BASScom Blog

Beware the Fake Anti-Virus

A couple of clients have recently had nasty experiences with fake anti-virus and anti-spyware alerts. This can happen to anyone and chances are, it’s happened to you at some stage too - while browsing the web, a warning pops onto your computer screen alerting you that your PC has been infected with a virus. Sound familiar?

Although the alert looks like what you’d expect from your anti-virus program, most people are skeptical and close the alert by clicking the X in the upper right hand corner of the alert. This is exactly what the creators of viruses want you to do because your browser is then hi-jacked, pop-up ads sprout up all over your screen and you’re unlikely to be able to get any programs to work even after restarting your PC.

A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry

The number of fake anti-virus software scams has increased phenomenally with one company reportedly raking in $160 billion in fake anti-virus program sales in 2009 alone! Once the fake alert has installed its virus, ads then pop up offering a fake clean-up program, available for instant download when valid credit card details have been received.

Six Steps To Avoid Getting Tricked

1. We highly recommend the use of Firefox as your browser as Internet Explorer is the main target of these scams.

2. Keep your computer updated with the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software releases and periodic updates as soon as these become available.

3. Have a good firewall in place.

4. Never open an email attachment unless you are 100% positive it is from a trustworthy source! This may be common sense but viruses are often hidden in the most appealing, Must-Read-Now type of files.

5. Do NOT click on an anti-virus alert! If one appears on your screen, don’t click on it, not even on the X to close it. Rather, hit CTRL + ALT+ DEL to bring up the Task Manager and delete the rogue from the list of running programs. Then pick up the phone and call your IT support person or company!

6. Never download freeware or shareware unless you know it is from a reputable source. Unfortunately many of these come bundled with spyware, adware or fake anti-virus programs.

3 things to do before Christmas


As 2010 draws to a close - another year that has flown by seemingly faster than any other! - we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all well over the festive season.

We leave you with the top THREE things you and your colleagues should do and remember at this time:

1. Your office may or may not be manned through the holiday period so this is the time, more so than ever, to ensure your data, equipment and systems are safe and running smoothly. Test that you can restore from back-up and if you don’t have any back-up strategies in place, make that is the very next thing you do!

2. Go green this season by turning off non-essential equipment in your office such as unused PCs, printers, copiers and kitchen appliances – you may even have servers which can be shut down without causing disruption to any essential services you might still be running. This will also help to reduce the need to keep empty offices air-conditioned.

3. If your regular IT person is away, make sure the person who is filling this role knows all required passwords and how to reset servers, routers and other devices. 

                  
               Wishing you and yours
             a safe and happy holiday                                   
 

It’s been amazing to see how technology in the mobile workforce has transformed over the years. From notebooks to the rise of smartphones and everything in between, this year especially has seen a surge in adoption of new mobile technologies from consumers and businesses alike. What magical mobile device is leading the pack in this industry? The iPad.

BASScom engineers have been piloting the iPad for business over the last couple of months, and have found the experience can be not only fun, but productive as well. Sure, many would agree the iPad is best suited for consuming content; browsing the web, watching videos on YouTube, or reading a classic novel from the iBooks store, are generally more enjoyable tasks performed on the iPad instead of a notebook. But what about productivity and content creation?

Perhaps the most important communications tool for business in the modern world is electronic mail, and the iPad provides a pretty good experience for quickly reading and sending short messages. When larger messages need to be created though, you might want to consider using the external keyboard dock. In fact, with an additional video-out connection to your computer monitor and an iPhone for mouse support, the iPad can be transformed into a thin-client device perfectly suited for the desktop. The leading technology needed to enable this solution is the Citrix Receiver for iPad, free from the App Store. 
                                                             

BASScom has discovered that the virtual desktop experience on the iPad is best realised utilising the Citrix Receiver App. Users connect to their business applications or Windows desktops with the Receiver just as they would from their workstations in the office or at home, and navigate using the touch interface. It takes a bit of practice using Windows applications by touch, but if you’ve got an iPhone, the Receiver enables you to pair it to your iPad over a Bluetooth connection and use the touch screen as a mouse track pad! Also, Citrix recently announced a new upcoming version of Receiver which will include a local mouse pointer, so you’ll have full mouse support right from the iPad’s touch screen.

The iPad has changed everything in the mobile world of business, and become the most successful tablet computing device in history. Just ask those companies and its users that have adopted early. BASScom will be keeping a trained eye on the industry and is looking forward to seeing what new innovations next year will bring in mobile technology.