Remove Mac Guard Virus aka Mac Defender via Intego VirusBarrier X6

Dad Fix Tip #6: How to Remove a Mac Virus

Well well. Seems the Might Mac isn't so impenetrable after all. Now, for the second time in history, the Mac community has found itself in the throws of viral attack. How did I find out? It showed up on Wifey's MacBook

Sneaky little virus too. When you get it, the webpage it shows looks just like the Mac Finder interface (see image, CLICK FOR LARGER VIEW.)

It attempts to fool you into thinking you are being instructed by your Mac to download a protection or antivirus tool. If you click on the link provided, you will see the following image:

 If you click the Continue button as directed, you will download a program called AVRunner (avsetup.pkg). Now, unlike the previous variants of this fake antivirus, no administrator’s password is required to install this program and it will automatically execute.

Two things you need to do:

Step One: Quit Safari (close it). Disable your Mac's factory default option that allows Safari to autorun any "safe" download. in Go to Safari’s General preferences tab and uncheck the “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading” option.

Step Two: Download Intego VirusBarrier X6 and run it. It will tell you if it detects a virus. Then, follow the prompts and you're done. It took me less than five minutes to fix Wifey's Mac.


Done.

Framing A Bathroom Archway to Add A Door

View from outside bathroom (door inside is toilet)

[Update: Part Two of Adding a Door to a Bathroom Archway is posted.  All drywall and texture completed.]

Dad Fix Tip #7: How to Frame in an Archway

Part One

As I was working on my living room niche last week, a buddy from church stopped by to borrow a razor knife. He was a carpenter by trade and was working on adding a walk-in pantry inside a neighbor's house across the street (neighbor's solution to MORE food storage space.) Somehow in the conversation between him and Wifey, they discussed how he added a door to his master bathroom which was originally only designed as an archway (read: shower without privacy door + 6 daughters = no privacy for Dad.)

Next thing I know, he's offering to add a doorway for us for around $150. Seriously? How can I turn THAT down! He came over a few days later and framed in the archway. I'll show the pictures of the framework and update the progress of this structure as it happens (see Part Two.)

No pun intended but this project opens up a ton of doors for us! Not only will we be able to LOCK our bathroom now (think six daughters!) but we could also potentially turn this room into a safe room. I've blogged about using Armor Concepts and their amazing door jamb armor (police battering ram video) and could use it to create a safe room.



View from inside the bathroom.



The drywall should be done this coming Saturday and the door will be hung after the drywall is finished. We might have a hard time finding a matching door since our house was built back in 2001. Nevertheless, we are excited about our soon-to-be bathroom privacy and security. A large part of Wifey cleaning and re-cleaning our bedroom is due to the toddlers pulling out all the scrunchies, hair clips, bobby pins, etc from the bathroom and littering them everywhere else.

I'd like to replace the over-sized bathtub in this bathroom with something more practical since we mostly use the stand-alone shower. The toddlers get to use our tub on occasion as their play pool. But until we find some pictures/ideas of something to actually replace the tub with, we'll just leave it.



Using TDSSKiller To Remove The Google Redirect Virus

Google Redirect Virus On The Prowl.

After my refreshing weekend off, I came back to work to find a lovely computer virus waiting on our main Windows PC. I didn't notice it at first. What I DID notice was that every time I did a Google search and clicked on one of the search results, I would immediately be taken to some strange website made to look like a search engine. Problem was, I wasn't trying to get to a search engine.

I began to test my Internet Explorer browser (yes, I don't like IE either) by running some queries. Google search for "drudgreport" netted me several results linking to the Drudge Report. But when I clicked on the result links, I was taken to what looked to be fake search engines. Some even had script error codes on the page, lame script kiddies.

First thing I did was restore the computer to a prior date. This is a low-level fix but has worked at home when the kids accidentally messup some settings. I had worked on this computer last week and didn't have this issue so I restored the computer to a date last week. Rebooted and tried the Google Drudge query test again. Same problem.

Second, I visited Trend Micro's HouseCall and ran a diagnostic. TM is a global leader in cloud security. All you do is download their HouseCall program and run it. It scans the computer and gives a report. If it finds something, it will attempt to fix it. If it can't fix it, atleast you know what the name of the culprit is so you can google it. HouseCall did NOT find the problem and I uninstalled it and deleted the install folder.

TDSSKiller worked in under 3 minutes.

Third, I searched "Google Redirect Virus" and received numerous results. After reading through a few posts, I found a simple narrative on using a tool called TDSSKiller. This is an anti-root kit offered by Kaspersky, a trusted online anti-virus software provider. I downloaded TDSSKiller, ran the program, and within 3 minutes it found the problem and isolated it. A quick pop up told me to reboot the computer so I did. The next time I logged in, I performed several Google Drudge search queries and haven't had a problem since. It worked like a charm. Then I uninstalled the TDSSKiller and deleted the install folder.

And mom said watching Wargames 78 times when I was a kid wouldn't pay off. Pshhahh.

Totally Secure Homestead Design

Found this over at SurvivalBlog. A house made of concrete that can be completely enclosed and only accessible via second story draw bridge. I have found my perfect retreat design!

Sweet!

Designers' website can be found here.

Netted Gardens for Pesky Pooping Cats

Can you see the bird net covering the garden?

Busy weekend with Easter and chores. Finished quite a few odd jobs. Our three raised-box gardens and block wall garden got framed and covered with bird net.

For the raised beds, I went to home depot and bought some wooden stakes (about $7) and bird netting (about $20). I simply drove the stakes into the corners and used my trusty staple gun to secure three sides. I hammered a few nails into the fourth side and slide the netting on and off the nails for easy access.

I had originally planned on building a pvc frame around the raised beds. I changed my mind and used the pvc on the block wall garden. I just draped the bird netting over the pipe and used stepping stones to secure the net.

Bird net here too. That's corn growing on the left.

This will hopefully keep the neighbor's cat from pooping and clawing in my garden. Yes, manure is fertilizer but he's also clawing up my seeds. Pesky cat. Neighbors that garden have also warned me to net my stuff to stop birds from picking at it.

So, for the most part, my gardens are covered. I still have a stretch of garden along my south wall but everything sewn into that was just put straight into the ground. No boxes built, no bags of manure hauled. We just ground-weasel'd it and planted seeds. I don't feel as obligated to protect that one, as dumb as that logic seems.

A friend from church told me he went to the local Starbucks and picked up a bag of used coffee grounds. Once mixed into his garden, he has had no more cat problems. That's next on my list.

Thoughts on Home Security Upgrades & Armor Concepts

About six months ago, I decided it was time to beef up the security around the house. I researched many blogs and youtube videos for the many different options available today. The most detailed and helpful research, as usual, came from Rawles Survival Blog.

At that time, I chose to address entry points. How could I reinforce my doors and windows? After much research, I ended up using Armor Concepts Door Jamb Armor. They provided several videos on the product showing several attempts to kick the door down AND using a police battering ram. They also provided videos for installation. I outfitted all pertinent outside doors with Door Jamb Armor.



Next subject is the windows. Since this would be the only other source of entry, I researched: shatterproof window film (ballistic window film), traditional metal bars, and shatter alarms.

Where possible, I plan on planting some thorny bush in front of the windows. A comment from a landscaper over at Ready Nutrition mentioned barberry shrubs as a nice, thorny means of protection.

I contacted Roll Shutters and had them come over to give me an estimate. The cost was roughly $9000 to cover all my exterior windows with metal rolling shutters. Not exactly in my budget but nice to know what the cost would be.

Next time I revisit home security, I'll be addressing perimeter security and a possible safe room.