TECHNICALLY SPEAKING VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF INTERESTING SITES
What is the difference between Downloading, Uploading and Installing? Thanks to Worldstart Here's a blow by blow: Downloading - This is moving a file that's on the Internet (or over a network) onto your computer. For most of us, downloading is just a matter of clicking a download link on a web site and saving the file to disk. If you want more info on downloading, be sure to check out our download guide at http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/461 Uploading - This is the opposite of downloading. With uploading, you take a file from your computer and send it to a computer on the internet (or a computer / server on a network). Usually this is done with an FTP client, but some web sites you'll come across will allow you to send files to them with your web browser. Installing - This is often confused with downloading, but it's a different animal. When you install something, you basically "put" the program on your computer so you can use it. Normally this is done via a setup program or "wizard" to make installation easy. Once you're finished installing a program, you can usually run it from your Start Menu, Programs area. **********************************************
Multiple Firewalls This is a good tip from Worldstart If you have recently installed a firewall, or have just started having Internet Connection problems, it's possible you have more than one firewall running. This can cause problems of all sorts from intermittent connection problems to complete loss of connectivity depending on the firewall combination running on your system. Now, this doesn't apply to hardware firewalls such as routers—you can run one of these and have a personal firewall (software firewall) running to protect the same system and create a very secure environment. What we are really focusing on here is the use of multiple personal or software firewalls. With the SP2 update Microsoft introduced the new and improved Windows Internet Connection Firewall or ICF, and assumed that everyone wanted it turned on. When Microsoft does things like this every tech's phone starts ringing off the hook with end-users wanting to know why their PC is acting different all of a sudden. The Windows ICF will usually work with a 3rd party firewall, but you may see some issues with your connection from time to time such as certain links not working or even your home page not coming up. If you're not sure if you have the ICF running just follow these instructions: You can disable the Windows firewall by going to Control Panel and selecting "Firewall" in Classic View ("Security Center" in Category view) from there simply check the option to turn off your firewall. In the Category view you're going to select the Windows Firewall from the bottom of the Window and then turn it off.
A week or so ago I put some articles in The KCnet Newsletter from the Scot Finney Newsletter and from Fred Langa's Langalist about getting a bit overhyped with Tracking Cookies and some of the low level Spyware. Wow! I got responses and so did Scot and Fred. The following is Fred's most recent follow-up to that subject and I agree. (Mike) More On Spyware Hype Vs Real Threats I kinda knew that "Spyware Hype Vs Real Threats" http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-01-24.htm#3 ) would generate mail. Here's one of the gentler responses: Hi Fred, Thought you might be interested in this: http://forums.about.com/ab-windows/messages?msg=17526.1 Some knowledgeable people have taken issue with your stance on anti-spyware software. ---Louis Well, not exactly. My "stance on anti-spyware software" is simple: Use it! No controversy there. It's my stance on how serious a threat cookies and web bugs are that's the issue. But even there, there's more agreement than not. For example, one of the posters said "It is true that tracking cookies are only plain text and thus harmless. They are not a security threat but they are indeed an invasion on privacy. But Ad-Aware and Spybot do much more than track down cookies...." That's mostly true, and that's why I recommend Ad-Aware and Spybot, among other tools. But the question I was answering in "Spyware Hype Vs Real Threats" was not about malware threats in general, but very specifically about tracking cookies and web bugs. The overwhelming majority of cookies *are* utterly harmless. But that doesn't mean (and I never said) "stop using your security tools" or "all online threats are imaginary" or "no cookie has ever caused a problem." What I said was not to worry when your security tool bleats when it sees a "tracking" cookie from a reputable site: Almost always, it's nothing to be concerned about: Odds are, the cookie is just counting noses, or visits, or something equally benign. Here's what most of the anti-cookie fanatics are forgetting: In most cases, a cookie can only contain information that YOU PROVIDED. For example, if you fill out a form on a web site and add your name, address, shoe size, pet's name, and favorite American Idol star, that information can (theoretically) be stored in a cookie. But if you don't give the site any information, all the site really knows is that you showed up at a certain time from a certain address, clicked around (or not) and left a while later. That, and generic software compatibility information provided by your browser, is all you gave the site, through your clicks, and so that's all the site can store in any cookie. The idea that cookies "invade" your privacy is plain paranoia. A cookie can only contain what you told the site. How can it be an invasion if YOU voluntarily provided the information? Some of the irrational fear of cookies dates back to several years ago when there was a rash of cases where unscrupulous site operators or groups of site operators gathered private and personal user info under false pretenses and then used that info, sometimes combined with other info the users entered on other sites cooperating in this scam, for spamming and such. The actual evil was in the fraudulent information- gathering (via normal fill-in-the-blank forms) and misuse of the private customer data. Oddly enough, the cookies were actually kind of a hero in the story, because it was through examining the plain-text cookies that users discovered that sites were doing things with their data they didn't really need to. But somehow, cookies got the bad rap, instead of the fraudulent information-gathering that was the real problem. Blaming cookies is kind of like shooting the messenger; but people did. That kind of scam has mostly stopped--- though others certainly persist. Today, overt "phishing" and other scams are far more lucrative for the ethically challenged than is playing with cookies; and malware and other active data-mining worms, viruses and trojans are a much greater threat to privacy and security than passive, plain-text cookies are or ever were. Some of these malware nasties do use cookies as part of their operation, but again, the problem isn't the cookie--- it's the malware that's creating the cookie. These far more serious malware threats do require constant vigilance, which is why we discuss security in almost every issue of this newsletter. But in guarding against the high-order, serious threats, you automatically guard against the low-order, low-risk threats. Cookies, per se, simply aren't that big a deal. In any case, it's easy to guard against cookie abuse: Use the basic security tools we repeatedly recommend (e.g. see the list in this item: http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-01-20.htm#2 , and know the sites you're dealing with. The movement for sites to post a clear "Privacy Policy" was, in fact, a reaction to the early information-gathering abuses: Today, sites that behave honorably and ethically will have a clear, no-nonsense policy stating exactly what information they do and do not collect, and what they do with any such information. You can see the Langa.Com privacy policy here: http://langa.com/privacy.htm . A posted privacy policy is a form of contract--- a legal promise by the site to behave as they say they will. If a site lacks a clear Privacy Policy, or if the policy contains items you think are not in your favor, take your clicks elsewhere: There are plenty of other sites online, and there's no need to do business with a site that seems shady or sleazy in any way. If you leave a site without having provided any personal information, the security risk is essentially zero--- the site can't know anything important about you. In short: You're safe. When you think it through, you'll see that cookies, per se, simply aren't much of a problem any more. They're very low-order threats, easily managed; and, when so managed, are almost always completely harmless. Keep your security tools up to date and deployed; use caution in what sites you give information to; and you'll be fine. Common sense, really. **********************************************
DVRs for HDTV John Falcone, senior associate editor for CNET Digital Dispatch My cable-TV provider finally brought HDTV to my neighborhood, and, as you might expect, I got to the front of the line to sign up for it. But the new service left me looking at an inadequacy in the Houston household's home-theater system. We have a conventional DVR; it doesn't record HDTV in all its high-def glory. I'm looking at an upgrade. So are some of you, I bet. So we've started reviewing the new crop of HD DVRs. We've compared three. See how they stack up against each other. Whether you get your HDTV programming from cable, satellite, or an over-the-air antenna, one thing is constant: you can't record high-def video on your existing VCR, DVD recorder, or TiVo. Fortunately, HD digital video recorders (DVRs) can do it all, recording dozens of hours of high-def programming or hundreds of hours of standard-definition channels. See how the offerings from Dish Network, DirecTV/TiVo, and Sony stack up against one another. http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6463_7-5622022-1.html?tag=nl.e404 ***********************************************
Microsoft Anti-Spyware Tool A critique from Worldstart. It's not perfect—heck, it's not even completely finished—but Microsoft's new anti-spyware tool is free and effective. Want to take a first-hand look at it? Let's walk through it together. DOWNLOAD AND SETUP The first trick is finding it. Here's a link: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx It's a "beta" version right now, which just means that Microsoft doesn't offer any support for it yet. If they move it when it goes "live" you can find it the same way I did—search on Google for "Microsoft spyware tool". You will be given the option to "Validate Windows and take me to the download" or just download the software. I chose to skip the validation process—it's not necessary, and I'm a privacy nut. Either way, the software will download and begin the installation process automatically. When you first start the program, select "Run a Quick Scan Now". It will take several minutes and scan through all your Internet files and settings, the Windows registry, and other important (and commonly attacked) file areas. Most of the other options are automatically set for you—the "deep scan" is scheduled to run at 2:00am daily and you will get new updates from Microsoft as they are released. I have been using several other free spyware tools (Ad-Aware and Spybot), but this tool found and removed a host of additional trojan horses from my computer. I ran it on several other machines (ah, the life of a tech weenie) and it was unable to remove everything from a couple other ones. That said, it still got more than either Ad-Aware or Spybot. ADVANCED FEATURES A couple other cool things to know about: 1. Real-time protection: If you chose to activate the Real-time Protection, the program will continuously monitor your computer for attempts to modify vital settings. I was very interested to see several reputable-seeming sites try to install nasty little programs without my consent. The real-time protection notified me and blocked the programs. 2. Advanced tools: Don't play around with these unless you know what you're doing! But this panel provides a very simple "look under the hood" of your Windows setup, and for advanced users it can be a great way to monitor registry changes and other related issues. 3. SpyNet: Perhaps the longest-term benefit of this program is the SpyNet. If you choose to join, when your computer detects a new spy program, virus, or other problem, it will send notification to Microsoft. In theory, this will help the program evolve more quickly over time to better handle the threats that permeate the Internet. We'll see how that turns out.
Information from Network Solutions about the actual IP Address:
********************************* This one could be this week's nasty/bad virus release. Medium Risk usually means a mass mess in the USA. As of February 2, 2005, 6:55 PM (GMT - 08:00), TrendLabs has declared a Medium Risk Virus Alert to control the spread of WORM_BROPIA.F. TrendLabs has received numerous infection reports indicating that this malware is spreading in the Bolivia, U.S., Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, and China. This is a memory-resident worm that drops a copy of itself in the root folder using different interesting file names with a PIF extension. It attempts to propagate by sending copies of itself to all MSN Messenger contacts. It also drops the file WINHOST.EXE in the Windows system folder. Trend Micro detects the said file as WORM_AGOBOT.AJC. It has an anti-debugging technique, which enables it not to run if any of the following debugging applications are present on the affected system: ? NT-ice ? Softice It also drops and displays an image file, named SEXY.JPG.
IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOU HAVE A VIRUS OR IF YOU HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLY SCANNED YOUR DRIVES FOR VIRUSES LATELY... THESE NEXT SITES ARE FOR YOU. Free Virus scans. Computer Associates, a 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 Anti Virus programs for 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.
AVG Free AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements). http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5
Avast 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 is: http://www.free-av.com/ This one installs a bit easier than Avast.
Top 5 Viruses for January 14 to January 20 from Trend Micro.
1. WORM_NETSKY.P 2. HTML_NETSKY.P 3. JAVA_BYTEVER.A 4. EXPL_DHTML.GEN 5. WORM_NETSKY.D
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://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/
Nostalgia Central I created Nostalgia Central in 1998 because I thought it would be "a good hobby" . . . Originally housed at a free Geocities URL, within 6 months the site was attracting over 2,000 hits a week. At the time there wasn't much quality nostalgic content on the Internet and the site soon grew much larger than I had ever envisaged. This ultimately drove a move to a dedicated server in December 1999, and the site was relaunched as nostalgiacentral.com on January 1st, 2000. By 2001 Nostalgia Central housed close to 200MB of pages, graphics and sound files and was attracting a million hits per month - so much for the hobby! In order to fulfill my dream of ensuring Nostalgia Central was a definitive "one-stop shop" for everything from the 60s, 70s and 80s, I closed the site in 2001 and undertook an exhaustive (and exhausting) makeover. Early in 2003 significant technology infrastructure upgrades took place, and as a result, Nostalgia Central now houses 2GB of information and receives over 1.5 million visits each month from people in the USA, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/about.htm
OLDE TIME RADIO Speaking of Nostalgia. You will need Real Time Player. Everyone should have it however, if you do not there is a link to download. A lot of fun here for folks born before TV. ESCAPE - GANGBUSTERS - JOHNNY DOLLAR - LIGHTS OUT - PHILIP MARLOWE - SHERLOCK HOLMES - SUSPENSE - THE GREEN HORNET - THE INNER SANCTUM - THE SHADOW - THE WHISTLER Also links to LUX RADIO THEATRE - WESTERNS - COMEDY TEAMS - SHERLOCK HOLMES - RADIO THEATRE - RADIO DETECTIVES http://www.oldetimeradio.com/
Ready, Set, Blog! From Merriam-Webster’s declaring "blog" the Word of the Year to the uncovering of document forgeries in CBS’s reporting of President Bush's National Guard service, 2004 marked the arrival of blogging on the radar of the mainstream media. The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that more than 10,000 new blogs are being created daily, not just by political pundits and armchair journalists, but by ordinary people using the new medium as a better way to keep up with friends and family. Ready, Set, BLOG! explains the blogging phenomenon to the millions of people that have heard the buzz but don’t quite know what it is, why it’s a big deal, or where to get started. Created by the same folks who maintain MindSay, one of the Web’s fastest growing blogging communities, Ready, Set, BLOG! explains the personal publishing revolution through the words of real bloggers. We believe that blogging can bring and keep people closer together. Our aim is to educate people about this remarkably simple yet immensely powerful technology. So make yourself comfortable, look around, and feel free to contact us with your questions and comments about Ready, Set, BLOG! http://www.readysetblog.com/
Empire State Building: Official Site Have to have at least one site from Amanda. Welcome to the Empire State Building's Official Site. The first thing that caught my eye was a section called "Lighting Schedule". Here you can find out what colors will be lighting up the Empire State Building, and what they are representing. “The Empire State Building has developed an annual lighting schedule which honors National Holidays, seasons, the myriad ethnic groups living in the New York City area and many worthy causes.” At the bottom of the page you will find a link to the Empire State Building Cam, called "ESB Tower Cams". Click that and be taken to the Towercams. You have to register to use them. (it's Free). Once you've registered it takes you to where you can choose the cam you want to view. There is the ESB Tower Vision, or ESB Tower Cams. ESB Tower Vision, is continuous, streaming feed of the tower. This way of viewing is recommended for users with high-speed access. The Tower Cams are recommended for anyone. The Tower Cams also give you, the viewer, more control over what you are seeing. Both were fairly fabulous views. If you're planning on visiting the Empire State Building, you can get tourist information as well as information on what security precautions they are taking. For those of us who can't make it to the Empire State Building there is the Virtual Tour. Choose "Virtual Tour" from the Menu and watch it pop up in another window. Here you can choose different section of the building to tour, each section contains several photos of the area. Some sections have more photos than others but all of it is worthwhile viewing. My favorite areas to tour were the ESB at Night (you can see how they do their lighting) and the ESB Lobby. The other two sections that I really enjoyed were the "Facts and Trivia" and the "History Section". The Facts and Trivia section is full of really interesting facts like: "On July 28, 1945, an Army Air Corps B-25 crashed into the Building at the 79th floor level. Fourteen people died. Damage to the Building was $1 million but the structural integrity of the building was not affected." "Static electricity buildup is so mammoth on top of the Building that, under the right conditions, if you stick your hand through the observatory fence, St. Elmo's fire will stream from your fingertips. Lovers who kiss up there may find their lips crackling with electric sparks." In the History section you get in-depth information on the History of the Empire State Building. That is just as interesting as the tidbits in the Facts and Trivia section. Whether you're finding information on the ESB for a report, or just as an interest just about everything you need to know is here on this site. http://www.esbnyc.com/index2.cfm