Computer Virus Infects Three London Hospitals

I couldn't believe this when I saw it.

The Mytob Worm got ahold of three of London's most important hospitals: St. Bartholomew's, the Royal London Hospital, and The London Chest Hospital. According to Sophos.com, this virus spreads via email or shared files. Upon infection, the virus plants a backdoor which allows a 3rd party to remotely connect & control the victim computer(s).

What this means is that the everyday routine of these hospitals was severly interrupted to the point that each hospitals efficiency, which translates to lives saved, dropped tremendously. Doctor's resorted to pen and paper, and "backup" procedures were implemented immediately so as to minimize the dangerous effects of Mytob.

But for anyone who's been the ER of a major hospital (or three major hospitals), you'll know that every second counts when it comes to saving lives. When you're forced to go about a routine procedure the "long way" because of no computer assistance, then you're wasating those vital seconds and minutes that could be used to save lives.

So while this "worm" didn't kill anyone directly, it definitely did a great deal of harm to the patients that the overwhelmed doctors were aiding.



*Story gathered via info from cnet, sophos, and The Register.

Microsoft to Offer Free Malware Software

Probably for the first time EVER, Microsoft will offer useful software for free. Their new anti-malware software, codenamed Morro, will provide "...'comprehensive protection' from 'the majority of online threats', including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans" (techradar.com).

Another pleasant surprise from Microsoft is that Morro will be available for XP, Vista & Windows 7. Now from a consumer's perspective, I would've thought that Microsoft (known for their constant Monopoly attempts) would've put some sort of financial twist on this whole Morro project. Sure- maybe it's free, but ONLY for Windows 7. That way they push their new product & their wallet. But like I said- This is not the case! Nice job Microsoft.


...my cynical side is telling me: Just because you don't see their profit incentive for Morro doesn't mean it's not there...

Cyrus Virus

I 'bout wet myself when I read this from this forum :

"Well, i was surfing the net at college yesterday on my laptop, im allowed to use it in lessons to take notes etc.
I shut it down after my free period and went to physics, switched my laptop on, and upon startup it started some EXTREEMLY annoying music

I looked at it, tried to put some headphones in (sadly my headphons jack appears to no longer be working) and my sound panel is blanked out, so i cant control the volume (MUTE IT!)
eventually i gave in that physics lesson and just used pen and paper.

so i got home and tried to mess about a bit with it, it appears to have a strange virus.
It plays "Miley Cyrus - See You Again" upon startup, each and every time, and just repeats at full volume, it wont accept headphones (just sees them as not there and continues to play)

I found miley.exe as a process, and im assuming thats what controlling it, but when i close it, its just reopens itself and starts playing again

anyone have any ideas? As i absolutly hate pop music, and this takes the buscuit -.-"



So for those of you who skipped the paragraph for the recap, here you go. Basically, while sitting in class, our protagonist's laptop acquired a virus of epic proportions. First, the virus disabled the headphone jack & the audio controls simultaneously. Next, it forced the volume to skyrocket. And then the grand finale- "See You Again" by Miley Cyrus blasted on a constant loop.

EPIC

Free Computer Tune-Up: How-To

Over the past few weeks, I've had several people ask me the following questions:

1.) How do I "secure" a file & be confident in its security?
2.) How do I permanently delete a file?
3.) How do I restore a file which I've accidentally deleted from the Recycle Bin?
4.) I have several viruses & my computer is really, really slow! Help!

So, I've decided to answer those questions in a written format. This way, I can direct all future inquiries to a single source. Lets get started...

1.) How do I "secure" a file & be confident in its security?
The best way to secure a file is to use a program that allows you to implement encryption. If you are inexperienced with encrypting files, you most likely are asking two questions: What is "encryption" and how will this help me secure files?
First, one definition is as follows "Encryption is the conversion of data into a form, called a ciphertext, that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people." Encryption secures files by making that file unreadable.

Basically, when you encrypt a file, it's like you turn that file into a new language that nobody knows & you are the only person with that language's "Rosetta Stone." Noone can see it or understand it but you.

My favorite tool is Truecrypt. It is a free, powerful program that uses an encryption method employed by a number of government entities. It allows you to create a "container" into which you place your confidential data. The impressive part it, your "container" can be ANY file: jpeg, mp3, m4p, etc. This means that if someone steals your entire hard drive and wants to peruse your files, they would'nt even know where to look to find your confidential data.

Below is a picture the Truecrypt interface.


Click here for more screenshots.


2.) How do I permanently delete a file? While there are several ways to do this, the easiest way is to use a program simply known as Eraser.

From Heidi Computers:
Eraser is an advanced security tool for Windows that allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns.

Also, it's worth noting that this program erases information on hard drives via protocol set forth by National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual of the U.S. Department of Defence.


3.) How do I restore a file which I've accidentally deleted from the Recycle Bin? Again- The easiest way to go about this is to use software specialized to this task.

From snapfiles.com:
"Undelete Plus enables you to undelete files that have been emptied from the recycle bin. The program quickly scans a selected drive and presents you with a list of files that can be recovered, along with the status for each file (very good, good, bad etc.) indicating the likeliness of complete recovery."


4.) I have several viruses & my computer is really, really slow! How can I fix it?!
This is the question I get the most. And, as long as everything goes smoothly, it is the easiest problem to fix. I usually break this problem down into 3 phases: Virus & spyware removal, Cleanup, and Startup

Virus & Spyware Removal:
I strongly suggest downloading a good (preferably free) antivirus program to scan your computer for current infections. The program should also have the ability to screen your system for viruses in real-time. My #1 suggestion is AVG Free Edition. Download, install, & scan your computer with this program to nab the nasty viruses.

As far as spyware goes, I highly suggest using SuperAntiSpyware. This looks for spyware in all those hard-to-reach places that other programs usually miss. You just tell it where you want it to scan, and it will do the rest.

Scanning my computer with AVG & Super AntiSpyware lets me sleep easy at night.


Cleanup:
To clean up your system, you need to grab a program that can find & delete all the "junk" on your computer. "Junk" might include temporary internet files, recycle bin files, registry errors, etc. My favorite program, hands down, goes to CCleanup. This baby can do it all and more. You can ask it to "Analyze" your system before telling it to delete anything, and it will show you how much space you'll get back IF you allow it to clean your system. Another Plus: The time it takes to "Analyze" and then "Clean" is about 2 minutes. It's unbelievably fast.


Startup:
Assuming you use Windows XP (the most common Windows OS), this is an extremely easy task. Just go to START--> RUN and type in "msconfig" in the box that appears. A new window should pop up entitled "System Window Utility" with several tabs. Click on the tab titled "Startup" and de-select all the programs that you don't want running when you turn your computer on. You can do the same thing under the "Services" tab, but be sure to check the box (near the bottom) that says Hide All Microsoft Services. Once you're done, restart your computer. When the computer pulls back up, the "System Window Utility" window will pop up. You can then either tell it to save your settings (and stop reminding you of the changes) or you can go back and further edit your startup.