July 1, 2010 - The fake antivirus programs continue to be a nuisance as they are picked up while surfing the internet or running searches. These pests show up as an official-looking pop-up window proclaiming that the user has all manner of infections. It then wants the user to "activate" protection - a scam to get a charge on a credit card plus capture the user's identity and card information for resale on the underground. Those who have spent the money found that the pest was not eliminated and that a few hours later its buddies were requesting the same treatment. The most effective removal requires booting into Windows Safe Mode and manually deleting the infection. Bottom line - be careful where you surf and that your searches yield legitimate results.
March 31, 2009 - The Conficker virus, also known as the "downadup virus", is scheduled to update itself and try to do us all harm on April 1, 2009. PC Magazine's Security Watch has a great article on this intruder and some preventive and corrective action suggestions. Just visit http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2009/03/the_most_important_things_to_k.php to read this informative article.
November, 2008 - There is a rogue program going around that portrays itself as an antivirus and anti-spyware program. It uses a name made of various combinations of Win, AV, XP, & Vista along with 2008 or 2009. It is spread by e-mail link and on quite a few legitimate web sites where it appears as a real utility. There are several e-mail scams it rides on including bogus shipment notifications for USPS, UPS, & FedEx; greeting card invitations; and bogus financial notices. In each case, the recipient is asked to click on and attachment with a file name ending in ".exe". The real objective of the program is to obtain $29 on your credit card (and your credit card information). To prevent this pest, be sure your antivirus and anti-spyware programs are up to date. AVG will prevent this infection and repair it after it has infiltrated if loaded subsequent to the infection. Occasionally, a manual removal is necessary. This is about a two-hour process. Bottom line - use caution! If the window announcing your peril of multiple infections suddenly pops up unexpectedly, press Alt + F4 (hold down the Alt key and tap the F4 function key) to close the window without allowing the installer to run and infect your computer.
February 14, 2007 - Just in time for Valentine's Day - Sunbelt Software is reporting a serious malware threat lurking under what appears to be an on-line greeting card. Read the full story at PC Magazine's Security Watch site: http://blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch/2008/02/american_greetings_phony_site.php. Be aware of what you receive via e-mail and from whom.
November, 2007 - R & D is proud to announce that it is a stocking reseller for the AVG product line. AVG Antivirus Pro is the best available product for PC virus protection without overwhelming your PC with software bloat. AVG's Internet Security package provides antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, and firewall protection at a very reasonable price both in dollars and PC horsepower requirements. Versions are available in one to five user packages with a two-year subscription included instead of the one year provided by most other providers. If your current protection software is nearing expiration or is bogging your PC down to a crawl, just e-mail or call for more information on an AVG solution.
February, 2007 - Microsoft's Vista© is finally here. Many software products do not yet have a Vista version. Whatever you do, be sure you have antivirus protection. Microsoft provides Windows Defender© as its anti-spyware component and provides a two-way firewall as integral parts of Vista, but you have to purchase a third-party antivirus product. Many of the old stand-by antivirus products are not yet Vista-compatible or require inordinate amounts of PC horsepower and resources to run. AVG Antivirus Pro is fully Vista-compatible and probably the best on the market.
April 5, 2006 - Virus attacks are on the increase, especially those that target your financial information, says a Ziff-Davis article . The article "Cyber-crooks ramp up against antivirus firms--and each other" describes organized crime efforts to disable anti-virus programs and to preempt other machines used by cyber-crook competitors. Kaspersky Labs "also reported that it had detected a five-fold increase over 2005 in the amount of malicious software designed to steal financial information. " Be very careful about your anti-virus protection and take preventive measures immediately if you suspect an intrusion. And call R & D Consulting if you are still in doubt. Reference: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6057654.html?tag=nl.e550
January 3, 2006 - There is a new attack on Microsoft's graphics file format. Microsoft's common graphics file type known as "wmf" or Windows Meta-File is under attack with a trojan that allows the user's PC to be infected with a variety of ad-ware and spy-ware. From these, a greater variety of mal-ware can be installed and launched without the user's knowledge. Not all anti-virus vendors had responded with preventive measures at the time of this writing. Nevertheless, be vigilant in keeping your anti-virus protection up to date and active. Be extra careful about visiting unknown sites and do not open graphics files of unknown origin. Reference: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,180244,00.html
July 8, 2005 - Beware of fake security alerts and updates that appear to come from reputable sources - Microsoft, Symantec, etc. PC Magazine has an excellent article with illustrations of these threats. Great reading for a "heads up" approach to the many exploits we all face. Reference: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1833542,00.asp
Bottom line - don't open attachments that are not expected.
May 16, 2005 - Tech Republic has a great article on raising user awareness in the security arena. Better informed users make for a more secure computing environment at every level. Good reading. http://techrepublic.com.com/5102-22-5543500.html
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