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Computer Issues

Posted: July 6th, 2012, 12:33 pm
by moira finnie
I begin this thread today to create a spot where we can share insights into computer-related issues affecting the SSO and our own individual computers. Please feel free to offer your own links and comments about things in the cyberworld. I am hardly an expert on this or any other matter, though I have learned through bitter experience the importance of having safeguards on my computer such as those described below, updating them and running their system of checks regularly. I hope this helps others.

My initial motive is to offer a bit of help to anyone who has seen the news reports this week about the DNSChanger Malware that all computer users (whether using MAC, Windows, or Linux, etc.) should be aware of and that the FBI and Interpol want computer users to understand. It is believed this malicious software is triggered to go into effect on Monday, July 9, 2012.

The DNSChanger was created by a band of Estonian hackers who have since been caught, though their malware still exists and can change search results and URLs to malicious sites and collect private info if they have infected individual computers. DNS, which stands for Domain Name System, is basically the Internet's phone book crossed with a map. Without it you may not be able to access the internet or may wind up viewing sites you don't want to see and having your info accessed by someone with a criminal intent. MOST computers in the United States are not believed to be infected, but authorities are advising against complacency in this instance. It is believed that 330, 000 computers worldwide are infected with the DNSChanger Malware, and 77,000 American computers are estimated to be among them.

Here is some of the most helpful and most succinct info I've found about this problem below. Originally, this was posted on Cnet earlier this week. [If you're not familiar with Cnet, it is a tech media website that publishes news, articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Generally the info there is helpful, not just trying to sell you something]
How can I tell if I'm infected?
If you're in the United States, go to dns-ok.us or its parent site, the DNSChanger Working Group for computers based outside of the U.S. Click on the URL appropriate to your country, and you'll see an image with a green background if you're clean. A red background means you're infected.

Help! My computer's infected with DNSChanger. How can I fix it?
The DCWG has a list of free tools to download and instructions on how to clean a computer infected with DNSChanger.

How can I avoid malware like DNSChanger in the future?
Security suites aren't perfect, but they will protect you from the vast majority of threats out there including DNSChanger. Whether you're on Windows or Mac, Android or iOS, you really ought to have some kind of security program installed. And always double-check the URL before entering personal information into any kind of online text field or form, no matter what operating system or device you're using.
Many computers and ISP companies supply some form of security, (such as The RoadRunner Security Suite, Windows Firewall/Defender), but many of us find that the free versions of AVG and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, for example, may be very useful for safeguarding your computer.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 6th, 2012, 1:25 pm
by MissGoddess
Good idea for a thread, especially for this computer-illiterate!

I did visit two of those DNS-malware check sites and both said my iMac was clean. However, I still wonder because for the last two years---even after a complete hard-drive replacement---I still sometimes get redirected to weird, sometimes foreign-language websites when I try to access giants like Amazon.com, YouTube or Imdb.com (which is owned by Amazon). The only thing I can do to get around it is to re-boot and usually the problem disappears for a while...until the next time. I've searched the web high and low and asked everyone I can think of who supposedly knows about these things and no one has figured it out. If it was a virus, surely replacing the hard drive would have taken care of that? And it's only with those particular websites I noted, not any others and not all the time. Very strange!

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 6th, 2012, 3:16 pm
by moira finnie
Miss G.,
I am not too familiar with Mac issues, but have had this same issue in the past on my PCs when every time I looked something up on Google, everything came up in Russian. I found this entry on a Mac forum that seems to indicate that the issue may not be in your computer but could be caused by your ISP (Internet Server Provider) who maintain, and more importantly, are responsible for updating their DNS servers that you access whenever you do a search. See if this is at all helpful:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/35 ... 0&tstart=0

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 6th, 2012, 5:31 pm
by MissGoddess
Thanks, Moira. It makes sense that the issue is not my computer since it continued after the overhaul. If TimeWarner Cable (Road Runner) is responsible, then I guess there is not much I can do.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 6th, 2012, 10:03 pm
by JackFavell
Whew! Thanks, Moira. I'm clean.

I have AVG and Malware or something, so I shouldn't have a problem but I've been having computer troubles all day, so this made me nervous. I think it may be the heat causing problems with my server.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 7th, 2012, 8:14 am
by moira finnie
JackFavell wrote:I've been having computer troubles all day, so this made me nervous. I think it may be the heat causing problems with my server.
Many of my friends and family have commented that the internet has been painfully slow in the last few days. I believe it is related to the sweltering heat too, which must be affecting the towers, networks, and ISPs that are all interconnected via the overburdened electrical grid.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 24th, 2012, 8:47 am
by knitwit45
Is anyone else having trouble with their email links to topics they are subscribed to? ick, split infinitive..
anyway, when I click on the link to view last post, instead it takes me to the very first post. With Joe's Candids, that's 616 pages off. :shock:

Just a minor trouble, nothing serious...just wondering if anyone else is experiencing this, or if it is my computer.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 24th, 2012, 10:23 am
by MissGoddess
Nancy,
The only time I've encountered that is if I was not logged in when I accessed the thread. Is it happening every time you come here? Maybe you need to re-set your preferences in the User Control Panel.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 24th, 2012, 12:05 pm
by moira finnie
Sorry to hear about this issue, Nan. One thing that might help would be deleting all the cookies on this site. If you look at the bottom, right hand corner of the main index page you should see this:
Image

By clicking on the hyperlink you will refresh your computer's connections to the board. It might also be a good idea to clean out your computer cache and browser history. I will keep an eye on things here to see if there are any technical issues within the board's software that might affect your access. I'll let you know if anything pops up.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 24th, 2012, 12:22 pm
by knitwit45
Thanks, Ms.G and Moira. I will do some housework when I get home to my computer (don't tell my boss what I'm up to right now) :oops: :oops:

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: July 24th, 2012, 3:03 pm
by knitwit45
well, I tried deleting the cookies (darned if I could remember my login and password after I deleted...) and it seems to be working a bit better. It at least takes me to the current page, but at the top, rather than the last post. I can certainly live with that! Thanks again.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: September 18th, 2012, 1:37 pm
by moira finnie
FYI Mozilla Firefox 15.0.1 browser users:

The Adobe Flash Player update that occurred today (9-18-12) automatically installing Flash Player 11.4.402.265 may not allow images or videos to load or play correctly. After hunting around for a solution, I wound up uninstalling the Flash Player Update and reinstalling an older version Flash Player 10.3.183.25 that appears to be compatible with Firefox. I also set the Flash Player so that it would not automatically update. I would prefer to have it automatically update, but as you can read at the link below, there seems to be a systemic incompatibility between Firefox and Adobe at the moment:
http://tinyurl.com/8wh8dqt

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: September 18th, 2012, 4:01 pm
by MissGoddess
oh, thank you for this, i don't have auto Flash update at work but i think i do here at home. i will keep this in mind. i often have problems with Flash as a rule, especially on Windows XP.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: March 14th, 2013, 4:25 am
by CineMaven
I am sending PMs to friends here, and I don't see the PM in my SENT MESSAGES box. I'm not understanding why this is happening, and am now unsure if recipients are actually receiving my PMs. No, the box is not anywhere near being FULL.

Re: Computer Issues

Posted: March 14th, 2013, 6:38 am
by JackFavell
Theresa, did you check and see if maybe it was giving you a "preview" instead of just sending the message the first time? That's happened to me before..but not for a long time. I used to think I'd sent the message but in reality it was just previewing it, then I'd leave thinking I'd actually sent the message but it hadn't gone through. All I had to do was click submit again for it to go through. It's a long shot, but something that occurred to me might be the problem.