Newsbytes - March, 2004

In this issue the following topics are addressed: ~~~ March 3, 2004 General Meeting ~~~ In the News ~~~ Worm and Virus Update ~~~ The News From Pasadena ~~~ Selected Software ~~~ Closing Humor And now for the details ~~~ March 3, 2004 General Meeting The next General Meeting is now scheduled for Wednesday March 3, 2004 at the West Charleston Library. The meeting will follow the usual outline, beginning with a round table discussion and Q's and A's with meeting participants. The meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m. with a short break at about 7:00 p.m. followed by our main Program. Trend Micro, a company offering a line of products oriented to virus detection and removal as well as Internet security products, is our featured host. Trend Micro's presenter, David Perry, will discuss the nature of viruses and what you can do to protect your computer. ~~~ In the News >From Adobe As a follow-up to their presentation at our last general meeting Adobe sent along the following: A new Photoshop Album Starter Edition is available as a free download from Adobe. The free version uses the same basic interface as the full product but has more limited sharing and touchup tools. "It's really a good solution for people just getting started on digital photography who want something beyond the free software that comes with the camera," said Jim Mohan, senior product manager at Adobe. "Our philosophy is to try to get it out to as many people as possible, and hopefully they'll stick with Adobe when they're ready for something that does a little more." http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopalbum/starter.html >From PC World INTERNET TAX RECONSIDERED Newest proposal would reinstate a limited moratorium on Net access taxes. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114715,tk,dn021204X,00.asp FIRST LOOK AT MOZILLA.ORG'S FIREFOX Alternative browser shines with a clean interface, sophisticated functions, and many options. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114843,tk,dn021904X,00.asp Above-Average Display, Below-Average Price Even in a field of worthy competitors, the Princeton SENergy 914's superlative text quality stands out. Although its graphics quality was a bit below average, it was still quite good. And at a bargain price of $699, this display is a solid buy. http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,114578,tk,prx,00.asp HARD DRIVES GO BIOMETRIC Memory Experts unveils rugged, secure Outbacker line of drives. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114910,tk,dn022404X,00.asp HOW MANY HARD DRIVES DO YOU NEED? Hitachi pictures the day when your home is filled with storage devices. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,115009,tk,dn022704X,00.asp ~~~ Worm and Virus Update The number of worms, viruses and port scans is accelerating in 2004 as evidenced in the length of this section. >From Security Wire Perspectives With worms spreading freely, Microsoft took some time this week to detail some of the security changes it will make in Windows XP and its successor, code-named Longhorn, which is expected to appear in 2006. Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect, addressed the RSA Security conference in San Francisco this week, and demonstrated the new Windows Security Center, which will be part of the upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 2. The Security Center offers a users a new, single-screen display of Windows security settings, and allows the users to see if the system's firewall is on and if the antivirus software is up to date. Gates Previews Security Projects Microsoft is enhancing Windows XP protection, pursuing biometric options. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114916,tk,dnWknd,00.asp Microsoft Details Longhorn Security Upcoming OS will know how to fight viruses and cyberthreats on its own. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114982,tk,dnWknd,00.asp *RSA: Unpatched RPC Flaw Hangs Over Windows Shops A security researcher tells SearchSecurity.com that a patch for a 4-month-old vulnerability in RPC may be on the way. That, however, doesn't lessen current exposure. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci95221 5,00.html?track==NL-358 *Firewall Hole Cause for 'Alarm' Users of ZoneAlarm personal firewalls should apply a patch to seal a hole in many versions that could allow attackers to increase their system privileges. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci95179 5,00.html?track==NL-358 *Ibiza Trojan Is a Trip Beware of a Trojan masked as a travel Web site. It takes you to places you'd rather not see. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci95042 1,00.html?track==NL-358 *ASN.1 Exploit Code Circulating; Universal Shellcode Only a Matter of Time The first exploit of the Windows ASN.1 vulnerability has surfaced. While the security community waits to see if the malware gains traction, Microsoft is still taking it on the chin for waiting six months to release the patch to one of the biggest holes in the software maker's history. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci95066 5,00.html?track==NL-358 >From PC World ANTI-SPYWARE LAW PROPOSED Senators urge making spyware harder to install, easier to eject. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114999,tk,dn022704X,00.asp MICROSOFT SET TO SHOW SPAM STRATEGY E-mail 'Caller ID' system validates the source of messages. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114911,tk,dn022404X,00.asp MICROSOFT CHECKS LEAKY WINDOWS Company says code published on Net has had no known impact on customers. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114913,tk,dn022404X,00.asp NEW ATTACK FOLLOWS MYDOOM Malware program installs itself on infected PCs. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114713,tk,dn021204X,00.asp AOL, EARTHLINK SUE SPAMMERS ISPs file separate lawsuits to protect their members from unwanted e-mail. http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114841,tk,dn021904X,00.asp >From SANS --Phishing Attacks Increased by 50% in One Month The Anti-Phishing Working Group found that there were 52% more Phishing attacks in January 2004 than in December 2003. 40% of the attacks used the guise of the financial sector; 34% pretended to be retailers. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/32906.html http://www.gcn.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.display.printable?client.id==gcndaily2&stor y.id=%000 --Linux Kernel Flaws http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_g ci951284,00.html http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2004/0,4814,90359,00.html http://www.gcn.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.display.printable?client.id==gcndaily2&stor y.id=%033 http://www.eweek.com/print_article/0,3048,a=9669,00.asp --Two Versions of NetSky are Spreading http://zdnet.com.com/2102-1105_2-5161036.html?tag==printthis http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2004/0,4814,90264,00.html --Bagle Variant Spreading http://zdnet.com.com/2102-1105_2-5160268.html?tag==printthis http://www.eweek.com/print_article/0,3048,a=9308,00.asp ~~~ The News From Pasadena The ubiquitous Steve Bass sent along the following, the first discusses Pepsi's song downloading campaign: >From what I hear, it's really easy to distinguish in the store between AGAIN and a 10 digit winning number. About every third bottle is a winner. (Now if I could just do the same with the California Lottery scratch off tickets...) _____________________ Pepsi Bottlecap Liner Labeling Information Leak Vulnerability http://snipurl.com/Pepsi_exploit Microsoft's Latest Grief =======================================The news isn't new--it's a week or so old: Part of Windows 2000 code was leaked. (see http://snipurl.com/MS_NTcode ) What makes fascinating reading are the annotations allegedly found in the code: !!!!!!!IF YOU CHANGE TABS TO SPACES, YOU WILL BE KILLED!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!DOING SO ****S THE BUILD PROCESS !!!!!! Read more from the kuro5hin.org site. http://snipurl.com/NT_code Quick Access to Device Manager =================================I go there often. So I created a quick desktop shortcut instead of hassling with Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Hardware Device Manager. Right click on any empty spot on the desktop and select New -> Shortcut. In the "location" field (2000 and XP; I haven't tested it on a Win98 system), type in devmgmt.msc . Click on the Next button, give your shortcut a name -- like "Hardware" -- and click on the Finish button. Double- click on the shortcut and up pops Device Manager. Map Test ===========================If you're struggling with something to do (I am, Home Office is due today), try this small Flash geography quiz. My wife, Judy, nailed this in no time (no, my score's way too low to advertise). http://snipurl.com/map_test Free Valuable CD from MS ===============================================Microsoft is offering an update CD for W98, W98Se, WinMe, Win2K & XP with **ALL** security updates through Oct `03. It's an ideal CD to CYA if you ever have to format your drive or reinstall Windows; it can also make for a delightful gift for your brother-in-law who won't order one on his own. (Not you David, my other brother-in-law...) Get `em while they're hot! http://snipurl.com/MS_order ~~~ Selected Software >From PC World Sygate Personal Firewall Protect your data from malicious hackers and prevent unauthorized access to your files from inside your network. You can adjust Sygate Personal Firewall's settings regarding applications, trusted IP addresses, ports, protocols, and scheduling. Its online tools can check your system and locate security vulnerabilities. These active scans report the number, nature, and severity of system-security risks. You can then adjust the security status of your system at any time and audit the effectiveness of your entire system-security policy. Free http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,8132,tk,hsx,00.asp Spy Sweeper Spy Sweeper detects and removes all types of spyware programs that may already be installed on your system. It provides you with log files so you can see what's happening on your computer, as well as detailed spyware definitions so you can learn which programs are safe to run on your system. It also protects you against Trojan horses, system monitors, key loggers, and adware. Free trial; $30 to purchase http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22934,tk,hsx,00.asp Opera Opera is smaller than Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer, yet it has some neat features the others are missing. Chief among these is the ability to open multiple windows, even at start-up. You can zoom in and out of pages, as you would in Word or Excel documents. The browser includes a newsreader, so you can seamlessly keep abreast of your favorite newsgroups. And it lets you navigate entirely with your keyboard, which can speed up your surfing. Because of its low memory usage and relatively small footprint, Opera is particularly useful on older PCs. Free http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,3937,tk,hsx,00.asp CDCheck This utility detects and recovers damaged files on CD-ROMs. You can also use the program proactively, to insure that your data on CD-ROMs are safe. In addition to CD-ROMs, the program can be used with other local or removable media, such as disk drives, floppy disks, and ZIP drives. Free http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22892,tk,hsx,00.asp Download Accelerator Plus Have a bunch of files you want to download? No problem. This free utility lets you gather all of them and schedule when you want the download to begin. Look for files using the predefined search categories (such as games, MP3 files, or programs), or simplify the search by adding URLs. Once you locate your file, a list of the best locations (mirror sites) to retrieve the file is generated so you can find the most reliable connection. Multiserver connections are also supported, and an Always Resume feature finishes downloads that are interrupted due to lost connections. Free http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,7557,tk,hsx,00.asp Weather Watcher Having doubts about the accuracy of your local TV weather forecasters? Weather Watcher puts their tools into your hands, so you can avoid the TV intermediaries. The program predicts and reports weather in daily and ten-day options. What's more, it delivers forecasts for locations around the world. Weather Watcher converts between Celsius and Fahrenheit degrees, and it supports both U.S. zip codes and worldwide city codes. Free http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,16723,tk,hsx,00.asp >From Lockergnome Atelier Web IP Locator v1.0 Win98/2k/XP FREE http://www.atelierweb.com/iploc/index.htm Enter IP addresses to retrieve information including country, city, ISP, and start / end IP addresses. You can enter up to 100 IP addresses and search for them. The resulting information is useful for locating Internet visitors or sites that send spyware (I have a list of sites to block and a couple of them only list the IP address). It's also for producing localized content, redirecting visitors, analyzing raw Web logs, and producing spam-filtering software. Even use it to learn about IP addresses and the information they provide. PCMark04 Build 110 Win9x/2K/XP FREE http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4051.html PCMark04 builds on Futuremark's strong benchmark development experience by providing a sophisticated tool for measuring PC performance for home usage. PCMark04 supports the complete benchmark cycle - allowing you to benchmark your PC, view the resulting benchmark details, compare your results to those of others, and finally analyze how to improve your PC performance. RightMark Memory Analyzer v2.5 Win9x/2K/XP FREE http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4124.html RightMark Memory Analyzer aims the detailed, stable and accurate measurements of the most important low-level characteristics of the CPU/Chipset/RAM subsystem of your PC. Seven types of tests are implemented in the current release of the RightMark Memory Analyzer suite, that allow you to determine the following low-level parameters of the platform. BurnInTest Professional 4.0 Build 1004 Win9x/2K/XP Shareware http://www.majorgeeks.com/download324.html BurnInTest is a software tool that allows all the major sub-systems of a computer to be simultaneously stress tested for endurance, reliability and stability. BurnInTest tests the CPU, hard drives, CD ROMs, sound cards, 2D graphics, 3D graphics, RAM, network connections & printers. The Pro version can also test tape drives, serial and parallel ports. This can all be done simultaneously as the application is multithreaded. PowerBullet v1.309 Win98/2k/XP FREE http://powerbullet.com/download.html Before starting a presentation, I remind myself to review it and ensure it stands alone should the computer break down and the slides aren't available. Too often, I've seen presentations where the slides were THE presentation and the presenter did nothing but read the slides *yawn*. PowerBullet is a no-frills alternative for those who don't have that other presentation program we all know. The million dollar question - which is better? PowerPoint or PowerBullet? PowerPoint is the winner, but here you're getting a decent product at no cost. Vikrant's PC Help v1.002 Win9x/2K/XP FREE http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=7 Another handy, free little goodie from Vikrant that your clients can use! Vikrant's PC Help is a help file (.chm) in which information, help, tweaks, settings, FAQs, tips, tricks, undocumented stuff, etc. related to PC hardware & software is included. NeroVision Express v2 2.1.0.8 Win9x/2K/XP FREE http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3381.html NeroVision Express will guide you through the whole process of creating DVDs, VCDs, and SVCDs in an easy and innovative way. RockXP v2.0 WinXP FREE http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4138.html With RockXP, you can retrieve your XP Product Key, change your key and product ID, save your activation file, and get info on your machine like build and computer name. WordWeb Win9x/2k/XP FREE http://wordweb.info/free Most of us have to consult a dictionary or a thesaurus from time to time. This usually means getting a hernia from pulling your expanded college dictionary off of the shelf. There is a better way. WordWeb is a free thesaurus and dictionary for Windows. You'll get all of the information that you would use from your traditional print resource such as definitions, synonyms, related words, and pronunciation. This is a great example of a free program that does what it does well without too many "extra features" that you don't need anyway. The interface is simple, and searching for words is done quickly. It can even be used to lookup words from within most Windows programs. WordWeb has rapidly become a permanent part of my software family. It shall avail you to expend words that you ordinarily would refrain from. Maestro Win98/2k/XP FREE http://mars.telascience.org/home Use the same tool scientists use for planning daily activities for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover mission courtesy the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Maestro allows you to view the pictures taken by the rover and select driving destinations and points of interest so you can take your own pictures. It's the next best thing to actually going to Mars and taking 2D and 3D pictures. After installing the program, you can download updates with more photos and data. Give it a real feel by creating a spacesuit and wearing it while you go rovin' with Rover. A little too out there? Maybe a Star Trek uniform, instead? Be sure to check the requirements before downloading this biggie. GetMail v2.2se Win98/2k/XP FREE http://www.e-eeasy.com/getmail.aspx I use YahooPOPs! to download Yahoo! mail to my inbox for filing and clearing out the Yahoo! server space. GetMail does the same thing for those using Hotmail. The utility can forward e-mails and mark e-mails as such or as read / delete. If you don't know your POP or SMTP information, you should be able to look it up in your e-mail client and copy the information. Keep the information handy since you can use it to check your e-mail from many places. CoolWWWSearch.SmartKiller MiniRemoval Win9x/2K/XP FREE http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=A13 CoolWWWSearch.SmartKiller (v1 and v2) is a new, real ugly variant of CoolWWWSearch. When running, it will close every browser window you use to visit a large list of anti-spyware-sites, and even will close Spybot-S&D and some other anti-spyware applications as well. So if your copy of Spybot-S&D (or the anti-spyware application of your choice) closes a few seconds after starting, or your browser closes whenever you try to visit an anti-spyware site, try this CWS.SmartKiller removal utility. Wireless Watch Home v2.0 Win9x/2K/XP Shareware http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=0 Wireless Watch Home is an intrusion detection application designed to monitor your home wireless network for intruders. Wireless Watch constantly runs in the background and notifies you any time a new and/or unauthorized device has joined your wireless network. The detection of an intruder prompts Wireless Watch to notify you via icon and pop-up window. ~~~ Closing Humor 1. Andy Rooney on Vegetarians: "Vegetarian - that's an old Indian word meaning 'lousy hunter.' " 2. Andy Rooney On Prisoners: Did you know that it costs forty thousand dollars a year to house each prisoner? Jeez, for forty thousand bucks apiece, I'll take a few prisoners into my house. I live in Los Angeles. I already have bars on the windows. I don't think we should give free room and board to criminals. I think they should have to run twelve hours a day on a treadmill and generate electricity. And if they don't want to run, they can rest in the chair that's hooked up to the generator. 3. Andy Rooney On Fabric Softener: My wife uses fabric softener. I never knew what that stuff was for. Then I noticed women coming up to me, sniffing, then saying under their breath, "Married!" and walking away. Fabric Softeners are how our wives mark their territory. We can take off the ring, but it's hard to get that April fresh scent out of your clothes. 4. Andy Rooney On Morning Differences: Men and women are different in the morning. We men wake up aroused in the morning. We can't help it. We just wake up and we want you. And the women are thinking, 'How can he want me the way I look in the morning?' It's because we can't see you. We have no blood anywhere near our optic nerve. 5. Andy Rooney On Phone-In-Polls: You know those shows where people call in and vote on diff! erent issues? Did you ever notice there's always like 18% that say "I don't know." It costs 90 cents to call up and vote and they're voting "I don't know." Honey, I feel very strongly about this. Give me the phone. (Says into phone) "I DON'T KNOW!" (Hangs up looking proud.) Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe you're not sure about." This guy probably calls up phone sex girls for $2.95 to say, "I'm not in the mood." 6. Andy Rooney On Cripes: My wife's from the Midwest. Very nice people there. Very wholesome. They use words like 'Cripes'. 'For Cripe's sake.' Who would that be ? Jesus Cripe's? The son of 'Gosh' of the church of 'Holy Moly'? I'm not making fun of it. You think I wanna burn in heck'? 7. Andy Rooney On Grandma: My grandmother has a bumper sticker on her car that says, 'Sexy Senior Citizen.' You don't want to think of your grandmother that way, do you? Out entering wet shawl contests. Makes you wonder where she got that dollar she gave you for your birthday. 8. Andy Rooney On Answering Machines: Did you ever hear one of these corny, positive messages on someone's answering machine? " Hi, it's a great day and I'm out enjoying it right now. I hope you are too. The thought for the day is: "Share the love. Beep. "Uh, yeah...this is the VD clinic calling... Speaking of being positive, your test results are back. Stop sharing the love." 9. Andy Rooney on Research: Because over the past few years, more money has been spent on breast implants and Viagra than is spent on Alzheimer's Disease research, it is believed that by the year 2030 there will be a large number of people wandering around with huge breasts and erections...who can't remember what to do with them. 10. Andy Rooney on Past Presidents: Future historians will be able to study at the Jimmy Carter Library, the Gerald Ford Library, the Ronald Reagan Library, and the Bill Clinton Adult Bookstore. That’s it for this month. See you soon! The information in this bulletin is compiled from a variety of public sources. Replies or comments should be sent to: newsbytes@lvpcug.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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