National ID System Replaced by Facebook

I’m always writing about privacy and my recommendations on protecting your personal information. The success of social networks like Facebook has proven that most people really don’t care about privacy. The same people who may have signed a petition against a National ID number now share their info willingly with applications on Facebook.

On July 26th, 2006, the American Civil Liberties Union released a brilliant video on how our sensitive information may be used in the future. I’m certain I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it. Little did I know how close to reality it might be in just a few years. It seemed like a joke at the time but watching it now I have a completely different opinion. Instead of fearing a government, we should watch out for the companies who have partnered with Facebook.

 

Click to View National ID Video

The purpose of this video was to help the ALCU in their fight against a National ID system.  While it was designed to be a warning, this video can now be used as an example for creating a great social application interface.

I’m as guilty as many sharing my information although I do have my limits. Unless there’s a good reason I won’t be broadcasting my location especially when we’re on vacation. I won’t accept invitations that allow unknown companies free access to information I think I’m sharing with just my friends. As the owner of WinPatrol, so much of my information is public that it’s hardly worth worrying about.  Ironically, having multiple sources know my information can even be useful.

How about you? Have your thoughts changed since you first viewed this video years ago?  Does it create fear or does it inspire you to create a new product that might utilize a users available information?

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Why Rob Cheng Hates His Apple iPod

Twice a month I write an article for the folks at PC Pitstop.  Their bi-monthly newsletter includes tips and wisdom from other tech experts that makes it a must read. Click here to subscribe.

In this weeks newsletter, PC Pitstop’s president Rob Cheng opened up a hornets net when he gave his five reasons why he hates his iPod. You can read his comments at http://techtalk.pcpitstop.com/2010/07/02/5-reasons-i-hate-my-ipod/? but I’ll share my favorite.

“Although we like to believe that Apple invented the MP3 player, it is simply not true. When I began working at Gateway in 1991, our #1 graphics card was made by a company called Diamond Graphics. I quickly became friends with the CEO and Director of Marketing. We had some good times together. Later, they introduced in the late 90's, the industries first MP3 player, the Diamond Rio. Even way back then, it was a run away success.”

Rob continues to describe how the Recording Industry Association of America sued Diamond and how Diamond went out of business. The rest is history and eventually the “iPod” became a term synonymous with a portable digital music player.

As an early adopter I had one and still have it. It doesn’t hold many songs and I have to use scotch tape to hold the battery door closed but it works! So here’s what the father of the iPod looks like. 

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Remove Your Anti-Virus Security Software

What happens when you have four different security programs installed on a computer? It’s a lot like watching a slow turtle crossing the street. You sit, you wait, you stare and most of the time there’s a crash before it’s over.

I frequently have friends drop off their laptops along with the comment and the question, “It runs REALLY slow, do I have a virus?”.

Case Study: Bob’s Laptop
This week’s computer maintenance task was typical. There was no malware, trojan horse, key logger, virus or even rootkit on Bob’s laptop. So why did it take 10 minutes to boot and run so slow?  Turns out there were four, yes four different security suites installed. 

One of them was McAfee which had expired last year but was still running five different services. I suspect it came pre-installed when he purchased the computer two years ago. Even after running the uninstaller, I still had to manually remove more McAfee programs including a reminder service just in case Bob changed his mind in the future.

Next I started to remove the Anti-Virus packages which also hadn’t been updated in the last six months.  First I removed Window Defender from Microsoft. I’ll elaborate more below but the newer Microsoft Security Essentials from Microsoft does what Defender did and much more.

When I removed CA Internet Security I immediately noticed a different in computer performance.  I don’t mean to imply CA was the problem but at least we were down to a single Anti-Virus Suite. It still wasn’t as fast as I’d like but it was a vast improvement to be down to a single suite hooked into the Window kernel.

The last suite to remove was Symantec’s Norton 360. I’m not a big fan of Norton but there are some folks at Symantec who I respect for their support. They’ve become legendary in the industry but this creates a level of trust that makes some users blind to using their software properly.  Well known security packages like Norton and McAfee create a false sense of security. Users bypass learning how to properly use the product and they fail to configure the software. They often miss out on updated signature files designed to catch new threats.

I had a personal experience of this over confidence from the mayor of my home town Village of Scotia.  Once a week his computer sends me an Email with an link that I obviously shouldn’t click on. When I reported this, his response was “I’m sure my Norton will take care of it”.  The mass mailer bot using his address book continues even as I was preparing this article.

Clicking on the link will take users to a page that appears to be an advertisement for Canadian drugs. Unfortunately,clicking the wrong click to escape and the ad will make an attempt to infect the next person helping to spread the malware.

I finally removed all the security programs from Bob’s computer and it ran fast enough for me to provide some regular maintenance steps needed to speed things up like deleting temp files, defrag his disk, and I used WinPatrol to remove all the crap that didn’t need to be auto starting every time he rebooted.

So What’s the Answer? 
First  (no surprise) I installed WinPatrol which works and plays well with others but shouldn’t be used alone. WinPatrol works differently than Anti-Virus scanners and so it doesn’t compete for the internal Windows kernel interface commonly used by security suites 

I also configured Bob’s Window Updates so files would be downloaded automatically but installed at Bob’s discretion. Keeping your system updated is critical. Unless there’s a special threat I do continue to recommend installing Windows updates 5-10 days following their release.

So what was my choice for Bob’s main security program?  (Drum roll please)
The answer this week is the free Microsoft Security Essentials. It may be actually be unpopular to praise products by Microsoft but the Redmond based company has devoted serious resources towards making your security a priority. On July 15th, the Microsoft Antimalware Team will release a new generation of their antimalware engine.

You can click the icon above and check out Microsoft Security Essentials but first go to the Remove programs applet in the Windows Control Panel and get rid of the multiple security packages that you no longer use. Even if you don’t use them, they’re using you.

For additional help removing old useless security suites you’ll find a list at the Security Garden, AntiVirus Product Removal Tools. Thanks to Corrine for her comment.

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Legal Software More Annoying than Most Viruses

Do you remember programs from Gator, MyWaySearch, Net.Net or 180Solutions? Are there still programs running on your computer that you really don’t want? 

You’re not alone! Most annoying programs now come from legitimate companies who know they’re not really adding value but do it to make share holders happy. There’s always been competition by companies to get their programs installed on the greatest number of computers.  When you notice your computer keeps getting slower you can blame it on these programs.  At least when AOL shipped out millions of CD’s you had the choice of installing it or not

I created my WinPatrol program to alert me if new programs are being added to the Windows startup procedure. Originally this popular feature was designed to prevent spyware from infecting your system. Now, the biggest problem doesn’t come from spyware or viruses, it comes from well known companies like Apple, Adobe, Google and even Microsoft. These programs have limited value but provide increased visibility and profit for software companies. Totally unrelated companies are encouraged(paid) to install these programs and receive a cash bounty if they can get you to install them. Sometimes it’s done without your knowledge, sometimes it because you don’t carefully read the purpose of every check box during setup.

In the past it was common for WinPatrol fans to report programs which were malicious, designed to steal data, monitor key strokes or create pop up ads. Sadly, the most common complaints I see now are for programs from legitimate companies.

Google continues to top the list of companies wanting to make sure you have their toolbar and updates of anything else they feel you need, like it or not. A large number of companies are paid to install the Google Toolbar via programs like Adobe Flash,  Cyberlink PowerDVD, IrfanView, PC Tools Spyware Doctor, Threatfire, RealPlayer, ZoneAlarm and more. The fact WinPatrol users are requesting Info on GoogleUpdater implies they have no clue how it was installed on their system.

Google Updater isn’t the only program that our users don’t understand why they have it. Continued below is a current, “Where the hell did I get this from, and how can I get rid of it” list.  I’ve made the top ten hot links so you can click and see an example of some of the extra value provided by WinPatrol PLUS.

	Program Request		Company Name
1	GOOGLEUPDATER.EXE		GOOGLE INC.
2	ADOBEARM.EXE		ADOBE SYSTEMS
3	JUSCHED.EXE		SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC.
4	READER_SL.EXE		ADOBE SYSTEMS
5	MDNSRESPONDER.EXE		APPLE INC.
6	WMPNSCFG.EXE		MICROSOFT CORPORATION
7	ITUNESHELPER.EXE		APPLE INC.
8	REALSCHED.EXE		REALNETWORKS, INC.
9	QTTASK.EXE		APPLE INC.
10	APPLEMOBILEDEVICESERVICE.EXE		APPLE INC.
11	CTFMON.EXE		MICROSOFT CORPORATION
12	IGFXTRAY.EXE		INTEL CORPORATION
13	IGFXPERS.EXE		INTEL CORPORATION
14	NVCPL.DLL		NVIDIA CORPORATION
15	MSFEEDSSYNC.EXE		MICROSOFT CORPORATION
16	SMSS.EXE		MICROSOFT CORPORATION
17	CLISTART.EXE		ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES
18	NWIZ.EXE		NVIDIA CORPORATION
19	ISUSPM.EXE		MACROVISION CORPORATION
20	MSASCUI.EXE		MICROSOFT CORPORATION
21	HKCMD.EXE		INTEL CORPORATION
22	HIDSERV.DLL		MICROSOFT CORPORATION
23	SIDEBAR.EXE		MICROSOFT CORPORATION
24	DUMPREP 0 -K		MICROSOFT CORPORATION
25	MSNMSGR.EXE		MICROSOFT CORPORATION

Not long ago our top requests were programs that served up spyware or adware like those below. Some free sample links below may not contain updated PLUS Info. Have you been around enough to remember these annoying infiltrations?

Common Name	Program Detected by WinPatrol
MyWebSearch.com Hijacker	MYBAR/MYWAY.DLL, MWSSRCAS.DLL, MWSOEMON.DLL
New.net	NEWDOTNET.DLL
WinTools	WTOOLSA.EXE, WTOOLSB.DLL, WTOOLSS.DLL
XUpiterSpyware - OrbitExplorer	toolbar.dll
eXact Advertising	NVMS.DLL, MSCB.DLL, MSBE.DLL
Internet Optimizer	nem21*.dll - nem220.dll
Gator / Claria	CMESYS.exe, GMT.exe, GAIN_Tickler*.exe
PowerREGISTER	POWERREG SCHEDULER.EXE
Uploader-R	TSM2.EXE
WinAd by TwistedHumor	Winad.exe, WinAdTools.exe Winclt.exe, WinTaskAd.exe
Intercosmos Media Group	SEARCHRELEVANCY.DLL
Addictive Technologies	ATPARTNERS.DLL
WhenU.com	VVSN.exe / Save.exe
180Solutions	MSBB.EXE
LocalNRD - Trandponder - Mindset Interactive	LOCALNRD.DLL
Neo Toolbar - Traffic Syndicate	TBPS.EXE, btein.dll, stoolsbar.dll
Bridge Search Page Hijacker	BRIDGE.DLL
W32 Supernova Worm	SYSUPD.EXE
eUniverse / Keen Value	WUpdater.exe, INCFINDFBO.DLL, PERFECTNAVBHO.DLL
CommonName Toolbar	CNBABE.exe, CNBABE.DLL

 

If you’d like to learn more check out the Calendar of Updates “Installers Hall of Shame” at

http://www.calendarofupdates.com/updates/index.php?showtopic=16109. You’ll be amazed at how common this business practice as become.  This topic already has almost 300 comments to there’s a lot to read.

Meanwhile, download WinPatrol and easily clean up your startup programs. Upgrade a specially priced WinPatrol PLUS now for recent information on these annoying programs. WinPatrol works well along side any of the popular AV and security programs on the market.

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Would you Spot this Malware?

I recently wrote about how social engineering and human nature is used to trick us into downloading files which infiltrate our computers. When I signed on to Facebook today the first thing I noticed was an obviously malware post. I’d like to think all of you would know immediately not to click the this link. I deleted the post so others wouldn't click on it and phoned our young friend who posted it. Not surprisingly she had no idea how it was posted and as I suggested she signed on to change her Facebook password.

Would you have detected this as an obvious scam?

Even I know that Justin Bieber is too young for Miley Cyrus.

As a researcher I clicked on this link to see where it went. So in case you’re curious, here’s what happens. In this case, the Bit.ly service was smart enough to know this link was suspicious. Bit.ly is a service which allows you to create a shortcut of a long url. This is useful if you need to include a web address in a short message like those required on Twitter. Unfortunately, these short addresses don't let you see where a link takes you.

If I was still silly enough to continue the real fun begins with an invitation to share this with all my friends.

If this was really shared by 95,071 friends it’s really scary. I often wonder if someday I won’t need to keep developing my WinPatrol program. I suspect it will be a while until I get to retire.

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New and Improved WinPatrol 18

While WinPatrol 18 sounds like a boring name there’s nothing boring about the new features included in the new, improved WinPatrol.

Since 1997 WinPatrol has taken a snapshot of critical system locations and alerted members if values are changed. Over the years Microsoft Windows has become more and more complex and the number of critical locations has exploded. WinPatrol has grown to meet those needs while remaining small and robust.

I frequently get recommendations from pros on new registry locations which should be monitored.  In some cases, these locations are application specific or apply to particular versions of Windows. WinPatrol 18 users can add locations they feel are important and WinPatrol will protect them.

Registry monitoring is flexible. Instead of having a pop up message asking about a change WinPatrol can just lock down a value and prevent it from changing. In the list above, those registry values with an icon are set to be locked and protected from change.  As online experts find new registry values being changed by malware, WinPatrol can protect you better than ever.

At first glance this feature may look like something for advanced users. The “Suggestions” button will offer tips and suggestions on registry values you may want to protect based on how you use your computer.  We’ll also offer application specific update scripts that can be download and installed with a few clicks.  Ultimately, it’s still my goal to save users from having to ever edit the register using programs like RegEdit.exe.

By far my favorite part of developing WinPatrol is the support I receive from our loyal fans.  When WinPatrol was created I never expected it to become my primary project. I never developed a business plan to keep WinPatrol going so I really depend on word of mouth and support from all of you who have become PLUS members.  As long as my health and this support continues you’ll see a WinPatrol 19, 20 and many more with new features based on your requests and suggestions.

Thank you again for your support and suggestions. Please enjoy the new WinPatrol 18. I hope Scotty takes good care of you and your critical computer information.

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Can Facebook be Trusted?

Last week Facebook rolled out another round of what they consider easy to use privacy settings. What they’re really doing is trying to appear as if they’re doing something to address major privacy concern from customers and privacy organizations. Even Harry McCracken at Technologizer, says “Bottom line: Managing your Facebook privacy is still a remarkably convoluted process which isn’t explained clearly enough.”

Many of my friends received new Facebook settings on the first night but not everyone. I received one change however that baffled me. It seems that any post I made on my wall was set to be seen by “Only Me”.

It seemed like Facebook was saying “Screw you privacy advocates” by changing the default settings for wall posts to “Only Me”. “There you go, want privacy? Now nobody can see what you post”. I can’t imagine why this would even be an option let alone the default.

If I clicked on the padlock I was able to change it so my posts could be seen by “Friends Only” which was my normal settings. Unfortunately, I had to change this setting for each post I made.

When I clicked on Customize I was able to tell Facebook I wanted to change my default but it took four times before it would stick. These changes or bug appeared before the new security settings were rolled out to my account.

Plenty of people are doing articles about the new Facebook settings but I’m really asking the fundamental question. Can you trust Facebook? Based on my observations the answer is no.

Facebook creator Mark Zuckenberg has a vision of the world in which we all share information. It’s no secret that this remains his basic philosophy and goal for Facebook. When announcing new privacy policies he wrote…

“Six years ago, we built Facebook around a few simple ideas. People want to share and stay connected with their friends and the people around them. If we give people control over what they share, they will want to share more. If people share more, the world will become more open and connected. And a world that’s more open and connected is a better world. These are still our core principles today.”

Even if Facebook were to change and make sharing an opt-in service, my experience says we still can’t trust Facebook.

I have some info I want to share like my bird photos or other favorite photos. I have other images that are private for my family that I wouldn’t want available to everyone. I can easily imagine a day when all my photos are exposed and Facebook responding with “Oops, sorry it’s a bug we’re working on”.

I’m also very concerned about information which is shared with Facebook partners. These are companies who have no physical address and no known privacy policy.

I reluctantly continue to use Facebook to keep my eye on them and write about it. If they do something good, I’ll write about that as well. I have a Fans of WinPatrol page which I once promoted on WinPatrol.com. I no longer encourage users to join Facebook and removed the link. I welcome current Facebook users to be Fans of WinPatrol but I don’t feel its safe to promote Facebook as a service to new users.

What do you think?

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