7 new Exchange Online Protection enhancements

The Office 365 Exchange Online Protection (EOP) team has been hard at work on new features that reflect our continued commitment to provide advanced security, reliability and protection of your email, and a simpler and more efficient user experience for email admins. Today, we’re pleased to announce seven new EOP features, including:

1. Scheduled EOP reports
2. Domain-based email traffic support
3. Simplified block and allow
4. Quarantined message preview
5. Bulk release
6. Improving backscatter detection with Boomerang
7. Non-delivery report (NDR) backscatter storm prevention

Scheduled EOP reports and domain-based email traffic support

Two new EOP reporting features have been included in this update. First, customers can now schedule EOP reports to be delivered via email on a weekly or monthly basis. For tenant admins, this means you can schedule EOP reports to arrive in your inbox on a day that you specify and choose from four types of EOP reports:

• Mail traffic summary (aka sent-and-received mail)
• Spam detections summary
• Rule matches
• Data Loss Prevention policy matches

The new scheduled report feature is easy to set up on the Office 365 portal for EOP or Exchange Online customers.

To get started, go to the Office 365 portal and click Reports, then select the type of report you want to schedule. From the report page, click Schedule this report. It’s that easy! You’ll find more information about scheduling EOP reports and the customization features that help you obtain the specific data you need here.

Scheduled EOP reports are delivered to your inbox on the day of the week or month you specify.

The second new reporting feature enables admins to assess email traffic at the domain level through PowerShell. For large customers with many domains, this feature makes it easy to view domain-level aggregation of mail traffic. To obtain mail traffic breakdown by domain, use the ‘Domain’ parameter with  Get-MailTrafficReport and Get-MailTrafficPolicyReport in PowerShell. More information about domain-based email traffic support is available here.

Simplified block and allow

We simplified the process for EOP or Exchange Online admins to block or allow emails from an individual sender or an entire domain. The new simplified block-and-allow lists replace the need to write a complex transport rule to bypass spam filtering or modify the Spam Confidence Level for a sender or domain.
Located in the Spam Filter section of the Office 365 Exchange Admin Center, you’ll access this feature by clicking the Protection link, making it easy and intuitive to find. There, you can create, edit and maintain block-and-allow lists for senders and domains.

Simplified block and allow is currently in preview with first-release customers and will be deployed worldwide by the end of the month.

Quarantined message preview and bulk release

As part of our efforts to revamp our quarantine feature area to further protect against email containing malware or viruses, we released our new quarantined message preview earlier this month. You gave us the feedback that you need more information to determine if a quarantined message is malicious or legitimate. The new quarantined message preview allows you to see the body of a message without triggering any malicious content. This new visibility provides an improvement over previously just seeing a quarantined message’s sender, recipient, subject and date.
Two months ago, we released our bulk release feature, which has received widespread positive feedback from customers. Now, admins can quickly and easily select up to 500 quarantined messages to release or not release, which can be especially helpful in addressing large email campaigns. The bulk release feature can be accessed either through the Office 365 quarantine area or via PowerShell.

Backscatter spam improvements

Backscatter spam—when you receive a non-delivery receipt for an email that a spammer sent using your forged email address—is a growing source of irritation for end users and a challenge for email admins. We have stepped up to backscatter spam with two new protections:

• Improving backscatter detection with Boomerang—In addition to basic backscatter protections in Office 365, we recently rolled out Boomerang, our Microsoft-branded mechanism to better detect backscatter spam. Now deployed for both hosted and on-premises mailboxes, Boomerang provides greater security and smarts to fight backscatter spam.
• NDR backscatter storm prevention—This feature, deployed in May, addresses backscatter on a mass scale by automatically deleting the majority of a spammer’s large-scale email campaign, leaving just a handful of forged messages so that the responsible admin has visibility on the attack. NDR backscatter storm prevention is especially helpful in preventing spammers from spoofing well-known, executive email aliases, which are often targeted to add an appearance of legitimacy to spam or to direct mass hate emails.

Remove Pop-up Ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome

If you are seeing random pop-up ads and redirects within Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome, then your computer may be infected with an adware or a potentially unwanted program.

The pop-up ads are usually caused by an ad-supported extension for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome, which is distributed through various monetization platforms during installation. The malicious browser extensions is typically added when you install another free software (video recording/streaming, download-managers or PDF creators) that had bundled into their installation this adware program.
When an adware extension is installed on your computer, whenever you will open a new tab within Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome, an ad from Clkoffers.com will pop-up. Other common symptoms include:

• Advertising banners are injected with the web pages that you are visiting.
• Random web page text is turned into hyperlinks.
• Browser popups appear which recommend fake updates or other software.
• Other unwanted adware programs might get installed without the user’s knowledge.

Adware can slow down your PC. It can also slow down your Internet connection by downloading advertisements. Sometimes programming flaws in the adware can make your computer unstable. Advertising pop-ups can also distract you and waste your time if they have to be closed before you can continue using your PC.

If your computer is infected with adware or any other type of malicious software, you can follow the below guide to easily clean up your computer.

How to remove adware and pop-up ads (Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove Pop-up Ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.
STEP 1: Uninstall the program responsible for the pop-up ads
STEP 2: Remove adware from your computer with AdwCleaner
STEP 3: Remove browser hijackers with Junkware Removal Tool
STEP 4: Remove Pop-up Ads virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
STEP 5: Double-check for the Pop-up Ads infection with HitmanPro
(Optional) STEP 6: Remove pop-up ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome

STEP 1 : Uninstall the program responsible for the pop-up ads

In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

1. To uninstall a program from Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, click the “Start” button, then click on the “Control Panel” menu option.
   
   If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for “control panel” .Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control Panelfrom there.
   
2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category. This option is shown by the arrow in the image below. If you are using the “Classic View” of the Control Panel, then you would double-click on the “Programs and Features” icon instead.
   
3. When the “Programs and Features” or the “Uninstall a Program” screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall New Player, MediaVideosPlayers, Browsers_Apps_Pro, PriceLEess, Pic Enhance, Sm23mS, Salus, Network System Driver, SS8, Save Daily Deals, Word Proser, Desktop Temperature Monitor, CloudScout Parental Control, Savefier, Savepass, HostSecurePlugin, CheckMeUp and HD-V2.2.
   The malicious program may have a different name on your computer. To view the most recently installed programs, you can click on the “Installed On” column to sort your programs by the installation date. Scroll through the list, and uninstall any unwanted or unknown program.
   If you are having issues while trying to uninstall a program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove this unwanted program from your machine.
   
   If you cannot find any unwanted or unknown programs on your machine, then you can proceed with the next step.

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STEP 2: Remove adware from your computer with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer and web browser for malicious files, adware browser extensions and registry keys, that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

• You can download AdwCleaner utility from the below link.
  ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will download “AdwCleaner” on your computer)
• Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.
  
  If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
• When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.
  
  AdwCleaner will now start to search for the any malicious files that may be installed on your computer.
• To remove the malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Clean” button.
  
• AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or documents, as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button.
  

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STEP 3: Remove any browser hijacker with Junkware Removal Tool

Junkware Removal Tool is a powerful utility, which will remove Pop-up Ads redirect from Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome.

1. You can download the Junkware Removal Tool utility from the below link:
   JUNKWARE REMOVAL TOOL DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will download the Junkware Removal Tool on your computer)
2. Once Junkware Removal Tool has finished downloading, please double-click on the JRT.exe icon as seen below.
   
   If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run Junkware Removal Tool, please allow it to run.
3. Junkware Removal Tool will now start, and at the Command Prompt, you’ll need to press any key to perform a scan for the Pop-up Ads hijacker.
   
   Please be patient as this can take a while to complete (up to 10 minutes) depending on your system’s specifications.
4. When the scan Junkware Removal Tool will be completed, this utility will display a log with the malicious files and registry keys that were removed from your computer.
   

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STEP 4: Remove virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware FREE

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)
2. Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup-consumer-2.00.xx” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
   
    You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
3. When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
   
   To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
   
4. Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Fix Now” button.
   
   Alternatively, you can click on the “Scan” tab and select “Threat Scan“, then click on the “Scan Now” button.
   
5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now check for updates, and if there are any, you will need to click on the “Update Now” button.
   
6. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the pop-up virus. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.
   
7. When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Quarantine All” button, and then click on the “Apply Now” button.
   
   Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
8. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.
   
   After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

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STEP 5: Double-check for the Pop-up Ads infection with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
2. Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
   
   Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
   
3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for any malicious files that may be on your machine.
   
4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove any virus that has been found.
   
5. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

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(Optional) STEP 6: Remove pop-up ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome

If you are still experiencing issues with the pop-up ads in Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome, we will need to reset your browser to its default settings. This step needs to be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.

• Reset Internet Explorer
• Reset Mozilla Firefox
• Reset Google Chrome

You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your PC.

1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon”  in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.
   
2. In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
   
3. In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click on “Reset” button.
   
4. When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box. You will now  need to close your browser, and then you can open Internet Explorer again.
   

Use Remote Desktop To Access Other Computers On a Small Office or Home Network

he first thing we need to do is enable Remote Desktop on a Windows 7 or Vista machine. Right-click on the Computer icon on the desktop or from the Start menu and select Properties.

Now click on the Advanced system settings link.

Click on the Remote tab and under Remote Desktop select the bottom radio button… Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (more secure).

You can also select what which users on the network will have Remote Desktop access.

 

Enable Remote Desktop in XP

Enabling XP in Remote Desktop is basically the same. Right-click on My Computer and select Properties, click the Remote tab and under the Remote Desktop section, click the box next toAllow users to connect remotely to this computer.

Using Remote Desktop

Now when a co-worker or member of your family needs help, or you want to work on computers in other locations and don’t want to site at each machine, you can remote into them. Pull up Remote Desktop and enter in the name or IP address of the other computer.

The first time you try to remote in (where in this example I’m remoting into a home server), you may get a security screen which you’ll want to allow and can select to not show again.

When you log in you will need to type in the name and password before connecting.

Now you can work on the Windows Home Server from a desktop computer in the living room.

Logging into a Vista machine is the same process…enter the user name and password for that machine.

And then you can can start working on the Vista machine.

Here we’re remoting from a Windows 7 machine into an XP computer on the home network, and another security message is displayed. It’s a bit different than when remoting into a server, but again you can choose not to have it pop up every time you connect.

Working a way on the XP laptop…

 

Options

When remoting into a machine, there are different options you can select before starting the session that will change the Remote Desktop experience. You’ll need to experiment with these settings to find what works best for you. If you’re looking to make the process faster, especially on older hardware, turn down the display size and color of the remote connection. It might not be as pretty, but you can get work done more quickly.

While you’re logged into the other computer, the user will be locked out while your in it…

So make sure the person sitting at the machine your working on doesn’t try to log in during your session because they will log you out.

Conclusion

Unfortunately Remote Desktop is not a client and host feature in Home editions of XP, Vista, or Windows 7. You can use Remote Desktop to initiate a connection From any edition of Windows. However, you can’t use it to connect to computers running Starter or Home versions. There are several free utilities and services you can use to get the same results, and we will take a look at some of them in the near future. IT guys already know about the great benefits of Remote Desktop, but if your starting out with a small network, this should help you get started in using it. If you do have Professional, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate editions of Vista or Windows 7 or XP Pro installed on the machines on your network, using Remote Desktop is a great way to work on them from a central machine.