TruItSupport Brisbane Queensland IT system support for Windows and Linux computer networks
TruItSupport Brisbane Queensland IT system support for Windows and Linux computer networks
›› Advice on email usage
Tru IT Support Provides this information in the hope we can help improve email security for everyone
Why you should never open an attachment sent to you by an unknown person.
This evening Monday November 3, 2008 I received an email from a “Jerry Steward” entitled “Keys of Activation” containing an attachment called Activation_key.zip Jerry is a fake name for ojtw@bock-partner.com received via the server p23180-adsau07doujib3-acca.osaka.ocn.ne.jp somewhere in Japan. The website www.bock-partner.com belongs to an organisation in Neubrandenburg, Germany. Possibly the security on these sites has been compromised.
The sender wrote this message
Hello,
Your account was temporarily suspended on demand. Please, activate your account using the keys which are in the attached Word file.
If you have any questions you can address to one of our offices in your city.
The attachment was not a Word file but an executable file containing a virus. The concerning thing is that only 6 out of 39 virus scanners1 detected this file as a virus and the others gave it a clean bill of health. Please see the attached pdf for the results of these tests, they are surprising considering many of the top names in anti-virus detection did not pick this up. I can only put this down to the newness of this virus. Some 2 days later I ran the same test again, this time 17 out of 39 virus scanners detected the virus. Click here for these results. Notice that the CA (Vet) anti-virus company completely failed to recognise the problem. This is the same company that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia uses to produce its Net Bank Guard Dog security solution. If the file was inadvertently opened then the only recourse in cases like this where the PC has been compromised is to reformat the hard drive and reload the operating system.
The email tricks the end user into opening a payload which load programs which then compromise the PC. The attachments may be airline tickets, stock reports or other interesting documents designed to attract the curiosity of the unwary.
1 Thanks to VirSCAN.org, the FREE on-line scan service
If you find this advice useful let your friends know.
August-09 Wisdom
Are you wasting money and resources by having equipment that is too old?
Compact fluorescent performance decreases over time.
While a filament does exist in these lamps, the real work of making light is done by the gas discharge. The light bulb does not just “burn out,” but instead slowly degrades over time putting out less and less light. Because this decay is slow it often goes unnoticed by users until the performance is well below acceptable. The same thing applies to computer monitors. Staff are often staring a monitors that are several years old. This is not only a work place safety issue as it effects the well being of the user but it lowers efficiency of the workers as they strain to comprehend quickly and accurately exactly what they are reading. Given the relative low cost of these devices there is little excuse for not having you monitors less than three years old.
"Whilst it is not exactly the same thing you do get a similar loss of efficiency with windows based computers over time. As the computer gets used more and more and as programs are added and removed there is an apparent loss of performance."
This loss of performance also effects the output of the user so it is also a wise idea to keep the life of your computers relative low if you want to get the best out of your staff. Just as running old fluorescent lamps is a false economy so is running old computer equipment.
Microsoft Products
A large range of Microsoft Products are supported.
Microsoft XP/Family, Server 2003 & Vista
SQL Database
Remote Desktop
VNC - virtual network connection
VPN - virtual private network
Firewalls Office and various other products are catered for
We supply Microsoft Mice and Keyboards.
