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Mac has had a false reputation as being untouchable, and now Mac users will be faced with a harsh reality of a world full of malware, and viruses. Mac’s success has shown as an interesting target for Malware programmers, and has seen in statistics the growing number of infections under Mac’s Platform.
Eugene Kaspersky, the CEO of security firm Kaspersky Lab, says Apple is headed for a rough patch, and claimed that when it comes to computer security, Apple’s Mac platform was a decade behind Microsoft’s.
“They will understand very soon that they have the same problems Microsoft had 10 or 12 years ago,” Kaspersky said in an interview. “They will have to make changes in terms of the cycle of updates and so on and will be forced to invest more into their security audits for the software.”
“That’s what Microsoft did in the past after so many incidents like Blaster and the more complicated worms that infected millions of computers in a short time,” he added. “They had to do a lot of work to check the code to find mistakes and vulnerabilities. Now it’s time for Apple [to do the same].”
The statements come on the heels of Flashback, a high-profile piece of Mac malware that is estimated to have infected more than 600,000 Macs at its peak. More recent figures put its current infection somewhere at less than 185,000 machines worldwide. –Symantec (Statistics of how many computers have been infected).
Apple patched the system vulnerability the Flashback attacks were using, and released a removal tool for infected machines. But the company got flack from security experts for not fixing it sooner. Security companies (including Kaspersky) also made Apple look slow to react by offering up their own detection and removal tools ahead of an official fix.
Apple’s also announced Gatekeeper, a technology that will be built into the upcoming release of OS X Mountain Lion, that gives users a way to install only software that’s been signed by registered developers.
Even with those things on tap, Kaspersky argues that Apple’s success will continue to make the Mac a bigger target.
“Cyber criminals have now recognized that Mac is an interesting area. Now we have more malware and it’s not just Flashback or Flashfake,” Kaspersky told CBR. “Welcome to Microsoft’s world, Mac. It’s full of malware”
An Apple spokesman declined to comment on Kaspersky’s remarks.
(Information referenced from Cnet Blogger- Josh Lowensohn)
Security Issues such as these can be easily remedied At Orange County Computer’s Tech Center. Contact a member of our Tech Team about any security issues you may be experiencing at 949-699-6619 or, email support@orangecountycomputer.com. For more information about simple steps you can take to prevent system infections, visit OrangeCountyComputer.com.
Microsoft is officially launching the reimagined operating system Windows 8, which functions on many new devices aside from a traditional PC such as: iPad on Metro Testbed app, Touch Screen all in one Desktops, Windows Tablet and Windows Phone. These new devices will debut the new touch screen feature that is available in a Beta Version on the iPad.
They reportedly will finish work on Windows 8 by this summer, setting the stage to release the next version of its flagship operating system sometime around October.
Until then, Microsoft’s Windows 8 Beta is now available as a free download, which means that it’s time to figure out how to install it.
Officially called the Consumer Preview, the Windows 8 Beta is actually quite simple to install. There are some requirements, though. Most Windows 7 computers should to be able to handle Windows 8.
To verify, you’ll want to have:
- 1 Ghz or faster processor
- 1 GB of RAM for 32-bit or 2 GB for the 64-bit version
- 16 GB hard drive for 32-bit, or 20 GB for 64-bit version
- Graphics card that supports Microsoft DirectX 9 or higher
A word on what our Microsoft Certified Technician’s think:
“Windows 8 is very similar to Windows 7; it’s even faster than Windows 7, with faster boot times and shut downs almost instantly. Internet Explorer 10 has a new look to it and a few cool animations when clicking on the drop down menus. The biggest difference you will notice with Windows 8 is that it lacks the traditional “START” button, which is due to Windows 8 having a very clean look to it and allowing fluent touch screen control over Windows 8. You can now stretch the task bar over both screens and have the ability to pause data transfers”.
There are also some extras that won’t work without certain specifics. As shocking as this may sound, the touch features will require a touch screen monitor or tablet. Accessing the Windows Store requires an Internet connection, obviously, but also a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 76, and to Snap apps, which lets you split the screen between two apps, you’ll need a resolution of at least 1366 x 768.
To get started, go to preview.windows.com.
For further information, you can also contact our Tech Repair Center and speak to a Microsoft Certified Professional that will get you started. Call us now @ 949-699-6619, email us @ support@orangecountycomputer.com, and visit our site at OrangeCountyComputer.com, to read about the importance of genuine software licensing, and software support.
For one thing, a rule of thumb in the age of technology is, “the less hardware, the better”. The less hardware a business has to depend on, the odds of a catastrophic event destroying all of your hard earned data is narrowed by a landslide.
Consider a company structure where the employee must travel, and is issued a company laptop. This system is very useful, but you also risk the chance of having the hardware and confidential data stolen. For many companies, data holds more value than hardware, and virtualization eliminates that issue completely.
Here is how it works:
A virtual desktop is an individual user’s interface in a virtualized environment. The virtualized desktop is stored on a remote server rather than locally. Desktop virtualization software separates the physical machine from the software and presents an isolated operating system for users.
More Benefits to Virtualization:
- Cost savings because the resources can be shared with other users.
- Can be used on an as-needed basis.
- More efficient use of space, resources, and energy.
- Improved data integrity because back-up is centralized.
- Fewer compatibility issues.
See what the people think.
The concept of what “The Cloud” truly is and why everyone is rushing to get there can be intimidating to some. Our technical team can help simplify these concepts and explain their extensive benefits to you. Orange County Computer offers custom Cloud Computing Solutions for Small to Mid-Market companies. From single hosted applications to completely virtual environments, we offer custom designed virtual environments unique to your organization. Contact a member of our Technical Team to schedule a Free Network Evaluation at 949-699-6619 or email sales@orangecountycomputer.com for more information.
We’ve all seen pop-ups and paid advertisements showing: “$75 Computer Repair Services Any Problem.” We hear about it all the time: A residential client that bawks at our hourly rate but then discloses to us the horror stories about the technician they paid $75 “per job” for. These consumers complain to us about the experiences they had with these types of “Technicians”: Repeat charges for unresolved issues, unrepaired problems that linger without resolve and how can we forget about the incorrectly diagnosed repairs and wasted time? Orange County Computer’s Tech Repair Center picks up the pieces for many of these frustrated consumers. We have seen misdiagnosed motherboard problems, laptop components, clean room data recovery jobs that didn’t need to go to a clean room, hard drives replaced that had no evidence of being bad, and the list goes on and on….My personal favorite is when we hear about customers that honestly believe they have valid Microsoft licensing which was produced by “Key Generators” provided by BitTorrent websites.
People, you get what you pay for, it’s as simple as that. Typically the one-man-show technicians that are undercharging the market inevitably end up coming back several times to correct a problem and you, the customer, end up paying more money in the long run anyway. Other scenarios can include being sold illegal copies of software applications. The truth about licensing is this:
If as a consumer, you are sold a Microsoft License as an example, you will receive a Valid License key code and an authentication sticker to place on your system or a Certified Product License key code. If you have hacked or illegal product licensing, you, the customer, will have an array of compatibility issues and bugs, followed by warnings. That same technician that charged you $75/hour will have to come back several times to correct some completely unnecessary problem that they created themselves by selling you an illegal copy of a software application. Unfortunately, most people find out about their illegal software licensing a few years later when having to purchase LEGAL, valid licensing during a repair, or when as new computer is purchased.
So buyer beware: Protect your technology, time and money and qualify your technician by asking the following questions BEFORE giving someone access into your home office and your personal confidential information:
- Ask how long they have been working as an IT Consultant?
- Do they carry Business Insurance?
- Do they have any Technical Certifications?
- Do they have any references you can speak with?
- Do they provide these services on the side or full-time?
I hope that this honest posting has been useful and hopefully steered you or someone you know away from working with the wrong type of technician. Orange County Computer Computer, Inc. is happy to help. Feel free to stop by our Tech Repair Center or visit us online at www.orangecountycomputer.com for more information about our professional and responsible business practices in the Technology Sector.
Written by Deborah Walck, Operations Director, Orange County Computer, Inc.
What is a Tracking Cookie?
A tracking cookie can be used to follow people around the Web as they jump from site to site. Though your IP address or your HTTP request header’s referral field can also be used to accomplish this, in part, tracking cookies allow for more accurate tracks.
When you visit a page and there’s no cookie present in the request, the server assumes that this is your first page visited. It then creates a random character string and sends it, as a cookie, back to you along with the requested page. That cookie then gets sent to all new pages you visit, and in turn creates a log of the cookie itself, all the URLs visited, and when you visited them on the server.
Browsing cookie-free may sound like the easiest solution, but it also disables a lot of what’s useful about the modern Web. Session cookie information, for example, will keep you logged in to a site even if you close the tab. This can be useful for computers that have only one user. So, the solution has to be nuanced to support the benefits of the modern Web while not throwing buckets of personal information at data aggregators.
Except for Chrome, all browsers support the standard Do Not Track header. This tells Web sites not to track you, but it’s respected by a tiny percentage of sites. You can also force Private Browsing to run all the time, which prevents cookies from being saved, though you can still be tracked via your IP address.
Browsers typically carry a function that will handle your cookies, but what is your browser allowing under default settings?
- Firefox: Go to Options > Privacy. The first option is to enable Do Not Track, while just below it you can make the browser run in Private Browsing mode all the time.
- Internet Explorer: Do Not Track comes courtesy the Tracking Protection List feature. Go to the Gear icon > Safety > Tracking Protection and choose “Get a Tracking Protection List online” to install one. (You can’t run InPrivate by default from the Options menu as with Firefox, but it is an option.)
- Safari: The process is even more convoluted. Go to Preferences > Advanced, then check “Show Develop menu in Menu bar.” You might have to unhide your Menu bar if it’s not displayed. The Develop option will appear between Bookmarks and Window; then choose “Send Do Not Track HTTP Header.” Safari does have an option for Private Browsing on-demand.
- Opera: Currently supports Do Not Track only in its upcoming version 12. The feature is available in the developer’s preview, Opera 12 Wahoo. Go to Preferences > Advanced > Security > “Ask websites not to track me” to enable it. Opera’s big Private difference is that it can run on a per-tab basis, so it’s important to pay attention to what you’re doing in each tab. Go to Opera menu > Tabs and Windows, and choose Private for either a tab or a window.
- Chrome: Has a lot of advanced security features, but it doesn’t offer support for Do Not Track. Its private browsing mode is called Incognito and can be activated by choosing “New Incognito window” from the wrench menu.
For more information on simple ways to protect your virtual environment, go to our site at Orangecountycomputer.com or call our Tech Support Center at 949-699-6619 to speak to a member of a Technical Team. Subscribe to our Newsletter to learn about the latest news on technology and virtual threats.
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