Author and IT Consultant since 1986

Fake anti-virus programs, rogue security software, extortion-ware – whatever you want to call it, this kind of malware is still prevalent.  They usually start with some pop-up message warning you that your system is infected and offering some free download to clean your computer.  Generally, no matter what you choose, if you click on it at all, it installs a worm or virus.  After that, this malicious software will peform a fake scan, and report all sorts of nasty infections, none of which your PC will actually have.  The program will try to convince you to pay for an “upgrade” which will clean all these reported nasties out.  From beginning to end, the whole ordeal is a scam designed to steal your money.

I’ve put together a short guide, showing how to spot and avoid these scams, links to ways to remove them, and where to report them if you become a victim.  Please check out How to Protect Yourself Against Scareware, on Associated Content.   For more in-depth analysis of scareware, see this article from Viruslist.

Astroturfing is the practice of creating fake grass-roots organizations to sway public opinion.  According to freepress.net, “Astroturf groups fighting media reform manufacture the impression of public opposition to issues like Net Neutrality to sway policy makers and the media. What these groups won’t tell you is that they’re bought and paid for by the phone and cable industry.”

One recent example of astroturfing cited in Wikipedia includes several self-proclaimed seniors groups, whose biggest contributor is the pharmaceutical industry.  Another is the “Save Our Species Alliance”, which calls itself a grass-roots organization but is actually a front group for wealthy cattle and timber interests.

For the past several years, the telecommunications and media giants have engaged in some pretty shady practices, including astroturfing, in order to obfuscate the so-called Net Neutrality, or Internet Neutrality debate.  Click on the interactive control to the right of the text (couresy of freepress.org) to learn more about how much these companies are spending in order to convince the public and our lawmakers that net neutrality is a bad thing.

Last week I mentioned that I was trying to raise awareness in Genesee County of Google’s interest in building a high-speed fiber network.  I had sent out several emails, mostly to members of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce (GRCC) and the Genesee FreeNet.  Not having received any responses as yet, today I placed a call to Keith Edwards, Senior Development Director of Economic Development of the GRCC.  Mr. Edwards informed me that they are indeed aware of Google’s intent, and were planning on meeting Monday to discuss this.  Apparently he did not receive my email, but said someone in their IT department had brought it to their attention.

Hopefully we’ll see something come of this.  Maybe I’ll call him back after Monday to see how things are going.

Google is seeking one or more communities in which to develop an experimental broadband high-speed fiber network. Google is interested in hearing from state, county, and municipal agencies in order to determine where to develop this network.  I’ve been trying to raise community awareness of this for several days.  So far, I don’t think I’m getting through to anybody.

Below is a copy of an email I’ve been sending to community leaders.  On February 16th I sent it to the Michigan Works Association, The Genesee County Board of Commissioners, the Genesee FreeNet, and the Economic Development arm of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce.  I also placed a call to the Genesee FreeNet (of which I’m a charter member) to make sure they got the email.

The message to the Regional Chamber of Commerce was to a generic office email address, and it bounced as undeliverable.  So the next day I sent the same email to various office-holders of that organization, including the CEO and 3 vice presidents of economic development.

At the time of this writing (evening of February 19th) I have received no reply.  I intend to send out more emails, and to follow some of these up with phone calls.

The letter:

Greetings from a hopeful Genesee County citizen. This email is meant to bring awareness to the fact that Google is seeking one or more communities in which to develop an experimental broadband high-speed fiber network. Google is interested in hearing from state, county, and municipal agencies in order to determine where to develop this network.

I believe Genesee County is the ideal place for Google to build out this infrastructure. Not only do we have the talent and drive to help Google achieve its goals, but we understand the economic and cultural importance of a connected community. For example, we founded the Genesee FreeNet over 15 years ago, and it still exists because of the knowledge and generosity of its volunteers and members.

I know there have been efforts by insightful groups of people to develop community-wide broadband access in the past. Perhaps this initiative from Google can serve as a springboard toward realizing that worthy goal.  Time is unfortunately short. Google is asking for input between now and March 26th before making its decision. Please visit the site, watch the short video and read the introduction Google has prepared. We then need to bring to bear all powers of persuasion possible, to convince Google of the wisdom of investing in Genesee County.

Google Fiber for Communities:

http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi

–
Joe Poniatowski
Charter Member, Genesee FreeNet

If you can think of anyone else who can help make Genesee County the site of an exciting new model of high-speed interconnectivity, either pass this information on to them or send me their contact information and I’ll do it.

Rumors have been circulating for months that facebook would begin charging a monthly fee for usage beginning some time in 2010.  The idea that the site, beloved by millions of members, might no longer be free carried so much momentum that hundreds of thousands of facebook users have joined groups protesting any such move.

Facebook spokespeople have repeatedly denied the rumor, stating that ”We have no plans to charge users for Facebook’s basic services.”   Note that this wording doesn’t say that they will never charge for anything, or that the definition of “basic service” may be subject to change, but it does refute the idea that facebook would begin charging a monthly fee.

This is just another example of the gullibility of the masses when it comes to the Internet.  The whole notion that facebook would begin charging money appears to have originated with this hoax email.  Rule of Thumb – any email message that intends to incite fear, raise awareness of impending disaster, promises some reward for forwarding it, or nearly any other message meant for mass distribution should be checked out.  Snopes.com is a good starting place.

Encrypting with TrueCrypt

In an earlier post I wrote about some of the free encryption options for PC users.  One of the products I talked about was TrueCrypt, and others agree with me that it is a good option for data encryption.  I decided to take it a step further, and wrote a How-To article using TrueCrypt.  It’s a pretty detailed beginner’s guide to creating encrypted volumes on a Windows PC.  Performing the same operations in Linux wouldn’t be that different, since the interfaces are very similar.

Free Virtualization Options

One of my Suite101 articles covers the Benefits of Virtualization on PCs.  The benefits are summarized here:

• Run Alternative Operating Systems
• Safer Internet Browsing and Banking
• Software Testing on VMs
• Customized VMs for Multiple Users
• Snapshots for Easy Backup and Restore

Again deciding that an easy to follow beginner’s guide was warranted, I wrote a Tutorial for getting Linux running in a Virtual Machine on Windows, using VirtualBox.

Encryption and Virtualization for Configuration Management

Both of these technologies can play an important role in config management.  Configuration files containing server information, passwords, etc. are often necessary in the deployment of applications.  Leaving them in plain-text is an invitation for disaster.  Sooner or later, someone who shouldn’t will see the information and gain unauthorized access.  This doesn’t even have to be someone with malicious intent in order to be dangerous.  Some of the worst mis-haps in the tech industry have been caused by well-meaning employees who had more access than their role and expertise warranted.

Virtualization too has it’s advantages for a configuration manager.  If you can create VMs to represent the target servers and workstations, then you can develop, test, and tweak your deployment methods – particularly with respect to automation – without risking any real environment.

These ideas and articles just scratch the surface of the usefulness of encryption and virtualization.  The latter, especially, has a lot to offer in the workplace, including disaster recovery, remote control, backup and restore, etc.   Both technologies can increase the security and reliability of configuration management practices.

ABC’s new revamp of the sci-fi show “V” is set to debut in November. It has all the earmarks of a good science fiction drama series: aliens from outer space, strong characters, mysteries, and the underlying question, “are they as benevolent as they seem, or is there some underlying evil purpose they’re hiding?”

So, why am I not excited about it? I love science fiction, after all. The answer lies within ABC’s history. These same traits were present in an earlier ABC show, “Invasion.” Invasion was the first series to appear on TV in years that I was actually committed to watching every week. I, like millions of other fans, were shocked by ABC’s announcement canceling the show. Apparently, Invasion hadn’t done a good enough job of retaining the massive audience garnered by Lost, which it immediately followed. Even though it outperformed many other shows in ratings, rather than shift time slots and cancel something else, they canned Invasion.

I joined the multitude of viewers who cried “foul!” We sent letters and emails, signed petitions, and even tried to influence the Sci Fi channel (now called “SyFy”) when they briefly considered picking up the show from ABC. In desperation, we begged ABC to at least film a special final episode, closing the loop on some of the unanswered questions that the series left dangling. All for naught. Our protests fell on deaf ears, our petitions ignored, our emails unanswered (except for the occasional canned response).

Been There, Done That
So why should I get all fired up over this new series? Just to have the ABC execs yank the rug out from under me again? No thanks. I’ll stick to watching the occasional episode of heroes on NBC, and watching on-demand versions of Stargate Universe and (yes, I admit it) Warehouse 13 on SyFy.

One common objection people cite when discussing a switch from Windows to GNU/Linux (or FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc.) is the fact that none of their programs work there. They’ve been led to believe that the programs they’re using are the only ones they can use, usually because of a work or school requirement.  Sometimes, they just don’t want to have to learn to use new software.  The fact is, most of the free software available for Linux also runs on Windows.  Another point is the fact that most of the productivity / office software available for free can import and export files usable by Microsoft Office, or offer even higher degrees of compatibility.

To ease the transition from Windows to Linux, users can start implementing the open-source alternatives to commercial software while staying within the Windows operating system.  As they master each piece of software, they can adopt the next one, until they’ve completely weaned themselves from the commercial variants. [click to continue...]

I previously reported that I had become a contributing writer on Suite 101. For my first article, I decided to summarize some of the Best Free Encryption options available for computer users.  I covered the pros and cons of Encrypting File System (EFS), TrueCrypt, and GnuPG.  Here’s the quick rundown:

• EFS: OK for Windows users who aren’t using a home / basic edition of Windows.  Can’t encrypt on removable devices.
• TrueCrypt: Good for encrypting not only sections of the hard drive (or entire partitions), but also removable media like thumb drives, CDs, etc.  Encrypted emails possible, but not ideal.
• GnuPG: Best for end-to-end encryption of data at rest and in transit (via email or IM).  Most complex to set up, but messages can only be decrypted and read by the intended recipient.

For download links and full details, please check out the entire article.