Is your Windows environment secure enough?

I found a new tool from Microsoft that will evaluate the security of your PC, and give instructions on how to correct potential vulnerabilities.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is an easy-to-use tool designed for the IT professional that helps small- and medium-sized businesses determine their security state in accordance with Microsoft security recommendations and offers specific remediation guidance.

You don't need to be an IT professional to use MBSA, as instructions for correcting potential vulnerabilities are easy to follow. MBSA examines the following areas on your Windows computer:

• Security Updates
• Windows Administrative Vulnerabilities and System Issues, e.g. is Windows Firewall enabled, is the Guest Account disabled, and if are unnecessary Services turned off
  
• Internet Information Services (IIS) Administrative Vulnerabilities and System Issues, e.g. are the sample applications removed and has the IIS Lockdown patch been applied
  Note, many folks do not realize that they have IIS unnecessarily running on their computer
  
• Desktop Application Administrative Vulnerabilities

Of course this does not cover all of your security needs, but it is important all the same. For additional information to see if your computing environment is secure, read my posts "Is Your Windows XP Computer Internet Safe?" and "Is your home network secure?"

Google Maps not displaying in Firefox 3

In looking up some locations in Google Maps today, I found that the map images were not displaying. The searches worked, and I did get the list of possible matches on the left side. Thanks to some searching through Google I found the problem. The current Skype add-on (v.2.2.0.87) for Firefox is causing this problem. I'm not sure how they are related, but by disabling the Skype add-on fixed the problem.

It appears this Skype Add-on is also causing screen redraw issues for some users of Firefox as well.

Simple backup and file move utility

I was looking earlier in the week for a simple utility to monitor a folder and update equivalent folders on two other machines, based on content changing. I found SyncBackSE from 2BrightSparks to do the trick. This $30 utility program saved me countless hours in writing my own solution. SyncBackSE comes with a fully functional 30 day trial.

SyncBackSE can be used to backup files or to keep folders in sync. Sounds pretty simple, but it can get rather complex. SyncBackSE has two configuration interfaces, easy and expert. Let me run through creating a simple backup Profile.

1. Click Ctrl-N to start a new Profile.
2. Select source and destination directories (folders). These can be on mapped drives or even UNC paths.
3. Accept the default backup (or sync) settings, or adjust as required. For example:
   
   • If a file appears on the destination, but not on the source, do you want to delete it or copy it back to the source?
   • If a file has changed on the destination, but not on the source, do you want to over write the source, over write the destination, or ignore it?
     
4. Schedule when the profile should run.

Sounds simple enough, but what if the destination directory is on another computer that requires access credentials. SynckBackSE supports that, including a Test button to validate you entered the correct credentials, instead of waiting until it fails. Perhaps the destination can only be accessed via FTP; SyncBackSE can do that too. One final feature that I used -- the ability to export and import profiles. After getting SyncBackSE programmed and working like I wanted in my test environment, I was able to export the profiles and import them to the production environment -- the only necessary changes was the different computers.

Oh, I almost missed this feature -- it can work from the command line. And I can also simulate the backup or sync, validating my work before letting it run free. There are even more features -- you'd better check it out for yourself.

SyncBackSE worked so well, I downloaded the freeware version, SyncBack to take over my backup chores at home. It appears SyncBack (freeware) is just an earlier version of SyncBackSE -- v.3.2 / v.4.1. The configuration interface for SyncBack is just a little different (not as good as SyncBackSE) and perhaps a bit less sophisticated, but perfect for backups.

Of course a backup is only as good as the ability to recover files. Here's the instructions for restoring from a backup.

Restoring a backup in SyncBack is a simple matter of selecting a profile and clicking the 'Restore' button located in the lower menu...
A restore operation swaps the source and destination directories...

Perfect. Of course it will also allow you to configure whether it should over-write newer files on the restore or not. If I'm restoring lost files, I wouldn't want other files over-written. On the other hand, if i am restoring files that had been corrupted, then I would want it to overwrite.

If my rave review is not enough, when you go to the 2BrightSparks website, you will see that SyncBack and SyncBackSE have also won countless awards.

Unable to call out on the iPhone

Update, 10:22 am PST: I am now able to make calls, receive email, and use the network.

Update, 10:05 am PST: AT&T customer service confirmed that there is a major outage in Oregon and Washington and they are sending a technician out to fix it. They have no ETA on when it will be back up. This affects only the 2G network -- 3G is up and working.

Update, 9:50 am PST: Still no change. No incoming or outgoing calls, nor access to any network functions.

It's 9:00 am PST, just south of Portland, OR, and I am unable to dial out or receive calls on my first generation (firmware 2.0.1) iPhone. I confirmed the same experience with 3 of my co-workers. Data services are also down. I'll be looking for that credit on my next bill from AT&T.

New Firefox 3 Keyboard Shortcuts Tri-Fold

I have updated my 2006, Firefox 2 keyboard shortcut tri-fold for Firefox 3. I added about a dozen new keyboard shortcuts from my prior version. Click on each of the gif files to view a full version or just download by right-clicking.

Print one image on each side of your paper, and then fold into three.

Fun with Firefox 3

Here's a few fun easter eggs in Firefox. In the "awesome" address bar, try entering each of these:

• about:robots
• about:mozilla

And here are a few Firefox plug-ins to make your browsing a bit easier:

• For those that prefer the Firefox 2 address bar, try the Oldbar plug-in.
• Save a step of having to arrow or mouse down to the first item in the awesome bar, install the Enter Selects 3 plug-in.
• Aging Tabs will continually darken the color of tabs the as time passes since you last viewed the particular tab.
• Instead of reopening a closed tab using History, you can accomplish the same task with a button using Undo Closed Tabs Button plug-in.
• Firefox Showcase let's you view thumbnails of all your tabs in a single window.
  

iTunes 7.7.1.11 and iPhone 2.0.1 spell disaster

Just a few nights back after work, following a fairly normal routine, I accepted the iTunes request for an update to 7.7. Upon completion and plugging in my iPhone, I was prompted to update the firmware to 2.0.1. Again, I accepted. During the middle of this process, iTunes crashed. Upon clearing the dialog boxes, iTunes restarted (my iPhone was still connected). Only this time, iTunes had nothing in it's library -- no music, no movies, no Podcasts -- nothing. And then looking at my iPhone, it was cycling between the Apple logo and an image of a USB plug and the iTunes logo -- my iPhone had become an iBrick.

Wow! In a bit of shock, I tried closing and restarting iTunes, and I tried shutting down and restarting my iPhone. Neither one helped. Here I went from a few casual, routine updates to a lot of unplanned for, and really unnecessary rebuilding. First, i had to figure out how to un-brick my phone.

The best I could come up with was some instructions posted on ...my first tech blog, where it sounds like Garry had a similar experience with his iPhone and the 2.0.1 firmware update -- though his process was describing how to recover for Vista. With this as a guide, I was able to un-brick the phone. I'll avoid the mis-fires, and just summarize the steps that actually got my iPhone working again.

1. Remove the iPhone from the USB / iPhone cable and shut it off
   
   • Hold the Sleep/Wake (top) and Home buttons for about 10 seconds
     
2. Restart your PC (turn it off first, do not just reboot)
   
3. Plug the USB / iPhone cable directly into my PC (not through a hub)
   
4. Create a new account in Windows XP (or Vista) with Administrator privileges
   
   • Begin with an account that has admin privileges
   • Go to the User Accounts applet in the Control Panel
   • Create a new user with admin privileges
5. Completely logout (do not just switch users), and login to the new Admin user account
6. Launch iTunes
7. Reconnect your iPhone (eventually it should recognize your iPhone)
   
8. Accept the prompt to recover your iPhone
9. Once recovered, you can logoff and return to your normal user account, and delete the account used for the recovery
   [I am fairly certain creating the new account is suggested because iTunes must keep some configurations in the Registry. If you wanted to make the recovery within your standard account, you would have to know which Registry entries to modify and/or delete. The new account approach is easier for most computer users.]
   

There you have it. I now had a virgin iPhone with 2.0.1 firmware. Of course I still had to deal with iTunes, which no longer has any of my files or configurations.

I tried to find a good configuration file, but all I could find was the new, virgin one created. So I had to go the old fashion way, and rebuild my library -- File | Add Folder to Library. I had to do this twice, once for my video files and once for my audio files. The good news is that it will scan all sub-folders. Hours later, my 45 GB of audio, video, podcast, and App Store files were reloaded. With that complete, I recreated my Smart Playlists.

Now with iTunes back up-to-speed, I still had to reload my iPhone. With nearly filling my 8 GB phone with music, the sync took several more hours. I still have not fully completed the last step on the iPhone: reconfigure all the Apps, including login credentials. In particular, I am not having any success getting my Exchange mail to work, which was working before the disaster.

Finally, since I also have an iPod and an Apple TV, I still have to re-establish them with my reborn iTunes. that is going to take another 6 to 8 hours per device, as they heach have 40 GB to resync. Unfortunately, Apple forces you to dump the drives and reload the file, even though they are the same. It's just that the devices thinks that I am now using a different PC (since I lost iTunes) than what they were originally sync'd with.

Let me conclude with 2 lessons learned:

1. No matter how well syncing works with your USB cable plugged through a USB hub, plug it directly into your computer (in particular if your are doing a firmware update).
2. No matter whether required to or not, always reboot your PC after an iTunes update prior to reattaching any of your devices.

There you have it; way too many hours lost to technology mishaps. For all the praise Apple gets for making good products, I think they still have a long way to go when it comes to the iPhone and Windows applications.

Is your home network secure?

photo courtesy of http://www.conniq.com
I live in an apartment complex, and I have found that some folks leave their wireless routers open for anyone to join. In addition, for those that are "locked down," the default password was never changed. Why is this? Well networking computers used to be a difficult task, but with today's advanced routers and OSs, it's easy to setup your own network -- and cheap too.

You can go down to your favorite "big box" retailer and for less than $50 pick up a fast wireless router. If you already have cable Internet access, just plug-in the router, and it works (DSL requires some configuration). Unfortunately for the non-geek crowd, they are leaving themselves open to anyone who wants to access their network and the computers that are connected to it.

"How?" you might ask. First, go to Google and search on "router default passwords" and click on "I'm Feeling Lucky" (or click on "Google Search" and then click on one of the many search results). You will be taken to a site with default passwords for routers. So for folks who just plugged their router in (or who even added network security, but did not changed their default password), their system is open for anyone to use, because all the default usernames and passwords are easy to find in one place. (The usernames and passwords are also in your user manuals, so if they were not all in one place, a simple visit to the manufacturer's website would reveal them too.)

In addition to now giving anyone the ability to configure your router to their liking, it can get worse. Take for example the files and folders you shared on your computer for your family to access, now that you have a home network. Now since anyone who can get on your network can see these, you have shared them with the entire world. Perhaps you haven't shared any files or folders or you have required a password to access them. Still, that may not be enough.

Most users of Windows XP do not realize that it comes shipped with a default administrator username and password, too, therefore it has never changed either. Well once someone has breached (err accessed) your home network, it doesn't take much more effort to access your Windows XP computer. For example, I was able to learn my neighbors favorite music and see photos of their friends and family by using this technique. (I didn't look further, really I didn't -- I just wanted to prove that this is a problem.)

To recap, here's what you want to make sure you do when setting up your home network:

1. Change the default username and password on your router.
2. Change the default username and password for your OS (here's instructions for Windows XP).
3. Secure your wireless connection with WPA (or WPA2).
4. Only share unsecure files and folders that are okay for anyone to access. Require a login for sensative files.
5. Cook your geeky brother-in-law a nice dinner for all his hard work.
   

On a related note, I recently found a video podcast, Lab Rats, that in some early episodes included information on home networks. See episode 6 and episode 7 to learn how to setup the network and episode 1 on selecting the right security protocol (hint: use WPA). Also episode 65, Home Network Basics, covers some of the available technologies. I had searched for a comprehensive guide for setting up a home network to link to, but I came up short -- they seem to be either too simple (e.g. click here, click here; nothing on security) or too complex (i.e. more than the average person needs to know). Perhaps I'll get ambitious and put something together myself. In the mean time, let me know if you have questions.

How safe is your laptop?

Dell recently release a report (30-Jun-08) on loss of laptops at airports, and a whopping 12,000 are lost every week. For class B airports such as LAX, JFK, Dulles, the average is 286 laptops per week per airport. In addition, over 50% of those surveyed said their laptop contained sensitive information. Sixty-five percent of the same survey group said they do not take any special precautions to protect their data. In addition, 42% of the respondents do not have their data backed up. What are you doing to protect your laptop and its data when you travel?

Of course if you are a Dell customer, the now have some offerings to help address this problem. About.com offers 8 tips for travelers with laptops.

The rules for inspecting your laptop when coming in and out of the country has recently changed too. Did you know that your laptop can be seized at the border for inspection for no reason at all?

International travelers entering the United States face potential inspection and seizure of their laptops and other electronic devices, and copying of the electronic files they contain as part of the country's border security.
-- The Transnational

This is a fight that is just beginning. Congress heard from advocacy groups and others recently on this subject, though the Department of Homeland Security (who has control of this process) failed to participate.

Upheld in April by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit federal appeals court decision, such activity by border patrol agents has drawn criticism--especially as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not complied with requests to provide information--and was the subject of a U.S. Senate hearing last month.
-- The Transnational

So in addition to potentially losing your laptop when going through security domestically, you can potentially lose your laptop to the Feds when entering or leaving the country. I have heard some industry experts suggest that before traveling out of the country, you should back up all your data through a web service, delete it from your laptop, and then restore it once you arrive at your destination. The delete and restore may be a bit much, but having access to your files over the web could be a good backup plan if your laptop is seized, lost, or even if it breaks down.

Be careful out there.

How much energy and money are you wasting while not using your electronic gear?

I recently found a chart that lists common electronic gear and the power and money spent while they sit idle. For plasma TV owners, you far outpace anything else at $160 / 1452.4 kwh annually ($0.11 p/ kilowatt hour). Many of these devices can be plugged into a power brick, and when not in use the brick can be turned off, therefore not consuming any power.