VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF TECHNICALLY SPEAKING INTERESTING SITES
"Hard drive killer" instant message virus is a hoax, Sophos reports Yahoo Messenger The hoax warns of a virus that can spread via Yahoo Instant Messenger software. Experts at Sophos have warned users of a new hoax spreading between users of Yahoo instant messenger service, warning them of a non-existent virus. The Yahoo instant message hoax (also known as "Hard drive killer") warns users of Yahoo's instant message service to be wary of a fellow user contacting them. The hoax claims that their computers will be infected by "a very horrible" virus and passed on to instant messenger contacts. Sophos is receiving an increasing number of reports of the hoax from users who are concerned it may be genuine. It has also been seen distributed via email and posted on internet messageboards. "The warning is clearly nonsense and no such virus exists," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos Anti-Virus. "However, hoaxes and chain letters like this are not harmless - they waste time and bandwidth, and can be a genuine headache for support departments. Users need to consider carefully whether everything they are told can be believed." A typical version of the hoax message reads as follows: If somebody by name dvorak@yahoo.com adds you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on ur bulletin because if somebody on ur list adds them, u get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from angell11, tewwtuler, and sassybitch. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus. pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. We need to find out who is really using these accounts. Sorry for the inconvienience. Sincerely, Director of Yahoo Services, tanwir2001. Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to All "Hoaxes like this exist because it's so easy to forward an electronic warning to all of your friends and colleagues, and many people who may be suspicious of the the veracity of the warning decide it's better to be safe than sorry." continued Cluley. "People should think very carefully before they send a message on to all of their contacts, as they may be perpetuating an irritating hoax. You should always check to see if it is believable, and not a known hoax, before even considering sending it onto other computer users." Sophos has made available a free, constantly updated information feed for intranets and websites which means users can always find out about the latest viruses and hoaxes. View the most recent and most prevalent hoaxes: http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes/recent/ Don't fall for a virus hoax: http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/articles/hoaxes.html
Virus writers elude Microsoft's bounty hunt Published: By Robert Lemos Staff Writer, CNET News November 5, 2004 Virus writers have a price on their heads--but it's done little to discourage them. In the year since Microsoft kicked off its Anti-Virus Reward Program, it has tallied only a single success. The program has offered $1 million to informants who help close official investigations into four major viruses and worms, and has another $4 million earmarked for future rewards, but the deluge of online threats has continued to swell. "I think it is fair to say for every time they have gone public to offer a bounty, it hasn't worked," said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, an antivirus software company. Two worms and two viruses have caused Microsoft enough pain to be included on its most-wanted list: the MSBlast and Sasser worms, and the Sobig.F and MyDoom viruses. The company has offered $250,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for each malicious program. The most recent case, concerning the Sasser worm, could be counted as the program's biggest success. German authorities arrested a teenager in May after Microsoft tipped them off with details about the alleged Sasser author it had received from informants. Cluley noted that Microsoft had not offered a public bounty in the Sasser case and decided to pay the reward only after being approached by the informant, a friend of the suspected author. The software company points out that nevertheless, the Sasser case would not have been broken without the lure of cash. More to read: http://news.com.com/No+mutiny+from+Microsofts+bounty/2100-7349-5439456.html?part=dht&tag=ntop&tag=nl.e703
THE TALLY: Thursday, October 28 -- Thursday, November 04 According to Sophos, a leader in Anti Virus Software development, 31 new/improved viruses, which required Anti Virus upgrades were released into cyberspace via email. This was an exceptionally busy week for Anti Virus updates. & KCnet's anti virus program caught and "defanged" 17,332 email viruses (a 38% increase for the week) in addition to refusing 179,333 spam messages. There were 201,236 non spam or non virus messages delivered to KCnet subscribers. (all numbers are up for the week)
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. 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
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. Go to http://housecall.antivirus.com/ then choose the link "Scan without registering". Follow the directions.
You should disable any anti virus program that you have running. If you do not have a virus program I recommend that you use one of the programs offered above first and then download and install one of the free programs listed below or install any anti virus program you have purchased.
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.
AVAST This is a new feature for the KCnet Newsletter. Avast has been "anti virusing" for quite awhile. The following info comes from their download page: Avast! Home is now free of charge for HOME users for NON-COMMERCIAL use. You can find more info here. http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html Note: This product is free for home non-commercial use after registration! HINTS: Click on the English Version Link and download the installation file. Then click on the installation file and follow the directions. Make sure that you follow the directions to get the registration key. It will be sent to you in an email after you provide some registration information. This will give you 14 months of coverage including any updates which can be set to auto download. You can reregister for additional free coverage at the end of the 14 months.
Another good free program to take a look at is: http://www.free-av.com/
Top 5 Viruses for October 22 to October 28 from Trend Micro 1. WORM_NETSKY.P 2. HTML_NETSKY.P 3. PE_FUNLOVE.4099 4. PE_KRIZ.4029 5. PE_ZAFI.B
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: Firefox still gaining on Internet Explorer By Jim Hu CNET News November 1, 2004 Alternative Web browsers Mozilla and Firefox experienced another month of growth at the expense of Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer, according to an online study. The percentage of Americans using Mozilla and Firefox, two open-source browsers funded by the Mozilla Foundation, grew to 6 percent in October from 5.2 percent in September and 3.5 percent in June. That 6 percent was split evenly between the two browsers. While Microsoft's IE continued as the overwhelming market leader, it witnessed another marginal decline, this time a dip of 0.8 percent. IE claimed 95.5 percent of users in June, 93.7 percent in September, and 92.9 percent last month. The Opera browser and Apple Computer's Safari combined reached just more than 1 percent of users. WebSideStory measures market share by embedding sensors on major Web sites for the Walt Disney Internet Group, Best Buy, Sony, DaimlerChrysler and Liz Claiborne. These sensors can tell which browsers visitors are using to view the sites. Exploiting the Potential of Linux Computer Associates International Migrating From RISC to Intel Architecture: Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis Intel Benchmarking Mainframe Linux vs. Distributed Systems Computer Associates International Web Browsers (View all items) In the big picture, Mozilla and Firefox are specks of dust compared with the near-ubiquity of Internet Explorer. But given IE's fifth consecutive month of decline and Mozilla/Firefox's fifth consecutive month of growth, analysts are beginning to wonder whether and when the shift will stop. "What we're seeing is (Mozilla and Firefox) looking more like a vanguard than a flash in a pan," said Geoff Johnston, an analyst at WebSideStory. The study comes just ahead of Firefox's official release on Nov. 9. The browser, based on Mozilla's open-source code, has experienced a surprising surge in popularity, reaching 5 million downloads two weeks ago, then later passing 7 million. Last weekend, the Mozilla Foundation said the project has raised more than $250,000 during its 10-day donation drive. The money will be spent to promote Firefox 1.0's release. Developers working on Firefox hope the software will reach 10 percent U.S. penetration by the end of 2005. Firefox may continue to show gains, but the software could reach a ceiling, according to WebSideStory's Johnston. Most of its users are technology-proficient early adopters rather than average Web surfers. "(Firefox) hasn't gotten to mainstream," he said.
The next two come from Worldstart. They will help in ones understanding of "Shared Files" and what to do about them. What are "shared" files? Shared files are "general purpose" files more than one program can use. They usually come in the form of DLL files, and should be automatically installed with the software that needs them (assuming the setup program for the software includes them, most good setups will). DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files are basically "support" files for certain types of software. They are generally (but not always) found in your Windows System directory. They work like this: Let's say a program needs to perform an operation. Rather than all the coding being built into the program, it uses a particular DLL file that, with a simple call, can perform the operation for it. Saves lots of programming time, especially since many of the common DLL files are already installed with Windows. I've also had lots of people ask about deleting these files. Well, the best advice is not to, since many of your DLL files are used by more than one program. Going through and deleting the ones you *think* aren't being used anymore is a lot like getting under the hood of your car and yanking wires that don't look important. What happens if one of those shared files gets deleted or corrupted and one of your other programs will no longer run? Easy - just re-install the program in question and you'll be back in business. No big deal. If you're really concerned about stray DLL files, make sure you run uninstall programs. Most programs include an uninstall program that will (should) take out all the extra DLL's. There are programs available that will check your shared files to see if they are needed, but again these aren't always fool-proof.
You Might Want to Keep those Shared Files Sometimes when uninstalling a program a message comes up telling you that there are shared files that may not be needed on your system, "Would you like to remove?" All of us want to conserve space on our hard drive, so of course, the natural impulse is to click "yes". Guess what? You may have actually removed files that another program does need. I get so many calls from readers who experience "***.dll file not found" errors after uninstalling software. Shared files are "general purpose" files that more than one program can use. They usually come in the form of DLL files, and should be automatically installed with the software that needs them (assuming the setup program for the software includes them—most good setups will). So, if you are asked if you want to remove a shared file, it may be best to click "no". Going through and deleting the ones you *think* aren't being used anymore is a lot like getting under the hood of your car and yanking wires that don't look important. What happens if one of those shared files gets deleted or corrupted and one of your other programs will no longer run? Easy—just re-install the program in question and you'll be back in business. No big deal. If this still doesn't put back the missing .dll file, check out this site... www.dll-files.com Simply type your missing file name into the search box to find if it is available, then download it. You can also go to the "dll-files downloads" page and scroll down the alphabetical list to find the file you need. After downloading the most likely place to put the .dll file is in the Win32 folder, if that doesn't work, try the program's folder.
Another 2 from Worldstart. I try to send pictures to friends but they are too big. How do I resize them? What's the "right" size for a picture? Well, that depends on the photo. Most monitors display at 72 dpi (dots per inch). So, if you want the picture to be 5 inches wide (probably about the biggest you would want for an e-mail message), the picture would be 360 pixels wide (5 inches x 72 dpi = 360 pixels). Pixel is short for "Picture Element" and is the smallest unit of visual information used to build an image. If you have ever zoomed in on an image, Pixels are those little squares that you see. The more pixels in an image, the better the resolution. So, how do you make the picture the right size? Use your imaging software! Most scanners and digital cameras come with some sort of imaging software that will allow you to resize an image. Open the picture in your imaging software and resize the image to your desired resolution. You can usually do this via an Image or Edit menu. Your menu style and commands may vary depending on your software. Usually, you'll get a screen that lets you input the image size in pixels. If there's a checkbox that allows you to constrain proportions, make sure that's checked (this insures that when you change the height or width the picture remains proportional). That should do it. Since you've changed the picture size, you may want to save it under a different name. Use the Save As command under the File menu of your imaging software. This comes in handy when you want to place a picture on your desktop or if you send it by email. Now your friends won't wait forever to download a 10 meg picture file that is WAY too big when it could have been 10K and just the right size. Print a Photo Proof sheet A proof sheet is a printout of picture thumbnails. Most photo organizing software allows you to print these out, but for XP users, it's built into the Window's Picture and Fax Viewer. Here's how to do it... Open the folder that your pictures are in and select "Thumbnail View". Hold down the Ctrl key and select the pictures you want on the proof sheet or Ctrl+A to select all. Right click one of the pictures and select "Preview". This will bring up the picture in the WIndow's Picture Viewer. Press Ctrl+P to bring up the Photo Printing Wizard. Click Next, Select All or check off the pictures you want then Next again. Choose your printer then Next. Select the "Contact Sheet" layout. You'll see a Print Preview of your contact sheet. One more "Next". You should end up with a neat printout of all selected photos.
Google Results Vs Yahoo Results Chris Richardson, Webpronews Insider Report According to a Nielsen//Netratings study, Google holds the top spot for search engine destinations. However, if you take a closer look at N//N's findings, you see that Yahoo and MSN share the second and third positions, respectively. Because MSN search is still using Overture to serve their search results more people are vicariously using the Yahoo method of search than they do Google. To most in the search industry, it is common knowledge that Google values "off-page" optimization (backlinks, in-bound links), while Yahoo seems to prefer on-page optimization (title tags, keyword density). Although there are some indications that Yahoo is placing more value on links. This topic of search engine preference has been discussed extensively. In this WebProWorld forum thread, a comment about using both engines equally and receiving satisfactory results was made, leading to a discussion about the relevancy of Google's results. Poster Downstrike had these thoughts: "Time was - and it was quite some time - Google was the best place to do most any search. The kind of people who send spam to our Inboxes quickly realized that sending spam to our search results was even better. [In this regard,] Google's reaction [has been similar to] email networks trying to filter out virus messages. For several months earlier this year, they were filtering out more legitimate emails with attachments than viruses… If you want to see all of the best results, you'll need to get a second opinion. In your case, it's Yahoo." Several forum participants share Strike's opinion with comments like; "Google is slowly dropping the ball" and "I agree that Google is not the same it used to be". Yahoo's results didn't necessarily receive the highest marks either. On ihelpyou, moderator Chrishirst said, "IMO, Yahoo results seem to be more about the $$$ than relevancy and notably the same site doesn't even appear in the first couple of hundred results at Google." If you take a quick scan of the SEO forums, the Yahoo categories are littered with topics like, "I've just lost all my Yahoo listings. Please help." These situations indicate that each engine still has some growing pains to work through. Which set of results do you find more useful? In the WebProWorld discussion, Venividi summed the state of search results quite nicely, "Normal sites are buried deep beyond the first 6 to 10 pages. Google and Yahoo have become a list of portals and other search engines, which is really a waste of time." To be fair, Google results aren't the only ones being taken to task. In a post on WebmasterWorld, Isitreal offered a scathing evaluation of search engine users, "Who uses Yahoo/MSN? People who don't change their default browser search settings. IE is set to MSN. Yahoo website users [use Yahoo search], and that portal [has] heavy traffic… People who know nothing about search engines, and just [search with] what they're used to." Another poster on WebProWorld defends Google, saying, "Until MSN and Yahoo can update their results daily (like Google does) they will not compare to the big G." However, the point made about results updating is disputed in the HighRankings forum, where Semko says, "Yahoo search results are very dynamic, they get updated nearly every second, as tons of info are constantly added to Yahoo." The truth undoubtedly lies somewhere in between. With the increased search engine bot activity Google and Yahoo may be trying to streamline their indexes in order to root out spam and provide more relevant results. In the end, it comes down to preference. The search engine gives you the results you are looking for, no matter your level of experience, is likely to be the one you use.
INTERESTING SITES: I goofed. A couple of weeks prior to Halloween I filed a couple of site suggestions from Gary N' Patti. They got shuffled to the wherever and didn't resurface until this week. They are too nice to totally forget and I'll never find them in 2005 so here goes... http://www.AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Halloween/jack-o-lantern.asp http://www.grit.com/feature.php?story=31 http://www.pumpkinhunt.com/secMainPage.asp
Gary n' Patti sent this one too. I should have featured it earlier but there is still time to play. You will be interested in the number of real life mazes available in Pennsylvania. This could be a fun weekend event for an entire family. Your can sign up to have a maze designed and constructed in your cornfield too. http://www.mazeplay.com/index.php
Doors Doors = a music group, a song (The Green Door), what's behind door number three?, swinging, sliding, pocket, doggie, revolving, storm, screen, custom, glass, standard, wood, metal...to mention a few. Here is a refreshing site dedicated to special doors for the home. This company can provide a Custom Built-in Look Converting a Bedroom into a Study, Converting Linen Closets into Hidden Storage, Concealing Valuables Accessing, Dead Storage Space, Beautifying Closet Doors, Converting a Pantry Door to a Spice Rack, Creating a Hidden Vault/Gun Room Door, Adding Function to Furnace, Storage, and Basement Room Doors, Double Sided Doors, Various furniture options, functional sitting desks, etc. All that and that swing Custom applications such as Wine Rack and Barrister Cabinets are available as well. http://hiddendoors.com/gallery.htm
PAIN Some people suffer from pain every day. If you or someone you know suffers from chronic pain, there's an organization that can help. It's called The National Pain Foundation. Learn traditional and alternative methods to treat pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia and other conditions. http://www.painconnection.org/
Support the Troops This was a site of the day in a recent Kim Komando Newsletter. She wrote: I get messages every day asking how people can help support the troops in Iraq. There are many Web sites that allow you to send words of encouragement, gifts and cards, and even "adopt" a soldier. Just a few words of encouragement can brighten somebody's day.
Help any soldier This site was originally created by a soldier's father to help solicit care packages for his son's unit. It quickly ballooned into something bigger. Now it's a non-profit organization that helps people send care packages to any soldier in Iraq. http://www.anysoldier.us/index.cfm
Open your house Those who end up overseas sometimes leave their best friends behind--their pets. Become a foster parent to a cat! http://www.operationnoblefoster.org/
Phone home Donate money to Operation Uplink. Money donated is used to purchase phone cards so servicemen and women can call home. http://www.operationuplink.org/
Videoconference The Freedom Calls Foundation is helping families videoconference with their loved ones in Iraq. You can donate money to help keep this project going. http://www.freedomcalls.org/
Education Many soldiers are rebuilding schools in Iraq and scrounging around for school supplies. Help by donating a school supplies kit. http://www.operationiraqichildren.org/
Fallen heroes The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund provides grants to the families of servicemen and women who died in Iraq. You can donate online, through mail or by calling a toll-free number. http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/foundation_heroesfund.html
The gift of shopping The Army and Air Force Exchange Services is where most servicemen and women do their shopping. You can purchase gift certificates for those in Iraq and those hospitalized. http://www.aafes.com/docs/homefront.htm
Combating boredom Help the troops escape by donating some books. You can also donate DVDs and CDs requested by soldiers. http://booksforsoldiers.com/
Donate a phone Donated cell phones are recycled and turned into cash. The cash is used to purchase calling cards for soldiers in Iraq. http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/pages/1/index.htm
AND FINALLY... An independent voice-----There are many blogs written by soldiers in Iraq. This blog is written by a free-thinker. It's a very interesting look at what life is like there. But be warned--some of the language is R-rated. http://cbftw.blogspot.com/
See Mikes Commentary for Veterans' Day Sites: