Any Computer Savvy People That Can Answer A Question?

[xSilverPhinx]

This one's about internet security, and it happened a few days ago, though just on one site, YouTube.

https://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95617&topic=14666&ctx=topic

The red padlock icon appeared with the crossed out https on my YouTube channel page. (Just now it's gone, though, just after I started looking these things up).

alert icon red https    The site uses SSL, but Google Chrome has detected either high-risk insecure content on the page or problems with the site's certificate. Don't enter sensitive information on this page. Invalid certificate or other serious https issues could indicate that someone is attempting to tamper with your connection to the site.

So...what is the malicious malware doing? I don't type in sensitive information, no personal details, credit card info etc. I'm changing passwords. Does it just collect info or something more sinister? I have legitimate concerns over this, because I've been targeted by criminals before.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Stevil]

This one's about internet security, and it happened a few days ago, though just on one site, YouTube.

https://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95617&topic=14666&ctx=topic

The red padlock icon appeared with the crossed out https on my YouTube channel page. (Just now it's gone, though, just after I started looking these things up).

alert icon red https    The site uses SSL, but Google Chrome has detected either high-risk insecure content on the page or problems with the site's certificate. Don't enter sensitive information on this page. Invalid certificate or other serious https issues could indicate that someone is attempting to tamper with your connection to the site.

So...what is the malicious malware doing? I don't type in sensitive information, no personal details, credit card info etc. I'm changing passwords. Does it just collect info or something more sinister? I have legitimate concerns over this, because I've been targeted by criminals before.

Any help would be appreciated.

If you want to purchase online, I would recommend use of Debit Cards rather than Credit Cards.
If you want to do banking online I would recommend RoboBank, they use a security token which changes number all the time, hence if spyware grabs your number it will be too late for them to use it.

[AnimatedDirt]

I solved 95% of my computer problems about 5 years ago when I turned to Apple.  Other than that bit of info for you, I'm useless at PC security issues.  Sorry to be of no help.

[xSilverPhinx]

This one's about internet security, and it happened a few days ago, though just on one site, YouTube.

https://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95617&topic=14666&ctx=topic

The red padlock icon appeared with the crossed out https on my YouTube channel page. (Just now it's gone, though, just after I started looking these things up).

alert icon red https    The site uses SSL, but Google Chrome has detected either high-risk insecure content on the page or problems with the site's certificate. Don't enter sensitive information on this page. Invalid certificate or other serious https issues could indicate that someone is attempting to tamper with your connection to the site.

So...what is the malicious malware doing? I don't type in sensitive information, no personal details, credit card info etc. I'm changing passwords. Does it just collect info or something more sinister? I have legitimate concerns over this, because I've been targeted by criminals before.

Any help would be appreciated.

If you want to purchase online, I would recommend use of Debit Cards rather than Credit Cards.
If you want to do banking online I would recommend RoboBank, they use a security token which changes number all the time, hence if spyware grabs your number it will be too late for them to use it.

Robobank, I wasn't familiar with that one. Thanks for the info.

I solved 95% of my computer problems about 5 years ago when I turned to Apple.  Other than that bit of info for you, I'm useless at PC security issues.  Sorry to be of no help.

Apple is a bit out of my financial league right now But I'll keep that in mind if I've ever in a realistic position to choose.

[AnimatedDirt]

Apple is a bit out of my financial league right now But I'll keep that in mind if I've ever in a realistic position to choose.

This can be true and was true of myself.  However when I considered the $$ I spent on a PC, it wasn't that far off.  The OS upgrades (at the time, I don't know now since I've been out of the PC market at least 5 years) were close to $200.00 US.  Considering that my PC's either only lasted 18 months or by then I needed an upgrade, I spent about the same in PC equipment than I did for one Apple laptop.  btw, I still use my original white Macbook...AND it's running the latest LION OS which I upgraded for $29.99.  It is still running (relatively fine) the newer Photoshop and doing a good job of it.

Apple simply solved the majority of my problems on PC.  When you get a chance, take a look.  There's a slight learning curve with the differences between PC and Mac...but once you play a bit, it becomes increasingly clear that most of the differences are logically superior and you can't believe the archaic workings of the PC that you were a slave to.

Good luck on the PC issues.  I hope someone here can help you.

[Asmodean]

So...what is the malicious malware doing? I don't type in sensitive information, no personal details, credit card info etc. I'm changing passwords. Does it just collect info or something more sinister? I have legitimate concerns over this, because I've been targeted by criminals before.

Any help would be appreciated.

The lack of a good certificate does not equate to malware, it just can.

However, you may want to run your antivirus.

Usually, the collection of info is quite sinister enough, as keyloggers can steal your passwords, redit card numbers and authentication codes, pin numbers and the like. The owner of that malware can then use the information for anything from reading your e-mail to industrial espionage and identity theft.

Thinking that having an Apple, Linux or Android-powered machine is enough to protect you from that may also prove insufficient with potentially dire consequences. It is no harder to write malware for UNIX derivatives and other systems than it is for Windows, although the numbers of malware are greater for Windows.

[AnimatedDirt]

Thinking that having an Apple, Linux or Android-powered machine is enough to protect you from that may also prove insufficient with potentially dire consequences. It is no harder to write malware for UNIX derivatives and other systems than it is for Windows, although the numbers of malware are greater for Windows.

This is probably true.  The reality is that I have yet to need an antivirus software for the Macs I own.  Whatever the reason is, the bad people just aren't interested in Macs OR it does take a bit more effort.  Either way, I'm still in a better position with a Mac than I was with a PC.  The decision I made to try out the Apple products proved to be the better decision for my $$.

[Asmodean]

This is probably true.  The reality is that I have yet to need an antivirus software for the Macs I own.  Whatever the reason is, the bad people just aren't interested in Macs OR it does take a bit more effort.

OR, you just know what you are doing on the internet and don't open suspicious e-mail attachments, download suspicious files from shady porn ad filled sites and the like.

(No, baddies are not as interested in Mac as they are in windows due to the overall distribution of both systems, but it doesn't take the million viruses you walk right past to put you in bed with a barf bin at your side - it takes the one you catch.)

Either way, I'm still in a better position with a Mac than I was with a PC.  The decision I made to try out the Apple products proved to be the better decision for my $$.

Macs have their ups and downs, as everything else does. Personally, I do not own a single Apple-product.

[hismikeness]

Thinking that having an Apple, Linux or Android-powered machine is enough to protect you from that may also prove insufficient with potentially dire consequences. It is no harder to write malware for UNIX derivatives and other systems than it is for Windows, although the numbers of malware are greater for Windows.

This is probably true.  The reality is that I have yet to need an antivirus software for the Macs I own.  Whatever the reason is, the bad people just aren't interested in Macs OR it does take a bit more effort.  Either way, I'm still in a better position with a Mac than I was with a PC.  The decision I made to try out the Apple products proved to be the better decision for my $$.

I too am a Mac user. I like when people say "as soon as Mac has enough market share people will write viruses and malware." My answer is "Well, they don't have them yet dummy. What are you waiting for?"

My wife has a 1.5 year old white MacBook and I have a 4 year old MacMini. Both still run great, both with the current OS (Lion)! We also have an old HP and Dell laptops that shit out after 18 months to 2 years that are now collecting dust in the cabinet. I've had much better luck with Apple stuff than any other PC.

[xSilverPhinx]

Thinking that having an Apple, Linux or Android-powered machine is enough to protect you from that may also prove insufficient with potentially dire consequences. It is no harder to write malware for UNIX derivatives and other systems than it is for Windows, although the numbers of malware are greater for Windows.

This is probably true.  The reality is that I have yet to need an antivirus software for the Macs I own.  Whatever the reason is, the bad people just aren't interested in Macs OR it does take a bit more effort.  Either way, I'm still in a better position with a Mac than I was with a PC.  The decision I made to try out the Apple products proved to be the better decision for my $$.

I too am a Mac user. I like when people say "as soon as Mac has enough market share people will write viruses and malware." My answer is "Well, they don't have them yet dummy. What are you waiting for?"

My wife has a 1.5 year old white MacBook and I have a 4 year old MacMini. Both still run great, both with the current OS (Lion)! We also have an old HP and Dell laptops that shit out after 18 months to 2 years that are now collecting dust in the cabinet. I've had much better luck with Apple stuff than any other PC.

My HP  (Vista) is around that age, just can't really take the more demanding stuff very well anymore. Especially when I play games, anything slightly more update is likely to crash the whole system.

Though I suspect these sorts of inconveniences happen in both OS. I don't really ever upgrade my computer though, just push it to the limit, leave it to collect dust and get another one.
The number of malware going around made for OS other than Windows could be a valid argument for the other OS, though...

So...what is the malicious malware doing? I don't type in sensitive information, no personal details, credit card info etc. I'm changing passwords. Does it just collect info or something more sinister? I have legitimate concerns over this, because I've been targeted by criminals before.

Any help would be appreciated.

The lack of a good certificate does not equate to malware, it just can.

Yes, what scared me is the site is YouTube and the warning icon appears only when I open the page with Chrome, not Firefox. It's gone back to normal now, just after I started rummaging through some tips and info. Gone back to the globe icon, and the default 'not encrypted' and 'not verified' mode. 

However, you may want to run your antivirus.

Usually, the collection of info is quite sinister enough, as keyloggers can steal your passwords, redit card numbers and authentication codes, pin numbers and the like. The owner of that malware can then use the information for anything from reading your e-mail to industrial espionage and identity theft.

The internet can be a problem at times I'm aware of those sorts of things, even going as far as real time screen capture, but that's usually for the more heavy espionage stuff.

[xSilverPhinx]

Apple is a bit out of my financial league right now But I'll keep that in mind if I've ever in a realistic position to choose.

This can be true and was true of myself.  However when I considered the $$ I spent on a PC, it wasn't that far off.  The OS upgrades (at the time, I don't know now since I've been out of the PC market at least 5 years) were close to $200.00 US.  Considering that my PC's either only lasted 18 months or by then I needed an upgrade, I spent about the same in PC equipment than I did for one Apple laptop.  btw, I still use my original white Macbook...AND it's running the latest LION OS which I upgraded for $29.99.  It is still running (relatively fine) the newer Photoshop and doing a good job of it.

Apple simply solved the majority of my problems on PC.  When you get a chance, take a look.  There's a slight learning curve with the differences between PC and Mac...but once you play a bit, it becomes increasingly clear that most of the differences are logically superior and you can't believe the archaic workings of the PC that you were a slave to.

Good luck on the PC issues.  I hope someone here can help you.

When the time comes to go for another computer, I'll definitely keep that in mind.

[Asmodean]

"as soon as Mac has enough market share people will write viruses and malware." My answer is "Well, they don't have them yet dummy. What are you waiting for?"

Oh, they aren't waiting. There are some fine ways of screwing them Mac users out there, just not nearly as many as there are for Windows.

[AnimatedDirt]

Oh, they aren't waiting. There are some fine ways of screwing them Mac users out there, just not nearly as many as there are for Windows.

So the logical conclusion is...

"Well, they don't have them yet dummy. What are you waiting for?"

[The Magic Pudding]

I've never had any security problems I know of.
You can have prepaid credit cards here, once the eg $100 is used up it is dead, you may pay a $5 premium for it.
You can have a small debit card account witch won't kill you to have breached.
Credit cards have some advantages over debit cards but I haven't used them for years.
If you're paranoid and have some sensitive business to do you can use a live Linux disk which doesn't require installation, Linux Mint 12 Lisa is one .
No script for Firefox is supposed to help.
If you're running a program that you suspect to be dodgy you may be able to do it within a virtual machine.
The way legitimate businesses like Sony keep your bank details and then have them filched isn't very encouraging.

I don't know how many extra thousands of dollars using Apple would have cost me over the years, certainly a lot more than the $0 malware has.

[Happy_Is_Good]

This one's about internet security, and it happened a few days ago, though just on one site, YouTube.

https://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95617&topic=14666&ctx=topic

The red padlock icon appeared with the crossed out https on my YouTube channel page. (Just now it's gone, though, just after I started looking these things up).

alert icon red https    The site uses SSL, but Google Chrome has detected either high-risk insecure content on the page or problems with the site's certificate. Don't enter sensitive information on this page. Invalid certificate or other serious https issues could indicate that someone is attempting to tamper with your connection to the site.

So...what is the malicious malware doing? I don't type in sensitive information, no personal details, credit card info etc. I'm changing passwords. Does it just collect info or something more sinister? I have legitimate concerns over this, because I've been targeted by criminals before.

Any help would be appreciated.

There is no direct indication of malware (the type that can be downloaded to your computer).  However, this message does indicate that either the SSL Security Certificate missing/outdated/compromised, or it indicates there is something not quite right about the SSL protocol being used to communicate with the website, or...there is something about the SSL page coding itself that suggests that it may have been tampered with in order to produce a malicious result.  In any case, don't enter sensitive information on this page until the problem is resolved (i.e., the SSL Session is established without warning).  However, I can't see that there would be any harm in just visiting the page - just don't enter any information.

Hope this helps.