warning

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Anti-Virus App Does Its Job

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       "I opened my mail this morning and Sophos (my only Anti-Virus app on my Mac) presented me with this notice: 

        So John Carter has now gotten everyone's attention!  (You do remember to click to enlarge the pasted graphics.)  Read on, "I opened the Quarantine manager.

Then I clicked on the link for the threat to see the details.  Not to worry, it only infects a Windows machine.   But anyway, I let Sophos clean it up:

And here's the happy conclusion from John,  "Having Sophos check my email for viruses and threats does help me avoid opening suspicious email, even if the threat can’t hurt my Mac."
        Note on this page  that Sophos is FREE,  and it's for Mac OS X 10.6 or later.  Their website also has a forum for discussions. 

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Secure From Hackers?

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        The headline brought attention to a new hackers' method: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/12/computers-can-be-hacked-with-high-frequency-sounds/?intcmp=obnetwork
        Time to get John Carter's opinion of the serious possibilities.  This is what he has to say,  "This technique takes advantage of the audio input/output on the computer. Most notably, the computers mentioned were a Lenovo business computer. Also mentioned was Linux. Now, if Linux computers can be hacked like this, so can a Mac or any smart phone or tablet.

        "The security measure mentioned is to turn off the audio and mic, and this can be done just by muting both the mic and sound. (No, I hadn't heard of this before.)"
        But then John goes on, " Now, if you really want to be afraid of your computer being hacked—even a Mac—look at method #3 in this link.
         "The hackers are teaching each other how to break into any computer by posting their findings on the web."  So, what can we do?  Keep alert to what's going on, so we can take action to avoid these problems. 
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Exploding Batteries

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        This article on exploding computer batteries grabbed David Passell's attention.  The writer claims, "Apple is approaching its tenth year of exploding laptop batteries …"      http://www.zdnet.com/apple-macbook-battery-exploded-7000023425/  The article is dated today, and is followed by 97 comments on this serious issue.  If you find any more information let us know.  We need to be informed. 

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Malware Locks Your File, Unless You Pay Ransom

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        Startling new information comes to light in this article from Today Money, dated today.  A new, nasty piece of malicious software, CryptoLocker,  is infecting computers around the world — encrypting important files, even your photos —and demanding a ransom to unlock them.  It says a typical extortion payment is $300.  One business received an email attachment that looked like a shipping invoice from U.S. Postal Service. 
        Anti-virus software can not undo the damage, according to the NBC news writer.  Backing up is the only way to reduce the risk of losing your files forever, however he also warns your backup device should be disconnected from your computer until the next time you need to access it.  The article gives more details.  

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Malware Warning

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        "This is a bit disconcerting, to say the least," Jim Hamm exclaims.  See this article: Chinese appliances are shipping with malware-distributing WiFi chips | Apps and Software!  www.geek.com/apps/chinese-appliances-are-shipping-with-malware-distributing-wifi-chips-1575315
        Today, Jim can't resist passing along this following statement,  "With all the blogging and newspaper articles on NSA's spying, and now China putting malware on items they ship to us, I thought this, unfortunately, has a bit of the ring of truth in it."

        "Please speak clearly into the lampshade on the table. The NSA agent will be with you shortly."
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Password Breached?

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        "Here is an informative article on what to do if your passwords are ever breached," Jim Hamm gets our attention.  "Also, there's a discussion on some Password Managers and several sites to check the strength of your passwords. If you do some testing don't use your actual passwords — use ones that are similar in length and complexity.

        Jim explains, "Although the author, Fred Langa, writes for Windows users, this article applies to Macs as well."
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Caution: Chase Online

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        There's a new hacker attempt going around, according to John Carter.  Here's what he saw from the Quarantine Manager.  Click on the screenshot to enlarge, then click off in the black background to come back to this normal view.  

Here's the header of the email: 

        John explains,  "Even if you only click on the link in the message, you've just notified the hackers who you are.  And if you follow the link and give them the information they want, your bank account may not have any money in it for long.
        "If you want to know if something like this is real, call your bank and ask about it." 
        What kind of warning did you get on your computer,  we asked.  John replied, "I got the message from Sophos, warning me that an email contains a virus."  
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Dropbox Peeks at Your Files

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        "Although I like and use Dropbox frequently, here's an article that reminds us nothing is secure in the 'cloud', unless it's encrypted, and even then NSA might take a peek at your documents," notes Jim Hamm.  Here's the article for you to check: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9242384/Dropbox_takes_a_peek_at_files?source=CTWNLE_nlt_dailyam_2013-09-13

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Google Defends Sanning Email

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"Here is an article discussing how Google defends their scanning every email sent or received through Gmail. Google says this is a 'normal business practice', and uses the info to tailor ads that appear beside your inbox."  Jim Hamm continues,  "I use Gmail, and the adds don't bother me, but I'm not fond of the idea of Google scanning the contents of every email sent through their system. On the other hand, Google is providing a useful service for free, so something or someone has to foot the costs.

        Jim goes on to comment,  "Perhaps Google already states this in their terms of agreement when one sets up a Gmail account, but wording somewhat to the following seems fair to me: as a user of the free Gmail email service the user agrees to having all sent or received emails subject to scanning by Google. If one doesn't like this, then don't sign up for the Gmail service -- use something else for your email service.
        So, this is Jim's question,  "I don't know, but perhaps other free email services such as Yahoo, Outlook Express and others may do the same thing. What do you think about Google's scanning of your emails? Armed with this knowledge, surely you won't send any of your passwords via email anymore, will you...(grin)."