VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF TECHNICALLY SPEAKING INTERESTING SITES
VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF Security Watch: Windows XP SP2 more secure? Not so fast By Robert Vamosi, Senior Editor, Reviews ZDNet Technology It's late. It's large. But Microsoft's much heralded Windows XP Service Pack 2 has finally arrived. Right now, manufacturers and large-systems operators are getting their first look at the final version of SP2. By the end of the month, automatic desktop downloads will be available via Windows Update, then on free CDs. At first glance, the release suggests that Microsoft has finally gotten serious about upgrading Windows' security. But before you get too excited, please take a moment with me to slice through some of the hype and hoopla coming out of Redmond, Washington. Toward eliminating Internet threats, there's still a lot of work yet to be done--both by Microsoft and by you and me. Windows XP--the second edition Windows XP SP2's biggest news is the new Windows Security Center--and it's about time. Now, from one location within Windows, complete with system-tray alert notifications, you can monitor whether your antivirus and firewall protection are enabled and whether Windows is up-to-date with the latest patches. Windows XP SP2 also improves its built-in firewall (now called Windows Firewall) and turns it on by default, blocks pop-ups and malicious code within Internet Explorer, and turns off HTML images (such as spam pornography) within Outlook Express. Some XP SP2 changes are harder to see. Microsoft used this release to harden its operating system; in other words, Microsoft recompiled all its Windows system binaries to include a new flag, GS, which will mitigate buffer overflows, a common method used by criminal hackers (crackers) to overwrite legitimate code with malicious code on your PC. A buffer overflow is the method the Sasser worm used to infect PCs. Windows XP SP2 also makes important changes to core Windows components, such as DCOM and RPC. (Flaws within the DCOM RPC led to the damaging MSBlast attack last year.) And SP2 will also bring every Windows XP system up-to-date, whether or not you've ever performed a Windows update postinstall. Once you've installed SP2, you'll have SP1's updates plus all the security patches released up through MS04-025. No more buffer overruns? Read the fine print Are we all clear now, then? No need to worry about malicious attacks that take advantage of Windows weaknesses? Not so fast. To fully block the aforementioned buffer overflow and the Internet worms that feed on them you'll need to follow fine print: turns out the necessary No Execute setting isn't present in the current hardware architecture of most 64-bit and 32-bit processors on the market today. This data execution protection, or DEP, is currently available only on newer AMD and a handful of Intel's Itanium server chips. In other words, the new Windows DEP changes won't help you unless you're running XP SP2 on a machine with AMD or Intel Itanium processors. My colleague, David Berlind, has suggested that large companies looking to upgrade their hardware fleet should wait until after the first of the year, after Intel has released its chips. lots more: http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7297_16-5324897.html?tag=adts
Microsoft delays SP2 auto update Published: August 17, 2004 By Mike Ricciuti Staff Writer, CNET News.com Microsoft is delaying distribution of Windows XP Service Pack 2 via its Automatic Update service by at least nine days in order to give corporate customers more time to temporarily block automatic downloading of SP2 by their employees. The software maker notified customers of the decision in an e-mail on Sunday, one day before it had planned to make SP2 available through automatic distribution. Microsoft said many big companies aren't ready to make the move and need more time to put in place tools to block automatic updates to SP2 until they can fully test their internal applications. SP2 now won't be available on Automatic Update for users of Windows XP Professional Edition until Aug. 25 at the earliest, according to the e-mail, which was posted to a number of enthusiast Web sites, including one run by Steven Bink, a software developer based in Amsterdam. more: http://news.com.com/Microsoft+delays+SP2+auto+update/2100-1016-5312747.html?part=dht&tag=ntop
Thursday, August 12 -- Thursday, August 19 According to Sophos, a leader in Anti Virus Software development, 25 new/improved viruses which required Anti Virus upgrades were released into cyberspace via email. This is the highest number of releases in many months. & KCnet's antivirus program caught and "defanged" 9,779 email viruses in addition to refusing 190,092 spam messages. The spam and viruses are still coming in by the big buckets.
IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOU HAVE A VIRUS OR IF YOU HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLY SCANNED YOUR DRIVES FOR VIRUSES LATELY... THIS NEXT SITE IS FOR YOU. Free Virus scans. Trend Micro, more commonly referred to as Housecall, offers free virus scans and in most cases can fix damage down by a virus or worm that your computer may have contacted. The program works well. The first time one uses the free program it is necessary to download a small program. Trend Micro walks you through the process. Then the virus scans are quite simple for each return. You should disable any anti virus program that you have running. If you do not have a virus program I recommend that you use this program first and then download one of the free programs listed above of install any anti virus program you have purchased. Go to http://housecall.antivirus.com/ then choose the link "Scan without registering". Follow the directions.
Computer Associates, another reputable and reliable anti virus developer introduced a new free program which allows anyone to do a virus scan without downloading any software or registering for an anti virus program. You must use Internet Explorer for access to Computer Associates and to perform the scan. This is a good one and very simple to operate The address is http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx
Free Virus programs to download Quite a few KCnet members use these programs and like them. Be careful if you download a virus program and you already have one installed on your computer. You need to at least disable the program already installed. http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php Another good free program to take a look at is: http://www.free-av.com/
Top 5 Viruses for August 05 to 12 from Trend Micro 1 WORM_SASSER.B 2 WORM_NETSKY.P 3 PE_ZAFI.B 4 HTML_NETSKY.P 5 WORM_NETSKY.D
True Viruses and Warning Letters of Impending Doom. Believe it or not, the amount of harm done by sending false computer virus alarms and letters of impending doom to your thousand closest friends can be just as damaging as the alleged virus (if it even exists!); if you remember the story of the boy who cried wolf, you understand why. If you think you've got the scoop on the latest new devastating virus or latest doom warning, check it out at the Web sites below before taking it on yourself to alert the world. If the virus is as terrible as you think it is, odds are the virus fighters already know about it and -- good news here! -- your antivirus software provider probably knows about it too and already has an update for it. Sophos supplies this current information about actual hoaxes. Look at them. Read about them. If you are sent one of them, delete it.
Here are a few sites of many that can help you determine if an email is a hoax or real. http://www.quatloos.com/ http://www.snopes.com/ http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/ http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxIndex.html http://vil.nai.com/VIL/hoaxes.asp http://kumite.com/myths/ http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html http://www.scambusters.org/VirusHoaxes.html http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes/ http://www.truthorfiction.com/
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: Go Slow With XP's SP2 More caution about XPs SP2. From the recent Langalist. Many readers are wondering what to do about XP's SP2, which is starting to trickle out in a limited release. But over the next few weeks, just about all XP users will be offered the download in a carefully sequenced rollout designed to prevent the overload of Microsoft's servers. When you're offered SP2, my advice is: Do nothing; wait a bit. SP2 is huge--- so big it's almost a whole new version of XP. Like any new version of any OS, it *will* contain bugs, and it *will* cause trouble on some setups. The more complex and/or nonstandard your setup is, the greater the likelihood of a problem. Plus, there's no "must have right now" element to SP2: Much of SP2 is designed to force uninformed (or just plain lazy!) PC users to use basic security--- to stay current with updates, to use a firewall, etc. (These are the users running the unpatched/unprotected systems that allow most worms/viruses to spread.) But odds are, if you're reading this newsletter, you already know about and are using pretty good security practices, such as good firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware tools, and you're keeping up to date with Critical Updates. If that's the case, you won't gain a lot by rushing into SP2. Instead, wait a bit--- even as much as a month or two--- to let the worst problems with SP2 come to light and be fixed on other user's PCs. Again, as long as you're already using the kinds of security tools and techniques we discuss in this newsletter every week (example: http://www.informationweek.com/840/langa.htm ), there's no need to rush into SP2. I'm not the only one suggesting this "go slow" approach. See, for example these other authors: http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/60.htm http://channelzone.ziffdavis.com/article2/0,1759,1633858,00.asp But if you absolutely must try it as soon as you can, MAKE A FULL IMAGE BACKUP OF YOUR SYSTEM! (There, I hope that got your attention! <g>) You can use a free trial version of BootIt for example ( http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/ ), and have a bulletproof way to roll your system back to pre-SP2 condition if things don't work out. Note that standard uninstall, backup or roll-back tools (like Go Back) may NOT suffice for an update of this size and scope. If you want to be 100% sure you can undo SP2 in its totality, you *must* use a heavy-duty imaging tool. See http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=imaging&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 . But for most of us, the answer's simpler: Relax! Take a break, and let others blaze a trail for you! Eventually, SP2 will be worth installing, but for most of us--- almost everyone--- there's no particular need for, or benefit from, being an early adopter.
Free Clip Art and Templates Another Fred Langa Langalist Newsletter suggestion. Free clip art and document templates for Microsoft Word 97 on up. I downloaded templates for a simple will, power of attorney, birthday cards and a Christmas newsletter. Microsoft Office free Clip Art and Media Home Page: http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx Microsoft Office free Templates Home Page: http://office.microsoft.com/templates/default.aspx ---Mark Donaldson Thanks, Mark. The whole http://office.microsoft.com site is underused--- there's a ton of stuff there, including a separate update engine just for Office software. If you're using MS Office, it's definitely worth a visit from time to time.
Here is a good one from Bill Myers a diehard attendee in the Advanced Users Group. Mike, All those little diacritical marks ie.umlat,accents,even fractions,like 1/4 (Only it didn't work in this e-mail)¼ "got it" ® § Ha! this is fun. You gotta use the numeric key pad (on the right) and type in a 4 digit number code. I think it's from FRONT PAGE If you get to this site ----http://www.spies.com/~cary/altkeys.html go to "Use Alt Keys" for the codes Darn, it's ¼ till 1 am. "Time's fun when you're havin flys" That's what the Frog said Bill You'll probably want to print this for future use. (Of course I committed all these keystrokes to memory after the first reading. Mike) Here are all of the special characters that the ALT key can generate.
Most symbols require one keypress; most accented characters require two. It is important to let up the ALT key after typing the symbol or accent.
To type a copyright: hold ALT type g let up ALT
To type an accented E: hold ALT type one of: ` " ' ^ (to choose the accent) let up ALT hold SHIFT type e
Accents may be chosen with a symbol that resembles the accent, or by choosing a vowel associated with that accent. For instance, ' or e chooses the acute (´) accent, while " or u chooses the umlaut (¨) accent.
ALT combinations that choose an accent are called dead keys. An ALT accent followed by a letter which isn't listed below causes the ALT accent to be ignored. Entering the reserved codes mentioned below will enter invisible characters.
ALT space nonbreaking space ALT ! ¡ inverted exclamation point ALT " dead key for umlaut ¨ ALT # £ pound ALT $ ¤ International currency symbol ALT % thousandths ALT & reserved code 142 [invisible] ALT ' dead key for acute ´ ALT ( € WebTV left arrow ALT ) ? WebTV right arrow ALT * ? reserved code 143 [invisible] ALT + ± plus or minus ALT , angle single open quote ALT - en-dash ALT . angle single close quote ALT / ÷ division
ALT 0 ° degree ALT 1 ¹ superscript 1 ALT 2 ² superscript 2 ALT 3 ³ superscript 3 ALT 4 ¢ cent ALT 5 ¼ one quarter ALT 6 ½ one half ALT 7 ¾ three quarters ALT 8 bullet ALT 9 [has no effect] ALT : [has no effect] ALT ; ellipsis ALT < « angle double open quote ALT = soft hyphen ALT > » angle double close quote ALT ? ¿ inverted question mark ALT @ ? reserved code 141 [invisible] ALT A Å A ring ALT B ? reserved code 144 [invisible] ALT C Ç C cedilla ALT D Ð capital eth ALT E [has no effect] ALT F reserved code 158 [invisible] ALT G [has no effect] ALT H European single open quote ALT I · middle dot ALT J European double open quote ALT K double dagger ALT L ¯ overline (macron) ALT M [has no effect] ALT N [has no effect] ALT O Ø O slash
ALT P [has no effect] ALT Q Æ ligature AE ALT R [has no effect] ALT S [has no effect] ALT T Þ capital thorn ALT U [has no effect] ALT V ? reserved code 157 [invisible] ALT W ligature OE ALT X [has no effect] ALT Y [has no effect] ALT Z [has no effect] ALT [ single open quote ALT \ [has no effect] ALT ] single close quote ALT ^ dead key for circumflex ALT _ em-dash
ALT ` dead key for grave ` ALT a å a ring ALT b trademark ALT c ç c cedilla ALT d ð small eth ALT e dead key for acute ´ ALT f function ALT g © copyright ALT h ª feminine ordinal ALT i dead key for circumflex ALT j º masculine ordinal ALT k dagger ALT l ¬ not ALT m µ micro ALT n dead key for tilde ALT o ø o slash
ALT p ¶ paragraph (pilcrow) ALT q æ ligature ae ALT r ® registered ALT s ß German sharp s ALT t þ small thorn ALT u dead key for umlaut ¨ ALT v ¸ cedilla accent ALT w ligature oe ALT x × multiplication ALT y ¥ yen ALT z § section ALT { double open quote ALT | ¦ broken bar ALT } double close quote ALT ~ dead key for tilde
ALT ` space ` grave accent ALT ` A À A grave ALT ` E È E grave ALT ` I Ì I grave ALT ` O Ò O grave ALT ` U Ù U grave ALT ` a à a grave ALT ` e è e grave ALT ` i ì i grave ALT ` o ò o grave ALT ` u ù u grave
ALT e space ´ acute accent ALT e A Á A acute ALT e E É E acute ALT e I Í I acute ALT e 0 Ó 0 acute ALT e U Ú U acute ALT e Y Ý Y acute ALT e a á a acute ALT e e é e acute ALT e i í i acute ALT e o ó o acute ALT e u ú u acute
ALT i space circumflex accent ALT i A Â A circumflex ALT i E Ê E circumflex ALT i I Î I circumflex ALT i O Ô O circumflex ALT i S S caron ALT i U Û U circumflex ALT i a â a circumflex ALT i e ê e circumflex ALT i i î i circumflex ALT i o ô o circumflex ALT i s s caron ALT i u û u circumflex
ALT n space tilde accent ALT n A Ã A tilde ALT n N Ñ N tilde ALT n O Õ O tilde ALT n a ã a tilde ALT n n ñ n tilde ALT n o õ o tilde
ALT u space ¨ umlaut (diaersis) accent ALT u A Ä A umlaut ALT u E Ë E umlaut ALT u I Ï I umlaut ALT u O Ö O umlaut ALT u U Ü U umlaut ALT u Y Y umlaut ALT u a ä a umlaut ALT u e ë e umlaut ALT u i ï i umlaut ALT u o ö o umlaut ALT u u ü u umlaut ALT u y ÿ y umlaut
Here are two good ones from Worldstart, somewhat basic but...Maybe you didn't know. What's the difference between Save and Save As? When you use the Save command, you save your work under it's current file name. If you've never saved whatever it is you're working on before, then you'll get an opportunity to name it. When you use Save As, you get a chance to save what you're working on as a new file. Here's an example. Let's say you're working on a word processing document. It's a new document and you decide to save it. A box comes up that lets you give it a name. Now, let's say you add something to it. If you use the Save command again, it simply saves it with no questions asked under the existing file name. OK, now let's say you make a modification to the file, but you want to keep the original version as well. This is where you use Save As. When you use the Save As command, it allows you to save your current file as a new file with a new name. Now when you go to open your files, you'll find you have both the original version and the new, Saved As version.
Folder Jumpin' I don't know about you, but I'm always jumping from one folder to another. First I was here, then I was there, then I thought I was here when I was really there, then I took a break and found some aspirin. During said break, I realized that the folders I was hopping between were the same two or three folders all the time. Hmm... So, I decided to make things easier on myself and create shortcuts to my main folders within each folder. That way, no matter which folder I was messing around with, the other ones were only a mouse click away. How'd I do it? I dragged, I dropped, and I smiled (the last part is optional, but it does make you feel better :-) Anyhow, here's the blow by blow: To make this easier to follow, let's say you want to be able to jump from a folder named "work" to one named "fun". OK, ready? 1. First, using My Computer, open the "work" folder. Easy enough. 2. Next, open a second My Computer window and navigate to the folder you want to jump toin this case the "fun" folder. However, this time, don't open the folderjust get to the point where you can grab it with your mouse. 3. Now, using your RIGHT mouse button, drag and drop the "fun" folder into the "work" folder. When you release the right mouse button, you'll get a little menu that lets you decide what to do with the item you're about to drop. Select "Create Shortcuts Here".
Again, be sure to right click or you'll end up moving the "fun" folder into the "work" folder. That's it. With a click of your mouse, you can now jump from the "work" folder to the "fun" folder anytime you want. Since it may be useful to jump the other direction (like when the boss walks in), you may want to repeat the process, only this time put a shortcut to the "work" folder in the "fun" folder. Whew, all this talk about jumping has me itching to find a bungee cord and a bridge (kidding).
WHICH KEY DO YOU REALLY HATE? CAPS LOCK! This one from a recent Kim Komando Newsletter I get many, many complaints about the Caps Lock key. People hit it accidentally, and type in all capital letters. At best, that's irritating. In e-mail, it's considered bad manners, and raises the odds that your message will be discarded. There are two ways of controlling this situation. You can disable the Caps Lock key, or attach a sound to it. Let's look at the latter first: Click Start>>Control Panel (in Windows 98 and ME, click Start>> Settings>>Control Panel). Double-click Accessibility Options. On the Keyboard tab, select Use ToggleKeys. That attaches a beep to Caps Lock. You can also install a program to disable Caps Lock. One such is AntiCapsLock (free); another is I Hate This Key ($9.95). Find them at: http://www.orionsoft.cz/anticapslock.asp http://www.bytegems.com/ihatethiskeydeluxe.shtml
INTERESTING SITES: Your Amazing Brain Amanda found a good one. This site is broken into sections, and the sections: Brain and Body, Super Senses, Inside Your Brain, Love and Sex, Your Memory, and Test Yourself. Let's get the shocking one out of the way and start with "Love and Sex". This section seems to be really about how you feel about Fertility Treatments and Contraceptives. Nothing very shocking was really to be found here. But you will probably enjoy the Men vs. Women study. Let's move on to "Brain and Body". This section has a lot of stuff that you can do. A couple of quizzes and experiments that will explain things like: Are you right or left eyed? How sensitive are you? "Super Senses" has an Optical Illusion section and An Upside Down Face section. You'll find fun activities and interesting facts in this section of the site. The Upside Down Face part is a section that tests you to see if you can tell what the facial expression is on an upside down face. At "Inside Your Brain" you can learn what your brain looks like, what your dreams might be about in comparison to other people, and what your brain waves mean. Go to "Your Memory" and test your memory with games and quizzes that will let you know where you stand as far as memory capacity goes. Learn what memory chunking is and how it affects you. If you want to skip all the information and just play games, take quizzes then go to "Test Yourself". http://www.youramazingbrain.org/
Welcome to Lists of Bests They will want to sell you but if you are just interested in the top names, etc this is a good site. Our purpose is to provide a one-stop shop to find all the "best of" books, music, and movie lists. But wait! Not only are we providing the lists, we're also providing a way for you to keep track of the books you've read, the CDs you've listened to, and the movies you've watched from the lists. You'll have an easy way to see what holes you need to fill in for each list. http://listsofbests.com/
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/
The Elvis Presley Search Engine & Site Directory. On this site you can find your way around the Elvis Internet, in various ways. You can use the search engine, by typing any keywords. ElvisFind will show you which Elvis sites contain your search criteria. Or, you can use the extensive Site Directory below. By clicking on a category you'll get a list with all sites. ElvisFind also contains user comments, ratings and general information of all sites. And finally there is also the "ElvisFind Scores" page. You can vote for every site listed here, and they will be compiled into the Elvis Site Top 25. You can also register for free and make your own favourites-list, send an e-card, find wallpapers, themes and screensavers or use the forum. Have fun! http://www.elvisfind.com/
Sree's Top Three Sites for Finding Bargains Online Sree, Tech Guru for ABC Channel 7, New York, found some good Bargain Sites. Here are some sites that will help you find good deals online. Remember to do your research and shop around! ConsumerWorld.org http://www.consumerworld.org/ LowerMyBills.com http://www.lowermybills.com/ PriceScan.com http://www.pricescan.com/ Froogle.com http://froogle.google.com/ BizRate.com http://www.bizrate.com/