A couple of years ago most people in tech would have agreed that the tablet form factor had peaked in interest. It had found a niche in business applications but failed to gain wider acceptance with home and office computer users.

Then Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad and the nay-sayers were trampled by the mobs rushing to the Apple store to buy one. With a single product Apple resurrected a form of computer written off being of marginal use for over a decade. 

Apple’s success with the iPhone has been no less impressive. Fans almost never comment on its usability as a phone. It’s all about the apps, the movies, their frustration with being tied to AT&T. Only recently has the Android begun to intrude on the love-fest that up to now has been focused on the iPhone alone. 

No one can argue the popularity of these two products. Will their popularity lead to greater acceptance of the Macintosh computer and result in greater market share for Apple?

Owners of iPods will attest to the less-than-ideal coupling that results from tethering their favorite music player to the Windows operating system. iTunes is frustrating enough on a Mac, it’s even worse on Windows. Still, there’s a logic to attaching an Apple device to another Apple device that doesn’t translate to connecting an Apple device to a PC. Will owners of iPhones, iPads and iPods seriously consider making their next computer a Mac? 

Windows has twice in recent history stumbled badly with their flagship product. Windows ME and Vista were both systems that should never have been released to the public. Windows XP has been the focus of Windows user’s loyalty for more than a decade and 7 appears to be the worthy successor to XP. But two failures and two successes only results in a null gain. To add insult to injury, Microsoft has required its fans to fork out $300-400 every time it updates its OS. Too many formerly staunch Windows supporters are looking at Snow Leopard, priced at less than $50, and even the low-to-no-cost Linux OSs. While it’s true that a reasonably equipped PC that either comes with Windows pre-installed or that can be reformatted for Linux can be had for less than half the cost of a new Mac, the new Macs are no longer being sold at a price we once would only pay for a used car. If you check out Craigslist in almost any major city a fairly new Macbook Air can be found for less than $1000. 

I’m no psychic but I predict that 2011 will see a substantial increase in new Mac users primarily because of their purchase of an iPad or iPhone. A Macintosh computer will almost become a peripheral device for our phone or tablet computer.

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Image via Wikipedia

Via ComputerWorld.

Microsoft told Windows XP users today not to press the F1 key when prompted by a Web site, as part of its reaction to an unpatched vulnerability that hackers could exploit to hijack PCs running Internet Explorer (IE).In a security advisory issued late Monday, Microsoft confirmed the unpatched bug in VBScript that Polish researcher Maurycy Prodeus had revealed Friday, offered more information on the flaw and provided some advice on how to protect PCs until a patch shipped.

“The vulnerability exists in the way that VBScript interacts with Windows Help files when using Internet Explorer,” read the advisory. “If a malicious Web site displayed a specially crafted dialog box and a user pressed the F1 key, arbitrary code could be executed in the security context of the currently logged-on user.”

Last week, Prodeus called the bug a “logic flaw,” and said attackers could exploit it by feeding users malicious code disguised as a Windows help file — such files have a “.hlp” extension — then convincing them to press the F1 key when a pop-up appeared. He rated the vulnerability as “medium” because of the required user interaction.

Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are impacted by the bug, said Microsoft, and any supported versions of Internet Explorer (IE) on those operating systems — including IE6 on Windows XP — could be leveraged by attackers. Previously, Prodeus had said that users running IE7 and IE8 were at risk, but had not called out IE6.

Until a patch is ready, users can protect themselves by not pressing the F1 key if a Web site tells them to, said Microsoft.

The security advisory made the same recommendation: “Our analysis shows that if users do not press the F1 key on their keyboard, the vulnerability cannot be exploited.”

Users can also stymie attacks by disabling Windows Help. The advisory explained how to entering a one-line command at a Windows command-line prompt to lock down the Help system.

Another one of those funny-sad stories about another vulnerability in the Windows operating system. These are coming so often these days we’re becoming as inured to them as we are to Windows updates. No one reads all that stuff; we just click “approved”, “OK”, “agreed”, just do it, get it over with.

How many typical Windows users even know what the F1 key is for?

F1	Displays the Help task pane.CTRL+F1 closes and reopens the current task pane. ALT+F1 creates a chart of the data in the current range. ALT+SHIFT+F1 inserts a new worksheet. (Microsoft)

You can also press the F1 key on some computers to access the BIOS when you start your computer before Windows boots up. On other computers it’s usually F2 or Escape.

You know what I find really ironic? A lot of people have been getting after Google the last week or so over releasing Buzz to so many users without fixing some glaringly obvious (to the techies, at least) security weaknesses. And what are a vast majority of them using to express these concerns? Windows. And how many of them are using the latest release, Windows 7, with all the latest updates and drivers installed? How many acknowledge that Windows has released every version of its operating system unfinished and incomplete?  True, there are flaws that only exist because of advances in the writing of viruses and spyware. No one can anticipate every possible scenario. All I know is that I always feel more secure, more comfortable when I’m using the Mac or booted in Linux. Sadly, Buzz is especially aggravating in those systems since everything else for the most part just works. Software updates outnumber version updates by a good number.

I don’t argue that Buzz needed a beta period. Come on, Google. Everything you’ve produced up until now have been labeled beta. You even let us make Gmail say beta in the header if we want. Even if all you had done was add the now-anticipated beta label to the name, Buzz beta, you would no doubt have received a warmer reception. The critics would have had shaky grounds for criticism. Especially those criticizing from a Windows machine.

Let me give you a tip applicable to any version of Windows. It goes beyond the rather timid approach Microsoft suggests in order to avoid a single potential vulnerability. Employing the technique I’m about to share with you, you are assured of never again being at risk for any sort of vulnerability. If you want to know you are totally secure when using Windows, if you want to be invisible to viruses, free of spyware, if you want to never see another blue-screen-of-death ever again for the rest of your life;

Do not press ANY key on your keyboard. Not the F1, not the Enter key, don’t even tap the space bar.

Better yet, don’t even turn the damned thing on. Can’t get much safer from cyber threats than that.

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There are many ways that shareware developers and content providers can show disrespect and contempt for their customers. Some are the result of paranoia on the part of the developers while others are the result of laziness and/or blatant greed on their part.

One example of this I frequently encounter is the unrealistic installation limitation.

Once upon a time a family could barely afford a single computer. It wasn’t unreasonable for a shareware distributor to limit the number of computers you could install a single copy of their application on. They fairly reasoned that in the vast majority of cases the only time you would need to install multiple times was if you were letting all your friends install your copy, robbing the developers and distributors of earned income. Thus were born limits on the number of times you could install a copy of software you purchased. The most draconian of these licenses would only allow you to install one time on one computer. Less extreme licenses allowed you to create a backup copy, and family licenses, usually more expensive, allowed you to install the software on two or three other computers on a home local area network (LAN).

I would argue that software manufacturers/distributors these days need to rethink their licensing restrictions with an eye to the current reality.  In the 21st century, despite the economy, families frequently have several computers. More importantly, we are far more likely to update the operating system of our computers at least once in their lifetime. Recently we’ve seen major updates from all the big players, Microsoft with Windows 7, Macintosh with OS X Snow Leopard and several distros of Linux. For many of us these updates required a fresh installation of the OS and a re-installation of all our applications and software, at least those programs that allowed us to reinstall. No one should have to face the loss of a favorite application simply because they’ve updated their computer from XP to Vista and now to 7. “Oh sorry, you’ve exceeded the number of installations allowed under the terms of use”. Users shouldn’t be penalized for trying to keep their systems current. Personally I’ve encountered these limitations with (former) favorites like RoboForm and DFX Pro. I’m sure you can think of a few examples yourself. I don’t mind having to call and explain that I’m reinstalling on the same computer after an OS upgrade. But I resent encountering the presumption that I’m pirating software and being told I have to re-purchase the software with no other option offered.

Here’s a thought; Make your software able to read the machine address (MAC address) of the computer at installation. With every re-installation it reads the MAC address and if it’s the same (machine addresses aren’t based on the operating system) it re-installs without a fuss.

Developers need to do a better job to accommodate  their customers in the legal and reasonable use of their software. They need to quit assuming their customers are out to do nothing but take advantage of them. Every day there are more and more updated and often no-cost alternatives to pricey applications. If you want to retain your customers and encourage their loyalty treat them with respect and construct your licenses in accordance with the current realities of computer ownership. Alternatively, keep your pricing low so that I can afford to purchase a license for my desktop, laptop and netbook.

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Image by juhansonin via Flickr

Users of electronics relate to their devices through a graphic user interface, or GUI. The iPhone and iPod Touch have received a lot of accolades for their revolutionary user interface. Some users buy their phones based largely on the user interface. Whether your computer runs Windows, Linux or Macintosh, most of your interaction with your computer is through the graphic user interface (desktop).

When an operating system is upgraded, the most noticed features involve the GUI. Apple is famous for their GUI. Microsoft has for years been playing catch-up with Apple over the user interface. Linux users are flocking to Ubuntu, primarily due to its friendly and functional user interface. We have recently seen new releases of Mac’s OS X, Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.10, all of which focused on a better experience for the user by improvements to the GUI.

At the same time many of us “geeks” continue to complain about the number of “clueless users”, computer owners who don’t understand much about their computer beyond the user interface. It’s a situation akin to the car owner who knows how to drive the car but has no idea what goes on under the hood, no clue as to how to add oil or change the filters. People who mistake the desktop for their computer or AOL for the internet are the stock of many in-jokes in the IT world. Many of us who have worked help desks shake our heads at the stories we’ve heard. We think it’s a shame that more people aren’t interested in the inner workings of their computers or that more don’t take an interest in the amazing things a user can accomplish from the command line.

I suspect that in the interest of making computers “user friendly” we’ve created a situation in which people don’t have to learn much about their own computers. GUIs are so easy to navigate there’s hardly a need to delve further into commands, scripts and other advanced functions.

Even when the effort is made to get users to think more about their computer’s functioning it’s often unappreciated. With Windows Vista Microsoft introduced the User Account Control (UAC), an effort to alert users when a program or website attempted to make changes to their system. The unintended result was that either users disabled UAC altogether or became jaded and clicked “approve” without reading the content of the warning. This attempt to create more aware users failed, so much so that in Windows 7 Microsoft grants us the ability to restrict the UAC notices that pop up.

Many computer users want to be just that, users. They have no interest in knowing why things happen on their computers, they just want them to work the way they need them to work. The inability of legacy apps to run on newer systems, their inability to make their 1999 printer work with their 2009 operating system simply frustrates them as there’s no “fix this problem” icon on the desktop. It’s doubly frustrating to those of us who try to help them by explaining why the system is failing them. They don’t want to know, they just want it to work.

Maybe if GUIs were a bit less intuitive, maybe if computer interrfaces required their user to understand a bit more about why problems occur and what can be done to remedy them  we’d have fewer “clueless users”.

Of course there would also be less need for us geeks.

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Hotmail users aren’t the only ones who’ve been hit by a phishing scheme over the past week. Google told BBC News on Tuesday that Gmail users have also been affected by the hackers who posted passwords online.

The problem is far more widespread than was disclosed on Monday, possibly affecting Yahoo and AOL e-mail accounts as well, according to BBC News.

Google described the issue as an “industrywide phishing scheme.” BBC News said it has seen two lists posted online with “more than 30,000 names and passwords” from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft’s Windows Live Hotmail, and other service providers.

The representative said that Google immediately “forced passwords resets on the affected accounts.”

In an e-mail to CNET, a Google representative said that the company had to reset the passwords on fewer than 500 Gmail accounts so far. However, that figure could change.

Despite Google’s and Microsoft’s awareness of the problem, it doesn’t seem that users are out of the woods just yet. Google’s representative told CNET that it will continue to force password resets on any newly affected user accounts.

Like Microsoft, Google was quick to point out to the BBC that the phishing scheme was a “scam to get users to give away their personal information to hackers” and not an internal security issue. It didn’t say how users fell victim to the scheme. (Source-cnet.com)

With all these phishing attacks hitting the major players in the world of email, Google is offering their own suggestions on what users can do to improve their passwords.

Creating a new password is often one of the first recommendations you hear when trouble occurs. Even a great password can’t keep you from being scammed, but setting one that’s memorable for you and that’s hard for others to guess is a smart security practice since weak passwords can be easily guessed. Below are a few common problems we’ve seen in the past and suggestions for making your passwords stronger.

Problem 1: Re-using passwords across websites
With a constantly growing list of services that require a password (email, online banking, social networking, and shopping websites — just to name a few), it’s no wonder that many people simply use the same password across a variety of accounts. This is risky: if someone figures out your password for one service, that person could potentially gain access to your private email, address information, and even your money.

Solution 1: Use unique passwords
It’s a good idea to use unique passwords for your accounts, expecially important accounts like email and online banking. When you create a password for a site, you might think of a phrase you associate with the site and use an abbreviation or variation of that phrase as your password — just don’t use the actual words of the site. If it’s a long phrase, you can take the first letter of each word. To make this word or phrase more secure, try making some letters uppercase, and swap out some letters with numbers or symbols. As an example, the phrase for your banking website could be “How much money do I have?” and the password could be “#m$d1H4ve?” (Note: since we’re using them here, please don’t adopt any of the example passwords in this post for yourself.)

Problem 2: Using common passwords or words found in the dictionary
Common passwords include simple words or phrases like “password” or “letmein,” keyboard patterns such as “qwerty” or “qazwsx,” or sequential patterns such as “abcd1234.” Using a simple password or any word you can find in the dictionary makes it easier for a would-be hijacker to gain access to your personal information.

Solution 2: Use a password with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols
There are only 26^8 possible permutations for an 8-character password that uses just lowercase letters, while there are 94^8 possible permutations for an 8-character password that uses a combination of mixed-case letters, numbers, and symbols. That’s over 6 quadrillion more possible variations for a mixed password, which makes it that much harder for anyone to guess or crack.

Problem 3: Using passwords based on personal data
We all share information about ourselves with our friends and coworkers. The names of your spouse, children, or pets aren’t usually all that secret, so it doesn’t make sense to use them as your passwords. You should also stay away from birth dates, phone numbers, or addresses.

Solution 3: Create a password that’s hard for others to guess
Choose a combination of letters, numbers, or symbols to create a unique password that’s unrelated to your personal information. Or, select a random word or phrase, and insert letters and numbers into the beginning, middle, and end to make it extra difficult to guess (such as “sPo0kyh@ll0w3En”).

Problem 4: Writing down your password and storing it in an unsecured place
Some of us have enough online accounts that we may need to write our passwords down somewhere, at least until we’ve learned them well.

Solution 4: Keep your password reminders in a secret place that isn’t easily visible
Don’t leave notes with your passwords to various sites on your computer or desk. People who walk by can easily steal this information and use it to compromise your account. Also, if you decide to save your passwords in a file on your computer, create a unique name for the file so people don’t know what’s inside. Avoid naming the file “my passwords” or something else obvious.

Problem 5: Recalling your password
When choosing smart passwords like these, it can often be more difficult to remember your password when you try to sign in to a site you haven’t visited in a while. To get around this problem, many websites will offer you the option to either send a password-reset link to your email address or answer a security question.

Solution 5: Make sure your password recovery options are up-to-date and secure
You should always make sure you have an up-to-date email address on file for each account you have, so that if you need to send a password reset email it goes to the right place.

Many websites will ask you to choose a question to verify your identity if you ever forget your password. If you’re able to create your own question, try to come up with a question that has an answer only you would know. The answer shouldn’t be something that someone can guess by scanning information you’ve posted online in social networking profiles, blogs, and other places.

If you’re asked to choose a question from a list of options, such as the city where you were born, you should be aware that these questions are likely to be less secure. Try to find a way to make your answer unique — you can do this by using some of the tips above, or by creating a convention where you always add a symbol after the 2nd character in the answer (e.g. in@dianapolis) — so that even if someone guesses the answer, they won’t know how to enter it properly. (Source-The Official Gmail Blog)

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Microsoft today confirmed that thousands of Windows Live Hotmail account usernames and passwords had leaked to the Internet, but said the credentials were “likely” stolen in a phishing attack.The company denied that its Web-based e-mail service had been hacked and the account log-in information stolen because of some lapse on its part.

Earlier today, Neowin.net reported that more than 10,000 accounts had been compromised and speculated that Hotmail had either suffered a breach or an aggressive phishing campaign had collected the usernames and passwords by duping people into divulging the information.

Microsoft did acknowledge that Hotmail accounts had been compromised. “Over the weekend Microsoft learned that several thousand Windows Live Hotmail customers’ credentials were exposed on a third-party site due to a likely phishing scheme,” the same spokeswoman added.

Both Microsoft and Jevans recommended that all Hotmail users change their passwords, just in case. “Change it, ASAP,” urged Jevans. (Source-ComputerWorld)

If you’d rather be safe than sorry, take 2 minutes and change your Hotmail password right now.

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Image by michperu via Flickr

At its core, an operating system is an interface between the underlying hardware and the software running on the computer. Windows, Macintosh and Linux/Unix each handle the task of controlling the hardware a bit differently (see hardware abstraction layer or HAL). Above the code that handles hardware is the user interface layer, the parts of the operating system that provides our familiar desktop, shortcuts to applications, start menus, etc. This layer gives the user access to both the software and some control over the hardware. You could call this the “look and feel” aspect to an operating system. It’s also the windowing part.

If Google builds the Chrome OS on top of a Linux kernal, it’s using Linux to handle the HAL while Chrome will provide the windowing. The look of the desktop, the way shortcuts work, the way we access the hardware, all that will have a distinct “Google” look and feel. Google will in effect provide a unique window manager apart from Microsoft’s Windows Manager (look at “Services” in the Windows Task Manager, you’ll see an instance of WDM-Windows Desktop Manager-that is always running), Linux’s Gnome or KDE (K Desktop Environment) or any of the other umpteen Linux window managers or Mac’s OS X. The difference between how the menus work in Windows and Mac is a result of the difference between their window managers.

All indications are that Google intends to simply “paint” their window manager on top of a customized Linux kernal. Since the Chrome OS won’t actually handle the hardware layer, just the windowing layer, some consider Chrome to be nothing but a windowing system, not a true and complete operating system. If we call Chrome an OS we might as well call Windowblinds an operating system.

I have to add that it’s because of the manner in which each OS deals with the hardware layer that many of us prefer Linux or Mac over Windows. It’s not (just) the perceived elitism, it’s not that we enjoy having fewer apps and interoperability issues with Windows, it’s not because we’re just hate Windows for no reason. Linux and Mac control the hardware layer in a far superior manner to the way Windows does. That’s the reason Mac’s aren’t considered “upgradeable” to the extent a PC is. Mac and Linux are tied closely to the hardware. They access the hardware more efficiently than Windows, thus there are far fewer system freezes or crashes.

Everyone appreciates an attractive desktop, but the true test of a computer is at the hardware level. The better the windowing system works together with the software and hardware, the better overall performance the user sees. A stable system allows the user to accomplish their tasks without having to think about what all is going on inside the magic beige box. An unstable system, like Windows, drives its users nuts by interrupting their work with freezes and demands to reboot (something only done in other OSs for changes in hardware) because the processes confuse the processor.

I also like the way the file system works in Linux better than the one in Windows (I’m still slightly confused by Mac’s file system). And software generally installs better, more logically, in Linux and Mac.

No system is perfect though some are less perfect than others.

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Microsoft has introduced a new way to analyze your system for issues and offer advice for correcting them.

With one click, Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services will detect problems on your machine and automatically fix any common problems that are found. Check back often as we are adding new Fix it diagnostic solutions all the time!

New diagnose and repair solutions

• Windows Vista Aero Glass visual effects are not working
  Automatically diagnose and repair problems when the visual Aero Glass effects, themes, and transparencies are not working on your computer.
• Printing problems and printing errors
  Automatically diagnose and repair when you cannot print, or for problems installing a printer, connecting to a network printer and related errors.
• Your CD or DVD drive cannot read or write media
  Automatically diagnose and repair problems with your CD or DVD drive when trying to read or burn media in Windows Vista.
• Hardware devices not detected or not working
  Automatically diagnose and repair problems when the device manager does not detect your hardware, audio, USB and other devices, or when your devices are disabled or not working.
• Problems with sound and audio or no sound
  Automatically diagnose and repair problems with sound and audio on your computer or when your computer does not play sound.

(Note: You can only run this using Internet Explorer 7 or 8. It does not support Firefox or other non-MS browser.)

(Thanks to Greg Duncan and Corrine at Security Garden for the link)

Aliases:
TA08-297A (other)
CVE-2008-4250 (other)
VU827267 (other)
Win32/Conficker.A (CA)
Mal/Conficker-A (Sophos)
Trojan.Win32.Agent.bccs (Kaspersky)
W32.Downadup.B (Symantec)
Confickr (other)

Worm:Win32/Conficker.B is a worm that infects other computers across a network by exploiting a vulnerability in the Windows Server service (SVCHOST.EXE). If the vulnerability is successfully exploited, it could allow remote code execution when file sharing is enabled. It may also spread via removable drives and weak administrator passwords. It disables several important system services and security products.

Microsoft strongly recommends that users apply the update referred to in Security Bulletin MS08-067 immediately.

Microsoft also recommends that users ensure that their network passwords are strong to prevent this worm from spreading via weak administrator passwords.

How do I know if my computer is infected?

System Changes

The following system changes may indicate the presence of this malware:

• The following services are disabled or fail to run:
Windows Update Service
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
Windows Defender
Windows Error Reporting Services

• Some accounts may be locked out due to the following registry modification, which may flood the network with connections:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
“TcpNumConnections” = ”0×00FFFFFE”

• Users may not be able to connect to websites or online services that contain the following strings:
virus
spyware
malware
rootkit
defender
microsoft
symantec
norton
mcafee
trendmicro
sophos
panda
etrust
networkassociates
computerassociates
f-secure
kaspersky
jotti
f-prot
nod32
eset
grisoft
drweb
centralcommand
ahnlab
esafe
avast
avira
quickheal
comodo
clamav
ewido
fortinet
gdata
hacksoft
hauri
ikarus
k7computing
norman
pctools
prevx
rising
securecomputing
sunbelt
emsisoft
arcabit
cpsecure
spamhaus
castlecops
threatexpert
wilderssecurity
windowsupdate

Recovery Instructions

Microsoft strongly recommends that users apply the update referred to in Security Bulletin MS08-067immediately.

To detect and remove this threat run a full-system scan with an up-to-date antivirus product such as the Microsoft online scanner (http://safety.live.com). For more information, see http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/vista.mspx.

Note: Computers infected by Conficker may be unable to connect to web sites related to security applications and services that may otherwise assist in the removal of this worm (for example, downloading antivirus updates may fail). In this case users will need to use an uninfected computer in order to download any appropriate updates or tools and then transfer these to the infected computer.

Microsoft Help and Support have provided a detailed guide to removing a Conficker.B infection from an affected computer, either manually or by using the MSRT (Malicious Software Removal Tool).

For detailed instructions on how to manually remove Conficker.B, view the following article using an uninfected computer:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962007 – Virus alert for Win32/Conficker.B and manual removal instructions

Additional information on deploying MSRT in an enterprise environment can be found here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891716 – Deployment of MSRT in an enterprise environment

Preventing infection

Take the following steps to help prevent infection on your system:

• Enable a firewall on your computer.
• Get the latest computer updates for all your installed software, including Security Bulletin MS08-067.
• Use up-to-date antivirus software.
• Use caution when opening attachments and accepting file transfers.
• Use caution when clicking on links to web pages.
• Protect yourself against social engineering attacks.

(Source-Microsoft)

Bah.

Linux is good enough for everything I do online on a daily basis. Email checking, website maintenance, blogging, forum posting… So many services are web-based these days I don’t even have to depend on my OS to install applications.

With Microsoft preparing to offer 7-9 different flavors of Windows 7, repeating the mistake they made with Vista, and many reviewers of the beta calling 7 “Vista SP2″, what are those great arguments about the superiority of Windows again?

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