PCWorld: Google Chrome will flag deceptive download buttons in ads as a security threat

Here is another reason why Jim Hamm uses Chrome as his browser of choice. He rarely downloads anything from the internet, but when he does, this feature will be helpful.Google Chrome will flag deceptive download buttons in ads as a security threat PCWorld

Google is taking another aggressive step towards correcting deceptive practices on the web. The company recently announced Chrome will throw up a warning page if it detects a user heading to a webpage with deceptive download buttons attached to an ad. The new warning is in line with the company’s social engineering policy announced in November, Google said in a blog post. Google "An example of a deceptive download button contained in an ad". To read this article in full or to leave a comment, Read the full story Shared from Apple News

Avast Antivirus

For your possible interest, here is a current review of the Avast Antivirus program. Jim Hamm has used the free version of Avast for years on both his PC and Mac. He likes it, but it does occasionally do a popup, asking you something, or possibly to upgrade to the paid version. Often enough to be noticeable, but not aggravating -- at least for him. Whether one needs to run an AV program or not, especially on a Mac, certainly has proponents both ways. For Jim, the possible added protection is desirable. Your mileage may vary.

7 Free Anti-Virus Tools For Your Browser: Scan Links Before You Click

We all want to avoid getting a virus on our computer, and practice safe 'surfing' on the 'net. But, if you want to add another layer of protection to your browsing, read the following article: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-free-anti-virus-tools-browser-scan-links-click/

I use Safari on my iPad, but prefer the Chrome browser on my computer. One other security tip I use is, if I get an email -- even from a friend -- that only has a web link but no message, I don't click it. If, say, my friend's email has been hijacked, the hackers send out nefarious links to all the email addresses in my friend's contacts, but they don't include any message, like, hey, Jim, take a look at this article on blah blah.

I'll probably use the extension for Chrome referenced in the article, just to see how it works. I'm not paranoid about internet security, but do prefer to be cautious.

Jim Hamm

There is a NEW Sophos for Mac

Sophos Home includes all the features of Free Mac AV with a sleek new user interface that allows you to protect all computers in your home (Mac and Windows) from a single interface. And yes, it’s still free. When downloaded and installed, this new interface, called Sophos Home, replaces the existing Sophos Antivirus application.

There is a totally new interface, in fact, two new interfaces. One is an app that runs on the computer and the other is a web interface accessed at home.sophos.com for which you are required to create a free account. Both will allow you to run a scan on the computer, but the web app is where you define or configure how Sophos checks for trouble.

From the computer app, you can only scan the computer or turn on or off a protection. From the Web interface, you have complete control of how each of your computers are protected.

There are three kinds of protection. These are Automatic Virus Protection and Web Protection. The virus protection can also check for Potentially Unwanted Applications in real time and prevent them from being installed - and you an override this if you really want to install an app that you are sure will cause your computer no harm.

In the web protection, there are three categories. These are General Interest, Social Networking & Computing, and Adult & Potentially Inappropriate. For each category there are numerous items to select one of three levels of protection for each item. These are Allow, Warn, and Block.

It is still recommended to do a full scan after installing just to let Sophos know it has done that at least once. Thereafter, it may not be needed to do another full scan since the system is being protected in real time.

The only caveat that I might mention here is that blocking some items can result in your not being able to view attached images that someone sends you. Tinkering is allowed.

John Carter

Acronis True Image 2016

For your possible interest, here is a special offer to purchase the subject computer backup program at a special price: one for $25 or four for $60. The Acronis program is available for a PC or a Mac. This would make a nice Christmas gift for someone. I've used Acronis for years on my PC (and it works fine) but haven't tried it yet on my Mac. I've used Super Duper for an image backup on my Mac, but may give Acronis a try. The pricing is certainly great.

I've known Gene Barlow for years, and he and his wife are very reputable and nice people, so have no concern in ordering from them. I'm not on any commission or remuneration basis with Gene (he doesn't know I'm sending this out). I'm just referring this offer to you since I think it is a good deal, and a good way to backup your computer -- which, I think, is a very good idea.

Jim Hamm

Amazon Security

If you shop at Amazon you might consider using a two-step verification system for increased security. It's simple to set up. Here is an article with more info. Jim Hamm

Pure VPN

For your possible interest, and as a follow-on to my discussion of VPNs (Virtual Private Network) last Wednesday at the Az-Apple meeting, I recently purchased PureVPN for $69 for a "lifetime" subscription. Details here. Although it says "lifetime", the initial subscription is for 5 years; then, presumably, one can renew for another 5 years free. One can use PureVPN on 5 devices. I've installed it on two iPads, a MacBook Air, and a PC running Windows 10. So far it seems to be working fine, and, in theory, will protect me from snoopers when I'm on a public wifi network -- which I use frequently when we travel.

I'm not necessarily recommending PureVPN -- I'm only letting you know about a VPN service that is reasonably priced, and seems to work well -- at least so far. A review of PureVPN can be read here.

Initially I had some difficulty getting it installed on my Mac (first installation) due to a password problem. Ultimately found out that I needed two sets of passwords -- one to get the program and another set (different) to use the program. With this knowledge, installing it on my PC (last installation) was dead simple -- and I'm using PureVPN as I type this on my PC..

The first set will be your email address and a password, and the second set will be a username and password you will need to actually log in and start using the VPN service. Keep this in mind and you should have no problem. PureVPN has a 24/7 live chat service, and from them I found out my password problem. This chat service was helpful.

If you only use wifi at home on a secure network, you probably don't need a VPN service. But, if you use public wifi, the use of a VPN may protect you from snoopers. If you use cellular on your iPad or tablet, then you won't need a VPN as a cellular connection is considered reasonably secure from snooping.

Here's a short video from David Pogue ( Editor for Yahoo Tech) that will show how exposed your computer might be in a coffee shop on public wifi.

Jim Hamm

Don't Take This The Wrong Way!

  Do you like books with the title that says, "For Dummies"? Oh, well. It does NOT apply to you!         Jim Hays wants us to know, "PMUG members that are concerned about online security might be interested in this free eBook available from AARP, Protecting Yourself Online For Dummies, (a PDF file - right click and select Save As)."

About This So-Called Security Program

        Take a look at this serious matter brought to our attention by Jim Hamm.  

        "If you surf the net, you've probably seen ads pop up for MacKeeper, a so-called security program for the Mac. Here is an article about MacKeeper, and its aggressive advertising program on the internet.       
         "My suggestion is to stay far away from this program. You'll see why after you read the article. Having said that, though, I am amazed -- and somewhat jealous -- at how some young, smart programmers in the Ukraine had an idea, developed a program, aggressively marketed it, and rolled in some $26 million dollars. Now why wasn't I smart enough to do this?...(grin)…" Thanks to Jim for this info. 

"Freak" Bug Update

        John Carter passes along some VERY important info.  "Both Microsoft and Apple have announced that they have released a patch for the FREAK bug. See full article here.
        "In this article, it explains a lot more about the 'Freak' bug and what you can do to find out if your browser is safe to use and even if a website you want to visit is safe to use. The article is written for Mac users, but the method for determining if your browser is safe is essentially the same." 

        John continues, "For all users, check this site to determine if the website you want to visit is secure. The sad news is that your favorite website may fail. It could be only because the site does not have an updated security certificate, or it may be vulnerable to an attack by some issue other than FREAK, so you’re just going to have to take your chances if you insist on going there. For example, my personal website is vulnerable because the hosting service is vulnerable.

        "I have tested the latest Safari browser and have determined that it is safe to use - and this was confirmed after the latest Apple security updates have been installed. I have also just updated Windows 8.1 and tested MSIE and found it to be safe. 

        "The Win 10 Beta with the latest updates is secure for MSIE, Firefox, and Chrome.

        "However, Windows 7, even with the latest update, still has the vulnerable MSIE, and this also applies to both the latest Firefox and Chrome browsers on Win 7. Please continue to monitor your Windows 7 update for updates.

        "It is still recommended that Firefox be the browser to use (instead of MSIE or Safari)."

        John concludes with this, "In addition, Apple has just release iOS 8.2 for the iPhone and iPad, and this release fixes the FREAK bug for those devices. See full article here."

Automatic Security Update

        Here's some unexpected news.  Jim Hamm lets us in on this, "Apple has issued a security update for the Mac, which doesn't require any action by you -- it's automatically installed. Further info in the article below. http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/23/7440157/apple-mac-first-automatic-update-ever  A quick search of Apple Security brings up other articles with info on this new fix. 

Learn Via Video, etc.

        Helpful PMUG leader John Carter scores big with this link, www.macmost.com/  and you'll want to take a look at this website.  Turns out they have more than 900 FREE video tutorials on how to use your Mac, iPad, iPhone and other Apple Technology.  
        And here's some very welcome news: They never sell, rent or share your email address.  Read details at Policies. 
       No, we're not listing all 900 of their video tutorials.  But look at some of these other helpful categories.  

Here's another list of pages you'll want to check out. 

And this concludes the August PMUG meeting handout that's not getting handed out tomorrow, August 16; it's just posted here for your convenience.  Thanks again to John Carter who keeps an eye out for useful info for us.  

by Elaine Hardt. 

Security Flaw in USB Flash Drives

       Quoting from the link below:  " . . . any USB device (flash drive, external hard drive, smartphone, digital camera, mouse, keyboard, etc.) that has been plugged into an untrusted computer should be treated with suspicion -- much like a used hypodermic needle. Further, erasing, formatting, or using anti-virus tools will not remove malicious code from the firmware of USB devices. And there is no known method at this time to scan USB devices to see if they are clean."
       Read about this serious problem here.  Thanks to Jim Hamm for his eagle eye, spotting this vital information. 

Identity Theft Warnings

        A recent notice from LifeLock contains some useful information on identity theft.  It states that a Russian cybergang amassed over 4.5 billion records of usernames and passwords.  See here.  They state that smartphone users are 35% more likely to experience fraud than the average customer.  See here.  And, did you know that identity thieves may target the mail sitting out in your mailbox when your flag is up.  See here. 

Temporary Price Cut for Password App

        "In security presentations at PMUG meetings, we’ve often mentioned 1Password as one of the apps to use for password security,"  Past Prez Art Gorski reminds us.  He then gives the good news.  Read on!  

        "While LastPass is free and does a good job, 1Password has always been pricey. What you get for the money is continuous development and features that you can’t get in free alternatives. For example, the next version for iOS8 will support the TouchID fingerprint sensor and the new extensions that will let it work with many more iOS apps. Currently, 1Password for both Mac and iOS has been reduced in price."  Note here that the price cut is temporary, but the upcoming iOS 8 version will be a free update. http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/08/07/1password-for-ios-gets-temporary-price-cut-upcoming-ios-8-version-with-touch-id-support-to-be-free-update 

FBI Tracking

        "In a recent email I mentioned three browsers which offered more security when browsing the internet. Tor was listed as the most secure browser. Here is an article describing how the FBI got into Tor to track people who were frequenting a child pornography network."

        Jim Hamm concludes his remarks with "I'm for keeping government from snooping in our lives, but I fully support the FBI doing something like this. The problem is where does the government draw the line between what is snooping and valid law enforcement? A tough question, and one I don't have a good answer to. What do you think?  Does the end justify the means?"

Comparing Three Browsers for Security

       "If browsing more safely on the internet is a concern for you, here is an article that compares three browsers that offer additional browsing security. As the article mentions, no browser offers complete protection," Jim Hamm informs us.  
        He goes on to explain, "After reading the article, I may try the Epic Browser just to see what it's all about.  I'm not paranoid about internet security, but I exercise reasonable caution and run a good anti-virus program."  
        Stay tuned for more info from Jim . . . 

Internet Tracking

        Maybe you saw this, Jim Hamm did.  "The creepiest Internet tracking tool yet is 'virtually impossible' to block, says Yahoo News." http://news.yahoo.com/creepiest-internet-tracking-tool-yet-virtually-impossible-block-170017224.html  and see this:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/21/ios_firmware_contains_packet_sniffer_and_host_of_secret_spying_tools/   

Gmail Tips

"If you use Gmail, here are some tips that might make your emailing a bit easier. Over time, Gmail has evolved into a powerful email system. Of course, it's got Google with lots of money and people pushing it along," exclaims Jim Hamm.  Take a look at these 35 tips the columnist has labeled "awesome," and note the various comments posted. 

8 Simple Tips: Secure Mac from Malware, Viruses & Trojans

        Two key words jump out here:  "simple" and "secure."  Jim Hamm has found a very helpful site at OS X Daily.  Read these 8 tips  here.