Category: application

"ThinkPoint" is a rogue antivirus program which is currently spreading like flu around millions of the World's computers. It's basically an application which has been designed to look like a working antivirus tool, but is actually a thinly-disguised virus that will continually try and make you buy the "upgrade" to the program by showing you a series of fake results. This program is also continually working to steal your passwords & other personal information that the authors can sell. To get rid of this virus, you basically need to be able to remove all the files & settings it's using to run, which can be done by following the steps outlined in this tutorial.
This program is nothing more than a "malware" (malicious software) infection - designed to install itself onto your PC and then pretend to perform an antivirus scan. This particular virus installs itself from the "fake Microsoft Security Essentials" alert - which is another fake program designed to trick you into thinking that you have some sort of problems with your system. Rogue downloads and malicious websites are being blamed for the spread of ThinkPoint, and in order to get rid of this program, you basically need to stop it from running and then remove any part of it that is causing issues for your PC.
Most people who are technically minded will actually remove this program by restarting their PC into "Safe Mode" and then deleting the files which it's using to run. This can be done by locating the "" file inside My Computer, removing it from your PC by pressing SHIFT + DELETE. Although some people have manually removed this virus, most people report that it returns whenever you restart. This problem is caused by the way in which it will store a large number of "hidden" files that the virus will then use to load up the program again. This means that it's vital you're able to get rid of the infection in the most complete way possible to be sure that your computer is safe.
To completely remove this virus, it's recommended you use what's known as a "malware removal tool". These are software programs which have been created by professional software developers to remove all the infected parts of a malware infection from your PC. To remove ThinkPoint, we've found that a tool called "XoftSpy" works the best. This has been created by a large software company in Canada, and works by scanning through your system and getting rid of any of the rogue files / settings that ThinkPoint has placed into it. You can use XoftSpy by downloading it to your PC, installing it and then letting it remove all the infected files that your system has.

System Tool 2011 is one of the infamous infections known as a 'Fake Antivirus', which covertly penetrate your system and disable your entire computer leaving you at risk with conditions only suitable for the infection to thrive. System Tool 2011 works by first downloading and installing itself on your computer, and it does this via a number of ways. Firstly, it can gain access to your computer by opening up an email with an infected link attached to it. Or you can be redirected to an infected website in which as soon as you try to close the window the infection will already be downloading onto your computer and it will look like it has frozen but in reality it has just briefly disabled your computer, then once it has downloaded you will be able to close the window and think that nothing has really happened.
A virus such as System Tool 2011 is usually created in Asia or Eastern European countries who will use the program to convince you to hand over your hard earned money in order to remove potential threats it supposedly finds, which by the way are always fake. Once the infection has installed itself onto your computer it will then start to disable all other components of your computer and then the virus will appear to be scanning your computer all the while masked as a virus removal program. Once the program has finished 'scanning' your system looking for threats it will then convince you that you need to purchase the upgraded version in order to eliminate the threats it will supposedly find. If your like some of the very unfortunate people out there that have been conned by this scam then you may notice that nothing actually appears to happen when you purchase the full version.
So many people have fallen victim to these scams because their creators have been able to disguise them so well that it is really quite difficult to distinguish between a real program and the fake and so many people haven't thought twice before handing over their credit card details to organized criminal in order to fund other criminal activities. If you happen to be browsing the Internet and suddenly everything freezes and then a program appears and looks to be scanning your computer looking for potential threats there is no doubt that is a fake antivirus. Make sure you know what programs you have on your computer so that if anything like this happens to you, you know what to do.
Thankfully Frontline Rogue Remove is a well credited program that has helped many people remove various types of fake antivirus and help them successfully gain control of their computers again with little or no damages.

Symantec Security Response has discovered a scam trying to victimize people who want to get into the Google Wave community promising an application that generates Google Wave invites. Scammers convinced the victims that they can earn money by selling the invites to others. According to Symantec, unfortunately the said application is a piece of malware.
What is Google Wave? Google Wave is a new personal communication and collaboration tool developed by Google. It a web-based service designed to merge e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, and social networking. Many people are looking for invites specially those for those who missed the initial sign up for this application. Because its gaining popularity, scammers use it as bait for unaware victims.
Scammers automatically post entries on forums, email or Twitter feeds including an item in the code box with a fake file, detected as the Backdoor.Tidserv malware. The attached file is a Trojan allowing the attacker to access and control your infected system and potentially steal personal data from your computer. The malware will be distributed if another user download and install it. Many people are being victimized because scammers promise them a Google Wave invite and extra cash if they are able to sell more just to make the users run the software. They are being attracted to Google Wave because of its current popularity.
Symantec advises the PC users to:
• be careful with whatever you click• prevent clicking links from unknown source• never download application from unknown sources• use an updated security software to prevent your PC from downloading malware
Since it is very popular now, it is being used as bait for online attacks increasing the chance of the attackers to harm your PC successfully. If your antivirus is updated, you will be protected from the Google Wave malware attack. If want to keep your PC clean and protected, Techie Now is here to help you. Our PC support services include virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, installation and configuration, and general repair. Contact Techie Now and we will protect you and your PC against scammers and malware.

Web Applications are compromised daily and now account for the majority of vulnerabilities on the Internet.

Web application weaknesses are a major way that cyber criminals, working with hacking techniques, can steal sensitive data. With this data, nefarious crooks can affect companies and individuals alike; there is little distinction between Fortune 500 Companies and an end user with a credit card. They often just follow the path of least resistance.

Online data theft is not a game. While some hackers will brag about having breached the security of a web application and gained access to sensitive data, the criminals have money, not bragging rights in their cross-hairs. Extortion is sometimes the name of the game. If data can be held at ransom by thieves, depending on how sensitive the data is, they can demand a huge sum of money.

The ways that companies and individuals are affected by web application attacks are numerous. Imagine this ?what if? situation. A large Fortune 500 company is attacked by an orchestrated attack and the credit card numbers are taken and held at ransom by an organized crime group. Word gets out and the Fortune 500 company under goes a huge investigation and security audit. The clients and customers of the company lose trust in the security of the company and start taking their business elsewhere. The company then starts losing revenue and the customers begin to find that their credit cards are being charged illegally. The credit card companies are involved and are losing money as well. Nobody is immune to these web application attacks, whether its large company or one individual.

As programmers design web applications to be more accessible and easy to use, often these features are targets for crime groups to attack. Programmers must protect their applications by following secure coding practices to filter out any attacks and create a safe place for their clients customers to do business.

One of the major ways hackers breach a web application are through SQL injection attacks. SQL injection attacks can be used to access sensitive data or do any number of destructive things to the data stored in the web application's database. Cross-site scripting attacks are also prevalent. This attack occurs when malicious code is inserted and executed when a user loads an infected page. Denial of service attacks are also popular. This happens when the network hosting a web application is swamped with useless requests sent out by the criminals which creates so much traffic that the network or system crashes.

It?s a wild world out there…