I need to pound on HR for a bit. Before an employee is terminated, CONTACT IT AND GIVE THEM A HEADS-UP! There has been several instances when disgruntled employees have damaged systems before being shown the door. Don't look for details here, I don't want to provide a to-do list for miscreants.

IT, this should be part of your "Employee Termination Procedure(s)":

1. Grab a forensically sound image of all media that the soon-to-be-terminated-employee has had access to. This is necessary in our litigious times. Contact your legal resources to get feedback on how long to retain the image(s).
2. Zero wipe any computer before re-tasking it. I know it is a pain, but you cannot have any crud being passed on to a new user. It will also validate step #1.
3. Don't delete user accounts... suspend them. You may need to access information contained in user profiles or on the network in as native a format as possible. Once the account is deleted, recovery is a pain in the backside. Again, check with legal to see how long to keep the accounts on the system.

Tags: Firing Employees, Termination, Litigation, Criminal Activity, Liable

Q1 of 2010 was crazy with infected computers. It was so bad that I went on a local news broadcast to spread the word bout the threat. The interview was great. I thought I was brilliant and watched with eagerness as the whole episode was butchered into incoherence by the producer. Lesson: Don't count on the media to get anything right, even when you hand them a story. They want crying victims, not prevention.

There are three steps that MUST be done to keep your Microsoft-based PC happy:

1. Run "Windows Update" on a regular basis. Be sure to choose the "Custom" option to get all of the updates needed for your PC. Do this weekly.
2. Use either AVG (for servers) or Microsoft Security Essentials (for workstations) to protect your PC. AVG costs money, but is a heavy-duty product. The Microsoft product is free and is well maintained. Be sure to do full security scans weekly, and that the program is set to update itself daily.
3. If weird security windows or product update notices start popping up, turn off your PC IMMEDIATELY and contact a professional.

Tags: Virus, Malware, Syware, Phishing, WIndows Update, Anti Virus

I got a call last week that needed commenting on. A student working on her Masters thesis moved ALL of her research and papers to an el-cheapo Flash Drive. Read MOVED, not COPIED the data. You can conclude, the drive failed and her thesis is unrecoverable.

Several behaviors caused this to happen:

1. Moved important files to a portable media device. Keep viable copies on your PC, on-line service or server.
2. Used el-cheapo media. At this time I recommend Sandisk products for Flash Drives. Note: Be sure to wipe all of the factory installed software from the drive before using it.