The Promethean

Promethius.com!

After three long years with an even longer domain name, Promethius Consulting has secured the right to use promethius.com. Gone are the days of typing support@promethiusconsulting.com to make a request.

All of our email addresses should work with whichever address you choose. For example,
dabernat@promethiusconsulting.com will also work as dabernat@promethius.com and so on.

Please let us know if you have any trouble delivering mail to any of our accounts.

Computer Viruses

Computer viruses have become quite a scourge over the past few years. 2001 has seen some particularly destructive ones. It is surprising how many people believe that they are not at risk. We often hear things like, "I never open attachments unless I know the person who sent it to me" or "I never download anything from the Internet."

Most of the "viruses" that we have seen in the news lately are classified as worms. A worm is a special type of virus that can replicate itself and use memory, but cannot attach itself to other programs. These bugs can spread themselves across networks through shared connections and often use security holes in Microsoft email programs to spread themselves via the Internet. Because they are able to find your personal address book and email themselves to all of your friends and colleagues, VIRUSES WILL USUALLY COME FROM SOMEONE YOU KNOW!! New viruses often use a Microsoft security flaw to execute their payloads without the need of user action (like double-clicking an attachment).

It is very difficult to protect against computer viruses, but here are some tips: ·

Use Windows Update (from the Start Menu) to download and install all critical updates for your Microsoft Windows product. ·

Use Windows Update to download and install all patches for your Microsoft products (especially Outlook and Outlook Express). ·

Invest in Antivirus Software. This software is very inexpensive compared to the cost of rebuilding an infected computer. Norton AntiVirus (NAV) is our favorite, but McAffee makes a good product as well.

If you are networked in a client-server environment, consider a managed approach. NAV Corporate Edition is a powerful weapon against virus attacks. This allows your server to download signatures and share them with those on your network rather than relying on end-users to remember to keep their software current. ·

Check with your email provider about blocking certain types of e-mail attachments. Attachments with .exe, .vbs, .js, .pif, .scr, .com and .bat extensions should not be allowed. If you are hosting your own mail using Microsoft Exchange, consider using the Exchange add-on for NAV Corporate Edition to block these attachments. The goal of most of these worms is to bring down your Microsoft Exchange e-mail server.

UPDATE THE VIRUS SIGNATURES OF YOUR ANITVIRUS PRODUCT!!
New viruses are created and disseminated virtually every day. Your anti-virus product is worthless unless it is armed with the latest virus information. Most antivirus software companies are now charging for subscriptions to download signatures. We recommend that you pay the small subscription fee and download updates from your product manufacturer's website at least weekly.

Coincidentally, if you surf the web, YOU ARE DOWNLOADING FILES FROM THE INTERNET.

If you have questions about any of this information, or if you would like to talk about your risks, please call our office at 317-916-1250, opt. 3.

Technical definition:
cookie: A small piece of information deposited in your Web browser (thus on your hard disk) by a WWW site, storing such things as custom page settings or even personal information, such as your address or your password for that site.

General definition:
cookie: a small, flat or slightly
raised cake (ex:see or eat Chips
Ahoy, Oreos, Nestle Tollhouse)

Promethius Fax Number Change

We have just been informed of an area code change for our efax number. If you normally use the number 520-569-5315 to send us materials, please update your records to 928-569-5315. Of course, 317-733-2384 remains unchanged and available to all of our clients and vendors.

Please call the office with questions.

Serious XP Security Breach

At Promethius Consulting, we are often asked our opinions of the "latest and greatest" software. We have learned over the years to be a bit cautious of brand new software releases - particularly operating systems. Often times software releases are rushed to market in an attempt to beat the competition. This usually produces a product that is prone to compatibility and security problems.

Microsoft, for example, has never released a new operating system that wasn't quickly followed by patches, updates, and service packs, all designed to fix "bugs" that should never have survived the testing phase. This isn't to say that Microsoft operating systems don't eventually evolve into great systems - most do. Windows 98 Second Edition is still a phenomenal workhorse. Windows 2000 Professional Edition is an incredibly stable and reliable operating system. But they both had their problems at birth.

The new brainchild from the Microsoft camp is Windows XP. Will XP forgo the rough childhood of its older siblings? Apparently not. The software giant announced last week that it had found two vulnerabilities in its new operating system that could leave computers open to hackers and at risk of being temporarily shut down from a denial-of-service attack or used in such an attack on other computers.

Furthermore, the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center has urged users of Microsoft's Windows XP operating system to disable a feature called "Universal Plug and Play," which could leave computers open to attacks from hackers. Now that the news is out, you can bet that some hacker somewhere won't be able to resist exploiting this security hole.

This surely won't be the last of Windows XP's growing pains. We still feel that a reliable, secure product is at least a few months away. If you are one of the brave computer enthusiasts who jumped on the XP bandwagon early, keep your eye out for updates and patches from Microsoft. You can start with this download to fix the security vulnerability mentioned above.