Diary of a Network Geek

Good news!

First, there are things you can do to protect yourself from this new Mac malware:
Start by disabling the automatic opening of downloaded files.  The world has changed for you Mac users and you simply can't trust just any download any more.  Welcome to the world that Windows users have lived in for years and years.
Also, don't let things install on your machine unless you've gone out looking for them!  Again, don't trust anything that looks like an automatic update or a "free" program that wants to install automatically, especially if you haven't been searching for any thing!
Seriously, you can't trust people on the Internet.  I know this may come as a shock to the Hippie, "free-love" sort of people Mac users think themselves to generally be, but, yeah, not everyone on the Internet has your best interests at heart.  Well, except me.  You can trust me.  Honest.

Secondly, in a "few days" Apple will allegedly put out an update to make you safe again.
At least, that's what they're saying.  No definite deadline on that, though, so be careful and make sure to check your updates regularly!  Staying up to date on patches is one of the better ways to help prevent an infection.  Also, if you haven't already, please, consider getting an anti-virus program for your Mac.  OS X is a growing target for hackers as the installed user-base grows, so, sooner or later, you'll see more of these little nasties coming your way.  Your platform's growing popularity will make it a growing target!  So, before it's too late and you're asking your friendly, neighborhood network geek for help in cleaning up the mess, install an anti-virus to prevent the mess in the first place.  The computer you save may be your own!

If  you read my blog, you love Star Wars.

Well, if you don't *love * it, you at least know it and appreciate it on its technical merits.
But, you should love it.
And, it's Friday, so you know I'm going to link to something pretty cool, right?
So, yeah, go look at these insanely detailed Star Wars dioramas at Kotaku.

No, seriously, it's been a long week and that's all I've got.
Also?  It's Friday and you have nothing better to do anyway, so go look.
Seriously.

I told you Macs weren't safe!

Does anyone listen to me?  No.  Well, hardly ever.
I'm sure you've seen the news by now that there are growing numbers of Mac malware attacks.  In fact, Apple Care, the official Apple customer service division, has reported a staggering jump in the number of malware related calls they received in just the past several weeks.  Apparently, according to the interview, it's gotten to be quite a large problem in just that short amount of time.  They estimate that, now, up to 50% of all calls they get are related in some way to a malware attack on an Apple product.  The indication from the article is that everything is focused on Mac OS X machines, but, with larger market share comes a bigger prize for hackers, so don't be surprised if iPhones and iPads and even iPods are attacked next!
Of course, what makes matters worse is that, allegedly, Apple Care representatives are being told not to help with malware attacks!  So, all that safety you thought you were buying with Mac?  Apparently, not the best investment.  Of course, security through obscurity never is.

So far, the threat seems to be confined to a single, aggressive bit of malware called MacDefender.  Go to the link and you'll see a screenshot of what it looks like when it tries to install.  It looks just like a standard Mac program, right from Apple.  This is the same tactic that Windows users have been facing for years.  There's nothing new here, outside of a new installed base of users who have never had to deal with malware before.  Mac users must look like sheep ready for fleecing to these crooks.  So, if you know Mac users, warn them and spread the word.

For those of you lucky enough to have escaped harm so far, buy and install an antivirus product and keep it up to date.
For those of you who haven't been lucky, here's a link to a MacDefender Malware Removal Guide. (Thanks, @joefarace!)

Incidentally, I've been talking about this for years.  I knew it would happen eventually, but, hey, who am I?  I mean, besides a front-line grunt that cleans up everyone's machine when they get infected with digital herpes.  Not being a "pundit" or "respected industry figure" just means that no one takes you seriously, not that we don't know what we're talking about.  Because, believe me, I'm not the only network geek in the trenches who saw this coming.  We ALL did, but no one listens.

Like I wrote earlier, get the word out and show Mac users what they might expect before they get hit.
The day you save may be your own!

I can think of nothing more appropriate for a Friday the Thirteenth post.

Are you a fan of H.P. Lovecraft?
When I was in Junior High, I found H.P. Lovecraft and read him all the way through High School and even college.  But, because I found him when most people are getting sex ed for the first time, when our bodies are going through enormous, almost supernatural changes, I found this short film, via Boing Boing, called "Late Bloomer" quite funny.  Be warned, it may not be entirely safe for work, depending on your workplace and their standards, but it's worth watching!

So, happy Friday the 13th!  Enjoy the video and have a very lucky day!

Now, this is what I call a "safe house"!

I know, I know, I'm seriously way too obsessed with surviving the zombie apocalypse, but, hey, everyone needs a hobby, right?
Anyway, a couple weeks ago, a Facebook friend posted a link to an entry on All That Is Interesting titled The First Zombie-Proof House.  The photos are , well, impressive to say the least.  A sleek, modern home with the ultimate in austere exterior, which also seals into a virtual fortress.  A metal security shutter that rolls down over a covered patio area and actual concrete "shutters" that swing shut over recessed windows, not to mention a second-story draw bridge connecting to a detached pool facility, all ad up to a pretty nice place to wait out the End Times!

And, keep in mind, unlike other survival homes I've shared here, this is NOT a theoretical building!
This "house" has been built by KWK Promes and is outside of Warsaw, Poland.  I found even more photographs and details of the construction and features at a site called HomeDSGN.  While they don't specify the owner, they mention their need to have a feeling of security while also maintaining high-standard design features.  The photos really focus on the exterior of the home and the grounds, but you can see into the building itself in several photos and the interior looks like it has the same attention to detail and quality as the outside.

So, now, you have a new standard for your zombie-survival-home desires!
Happy Friday!

The myth of an operating system that is somehow safe from virii or malware is being busted.

No, seriously, I know all you Mac users are always bragging about how much more safe your operating system is because there isn't any malware written to attack it.  I hear it all the time.  Well, guess what kids?  You're wrong.  There is at least one OS X Crimeware Kit, in the wild.  And, really, that's just the one that we've seen lately.  If researchers have found one, there are probably others.  And, I know that there are other exploits in the wild, too.  Not as many, sure, but they are out there.  And, thanks to you all bragging about how you're safe and being all fan-boy about your OS and telling all your friends how great it is, you're making OS X a more and more attractive target all the time.
Remember, the reason that Windows has so many exploits written for it is because it's installed on so many computers.  It's marketing, really.  Where's the biggest potential market for software?  Right, on the biggest installed base of whatever the popular operating system is.  Now, if you were a virus writer, what would you write a virus to run on?  Same thing.  So, as markets expand, so will the exploits.

Brace yourself.  The world is changing.

I think the title sums this up pretty well:
A video of a creepy, animatronic eyeball.
I think the blinking is what really weirds me out.  Or the crazy detail on the graphics on the eyeball itself.

Also?  I think every security camera out in public should have one of these on it.  You know, to remind us that Big Brother really is watching!
Enjoy your Friday Freakout!

How much money have you spent on gadgets?

No, seriously, have you ever totaled it up?  If you're like me, you've spent a bundle.  And, I'm not even an "early adopter" or an Apple fanboy who has to replace his iPhone with the latest version every time a new feature is added, either.  Does all that feel like a waste of money to you sometimes?  Well, what if you'd invested it, instead?
What if, instead of buying the latest Apple, or whatever brand, gear, you had invested in stock in the company?  Imagine, if you'd taken the price of a first generation iPod and bought Apple stock, instead.  Or a G4 or a MacBook or whatever.  How much money would that be now?

Well, wonder no more, because Kyle Conroy has done the work for  you.
He asks the question; What if I had bought Apple Stock instead?  He charts how much money he'd have now if he'd invested the purchase price of the latest Apple gear in Apple stock instead, from the release date until now.
The results may make your buyer's remorse just a little worse.

No, really, free and legal.

Okay, granted, it's probably music from indy bands that you've never heard of before, but, hey, it's free.  And?  You have the joy of knowing that you'll be discovering bands that your hipster friends have never heard of before.  For real.  Also, did I mention that it's free and legal?  Yeah, so, why not go check it out.
The site is Epitonic.com

C'mon, it's Friday and not like you were really working anyway....

Yeah, I know.  I'm way too obsessed with the end of the world.

But, just you wait!  When you're out there wandering the blasted wastelands, you'll wish you knew me THEN!
In the meantime, why not check out what the Air Force has to say about the end of the world from the Perlinger Archive via IO9.com (Incidentally, that link will bring you to a movie that's so old it's in an internet archive.  Yeah, that's old.)

But, don't worry!  I also have links to yet another collection of information that will help rebuild society!
Oddly enough, this archive is brought to you via Lifehacker.  It's the CD3WD, which is an archive of "CDs" for the Third World, actually.  Originally intended, according to the site, as an archive of information that would be useful to the "Third World" and "developing nations", which, apparently, is also just like what we'll need after the end of the world.  So, you know, you may want to make friends with someone from one of those places now.
Turns out, they may be pretty useful when the apocalypse arrives.