For example, a virulent malware called Gingerbread has been spreading to Android smartphones. This virus is a root kit that gives hackers full access to any information on an Adroid smartphone.

As for the Apple iOS, If malware does infect your iOS device, chances are you will not even realize it. Some Mac malware is not so subtle and has fake virus alerts such as Mac Defender. Unfortunately, if you were to suspect your device was infected with malware, there is no way to detect or remove it easily because Apple does not allow scanning anti-virus software in the Apple Store. Just this summer, an application in the Apple Store was discovered to have a Windows variant malware in one of the applications in the store. So check out the anti-malware resources for the Mac iOS listed below.

On the Windows side of things, one of the most sophisticated new forms of malware is one called Flame or sKyWIper. It can record audio, keyboard activity, network traffic and take screenshots. The program can also record Skype conversations and can turn infected computers into Bluetooth beacons which attempt to download contact information from nearby Bluetooth-enabled devices. Microsoft has provided a patch for this in its security updates so be sure you do your Windows Updates.

Knowing that malware is increasing in sophistication and that it is frequently spread through USB drives and file sharing, make sure you run some kind of anti-malware solution on all of your computing and communications devices. A sample of some of the solutions that are free include:

Smartphones and Tablets:

• AVG Free Antivirus (Android Smartphones)
• Lookout (Android and iOS Smartphones and Tablets)
• Norton Mobile Security (Android Smartphones)

Laptops and Desktops:

• AVG Free Antivirus (Windows)
• Best Free Antivirus for Mac (Article with links to software)
• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free (Windows)

And last but not least, make sure you do your OS and application updates to ensure a trouble free year of computing and communications.

1. Make sure all computers and cell phones have the most current operating system updates. Have staff and students check their computer system and software update settings to make sure that they are either set to be automatic or at least notify that updates are available. In the latter case, an ongoing schedule to do updates is a good practice. Cell phones and carriers treat updates differently. Find out if this is a manual or automatic process with the particular cell phone carrier. For example with Verizon Wireless it is frequently a manual command using *228 on a regular basis and choosing option 1 to get updates.
2. Make sure that applications on both computers and cell phones are also updated automatically or manually on a regular basis. Malware often targets a specific known weakness in an application to gain access to a computer or cell phone.
3. Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware license is active and is updating. Check to make sure the most recent protection files are being downloaded and installed. This is one of the first things that malware frequently disables in order to gain control of the system. Cell phones should also be running some kind of anti-virus and anti-spyware solution. There are commercial solutions as well as free versions such as Lookout that can be installed.
4. With respect to eMail, some basic precautions can help prevent potential misfortune or even complete loss of all data on a laptop or computer. In particular, the following will alleviate most of the potential problems:
• If you don’t know the source of a message or your name doesn’t appear in the “To” field, delete it.
• If it looks like a subscription and you know you didn’t subscribe to it, don’t click on the “unsubscribe” link in the message. This will likely only verify that the spammer has a valid email address.
• Banks, PayPal and other services will never ask you to provide personal or financial information in an email. No matter how official a request looks to verify information about yourself, never respond to that message and provide information. Valid sources will usually address you with your name and won’t say “urgent” or “immediate” or ask for information.
• Attachments from an unknown source or even a friend that doesn’t make sense should never be opened. Delete it if it is from an unknown source or verify with someone you know that they sent it if it doesn’t make sense. These attachments may contain viruses or links to infected Web sites.
• If you question something, you can check out the latest scams at: http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams
5. Adopt a protective stance with respect to your computer and information:
   • Trust No One
   • Set your anti-virus to scan everything.
   • If you have any doubt, don’t click on it, delete it.

Wishing you happy and trouble free computing. If you have any questions, just ask and we’ll get back to you.

Hotmail:

After logging into Hotmail, you will see a headline near the top of the page that says: “Hotmail highlights“.  In the small print under that is a link called “Options“.  This will take you to a page called “Windows Live Options” and you will find on the left of that page a selection under “Show options for” that says “Hotmail“.  Click on the “Hotmail” link.  This will take you to a page called “Hotmail Options“. Look for the section entitled “Managing your account” and click on the link called “Account details (password, aliases, time zone“. You will be redirected to a page called “Account overview“.  At the bottom of that page click on the link called “Connect with HTTPS” that will redirect you to a page of the same name.  On this last page, look for a radio button towards the bottom in front of a statement that says “Use HTTPS automatically“. Kind of a long journey but that’s it.

GMail:

If you want to do this for a GMail account, it’s a lot shorter journey to get to where you need to be.  Starting from your GMail account, click on the arrow next to your account name on the top right side of your web browse and select the “Account settings” option. This will take you to a general “Google accounts” page.  Find the link called “Settings” next to the GMail icon on the right hand side of the page. Clicking on that link will result in you being taken to a page called “GMail – Settings” with lots of options. One of the options is called “Browser connection“. Make sure the radio button in front of “Always use https” is the option that is selected.  Finally at the bottom of that page, make sure you click on the “Save Changes” button.

That’s it, hope this was helpful.

Encryption plays a key role in both the transmission of data between systems as well as the storage of the data itself. You are probably familiar with Web browsers and SSL (Secure Socket Layer) connections that use the https:// instead of just http:// in their web addresses. If you are connected to a secure Web site, then all data being transmitted between your computer or smartphone and the server on the other end is encrypted. Always make sure any of your connections to financial institutions or email have https://at the beginning of their Web address.

To protect data itself, encryption can be used to protect a single file, a file folder or even an entire data drive such as on a laptop or USB drive. A popular open source solution that works on Macs and PCs is TrueCrypt. Most operating systems for the Mac and PC also come with the ability to encrypt specific files or folders.  FileVault on the Mac and BitLocker on Windows are ways to protect files on your workstation or laptop. Both Microsoft and Apple provide brief tutorials how to use their encryption tools. You can find them by searching their respective sites with the name of these tools or to see a sample click on the links above.

• Dropbox – http://www.dropbox.com
• Microsoft Mesh – http://explore.live.com/windows-live-mesh
• Box.net – http://www.box.com/
• iCloud – https://www.apple.com/icloud/what-is.html

Google used to use Box.net for synchronization but has just now released their new relationship with Insync.

Like other cloud based file synchronization and file backup solutions, Insync has different plans depending on the number of users and how much space you might want or need.  This includes:

• Cheapskate -1GB syncing limit for unlimited computers – Cost: Free
• Pro -16TB syncing limit for single user and unlimited computers – Cost: $25/year  (introductory offer)
• Business -16TB syncing limit for unlimited computers with centralized billing and user administration for 5 users minimum – Cost: $3/user/month  (introductory offer)

So, if you have a Google account and files in Google Docs, you can now collaborate and share those files with others with greater ease using this new Google service.

Important Update (12/12/11): Just got word from Insync that they are reworking their pricing. Now if you have a Google account, Insync is now free with no limits on storage.

Join the discussion as we look at solving issues like what you should do to protect yourself should you lose a laptop or smartphone.  This will include installing tracking software so that these devices can be recovered. One solution that is frequently used by smartphone and laptop users is the open source solution known as Prey (http://preyproject.com) which is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Droids and iPhones.  If you have a different kind of phone, ask about that and we’ll get back to you with some other solutions.

My next post will deal with encryption and point you to resources and tutorials that you might want to consider using if you are traveling with a laptop that holds any kind of sensitive data.