01
Sep 17
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771 million email addresses and passwords leaked

THE email addresses and passwords of 771 million people have been published online during a gigantic data leak.

Personal data collected by a “spambot” called Onliner has been dumped on a server thought to be located in the Netherlands.

This bot is designed to spread malware that steals banking details and infects people’s computers to pump out more viruses as well as vast amounts of spam — the name for the unwanted emails often sent by scammers.

Troy Hunt, who owns the website HaveIBeenPwned, said the leak was “the largest single set of data I’ve ever loaded into HIBP”

Click here to check your email

“Just for a sense of scale, that’s almost one address for every single man, woman and child in all of Europe,” he said.

Mr Hunt said the incident is so severe that even he was caught up in it.

He added: “The first place to start is with an uncomfortable truth: my email address is in there. Twice.”

Anyone whose email address is on the list is likely to be hit by a barrage of spam. If your email address is on the list, your account could be taken over and turned into a spam factory or used to distribute dangerous malware.

10
Jun 17
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If you need an Electrician Ryan’s your Man

Just wanted to give a few kind words for Ryan Knight who’s a great electrician

He’s helped me on several of my projects

He fitted out my custom workshop, electrics to my pool, my shed so many jobs he’s done in the house it’ll take me too long to write about them all

So if you require an Electrician please give Ryan a call 0424195705

Tell him Howard sent you

31
May 17
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End Of Financial Year Not Far Away

Its starting to get to the end of the financial year again and the next 30 days will be gone before we know it

Thinking of a Computer or Laptop upgrade well nows the time to start looking for a good deal

All the big stores will be having some great sales on

But buy wisely and don’t get drawn into buying what you really don’t need

Been offered multiple upgrades on a computer/laptop might sound great but do you actually need them?

Getting money knocked off a new purchase is what you want

Beware the offer for an Anti-Virus at a reduced price which will be for mulitple devices and much more than you’ll ever need, especially when a free anti-virus would do for most of us

I’m happy to discuss options whether buying from me or after advise to buy from elsewhere

I do offer a setup service to take the stress out of setting up a computer/laptop and transferring all your files back onto your new device and setup an easy backup system and if required I can then deliver and setup your network, printer and internet onsite

I do keep in stock Desktop PC’s and I have 2 built ready to go and 3 systems ready to build

I carry Intel Pentium’s, i3’s and i5’s with multiple options on each depending on your requirements

Laptops I only keep 1 in stock but can order in and setup in less than a day normally

My Stock laptop is a HP i3

So my advice is to plan early and don’t get caught out and mainly don’t miss out on some savings before the end of this financial year

Want any advice please feel free to contact me

31
May 17
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Windows 10 Creators Update

Windows 10, the Creators Update, has started to roll out as a free update. The Creators Update is designed to spark and unleash creativity, bringing 3D and mixed reality to everyone and enabling every gamer to be a broadcaster. Beyond creativity, it brings new features to Microsoft Edge, additional security capabilities and privacy tools, and so much more.

Just beware the update is quite large and if on mobile data you might use a lot of your monthly useage to get it

I’ve just recently made the move myself and so far so good

I’ll update with any issues I have in the future

But remember an old but wise saying

Don’t fix what isn’t broken

No rush to do the update

18
Apr 17
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Chrome and Firefox Phishing Attack

Chrome and Firefox Phishing Attack Uses Domains Identical to Known Safe Sites

Here is what the real epic.com looks like in Chrome:

Here is fake epic.com in Chrome:

And the real epic.com in Firefox:

And here is fake epic.com in Firefox:

As you can see both of these domains appear identical in the browser but they are completely different websites. The epic.com domain is actually the domain https://xn--e1awd7f.com/ but it appears in Chrome and Firefox as epic.com.

As a reminder: A phishing attack is when an attacker sends you an email that contains a link to a malicious website. You click on the link because it appears to be trusted. Merely visiting the website may infect your computer or you may be tricked into signing into the malicious site with credentials from a site you trust. The attacker then has access to your username, password and any other sensitive information they can trick you into providing.

This variant of a phishing attack uses unicode to register domains that look identical to real domains. These fake domains can be used in phishing attacks to fool users into signing into a fake website, thereby handing over their login credentials to an attacker.

This affects the current version of Chrome browser, which is version 57.0.2987 and the current version of Firefox, which is version 52.0.2. This does not affect Internet Explorer or Safari browsers.

How to fix this in Firefox:

In your firefox location bar, type ‘about:config’ without quotes.

Do a search for ‘punycode’ without quotes.

You should see a parameter titled: network.IDN_show_punycode

Change the value from false to true.

Now if you try to visit This demonstration site you should see:

Can I fix this if I use Chrome?

Currently we are not aware of a manual fix in Chrome for this. Chrome have already released a fix in their ‘Canary’ release, which is their test release. This should be released to the general public within the next few days.

Until then, if you are unsure if you are on a real site and are about to enter sensitive information, you can copy the URL in the location bar and paste it into Notepad or TextEdit on Mac. It should appear as the https://xn--….. version if it is a fake domain. Otherwise it will appear as the real domain in its unencoded form if it is the real thing.

Beware and Safe Surfing

12
Apr 17
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Telstra Outages and Maintenance

If having problems with your internet service from Telstra

Check here to check on service status

I’ve had several phone calls about slow or no service

My landline is not working as I type this update

But my mobile and Cable internet are working fine

Ring Telstra on 133 933 for more details

Or ring me on 0457585540

Or email me howard@home-computing.com.au

02
Apr 17
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Tech Support Scam pop-up virus

Please be aware of these pop up Scams

Do Not Ring Them

Start Task Manager (Right click on the taskbar) and end the process of your web browser

Run a full scan with Malwarebytes

Any problems Just Ask Me

30
Jan 17
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Teaching Computers

I thought this was really funny and I had to share it with you

08
Jan 17
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Don’t Fall For Scams

Please be careful and stay safe on the internet

Below are a list of a few types

Unexpected money

Scammers invent convincing and seemingly legitimate reasons to give you false hope about offers of money. There are no get-rich-quick schemes, so always think twice before handing over your details or dollars.

Unexpected winnings

Don’t be lured by a surprise win. These scams try to trick you into giving money upfront or your personal information in order to receive a prize from a lottery or competition that you never entered.

Fake charities

Scammers impersonate genuine charities and ask for donations or contact you claiming to collect money for relief efforts after natural disasters.

Dating & romance

Scammers take advantage of people looking for romantic partners, often via dating websites, apps or social media by pretending to be prospective companions. They play on emotional triggers to get you to provide money, gifts or personal details.

Buying or selling

Scammers prey on consumers and businesses that are buying or selling products and services. Not every transaction is legitimate.

Jobs & investment

If you are looking for a fast way to make money, watch out – scammers have invented all sorts of fake money-making opportunities to prey on your enthusiasm and get hold of your cash.

Attempts to gain your personal information

Scammers use all kinds of sneaky approaches to steal your personal details. Once obtained, they can use your identity to commit fraudulent activities such as using your credit card or opening a bank account.