This malware is so intelligent, not only can it log your keystrokes, but it turns on cameras and microphones connected to PCs and records conversations and actions nearby. It has been described as more powerful than the Stuxnet and Duqu viruses of late.

However, InTech customers who subscribe to our OpenDNS service are safe from their network being infected by the Flame virus.

If you want to increase the security of web browsing within your company, contact me today at 724.858.2814 or Leia@intechit.net for a FREE Internet Security Assessment.

I will personally pin-point the holes in your network that can allow hackers and viruses in, as well as checklist to reign in your network and internet security.

Because I can only complete 11 of these this month, I am only offering this until the end of the month (June 30th, 2012).

Keeping your network safe & secure,

Leia T Shilobod, IT Princess of Power

Back in November, a group of hackers/malware authors in Estonia were apprehended. They had been infecting computers with malware that would (among other things) redirect you to websites THEY wanted you to visit instead of where you actually wanted to go.

Not the real Estonian hackers, but my son loves this movie.

Why? To make money. They made over $14 million from advertising.

Could the malware do other bad things? Yes. And it probably did. Maybe steal information, and at the very least be a big pain in the butt.

How did it do this?

Well, the way the internet gets you to the website you want is by something called DNS (Domain Name Service).

Every website is hosted at some ‘place’ in the world and that ‘place’ is delineated by an IP address. If you want to know what your IP address is, you can find out at www.whatismyip.com.

So when you type in www.AwesomeITGuys.com, DNS translates that name into the numbers (IP address) so that it can point you to the location of my website. Without DNS, you would have to remember a series of numbers (and these numbers may change if where the website is hosted changes), to find a website on the internet .

So DNS makes our lives easier online. It was also the way that the hackers exploited people.

What the malware did (and is currently doing to the infected computers) is re-route you by making your browser use their DNS servers. This is why the malware is known as DNS Changer.

Now comes the element that makes this DIFFERENT from other malware attacks: the government got involved.

In their infinite wisdom (feel the sarcasm), they decided to set up temporary DNS servers so that people could get to where they were trying to go on the internet. If they HAD NOT done this, then the infected PC’s would have immediately lost the ability to browse the internet when the Estonian hacker’s servers were shut down. People would have figured out there was an issue, and their computers would have been cleaned back in November of 2011.

Now people have had infected computers FOR MONTHS with no or little signs that there was a problem.

I’m personally a bit irritated at this course of action. I could go all conspiracy theory on you all, but there is really no point, when really, we need to focus on cleaning up the malware infection.

You can go to the website of the company the government is paying to set up and maintain these servers for additional information (www.dcwg.org) but it is hard to reach because there is so much traffic, so consider this blog your alternative source.

Here is what you do to determine if you are infected with the DNS Changer Malware and what to do if you are infected:

1. Go to: www.dns-ok.us and if you get a RED page, you are certainly infected. If you get a GREEN page, you are PROBABLY not infected with this particular piece of malware. (you could still be infected with a different type of malware)

2. You can manually determine if you are infected by following the these instructions:

a. To check if your Windows 7 machine is infected, first click the “Start” icon.

b. This opens the Windows Menu. Click on the “Search” field at the bottom.

c. Type in cmd, and hit enter.

d. This opens a DOS shell. In the DOS shell, type in the command:

ipconfig /allcompartments /all and hit enter. (Windows users might be used to just typing “ipconfig /all“. This also works, but might not list all the routing compartments if you have a VPN setup in Windows7.)

The output will be very long, since Windows7 by default has support for IPv6. Most likely, you want to look for the IPv4 information under the section entitled “Ethernet adapter…”. Look for the “DNS Servers” line, and write down these numbers. There may be two IP addresses listed there.

e. Are Your DNS Settings OK?

The malicious Rove viruses changed some peoples DNS settings to use computers they operated. Compare your DNS settings with the known malicious Rove DNS settings listed below:

IF YOU DETERMINE YOU ARE INFECTED:

Run one of the following tools:

– Then  download, install and UPDATE Malwarebytes at www.Malwarebytes.org (for free) and run it.

– Finally, update your antivirus software and run a full scan.

If you are concerned, please don’t hesitate to call us. If you think you are infected and don’t feel comfortable cleaning the computer yourself, we can help you.

All malware is very bad, not just this one piece or type of malware. The media’s frenzy and the government’s strange involvement does not make this worse than other viruses.

Take ALL malware seriously. Protect yourself by keeping your antivirus up to date, doing all your updates (Windows, Adobe, Java, etc.), make sure your antivirus scans run at least weekly.

Forever Standing Guard Against Malicious Hackers To Keep Your Network Safe,

Leia T Shilobod, IT Princess of Power

Do you know someone who fits this description? Pass it on!

Would this be an awesome position for you? Send us your resume!

Read on….

Are you a motivated, client-focused IT problem solver? Do you constantly strive to learn more about networks, software, remote access and servers? Are you resourceful and positive when approaching IT issues?

For the IT guy or gal who answered ‘yes’ to these questions, this is the opportunity for you. We are a small, fast-growing I.T. firm in Greensburg, PA that is in need of a Computer Technician/Network Administrator who can efficiently and effectively solve IT issues, configure equipment, and integrate it into our client’s networks.

We are NOT looking for someone who is unmotivated, needs to be told what to do, and is not interested in learning new ways to do things.

Why Work for Us?

• We keep up on the newest technologies to determine how to integrate them to make our client’s more efficient, effective and agile. We love this field because its constantly changing – and we change with it.
• We believe in constant learning in and we help you work towards Certifications.
• We genuinely CARE about our clients and the results they get. If you enjoy working for a company that actually “gets it” and takes care of their customers AND their employees, you’ll love working here.
• Mediocrity is NOT an option. Those who are true professionals at the top of their game will love working in an environment where high standards are expected. Whiners, complainers and those with an “entitlement” attitude should not apply.

Only detail-oriented resourceful troubleshooters and integrators who have a passion for ‘making things right’ will be considered. Those looking for an easy “9-5” customer service job and slower pace should not apply.

Please ONLY Apply If You Meet The Following Criteria:

• You must have at least 2 years experience (on the job or on your own) administering and troubleshooting XP, Vista, Windows 7, Microsoft Server 2003/2008R2, Microsoft Exchange 2007/2010, VPNs, routers, Active Directory, and managing backups. Experience in SharePoint, Cisco Routers, VLAN-ing, scripting, group policy and Managed Service Software is a plus.
• You must be able to communicate clearly to clients so that they understand the solutions you are recommending and what was wrong with the systems you fixed.
• You must be resourceful and detail oriented. We don’t do ‘sloppy IT.’ You also need to know how to find answers – and when to escalate.
• We are located in Greensburg, PA, but you must be willing to travel to client sites throughout the Western PA area. We do a lot of our work remotely, but there are always times we have to travel to our clients’ sites.

The right candidate can expect a competitive compensation plan depending on skill level, with benefits offered. Future growth of knowledge, skills, duties and compensation is available.

If you have what it takes to fill this role, please submit a resume by e-mail to Leia@intechit.net detailing your previous work history and accomplishments (not just a list of task and job responsibilities, we’d like to hear about problems you’ve solved or networks you’ve set up), as well as a brief, one-page summary explaining why you think you would make an excellent candidate for this position.

And the interesting this is that it WASN’T the Operating System that held the vulnerability, but rather a third party application we are all familiar with, Java.

You know Java, that cute little coffee cup logo at the bottom right corner of your screen begging you to update it on occasion?  It can open you to malware attacks REGARDLESS of your Operating System (Mac users GASP!)

So what is Java and how is it making me open to viruses?

Java is a programming language that was developed so that programmers could ‘write once, run anywhere’ (WORA), meaning that it is platform independent. The same Java code that can run on the Windows OS can run on the Mac OS and even Android. That means that instead of having to re-write software for the different types of devices, programmers can just write it once. Making it very attractive to use!

That is why, according to the window that pops up when you update Java, that over 3 Billion devices have Java on them.

Now that both Windows and Mac have been hard at work plugging the holes in their operating systems to make it harder for you to get malware and viruses, hackers are turning to third party applications like Jave to exploit.

Interesting to note is that Java does not come automatically on PC’s or Mac’s, so the question you would pose is, “Why the heck would we install Java in the first place?”

Good question. Apparently, many of the applications we run require Java. If you uninstall it, and try to run some of your programs, you may get a pop-up like this:

So, we’re probably stuck with Java. Is there anything you can do?

The best suggestion is if you can uninstall Java and not notice, go for it. If you need Java, and want to try to protect yourself, it will be a bit of a pain in the butt; however, you can try to disable the Java plugin in your default internet browser and then use a secondary browser exclusively for any Java-related browsing.

In the meantime, pray that the patches coming down from Java can keep pace with the hackers and DO YOUR UPDATES!!!

Peace Out IT World,

Symantec just released an urgent message to anyone using pcAnywhere:

Source code from this program has been hacked by the hacker group Anonymous and posted online. If you currently use pcAnywhere, please immediately disable your account.

Security recommendations include:

• Symantec recommends disabling pcAnywhere until they release software updates that resolve “currently known vulnerability risks.”
• As far as the other source code exposure related to the 2006 versions of the Norton products as detailed in their statement above, Symantec says that the “code in question represents a small percentage of the pre-release source for the Symantec AntiVirus 10.2 product, accounting for less than 5% of the product.” They recommend only that customers update their AV definitions and follow general best practices, so even if you don’t have pcAnywhere, you could still be at risk.

Here are the Claims by Anonymous about the Symantec Source Code including what products were impacted: http://www.symantec.com/theme.jsp?themeid=anonymous-code-claims

Please spread the word! Thanks!

Keeping it real it the IT World,

I found this great compilation of a few awesome ideas for presents. They are all technology or science related, but can be appreciated by almost everyone.

Check them out here: http://www.zdnet.com/photos/tech-stocking-fillers-and-unusual-gifts-for-2011/6332959?tag=photo-frame;get-photo-roto

My personal favs are the Isotoner gloves you can wear while using a touch screen smart phone (FINALLY!!!!) and Ecosphere self contained ecosystem (WAAAAAY COOL!).

Check it out and then check some hard to buy for people off your list!

Peace Out Techno World,

http://www.onsip.com/blog/sukanya/2011/11/11/agent-feature-intech-solutions-loves-onsip

One referral = one name in the hat. The more referrals, the more chances to win.

Yesterday we drew one name out of the hat. Of all the people in the hat, this is the one that came out!

Sophos Labs, a company with a fun-loving IT attitude, challenges you to Kill A Zombie today. No, not an actual flesh-eating zombie, but the ‘computer zombie’ your computer may have turned into when you inadvertently got malware on your computer. Sophos explains it well:

Millions of computers around the world, in homes and business premises, are – without the knowledge of their owners – under the control of cybercriminals who commandeer the PCs to send spam, distribute malware, and commit identity theft.

Billions of spam messages are sent every day, with over 99% determined to be relayed from innocent users’ computers that have been hijacked and turned into a “zombie”.

Hackers control networks of zombie computers, known as a botnet, in order to silently send out adverts that peddle sexual enhancement drugs or questionable financial deals, distribute scareware attacks to trick users out of their credit card details, access your social networking accounts, and spread further malicious attacks.

We are right on board with our Sophos friends!

So how can you KILL YOUR ZOMBIE?

Easy: download and update a good malware program like Malwarebytes (www.malwarebytes.org) and run it. Then update and run your antivirus software. Clean whatever it finds.

Then for some smiles and giggles, check out the videos Sophos made for “International Kill a Zombie Day!”

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/kill-zombie-day/

Keeping it real in the IT World,

“We wanted our kids to be able to take advantage of the learning resources on the internet and be able to use learning software, but we just didn’t have the resources to buy computers,” explains Director Wright.

Leia saw an opportunity, “We have awesome clients. I told them I’d get them a PC for basically our cost if they donated their old PC for the Y’s children’s program. We had several clients step up to the plate.”

Through this effort, InTech was able to deliver five free computers with LCD monitors to the YMCA on Thursday for use in 3 of their classrooms. “This is exactly what we needed as we just entered into a partnership with the school district for our children to use the Everday Mathematics program, but we need computers to be able to access the entire curriculum. We are so excited and the children are thrilled!”

Shilobod continues, “I can’t even start to tell you how excited we are to deliver these PC’s to the Y. We put quite a bit of time into the collecting, re-installing and free-ware sourcing to get these PCs ready, but it was all worth it. We didn’t collect enough mice so I bought some really cute red ones that light up. The kids loved them!”

“But I also want to thank our clients who bought a computer from me to give up their computer for the Ligonier Y: Westmoreland Injury Lawyers and Chapel Hill Investment Analysts. Their generosity enabled our generosity!”