• I had an object lesson and reminder about software security today when someone posted up a series of links to adjustment utilities for printers that a lot of you are looking for (ie: TX100, TX200, TX400, T10).

    A post on the SSCLG forum (the authors of the SSC utility) promised a number of “hacked” utilities that bypass the security built into the newer adjustment utilities for printers like the RX690 or T30.

    This security has been used to lock the adjustment utilities to specific computers and has caused a lot of frustration from those wanting an option that does not cost more than a printer.

    So, anyway, these hacked versions essentially remove this security, but unfortunately one key file (Loader.exe) created a false positive for Avast and Spybot S&D, indicating that the file is a trojan keylogger or eBlaster variant.

    I’ve since confirmed that in this specific instance the virus alert was false and the files clean… However…

    A word of caution

    The problem with false positives and even this announcement, is that just because I’ve checked the original file versions and found them to be clean, doesn’t mean that someone else won’t re-release the files with a real trojan. In short be careful!

    So, just remember to thoroughly scan ALL unknown files using a number of tools to ensure they are safe.


    Note: My professional recommendation for security software includes the following:

    • Avast Professional Edition
    • Spybot – Search & Destroy
    • ASquared Free

    Avast can give false positives but it picks up a huge number more than Sophos, Symantec/Norton or McAfee so well worth the investment..

    Posted by Martin @ 21:08

    Tags: , , ,

  • One Response

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.