VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF TECHNICALLY SPEAKING INTERESTING SITES
THE TALLY: Thursday, November 04 -- Thursday, November 11 According to Sophos, a leader in Anti Virus Software development, 33 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" 13,510 email viruses in addition to refusing 183,190 spam messages. There were 178,528 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 (Updated information here from last week.) This is a 2nd week running 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. You will need to return to the download page and click on the link 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. You will want to browse around and choose from the many options available for operation. This process will take some time and digging.
Another good free program to take a look at is: This one installs a bit easier than Avast. http://www.free-av.com/
Top 5 Viruses for October 29 to November 04 from Trend Micro 1. WORM_NETSKY.P 2. HTML_NETSKY.P 3. WORM_BAGLE.AT 4. WORM_NETSKY.D 5. JAVA_BYTEVER.A
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: Microsoft says Firefox not a threat to IE By Munir Kotadia November 11, 2004 CNET News.com Just days after the launch of open-source browser Firefox 1.0, Microsoft executives defended Internet Explorer, saying it is no less secure than any other browser and doesn't lack any important features. At a security roundtable discussion in Sydney on Thursday, Ben English, Microsoft's security and management product manager, told attendees that IE undergoes "rigorous code reviews" and is no less secure than any other browser. "Because IE is ubiquitous, you hear a lot more about it, but I don't think that Internet Explorer is any less secure than any other browser out there," English said. Steve Vamos, Microsoft Australia's managing director, agreed, saying he does not believe IE's market share is under attack following the recent high-profile debut of the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser. Vamos said that although he has heard other people mention the competitive threat posed by Firefox, he doesn't see it as a problem. "I'm not sure that that is the reality. I have seen comments around that, but there is nothing I can refer to that really supports that," he said. Instead, Vamos said, consumers need to be educated about all the features already offered by Microsoft's browser. A lot more to read: http://news.com.com/Microsoft+says+Firefox+not+a+threat+to+IE/2100-1032_3-5448719.html?part=dht&tag=ntop&tag=nl.e433
Police arrest phishing mob suspect Published: By Dan Ilett Special to CNET News November 11 Your take A suspected Russian gangster and phishing scam operator, caught with $200,000 in stolen goods and $15,000 cash, has been charged on several counts of identity fraud and credit card fraud. Brighton District Court in Boston ordered Andrew Schwarmkoff, 28, to be held on $100,000 bail for the fraud charges. Schwarmkoff was allegedly found to have the personal details of more than 100 victims, who police believe were scammed through phishing e-mails, the Boston Herald reported Tuesday. U.S. Marshals also have issued a detainer for Schwarmkoff, who has been given fugitive status for similar charges in Georgia. The Boston Herald reported that the FBI is investigating Schwarmkoff in New Jersey. Digital agenda Police are said to be undecided whether they have positively identified Schwarmkoff, who is also thought to be an illegal immigrant. The FBI warned Wednesday of the threat of organized crime's involvement in phishing scams and other identity fraud. In phishing, fraudsters send out e-mails to lure people into handing over their passwords and financial data, typically at a fake Web site. Customers of banks and e-commerce companies such as eBay have suffered such fraud.
Two Guilty in 1st Felony Spam Conviction November 5 LEESBURG, Va. Joe Marasco sent this one. A brother and sister who sent junk e-mail to millions of America Online customers were convicted Wednesday in the nation's first felony prosecution of Internet spam distributors. Jurors recommended that Jeremy Jaynes, 30, be sentenced to nine years in prison and fined Jessica DeGroot, 28, $7,500 after convicting them of three counts each of sending e-mails with fraudulent and untraceable routing information. A third defendant, Richard Rutkowski, 30, was acquitted after deliberations of 1 1/2 days. All three defendants live in the Raleigh, N.C., area. Prosecutors compared Jaynes and DeGroot to modern-day snake oil salesmen who use the Internet to peddle junk like a "FedEx refund processor" that supposedly allowed people to earn $75 an hour working from home. In one month alone, Jaynes received 10,000 credit card orders, each for $39.95, for the processor. "This was just a case of fraud," said prosecutor Gene Fishel. "This is a snake oil salesman in a new format." Prosecutor Russell McGuire said Jaynes amassed a net wealth of $24 million peddling worthless products like the refund processor and other products like a "penny stock picker" and an Internet history eraser. "He's been successful ripping people off all these years," McGuire said. Prosecutors had asked the jury to impose a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for Jaynes, and to consider some amount of jail time for his sister, whom they acknowledged was less culpabale. Defense lawyers asked jurors to spare the defendants prison terms. David Oblon, representing Jaynes, argued that it was inappropriate for prosecutors to seek what he called an excessive punishment, given that this is the first prosecution under the Virginia law. He also noted that his client, a North Carolina resident, would have been unaware of the Virginia law. Oblon called the jury's recommendation of nine years in prison shocking. "Nine years is absolutely outrageous when you look at what we do to people convicted of crimes like robbery and rape," Oblon said. When Jaynes and DeGroot are formally sentenced in February, Circuit Court Judge Thomas Horne will have the option of reducing the jury's sentence or leaving it intact. He cannot increase it. Horne also has not yet ruled on an earlier motion asking that the cases be dismissed. He said during the trial that he had a hard time allowing the prosecution of DeGroot and Rutkowski to go forward to the jury. The attorney Oblon said Jaynes "is convinced of his innocence" and he expects the conviction will eventually be set aside. Even if Horne refuses to set aside the verdict, Oblon can appeal and challenge the new law on constitutional grounds. The defendants have said the law is an unconstitutional infringement of free speech. Virginia prosecuted the case under a law that took effect last year which bars people from sending bulk e-mail that is unsolicited and masks its origin. AOL, which is based in Dulles, Va., is a unit of New York-based Time Warner Inc. Numerous AOL employees testified during the two-week trial, and Oblon complained that prosecutors often seemed to be prosecuting the case at AOL's bidding. He noted that Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore announced indictments in the case last year at a press conference at AOL's Dulles headquarters. "It appears at times that AOL was basically taking over the criminal prosecution," Oblon said. Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore called Virginia's anti-spam law the toughest in America. "Spam is a nuisance to millions of Americans, but it is also a major problem for businesses large and small because the thousands of unwanted e-mails create havoc as they attempt to conduct business," Kilgore said in a statement.
Worldstart came through with a very good tip newsletter this week--all three are worth sharing, so here go the three! I can't seem to get any attachments in my email. Outlook Express says that it removed "unsafe attachments" from my email. How can I start getting attachments again? Constant bombardment from internet villains makes me wonder if WWW actually stands for "Wild, Wild West"! We yearn for safe browsing. We long to send and receive email without being harassed. That's why we install anti-virus software and firewalls. That's why browsers and email programs have security settings. But sometimes, too much security can cause other problems. Anyone who has upgraded to Outlook Express 6 or bought a new computer may be experiencing an error message like this: "Outlook Express removed access to the following unsafe attachments in your mail..." Why is this happening? When faced with mysterious problems, blame it on Microsoft! By default, the "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus" option (hereafter called DNAATBSOOTCPBAV) is enabled in OE 6. When this virus-protection feature is on, OE uses Explorer's unsafe file list to determine if a file is safe. Any e-mail attachment with a file type that is considered "unsafe" is not downloaded, and access to the attachment is removed. The unsafe file list includes any file types that may have script or code associated with them. Thus, you may find that you can't receive the pictures from your cousin's wedding, or the mp3 of your grandson's first words. All is not lost...you can avoid this problem by turning off the DNAATBSOOTCPBAV option. Start Outlook Express. On the Tools menu, click Options. Click the "Security" tab, click to clear the DNAATBSOOTCPBAV check box under "Virus Protection", and then click OK. You should, of course, be scanning all attachments with anti-virus software anyway, which makes the extra OE6 security unnecessary. Netscape Mail does not have any similar security features that could cause a problem like this. Most web-based email (such as Yahoo or Hotmail) allow you to scan for viruses before you download attachments.
Let XP Resize Pictures for Your Email A few weeks ago we mentioned "Send to" (see 10/26/2004 newsletter). One of the Send To options listed is "Mail Recipient" which allows you to send a document or picture to someone via email (using Outlook Express). If you choose this option for a picture you will be given the option to "Make all my pictures smaller". This is a great feature, saving you the time of resizing it in your imaging software. Now, let's look at this a bit slower... Find a picture that you want to email and right click. Choose "Send to" and select "Mail Recipient" A window will pop up with the option "Make my pictures smaller" Click OK. You should see an email with the picture as an attachment. Now, with smaller files under 50k you won't see much change, but with large files you will. I had a 120k picture and it was reduced to 34k! This certainly makes pictures easier to email.
Digital Imaging Tip: Havin' Fun Flashin' Nope, this isn't an article explaining how to go out on the street and flash unsuspecting victims, but I couldn't resist the title :-) OK, over the last three weeks or so, we've been poking around in some of the more intermediate and advanced areas of digital photography, so I thought we'd go with something easier this week—Flash Modes. Most digital cameras have a variety of different flash modes—and most people aren't sure what to use when. Normally, you change from mode to mode by pressing the "Flash" button repeatedly, or by holding the "Flash" button down and rotating a dial. Check with your owner's manual to be sure. At any rate, here are some of the more common modes you'll run across: 1. Auto :This is what it sounds like—automatic flash mode. It's usually represented by just the word "Auto" or the word "Auto" and a flash symbol next to it. Now that I think about it, sometimes it's just a "flash" symbol too with no mention of "Auto" anywhere to be seen. When this is on, the camera will shoot off the flash if it thinks the scene is too dark. If there's enough light, the flash won't fire. Easy enough. 2. Red Eye : This mode is usually represented with an "eye" symbol. This is your red-eye reduction mode. Note I said "reduction" and not "elimination". This mode will help decrease both the amount of red-eye and the chances of getting it. This is usually accomplished by a rapidly blinking light, a bright light that lingers a few second before the flash fires, or a couple of pre-flashes. Note that red eye reduction works best when you have your subjects looking at the camera. It's designed to constrict the pupils, and if your pupils are otherwise engaged, they won't restrict (they're stubborn that way). Finally, be sure to warn your subjects that you're about to use red-eye reduction on 'em. People see all that flashing and blinking going on and look away—under the assumption the photo has already been taken (or they just can't stand having their red-eyes reduced). A warning beforehand will eliminate a lot of the confused looks red-eye reduction systems can create.
3. Fill Flash : This is usually represented by just a flash symbol, or sometimes a flash symbol that's smaller then the "regular" size flash symbol. I think I've seen it as a flash with an outdoor scene too (like a tree or something). Anyhow, this is used for situations where the automatic flash normally wouldn't fire, but you want to fill in some shadows. It's great for outdoor photos—put your subject under the shade of a tree and turn on the fill flash - it'll make your subjects stand out against the background and eliminate the shadows on their face (to a point). You can also use it when the sun is harsh. Turn your subject's back to the sun, so their face is shadowed. Turn on the fill flash, shoot the photo, and kiss excessive squinting goodbye. Oh, and watch for lens flare when you do it :-) 4. Slow Sync : Sorry, this mode won't slow down the kids for a picture, although that type of feature would make any camera a huge seller! It's normally represented by the word "Slow" and a flash symbol, but I've also seen it represented by a mountain in the "dark" with a star. Might need to check your owners manual on this one. This is a little more "advanced" flash mode that allows you to shoot longer exposures with your flash. See, normally when your camera is using flash, it keeps the shutter speed high. The flash is the main light in the photo, and it overpowers most of the other lights. Slow mode allows you to place your camera on a tripod so you can shoot a longer exposure and still use the flash. For example, let's say you want to take a photo of the kids in front of a lit Christmas tree. Using regular flash usually won't cut it—you won't see the sparkling little lights. If you put the camera on a tripod and use Slow mode, you should get the lights from the tree and the flash will give the kids a proper exposure (can't promise proper expressions though :-). Oh, be sure to tell any of your "Slow" flash subjects to hold VERY STILL. 5. Cancel :This mode simple shuts off your flash. If you've ever heard, "No flash photography is permitted during the blah, blah, blah", then you know what this mode is for. Remember to keep the camera as stable as possible when you shut the flash off—you may have a long exposure and those are difficult to hand-hold. Finally, note that some cameras will also combine these modes. Like Slow flash and Red-Eye Reduction, or more commonly, Auto and Red-Eye Reduction. Oh, and be sure to check with your owner's manual to verify the all the different symbols you encounter so you're 100% sure what they are. Some manufactures come up with some pretty bizarre stuff. That it, now go out and "flash" someone!
INTERESTING SITES: Be a hero This was another Kim Komando suggestion. Last week I ran a number of support the troops sites originally from Kim. (Mike) Until recently, soldiers coming home on leave from Iraq were flown into Germany, Baltimore/Washington International, Dallas/Fort Worth or Atlanta. Once they were at those airports, they had to pay the rest of their way to get home--a costly flight. A Maryland congressman created Operation Hero Miles in response. It allowed civilians to donate frequent flier miles to be used by these soldiers. The success of the program and pressure from American citizens forced the Pentagon to change its policy and pay for everything. But your miles are still needed. The miles are used to pay for tickets for soldiers returning home on emergency leave. They are also used to fly families of wounded soldiers to U.S. military hospitals. You can find out more information and how to donate your miles here. http://www.heromiles.org/
BIG BROTHER NOT ONLY OBSERVES He keeps stats Everything about American life and business, expressed as a percentage. This site is the gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies. You can spend a year or more here. http://www.fedstats.gov/
The Nocturnes Amanda gets back pats for this one. This is a site dedicated to photography. But not just any kind of photography, this is a site dedicated to night photography. Here you will find galleries of night time images, workshops, resources, exhibits, and even their forum "Night Talk". The gallery is wonderful. In it you will find several galleries of different photographers all giving you a wonderful idea of what the essence of night photography really is. I liked all the galleries so much that I cannot even say that I have a favorite one. They are all lovely and show many different effects, so why don't you check all of them out? In the "Workshops" section you can find out where to learn all this nifty stuff in person. Yes, it does cost money, but some of you are real photo buffs so it might be worth your time. 'Nuff said on that. However, you can also click the link that shows you some of the images made by their alumni, so even if you don't want to go to a workshop you can see the fruits of their labors. The Exhibits—my favorite section. Here you can see all the exhibits. You can submit your own night time photography, or you can browse through the previous exhibits by browsing through the Online Exhibits. Again, I couldn't pick a favorite. There are some very talented photographers posted here. Take your time and absorb it all. Night Talk—Here you can either click the link that takes you to Night Talk Live the current forum, or you can read through the old entries that they archived. This section is full of valuable resources, and you may even find some of your own questions answered. http://www.thenocturnes.com/
Renovators Amanda here too. I wish this site had been available when Sue and I owned the 1875 dream home built by a logging magnet named Kramer at 205 West Church Street. (Mike) This site offers "Old-House Community and Know-How, Restoration Advice, and Home Improvement," so if you own an old house, or are thinking of buying and renovating one, this site could be a very handy resource. I live in a house built originally at the end of the 1800's or the beginning of the 1900's. Let me tell you it's a mess. Someone thought that it would be a great idea to add rooms on in odd areas and to change a lot of the architecture of the house itself. Then someone had the bright idea to make it into a duplex. I didn't know much about old houses myself, but I grew up with my daddy doing repairs on wherever we lived at the time. So I can do some repair work myself, but this house is a challenge. It makes you want to throw your hands in the air and scream sometimes. So I went looking on the web for help and found this site. Let me tell you it has come in so handy that it is book marked on both of the computers in the house for easy access. I find the Do-It-Yourself Knowledge Database to be a priceless tool to have. You can search the database by topic or you can go to the top of the page and use the search engine to find the information you are looking for. On the main page you'll notice that there is a list of top 10 most searched for items. Which all seem to be common problems people run across in older houses. If you don't find what you are looking for there, use the search engine and find it that way. There are excellent forums for help on this site. Just click on the Old-House Friends Forums. You can go into general discussion or you can choose a forum based on the age of your house. Pre 1900's, or Post 1900's, or you can choose the Where Can I Find forum, which will help you find the information you need and are looking for. This site is a renovator's dream helper. http://www.renovators.com/
I was doing a midi search the other day looking for a special song and this site popped up. You will experience a whole lot of good stuff crammed into their tiny space on the internet. The opening paragraphs explain the site and the offerings could keep you surfing for quite awhile. I really like this site for a number of reasons. (Mike) Welcome to Smick and Smodoo's World!! There are three ways to find a midi on this site; The Midi Master Index, Do a Search, or simply Browse around and see what you find ! There is a Site Menu at the bottom of the main pages throughout the site. Remember - bring your kids and grandkids here, too! We have lots of fun stuff for Little People!! We hope you enjoy your visit!! All the music in this newsletter came from Smick and Smodoo's World. http://www.smickandsmodoo.com/
American Memory Amanda gets the thanks for this suggestion. I've been holding this one too. (Mike) American Memory: Historical Collection for the National Digital Library. I was originally going to write this up earlier, but they had a news bulletin that caught my eye and I found that they were updating the page on October 6th. So I figured I'd wait for the update. Let me tell you I am so glad that I did. They streamlined the navigation of this page so it is easier to view and find things. You'll notice that there are featured articles called "Collection Highlights". While I was there the highlights included Newspaper Pictorials, and The Thomas Jefferson Papers. Both were wonderful exhibits. Below the Collection Highlights section you'll find the "Today in History" section. I figured it would probably be like other sites of the same type, but was greatly surprised to find interesting articles depicting history. For October 6th it was an article called "Of Rails and Robbers" and it told of the Great Train Robbery as well as some history on train robberies. Here's a brief snippet: "On October 6, 1866, thieves boarded an east bound Ohio & Mississippi passenger train near Seymour, Indiana and entered an Adam Express Company car. Pointing guns at Adams Express employee Elem Miller, the masked bandits demanded keys to the safes. Miller held keys for the local safe only, so the robbers emptied that safe and tossed the other off the train intending to open it later. Signaling the engineer to stop the train, the robbers, later identified as the infamous Reno brothers, made an easy get away. Unaware of what had happened, the engineer sped off into the night while the thieves congratulated themselves on a job well done.” On the opposite half of the page you will find the "Browse by Topics" section. With the option of browsing by many other ways if you choose the "More Browse Options", or you can choose "List all Collections" which will give you an array of topics to surf through. One topic I particularly enjoyed was the Coca-Cola one. Fifty Years of Coca-Cola Ads via television you can find it here. It was really well done. You can find old ads, and information on their journey through advertising. Not only will you find articles and text, but also pictures and music from American history. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ammemhome.html
Get into the season spirit. KOOL 3-D SNOWFLAKE MAKER that's not a kaleidoscope. Make your own snowflake in the comfort of your computer room. Actually it is some fun. http://www.zefrank.com/snowflake/