A New Resolution

The Way It Is

Everyone uses the web nowadays, it seems that everyone also has some "brilliant" idea about what the next big thing will be or a good way to make a quick buck. Fortunately for us, the freelance web developer, most people don't know how to make this next big thing a reality, and that's supposed to be our bread and butter.

It seems that for most of us the first few lessons we learn in this trade are the realities of the business end of things. I myself was that way. I'd do projects on the cheap in return for some percentage of the profits. None of these ideas took off. Often times the project would fizzle out and I'd get paid little or nothing, and usually less than the effort put in should have paid me. As a result, ask almost any jaded programmer for advice and they will likely tell you much the same things. Always get some money up front, don;t work for free or for percentages. These arrangements usually go badly for us.

For the new year I'm going to go against this wisdom a bit. I'm resolving to in 2009, not take any side projects for money. This isn't some noble cause I'm taking up: to make the world a better place through pro-bono web design. I'm not going to save the whales. This is a new outlook about what it is going to take to make me more satisfied with my job, expand my knowledge base, and get filthy rich.

The Way It Will Be

The motivation for not taking any paid projects this next year may seem a bit fuzzy and in regards to getting rich it appear downright counterintuitive.

When I take side projects I do make a fair amount of money. It is a greater hourly rate by far than what I make behind my desk at my day job. However, the projects I take are the ones where the client has the means to pay. They pay 25% up front, they don't fight the quoted price much, they don't even mention doing work for free or a cut. The usual hallmarks of a side job, I'll be willing to accept.

The reason is this. I want to be excited again. This next year, I would rather make nothing more than my base sallary, but be able to say I built something that I thought was a great idea. Maybe I'll have the idea, or maybe it will be one of those prospective clients I would have once ignored. The key is even though this goes against what a few years experience has taught me and many others, maybe 10 years experience can now help me pick up on that the truely good ones.

It's a long shot on the getting rich part. I'm too realistic to think this is just going to happen. But there are toher reasons and I think that those will come with the effort. I want to help push boundaries in web design. Paying clients usually just want strict emulation of other sites that they like. I want to experiment. Try new things and learn in the process. This will add to my skill set and lead to greater satisfaction with the job I am doing.

I don't have it all figured out yet, but I have decided that I'm going to do it. Here's looking forward to a new year.

Antivirus 2009

Recently around the office the Antivirus 2009 bug has been popping up a lot. This fake antivirus software isn't terribly clever in it's execution, as fake antivirus software that is actually a virus is an old trick now, it is shockingly pervasive having infected 4 or 5 laptops here this last month. Sure I could use this as a podium to rant that my office really ought to keep stricter controls over the PCs we have on the network, but since most of our employees are expected to have their own personal laptops to work from, I can't really restrict their rights on their own personal machines.

In any event, using a few utilities I've had very good luck removing this virus and all the little bits and pieces it leaves behind without damaging the OS.

The Quick Fix:

For those of you are certain that the infection you are experiencing is "Antivirus 2009" my advice is quite simply to download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, update, run the full scan and presto, your computer will be fixed. Malwarebytes is the essential one to run because it is of the software I tried, the only one that managed to kill all Antivirus 2009 background processes and get it to stop replicating.

After running Malwarebytes, I also reccomend using Spybot Search and Destroy to help remove any sypware, adware or other _____ware buddies 2009 might have invited to the party.

For those who would like more in-depth diagnosis and instruction please read on.

Diagnosis:

Antivirus 2009, is a fake Antivirus software that installs to your computer primarily by malicious websites tricking the user into thinking that a scan has been run and a virus was found on thier PC. The user then installs Antivirus 2009 (the real virus) thinking it will remove the nonexistant one.

I've also seen it piggyback along with P2P downloads, wares, and other less than reputable downloads.

Computers with Antivirus 2009 will often have a pop-up window or taskbar tray application that runs a "scan" of thier computer. This program can have other names, but the behavior and purpose is usually the same. For tips on how you can tell fake software from real software see this article.

Closing the application will close the window, but not stop the program. Using Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up the task manager will allow you to see the "antivirus2009" process, but killing it will only temporarily disable it. Deleting the file that executed the process will also only slow it down as it is replicating.

The Fix:

The first order of business is to stop it from replicating and remove the offending files. The best software for this is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Once you have downloaded the installer, it's as simple as clicking next until it completes.

Upon loading the program click the update tab and run an update.

After that run a full scan. Once the scan is complete, click the show results button in the lower right hand potion of the window.

Remove all the bad files found by Malwarebytes. The system may ask to reboot. Do so if prompted. Upon restarting, your system should be free of the Antivirus 2009 Virus. You may want to run additional scans (Such as Spybot Search and Destroy, AVG Antivirus, or Avast!) to check for other malicious programs

How to Keep Yourself Protected in the Future.

A little education goes a long way when it comes to preventing virus attacks on your computers. In the case of Antivirus 2009, most people could prevent the installation or escalation of this infection by knowing how to identify spoofed virus warnings.

The trick isn't so much knowing what to look for in a fake warning but knowing what a real warning looks like, and only react to those.

Step one: download and use a reputable Antivirus program. This way if you do recieve a message saying that "your computer is unprotected" or some other alarmist statement the virus writers use to get your fear going, you'll know this isn;t the case.

Among my favorites are AVG Antivirus and Avast Antivirus. Why? Well, that might be a topic better suited for a separate post... something I'll get to eventually no doubt.

The next thing to do once you have installed your choice antivirus application, is to actually use it. Run a scan, run an update, take it for a walk in the park. Get to know your software a bit. So that when the time comes you'll be able to better guage if the information you are getting seems to be from the application you are using.

If the look of the warning, the name of the software, or other clues don't seem to match up. You are likely looking at a hoax. Better yet, a good antivirus software package will go so far as to prevent the hoax from making it to the screen or at least bailing you out of trouble if it does.

In the end, viruses are everywhere and the best way to make sure your system is safe is to apply a little human intelligence and think criticaly not emotionaly when security is in question.

It's been too long

I've missed the simple pleasure of writing in my blog since my old Live Journal community fell apart. Once upon a time as my old friends started to go off to college, and "The Group" became more and more disparate, we all used blogs to keep informed about the goings on in our tight circle. For a time things were good but as time passed the posts got more and more infrequent, and I slowly got the impression that I was beginning to talk to myself. Fearing the onset of madness, even I, one of the most consistent bloggers, quit.

So, here I am now. Starting a blog. This is going to be different. Not simply because I am older, or because the surroundings are new, but because my focus this time around is new. As an IT Manager for Mountain View Mortgage, and a programmer for the last decade, I feel like I might actually have things to say that are of general interest and use. I know not yet who my audience may be, but I enjoy writing enough to find out by experimentation.

On that note I give you, the beginning...