Zappos/6pm security breach: Your info could be at risk? If you reused your password/email address combo from either of these sites elsewhere, then change it!

See article from COMPUTERWORLD here:

http://blogs.computerworld.com/19584/zappos_security_breach_your_data_hacked

Here’s the letter from 6pm.com:

First, the bad news:

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any additional questions about this process, please email us at passwordchange@6pm.com.

For website logins, it’s always wise to create a new password for each site and NEVER reuse your email password ANYWHERE!

Also see our MacMedics Blog post from 2010 here: MacMedics Security Alert: Only Use Your E-Mail Password For Your E-Mail Account (Gawker Security Breach)

Please keep an eye out for a very convincing fake email that is made to look just like an official Apple email.

Here’s what it looks like:

It appears that wherever it points to has been shut down, but it is quite likely that they will switch it to a different server very quickly.

We’ve heard this story before:

We heard about another Apple Authorized Reseller who has a client, an attorney on the West Coast, whose MacBook Pro and Time Capsule were stolen in a recent break-in. Everything he had was on those two devices.

If a drug addict breaks into your home or office looking for stuff to steal to fuel their next drug fix, they WILL steal anything that has an Apple logo on it and anything else they think might be related. They will grab ANYTHING else they think they can get as little as $5 for. GPS devices go for $5 at pawn shops by the way when they are sold.

You might be 100% totally backed up locally, which is AWESOME because so many people don’t even do that, but if your data needs to be backed up, you need three things to have a complete back up:

The important thing is to PLAN AHEAD. Your back up is not complete if it’s not:

1. Automatic (Use Time Machine and this point is covered)

3. Off-Site (Take your double back up off-site or get Mozy or CrashPlan Pro and this point is covered)

If you’d like to sign up for Mozy or CrashPlan Pro, we have links to those services, including the hard to find free 2GB Mozy account. We also strongly recommend LoJack for Laptops.

http://www.macmedics.com/mozy (Use code “2012″ for 10% off paid service until 2/1/12)
http://www.macmedics.com/crashplan
http://www.macmedics.com/lojack

We also have a number of other backup related articles on the MacMedics Blog about Time Machine, backups in general, and some posts about disaster planning.

Don’t Play Trick Or Treat With Your Mac’s Back Up!

It’s Not A Real Backup Until You Also Have An Off-Site Copy Of Your Data

Be sure to read “The Nine Things We Wish We Did Before Our House Burned Down” in the post listed above. We have the list line by line and a link to the original post, which is a “MUST READ” for anyone that has a house OR a computer

We’re going to start posting serial numbers of Apple Macintosh computers that have been stolen from clients of MacMedics. The most recent additions will be at the bottom. If you know the wherabouts of one of these units, please get in touch with us at MacMedics so we can let the owner know.

Stolen 11/16/17-11/17/11 from Washington DC Metro area office at the same time, so these units might surface together at the same place for password removal, or hard drive replacement:

MacBook Pro 17″ C02D71BQDC7C and a 15″ MacBook Pro W870710MW0K

Stolen 11″ MacBook Air from Millersville, MD SE# C02DKHYWDDQX

Stolen 12/7/11 From Washington DC Metro area:

MacBook Pro 17” Matte display C02DJ3G6DHYC. Also had a USB mouse dongle attached.

Stolen 12/15/11 From Millersville, MD area

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) Serial # C02GJB58DV13
MBP 13.3/2.4/2X2GB/500-5400/SD/GLSY, Apple Limited Warranty

Stolen 1/3/12

W88510P15L9 Macbook Air

Stolen 1/21/12 from the Philadelphia area:

W801912NAGX 15″ MacBook Pro (Mid-2010)

If you have info on any of these units we will forward your information to the owner of the machine and also forward onto law enforcement if needed. Help a fellow Mac user out and do the right thing if you encounter one of these units.

Contact us at mdservice (A T) macmedics (d o t) com or call us toll-free and 1-866-MAC-MEDICS

THANKS!

Did you know that both Lion (10.7) and Snow Leopard (10.6) will protect you from known virus and malware threats?

All you have to do is to ensure that the checkbox in System Preferences under Security & Privacy is checked.

Here’s what it should look like in Lion (10.7):

Here’s what if should look like in Snow Leopard (10.6):

See this link from Apple for more info: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4651

There is a new threat that has surfaced that will try to fool you into installing the Flash Player. Read more about this from this blog. Apple has not yet included a built-in defense for this issue yet, so the best way to combat this threat is to download Flash directly from Adobe’s website, should you need it. Also, if any software you download from the Internet asks you for your password, you should be 100% certain you know what you downloaded, where you downloaded it from, and what it is.

The Mac Observer made a nice little application that checks your Mac’s Xprotect definitions status and allows for a manual update of the virus and malware definitions: http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/safe_download_version_adds_manual_definitions_update/

With hurricane Irene approaching the Mid-Atlantic area, MacMedics clients and friends should un-plug their computer and remove and store back up hard drives in a dry place if you’re not going to be around when the rain and wind hits us.

Power surges via power lines and lightning hits via Comcast’s network seem to be the leading cause of damages to our client’s Macintosh computers. Don’t count on your Surge “Suppressor” to protect you! You really want a Surge “Protector”, and if you paid less than $50 for your’s then chances are, all you have is glorified extension cord with an outlet, a switch, and a little fuse that will do nothing to stop a real surge. Unplugging your gear is really your best first defense. If you have Comcast or DSL, those should also be unplugged during the storm. For Comcast, at the very least unplug your Mac and other computer gear (gaming system) from your cable model, so there is no physical connection via EtherNet. If you really want to be safe and you’re leaving your house, unscrew the cable TV connection from the back of your cable modem. It’s not a bad idea to disconnect your TV as well. In the case of DSL service, just unplug the telephone line from the back of your DSL modem or router.

Also, if your computer is in the basement, get your computer, power supplies, and related hardware off the floor in case there is flooding.

This might also be a good time to enhance your back up plan by adding an off-site back up. MacMedics is now a Mozy partner, so click here if you’d like to sign up for that. We are also a CrashPlan Pro Partner as well, so the link for that is here.

For our friends everywhere, who might be impacted by Irene, MacMedics recommends that you back up your hard drive via a “clone” use Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner, as that way you can “test” your back up to insure you have a good, bootable copy. Storing a back up at your office an another way to ensure that you have easy access to your data should your community be in an evacuation zone, or not accessible due to flooding or downed trees.

Take that back up put it in a Ziploc bag and have it ready to go with you, if you should need to evacuate. Also, hurricanes bring the rain with them, so plan ahead to protect your computer AND your back up. If you have to leave it behind, put a garbage bag over your computer. If you have a light roof leak, that might be enough to save your computer. And, don’t forget to keep stuff off the floor.

The important thing is to PLAN AHEAD. Your back up is not complete if it’s not:

1. Automatic
2. Redundant
3. Off-Site

We have tons of posts on Time Machine and we even have a free White Paper on it If you’d like a copy, let us know. We love Time Machine, but for planning ahead, there is no real way to “test” a Time Machine back up, unless you have a scond computer that has enough free space to retire your “user folder”. This is why we like having Time Machine AND a “clone” backup.

If you’re not using an automatic backup, your data is at risk!

P.S. If you are going to be where the hurricane is, then you DO need to go get a Ziploc bag right now, and put it with your iPhone. That way if you get caught outside in the rain, or you’re checking out the surf at the beach, your iPhone is protected. Take my word for it, and you’ll thank me later!!

P.P.S. If your computer or other electronic device gets water in it, don’t turn it on to see if it still works. Just bring it to us. Same for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod if it gets wet leave it off and don’t connect it to power. Put in in a Ziploc bag with one cup of rice and then force all of the air out of the bag. That might help save your device until you can get it into our shop.

Update 7/26/11: If you have already installed 10.6.8 and you’d like to fix the issues with it, then you need this version of the update.

If you’d like to upgrade from 10.6.7 to 10.6.8 then you need this version of the update.

If you’re running 10.6.6 or any previous version of 10.6, you need this version of the update.

If you’ve already applied the v1.1 update of 10.6.8 (Delta or Combo), then you don’t need to apply the 10.6.8 Supplemental Update, as it’s built into v1.1 update.

About Mac OS X 10.6.8 Supplemental Update:

The Mac OS X 10.6.8 Supplemental Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 and resolves issues with:

-Transferring personal data, settings, and compatible applications from a Mac running Mac OS X Snow Leopard to a new Mac running Mac OS X Lion.

-Certain network printers that pause print jobs immediately and fail to complete.

-System audio that stops working when using HDMI or optical audio out.

You can manually download the update installer. This is a useful option when you need to update multiple computers but only want to download the update once. These versions of the standalone installers are available from Apple Support Downloads.

What’s included?

-Enhancements to the Mac App Store to get your Mac ready to upgrade to Mac OS X Lion.

-Resolves an issue that may cause Preview to unexpectedly quit.

-Improves support for IPv6.

-Improves VPN reliability.

-Identifies and removes known variants of MacDefender malware.

-Corrects timezone data in iCal for Lisbon-Portugal.

-Adds the ability to use Kerberos authentication to a web proxy server.

-Fixes an issue when saving documents from Xcode or TextEdit when using an NFS home directory.

-Fixes an issue when importing certain media files into Final Cut Pro.

-Includes RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras.

Mac OS X v10.6.8 also includes fixes provided in the Mac OS X v10.6.7 Snow Leopard Font Update:

-Addresses an issue in which some OpenType fonts don’t display correctly in certain applications.
Resolves issues printing from Preview.

-Addresses an issue with PDF files not opening in third-party PDF viewing applications.

-Resolves invalid font errors when printing to PostScript printers.

Update 9/27/11: Thanks Microsoft! Botnet that hosted MacDefender scareware/malware shut down thanks to Microsoft. http://t.co/LNpIXZWx

If your laptop gets stolen, and you don’t have quick draw access to your registration info, you could lose critical time in reporting your loss to LoJack For Laptops.

Sounds complicated, right? Nope, It’s super easy.

1. If you don’t have your registration info from LoJack already, then log in to get it.

2. Once you’re logged into your account, print a copy of your license.

3. Print that document, and save it as a PDF to your desktop.

4. Drag that license PDF to iTunes, then it will place the PDF in to your iTunes Library under “Books”.

5. If you have your iPhone set up to “sync” Books, then that PDF will show up in iBook on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Now if you MacBook Pro goes missing or gets ripped off, you have the info you need to report it right at your finger tips on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Also, if you’ve already upgraded to Lion and you have LoJack installed, be sure to follow the steps on our prior Blog post.

Sign up for LoJack for Laptops for Mac on-line: http://www.macmedics.com/lojack

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Apple has determined that a very small number of Seagate 1TB hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems, may fail under certain conditions. These systems were sold between May 2011 and July 2011.

Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected hard drives free of charge.

Apple may contact you via email if you provided them with a valid email address when you registered your new iMac. Otherwise you can check your iMac’s serial number at this page to see if your hard drive should be replaced.

If you do have an affected 21″ or 27″ iMac, then, come see us at MacMedics to have it replaced free of charge.

If you are having issues in a 21″ or 27″ Late 2009 iMac with the fans running all the time, and you have a 500 GB or a 1TB hard drive, please give us a call. We might be able to help you with that problem.

If info like this is important to you, then please subscribe to the MacMedics email newsletter!

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If you are still running Snow Leopard 10.6.7 and you DO NOT wish to upgrade to Snow Leopard 10.6.8, there is an Apple Security Update that you should run.

Because Apple expects you to just upgrade to 10.6.8, the new Security Update for 10.6.7 will not show up in Software Update.

In order to install this update, you need to download it manually. See this link from Apple for grab it:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1387

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