Do not make the mistake of installing it or upgrading it now.

Firefox’s “Find Updates” in Tools –> Add-ons could not find the latest version 2.9 just like the Mozilla Add-ons website couldn’t recommend it because Site Advisor is not your normal .XPI add-on. One has to download and install a .EXE through the Site Advisor download page.

The latest version is about 3.0MB large, takes a lot of time to install, asks for a reboot, and even then creates annoying problems post-installation until you disable it. The problem is that every time you open Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer, a popup asking you about post-installation settings appears again, asking you to Accept or Decline their EULA. The annoyance stops only after declining.

I tried this (by mistake) on a friend’s and my laptop and the problem was persistent. On one of the two, the pop-ups stopped but McAfee Site Advisor no longer had its search bar and it wasn’t showing whether a site is safe or not. That is because one has to “Decline” to get there in the first place.

I couldn’t find any fixes online yet. Let me know if you have any.

Image Source: McAfee Site Advisor Screenshots taken on my laptop.

Post from: EveryJoe

Do Not Install or Upgrade McAfee Site Advisor

There is a Firefox trojan that is trolling around stealing passwords. Read the Larry Seltzer’s post for the story and a suggestion.

Friend Brian got numerous cases with a variant of Win32/FakeSecScan virus in the last couple of weeks and so compiled a helpful one-page PDF called “Beware of Fake Antivirus Programs” (PDF link warning). I have one more thing to add. When you see that popup message, open the taskmanager and kill the browser. Some of the uglier ones of this kind don’t have a better solution.

Computer World has a very alarming story. McColo Corp., a webhosting firm, was taken down a month ago resulting in a 42% drop of spam volume. Slowly, actually quickly, the spam levels are catching up again.

McAfee released its Virtual Criminology report recently. It accuses the governments of turning a blind eye to cybercrime, according to PCWorld. I agree that there is a damn lot to be done, but McAfee’s bombastic style takes away a little credibility, not of the report itself but of the accusation. If say the US government were turning a blind eye, there wouldn’t even be talking about a Center for Cybersecurity Operations, would they?

Blizzard has introduced two-factor authentication in World of Warcraft. On top of the usual password, there will be a six-digit authentication code generated by the %6.50 worth keyfob on-demand for each login.

Post from: EveryJoe

Internet Roundup On Security Awareness