A recent surge in fake anti virus software seem to harass and upset several of my clients. These malware are not detected by many anti virus applications such as Avira, Microsoft Security Essentials etc. Yet they cause endless issues for the end user. Take a look at this error screen a client sent me:

The red arrows are my annotations. At first glance this could be mistaken for a real BSOD error - indeed, I fell for it initially. But upon trying to identify the location of the file SPCMDCOM.sys I realised that this file did not exist - already a sign something is fishy. Compare the spelling to the last line - the file's name is misspelt! Now read through the actual text - and you will realise this is not a Microsoft error but rather a fake message from the malware application itself, instilling fear and forcing you to purchase the fake malware to "remove" the virus and clean your computer.

This is a 3 month old top of the line $2400 MacBook Air 13.3" with an i7 1.8GHz processor. Yet it cannot play a simple 1080i HD movie without stuttering tremendously.

…is not that databases with password hashes get hacked, or that the encryption / hashing algorithms are weak, or that GPU based attacks are getting so strong, but that users will always be the weakest link.

Users.

Because they will always:

I am not an astronomer, but the heavens have always fascinated me. I am however an avid photographer, and when the chance of photographing Venus' transit across the face of the sun approached, I knew I had to do whatever it takes to be ready. This is the rarest predictable celestial event, and will not occur again until 2117, when I will be ash and dust.

So a week before the 5th of June I decided to get a solar filter for my Canon 500mm F4 IS L lens. I was extremely lucky to find the Orion 6.58" Solar Filter in stock at my local Canadian Telescope dealer. The same day I rushed out to pick it up for a hefty $109. However without that I cannot photograph the sun at all...

My gear was now ready after some additional purchases: