VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF TECHNICALLY SPEAKING INTERESTING SITES
VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF JPEG Hack Tool - HKTL_JPGDOWN.A (Low Risk) HKTL_JPGDOWN.A is a non-destructive hack tool that creates a JPEG file (detected by Trend Micro as EXPL_JPGDOWN.A), which exploits a vulnerability in Windows XP. This buffer overrun vulnerability in the processing of JPEG image formats may allow a remote user to execute code on an affected system. If a user is logged in with administrator privileges, this vulnerability allows an attacker to take complete control of affected system, and perform actions such as installing programs, viewing, changing or deleting data, and creating new accounts with full privileges. This malware is currently spreading in–the-wild, infecting computer systems that are running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP. Upon execution, this hack tool displays a dialogue box titled is displayed, and the buttons “Make” and “About”. The Trojan dropped by this hack tool, attempts to download and execute files from any URL that a malicious user inputs in the dialogue box. This hack tool also drops the file MYPICTURE.JPG in the current folder. After execution of this hack tool, the following message is displayed: "The Jpeg Server, has been created with your settings in the current directory." The following strings can be found in the malware body: JPEG Downloader V1.0 With this downloader you can create downloader server with *.jpg extension. Based on Buffer Overrun in JPEG Processing (GDI+) Could Allow Code Execution (833987) Using Generic win32 http download shellcode
THE TALLY: Thursday, September 07-- Thursday, October 14 According to Sophos, a leader in Anti Virus Software development, 14 new/improved viruses which required Anti Virus upgrades were released into cyberspace via email. This was the lowest number of releases in many months. & KCnet's anti virus program caught and "defanged" 13,167 email viruses in addition to refusing 201,614 spam messages. The spam came in 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 September 24 to September 30 from Trend Micro 1 PE_ZAFI.B 2 WORM_NETSKY.P 3 HTML_NETSKY.P 4 WORM_NETSKY.D 5 PE_FUNLOVE.4099
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 anti virus 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: Don't jump past this one. Get a new browser Jason Parker Contributing Editor, Downloads ZDNet Anchor Desk Oct. 5, 2004 It should come as no surprise that most people who use Windows also use Internet Explorer. It's not a bad choice, of course; it's on the cutting edge of Web standards compliance, has a familiar look and feel, integrates with the OS and Windows Explorer, and now comes with added security in Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. Really, it's the obvious choice. But is it the best choice? A number of browsers are available that can do everything IE does and more, but a lot of people never even see these "little guys" because they never knew these options existed. Some of the more popular off-brands include Mozilla, the constantly evolving project long ago based on the once megabrowser Netscape; Opera, the full-featured browser that has always touted quickness as a key advantage; and numerous browsers based on IE, with added features to make them even better than the original. I personally use one of the browsers based on IE, but I don't claim that it's the hands-down best option. Choosing a browser is, I think, more a question of what you like and need when surfing the Internet. With that in mind, I'd like to offer a few browser options that IE users should consider. Maxthon (the browser formerly known as MyIE2) is based on Internet Explorer and is the browser I use on a daily basis. I'm a big fan of tabs, and Maxthon seems to have the most flexibility with how they're handled in the options menu. I also like that bookmarks are displayed in columns side by side, because when you have as many bookmarks as I have, it helps a lot to be able to see them all at a glance. (Free/Windows) Opera has a large following and for good reason; it's a solid and speedy browser with great features. It takes some getting used to if you're a lifelong IE user, but it might be worth the effort for the speed, integrated IRC chat, and e-mail capabilities. My advice to those who are initially turned off by Opera's crowded interface is to dig deep in the settings and tweak it to your liking. You'll be surprised at how much customization is possible. (Free/Windows) Mozilla Firefox, now going through its final testing phases before a full release, looks like it has what it takes to be the next big thing. Lightweight and efficient, Firefox lets you download plug-ins and skins so that you can customize it for your surfing pleasure. I've been using this browser on and off for a while, and I think it's great. If someday it offers a little more flexibility with tabs and the ability to see my bookmarks all at once like Maxthon does, I'll leave IE behind completely.(Free/Windows) As you can see, the most important features are the ones that make your surfing experience more pleasurable. If you're an IE user who is ready to try something new, take one of these browsers for a test-drive.
Global Positioning Systems. Yes there is more to computering than XP SP2 and viruses. I'm really happy to post an article about some useful technology in place of the constant but very necessary badgering lately about viruses and XP SP2. (Mike) This one from Fred of the Langalist. -- Update: GPS Two of the most-popular--- if slightly offbeat--- articles I've written for InformationWeek were "Error Free Business Travel" http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020425S0004 and "A Real-Life GPS Road Test" http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020801S0010 . The former discussed how, "with today's affordable GPS units... you'll never again miss a turn--or a meeting." The latter showed you "how you can use this emerging technology for your next road trip." For that article, I was the guinea pig, striking out on a two-week driving tour on unfamiliar roads through Europe, using only a GPS for guidance; no traditional maps at all. Some of you may remember the photos and sample GPS maps I posted from that trip: The online photos were selected from the almost full gigabyte of hi-res digital photos I took during the two week trip through the Alps, with fabulous views at every turn. Want to see the photos? Plus! Edition Subscribers can click here to access medium- and high-resolution photos and files from the private download area: http://langalist.com/Plus/euro/eurotrip.asp Standard Edition Subscribers can click here for the standard resolution photos from the public download area. http://www.freetune.com/euro/eurotrip.htm Then, a little over a year ago, we revisited the subject when we named GPS as one of "Three Technologies Worth Watching" http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=14100041 . We haven't discussed GPS since then, but a lot has happened in the interim: It's time for an update. If you're not familiar with the basics of GPS, or why a GPS can be far better than web-based mapping or other tools for business or pleasure travel, please refer to the above articles for a quick refresher. I recently bought a new GPS unit, and have been trying the new software that's available. For an up-to-the-minute update on Hand-Held Units, Permanent-Mount GPSes, GPS-Enabled PDAs And Laptops, Hybrid Units, Low-End Units, and more, please click to http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=49400016 . See you there!
Weird words in spam. We have talked about this situation often in the Wednesday Advanced Users Class. This is best description of eluding filters and anti-spam programs that I have read. It came from a recent Kim Komando email tip. (Mike) The Question: Every day I get spam that has garbled words at the bottom. I always delete spam, but I've been curious what this nonsense text is. I've included a sample for your reference. Can you tell me why it's there? The Answer: Included in this question was a long list of words from a spam message. The first six were kite, defrost, Decatur, Fatima, prolong and lacerate. Altogether, there must be 150 words. The words are there to fool spam filters. Most of these filters count the words in a message, and also count words usually found in spam. You're familiar with those words--mortgage, rate, college, degree, prescription, drug, etc., not to mention the pornographic trash. The spam words are in the filter's database. If the number of typical spam words reaches a certain percentage of all the words in the message, the message is filtered out as spam. By vastly increasing the number of words in the message, the percentage of spam words is sharply cut. Consequently, the message slips through the filter. You will also see typical spam words with odd characters in them. Here's an example: V1agr@. That's readable to us, but it means nothing to the filter. So the filter does not catch it; it is looking for the correct spelling. Again, that reduces the percentage of typical spam words, and the message slips through. Spammers use another trick, too. They send the words as part of an image. That tricks the filters, because they are looking for pure text. They don't read images. The result: More spam slips through. Sigh. Staying up with the spammers is a never-ending battle. They always seem to find a way around defenses. All you can do is delete it. I never open it. Nothing good is in there.
Two unusual questions that turn up as good tips from Worldstart. Question: When installing a new program in Windows it is recommended that you close all running programs. I have never done it, because I do not know how to do it. My question is: How do I close all running programs? Answer: Actually, you probably don't need to close each and every program on your system. I do installs all the time with stuff running (not just background programs). I only close all my programs if I run into a snag during installation. In fact, I've even been known to, *gasp* check e-mail during a long install! (Please don't tell anyone ;-) If you still feel the need to get everything shut down, hit CTRL-ALT-DEL. Shut down everything but Explorer and Systray then go ahead and install. Just reboot your computer to get it all back. You could also right click each program in your system tray (by the clock) and select "close" or "disable" on everything but your monitor and sound.
Number two tip. Print Several Files Together You know the routine: you have several files to print, maybe even created in different programs. What do you do? Open each one and print individually? Yeah, I did that too—it's pretty time consuming. Then I learned this neat little trick... Go to the folder where the files you want to print are located, or if the files are in different folders, create a temporary folder on the desktop and copy the files to it. Hold down the CTRL key and choose the files you want to print (or CTRL+A to select all). Right-click one of the highlighted files and choose "Print". Each file will be opened in its correct program and printed automatically.
INTERESTING SITES: Christopher Columbus stuff 1492: An Ongoing Voyage Read about the exhibit at the Library of Congress, and learn about Christopher Columbus and his voyages. Caribbean-Connection.com: Christopher Columbus Get a great factual article about the man and his ships. Christopher Columbus: His Gastronomic Persona Meet the man behind the myth, and read an account of daily life on the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Looks Are Deceiving: the Portraits of Christopher Columbus Read an article about Chris's famous pictures. Explorer: Christopher Columbus Find the answers to these questions to learn about the famous explorer. The Discovery of America View an article outlining the basics facts around Chris's discovery of America. Christopher Columbus and Early European Exploration Print this guide to take to the Library for further exploration on Columbus. The Explorations of Christopher Columbus Infoplease.com: Kids Almanac: Christopher Columbus Read about the man, his voyages, and a "Historical Perspective" on how he affected changes in the world. The Columbus Doors See the beautiful bronze doors in the US Capitol that artistically represent the discovery of North America by Christopher Columbus. Italian American Links: Christopher Columbus Read a short bio on the voyages of Columbus, and find a list of the men who went with him. Medieval Sourcebook: Christopher Columbus: Extracts from Journal Read actual writings from the journal of Christopher Columbus. Priviledges and Prerogatives Granted by Their Catholic Majesties to Christopher Columbus : 1492 Read the original words of The King and Queen of Spain as they sent Columbus on his mission. Columbus and the Age of Discovery Find a huge selecion of articles about Chris and Columbus Day.
More TV Please ! ! ! Tourbus folks pointed me to a URL called "The Welcome Matt." It is an irreverent and sometimes humorous commentary on life, relationships and society in general as experienced by Matt, the author . I identified with this guy really quick. Maybe you too will like his thinking, comments and style. Here is his current writing, Vol. 5, No. 10 September 23, 2004. There are also archives and links to many other humorous, tongue-in-cheek and somewhat off-the-wall viewing. You gotta at least try it. (Mike) It's Fall and that means a new television season is upon us. To help you navigate this season's new and returning shows I thought that I would provide a few highlights of what will be on TV this year. Unfortunately, once again the networks have turned down my idea for a "Welcome Matt" television show. I can't see why given all of the other crap that's on TV. There's a new show on TV this Fall called "Jack & Bobby". The advertisements for this show indicate that "one of them will be President in 2041". Oh my God! Really? So let me get this straight, there are two brothers named Jack and Bobby and one of them will be President in 2041. Wow, that sounds strangely familiar - doesn't it? Two brothers named Jack and Bobby and one of them becomes President one day. That's so intriguing . . . not. Do they both get assassinated too when they grow up? Please just shoot them now and put the viewers out of their misery. This year "The Apprentice" returns for its second season with Donald Trump. The problem I have with this show is that it stars Donald Trump. First of all, he's not such a great business man. His Atlantic City casinos are in bankruptcy again and he is no longer the majority owner because he doesn't know how to run his casinos profitably. Second, the guy has more money than God (does God really need money?), but he still has the most awful hair. And although he may have money, he still doesn't have a personality. You know what Donald - - - you're fired! One of the season's much anticipated new shows is "Joey" - the spin-off from "Friends". I hated "Friends" and I can't believe that the television executives at NBC think that Matt LeBlanc has enough talent to carry his own show. Let's face it - - "Friends" was all about young, good-looking people who were sometimes funny. I'm still trying to understand NBC's strategy with creating a new television series based on the least talented member of the "Friends" cast. I predict that "Joey" will go off the air before the end of October. Eeehhhh, that's what I'm talking about. Returning to TV this season is the reality show "Fear Factor" where every week ordinary people have to eat insects, hold their breath under water for a long time, and perform other challenging events that test their gastrointestinal stamina and tolerance for stupidity. Why? I can't stand reality TV. Isn't the whole point of watching television to escape reality? There should be a TV reality show called "Beer Factor" where people have to drink a lot of beer and then perform ordinary, everyday tasks like walking, speaking, and peeing straight. Now that's a reality I can deal with! Another new show on TV this Fall is called "Lost". This show is apparently about some young, beautiful people on a commercial airliner that crashes on an uncharted, tropical island paradise. All they have to do is survive long enough to make enough shows to run in syndication. The characters on this new show include the Captain, Gilligan, Ginger, Mary Ann, the Professor, Thurston Howell III, and Lovey. Wait a minute; am I confusing this new drama series about being stranded on a tropical island with an old comedy series about being stranded on a tropical island? Maybe I got lost. One of my favorite TV shows is a cartoon - "Sponge Bob Square Pants". Sponge Bob is - well, he's a sponge - who wears (that's right) - square pants and lives at the bottom of the ocean in a pineapple house. His best friend is a starfish named Patrick and his next door neighbor and co-worker is a neurotic, pessimistic squid who lives in a Polynesian totem house. Sponge Bob and Patrick do a lot of silly things that annoy the crap out of the squid. Somehow I find it easy and comforting to relate to this cartoon. Finally, thank God one of my favorite television shows, "The Sopranos", returns this year for another season. I love a show where people commit crimes, have sex, and get killed. Now that's good old fashion family TV! Happy TV viewing! Matt -- 9/23/04 -- Copyright 2004 "The Welcome Matt" http://www.thewelcomematt.com/
Autumn Leaf Scrapbook Amanda found this one. I remember in about seventh grade I had to make a leaf book. That meant trudging around my home town with a book on leaves and finding good specimens to press and save for my book. My mom drove me all over town and we went for walks, and in a week of collecting had over one hundred leaves to sort through. I got an A+ on the project and I still remember it with joy. My mom is a teacher and used that leaf book to have her own kids do that project. So for me this site brought back a lot of good memories. The author of this site and some friends went leaf collecting in the Missouri Botanical Gardens. They found some excellent specimens and identified them. You can view pictures of the leaves two ways: either by clicking on the name of the tree, or by choosing a name of a tree and then clicking the arrow buttons to continue your journey through the leaves. If you click on the leaf pictures themselves you will get a life-sized image of the leaves. My favorite is the sweet gum leaf. And that isn't all this site has to offer. There is also a section of leaf identification and leaf terms. So you can learn all about how to go gather your own leaves and identify them. As well as learn what the different parts of a leaf are. This is a fun and frisky autumn find, enjoy! http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/temp/leaves/
Do you want to know what the chances for an earthquake where you live or where you may be traveling or where you family members live? You can enter 12 zips at once but just maybe that will make your 'puter develop the Tiltin Shakin Syndrome. Welcome to the USGS Zip Code earthquake ground motion hazard look-up page. Here you will be able to enter a 5 digit integer zip code and ground motion hazard values, expressed as a percent of the acceleration of gravity, (%g), will be returned to you. The ground motion hazard values returned will be Peak Ground Acceleration, (PGA), 0.2 second period spectral acceleration, (SA), 0.3 second period (SA), and 1.0 second period (SA) for 10%, 5%, and 2% probability of exceedance, (PE), in 50 years. http://eqint.cr.usgs.gov/eq/html/zipcode.html
TOP SECRET RECIPES (or, "Homemade Restaurant Food") I haven't listed a food site in awhile so why not have one for all the favorite fast-food, junk food, and ok eating sites' recipes? Notice the flagrant reference to the words culinary delights. I guess a big Mac might qualify but the T.G.I. Friday's® Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad definitely qualifies. I wonder if some of the great tasting presentations brought to the Users Group Sessions on Wednesday Mornings appear in the alphabetical listings. (We are treated to many great recipes in that class.) (Mike) Expert chefs concoct easy-to-make duplicates of famous restaurant and fast food culinary delights. Who else will teach you to make Oreo's? http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/ Hey! If you want to go straight to the recipes and dodge the opportunities to buy the secret ingredients like the special rubs and enhancers then hit this link and you are there. http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/recipes.htm
PETSWELCOME - If you've ever been burned by the "Sorry, we don't accept pets" experience, PetsWelcome can help. The site lists hotels, apartments, ski resorts, campgrounds, and even amusement parks that are pet friendly throughout the world. http://www.PetsWelcome.com