Is Microsoft Security Essentials Enough Protection?

Office IT, Software,
24
Oct 2013

Protection Details

This image is from Dennis Technology Labs July – Sept 2013 report showing how effectively programs can block or clean an infected computer.

Every business owner wants to be sure their data is protected 24 hours a day. Since its introduction in 2009 Microsoft Security Essentials has been the go to free anti-virus solution for users running Windows Operating systems. It’s popularity was due to being directly tied in to the Windows Operating system and being a light weight application that runs in the background without being a system hog.  Is it enough to protect your files today?

What’s the problem?

This year companies such as Dennis Technology Labs and AV-Test.org released reports showing Microsoft Security Essentials did poorly compared to other anti-virus programs, unable to detect many new viruses.

Protection_Rating

This image is from Dennis Technology Labs July – Sept 2013 report showing each products accuracy when detecting viruses.

Microsoft’s response to this was that the viruses and malware used in the tests don’t represent real world scenarios stating “94 percent of these missed malware samples were never encountered by any of our customers”.

Holly Stewart, senior program manager of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center, mentioned in an interview with Dennis Technology Labs that Microsoft Security Essentials is a good “baseline strategy” and to diversify your protection to have the most effective security available.

Should you take action?

Microsoft Security Essentials is a good baseline anti-virus to run on your home or office computers. However to be as protected as possible, it’s a good idea to run programs with higher success rates of catching viruses such as MalwareBytes Pro. Even if these programs aren’t running on all computers, it’s good to run them on critical systems such as servers.

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How to Run A Virus Scan on Windows

Software, , ,
30
Sep 2013

MSE_Icon

The easiest and most efficient anti-virus available for Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 is Microsoft Security Essentials. The software is free, simple and doesn’t bog down your computer like other anti-virus programs. If you don’t already have it installed on your home or office computers, grab a copy from Microsoft here. You can check if it’s installed by looking for the green icon that looks like a house in your system tray next to the clock at the bottom right of your screen as shown here:

MSE_Download_Page

Once you’ve installed Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) follow these steps to run a virus scan:

1. In your system tray, next to your clock, double click on the green MSE icon

mse-system-tray

2. Once the MSE screen loads, click on Scan now

MSE_scan_complete

3. When MSE finishes scanning, it will display the results of the scan

MSE_Screen

That’s it! MSE is a great free program that helps keep your computer free of viruses and malware. Check out other ways you can speed up your computer here.

What are some ways you keep your computer free from viruses?

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The Risks of Running Windows XP

Repairs and Upgrades, Software, ,
24
Sep 2013

Windows-XP-Hanging-Up-Hat

The clock is ticking for computers still running Windows XP. As of April 8th 2014, Microsoft will no longer be releasing updates for Windows XP. What does this mean for your office or home computers still running Windows XP? Your office or home computers are at risk if you have any computers still running Windows XP.  Read on to get the details.

What was so special about Windows XP?

Windows XP was released in 2001 as a major overhaul to Windows 98 and Microsoft’s very unpopular Windows ME operating system. Some of the biggest advantages to Windows XP includes:

  1. Due to it’s widespread use and popularity, there is a lot of support info out there.
  2. It is simple, clean and easy to use for in its time.
  3. You need less hardware (RAM, CPU power, etc) to run Windows XP.
  4. Being extremely popular means more hardware vendors support it.

Now keep in mind most of these general qualities applied up to when Microsoft released Windows 7.  2010 was the last year Windows XP was the most widely used operating system on the planet since Windows 7 was more efficient and reliable.

What’s the risk in running Windows XP?

1. Patching

After April 8th, 2014 Microsoft will no longer be releasing patches and updates to Windows XP. Why should this matter to you? When Microsoft finds a bug in one of it’s more modern operating systems like Windows 7 or Windows 8, it is very likely that the same bug exists in Windows XP since all of Microsoft’s operating systems share similar code under the hood.

As soon as an update is released for Windows 7 or Windows 8, anyone in the public can look at what was fixed, which is practically pointing out exactly where Windows XP is vulnerable.

2. Lacking modern security measures

In the past, computers were more vulnerable to viruses passed through files being passed through a USB drive, Floppy or CD Drive. Nowadays most infections occur over the internet by relying on bugs in your internet browser or your operating system.

Windows 7 and Windows 8 have these updates built in. However Windows XP simply doesn’t support the software too help prevent the computer from being infected. The below figure shows the number of infections that were cleaned by operating system. Keep in mind all of these computers were up to date.

XP vs 7 vs 8 infections

Figure 1: Infection rate (CCM) by operating system and service pack in the fourth quarter of 2012 as reported in the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report volume 14

How can you check if you are running Windows XP?

xp-startup-screen

The easiest way to check if you are running Windows XP it to restart your computer and check for the Windows XP boot up logo as shown above.

How can you protect your office or home computers?

At this point there is no guaranteed way to keep Windows XP and to be safe. You should be planning to upgrade your operating system by purchasing Windows 7 or Windows 8.

4a0a817f_Windows-7-screen

I would recommend Windows 7 as it is similar to Windows XP and has a very intuitive interface. Both operating systems have great hardware support, so you should not need to upgrade unless your computer comes with a hand crank to turn on.

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Is Your Office Wifi Infected?

Office Network, , , , ,
23
Sep 2013

 


A recent article in the German computer security magazine c’t has exposed infections on wireless routers running a custom router software called DD-WRT. What does this mean for your office network? If your office wireless router is running DD-WRT and has not been updated since 2009 your entire office network and everyone who connects to your wifi can be at risk of having their private data stolen. Lets look deeper into the problem:

wifi_infected

What are the risks?

If your router is infected, every person who connects to your wifi can have their usernames, passwords, bank login information, credit card information, or any information they type in and send over the internet stolen. The virus writers then receive this information and either use it to steal corporate data, commit credit card fraud, or sell the information on the black market.

What is DD-WRT?

Most wireless router manufacturers lock away features of your router and sell them at a lower price point. They then take the same hardware and repackage it at a higher price, only unlocking those features. DD-WRT is a custom open source software that runs on your office wireless routers in place of the limited software that came with your router. It then unlocks all of the features and options that were originally unavailable to you, unleashing the true potential of your wireless router.

How do I know if I have DD-WRT?

DD-WRT can be shipped with the wireless router, or it can be installed manually. The quickest way to check if you have DD-WRT installed on your office wireless devices is to ask your office IT person. If they aren’t easily accessible, you can attempt to check yourself using the following steps on a Windows XP/Vista/7 and above computer:

1. Run IP Config and get your Default Gateway.

windows_xp_run_cmd

On Windows XP/Vista, click on Start then Run and type “cmd” without the quotes and press Enter.

Windows_7_start_menu

On Windows 7, go to Start and type in “cmd” without the quotes into the Search Programs and Files box and press enter.

Follow these steps to open “cmd” on a Window 8 computer.

2. In the cmd window, type “ipconfig” without the quotes and press enter.

ipconfig

You should see something similar to the above screen. Make note of the Default Gateway value.

3. Check for DD-WRT and the version it is running.

Checking_dd-wrt

Open your favorite web browser, and enter only the Default Gateway numbers into the address bar and press enter.

If you see the above screen load, you have a wireless router with DD-WRT installed. Now check the date DD-WRT at the top right corner. If it is dated 2009 or earlier, you are vulnerable.

If you are still not sure, contact your office IT person to confirm.

What do I do if my wifi is vulnerable?

Since DD-WRT is supported by a volunteer community, testing can be limited, allowing bugs to pass to the public. Unfortunately since this virus is so new, there is no guaranteed way to check if a router is infected with this virus. The best course of action is to update the DD-WRT software on the router, or to use a router that does not have DD-WRT.

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