srspg3_06

"Easy Winners" KCNET NEWSLETTER
06/05/05
TECHNICAL PAGE

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF
INTERESTING SITES

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING:
Group revives effort to define spyware By Joris Evers, Staff Writer, CNET News June 3, 2005
Makers of anti-spyware software are taking another shot at creating a definition of spyware, this time with help from consumer organizations.
A new group, tentatively named the Anti-Spyware Coalition, plans to publish proposed guidelines later this summer that define spyware, best practices for desktop software development, and a common lexicon, people involved with the group told CNET News.com.
Debate has gone on for years over spyware and adware, with manufacturers defending some of these applications as legitimate marketing tools. The terms are slippery, frequently used to apply both to the information-thieving software and the often-annoying advertising tools bundled with free software programs.
News.context
What's new:
Anti-spyware software makers are taking another shot at creating a definition of spyware.
Bottom line:
If the new coalition succeeds, its work could clear up confusion over spyware and adware, helping consumers keep their PCs clean.
More stories on spyware
"Consumers will benefit by clarity in the rules that apply to those kinds of applications. It will also help software makers understand where the line is so they can stay on the clear side of it," said David Fewer, staff counsel at the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, a consumer advocacy group in Ottawa associated with the new coalition.
Both spyware and adware can impact PC performance. They're often surreptitiously installed on computers to gather information about people that is used for advertising or provided to other interested parties. The market for tools to remove the unwanted software is booming.
If the new coalition succeeds, its work could clear up confusion over spyware and adware, helping consumers keep their PCs clean. Also, the group's work could help software makers and legitimate advertisers improve their products.
And the rest of the story: http://news.com.com/Group+revives+effort+to+define+spyware/2100-7348-5730290.html?part=dht&tag=ntop&tag=nl.e703 ********************************************************************************************************************** Forging an anti-terrorism search tool By Stefanie Olsen Staff Writer, CNET News.com June 2, 2005
The government is counting on new search technology to sniff out terrorists.
Google is the No. 1 free tool to snoop on friends or strangers. But government agencies including the Federal Aviation Administration are investing in a new search engine being developed at the University of Buffalo to do some of their more sensitive detective work.
The technology, released as a prototype in recent weeks, is designed to mine a corpus of documents for associated ideas or connections--connections between two unrelated concepts, for example, that would otherwise go unseen or would take countless hours of investigative work to discover. The project was specifically funded for anti-terrorism efforts and initially was used for searching over data within the 9/11 Commission report and public Web pages related to the suicide bombings carried out by terrorists who hijacked three U.S. commercial planes.
"Say you have the kind of question that connects these two people that we don't know about. You could start reading through all those documents. But our system is designed to look specifically for those evidence trails" that connect those two people, said Rohini Srihari, UB professor of computer science and engineering.
Read the rest of this story: http://news.com.com/Forging+an+anti-terrorism+search+tool/2100-1012-5730176.html?part=dht&tag=ntop&tag=nl.e703 ********************************************************************************************************************** Windows XP is constantly installing "Hotfixes". How can I find out what each one does? Thanks to Worldstart for this one.
Every now and then Windows XP automatically updates. Usually these are to plug holes in the system (as you know, Windows XP is a work in progress). But what exactly do all those hotfixes do? Well, I discovered a way to find out.
First, you need to go to your Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. Next, scroll down toward the bottom and you will see "Windows XP Hotfix..."
Click the hotfix and it will expand to show "Click here for support information".

Clicking there will bring up another screen with a URL that takes you to a description of what that hotfix does (make sure you're online when you do it).

Now you can satisfy your curiosity when those updates happen. This also helps let you know if you have a security patch needed to prevent a worm/virus. ********************************************************************************************************************** Search Types Another Worldstart good suggestion.
Searching for files on your computer isn't that complicated. Go to Start and you'll see either "Find" or "Search" waiting to locate lost files. You can get as basic or specific as you want--just keep in mind that you have a better chance with more general searches.
A neat feature in Windows XP is searching by type. Rather than look through all files you can search for just pictures, music, or video. You could look for only documents created in a certain period of time.
In the Search Companion window you'll see "What do you want to search for?" and a list: Pictures, music, or video; Documents; All files and folders; Computers or People.

To search Digital Media you can select any or all of the check boxes: Pictures and Photos, Music, or Video. Type in a file name, part of a name, or file extension (.mp3, .jpg) then click "Search".

The results will pop up in the left pane like any other search. if the file you want is there, just double click.
When searching Documents you can specify the last time it was modified. The search begins in "My Documents" then works its way out from there.

You'll get documents and only documents—no folders, no hidden files, no exe files.
Check out the advanced settings for even more search fun.
* Windows 98 Users can go to Start/Find then "Files or folders". Select the "Advanced" tab and you can select what file type (jpg, mp3, etc.) to search for.

VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF:

COMING SOON TO A COMPUTER IN YOUR HOUSE --- If you are not current with Anti Virus Updates. As of June 3, 2005, 1:38 AM PDT (Pacific Daylight Time/GMT -7:00), TrendLabs has declared a Medium Risk Virus Alert to control the spread of WORM_BOBAX.P. TrendLabs has received several infection reports indicating that this malware is spreading in Australia, India, Ireland, Japan, Peru, Singapore, and the United States.
This memory-resident worm usually arrives on a system as a downloaded file of TROJ_SMALL.AHE. It spreads by sending a copy of TROJ_SMALL.AHE as an attachment to an email message that it sends using its own Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) engine.
The message it sends out contains the following details:
Subject: {blank}
Message body: (any of the following)
• Attached some pics that i found
• Check this out :-)
• Hello,
• I was going through my album, and look what I found..
• Long time! Check this out!
• Osama Bin Laden Captured.
• Remember this?
• Saddam Hussein - Attempted Escape, Shot dead
• Secret!
• Testing

(followed by any of the following strings)
• +++ Attachment: No Virus found
• +++ F-Secure AntiVirus - You are protected
• +++ Norman AntiVirus - You are protected
• +++ Norton AntiVirus - You are protected
• +++ Panda AntiVirus - You are protected
• +++ www.f-secure.com
• +++ www.norman.com
• +++ www.pandasoftware.com
• +++ www.symantec.com
Attachment: (any of the following names followed by a .ZIP extension)
• bush.1
• funny.1
• joke.1
• pics.1
• secret.2
When an unsuspecting user executes the Trojan attachment, TROJ_SMALL.AHE downloads WORM_BOBAX.P, and the vicious worm-Trojan cycle continues.
It also propagates by taking advantage of the Windows LSASS vulnerability. Furthermore, it is capable of modifying the system's HOSTS file in order to prevent users from accessing certain Websites.

********************************************************************************************************************** Bagle variants punch, punch and punch again By Matt Loney, ZDNet (UK) June 2, 2005, 7:46 AM PT
The latest variants of the Bagle worm have alarmed antivirus companies because of the multiple-stage process they use to attack PCs.
The variants, which Computer Associates International has given a new name--Glieder--because it says they are so different from previous Bagle worms, combine several elements in a way not seen before. In this staged approach, viruses seed their victims, then disarm them, and then finally exploit them.
"We've seen blended threats before where a virus uses several methods to spread, but not like this" said Chris Thomas, a Computer Associates Australia security architect.
The Win32.Glieder worm spreads using a common mass-mailing method, relying on people to click on an attachment so it e-mails itself on to names in the address book. "This is the beachhead," said Thomas. "The whole point is to get to as many victims as fast as possible with a lightweight piece of malware." On Tuesday, CA saw eight variants released.
As well as e-mailing itself, the mass-mailer downloads a Trojan called Win32.Fantibag to the infected machine, which is designed to block antivirus software updates. It also blocks Microsoft's update site, windowsupdate.microsoft.com, said Thomas. "This stops the machines (from) protecting themselves," he added. "It means that software can’t get updates, that victims can't go for help and that effectively infected PC users are isolated."
The final part of the triumvirate is a second Trojan, called Win32.Mitglieder, which disables firewalls and antivirus software, further lowering the shields, and then hijacks the infected PC for use as part of a botnet. Botnets are groups of networked machines, often numbering in the thousands, that are hired as spam relays, for tracking users' behavior and for identity theft.
"There is a commodities market for victimized PCs," Thomas said. "Recently we’ve seen spammers and criminals engaged in fraud, paying approximately five cents per machine for compromised PCs."
The latest attack has been very effective. "The stats we have seen show it is still spreading quickly," said Thomas.
Thomas said the virus does not appear to block access to Computer Associates' virus patch update site, but could not offer an explanation as to why this had been missed off the list. **********************************************************************************************************************

THE TALLY:
Friday, May 19 -- Thursday, May 26
According to Sophos, a leader in Anti Virus Software development, 13 new/improved viruses, which required Anti Virus upgrades were released into cyberspace via email.
&
KCnet's anti virus program caught and "defanged" 8,645 email viruses in addition to
refusing 182,448 spam messages. There were 164,724 non spam and
non virus messages delivered to KCnet subscribers.

Have you updated your anti virus program lately?
If not, may I recommend that you do it now?

**********************************************************************************************************************

Free Virus Scans
Best done with The Internet Explorer Browser.
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.

TRY ETRUST BY COMPUTER ASSOCIATES (Ken Condo found this link-thanks Ken)
1 year free trial of eTrust or 2 years for $19.95.
http://home.ca.com/dr/v2/ec_main.entry25?page=PYPCTrialPage&client=ComputerAssociates&sid=35715&CID=185351

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 May 20 to May 26 from Trend Micro.

   1. HTML_NETSKY.P
   2. WORM_NETSKY.P
   3. JAVA_BYTEVER.A
   4. TSPY_SMALL.SN
   5. SPYW_GATOR

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://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/

INTERESTING SITES:

This site appears to have it all and there is no selling here.
Health Topics include: Start here with over 700 topics on conditions, diseases and wellness
Drug Information: About your prescription and over-the-counter medicines
Medical Encyclopedia: Includes pictures and diagrams
Dictionary: Spellings and definitions of medical words
News: Health News from the past 30 days
Directories: Find doctors, dentists and hospitals
Other Resources: Local libraries, health organizations, international sites and more

National World War II Memorial
Last year the National World War II Memorial was finally dedicated. The World War II Memorial is the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during the Second World War. The memorial, established by the American Battle Monuments Commission, honors all military veterans of the war, the citizens on the home front, the nation at large, and the high moral purpose and idealism that motivated the nation's call to arms.
Now for the really cool parts, do you know someone who served in WWII? If so, you can honor that friend or family member by enrolling them in the WWII registry. I believe you can fill out all the necessary information online too.
There are high resolution pictures on the site for all of us who think the memorial is great but can't get to Washington to see it. I think the memorial is gorgeous, but I'll leave you to decide for yourselves. You can also find out about the design team, watch the design team video, and the memorial design in this section. I highly recommend checking out the Memorial Design section so you can see what part each section of the memorial plays in honoring our veterans from WWII.
Here is an example of what you will find in the description of the sections: "Within a commemorative area at the western side of the memorial is recognized the sacrifice of America's WWII generation and the contribution of our allies. A field of 4,000 sculpted gold stars on the Freedom Wall will commemorate the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives. During WWII, the gold star was the symbol of family sacrifice."
This site has many facets and each one is worth your time. I enjoyed all of this site, and would love to go to and visit this memorial in person.
Take some time out to remember the meaning of this holiday and visit this site.
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/

THE BIRTH OF A HUMMINGBIRD This one suggested by Keith Wert
Some amazing photography here. We saw this a year or so ago but many will want to revisit.
The birth of a hummingbird - this is truly amazing. Be sure to click on NEXT PAGE at the bottom of each page; there are 5 pages in all. A lady found a hummingbird nest and got pictures all the way from the egg to leaving the nest. It took 24 days from birth to flight. Because you'll probably never in your lifetime see this again, enjoy and please share.
Click the link below and enjoy.
http://community-2.webtv.net/hotmail.com/verle33/HummingBirdNest/

This site is saturated in local interest and excellent graphics.
The pages are the creation of John H. Way, Ph.D., P.G. Professor Emeritus, LHUP. Now don't let that title scare you - this site is down to earth, literally, featuring local Geology and photography in and around Clinton County, PA including Real-Time Environmental Data for North Central PA, Hyner View State Park, Fossils at Red Hill and a general page labeled "Local Geology Notes" Evolves!
http://www.baldeaglegeotec.com/BEgeoedHP.htm

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