We all have experienced many online threats last year. And as year changes to 2010, the more online threats are changing too. Cybercriminals will be more eager to spread online threats and attack computers to benefit with any valuable information challenging users for security.

Here are some of the predictions that will challenge computer security this year:

1. Spam, Scams on Social Networking and Real-time Sites – A group of security researchers belonging from Websense, Breach Security, IBM Internet Security Systems‘ X-Force, and Symantec agreed that cybercriminals will focus their attacks on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, and on real-time social sites like Twitter. When it comes to real-time features, Google, especially Google Wave, as well as Bing will be their target. The attackers enjoy the fact it will take time for others to discover the existence of a malicious link or file. Users may recognize one but still one way or another, there will still be victims.

2. Crime Cloud – Security vendors specifically AVG, M86, and RSA predicted that criminals will be attacking and using use cloud services directly to control attacks. and using them to direct and control attacks. IBM researchers are anticipating to see attackers exploiting more services. Take Amazon AWS for example which already served as a host for a malware command and control server.

3. Malware Hijacking Trusted Sites – Breach Security observes continuous improvements when it comes to compromising trusted sites and infecting them with malware. Numerous incidents of SQL injection has been proven successful in attacking sites. No doubt, it will happen again. Cybercriminals prefer to have a third-party that will distribute their malware.

4. Macs Will Be Compromised – It’s been years now that security companies have been talking about Mac being targeted by attackers for malware. According to Websense, exploitation will happen affecting Safari under Mac OS X which will invite hackers to target the Mac platform. Symantec is worried that Mac users who are not spending money to buy antivirus software yearly will not be protected with such attack. Zscaler still believe that Apple can somehow oblige the company to strengthen its security to surpassed continuous attacks. Many think Macs will be widely affected because of Adobe Flash vulnerability.

5. Search Engine Poisoning and Malvertising – Cybercriminals will exert more efforts on exploiting trusted sites. For them to infect sites, they will make use of search engines and advertisements. They will continue to threaten and weaken search results and enjoy the attention breaking news and events. Google together with Microsoft will assure its users for a safe search and advertising. Of course, they wouldn’t want their users to not trust them.

6. Increasing Number of Bots – Why would cyber criminals waste their time with cloud-hosted malware when botnets can do the same thing? Botnets are better than cybercriminals. It can also be a source of income generating cash for criminals and hijacking other botnets for money. This will cause conflict preventing botnets to grow and attracting security experts and law enforcement. It’s botnets against other botnets. It’s like what happened to Zeus/Zbot being shut down by Bredolab botnet. Symantec claimed that botnets have become the foundation of cybercrime.

7. Piracy Gets Riskier – Microsoft has started making a move to lessen software piracy since last December. They received many complaints from users who buy the pirated version of Windows. IBM researchers are expecting that the continuous use of the pirated software will infection more users will malware.

8. Mobile Security Issue – Smartphones like iPhone and Android-based handsets are like miniature personal computers. They are being used for business purposes. In 2010, Websense predicted that smartphones will be targeted for attacks just like the computers. Nowadays, security vendors either have or are developing a mobile security product service. IBM thinks that mobile attacks will still be limited.

9. Major Insider Theft Scandal Will – It is expected next year that someone who has been in a large organization accessing company data will be caught to be working for or with a cybercrime group. The Identity Theft Resource expected that the number of insider cases will increase because of failure to follow basic workplace security protocols.

10. Clickjacking is Back – According to Zscaler, clickjacking will strike back. Clickjacking is a malicious technique that tricks users to reveal confidential information or take control of their computer while clicking the sites. Jeremiah Grossman of WhiteHat Security and Robert “RSnake” Hansen of SecTheory reveal about the technique in October 2008. Efforts have made to lessen the risk of clickjacking but it is still effective to use especially with a social engineering component.

How Can Techie Now Help?

The above security threats serves as a reminder for computer users to be careful over the web. You’ll never know what security threat you will be into. For now, the best protection is a reliable and updated antivirus software that will keep you and your computer in trouble. When it comes to your computer’s protection, Techie Now is the name you can trust. Techie Now offers PC support services: virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, installation and configuration and general repair.

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Six months after Bing search engine was first shown as a beta, Microsoft officially launched the UK localized of Bing last November 13, 2009. The time has come for Bing to be taken out of beta because UK was really happy on its performance.

Microsoft’s search engine changes over the years, from MSN Search, Windows Live Search, Live Search and lastly Bing. Google was persistently creating a name of its own during the time that Bing is coming up with a name. Google really become part of the people’s everyday lives. Microsoft know that Bing is not going to overthrow Google search engine but they want to try the chance of putting itself in there because any percentage increase in search margin is worth a huge amount in advertising revenue. And then it is better if Bing will help to slow down Google.

Marie Thirlwall, one of Bing’s UK product managers, told IT PRO that it would be great if Bing could get to number two. Bing may not reach its verb status but at least many are aware now of the word “Bing”.

So, Bing is out of beta now. Most people use Google as their default engine in the search bar located at the top right of their browser. If you want to add Bing to Firefox, it’s easy to do. You just have to install this add-on.

Many people like Bing because of its homepage design. You can choose an image from its archive of images via arrows at the bottom right. These images overlays with hotspots which when clicked will redirect you to interesting links, images and videos about the subject of the picture. According to Microsoft, they refer Bing as more of a decision engine than a search engine. You will see an explorer bar down the side of all searches where you’ll find related searches or search refinements making things more convenient to you.

Bing’s image search remains a highlight since its first release. It has larger default images compared to Google showing further details when you roll over an image. The filters for the images, such as large and small can be seen on the lower side. In fact, Google also has the same options where you need to click the “Show options” at the top to filter the image it’s more clearly shown in Bing. With Bing, you can use infinite scroll features to see more choices of images compared to Google that you still need to click the “Next” button to see more results. Bing videos is modernized with videos that play automatically when you scroll over them. It is really impressive because videos don’t lag. Videos are filtered according to length, aspect ratio, resolution and size.

Bing maps have undergone some changes. All its data is co-located around the world. There are some changes made in the Bing maps interface. It’s now easier to reorder saved push pins and different points on a plotted route could now be grabbed and moved which is also available in Google maps. Users can now embed Bing maps in web pages. Educational institutions and non-profit organizations could now use it for free but limited to 125,000 sessions. Business and location searches in here are separated out. Bing maps also offers another feature, a “Bird’s Eye” view, which is actually an angled, ‘isometric’ view. Compared to Google’s Street View, it looks nice but it isn’t that helpful in identifying where you’re going unless you plan to travel by micro-light.

Bing shopping is an area that Microsoft worked for to make it perfect for the UK. It has it has now fully included the “Ciao!” comparison engine into Bing itself. The layout is still confusing. You will appreciate “Reviews” tab on the left as this is something we often want when looking for products. With Bing, much of the promised UK localization works well. It is nice to know that it gives slightly more detail than Google. It also deals with businesses. Another great feature is visual search. It is designed to know exactly what you’re looking for by name. Just type the word you are searching and it will display a gallery of images for you to browse. It is a helpful feature although it’s only limited to what Bing can provide with only five options available.

Bing also has other primary features: the Twitter and Wolfram Alpha integration. Visit Open www.bing.com/twitter where you will find topics with some Tweets. You can also search anyone’s Tweets by typing the person’s Twitter name. Wolfram Alpha searches are also now live in the UK and will only work on calculations that it knows to explicitly send to the Wolfram Alpha database, but at least Bing can now keep pace with Google for integrated calculations.

Microsoft has created Bing on usability, accuracy and speed, and taken it out of beta. It knows that Bing does as well as Google. Others might find it easier and more satisfying to use compared to Google.

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E-mail is being used for communication by businesses and individuals, and by cybercriminals for online attacks affecting everyone when not used carefully. Proofpoint, a security firm, has enumerated its 2009’s top 10 terrifying e-mail blunders:

• Trojan Horse Steals Bank Accounts – URLZone, a banking Trojan horse, was reported in September. It steals money while users are logged in their accounts displaying a fake balance. Computers get infected when you click a malicious link in an e-mail or visit a website with hidden malware. It also keeps your bank account login credentials, take screenshots, and sneak on your other web accounts like Facebook, Gmail, Paypal and more.

• FBI Forgery- FBI Director Robert Mueller’s wife prohibited him from doing online banking transactions after he had given his personal information to a phishing website. He received an email from what he thought was his bank verifying his information. He even filled out some information but realized in the end that it was not a good idea. So he changed his passwords and told the incident to his wife. That incident did not stop Mr. Mueller’s  from doing his online activities.

• White House Spam – It took place in August when the White House sent thousands of e-mail messages to Americans explaining its stand on the controversial health reform issue. It was spread through an e-mail account to create and dispel rumors. Nevertheless, the White House admitted that it was an unsolicited e-mail and blamed third-party groups for the mass e-mail.

• Hotmail Phishing – In October, thousands of Hotmail accounts were compromised where passwords were posted on some websites where developers normally share programming code. News site Neowin was able to see the list which had been removed and reported to Microsoft about the issue. In this particular phishing scam, the hackers sent out the list of the e-mail accounts with the letterhead of banks, eBay and other institutions, to convince the consumers that they have to reset their online passwords to their websites for security purposes. As soon as Microsoft discovered the scam, they blocked thousands of Hotmail accounts believing the accounts have all been hacked.

• Start-up Suicide – RockYou, a social media advertising and application start-up, sent out a mass e-mail to their customers and associates announcing their new site redesign last September. Instead of using BCC: in sending the e-mails, RockYou displayed the entire mailing list of over 200 e-mail addresses in the CC: field and those e-mail addresses ended up on a spammer’s list. After two months, RockYou sent another mass e-mail using a mailing list asking contractors to provide information for their W9 tax forms. Unfortunately, some people unintentionally send personal information to the entire mailing list.

• Gmail Account Deactivated – Last August, Rocky Mountain Bank in Wyoming sent names, addresses, social security numbers and loan information of more than 1,300 customers to a Gmail address by mistake. Realizing what they did, the bank e-mailed the same address asking the recipient to contact them and destroy the sent file without opening it but they didn’t receive a respond. The bank contacted Google asking for the account holder’s information. So, Google received an order from U. S. District Court Judge James Ware of the northern district of California deactivating the e-mail account and disclosing the identity and contact information of the Gmail account holder. The said Gmail user has not done any wrongdoing. From then on, anyone from the bank is advised to be watchful when sending e-mails and typing in the TO: field an e-mail.

• Payroll Panic – PayChoice, a payroll processor, was the victim of a website breach in September. The customers received targeted e-mails claiming to be from the company. The said e-mail is used to trick people into downloading malware or visit a website that will allow them to access the Onlineemployer.com PayChoice portal. The site was shut down and clients were notified within hours. The e-mails were spread through a Yahoo account with the links hosted from servers in Poland.

• UK Tax Error – HM Revenue & Customs, Britain’s tax authority, warned the people about scam e-mails using fake government e-mail address to convince recipients into revealing their personal information to receive a tax refund in return. Those e-mail messages are claiming that recipients were entitled to receive a tax refund, so they have to give their bank or credit card details so that their refund could be paid out. HRMC stated that they would never inform tax rebate through e-mail like most of the legitimate business and government organizations do or invite the people to complete an online form just to receive a tax rebate.

• Death, Taxes and Phish – In September, a fake e-mail notice was widely spread attacking against businesses and individuals and was claimed to come from the Internal Revenue Service. According to US-Cert, the attack was hidden in a fake e-mail with a subject line of “Notice of Underreported Income” which contains a link or attachment infected with a Zbot/Zeus Trojan virus. It is a program which steals credentials for banking login information.

• UCSD Message of Acceptance by Mistake – University of California San Diego mistakenly sent the same message of acceptance to all 46,000 students who took the college entrance where there are only 18,000 students who passed and accepted in the said university.

How Techie Now Can Help?

E-mails are being used to communicate for personal and business purposes. Cybercriminals also use them to steal one’s identity and money. So computers’ users must be careful when opening attachments or links in their e-mails because it might infect their PCs or steal their information especially if the computer is not protected. To protect your computer from any online attacks, contact Techie Now: virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, installation and configuration, and general repair. Techie Now assists your PC needs better than what others do.

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According the InfoWorld survey taken over the past several weeks, XP users are still resistant to upgrade to Windows 7 even though a lot of Windows Vista users are now flocking to Windows 7. Why? It is because XP users are comfortable and afraid of change thanks to the blunder with Windows Vista. Windows Pulse tracking service find out that 64 percent of its readers is still using the legacy operating system.

The survey shows that 4 percent of real –world PC consumers are now using Windows 7. Many of them are new users, not including those who have upgraded from Vista or XP if any. InfoWorld claims that 10 percent are now using the new OS, while Vista runs at 30 percent. It is monitored through the exo.performance.network. Devil Mountain Software manages the network tracking the users who have chosen to opt in. InfoWorld observed that Windows Vista is losing its market share as the Windows 7’s popularity increases.

NPD Group also had a recent survey confirming Windows 7 popularity over its oft-criticized predecessor. The survey found out that the initial boxed upgrades of Windows 7 are 234 percent higher over Windows Vista. Moreover, Microsoft offered significant pre-sale discounts for Windows 7. There is also restricted demand for upgrades because many businesses avoid Windows Vista for so many reasons. Windows Vista created a lot of problem of users. It is bloated and has a very high requirement of hardware. Of course, it is not a good deal for the business owners to invest more money on the hardware if they are not that sure with its performance too. It also causes a lot of application incompatibility.

Windows 7 had a long beta cycle and had received generally good reviews. There is no direct upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7. For XP users to upgrade to Windows 7, they must perform a clean install. In addition, some machines are still weak for Windows 7.

How Can Techie Now Help?

Windows Vista users have decided to upgrade to Windows 7 because of its popularity but XP users still defiant in doing the same thing. If you need help in deciding whether you’ll move to Windows 7 or stay to Windows XP, Techie Now is willing to assist you anytime. Contact Techie Now for PC support services: virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, installation and configuration, and general repair. Techie Now offers provides your PC needs at your convenience.

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According to Microsoft’s latest version of the semi-annual Security Intelligence Report (SIR), Conficker worm is still one of the most dominant threats of PCs using Windows. Five million computers were found to be infected with Conficker. It can be spread either by exploiting a vulnerability in the Microsoft Windows Server service, through infected removable media or brute-forcing weak passwords on other PCs. Microsoft was alarmed with Conficker’s continuous circulation mainly in enterprises. Conficker has a password-cracking ability that can spread fast if one PC in the company is already infected.

Another worm named is Taterf. It took the second spot when it comes to the most infections, specifically 4.9 million. Taterf is known for stealing authentication and account information for popular online games like World of Warcraft, Lineage, Maple Story and more. It can be spread through infected drives such as a USB stick or an infected network drive.

Next in the line is the Zlob. It is a Trojan horse spreading while making people believe that it is a media codec than a virus. A media codec is software used to encode and decode audio or video. Zlob can be removed using Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT).

Microsoft mentioned the growing numbers of security problems including the fake antivirus programs. These programs seems to be a legitimate software but do not actually work. They just annoy people with pop-up menus displaying that their computer is infected and will only stop after purchasing the software for as much as $60. Microsoft has added new antivirus software such as Windows Defender and the MSRT to detect more worms and viruses.

Different countries encounter different threats. Trojan horse programs, known for downloading other malicious software, are the biggest threat in countries like United States, United Kingdom, France and Italy. In Brazil, malicious software intended for online banking is the problem. Worms are still dominant in South Korea and Spain.

How Can Techie Now Help?

Microsoft has proven that worms are the most dominant security problem for PCs. With the blink of an eye, a Conficker, Taterf or Zlob can easily infect your computer. The right thing to do is protect your PC right away with an antivirus software. If you need help with  antivirus software or virus removal, Techie Now is here to give the fast and safe services that you need. With Techie Now, we will keep your PC clean and protected.

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