Posts Tagged ‘Clifton Park computer repair’

So, You Think Your iPhone Connection is Secure!

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Recently, a researcher demonstrated how he could impersonate a GSM cell tower at the Def Con Convention in Las Vegas.  Chris Paget, a security professional created a device which impersonates GSM cell phone towers for about $1,500.00.  Note: cell phone snooping is illegal and Chris took many precautions not to break the law.

The device impersonates AT&T cell phone towers, making Android and iPhones think they are connecting to a legitimate phone tower.  The system can be configured enabling the call to be listened to.  The device could also be configured to intercept calls.

As Verizon Wireless and Sprint use CDMA technology, their systems would not be affected by this vulnerability.  While the hack will not work with 3G, it is possible to knock the 3G offline and then the hacking device would take over.  The cost to build the equipment to knock 3G offline would be less than $1,000.00.

Even if a phone has the voice mode set for encryption, the hacking device could just turn it off.  And depending on the phone, there may be no notice that encryption has been disabled.

Information provided by: HITman Services, a computer and IT services company located in Clifton Park, New York.

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Does Google Ever Fail?

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

The short answer is yes; and most recently earlier this month.  The software:  Google Wave.  If you haven’t heard about it don’t feel too badly as it never created the buzz Google was looking for.

About a year ago, Google came out with a product called Google Wave. It was touted as a real-time collaboration and communication system. Google Wave comprised all forms of Web 2.0 including; instant messaging, wikis, social media, chat, email, and more.

The issue is that Google Wave just hasn’t taken off. People have not taken to it the way they have with Facebook.  Google will continue to provide the service until the end of the year. While Wave may be down for the count, there’s always another match not too far in the distance, and I can’t imagine Google giving up.

Information provided by: HITman Services, a computer and IT services company located in Clifton Park, New York.

Customer Service (or Lack Thereof)

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

In May we had decided to try a new software program and contracted with a well know, and well established company as we thought it would be quicker to deploy than take time from client projects to update the system we were currently using.

Within a week of making the decision and attempting to work with the company, it became apparent that this would not be a good fit as it took quite a while to get questions answered.  And we were just at the beginning of the implementation phase.  So I contacted the company to let them know we would not be proceeding.

I had put their system out of my mind until yesterday.  That is when we received a call from the company regarding us terminating the relationship.  This morning I returned the call and spoke with one of their representatives.  She asked why we decided not to continue with the software.  I said this is a perfect example of why we stopped; we canceled in May and it is now almost August and we are just receiving a call asking us why.

I then stated if we were in a situation where a client no longer wished to do business with us we would be on the phone with them in the afternoon, or tomorrow at the latest.

Exceptional customer service needs to be a core believe from the top down and permeate throughout the organization.  Everyone who comes into contact with clients or customers needs to be empowered to do whatever is necessary to make sure that clients and customers are completely satisfied.

This latest interaction with such a large company provides our computer networking and repair; and website development companies, with a good example of what not to emulate.  We can always learn.

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Insidious Spam Designed to Look Real

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Earlier today a client from Clifton Park called in concerning an email message they did not send.  When we connected with their desktop we discovered a new spam message disguised to look legitimate.

The email comes from Mail Delivery and shows Subsystem Delivery Status Notification (Failure)

The email contains an attachment which holds the payload.  The attachment is called Forwarded Message.html

The body of the email message is as follows, (we substituted the email address):

Note: Forwarded message is attached.

This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification

THIS IS A WARNING MESSAGE ONLY.

Delivery to the following recipient has been delayed:

name@domain.com

Message will be retried for 2 more day(s)

If you get a message like this, delete it.

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Microsoft Windows Mobile Devices – LG Fathom

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

The second Microsoft Windows Mobile phone I tested was the Fathom by LG.  This is powered by Windows Mobile Professional 6.5.3 and has a slide-out keyboard.

The Fathom lacks Verizon’s V Cast Mobile TV of the HTC Imagio but does have access to Verizon’s VZ Navigator.

The qwerty style slide-out keyboard works well.  One design flaw is the keyboard requires pressing a function key in order to get a period.  This is a major oversight in my opinion.  LG does include a stylus for input, but it is too short to be of much use.

The LG Fathom uses a resistive display , which does not work very well.  When scrolling, programs start to run because the display interprets the users intent incorrectly.  A benefit of a resistive screen is that they do allow for use of a stylus.

The size of the Fathom is pretty good and it has a nice display.  The display size is 3.2″ with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.

Call quality was good. We tested the Fathom throughout the Clifton Park area up to Saratoga Springs and down to Latham.  We experienced no dropped calls during the test.

The LG Fathom also has a proximity sensor which locks the screen when the phone is near your face.  Likewise, Bluetooth connections were good in the different vehicles we tested it in.

During the short time of our test, we found battery use to be below what we expected.  But since the battery is removable it is possible to carry a spare.

Overall the poor screen sensitivity made the LG Fathom not a good choice.

Changing Times

Friday, May 28th, 2010

This morning I had the opportunity to visit with another long term client.   We have been providing IT and computer support to this Upstate New York company for well over ten years and it has been very interesting to be a part of the business as they transformed.

Many changes have taken place from when the business was locally owned to now being part of a large national firm.  General managers have come and gone, some business functions have been moved to corporate headquarters.  Business focus has been massaged and tweaked.

What hasn’t changed is the loyalty and dedication of the staff.  It was wonderful to see that despite the turbulent times we live in, the attitude of many of the people I have known for so many years remains positive and upbeat.

It was a nice start to the day.

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The Value of Longtime Business Relationships

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to re-connect with a client whom I haven’t spoken to in several months.

Because we are located in Clifton Park, NY and they are in Syracuse, NY, the majority of the computer and network support we do for them is via our remote systems.

It must be over 15 years ago when I met these people.  They are two brothers who own a large repair facility.  We installed a program called GarageKeeper to help them run their business.

While we have upgraded equipment for them several times, the software hasn’t been changed since 2000.  Many would think they are using an out dated program, but the reliability of the system is incredible. As the Timex commercial use to say, “it takes a licking and keeps on  ticking”.  So it is with the GarageKeeper program.

One of the owners is retired and the owner of daughter has taken her uncle’s place.  They are some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.

I feel very fortunate that many of the people who I met many years ago, I still serve.

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10 Surefire Signs That You Are Infected With Spyware, Malware, and Viruses

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Since most malicious programs such as viruses, spyware and malware are designed to hide themselves, detecting their existence is not always easy.

Recently a person who came into our computer repair facility in Clifton Park asked how they could tell they were infected with a virus, so we put this list together.

Here are a few surefire signs that you have been infected:

1 – You start getting swamped with pop-up ads that seem to come from nowhere and constantly interrupt your use of the computer.
2 – Your computer is unstable, sluggish, locks up, or crashes frequently.
3 – Your web browser’s home page changes on its own and you cannot modify the settings. You may also see toolbars on your web browser that you did not set up.
4 – You get a second or third web browser popping up behind your main browser that you didn’t open or request.
5 – Mysterious files suddenly start appearing.
6 – Your CD drawer starts opening and closing by itself.
7 – You get constant runtime errors in Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express.
8 – You find emails in your “Sent Items” folder that you didn’t send.
9 – Some of your files are moved or deleted or the icons on your desktop or toolbars are blank or missing.
10 – You suddenly see your self appear in a window from your webcam.

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“Stupid Company” Procedures

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Part of my job at HITman Services is researching software at our Clifton Park office.

Over the weekend I was trying out some new BlackBerry apps.  One which I thought was very interesting was Visible Vote.  I signed up for an account and started using the application.

Shortly thereafter I received an email from the company with my user name and password in the email.  I was under the impression that the practice of sending passwords in emails ended years ago, but obviously I was wrong.

When I sign up with companies I am not familiar with or whose security procedures I am unsure of, I use a throw-away password.  Which in this case turned out to be the right thing to do.

I sent the company an email regarding their antiquated security methods, and have yet to hear back.

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Customer Feedback

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

As our company has a very good technical staff, it is rare I that I go on service calls anymore.

Yesterday afternoon I received call with a request to install some new hardware for a friend of mine who also happens to be a customer of our Clifton Park computer repair business.  As I knew they didn’t want to go without their system for the entire weekend, I told them I would come by and take care of it for them..

Everything went well and they were very appreciative of the fast response on a weekend night. The best part for me thought, was hearing them rave about their recent experience with one of our techs.

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