Microsoft Emergency Patch for Internet Explorer

Microsoft has released a patch for Internet Explorer outside of the monthly patch cycle. This patch is listed as critical and may help to protect you from some of the recent virus outbreaks users are catching from visiting infected web sites. This patch is important enough that Microsoft has taken the time to reach out to all of its partners to alert them and encourage us to get this patch applied asap.

 
 

If you are a managed service customer, these patches will be pushed out automatically to your servers and desktops. For all other customers, please double check your Microsoft Updates to ensure they are downloaded and applied automatically.

 
 

From all of us here, may you have a safe, restful, and enjoyable holiday season.

Holiday Hours

All of us at Dogtail Solutions hope you are enjoying the holiday season. I speak with many of you everyday. I understand how hectic things are and the constant need to not only do more, but to do more with less. It is more important than ever to take time to spend with your family and friends this holiday season. We hope you are able to do just that.

Here is an update of our office closings during the holidays:

 

Wed Dec 24th - Closed at noon

Thurs Dec 25th - Closed

Fri Dec 26th - Closed

Thurs Jan 1st - Closed

Fri Jan 2nd - Closed

 

We will continue to monitor the help desk email as well as voice mail. Should you need us, we will be there to support you.

 
 

Happy Holidays to all of you, from all of us!!

Antivirus in sheep's clothing

Things had been pretty quiet for us on the virus front for the past year. Sure there was the occasional machine bogged down with garbage, but it was usually because someone did not keep their virus definitions updated, or worse, let their subscription expire.

 
 

Recently we have seen a rise in a new attack from a virus called XP Antispyware 2009. It starts with the user getting random popups that look like authentic XP messages telling you that your computer is not protected and you should download the software to correct it. Users are fooled because the pop up messages look just like other Microsoft windows and warnings. The virus quickly infects the machine to the point where the user receives constant popups and can no longer access the internet effectively. Attempts to download additional virus/ spyware scanner utilities are thwarted because the virus will not allow you to download the necessary definition files that will find and cure the infection.

 
 

We have see probably a dozen cases of this in just the past week. We have developed a "cocktail" of utilities that seem to do the trick; a serving of Trend Micro and AVG, with a dash of Spybot Search and Destroy, followed with a garnish of a new utility called Malwarebytes (the secret ingredient).

 
 

Even when these intrusions can be removed, they still present a significant disruption in productivity and money. On average, it costs about $175 to remove each instance of this virus. Combine that with the lost work time and you can quickly have a noticeable impact to the bottom line. It is important to remember you must always be aware when you are opening email or surfing the web. Never open emails from senders you don't recognize, and never click links to web sites you don't know.

 
 

If you do suspect you have a virus, notify someone immediately. Shut your computer off, or at least disconnect it from the network. The faster we can identify the virus, the easier it can be to remove. Waiting to notify someone only increases the risk of damage to your computer and significantly increases the risk of impacting other computers on the network.