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FINALLY! Windows XP has decreased in popularity enough to no longer be the number one OS!

We knew the time was coming, but we didn’t know when, exactly……. According to an article on cnet.net, entitled “Windows 7 overtakes XP as Mac OS X passes Vista“, Microsoft Windows 7 has finally surpassed Microsoft XP as the most dominant operating system!  Predictions were all over the place, from 2013 to as far out as 2016, with a few …

Apple Mac users should be aware of “super dangerous” drive-by Java exploit

Microsoft Windows users are well versed in malware and are armed with a plethora of ways to help protect themselves and their computer from becoming infected, such as: Computer operating system updates downloaded and installed (Microsoft Windows) Support application updates updated regularly (Java, Adobe, Microsoft Office) Robust anti-virus and anti-malware installed and up to date Backups of systems in place …

Kaspersky Lab could use your help decrypting Gauss malware

I can’t recall another time when an anti-virus company did this, but Kaspersky Lab has reached out to the world at large to see if someone has what it takes to decrypt a portion of the Gauss malware that is designed to steal information from the infected computers. If you want to get in on the action, email theflame@kaspersky.com and …

How to stay safe in the cloud

Here’s an article that I thought I would share about how to stay safe in the cloud… While I would not say it is the end all, be all post for cloud security, it does point out some great ways to protect yourself. As businesses move to hosted solutions such as SaaS (Software As A Service), cloud storage, and get …

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Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section “fine” for viewing child porn? Nope, it’s a virus!

Some people have been reporting that their computers have been locked and that they are presented with a screen that reads something like: Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section United States Department of Justice Attention! This operating system is locked due to the violation of the federal laws of the United States of America! Following violations were detected: Your IP …

SECURE IT ALERT: Mac malware making headlines (this is not a repeat)

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Flashback was so last month. The new hotness is SabPub, which actually has been around for a while now, but only recently making its appearance in the headlines. Even though SabPub has been around for around two months, it was not discovered in the wild until a few days ago. Not …

SECURE IT ALERT: Update OS X Java to Avoid Spreading Mac Malware

Secure IT Alert for Thursday, April 05, 2012 This is courtesy of the WatchGuard Security Center.  We are happy to partner with WatchGuard to provide firewall and security solutions. Call us at 864.990.4748 if we can be of service!   Update OS X Java to Avoid Spreading Mac Malware by Corey Nachreiner Summary: This vulnerability affects: OS X 10.7.x (Lion) and …

No, you won’t lose access to the internet on March 8, 2012… #DNSChanger

The top email question for me the last couple weeks has been, “What’s this about the internet going down on March 8th?”. This is related to the DNS Changer malware which has permitted hackers to hijack web traffic and send it to their bogus sites and in the process, get millions of dollars from fraudulent advertisement revenue. The people responsible …