What Does AVG Product Give You?

• Protection that’s relevant to the way you use your computer and the Internet:
• Banking and shopping, surfing and searching, chatting and emailing, or downloading files and social networking – AVG has a protection product that’s right for you
• Protection that’s trusted by over 80 million people around the world
• Protection that’s hassle-free and doesn’t get in your way
• Protection that’s fueled by a global network of highly-experienced researchers
• Protection that’s backed by round-the-clock expert support

Interested to learn more about AVG products ? Visit AVG Here.

What Does We Give You?

During this festive Chinese New Year season, we are having a joint promotion with AVG and giving a whopping 30% discount to all our AVG customers. No matter whether you are buying Home Edition for a single computer, or whether you are buying Business Edition for thousands of licenses, you are entitled to this 30% discount.

• Never bought any antivirus program before? Here’s 30% discount for you.
• Migrating from another system protection software? Here’s 30% discount for you.
• Renewing your current AVG licenses? Here’s 30% discount for you.

This offer is exclusive to Pacific LANWorks Pte Ltd ONLY, so, what are you waiting for? Contact us now and get your price quotation from us before this offer expires.

Terms & Conditions

• 30% discount is valid for all AVG products ONLY
• Promotion ends by February 25th, 2010 (no extension and late-comers will not be entertained, sorry)
• Payment MUST be made and cleared by us before 12:00pm on February 25th, 2010
• This promotion will not be run concurrently with any other AVG-related promotions, nor any other offers promoted by us.

Please feel free to contact us for your price quotation and provide us the following information for prompt service:-

• Your contact name:
• Email Address:
• Company Name:
• Contact Number:
• Fax Number:
• Address:
• Which AVG Products you are interested in:
• How many licenses you required:

Interested to learn more about AVG products ? Visit AVG Here.

During my daily morning working ritual, that is, clearing emails, answering queries, replying to Twitters and checking out my Facebook account, all done with multiple windows on my 2 laptops and 3 screens using Synergy, an email from UPS suddenly caught my attention and all work was put on hold to check out this email. I’m usually a multi-tasker (who’s not), but in this case, nothing is more important than to read this email.

What’s The Story?

The reason why it gets my 100% attention is because we’ve recently help a customer to dismantle their server appliances from their Singapore office and ship them to their Belgium office, using UPS as our courier service. That job alone cost around S$4,900 for the shipping fees and the cargo itself is estimated to be around S$90,000. We almost make a loss for this job because another vendor who estimates the weight of the cargo for us miscalulated the total weight by a difference of over 90kg, meaning that the buffer charges we impose on the customer plus our profits have almost all gone down the drain, and if includes the manpower to do the migration, this definitely is a loss job. Any hiccups for this shipping is therefore not tolerated and that’s why my heart sinks and my mind froze when I read the first sentence from the email.

What’s In The Mailbox?

For your viewing pleasure, I’ve pasted the image of the email below:-

Computer Virus Masqueraded As UPS And DHL Delivery Failure

If you can’t see it, below is the exact mail from “UPS”:-
————————————————————–

Hello!

The courier company was not able to deliver your parcel by your address.
Cause: Error in shipping address.

You may pickup the parcel at our post office personaly!

Please attention!
The shipping label is attached to this e-mail.
Please print this label to get this package at our post office.

Please do not reply to this e-mail, it is an unmonitored mailbox.

Thank you.
United Parcel Service of America.

————————————————————–

If you are in my shoe, will your heart pound fast and your brain starts to go berserk when you see this email?

Congrates if you don’t, you have a very steady heart

What’s The Give?

Thanks to my years of training as a I.T. professional, I’m able to recollect myself and start to think and work logically after the initial shock. The few things I noticed amissed are:-

1. The email was send to me via my delson(at)pacificlanworks.com account, which I immediately knows something was wrong because our UPS account is not linked to this email!
2. I’ve corresponded with UPS multiple times before and the format and structure of this email seems not to be the same as those I’ve received from UPS previously.
3. The tracking number seems to be shorter than usual for UPS, again, this is based on our frequent shipping experience with UPS itself.

With these 3 doubts that I have, I begin to suspect this is more of a rogue email rather than a legitimate one. I blew a breather and starts to relax myself a bit. At least right now I can “rest in peace” knowing that nothing was wrong with my recent shipping ;p

Don’t Do This At Home

It’s been a long while since I’ve gotten myself so exited, especially receiving any official email from anybody, I decided to kill my curiosity cat and open the attachment.

By doing so, I can learn more about this type of fraudulent email and secondly, to test my new version of AVG Internet Security software

I look for my AVG icon on my bottom-right taskbar and double-click to open it and make sure it is updated and running properly. This is especially important because what I am going to attempt to do will have a very avast result if my AVG Internet Security software is not running properly.

I double-click on the attachment (please be reminded again NOT to attempt this action if you are not prepared for any disastrous result and if your data are not backed up) and the zip file was opened to show an .exe file embedded in it. See image below:-

Rogue .exe File In Email Attachment From UPS

When I double-click on the .exe file, AVG kicks in and flagged it as a trojan and immediately blocked the access to the file and safely quarantined it away from me.

Well, this proves that my hunch was correct and that my AVG Internet Security software is working fine too.

I then delete this email from UPS and pops comes the next email from DHL, same format, same structure. See below:-

Fraudulent Email From DHL Regarding Shipping Failure

Even the attachment contains the same type of .exe file too, see below:-

Fraudulent Email Attachment From DHL Regarding Shipping Failure

Since I’m receiving these emails, I’ll presume that everybody will be receiving too, either sooner or later, but definitely will be, and therefore I’m writing this post to alert everybody about it. Please ensure that  your system is protected with an anti-virus software  and that it is updated to the latest version with the latest virus definition file.

Which AntiVirus Software I recommend?

For me, I’ll recommend AVG software (almost 95% of our customers are using AVG software and some has already renewed it twice since their first usage.)

Do note that AVG software comes with 2 years subscription and when my customer has renewed it twice, it means that they have been using it for more than 4 years already.

If  you are having a  little budget problem, feel free to download your free copy of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0. There is absolutely no charge for this edition of AVG software but do note that this is just an antivirus software and do not have any firewall or antispyware to protect your system.

Alternatively, you can get FREE McAfee Internet Security software, which includes firewall and antispyware, with FREE 6 months of subscription just by becoming McAfee’s Official Facebook Fan.

Whichever you choose is not important, they are all great software, as long as you MUST choose one and get it installed in your system will do.

Good luck and have a great day.

His computer was basically crawling and hardly even got a chance to do a proper boot-up. Ten minutes after turning on the computer, the Windows logo finally appeared (never thought I’ll miss seeing it…), and before the logon screen appear, lots of windows start popping up. Missing file this, error message that, buy this, “your system is infected with …” that and WOW !! It just keeps popping up like fireworks!!!

There is no way for me to work on this system, and the only way for me to revive it is to totally reformat the whole system and start fresh again (if life can be so easy too…sigh….), but the user claims that he has got lots of very important data and they cannot be gone. Well of course, that’s what our job is all about.

I then proceed to remove his hard disk from the system and install it into another computer, making sure that the second computer has already installed with AVG antivirus and that it is updated to the latest definition file. The rest…. is just basic file copy, … virus alert, … heal, … continue, … virus alert, heal… and well, just too much of a nightmare to continue. I’m just sitting there clicking on the above messages like a mindless cuckoo and wishing there’s a much better way to end a day than this.

… begins to realize what kind of crap he’s putting into his system and how his life’s work can just go into the abyss of 0s and 1s …

Well, not too bad though, as during this time, my customer begins to realize what kind of crap he’s putting into his system and how his life’s work can just go into the abyss of 0s and 1s.

We begin to talk and this time (out of the many times I’ve talked to him), he’s serious. He asked me lots of questions and even took out his trusted organizer and begin to take down notes about how to prevent these incidents from happening again, and we even talk further and discuss about things to avoid when using computers. In fact, the list was pretty long, and I’m very surprised of his change of attitude towards learning to protect his system, and at the end of everything, at around 11:40pm (I started working on his system since 10am), he voluntary made a copy of his notes and gave it to me and asked me to always share these with my other customers, together with a S$500 cheque to buy whatever that’s necessary for him!! And that’s on top of my bill

Anyway, long story short, I’ve narrowed down the list and these will be the top 10 things to avoid when using your computer:-

1. Using a computer without a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply)
   • Protecting a computer is not just getting an antivirus program to protect your operating system and your software, you need to protect the hardware too.
   • Power outrages such as trips and brownouts are very common destructive forces and they can be easily avoided by getting a UPS. You may think that your systems are in danger only during an electrical storm, but anything that interrupts the electrical circuit and then starts the current back again can fry your components. Something as simple as someone turning on an appliance that’s plugged into the same circuit (especially a high voltage one such as a hair dryer, electric heater, or air conditioner) can cause a surge, or a surge may be caused by a tree limb touching a power line. If you have a power outage, you may experience a surge when the electricity comes back on.
   • An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) has a battery that keeps power flowing smoothly even when there’s an outage, giving you time to gracefully shut down your system without corrupting your operating system and software.
2. Using your computer without a firewall or at least an antivirus software
   • “This computer don’t use the Internet, so it’s alright…” , “I only use the Internet to access my trusted bank site, after that I don’t surf the web…”, “The ISP says the router has built-in firewall, so I don’t need…”
   • If all the above sounds too familiar to you, imagine how many times I’ve heard it! In the older times, having an antivirus software to protect your system is considered sufficient, you are as well-protected as the brand of the antivirus software you use, but now, it is just not enough. Antivirus don’t protect your system against intrusion, hackings, worms and spywares (sometimes they do but in a very limited capacity).
   • If you don’t have any antivirus or firewall protection on your system, do keep my contact and call me when you need me to camp at your place too
3. Not updating your antivirus/firewall/antispyware definition files
   • For the above programs to protect your system, the software must learn about the latest virus patterns and/or intrusion signatures before they can flag it to be a malware or viruses. If you did not update your definition file, you may be able to catch those older and outdated viruses, but you are no match for the latest one.
   • The good thing is that all of these software will auto-update themselves and even if they don’t, all you need to do is to click the Update button and the software will usually update themselves.
4. Installing lots of programs, including beta version software
   • The more programs you install, the more likely you are to run across ones that either include malicious code or that are poorly written and cause your system to behave improperly or crash. The risk is greater with pirated programs.
   • Even if you install only licensed, final-release commercial software, too many installations and uninstallations can gunk up the registry. Not all uninstall routines completely remove program remnants and at the least, this practice can cause your system to slow down over time.
   • You should install only the programs that you really need, stick with legitimate software, and try to minimize the number you install and uninstall.
5. Having full and fragmented hard disk
   • One of the results of installing and uninstalling lots of programs (or adding and deleting data of any kind) is that it fragments your disk. Disk fragmentation occurs because of the way information is stored on the disk: On a new, clean disk, when you save a file it’s stored in contiguous sections called clusters. If you delete a file that takes up, for example, five clusters, and then save a new file that takes eight clusters, the first five clusters’ worth of data will be saved in the empty space left by the deletion and the remaining three will be saved in the next empty spaces. That makes the file fragmented, or divided. To access that file, then, the disk’s read heads won’t find all the parts of the file together but must go to different locations on the disk to retrieve it all. That makes it slower to access. If the file is part of a program, the program will run more slowly. A badly fragmented disk will slow down to a crawl. You can use the disk defragmenter built into Windows (Programs | Accessories | System Tools) or a third-party defrag program to rearrange these pieces of files so that they’re placed contiguously on the disk.
   • Another common cause of performance problems and application misbehavior is a disk that’s too full. Many programs create temporary files and need extra free space on the disk to operate. You can use Windows XP’s Disk Cleanup Tool or a third-party program to find and delete rarely used files, or you can manually delete files to clear space on your disk.
6. Opening every email attachments
   • Getting an e-mail message with an attachment is like getting an unexpected gift. You just have to peek inside to see what it is. But just as that package left on your doorstep could contain a bomb, that file attached to your mail message could contain code that will delete your documents or system folder or send viruses to everyone in your address book.
   • The most blatantly dangerous attachments are executable files–those that run code–with extensions like .exe, .cmd, and many others (see http://antivirus.about.com/od/securitytips/a/fileextview.htm for a list of file extensions for different types of executables). Files that aren’t themselves executables, such as Word .doc files and Excel .xls files, can contain embedded macros. Scripts (Visual Basic, JavaScript, Flash, etc.) aren’t directly executed by the computer but are run by other programs.
   • It used to be that you could assume plain text (.txt) or graphics (.gif, .jpg, .bmp) files were safe, but not anymore. File extensions can be “spoofed”; attackers take advantage of the Windows default setting that doesn’t display common file extensions to name executables something like greatfile.jpg.exe. With the real extension hidden, it shows up as greatfile.jpg. So the recipient thinks it’s a graphic, but it’s actually a malicious program.
7. Clicking on everything
   • Opening attachments isn’t the only type of mouse click that can get you in trouble. Clicking on hyperlinks in e-mail messages or on Web pages can take you to Web sites that have embedded ActiveX controls or scripts that can perform all sorts of malicious activities, from wiping your hard disk to installing a backdoor program on your computer that a hacker can use to get in and take control of it.
   • Clicking the wrong link can also take you to inappropriate Web sites that feature pornography, pirated music or software, or other content that can get you in trouble if you’re using a computer on the job or even get you in trouble with the law.
8. Unnecessary sharing of system resources
   • When you’re on a network, sharing can expose you to dangers. If you have file and printer sharing enabled, others can remotely connect to your computer and access your data. Even if you haven’t created any shared folders, by default Windows systems have hidden “administrative” shares for the root of each drive. A savvy hacker may be able to use these shares to get in. One way to prevent that is to turn off file and printer sharing–if you don’t need to make any of the files on your computer accessible across the network. This is especially a good idea if you’re connecting your laptop to a public wireless hotspot.
   • If you do need to make shared folders accessible, it’s important that they be protected by both share-level permissions and file-level (NTFS) permissions. Also ensure that your account and the local administrative account have strong passwords.
9. Using a weak password
   • Don’t pick passwords that are easy to guess, such as your birthdate, loved one’s name, social security number, etc. Longer passwords are harder to crack, so make your password at least eight characters long; 14 is even better. Popular password-cracking methods use “dictionary” attacks, so don’t use words that are in the dictionary. Passwords should contain a combination of alpha, numeric, and symbol characters for best security.
   • A long string of nonsense characters may create a password that’s tough to crack, but if you can’t remember it, you’ll defeat the purpose by writing it down (where an intruder may be able to find it). Instead, create a phrase you can remember easily and use the first letters of each word, along with logical numbers and symbols. For example: “My dog ate a mouse on the 5th day of June” becomes “Md8amot5doJ.”
   • Many times when I go to a customer’s site, I’m able to just log into the system without asking anybody for password. The users will just stare at me with their big round eyes and ask me how I do it, and I just simply point at a sticky note pasted below their monitor or pinned to their partition wall and tell them that is how I know. So please, imagine if somebody wanted to sabotage you in any sense, accessing your system with your password is the best way to hack.
10. Not backing up your data
    • An attacker may crash your system or your data may be corrupted or get wiped out by a hardware problem. That’s why it’s essential that you always back up your important information and have a plan for recovering from a system failure.
    • Most computer users know they should back up, but many never get around to it. Or they make an initial backup but don’t update it regularly. Use the built-in Windows backup program (Ntbackup.exe in Windows NT, 2000, and XP) or a third-party backup program and schedule backups to occur automatically. Store backed up data on a network server or removable drive in a location away from the computer itself, in case of a natural disaster like flood, fire, or tornado.
    • Remember that the data is the most important thing on your computer. The operating system can be reinstalled and so can applications, but it may be difficult or impossible to recreate your original data. Don’t wait for disaster to happen, take the first step, backup your data!

with absolutely no additional charges at all for the 3rd year

Buy any AVG Business Security products with 2 years subscription, including AVG Anti-Virus Business Edition and AVG Internet Security Business Edition, and you are entitled for the 3rd year FREE !!!! Absolutely no charge for the 3rd year.

Yes, you are paying for a 2 years subscription and getting 3 years of protection for your office and corporate security solution, with absolutely no additional charges at all for the 3rd year.

This promotion is valid till 31st Dec 2009 and all orders and payments MUST reach us before  12:00, 31st Dec 2009.

For your price quotation, please contact us here.

Free Additional 1 Year License Subscription For AVG Business Security Products

]]> https://www.pacificlanworks.com/promotions/free-additional-1-year-license-subscription-for-avg-business-security-products/feed 0 https://www.pacificlanworks.com/promotions/avg-christmas-and-year-end-promotion-for-home-security-products https://www.pacificlanworks.com/promotions/avg-christmas-and-year-end-promotion-for-home-security-products#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:07:02 +0000 admin http://blog.pacificlanworks.com/?p=363 We are very happy to announce that we are giving a 25% discount off from all AVG Home Security Products, including AVG Anti-virus and AVG Internet Security ver 9.0.

This promotion is valid till 31st Dec 2009 and all orders and payment must reach us before 12:00pm this time.

For your price quotation, please contact us here.

AVG range of antivirus software is a flagship product of AVG Technologies , which is founded in 1991 with corporate offices in Europe and the USA. AVG Technologies is focused on developing software solutions that provide protection from computer viruses. AVG Technologies‘ primary focus is to deliver the most comprehensive and proactive protection available on the market.

About AVG’s products:-

• Extended 2-year license v. typical 1-year license
• Free 24/7 e-mail access to AVG Technologies’s technical support, with expert consultation and rapid response
• Free virus database and product updates for the duration of the license
• AVG Technologies has an award-winning product line – certified by independent testing agencies around the world
• Provides ease of installation and support, product stability and reliability, and last but not least, ease-of-use.
• Supported languages include English, German, French, Czech, Slovak, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Serbian, Latin-American Spanish, Italian, Hungarian and Dutch