Continuing the Journey in IT Security

Yup, I'm still here. I'm not going to make any excuses for not writing for the past few months. So I will just get down to my current thoughts. I am continuing my IT Security classes at USF Polytechnic. I have about one year left before graduating with a BSAS-IT with an information security specialization. I am now focusing on the security classes which include Cryptography, Network security and Firewalls and Information Security Management. So far, these classes are helping me learn more about the current security environment where I work as well as reinforcing topics that I feel knowledgable in such as virus protection and PC security. As I stated a few months ago, this blog will slowly turn into IT Security related information and I continue to immerse myself into this field. I love troubleshooting PCs but over the past couple of years, I have become passionate about protecting the network as well as personal PC protection. I have not really attempted any type of hacks in a lab setting but I may do that in the future since that is one way to see where your network is vulnerable. FYI: I do NOT recommend attempting to hack any other company or you might end up in jail like this guy. I guess that is all for now. My next post might be related to a recent homework example involving using AES encryption.

IT Security focus

Hello everyone,
I know I have not written on this blog since January and I do apologize. There have been a few changes in my life since then so I just have not had time to write any articles. RChase Computer Consulting is still going strong and I am currently evaluating the best avenue to further continue this blog. One of the my changes in my life is the career path that is seriously interesting me these days....IT Security. I am currently going back to school to finish a BS degree in IT Security and hopefully I will also complete the CISSP certification soon thereafter. Over the past few months, I have done some IT Security related projects at my job and I very much enjoy this area of IT. I plan on continuing to write on this blog but with an IT security focus. Mostly this means I will start to focus articles related to firewalls, virus protection, hacker attacks, and PC security. I will still continue to consult about PC upgrades and repairs but IT Security will be the focus going forward. Stay tuned for what I am learning about IT Security.

Google Redirect Virus Issues

Today I thought I would take a moment to discuss a serious issue that many of my friends and co-workers have experienced while doing Google web searches. There is something called the Google redirect virus which is an attack that hijacks Google search results and redirects the browser to unwanted malicious websites. The Google redirect virus is a well hidden malware program and its removal is nearly impossible under normal circumstances. Usually, TDL3 Rootkit or some other rootkit infection causes the Google redirect virus. It gets installed through a trojan horse and it hides your google search results and replaces them with spam advertisements or websites which promote malware or some other online scam. The Google Redirect Virus is not easily detected by Anti-virus programs and other security software and so its removal becomes even more difficult. By the way, it does not matter if you use Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome, the redirect virus affects all 3. Some people have even said that it affects other search engines such as Yahoo and Bing. I have only seen it affect Google searches.

I have come across this redirect virus over 30 times now and I've been able to clean it everytime. It is very difficult to clean manually so I recommend using an application known as FixRedirectVirus - a particular application which has been developed by a computer technician within the UK to eliminate the redirect virus on your computer. The owner of the software is so confident that the procedure will work that he is offering a 60 day full money-back guarantee. It may be worth it to get this issue resolved as fast as possible before it gets worse.


Download FixRedirectVirus

What to do When Your Favorite Malware Tools Fail

Try another one! Recently, I ran into some hardcore malware that was undetectable when I used my normal favorite two removal tools: Malwarebytes and Superantispyware. Mostly, I run into this problem with root-kit malware that is apparently undetectable at times.

But then there is program called Hitman Pro 3.5 that I discovered recently which, no joke, found the root-kit within seconds of being launched. I sat there for 30-40 minutes with the other tools and they found nothing. Hitman pro 3.5 found the malware within seconds!!! I rebooted the device and problem was solved.

What I like about Hitman Pro is that there is an install option that allows you to just run it once. Since it is a free application (there is a paid version), running it once keeps you legal if you need to run it on multiple PCs for a business or company that will not spend money for a corporate license.

So the next time, you think you are out of options, get a second opinion from Hitman Pro.

Still Using Windows XP?

Why? Ok, I guess I know the answer that most of you will give:

"It's stable."
"All my drivers are available."
"Windows XP has been around for so long, I trust it."

Ok, while those are valid and honest answers....the first two answers apply to Windows 7 also. The third will eventually apply, but why not take a leap of faith? The worst that can happen is that you put Windows XP back on your system and go back to a boring PC experience. Or you can get up to the 21 century by upgrading to Windows 7. Let me explain to you why I think it is a great idea to upgrade your PC to Windows 7, even if it is almost 3 yrs old or older.

I experienced a flawless Windows 7 upgrade back in February of this year. And when I mean flawless, I mean nothing went wrong, nothing was missing. Everything just worked. Now, I did do an upgrade from Windows Vista, but even if you have Windows XP, you can still install Windows 7, you would just need to back up your data first and then install a fresh copy because there is no upgrade path from XP to Windows 7. I applaud Microsoft for this decision.....it would be like upgrading from a bike with training wheels to dirt bike....they are not the same.

Anyway...since February, my Windows 7 PC has not crashed, bluescreened or locked up at all. I can not say that for when it was Vista. And even though Vista did not crash as much as XP did and still does for people, it was extremely slow and a huge memory hog. Windows 7 is not like that, at least for me. My 3 yr old PC feels like I just purchased it from Dell again.....6 months later....still feels like that.

Look, I know not everyone will be able to upgrade to a new OS without buying some more RAM or maybe a new video card but most likely it will still come out cheaper to do a custom upgrade than to purchase a brand new PC or laptop right now. Check out some prices and see if it will benefit you.

Website Promotion leads to traffic increase

Hey everyone....
Ok, I promise to get back to some real tech articles soon. I just have to write this article about promoting your blog or website. If you don't already know by now, last week, I was a featured guest on a Ustream show on channel Wildstyle Live! The show is hosted by a good friend of mine and the show discusses DJ stuff including music and news relating to the industry. I was a guest last week and the topic of discussion was computers. We discussed the importance virus protection, PC upgrades and repair, and some other computer related topics. Oh yeah, and a little about some Macs too.

Anyway, since being on the show, my blog RChase Computer Consulting was accessed over 35 times just from a 1 hour show broadcasted live on the internet. Now I know from talking with DJ Wildstyle that his show is rapidly growing in viewers each month. Last month, over 19,000 viewers watched his show! Those are some awesome stats for a show that only has about 47 episodes thus far. So just by being promoted and talked about on DJ Wildstyle's show will earn my blog some good promotion too.

So, what does all this mean? PROMOTION, PROMOTION, PROMOTION. Besides the help of Wildstyle LIVE!, Mastermindz Promotions helped out on Facebook. The more promotion you can give your business, the more visitors and exposure you gain from it.

If you missed me on the show, you can watch the episode again here:

Wildstyle LIVE: Episode 47

RChase Computer Consulting stats

Hey everyone,

I thought I'd write a short article about some websites stats to get ready for my appearance on Wildstyle Live! this Thursday. RChase Computer Consulting has been viewed over 24,000 times since April of 2008 (beginning of blog) with an average daily view of about 28. I know that may not seem like alot to most people, but I amazed when I look at the stats and what people search for to find RChase Computer Consulting. One of the most popular pages is the article that I wrote about using the HP System Recovery disks. Another popular page is about converting a VHD file to XVA format. I know, it sounds boring, but apparently, people are still searching on how to do it.

Anyway....I am not bragging at all. Like I said, I am amazed at how writing a few tech articles can turn into something so needed by others out there. I read many tech blogs myself and appreciate them when I find an answer to a problem. So my goal is to help others the same way.

RChase Computer Consulting has been viewed all around the world, just take a look at the map below:






Ok, I hope this helps get to know me a little bit. I look forward to chatting with some people this Thursday @ 8pm on WildStyle Live!