Category Archives: IT

Beware of fake Antivirus Software!

IT, Malware, Security, , , , , , ,

Total AV

One of our recent jobs involved clearing some fake Antivirus software from a Windows computer. Unbeknown to the user, they had done some research for “good” software on Google. TotalAV appeared at the top of the results list, and several review sites also cited it as being genuine and reliable. Running a search online right now, and page 1 and 2 of Google show nothing but good reviews. Majority of these are paid…

The  software was installed, but after a while the computer started to slow down considerably. The computer was virtually brand new (just a year old) and specification of this computer was also high.

We ran some 3rd party anti-malware tools, and various services and software files were flagged, at which point we did our own research on this antivirus software. As it turned out, it’s a scam. The developers of the software are in fact planting malicious content and files and from what we have read are in fact doing more harm than clearing any genuine viruses from your computer.

We advised the user to try and claim back on the money spent and we then advised to stick with Windows own built in security protection which, with Windows 10, is more than adequate for home/home office use.

Some links to back up this post:

Bot Crawl: http://botcrawl.com/totalav/

Malware Tips: https://malwaretips.com/threads/total-av-is-it-a-scam.80362/

In addition we would like to point you in the direction of this article over at Blokt, to help users to stay safer online: https://blokt.com/guides/what-is-spyware

Why you shouldn’t pay for PC security

Macintosh, Security, Software, , , , ,

We are firm believers that you shouldn’t have to pay for antivirus security for your PC or Mac.

If the manufacturers of the operating system have left it vulnerable in any way then they should be the ones that pay or there should be free alternatives. So, without further a do, here is some great free software you can use to keep your computer secure.

With Mac, viruses aren’t so much the issue as is malware, this is generally due to the way the OS is developed (and based on Unix).

PC:

For a little while now Microsoft have provided free software in the form of Microsoft Security Essentials, and now Windows Defender, which is built in and updates when Windows updates. So cancel your annual Anti-virus subs and download this instead!

Link: http://go.frantik.it/mse

Note; this is for Windows 7. If you have 8 or newer it’s built in and you don’t need to worry.

Mac: We have provided links to a couple of great AV packages for Mac previously! See the following: Free Antivirus For Mac

On checking these are probably still on top. Don’t hang around and test either today!

Alternatives:

We always recommend using Malwarebytes Free too to use in addition to the above and this can be used once a week or month just to make sure your computer is protected.

Link:  http://go.frantik.it/mbam

 

Remain vigilant about Malware!

IT, Malware, Security, , , , ,

malware

Many people get so used to being warned about suspicious files they may receive via email that they become bored with it. I know that we almost get too curious about certain things sent to us, or links that crop up on social media.

It is important to remember though, that if you don’t recognise the sender, or web site you are about to visit, it’s probably best not to click on such links. This is in the same way you’d do with junk mail sent through your letterbox in that you’d probably bin it straight away… you have to do the same thing with digital media. Take a step back before clicking or opening anything and think twice beforehand.

Unfortunately, Windows systems are still more frequently targeted compared with Mac or Linux but that doesn’t mean we should be any less vigilant!

Get yourself protected by downloading antivirus protection; see the following page for more info!

And if in doubt trash it, don’t open the attachment, or click on the link. If it’s really important the sender will contact you again.

UptimeRobot – Real time web monitoring!

UptimeRobot

We’d like to write a piece about this great little web monitoring site that we came across and have used to monitor out sites for some time now.

Accessible at UptimeRobot.com, the site allows you to monitor up to 50 sites, every 5 minutes, for free!

The GUI is lovely, the notifications – SMS, Twitter, email, web hooks or PUSH – are perfect and the  number of monitors you can include for a particular site are just right. UR will allow you to monitor HTTP/S, Ping, Port and keywords too. You are able to view uptime, downtime, and response times as well as average downtime across a period of time.

And for those that really want to delve in, an API is also available for developers to use to integrate the service into their own apps.

Check it out, we think you’ll love it!