We're seeing an increase in the number of infected systems coming into the shop. Be careful what emails you click on and like/share this with your friends so they can be on the lookout!

Malware attack claims the IRS has rejected your tax appeal
nakedsecurity.sophos.com
Have you received an email from the IRS saying that your tax refund appeal has been rejected? Watch out!

Many of you use OpenOffice or LibreOffice instead of MS Office since they're free. Be sure to grab the latest update (v3.5.1) for LibreOffice which is an upgrade to all previous versions of OpenOffice and LibreOffice.

Home » LibreOffice
www.libreoffice.org
LibreOffice is the free power-packed Open Source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and Linux, that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs.

Something many people don't realize: A 3 to 4 word phrase that's not 'common' (Quick Brown Fox = bad) is MUCH harder for hackers to crack than even a single word with random characters.

Using Common Phrases Makes Your Passphrase Password Useless: Here’s How to Pick a Better Phrase
lifehacker.com
We've discussed how using passphrases as passwords can boost your security, but if you've chosen a phrase used in every-day speech, you're not doing yourself—or your data—any favors.

Did your computer restart on it's own last night? It was 'Patch Tuesday' and a very critical patch went out. If your computer has an icon in the system tray saying updates are available – install them. Today. One of the fixes closes a very serious security hole. And if you're tired of always having to update this or fix that, consider using our My ITXpert Service (http://goo.gl/WM7H9) and let us handle all your IT worries! Like if you've updated your system and share with your friends so they can too!

Microsoft: Critical worm hole could be exploited within 30 days | Naked Security
nakedsecurity.sophos.com
Listen up, this one is serious. There is a critical vulnerability in many versions of Windows, which could be exploited to spread a worm automatically between vulnerable computers.

If you use Facebook regularly, you really should give this browser extension a try. You can 'Fix' Facebook in so many ways. Mark Stories 'Read' so they get hidden (no trying to remember the last post you read), Reply to people in comments AND auto tag them AND quote parts of the comment you are replying to, make Timelines single column instead of two, get rid of the Ticker, go back to the old Chat list. Fantastic!

How to Make Facebook Infinitely Better with One Browser Extension
lifehacker.com
With each update, Facebook has gotten incrementally more cluttered, perplexing, and ornery—and I'm not even talking about all your annoying acquaintances flooding it with inane status updates.

If you use Facebook regularly, you really should give this browser extension a try. You can 'Fix' Facebook in so many ways. Mark Stories 'Read' so they get hidden (no trying to remember the last post you read), Reply to people in comments AND auto tag them AND quote parts of the comment you are replying to, make Timelines single column instead of two, get rid of the Ticker, go back to the old Chat list. Fantastic!

How to Make Facebook Infinitely Better with One Browser Extension
lifehacker.com
With each update, Facebook has gotten incrementally more cluttered, perplexing, and ornery—and I'm not even talking about all your annoying acquaintances flooding it with inane status updates.

An important tool for the Internet, but also one of the main ways viruses can infect your system if it is out of date and not updated. Be sure to install this update ASAP when prompted. Word is v11.2 of Flash will include the ability to 'auto' update.

Adobe ships critical out-of-band Flash Player update
nakedsecurity.sophos.com
Adobe has released a critical out-of-band patch for Flash Player, be sure to update as soon as possible.

We just switched over to the new Timeline for Facebook Pages – I have to say, it's a nice upgrade!

You thought Windows 7 was a shock when you upgraded your trusty Windows XP PC? Just wait until Windows 8 and the new Metro interface!

First Look at What's New in Windows 8
lifehacker.com
Microsoft showed us a more in-depth look at Windows 8 today, from the previously mentioned tablet interface to the traditional mouse-and-keyboard desktop.

If you use Chrome or Firefox, this is one of the most important extensions you can install. Many sites offer secure connections, but don't always make that clear. This extension will encrypt as much of your web traffic as possible. This is especially important if you use public WiFi a lot in coffee shops, restaurants, and other places.

HTTPS Everywhere Keeps Your Personal Information Safe on Over 1,400 Sites, Available for Firefox and
lifehacker.com
Chrome/Firefox: HTTPS Everywhere is a simple extension that, with just a one-click installation, can seriously increase your security on over 1,400 web sites by encrypting your connection.

This feed URL is no longer valid. Visit this page to find the new URL, if you have access: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=109667346586

For any of you who have Android phones or tablets, this is a *great* offer. 50GB of cloud storage allowing you to sync files to your Android device. Just install the Box app from the Android Market (note that cloud sync services can use up data quickly, so if your data plan is limited, be careful how much you transfer) Wifi users – no worries!

Get 50GB Free Storage for Android
gizmodo.com
Box just updated its Android App, and if you get it in the next 30 days, you'll get 50GB of cloud storage for free. Forever. That's totally great and you should get it right now.

We'll be opening late today due to the weather (and children begging to go outside and play!). We should be open by 1PM and will be open until 6PM

This is one of the more dangerous things viruses can do is hijack DNS which is like the master phone book for the Internet (when you type in facebook.com, DNS tells your computer where to *find* Facebook). It's good to see the FBI and other agencies trying to actively prevent this type of attack, but it's not foolproof. Want to check your DNS settings? (This is for *HOME* users only – if you are on a business computer, let your IT techs worry about this as static DNS settings are common on corporate networks) In Windows XP, open Network Connections in the Control Panel. On Vista and Win7, type 'Network Connections' into the Start Menu search box and then click 'View Network Connections'. Laptops generally use a 'WiFi' or 'Wireless' adapter. Desktop use the 'Local Area Connection'. Right click appropriate one and select Properties. Highlight TCP/IP or TCP/IPv4 and click the Properties button. Make sure 'Obtain DNS server address automatically' is selected. If it's NOT, you may have a virus infection and should run a full scan or have our technicians check your system out. We don't recommend changing ANY of these settings, as sometimes it's normal to specify specific DNS servers, especially on corporate/business networks. But most residential users will use the automatic settings while viruses like to set static ones. Share with your friends to help keep them safe and Like if you've checked your system!

The FBI Might Cut Off the Internet For Millions of People on March 8th
gizmodo.com
In an unprecedented move, the FBI may cut off Internet access to millions of people on March 8th to try to rid the country of a Trojan. Millions of computers are infected worldwide—maybe even yours. The DNSChanger Trojan originated in Estonia and might be lurking undetected on as many as a…

A lot of people don't have MS Office on their home computers because it costs 100+ for a license. You can kind of use the trials for a while, closing the screen asking for a license key, but even that is temporary. If you're looking for an alternative, LibreOffice from the Open Document Foundation has just released v3.5. Existing OpenOffice and LibreOffice users will notice this version is MUCH faster. This office suite can open and save files in both MS Office format and ODF – the Open Document Format, which is becoming more popular. While power users are still smart to pay for MS Office, most users doing straightforward documents, spreadsheets, and presentation should give LibreOffice a try.

The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 3.5: “the best free office suite ever”
blog.documentfoundation.org
Berlin, February 14, 2012 – The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 3.5, the third major release of "the best free office suite ever", which shows to end users the improvements derived from t…