Facebook May Not Be For Everyone...

Here is a pretty fantastic read on Facebook and "what's going on" when you surf the site, create an account and communicate with other people. There is also a good detailed explanation of what "Apps" are and so on; good read for even the experienced users out there!

“As a security vendor there are too many dangers on Facebook to advocate its use”.

Recommended Browser Extensions & Add-On's

What we wanted to do is share our favorite, most recommended & most used Firefox & Google Chrome Extensions! So please, I hope you check them all out and maybe consider using them with your favorite browser! 

1. BetterPrivacy; Ever wondered why you are still tracked though you tried everything to prevent it? BetterPrivacy is a Super Cookie Safeguard which protects from usually not deletable LSO's. It blocks longterm tracking on Google, YouTube Ebay and many others...
   
2. Colorful Tabs (Firefox); The most beautiful yet the simplest add-on that makes a strong colorful appeal. Colors every tab in a different color and makes them easy to distinguish while beautifying the overall appearance of the interface.
   
3. Cooliris; Simply the fastest and most stunning way to browse photos and videos from the Web or your desktop. Effortlessly scroll an infinite "3D Wall" of your content from Facebook, Google Images, YouTube, Flickr...
   
4. Firebug  (Firefox); Firebug integrates with Firefox to put a wealth of development tools at your fingertips while you browse. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page...
   
5. FireFTP; A free, secure, cross-platform FTP client for Chrome and Firefox which provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers.
   
6. Flagfox; Displays a country flag depicting the location of the current website's server and provides quick access to detailed location and webserver information.
7. Long URL Please; Replaces short urls with the originals so you can see where links actually link to.
   
8. NoScript; The best security you can get in a web browser! Allow active content to run only from sites you trust, and protect yourself against XSS and Clickjacking attacks.
   
9. Pocket; Pocket allows you to save web pages of interest to read later. It eliminates cluttering of bookmarks with sites that are merely of a one-time interest.
   
10. WOT; Web of Trust, warns you about risky websites that try to scam visitors, deliver malware or send spam. Protect your computer against online threats by using WOT as your front-line layer of protection when browsing or searching in unfamiliar territory.
11. Google Cast; Send content to your Chromecast and other devices that support Google Cast.
12. LastPass; LastPass is a free password manager and form filler. LastPass is also available for Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari.
13. AdBlock; One of the most popular extensions, with over 15 million users! Blocks ads all over the web.
14. Chrome to Mobile; Send web pages from Chrome on your computer to Chrome on your phone or tablet.
15. After the Deadline; Check spelling, style, and grammar in your browser.
16. HTTPS Everywhere; Encrypt the Web! Automatically use HTTPS security on many sites.
17. Keep My Opt-Outs; Permanently opts your browser out of online ad personalization via cookies.
18. Lazarus: Form Recovery; Autosaves everything you type so you can easily recover from form-killing timeouts, crashes and network errors.
19. MightyText; Text from Chrome! Sync'd with Android ~ SMS & Texting like Google Voice in Google Chrome! 

Let us know of any issues with links!

Updated 10/9/2017
pnwcomputers@gmail.com

Twitter, Twitter, Twitter...

We have been following and reporting about the lack of security importance over at Twitter.com as well as try to inform the populace of their lack of concern. Though it's member and use numbers climb every day, so do the number & severity of exploitations against them! Please, follow up on Pacific NorthWest Computers'..

"Twitter's Trail of Tears"

We at PNW Computers are proud to be new members of the
Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce!

See our ad in the new BGCC Newsletter!

Securing Your Web Browser

Securing Your Web Browser
By the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team or US-CERT

Browser security and browser vulnerabilities are big topics that I soap box about all the time to customers about just because it's the most attacked vector of the user's computer (other than email).
Today I found a fantastic article explaining the importance of securing and using a safe web browser as well as goes over many details of why your browser needs to be secure and how it is exploited!
The article was written by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team and is the best and most thorough explanation I have ever come across! This is an excellent, definite MUST read article!

PNWComputers.com

Check Out Pacific NorthWest Computers' New Website!
*Still Under Construction...

Pacific NorthWest Computers On-line!

Twitter Got Hacked... Again !

"I just learned that Twitter has contacted the FBI so i decided to delete all my posts."

What does it take for a company to realize,

"We need to invest into the security of our website!"

Here is a brief list of the security incidents I have read about Twitter since the dawn of the new year...
(In the best chronological order I could put them in!)

January '09:
Monday Morning Madness @Twitter
Phishing Scam Bursts Twitter's 'Trust' Bubble
Hackers Hi-Jack's Obama's, Britney's Twitter Accounts
Twitter Hack: How it happened and what's being done
Weak Password Brings ‘Happiness’ to Twitter Hacker

April '09:
Twitter Worm Targets Celebrities
Wow - my Yahoo mail account was just hacked
This week, unauthorized access to Twitter was gained by an outside party...

May '09:
Hacker: I Broke Into Twitter

July '09:
The Month of Twitter Bugs
The Anatomy Of The Twitter Attack
Twitter: A Growing Security Minefield

August '09:
Why Attack Twitter!?
Hackers attack Twitter, Facebook also slows down
Twitter meltdown raises questions about the site(s) stability
Twitter Attack Looks Politically Motivated
Twitter and Facebook DDoS attack 'targeted one person'
Twitter still recovering from DDoS attack

Twitter definitely needs to get their act together! Especially with a month of investigative exploitations down, now a DDoS attack; what's next!?!?

Even if they finally "Batten Down the Hatches", safe online user account security practices are always a must when you any online or user based website; especially social networking web sites!
You always want to secure your account to the gills and try to avoid using "web apps" and similar Java & Flash applications. (like Quizzes, User2User Games, etc.)

With our world's growing dependency on computers, we also need to be growing the security and safeguarding of the personal information that the world stores on these systems.
Best Practice Guide to Safe Social Networking

Well, as any business that is "up-and-coming" would do,
We now have a Facebook and MySpce Pages!

If you are a social net-worker; check it out!

Pacific NW Computers on Facebook

Pacific NW Computers on MySpace

IE-0day Exploit Domains List

This is something that it is important to know for applications of IT and computer security; especially in corporate and government environments....

" ...list of domains that are exploiting the new IE-0day exploits as well as secondary domains that are hosting potentially malicious binaries utilized in these attacks... "

IE-0day Exploit Domains (constantly updated)

The Botnet Sagga Continues...

This is the Stuff, Die Hard Movies are made after! But, it is also a very serious and very REAL, day to day threat!

Botnet worm in DOS attacks could wipe data out on infected PCs