Steve

Basic Computer Maintenance

by Steve on January 23, 2012 · 1 comment

Computer maintenance is important. Whether you use a Mac or a PC, there are some things that need to be done to keep your computer in optimal running condition, and to ease the urgency of computer crises’ in the future when things do go wrong. Below I have three different sections; Windows Users, Mac Users, and Firefox/Web Browsers/Backup information (which is for both Mac and Windows users) talking about things that I ask all Crusade staff in the Great Lakes to do to help maintain their computers, and help prevent them from having some common problems.

Windows Users

CCleaner

To get things started, for the windows users, we encourage you to use CCleaner, to delete unnecessary files and keep your computer running more efficiently. If you don’t already have CCleaner installed on your computer you can get it by going to this link http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download and installing it after you download it. To run it there are two things we are asking you to do at least once a month. We want you to run the file cleaner (for instructions on how to do this go here http://www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner/using-ccleaner/cleaning-your-pc/cleaning-your-pc) and to run the registry cleaner as well (instructions here http://www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner/using-ccleaner/registry-cleaning). When you clean the registry we encourage you to fix all of the selected issues that CCleaner finds.

Malware Bytes

This is a program that finds and eliminates malicious software on your computer. It detects things that traditional antivirus doesn’t detect, and it is often the easiest way to remove malicious software from your computer, even when antivirus programs can’t. You can install the free version of this program by going here http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/anti-virus/malwarebytes-anti-malware. This is another program that we encourage you to run once a month, or whenever you suspect that you might have a virus. For instructions on how to run Malwarebytes, go here http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/how-to-use-malwarebytes-anti-malware-tutorial.

Antivirus

There are a few different antivirus’ that people here in the regional office are using. Please make sure your antivirus is scheduled to run at least once a week. If you do not have antivirus installed please install and use Microsoft Security Essentials, which you can download through windows update from Microsoft, or by going here http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/. You can view this help page from Microsoft for more information on how can you affirm that Security Essentials is running as it should.

If you are on a computer that has Windows 8, it comes with a version of Security Essentials called Windows Defender, so no antivirus is needed.

Updates

It is important to have a good update strategy. Keeping all of the programs you use up to date can keep your computer running smoothly, and most of the time when windows computers are compromised, it is because of malicious software taking advantage of vulnerabilities in programs that have not yet been updated. The easy way is to stay up to date is to go to ninite.com, select all of the programs you have installed or want to have installed on your computer (not including Microsoft Office, that is a trial only) and download and run the installer. When you run that installer in the future, it will insure all of your programs are up to date. I recommend running the installer you downloaded 1-2 times a month. If there are any other programs you have on your computer than you need to manually check to see if they have updates 1-2 times a month, but most of the programs you use are probably on ninite.com.

If you need help with any of these things please let Kristin know so we can set something up.

Mac Users

Just like windows users, your operating system also takes maintenance to keep it running well. For Mac users, we have a program that we want you to use to keep your computer in good shape. It is called Main Menu, and many of you probably already have it installed on your computer. We ask that you run this program at least once a month. For more information on getting Main Menu and running it you can go here on the wiki for a step by step tutorial http://wiki.uscm.org/display/CMIT/How+to+Install%2C+and+Use+MainMenu+on+your+Mac. If you do not have Main Menu installed please go to http://incrediblebee.com/mainmenu for more information on getting this software.

Firefox/Web Browsers/Backup information

Firefox, Chrome, and other browsers, what should I use?

(During the Google transition this section will be updated as more information comes in regarding browser compatibility for old Cru tools). Over the last few years you have probably been encouraged to use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer (or possibly even over Safari). I want to clarify where we are coming from given the increasing number of browsers out there that you might use in your everyday lives. Many of you have a favorite browser that might not be Firefox or Internet explorer. For ministry, the websites that are used (like PeopleSoft and Concur) are built specifically to work with Firefox and Internet Explorer, however as we transition to Google Chrome is increasingly a supported option for doing ministry as well. We encourage you to use Firefox or Internet Explorer if you are using any of Crus non-google web tools so that you don’t experience any issues. If you use other browsers and are having problems, neither I or the IT help desk can effectively support you. Outside of Cru’s non-google utilities, please feel free to use any other web browser you are comfortable with. Most web browsers work equally well for personal browsing, as long as you are using the latest version of your browser. Even for Google, Chrome provides the best compatibility but many including myself use other browsers without issue. We do ask that you check to make sure your browser(s) is up to date at least once a month, for the best and most secure browsing experience possible. If you need any help with this let Kristin know.

Backup information

We also encourage you to be backing up your computer, and there are a few different ways you can do this. If you already are backing up to an external hard-drive, we encourage you to do this at least once a month. However, it is best to do it once a week, or more if it possible. If you don’t currently have a backup system in place, we highly recommend using something like Crashplan (http://www.crashplan.com/). For more information on Backup and other common tech information you can visit the CM Information Technology part of the Wiki (link here http://wiki.uscm.org/display/CMIT/Home), which is maintained by Technology Specialists in Cru around the country.

Thanks for hanging in there through this post. I will notify you if there are any notable updates to it in the future.

Computer Security and Ministry: Social Networking

by Steve on September 14, 2011 · 0 comments

It has been a while, and once again, I want to take a more extensive look at social media threats, and how to improve safety on social media sites.

Be Wary of Unknown Links
Last time I posted, I said to be careful on social networking sites like Facebook. One of the most common ways that cyber criminals are compromising online identities right now is through social networking sites like Facebook. I told you that on these types of sites, if you receive a link or a video that you didn’t know was coming, to contact your friend on Facebook (or other similar sites) and verify that they intended to send it to you. However, the problem is deeper than that. Often when people have their account hijacked, videos or images will get posted to their wall. When you click on these videos, the same kinds of things can occur that take place when you get a malicious video or link in a message. It is important when on social networking sites that if you see a link or a video that links to something that isn’t clearly personal to your friend, you verify that it is safe to click on that link.

Clickjacking
Some people have assumed that they could click on the link, and they would still be safe if they didn’t download anything. That often is not the case. Let me explain a little more about what these links do. One recent scam was an Oslo bombing video scam. This scam showed up on Facebook on the 22nd of July, and it took advantage of the recent tragedy in Oslo, Norway. On average, shortly after this scam started, someone was clicking on this “video” about once every second. The way this scam spreads is through “clickjacking.” By clicking on the video, it replicates itself to your wall so that all your friends can see it. If even a few of them click on it, it can spread like wild fire. Clickjacking can also possibly give the malicious individuals behind these campaigns access to your account. These kind of attacks are common on Facebook and Twitter, and might possibly be taking place in Google+ too, though at the moment I have no verified reports of this happening. Due to integration tools for other social media sites, clickjacking has happened through Google+ if you are signed into Facebook or Twitter at the same time. It is also important to note that since this isn’t traditional malware, clickjacking can occur on any operating system regardless of whether you are using Windows, Macs or Linux distros.

Other Malicious Links
As common as clickjacking is, there are also other malicious links on sites that when clicked on, will also ask you to download something. To briefly expand on this, clickjacking generally involves compromising ones online identity or other online information. Links to downloads can serve a variety of purposes, but generally the desired end result is that the user will install malicious software onto their computer, and compromise it. As I’ve said before, unless you were expecting something, do not download anything until you have confirmed with your friend that they intended to send you a download. If you believe that your social networking account has been compromised, change your password right away and contact your social networking site to obtain further advice from them about how you can ensure your account is uncompromised.

Final Thoughts
Finally my advice from the last post still stands. In general, do not click on any links that you are unfamiliar with, and do not download any attachments that you weren’t expecting. In the very least, confirm that they are legit with the sender. Institutions rarely if ever send attachments. So, if you get an attachment from your bank, promotional company, or some other organization, contact them first to verify that the attachment is legit. If there is ever reasonable doubt that you downloaded an attachment that is not legit, delete it immediately and empty your recycle bin or trash. Be careful out there.

via: seventy8Productions

Computer Security and Ministry

June 27, 2011

What we are covering today covers one of the more vital things that computer users should know about, yet it is often something that isn’t talked about enough within the context of ministry. In addition, staff/volunteers in student ministries are especially susceptible to malware in some specific ways. On one hand, staff who work in […]

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Using Dropbox for MPD and other ministry purposes.

February 10, 2011

If you haven’t discovered it yet, one of the easiest ways to keep your important documents and files syncronized across multiple computers, is by using a service like Dropbox. Dropbox is a service that combines online web storage, with an app that you can use on Windows, Mac’s, Linux and even mobile devices like ones that […]

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