take this information and use it to your advantage to maintain your computers security regularly. If you do what I explained above you will be 99.999% guaranteed infection free. Hey there’s always the stuff you don’t know which can get you which is why there is a .001% chance of infection. If you have trouble and cannot perform this regularly give us a call at 1-888-4-HEROTECHS and we will be more than happy to help you out.

Conficker Worm: Dead or Alive?

On April 1, 2009 infected computers began calling home to the Mother ship by way of 50,000+ domains which the infected computer looks at for its next instructions. Those infected machines which have found instructions where told to install a newer version of itself with a more damaging payload. Reportedly the payload is a keystroke logging application which will record everything typed on an infected computers keyboard. This means that when you type the url of your bank, enter your username, and then your password on an infected machine you just gave these cyber-criminals your most precious private personal or business banking information. Say good-bye to your money or worse yet they finance an operation from your account which has the Federal government knocking on your door. Get my drift?

This Conficker worm-Bot has an estimated 3-12 million computers infected and the authors wrote the code so that it can jump from one machine to another without human aid or interaction. That means it has some artificial intelligence which is so interesting we could write about this separately and for days, (Not for this blog)!
While all security and computer experts agree that the infection has yet any reports of true compromise besides the infection itself, the sad fact is that the worm is growing and getting stronger by the day.

We seem to be in a race against time because there is no single Conficker removal tool which means:

1. That an infected machine needs to first be found.

2. The newly found infected machine needs to have a complete virus off-line Virus Removal Service completed.

3. Next the now clean machine needs to have a complete Security Overhaul completed which installs all the most recent Security updates which patch the security hole this virus takes advantage of.

While this seems to be a lot of work required to clean of Conficker the sad fact is that while no 2 computer infections are the same and each has a different degree of risk we at HeroTechs treat every infection this way to ensure that your computer is not only cleaned properly but at a much lower risk of future infection.

So now, back to why it is a race against time…If the general user community can find, clean, and enhance the security of the reportedly 3-12 million infected machines then this infection will prove to be powerless. The race is on because this worm has grown to become an anaconda size venomous snake and just because it hasn’t bitten yet doesn’t mean that it will not. Stay tuned for more information.

For Local Long Island Computer Help Call:
1-888-443-7683

My First Blog

This is the first time I have blogged and I am extremely excited. I will finally be able to provide to the world education on the most practical computer uses.