PC Publican

The prevalence of web-based viruses has skyrocketed within the last year.  The growth has been fueled  by a class of fake antiviruses that arise from web browser banner ads.  The pop-up ads claim that your PC is infected and, when clicked (even on the 'X' to close the window), will install their malware.  The resulting fake antivirus infection claims to scan your PC for viruses and then usually prompts the user for a credit card to obtain the "full" version.  The companies that write and sell these viruses make millions off fraudulent product and reselling credit card numbers.

What can PC users do to help prevent these attacks?  First, use FireFox, an alternative browser to Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  FireFox is, on the whole, safer to use than IE, and can extend its capabilities through a wide range of 3rd-party add-ons.  One of these add-ons, Adblock Plus, can help prevent the malware attacks mentioned above.  You simply choose to add Adblock Plus to FireFox, restart the browser, and then select one of the default filter lists (I chose EasyList).  It's that simple.

There certainly has been a lot of hype surrounding the latest variant of the Conficker worm and its April 1st payload delivery date.  While no one seems quite sure what exactly Conficker.C will do on Wednesday, there are a number of concrete steps that PC users can take to feel secure about their machines:

• Update your Windows installation with the latest patches:  Either turn "Automatic Updates" on or manually update via "Start -> All Programs -> Windows Update".  If neither of these options work then Conficker may already be on your machine (it disables communication with Microsoft).
• Update your antivirus/malware tools with the latest definitions and run a full system scan.  This too may fail if Conficker is already resident on your machine.
• Scan your PC with one (or both) of these Conficker scanners:
• F-Secure Removal Tool.
• McAfee Conficker Stinger.

Internet Storm Center appears to have the complete listing of Conficker removal tools as well as detailed information on the worm itself.

If you follow the above steps then you can feel secure that your machine is both free from and (hopefully) impervious to this rather nasty worm.

There's an especially nasty security hole in all versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser that could potentially allow a compromised (hacked) website to take control of your PC.  This exploit has been planted in thousands of web pages (but mostly in China, from what I've heard).

Microsoft is publishing a security fix today, Wednesday, and I urge everyone to apply the fix immediately.  If "Automatic Updates" is set on your computer then it will be patched without your intervention.  If you don't have Windows updates set to automatic (and I typically recommend you don't -- for various good reasons) then be sure to either click on the update icon in the system tray (lower-right corner, by the clock), or select "Windows Updates" from your "All Programs" menu.  Try to make sure that you don't end up applying Service Pack 3 (SP3) in this process (see previous post).

All this brings me to yet another reminder to stop using Internet Explorer altogether and start using Firefox.  Firefox is a free alternative to Internet Explorer, and is in many ways safer and easier to use.  It can import your existing set of favorites, cookies, and homepage(s), and has an excellent set of user-created plugins for enhancing its functionality.

The price war among printer manufacturers has forced a change in their business model to something similar to the "razors and blades" model.  In this analogy, the razor is the low cost (cheap!) printer and the "blades" are the exorbitantly priced ink cartridges.  To help sales of this high-priced ink, many printer manufacturers embed sensors and computer chips into ink cartridges which keep track of ink used (or number of pages printed, or perhaps other metrics) and alert the printer when they are empty.  This signal is often erroneous, perhaps intentionally so, and thus forces the consumer into buying ink when there is still significant print life left.

What can the typical consumer do?  Read this for starters.  Pay particular attention to the reference to FixYourOwnPrinter.com.  This is an excellent site with advice and instructions for fixing just about any model of printer, both laser and inkjet. Given the low retail price and high repair costs for printers, a site like that is indispensable.

Most computer users who have cable broadband connections lease their cable modems from their service provider. Charter Communications, for example, charges customers $3/month for the entire service period. Sizable savings can obviously be had from buying a modem versus renting.

Amazon.com currently carries Motorola's SB5101 modem for $43.99 (with free shipping and no tax). A little math shows that 15 months of cable service is the break-even point at this price. If you are a new customer, you can often get a large rebate as an incentive for sign-up. Check with your local retailers or ISP for details. If you are an existing customer, setup is easy. Remove the old modem, connect the new, call your provider's technical support and ask to "re-provision" your new cable modem (this does not require a visit from a tech).

While there is certainly a risk to customer-owned equipment, the SurfBoard family from Motorola are quality modems that are likely to save you money over the long-run.