31 August 2006
Business can benefit from Linux
Computer Active has a very interesting article about the benefits Linux offers to small businesses. Personally I'd say it offers benefits to all sizes of business.
Of course the obvious advantage for business is the cost or lack of cost of Linux. It is considerably cheaper for business, schools or anyone else for that matter to implement a Linux and open source system. Also businesses can change and configure the system to work in any way they like provided anyone who wants the code can get it freely.
Of course the security issue always comes into play. Linux has less viruses and vulnerabilities than Windows and with the direction Vista is going, it isn't likely to change anytime soon.
Of course the disadvantage is that it does require different knowledge than Windows systems but that is learnable and there are many places online to help Linux users and administrators.
The two most popular and useful pieces of software for all users of Linux include Samba which allows Linux and Windows machines to coexist in the same network. Samba is actually incredibly easy to set up with the hardest part of the setup being opening the firewall to allow it to connect to other computers. Apache provides a full functional professional web server which is the most popular currently.
Linux is one of the most powerful operating systems for businesses to use provided that there is someone who knows how to harness that power and use the system to the fullest for their needs.
Of course the obvious advantage for business is the cost or lack of cost of Linux. It is considerably cheaper for business, schools or anyone else for that matter to implement a Linux and open source system. Also businesses can change and configure the system to work in any way they like provided anyone who wants the code can get it freely.
Of course the security issue always comes into play. Linux has less viruses and vulnerabilities than Windows and with the direction Vista is going, it isn't likely to change anytime soon.
Of course the disadvantage is that it does require different knowledge than Windows systems but that is learnable and there are many places online to help Linux users and administrators.
The two most popular and useful pieces of software for all users of Linux include Samba which allows Linux and Windows machines to coexist in the same network. Samba is actually incredibly easy to set up with the hardest part of the setup being opening the firewall to allow it to connect to other computers. Apache provides a full functional professional web server which is the most popular currently.
Linux is one of the most powerful operating systems for businesses to use provided that there is someone who knows how to harness that power and use the system to the fullest for their needs.
Labels: apache, linux, os, OSS, samba, security
Strange Name, Useful Email Security System
For people who are very concerned about the security of the email they send, Kablooey Mail helps a lot.
This works with every email program and provider and allows people to take messages they have send back and certify that a message has been read without using a return receipt. Also you can send mail that self-destructs after it has been read and has the ability to prevent it from being forwarded to other people, printed, copied, etc.
I can't imagine most people would need such functionality, but for lawyers and business this can be a very good solution rather than putting a confidentiality clause in the emails.
This works with every email program and provider and allows people to take messages they have send back and certify that a message has been read without using a return receipt. Also you can send mail that self-destructs after it has been read and has the ability to prevent it from being forwarded to other people, printed, copied, etc.
I can't imagine most people would need such functionality, but for lawyers and business this can be a very good solution rather than putting a confidentiality clause in the emails.
30 August 2006
Legally download books free
An excellent study tool for people reading classic literature has emerged. Google Books now allows readers to download full copies of books that are out of copyright. After going to Google Books just click on "Full view books" and search for the books of your choice.
My initial search of Alexandre Dumas came up very fruitful with results in several different languages as well. It should be able to reduce the cost for students studying classic literature at school. Good book, no copyright, why not download it and enjoy it. This brings some of the greatest writings into everyone's homes affordably.
My initial search of Alexandre Dumas came up very fruitful with results in several different languages as well. It should be able to reduce the cost for students studying classic literature at school. Good book, no copyright, why not download it and enjoy it. This brings some of the greatest writings into everyone's homes affordably.
Labels: books
Another site to offer answers for users
Microsoft has just released their Windows Live QnA which is similar to Yahoo Answers and Google Answers. Like Yahoo Answers people who post answers to questions receive points building their reputation. Unlike Google though, they do not offer to pay for the answers.
The questions can be related to any issue that people are interested in from technology and computers to entertainment and food. After posting a question, other users have 4 days to post an answer and vote on it.
Any sites that offer free help and advice for users are very useful and should be promoted.
Windoes Live QnA is very clear and easy to follow and allows people to put multiple tabs on their post to categorize it. Of course you do have to have a MSN ID from either Hotmail, Messenger, or Passport.
The questions can be related to any issue that people are interested in from technology and computers to entertainment and food. After posting a question, other users have 4 days to post an answer and vote on it.
Any sites that offer free help and advice for users are very useful and should be promoted.
Windoes Live QnA is very clear and easy to follow and allows people to put multiple tabs on their post to categorize it. Of course you do have to have a MSN ID from either Hotmail, Messenger, or Passport.
29 August 2006
Vista's potential IPv6 issues
A possible huge security flaw in MS Vista has been published on Freedom.net. One person studied Vista's implementation of IPv6, which has in the past raised red flags among some people over security, and is concerned over an information leak being possible through the protocol.
Vista's Teredo tunneling mechanism is similar to 6to4, but not completely. Teredo uses UDP packets to send data which allows it to pass through firewalls without being screened. Unlike Vista's implementation of Teredo, 6to4 is usually used between hosts and not between individual computers. The normal implementation of 6to4 involves using it at an external contact and then having the internal router and firewall on the other side of it to actually provide the security while 6to4 does the conversion of an internal network of IPv6 to the external IPv4 network. With this feature on an actual computer it allows data exchange without actually being logged in a firewall, since Teredo packets are not able to be unpacked by most if not all firewalls.
If this turns out to be a valid flaw, people will have files viewed or taken without their even knowing and without their firewall being able to secure them at all. This is an implementation that should either be taken out or fixed and definitely not set as the default setting as it is. With many home users not knowing that much about networking to be able to secure the network, this is not a good feature to add to household computers.
Vista's Teredo tunneling mechanism is similar to 6to4, but not completely. Teredo uses UDP packets to send data which allows it to pass through firewalls without being screened. Unlike Vista's implementation of Teredo, 6to4 is usually used between hosts and not between individual computers. The normal implementation of 6to4 involves using it at an external contact and then having the internal router and firewall on the other side of it to actually provide the security while 6to4 does the conversion of an internal network of IPv6 to the external IPv4 network. With this feature on an actual computer it allows data exchange without actually being logged in a firewall, since Teredo packets are not able to be unpacked by most if not all firewalls.
If this turns out to be a valid flaw, people will have files viewed or taken without their even knowing and without their firewall being able to secure them at all. This is an implementation that should either be taken out or fixed and definitely not set as the default setting as it is. With many home users not knowing that much about networking to be able to secure the network, this is not a good feature to add to household computers.
Labels: microsoft, security, vista, vulnerability, windows
Not So Free Results
Everyone has done it at one time or another, you're searching for images, screensavers or even software and you want it free. What do you type in the search, "free images". The question is, do you actually receive a free service?
It seems that these free sites have a tendency to not be so free for users, even if the user doesn't realize it. Free games and screensavers have a tendency to have free spyware or adware included. Sites with free electronic cards can send your email address to other groups who will send free spam. Some sites will also attract you with some free things such as ringtones and then require you to have a paid subscription to actually get the ringtones for example.
When using the term "free screensavers", "free music", or "free ringtones" all return malicious sites while "free screensavers" has over half of its results leading to malicious files.
It seems that these free sites have a tendency to not be so free for users, even if the user doesn't realize it. Free games and screensavers have a tendency to have free spyware or adware included. Sites with free electronic cards can send your email address to other groups who will send free spam. Some sites will also attract you with some free things such as ringtones and then require you to have a paid subscription to actually get the ringtones for example.
When using the term "free screensavers", "free music", or "free ringtones" all return malicious sites while "free screensavers" has over half of its results leading to malicious files.
Firefox and Mozilla vulnerability in older versions
For people running older versions of Firefox and Thunderbird, there is a vulnerability that allows someone to show fake information in the status bar. This allows for downloads to appear to come from trusted sites when they actually are from somewhere else.
This exploit is accomplished with a nested anchor, the outer of which is from the trusted site while the inner is from an untrusted site which actually contains the download.
The only real protection and solution to this is to use the newest versions of Firefox and Thunderbird (1.5.0.6/1.5.0.5).
This is a good lesson as to why people need to keep their systems updated. This is sometimes the only patch for some problems which are fixed in later versions of a application.
This exploit is accomplished with a nested anchor, the outer of which is from the trusted site while the inner is from an untrusted site which actually contains the download.
The only real protection and solution to this is to use the newest versions of Firefox and Thunderbird (1.5.0.6/1.5.0.5).
This is a good lesson as to why people need to keep their systems updated. This is sometimes the only patch for some problems which are fixed in later versions of a application.
Labels: firefox, thunderbird, vulnerability
28 August 2006
More trouble for AOL
To make the current situation worse for AOL, the new version of their software is considered badware by stopbadware.org.
The reason behind this status is that it installs additional software without letting the user know. It also forces the user to add components to Internet Explorer and a taskbar without actually telling the user what it's installing. The software has an automatic update that doesn't give the user the chance to know or control when it happens. Lastly, when a user tries to uninstall this software, it does not completely uninstall.
If I remember right, in the early days of AOL, when you tried to switch away from AOL to another ISP there were some problems for similar reasons and the dialer for AOL always wanted to come up until you did a lot of extra work to remove it.
For a full report on the issue go to stopbadware.org and read their report.
The reason behind this status is that it installs additional software without letting the user know. It also forces the user to add components to Internet Explorer and a taskbar without actually telling the user what it's installing. The software has an automatic update that doesn't give the user the chance to know or control when it happens. Lastly, when a user tries to uninstall this software, it does not completely uninstall.
If I remember right, in the early days of AOL, when you tried to switch away from AOL to another ISP there were some problems for similar reasons and the dialer for AOL always wanted to come up until you did a lot of extra work to remove it.
For a full report on the issue go to stopbadware.org and read their report.
Labels: AOL
Drive Cleanup Utility
Looking for a way to see which files are taking the most space on your hard drive and removing them? WinDirStat and KDirStat are two programs for doing just that. WinDirStat is of course for Windows while KDirStat is the Linux version, which comes as part of KDE.
This program displays a tree structure of the drive and as well show a graphical representation of the files. A person can click on the graphic showing a large portion of the drive and see exactly what that file is. Also when a folder is selected in the tree view it highlights the area of the graphic that corresponds to that folder. This utility is designed to help a user clean their system, so from this display files are able to be deleted as well as viewed.
If you're looking for a fast way to see which files are taking most of your space to help you decide which to remove from your drive, this is a perfect application for you.
This program displays a tree structure of the drive and as well show a graphical representation of the files. A person can click on the graphic showing a large portion of the drive and see exactly what that file is. Also when a folder is selected in the tree view it highlights the area of the graphic that corresponds to that folder. This utility is designed to help a user clean their system, so from this display files are able to be deleted as well as viewed.
If you're looking for a fast way to see which files are taking most of your space to help you decide which to remove from your drive, this is a perfect application for you.
Labels: harddrive, linux, OSS, windows
Google creates online applications for business and schools
Google is moving into the business sector with their new Google Apps for Your Domain. This software helps employees communicate and work together on projects more efficiently and even better for small businesses, it's free unless of course you want the premium version with more advanced features. A selling point for this software is that an organization doesn't have to worry about upgrades and new installations of software because it is all online based through Google.
Currently it is in beta form and after providing Google with some information about your company, they will decide if you meet the requirements for testing the software.
Once chosen a person is directed to the control panel of the service where they can add and remove users and choose which services to use. Those services include Gmail, which has 2GB storage space available for each user, Google Talk, which allows users to contact other people in both instant messaging and voice conversations, Google Calendar, allowing for the creation of personal and public calendars which can all be viewed from the same page next to each other, and lastly is Google Page Creator, which is a WYSIWYG editor for web page creation and publishing.
There is also a version for education with the web page creator removed. This is designed to help students work together as well and could be useful on projects.
While this can be quite useful for businesses, it could be more useful with the addition of a word processoring and spreadsheet application. Those applications have the potential of being used a lot more in business than a web page creator. Some sort of office suite similar to Open Office or MS Office would be the best option as in combination with the existing applications in the service, it would provide an organization with almost every needed tool for daily business.
Currently it is in beta form and after providing Google with some information about your company, they will decide if you meet the requirements for testing the software.
Once chosen a person is directed to the control panel of the service where they can add and remove users and choose which services to use. Those services include Gmail, which has 2GB storage space available for each user, Google Talk, which allows users to contact other people in both instant messaging and voice conversations, Google Calendar, allowing for the creation of personal and public calendars which can all be viewed from the same page next to each other, and lastly is Google Page Creator, which is a WYSIWYG editor for web page creation and publishing.
There is also a version for education with the web page creator removed. This is designed to help students work together as well and could be useful on projects.
While this can be quite useful for businesses, it could be more useful with the addition of a word processoring and spreadsheet application. Those applications have the potential of being used a lot more in business than a web page creator. Some sort of office suite similar to Open Office or MS Office would be the best option as in combination with the existing applications in the service, it would provide an organization with almost every needed tool for daily business.
27 August 2006
Indian State's Schools to Switch to Open Source
One of India's states will no longer be teaching children to use Windows, but rather will include Linux and open source software in their computer labs for 12500 high schools.
India will be transitioning in the same way that a province of Spain has successfully done recently. They were convinced by Richard Stallman, a free software guru, who visited the state last week. The idea in the state started in 2004 when they decided to focus on open source systems, but never really followed through, giving the schools the option of using Windows or Linux to teach students. Now they have actually implemented the plans fully with the with the 8th class being implemented this year and by 2008 the 10th class will have been implemented.
The full story can be found here.
India will be transitioning in the same way that a province of Spain has successfully done recently. They were convinced by Richard Stallman, a free software guru, who visited the state last week. The idea in the state started in 2004 when they decided to focus on open source systems, but never really followed through, giving the schools the option of using Windows or Linux to teach students. Now they have actually implemented the plans fully with the with the 8th class being implemented this year and by 2008 the 10th class will have been implemented.
The full story can be found here.
Labels: education, linux, os, windows
Not much time, Try helping out online
Want to help different people worldwide, but don't have the time to go on-site to some out of the way location. There's now a site out of San Francisco, VolunteerMatch, that allows people to find volunteer activities at different locations or online based. Such activities involve giving legal advice, writing documents and grants, creating websites, or tutoring children.
Any companies and organizations looking for volunteers can post their offers as well.
Any companies and organizations looking for volunteers can post their offers as well.
26 August 2006
Textbooks online for a discount.
Amazon.com is offering up to a 20% discount on new textbooks and up to 90% on used.This is perfect timing for people starting school and university. Also those who want to get rid of their old books can sell them on Amazon's website.
Also located on the site is a place to purchase books for parents choosing to home school their children or for parents who want to add more to their child's education than they get in school. The books are both for children to learn from and to help parents teach their children.
Of course Amazon.com has textbooks for students of all ages from primary school children to university students and adults who want to enrich their knowledge.
Also located on the site is a place to purchase books for parents choosing to home school their children or for parents who want to add more to their child's education than they get in school. The books are both for children to learn from and to help parents teach their children.
Of course Amazon.com has textbooks for students of all ages from primary school children to university students and adults who want to enrich their knowledge.
Labels: books, education, online
Scrabble to help learn math?
There's a fun way to practice your math skills, TuxMathScrabble is a scrabble like game, but instead of using letters it uses numbers and functions requiring players to create equations and add onto ones already created.
This program of course would not be good for young children but children that can even do math at a fairly basic level could use this and improve their skills with equations looking like: 5 + 3 = 9 - 1. Of course multiplication and division are involved as well.
This program of course would not be good for young children but children that can even do math at a fairly basic level could use this and improve their skills with equations looking like: 5 + 3 = 9 - 1. Of course multiplication and division are involved as well.
Advance graphing application
For students studying geometry, trigonometry and other areas of mathematics that requires graphing, gnuplot may be a very useful program for you.
Gnuplot was made originally for scientists and students as a visualization tool, but has since advanced to be useful for everyone. It supports both 2D and 3D graphs using boxes, lines, points, contours and vectors and other specialized graphs. Most importantly this program will work on your computer no matter what OS you have, UNIX, Linux, Windows, Mac, DOS, and others.
The demos speak for themselves about the capabilities of this product and I encourage anyone interested to view them.
Gnuplot was made originally for scientists and students as a visualization tool, but has since advanced to be useful for everyone. It supports both 2D and 3D graphs using boxes, lines, points, contours and vectors and other specialized graphs. Most importantly this program will work on your computer no matter what OS you have, UNIX, Linux, Windows, Mac, DOS, and others.
The demos speak for themselves about the capabilities of this product and I encourage anyone interested to view them.
Labels: education, linux, Mac, math, os, windows
Personal Firewalls not so safe.
A professor at the Polytechnic University of Lippe and Hoexter in Germany has tested six software-based firewalls for home users with none of them actually being able to stop all tested attempts to establish a connection. Both commercial and free firewalls were tested. More information can be found here.
The safer method is still to have a dedicated system only working as a firewall. A personal computer running both a user's applications and trying to function as a firewall can be a bit too much even for modern processors.
The best advice for a standard users is too keep their computer as up to date as possible including their anti-virus, browser and software. Surfing habits are of course important as well. People need to be careful. Downloading files with trojans or rootkits in them is the easiest way for a system to be compromised. Personal firewalls can do little to protect a system when a user does such actions. Of course this also goes for files received in your email. Also most importantly, DO NOT log in as an administrator account. It may seem easy for when you have to install something or maybe your computer for some reason will not run a certain application without being logged on as administrator. Work with the permissions of that file until you get it working, but do not log on as an admin. because it's easier, it is also easier for viruses to gain complete control of your system. Javascript is something that should also be disabled, even if it is less convenient for users who would have to enable it only for trusted pages that require it.
The safer method is still to have a dedicated system only working as a firewall. A personal computer running both a user's applications and trying to function as a firewall can be a bit too much even for modern processors.
The best advice for a standard users is too keep their computer as up to date as possible including their anti-virus, browser and software. Surfing habits are of course important as well. People need to be careful. Downloading files with trojans or rootkits in them is the easiest way for a system to be compromised. Personal firewalls can do little to protect a system when a user does such actions. Of course this also goes for files received in your email. Also most importantly, DO NOT log in as an administrator account. It may seem easy for when you have to install something or maybe your computer for some reason will not run a certain application without being logged on as administrator. Work with the permissions of that file until you get it working, but do not log on as an admin. because it's easier, it is also easier for viruses to gain complete control of your system. Javascript is something that should also be disabled, even if it is less convenient for users who would have to enable it only for trusted pages that require it.
25 August 2006
Many in the UK without Internet
Internet statistics recently released from the UK show that about 4 in 10 homes are doing without Internet. The reasons people have given for this are that they don't need it or don't know how to use a computer well enough to use it. Also about 30% of men and 40% of women said they never have used the Internet.
With as widespread as the Internet is now, a person should have access to it in some way. With almost every business having a presence online, people can research companies and products. The Internet is the easiest way to research product that you want to buy to find the best price, whether it's online or you would prefer to buy it in a traditional store. The Internet is also the largest store of information available from encyclopedias and travel information to health and medical advice, granted not all of it can be trusted, but it's still there. Email is also a very useful part of the Internet with it being the fastest and most efficient way to communicate with friends who don't live so close and also with companies to ask questions. Rather than waiting days or weeks for a letter you can send and receive a response usually within the same day or the next day at worst.
In regard to not having enough knowledge, computers now have become so easy to use that even someone with no knowledge can set a computer up and have it connected to the Internet in an afternoon. There is very little actual technical knowledge needed as most computers will lead you through the process of setting it up and connecting it to the Internet. Even the manuals for the initial setup of hardware are easy to follow with very nice pictures and color coded cords and plugs. If someone is afraid of that I'm certain it would not be hard to find someone who would be more than happy to take 15 minutes of their day to set your computer up and another hour or two to show you how to use the Internet and get you feeling comfortable.
Having actually been in this situation with some people saying the same things, it's amazing how quickly they change their mind after seeing what is available on the Internet and how easy it is for them. Everyone has some interest, and that is definitely catered to on the Internet.
With as widespread as the Internet is now, a person should have access to it in some way. With almost every business having a presence online, people can research companies and products. The Internet is the easiest way to research product that you want to buy to find the best price, whether it's online or you would prefer to buy it in a traditional store. The Internet is also the largest store of information available from encyclopedias and travel information to health and medical advice, granted not all of it can be trusted, but it's still there. Email is also a very useful part of the Internet with it being the fastest and most efficient way to communicate with friends who don't live so close and also with companies to ask questions. Rather than waiting days or weeks for a letter you can send and receive a response usually within the same day or the next day at worst.
In regard to not having enough knowledge, computers now have become so easy to use that even someone with no knowledge can set a computer up and have it connected to the Internet in an afternoon. There is very little actual technical knowledge needed as most computers will lead you through the process of setting it up and connecting it to the Internet. Even the manuals for the initial setup of hardware are easy to follow with very nice pictures and color coded cords and plugs. If someone is afraid of that I'm certain it would not be hard to find someone who would be more than happy to take 15 minutes of their day to set your computer up and another hour or two to show you how to use the Internet and get you feeling comfortable.
Having actually been in this situation with some people saying the same things, it's amazing how quickly they change their mind after seeing what is available on the Internet and how easy it is for them. Everyone has some interest, and that is definitely catered to on the Internet.
Labels: internet
24 August 2006
Virtual microscope available to learn about the world around us
For researchers, teachers, students and just those interested in the microscopic world, NASA has funded the Virtual Microscope.
This project allows you to view objects in a Scanning Electron Microscope or Light Microscope. Of course both of these are virtual and you're limited to a list of items that can be viewed, but the list is updated with 71 different samples currently and 1 to 2 added each week.
People can learn about the world around them in a way that is impossible without this technology. There is no other way that a high school student, for example, is going to be able to view martian dust for example through a microscope.
This project allows you to view objects in a Scanning Electron Microscope or Light Microscope. Of course both of these are virtual and you're limited to a list of items that can be viewed, but the list is updated with 71 different samples currently and 1 to 2 added each week.
People can learn about the world around them in a way that is impossible without this technology. There is no other way that a high school student, for example, is going to be able to view martian dust for example through a microscope.
Labels: education, internet, science
Pictures of Websites
For those interested in seeing a graphical representation of a website, Websites as Graphs is the place to go. It uses a java applet to create a tree representation of the page using different colors for each HTML element. For example the root element is black while each link is blue. Tables are red, and images are violet. While it isn't very useful for most people it does show an interesting representation of a page that is nice to look at. And as it develops the image it is very interesting to watch the nodes flowering out.
If your interested in more information on a website than Websites as Graphs, you can try TouchGraph which will tell you about the links that a page has and will map the entire route of links that can be seen from one page. Interesting in quickly examining the scope of a page.
Labels: internet
People urged to boycott HD licensing terms
There is an interesting site describing one major problem with the high definition standards such as HDTV, Blu-ray and HD-DVD.
The first problem is that if you have an HDTV that doesn't have a HDMI port or HDCP compliant DVI port you will not be able to watch HD films in high definition, they will be the exact same quality as a standard DVD. Similarly if your computer doesn't have a HDCP compliant video card and monitor, you cannot watch Blu-ray or HD-DVD discs. Remember that compatable and compliant are two different words and compatable devices will not work.
Blue-ray and HD-DVD formats both use AACS (Advanced Access Content System). This DRM prevents open-source software from being able to use the formats or for that matter any computer not running MacOS or Windows.
Mandatory Managed Copy, which will be available on later generations of the readers, will allow you to make legal backups, but will require an active internet connection. This seems to remind me of the Sony BMG trojan that appeared earlier that had a recall on some CDs over privacy concerns.
The EU has already launched an unofficial investigation into Blu-Ray and HD-DVD regarding anti-trust issues in their licensing terms with Sony confirming that they have received a letter from the EU Commission regarding the issue. If the licensing terms are found to be disagreeable then a full anti-trust investigation can be expected.
The Free Software Federation openly supports a boycott on these technologies because of their attack on people's freedom and on the open-source community. They claim it is a "conspiracy to restrict technology" and should be illegal. The site also urges us to prohibit such technology in our homes if it is not illegal.
While the technology is interesting I would also encourage a boycott of these devices until they are available to everyone not just those using Windows or Mac. The only difference in the technology is that viewers of these high definition films will have a better resolution, but no better sound.
The first problem is that if you have an HDTV that doesn't have a HDMI port or HDCP compliant DVI port you will not be able to watch HD films in high definition, they will be the exact same quality as a standard DVD. Similarly if your computer doesn't have a HDCP compliant video card and monitor, you cannot watch Blu-ray or HD-DVD discs. Remember that compatable and compliant are two different words and compatable devices will not work.
Blue-ray and HD-DVD formats both use AACS (Advanced Access Content System). This DRM prevents open-source software from being able to use the formats or for that matter any computer not running MacOS or Windows.
Mandatory Managed Copy, which will be available on later generations of the readers, will allow you to make legal backups, but will require an active internet connection. This seems to remind me of the Sony BMG trojan that appeared earlier that had a recall on some CDs over privacy concerns.
The EU has already launched an unofficial investigation into Blu-Ray and HD-DVD regarding anti-trust issues in their licensing terms with Sony confirming that they have received a letter from the EU Commission regarding the issue. If the licensing terms are found to be disagreeable then a full anti-trust investigation can be expected.
The Free Software Federation openly supports a boycott on these technologies because of their attack on people's freedom and on the open-source community. They claim it is a "conspiracy to restrict technology" and should be illegal. The site also urges us to prohibit such technology in our homes if it is not illegal.
While the technology is interesting I would also encourage a boycott of these devices until they are available to everyone not just those using Windows or Mac. The only difference in the technology is that viewers of these high definition films will have a better resolution, but no better sound.
Trojan uses your money to install on your computer
There's another trojan horse that is on the loose. This one has been reported by SophosLabs and is said to come in a spam email claiming that your credit card has been charged £125. This trojan named Troj/Dloadr-AMA comes in a file called paycheck.zip and when the executable in this zip file is run the trojan is installed. Of course like most malicious software this begins downloading more malicious software to your computer.
While this trojan tries to get users upset enough to not be so cautious and install it without thinking, people should still try to be calm when reading their messages.
When users are reading spam and messages such as this one, they should always first think if something seems strange about this message. Why would a company be emailing you in this situation? Wouldn't they just call? If you have some message like this that you think might be true, but it's not your bank sending it, maybe you should contact your bank to see if they have any record of such an charge.
Secondly, when you see a message that seems to good to be true, it is. There are no such deals. In the lucrative world of spam and malicious sites and software, the most interesting or shocking messages get the most people to run it or go to the site and give their personal information.
And my last tip for email. Don't trust anything. You wouldn't let just anyone into your house. We've all heard of the person who claims to be from some utility or other company who gains access into your house and then robs your house. Well, consider strangers in email exactly like you would at your front door. It will keep you a lot safer.
While this trojan tries to get users upset enough to not be so cautious and install it without thinking, people should still try to be calm when reading their messages.
When users are reading spam and messages such as this one, they should always first think if something seems strange about this message. Why would a company be emailing you in this situation? Wouldn't they just call? If you have some message like this that you think might be true, but it's not your bank sending it, maybe you should contact your bank to see if they have any record of such an charge.
Secondly, when you see a message that seems to good to be true, it is. There are no such deals. In the lucrative world of spam and malicious sites and software, the most interesting or shocking messages get the most people to run it or go to the site and give their personal information.
And my last tip for email. Don't trust anything. You wouldn't let just anyone into your house. We've all heard of the person who claims to be from some utility or other company who gains access into your house and then robs your house. Well, consider strangers in email exactly like you would at your front door. It will keep you a lot safer.
Labels: email, safety, spam, trojan
23 August 2006
Software protection from keylogging in IE
Users of Internet Explorer have a chance of gaining a little more security. QFX Software has released a plugin for IE 6 that encrypts a users keystrokes to make it harder for keyloggers to get any useful information. The free version will encrypt the data typed for passwords and user names while the professional version encrypts all data coming from your keyboard for the price of about $25.
People should remember though that while this does help protect them, that doesn't mean it's not impossible to decrypt the data. Users should still avoid risky actions that can cause the installation of a trojan or keylogger. Just because you have insurance protecting you if your car is stolen, doesn't mean you should leave the doors unlocked with your key in the ignition, think of your computer in the same way.
People should remember though that while this does help protect them, that doesn't mean it's not impossible to decrypt the data. Users should still avoid risky actions that can cause the installation of a trojan or keylogger. Just because you have insurance protecting you if your car is stolen, doesn't mean you should leave the doors unlocked with your key in the ignition, think of your computer in the same way.
Easily manage a school's website and intranet
Here's an interesting application for primary schools to help them manage their website. Site@School requires the school to have an Apache webserver (I believe IIS will work as well), PHP and MySQL running on Windows or Linux and does not require a very powerful computer to function.
Site@School offers schools the ability to easily maintain a website without any special technical knowledge. Most of the editors look very much like a standard text editor or word processor. It allows both students and teachers to post personal web pages with teachers being able to view a student's web page before allowing it to be posted to prevent any inappropriate content. Teachers can set up an intranet to improve communication and sharing of ideas between teachers. Of course there are also other modules that can be included such as calendars and agendas, a photo albums, guestbook, or a newsletter and forum.
This is something worth looking into for people who are managing a schools website or network and who don't want to spend much money for such services.
Site@School offers schools the ability to easily maintain a website without any special technical knowledge. Most of the editors look very much like a standard text editor or word processor. It allows both students and teachers to post personal web pages with teachers being able to view a student's web page before allowing it to be posted to prevent any inappropriate content. Teachers can set up an intranet to improve communication and sharing of ideas between teachers. Of course there are also other modules that can be included such as calendars and agendas, a photo albums, guestbook, or a newsletter and forum.
This is something worth looking into for people who are managing a schools website or network and who don't want to spend much money for such services.
Labels: education, internet, linux, networking, windows
Two choices for viewing the Earth at home
People interested in geography and the world have a bit of a choice between Google Earth and NASA's World Wind.
Both of these applications are unique in their own way. Google Earth lets you see more of the buildings and details of cities, where World Wind is a bit lacking last I used it.
On the other hand, World Wind is very good with topography and 3D images of the landscape at eye level. Also it has the ability to actually see weather events and other natural activities such as fires, dust storms and floods. In another section of the application users can see the globe artifically colored to display data such as that days temperature, rainfall or air pressure.
I've used both of these applications and both are very good depending on your interest. Google Earth is brilliant for seeing cities and gaining directions to places, while World Wind is very scientific in interest. They can both also be very good for students who want to add pictures in their reports. I've seen Google Earth used by people studying and working in architecture and landscape architecture to include pictures that can describe the area better than land based images could.
Both of these applications are unique in their own way. Google Earth lets you see more of the buildings and details of cities, where World Wind is a bit lacking last I used it.
On the other hand, World Wind is very good with topography and 3D images of the landscape at eye level. Also it has the ability to actually see weather events and other natural activities such as fires, dust storms and floods. In another section of the application users can see the globe artifically colored to display data such as that days temperature, rainfall or air pressure.
I've used both of these applications and both are very good depending on your interest. Google Earth is brilliant for seeing cities and gaining directions to places, while World Wind is very scientific in interest. They can both also be very good for students who want to add pictures in their reports. I've seen Google Earth used by people studying and working in architecture and landscape architecture to include pictures that can describe the area better than land based images could.
Still The Same Microsoft Security Troubles
Microsoft is having more trouble with its latest patches. Their update MS06-042 was supposed to be re-released yesterday to fix a flaw that would cause IE 6 to crash under service pack 1.
Unfortunately for Microsoft and customers who are vulnerable, the release is not going to be released yet. There is another vulnerability in the patch that can cause a buffer overrun that can allow for someone to take over that computer. Fortunately, there haven't been any known cases of exploits, but it's only just been found and confirmed. There is the possibility that it will be exploited in the future.
Microsoft stated that it will release the update when it has fixed the flaw and to protect yourself, users with Service Pack 1 should disable the use of HTTP 1.0 protocol.
Unfortunately for Microsoft and customers who are vulnerable, the release is not going to be released yet. There is another vulnerability in the patch that can cause a buffer overrun that can allow for someone to take over that computer. Fortunately, there haven't been any known cases of exploits, but it's only just been found and confirmed. There is the possibility that it will be exploited in the future.
Microsoft stated that it will release the update when it has fixed the flaw and to protect yourself, users with Service Pack 1 should disable the use of HTTP 1.0 protocol.
Labels: IE, microsoft, vulnerability
22 August 2006
Affordable 3D printing for your business
3-Dimensional printer costs are beginning to drop to a price that small businesses and schools can afford them and it's possible that in the not so distant future even homes may be able to afford them. Currently they can be bought for under $25000.
These printers are used to create plastic models of CAD images within a few hours. One printer even brags that it will be able to make a duplicate of itself minus the screws and electronics. Another website is expected to debut allowing children to create an action figure of their own design and then for about $25 have it created with this printer and shipped to the child.
These printers are used to create plastic models of CAD images within a few hours. One printer even brags that it will be able to make a duplicate of itself minus the screws and electronics. Another website is expected to debut allowing children to create an action figure of their own design and then for about $25 have it created with this printer and shipped to the child.
More free learning for younger children
GCompris is an open source application for children between the ages of 2 and 10. This application teaches children with games and other activities.
There are currently over 80 activities with more in development. Because of the software being open source, you can change and improve it and share it with other children.
Some of the activities involve learning to tell the time, learning how to use the computer keyboard and mouse, and mathematics, including algebra. Children can learn about science topics such as locks, water cycle, and submarines. There's a activity where children place countries on a map or practice reading.
This application supports Windows, MacOS and Linux and features very colorful screens to make children even more interested. Another bonus is that it covers most topics children up to 10 should know or learn about. There are even several schools using it in the States, Europe and Africa.
There are currently over 80 activities with more in development. Because of the software being open source, you can change and improve it and share it with other children.
Some of the activities involve learning to tell the time, learning how to use the computer keyboard and mouse, and mathematics, including algebra. Children can learn about science topics such as locks, water cycle, and submarines. There's a activity where children place countries on a map or practice reading.
This application supports Windows, MacOS and Linux and features very colorful screens to make children even more interested. Another bonus is that it covers most topics children up to 10 should know or learn about. There are even several schools using it in the States, Europe and Africa.
Labels: education, linux, Mac, OSS, windows
21 August 2006
More educational software
Continuing our search for free educational software for back to school. Sofofotex has just that type of site.
In the Education section on the site you can download many pages worth of software, the most popular of which include language translators and dictionaries, vocabulary trainers, typing practice, a periodic table application and drawing programs.
The site is not entirely education focused with many different topics of software to download including antivirus, business and internet applications, utilities, multimedia applications and any other type of software you can think of.
Be careful though some of the software is shareware and does have a registration fee. When you're browsing the site it does say which is free and which is shareware with a license so it is easy to tell which is which.
In the Education section on the site you can download many pages worth of software, the most popular of which include language translators and dictionaries, vocabulary trainers, typing practice, a periodic table application and drawing programs.
The site is not entirely education focused with many different topics of software to download including antivirus, business and internet applications, utilities, multimedia applications and any other type of software you can think of.
Be careful though some of the software is shareware and does have a registration fee. When you're browsing the site it does say which is free and which is shareware with a license so it is easy to tell which is which.
Labels: education, internet, safety, security
Three useful sites for parents and children
Again for children and parents, Kaboose is a website with a goal of bringing parents and children together with fun and educational things to do both online and off. The question they want to answer is "What do I want to do with my family today?"
Kaboose itself is for parents and teachers providing resources, information and activities for children aged 3 to 11. There are more than 10000 pages related to parenting and educations and thousands of ideas and tips to involve the whole family in a child's learning on the Internet. Also included are ideas for easy to prepare dinners and personal care ideas for mothers/women. It is a all-encompassing site that is definately worth the visit.
Baby Zone focuses on pregnancy and parenting, bringing information and advice from doctors, child development specialists, writers and other parents to you. Of course you can also comment and give your advice to other parents making it an all-around parenting forum.
Fun School provides online games, activities, puzzles, and printable activities as well for children from preschool to sixth grade. These activities include matching shapes and numbers and geography, math and history activities for older children. The activities are categorized by grade level so it's easy for children and parents to find a suitable activity. The categorization actually involves having one page for older children and another for only preschoolers with general categories across the top with pictures and names that children will not directly associate with school and subjects there.
Kaboose itself is for parents and teachers providing resources, information and activities for children aged 3 to 11. There are more than 10000 pages related to parenting and educations and thousands of ideas and tips to involve the whole family in a child's learning on the Internet. Also included are ideas for easy to prepare dinners and personal care ideas for mothers/women. It is a all-encompassing site that is definately worth the visit.
Baby Zone focuses on pregnancy and parenting, bringing information and advice from doctors, child development specialists, writers and other parents to you. Of course you can also comment and give your advice to other parents making it an all-around parenting forum.
Fun School provides online games, activities, puzzles, and printable activities as well for children from preschool to sixth grade. These activities include matching shapes and numbers and geography, math and history activities for older children. The activities are categorized by grade level so it's easy for children and parents to find a suitable activity. The categorization actually involves having one page for older children and another for only preschoolers with general categories across the top with pictures and names that children will not directly associate with school and subjects there.
Labels: education, family, internet, safety
20 August 2006
Linus talks about Linux and Open Source
Red Herring has asked Linus Torvalds some questions about linux and the open source community and his opinions on its directions and the effects of it.
Read the story for information.
Read the story for information.
Labels: Linus, linux, os, OSS, Torvalds
Language Translation in your IM client
There is a new program to help you communicate with people who speak other languages than yourself. BigHal allows for live translation between over 60 language combinations inside of a instant messaging program for under $10.
This is a great tool for being able to communicate with people from anywhere in the world, although I think most speak English at least to some level currently, but for people who don't or who often talk with people who don't speak their language this could be very useful. People do have to remember though that just because a program can translate your words for you, you still should know something about the culture of the people you're talking with in order to not offend anyone.
This is a great tool for being able to communicate with people from anywhere in the world, although I think most speak English at least to some level currently, but for people who don't or who often talk with people who don't speak their language this could be very useful. People do have to remember though that just because a program can translate your words for you, you still should know something about the culture of the people you're talking with in order to not offend anyone.
Labels: IM, internet, translate
Educational software for children without breaking the bank
With schools starting soon, I'm trying to focus on free applications to help children learn.
First off KDE and the Linux community are working hard to provide ways for children to learn. KDE Edutainment has many different applications designed for learning. One section is devoted to languages with games like hangman and anagrams to the ability to create flashcards to help you study vocabulary and even programs to help study Latin, Spanish and Japanese.
Of course mathematics is also focused on with the ability to graph equations and work with geometry, fractions and percents.
Along with mathematics of course is science with programs related to astronomy and chemistry.
For younger children there is a Simon Says type game. There is also an application to practice touch typing, geography, and the LOGO programming language to help teach programming and logic.
For those without Linux there is Owl & Mouse Educational Software. Among the software they provide are programs to help children learn to read. These include software for phonics, games to learn the alphabet. Also there is a geography section to study countries of the world.
While learning to read children can play an adventure game. Children with this particular program can learn about 105 of the most common words and have to read sentences of up to 12 words. That being said they also progress at their own pace and can go back to previous parts whenever they like.
Other pieces of software here include making a farm or a village, print maps that can be colored or put together in a puzzle format, learn about coats of arms, build a castle, learn how letters sound and learn about medieval life.
Their software is either online-based or free with some currently costing a little but becoming free in the future.
First off KDE and the Linux community are working hard to provide ways for children to learn. KDE Edutainment has many different applications designed for learning. One section is devoted to languages with games like hangman and anagrams to the ability to create flashcards to help you study vocabulary and even programs to help study Latin, Spanish and Japanese.
Of course mathematics is also focused on with the ability to graph equations and work with geometry, fractions and percents.
Along with mathematics of course is science with programs related to astronomy and chemistry.
For younger children there is a Simon Says type game. There is also an application to practice touch typing, geography, and the LOGO programming language to help teach programming and logic.
For those without Linux there is Owl & Mouse Educational Software. Among the software they provide are programs to help children learn to read. These include software for phonics, games to learn the alphabet. Also there is a geography section to study countries of the world.
While learning to read children can play an adventure game. Children with this particular program can learn about 105 of the most common words and have to read sentences of up to 12 words. That being said they also progress at their own pace and can go back to previous parts whenever they like.
Other pieces of software here include making a farm or a village, print maps that can be colored or put together in a puzzle format, learn about coats of arms, build a castle, learn how letters sound and learn about medieval life.
Their software is either online-based or free with some currently costing a little but becoming free in the future.
Is your computer a statistic too?
Microsoft's researched how often their Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool has scanned and found malicious software. Their findings suggest that about one in every 311 scans finds something and that 5.7 million machines out of 270 million have been cleaned by this program, which translates to about 1 in 47 computers. This is all during a time when there has been no widespread attacks and most attacks are more targeted.
On a brighter note there has been a drop in the number of viruses and worms over the last 15 months. Hopefully this translates to people getting less viruses and not to rootkits becoming better at hiding.
Also worthy of noting, hacker produced code has only been removed 10000 times while most of it was from other sources. For example the famous Sony BMG rootkit was removed 420000 times on 250000 computers.
On a brighter note there has been a drop in the number of viruses and worms over the last 15 months. Hopefully this translates to people getting less viruses and not to rootkits becoming better at hiding.
Also worthy of noting, hacker produced code has only been removed 10000 times while most of it was from other sources. For example the famous Sony BMG rootkit was removed 420000 times on 250000 computers.
Labels: adware, microsoft, spyware, windows
More Blu-Ray writers coming out
Companies are beginning to release Blu-ray writers. LG is the latest to release their Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter.
The capacity of these discs currently is up to 50 GB. This may sound like a lot of storage space and more than you would need, but think of backing up a hard drive, many of which are now 60 GB to 80 GB. Also the quality of sound and video can be a lot higher when you have more space to put them on. Think about the camcorders with the possibility of writing to such discs similar to the ones now that will write to a DVD.
LG's drive is able to use all previous optical disc format including DVD, DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM. This allows any blank discs to be used in the drive. The drive is able to burn at 4x speed, while most are only recording at 2x.
The capacity of these discs currently is up to 50 GB. This may sound like a lot of storage space and more than you would need, but think of backing up a hard drive, many of which are now 60 GB to 80 GB. Also the quality of sound and video can be a lot higher when you have more space to put them on. Think about the camcorders with the possibility of writing to such discs similar to the ones now that will write to a DVD.
LG's drive is able to use all previous optical disc format including DVD, DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM. This allows any blank discs to be used in the drive. The drive is able to burn at 4x speed, while most are only recording at 2x.
Labels: blue-ray
HP's new innovation in digital photography
Interested in digital photography? Hp has released over 100 products for the home or home office, many of which involve photography.
One very amazing product is a portable photo printer that will print 4x6 and 5x7 photos with the ability to store 4GB worth of photos in its internal memory. This printer includes an handle and optional battery so you can take it with you whereever you go. This is made possible with the HP Photosmart A716 Photo Printer. Similar but with even more features and even more amazing is the HP Photosmart A436 Portable Photo Studio Printer and Camera. This not only allows you to take pictures with its built in Photosmart M627 Digital Camera, but it also allows you to edit and print them.
Of course there also is the release of a couple more Photosmart printers including one All-in-One that can be expected in September. Also included in the new products is two 7.2 megapixel digital cameras - HP Photosmart R967 and R827.
To find out more about these products and others go here.
One very amazing product is a portable photo printer that will print 4x6 and 5x7 photos with the ability to store 4GB worth of photos in its internal memory. This printer includes an handle and optional battery so you can take it with you whereever you go. This is made possible with the HP Photosmart A716 Photo Printer. Similar but with even more features and even more amazing is the HP Photosmart A436 Portable Photo Studio Printer and Camera. This not only allows you to take pictures with its built in Photosmart M627 Digital Camera, but it also allows you to edit and print them.
Of course there also is the release of a couple more Photosmart printers including one All-in-One that can be expected in September. Also included in the new products is two 7.2 megapixel digital cameras - HP Photosmart R967 and R827.
To find out more about these products and others go here.
Labels: camera, HP, photography, printing
19 August 2006
Fake HSBC website asks for your deposits
There is a fraudulent website out claiming to be HSBC bank and asking people to deposit money into an account if they want a promotional deposit offer. This fake site is www.hkb-online.net. Thankfully this site has been removed last I checked.
If you have given any information to this site you should contact HSBC at 2 748 33 22 or the Commercial Crime Bureau at 2 860 50 12.
If you have given any information to this site you should contact HSBC at 2 748 33 22 or the Commercial Crime Bureau at 2 860 50 12.
Labels: internet, phishing, safety
Protect your computer from rootkits
With all the security risks nowadays, if you're worried that your computer may have a rootkit F-Secure Blacklight is one possible application to search for and eliminate them.
This software is able to detect and eliminate active rootkits which anti-virus usually cannot do. It also does not provide the user with a list of suspected objects so the non-technical person is able to use it without risking damaging anything. It also allows the user to still be using their computer while it is testing for rootkits without issuing any false positives.
This stand-alone application will only be available until 1 October 2006. After that you would have to purchase F-Secure Internet Security Suite.
F-Secure Internet Security Suite will cost you just under £39 and includes virus and spyware protection, a firewall and a spam filter. The virus protection is updated daily from AV-Test.org allowing for extremely fast protection from new viruses. It also can protect and prevent children from viewing certain Internet content and has the ability to prevent children from surfing the web for too long. Also this software can be set to allow only certain applications to access the Internet. This software supports all versions of Windows from 98 to XP except for server editions of Windows 2000.
This software is able to detect and eliminate active rootkits which anti-virus usually cannot do. It also does not provide the user with a list of suspected objects so the non-technical person is able to use it without risking damaging anything. It also allows the user to still be using their computer while it is testing for rootkits without issuing any false positives.
This stand-alone application will only be available until 1 October 2006. After that you would have to purchase F-Secure Internet Security Suite.
F-Secure Internet Security Suite will cost you just under £39 and includes virus and spyware protection, a firewall and a spam filter. The virus protection is updated daily from AV-Test.org allowing for extremely fast protection from new viruses. It also can protect and prevent children from viewing certain Internet content and has the ability to prevent children from surfing the web for too long. Also this software can be set to allow only certain applications to access the Internet. This software supports all versions of Windows from 98 to XP except for server editions of Windows 2000.
Labels: rootkit, security, trojan
Create 3-D models with Google's SketchUp
SketchUp released on June 21 from Google allows you to easily create 3-D models for use in either Google Earth or 3D Warehouse and of course you could also keep them for yourself and print the designs.
SketchUp allows you to select a shape then by dragging your mouse you can modify the shape, creating your desired 3-D shape. Color and texture can be applied within the program as well as real-time shadows that allow you to see exactly how light would fall on your model. To save time you can select from thousands of shapes that have been pre-drawn to add into your design.
Users can also take part in a weekly 3D Challenge. Each week a new challenge will be posted by SketchUp requiring people to use only SketchUp with other restrictions to create some object. The current one for this week involves creating a logo for the SketchUp Wiki (SuWiki).
There is also a professional version approved of for commercial use that will cost you $495 and includes more features.
SketchUp allows you to select a shape then by dragging your mouse you can modify the shape, creating your desired 3-D shape. Color and texture can be applied within the program as well as real-time shadows that allow you to see exactly how light would fall on your model. To save time you can select from thousands of shapes that have been pre-drawn to add into your design.
Users can also take part in a weekly 3D Challenge. Each week a new challenge will be posted by SketchUp requiring people to use only SketchUp with other restrictions to create some object. The current one for this week involves creating a logo for the SketchUp Wiki (SuWiki).
There is also a professional version approved of for commercial use that will cost you $495 and includes more features.
Labels: Google, images, sketch-up
Why you don't have to defragment Linux
There is a very good explanation on why Linux does not need defragmentation. It is straightforward and easy to understand and uses simple diagrams for anyone to understand even those with not so much computer knowledge.
You can find the information on:
OneAndOneIs2
You can find the information on:
OneAndOneIs218 August 2006
Copy a hard drive without spending a fortune for tools
Looking to backup or clone a hard drive without spending the money for programs such as Norton Ghost?
There are some free tools for doing such actions that are worth looking into. DriveImage XML is one such tool. It allows you to backup a hard disk while it is still in use eliminating the need to choose a time when you are sure that the drive is not being used or taking the drive offline while backing it up. It also allows for the drive to be restored without a reboot, speeding the process considerably.
HD Clone is another tool with the only limitation being the transfer speed while copying data. It is also primarily for copying data from one hard drive to another of the same size or larger. It is very useful for people upgrading their hard drive and don't want to lose any of the data.
Ranish Partition Manager is a tool that works with Linux, Windows, FreeDOS and FreeBSD allowing people to create, copy, and resize the partitions on their hard drive. It works from a command line interface and a simulation mode that allows users to experiment before they actually change their drive's partition tables.
There are some free tools for doing such actions that are worth looking into. DriveImage XML is one such tool. It allows you to backup a hard disk while it is still in use eliminating the need to choose a time when you are sure that the drive is not being used or taking the drive offline while backing it up. It also allows for the drive to be restored without a reboot, speeding the process considerably.
HD Clone is another tool with the only limitation being the transfer speed while copying data. It is also primarily for copying data from one hard drive to another of the same size or larger. It is very useful for people upgrading their hard drive and don't want to lose any of the data.
Ranish Partition Manager is a tool that works with Linux, Windows, FreeDOS and FreeBSD allowing people to create, copy, and resize the partitions on their hard drive. It works from a command line interface and a simulation mode that allows users to experiment before they actually change their drive's partition tables.
Labels: backup, harddrive, restore
Easy and cheap security for your computer.
For those looking to make their PC safe without spending a fortune, Information Week has just written a guide providing 10 ways to protect you computer.
The first and of course most obvious is to install an anti-virus and anti-spyware program. Of course you can pay for it, or you can get both of these applications free of charge. Their recommendations include AVG Anti-Virus and Avast 4 anti-virus programs. Personally I would add Avira AntiVir to that list as well. It works with Windows and Linux and virus definitions are updated several times a day. Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Microsoft's Windows Defender are their choices for anti-spyware software. The first two are fairly good although I don't know much about Windows Defender.
Their next piece of advice includes testing your security. Their first choice I consider a very good choice having looked at a few. The advise going to Shields Up which will analyse you computer for multiple vulnerabilities and give you advice on how to solve the problems.
Their third tip goes into securing your wireless network by disabling SSID broadcast, filtering MAC addresses and changing your network name from the default. Which is very easy with most wireless devices, although they advise using Network Magic to make it even easier.
Next and probably as important as anti-virus in modern computing install a firewall. They advise using a free firewall including the one that is a part of Windows itself and Zone Alarm. While these are helpful and I especially like Zone Alarm (yes I know many will disagree with me, but it's the simplest to get working that I have seen), I would actually go out and spend the little bit of money for an actual NAT router with a firewall included. It protects you from anything unwanted actually making it to your computer so long as you configure it correctly.
Fifthly they advise encrypting any data that you don't want others reading. Their choice of progams is Cryptainer LE. It seems very easy and useful for most users. If you are looking for an ability to encrypt and decrypt data for sending or just storing on your system and aren't afraid of a command line interface, I'd advise GnuPG which allows you to create public and private keys and import other people's keys as well as sign your data.
The sixth point is protecting yourself from phishing. Their choice is the Google Toolbar or Netcraft Toolbar which will warn you if a site is being used for phishing.
The next point is to disable file sharing. When you do have to share files within your network never share an entire drive. Share only the folder that you actually need others to see.
Point number eight involves surfing the web anonymously. Their choice here is using the website The Cloak to surf through or to find an anonymous proxy server to connect through. The easier and one to think about the least is using a proxy server. It takes a minute or two to set up, but from there you don't have to worry about it unless the server stops working.
Also opt-out of cookies that track your surfing habits. There is a list provided in their article of places that allow you to place a cookie on your system that tells their cookie not to install and not to trace your habits.
Their last point is to protect yourself from scams on eBay. These scams involve someone buying something and then ask you to ship it overseas to someone else. They say that they will pay after you ship it or they will send you a fake confirmation of payment.
The first and of course most obvious is to install an anti-virus and anti-spyware program. Of course you can pay for it, or you can get both of these applications free of charge. Their recommendations include AVG Anti-Virus and Avast 4 anti-virus programs. Personally I would add Avira AntiVir to that list as well. It works with Windows and Linux and virus definitions are updated several times a day. Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Microsoft's Windows Defender are their choices for anti-spyware software. The first two are fairly good although I don't know much about Windows Defender.
Their next piece of advice includes testing your security. Their first choice I consider a very good choice having looked at a few. The advise going to Shields Up which will analyse you computer for multiple vulnerabilities and give you advice on how to solve the problems.
Their third tip goes into securing your wireless network by disabling SSID broadcast, filtering MAC addresses and changing your network name from the default. Which is very easy with most wireless devices, although they advise using Network Magic to make it even easier.
Next and probably as important as anti-virus in modern computing install a firewall. They advise using a free firewall including the one that is a part of Windows itself and Zone Alarm. While these are helpful and I especially like Zone Alarm (yes I know many will disagree with me, but it's the simplest to get working that I have seen), I would actually go out and spend the little bit of money for an actual NAT router with a firewall included. It protects you from anything unwanted actually making it to your computer so long as you configure it correctly.
Fifthly they advise encrypting any data that you don't want others reading. Their choice of progams is Cryptainer LE. It seems very easy and useful for most users. If you are looking for an ability to encrypt and decrypt data for sending or just storing on your system and aren't afraid of a command line interface, I'd advise GnuPG which allows you to create public and private keys and import other people's keys as well as sign your data.
The sixth point is protecting yourself from phishing. Their choice is the Google Toolbar or Netcraft Toolbar which will warn you if a site is being used for phishing.
The next point is to disable file sharing. When you do have to share files within your network never share an entire drive. Share only the folder that you actually need others to see.
Point number eight involves surfing the web anonymously. Their choice here is using the website The Cloak to surf through or to find an anonymous proxy server to connect through. The easier and one to think about the least is using a proxy server. It takes a minute or two to set up, but from there you don't have to worry about it unless the server stops working.
Also opt-out of cookies that track your surfing habits. There is a list provided in their article of places that allow you to place a cookie on your system that tells their cookie not to install and not to trace your habits.
Their last point is to protect yourself from scams on eBay. These scams involve someone buying something and then ask you to ship it overseas to someone else. They say that they will pay after you ship it or they will send you a fake confirmation of payment.
Don't be so quick to say goodbye to Windows Updates
Vista is said to be the most secure version of Windows yet, but then if that is the case why does it already have two critical errors that require no action from a user for an attacker to take control of the system. Both of these vulnerabilities have been patched in the updates MS06-042 (related to a hole in Internet Explorer) and MS06-051 (related to a hole in the Vista kernel). On the bright side the MS06-040 release does not affect Vista.
Those testing Vista Beta should know that Microsoft does not post information about beta products on its security bulletins so it may be advisable to go to the following site to see which patches are released.
With this many bugs and vulnerabilities coming out so soon in the life of the OS, it does make one question the future security of Vista especially when some of the patches released recently for previous versions of Windows also apply to Vista.
Microsoft states that the beta version of Vista will no longer be supported when RC1 is released and the pre-release will not be supported when Vista is finally released.
For more information and other windows information go to the Windows Blog.
Those testing Vista Beta should know that Microsoft does not post information about beta products on its security bulletins so it may be advisable to go to the following site to see which patches are released.
With this many bugs and vulnerabilities coming out so soon in the life of the OS, it does make one question the future security of Vista especially when some of the patches released recently for previous versions of Windows also apply to Vista.
Microsoft states that the beta version of Vista will no longer be supported when RC1 is released and the pre-release will not be supported when Vista is finally released.
For more information and other windows information go to the Windows Blog.
Labels: microsoft, update, vista, vulnerability, windows
17 August 2006
New Windows Worm for today
A worm was just found today that spreads through Instant Messaging programs on Windows. W32/Braban-B may send messages to other people in your messaging list and infect them as well.
The best solution for this is the obvious one to of course keep your anti-virus programs updated and keep them monitoring your system.
The best solution for this is the obvious one to of course keep your anti-virus programs updated and keep them monitoring your system.
Labels: IM, microsoft, vulnerability, windows
More security for the home or small office.
For those who want a little more security at their home or small office, D-Link has a product that includes network protection, a firewall, an anti-virus solution, protection from spyware, identity protection, a pop-up blocker, a SPAM blocker, and parental controls in one device that is smaller than most DSL or cable modems. There are different profiles for different users and each profile can have limits set on the times when it can connect to the internet. Certain websites can be blocked as well to prevent people from viewing unwanted sites.
The Securespot Internet Security Adapter from D-Link connects between your modem and router and works with computers running Windows XP or 2000 or Mac OS X with Internet Explorer or Firefox.
All administration is done through web-based forms and the device is updated automatically as soon as new definition files are available to provide the most protection.
You will need to enter some billing information into the system as some of the features do have a cost. The device itself costs about $100 and includes a one-year license for up to 4 computers. The following years the users must pay $79.99/yr. for the license for the first 4 computers and $19.99 for each additional license. Not so expensive when you consider the cost of Norton or other security systems which are about the same or even a little more for each year's use. Also this device does more than just general security which would involve paying even more for similar features.
The Securespot Internet Security Adapter from D-Link connects between your modem and router and works with computers running Windows XP or 2000 or Mac OS X with Internet Explorer or Firefox.
All administration is done through web-based forms and the device is updated automatically as soon as new definition files are available to provide the most protection.
You will need to enter some billing information into the system as some of the features do have a cost. The device itself costs about $100 and includes a one-year license for up to 4 computers. The following years the users must pay $79.99/yr. for the license for the first 4 computers and $19.99 for each additional license. Not so expensive when you consider the cost of Norton or other security systems which are about the same or even a little more for each year's use. Also this device does more than just general security which would involve paying even more for similar features.
Labels: adware, antivirus, firewall, internet, safety, security, spam, spyware
Great research tool from Google
Google has a very useful product in its labs that all students and people who have to research anything should know about. Google Notebook is an extention for Internet Explorer and Firefox (Windows and Linux) that allows people to take clips of pages and store them in one location that is accessable from any computer.
Simply by right clicking a section of text or an image a user can tell the software to remember that section. The source of the information will be displayed just below or at the end of the section. Later on the main page of your notebook you can view all of your notebooks and organize the articles within them just by dragging and dropping the information. There is a section to search your notebooks or to search for information in other people's notebooks and you can even publish your notebook page for others to view. This would be especially useful for people working together on a research project. They could share information without actually having to bring the information to one physical place. There is also the ability to add headings to sections of clips and of course to rename and delete your notebook.
With the extention users can open and close the notebook just by clicking a little icon on the status bar of their browser for the easiest accessability available. Also for all of us running Opera or Safari will have to wait for the extention as it is not currently available, but may be in the future.
I strongly encourage students to look into this. It seems to be one of the best options for storing information while doing online research. Also people working in offices and businesspeople should look into it as it should be very useful in storing information related to researching venues for meetings and conventions or any other daily business activity involving bringing information together. This product I will decrease the time required to gather any type if information and present it.
Simply by right clicking a section of text or an image a user can tell the software to remember that section. The source of the information will be displayed just below or at the end of the section. Later on the main page of your notebook you can view all of your notebooks and organize the articles within them just by dragging and dropping the information. There is a section to search your notebooks or to search for information in other people's notebooks and you can even publish your notebook page for others to view. This would be especially useful for people working together on a research project. They could share information without actually having to bring the information to one physical place. There is also the ability to add headings to sections of clips and of course to rename and delete your notebook.
With the extention users can open and close the notebook just by clicking a little icon on the status bar of their browser for the easiest accessability available. Also for all of us running Opera or Safari will have to wait for the extention as it is not currently available, but may be in the future.
I strongly encourage students to look into this. It seems to be one of the best options for storing information while doing online research. Also people working in offices and businesspeople should look into it as it should be very useful in storing information related to researching venues for meetings and conventions or any other daily business activity involving bringing information together. This product I will decrease the time required to gather any type if information and present it.
Labels: education, firefox, Google, IE, internet
16 August 2006
Lawyer suing Take-Two over their new game Bully
I'm not one to show much interest in computer games, but the actions of one Mr. Jack Thompson, a lawyer from Florida, merrit comment.
Of course the game that Jack has decided to attack is Bully from Rockstar Games. While Rockstar has a tendency of producing rather violent games (the GTA series), this one seems completely different. The trailer and screenshots show a rather comical environment that portrays a student in standard school situations involving being bullied. There is no blood involved and no killing just normal boyish pranks and fights that many of us have been involved in to some degree or another.
Jack seems to be under the demented impression that there is some huge conspiracy created by Rockstar Games and the screenshots and trailers show shots that are intentionally less violent than the game will be. He is demanding a pre-release copy of the game to review it and if he deems it inappropriate then to try to prevent it from being released. He is under the idea that the game poses a risk of copycat violence in schools and has been quoted referring to the game as a way to rehearse Columbine type events in schools.
Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games have so far completely ignored him so he has filed a suit in Florida Circuit court under Florida's nuisance law. In the complaint Jack has claimed that Take-Two has directed harassment against him, citing a call he received from Oregon that included death and sexual threats.
I guess Jack can't understand that his stupidity is being displayed on computer related sites around the world and that maybe someone would actually take it into his or her own accord to call him to express their opinion of him.
Jack's complaint can be viewed here.
The trailer and screenshots from Bully can be seen here.
Of course the game that Jack has decided to attack is Bully from Rockstar Games. While Rockstar has a tendency of producing rather violent games (the GTA series), this one seems completely different. The trailer and screenshots show a rather comical environment that portrays a student in standard school situations involving being bullied. There is no blood involved and no killing just normal boyish pranks and fights that many of us have been involved in to some degree or another.
Jack seems to be under the demented impression that there is some huge conspiracy created by Rockstar Games and the screenshots and trailers show shots that are intentionally less violent than the game will be. He is demanding a pre-release copy of the game to review it and if he deems it inappropriate then to try to prevent it from being released. He is under the idea that the game poses a risk of copycat violence in schools and has been quoted referring to the game as a way to rehearse Columbine type events in schools.
Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games have so far completely ignored him so he has filed a suit in Florida Circuit court under Florida's nuisance law. In the complaint Jack has claimed that Take-Two has directed harassment against him, citing a call he received from Oregon that included death and sexual threats.
I guess Jack can't understand that his stupidity is being displayed on computer related sites around the world and that maybe someone would actually take it into his or her own accord to call him to express their opinion of him.
Jack's complaint can be viewed here.
The trailer and screenshots from Bully can be seen here.
Easy home encryption
For those interested in privacy and security of their data there is an open source application that is included in most Linux distributions and is as well available for Windows and MacOs users.
Gnu Privacy Guard (GnuPG) is command line only although there is a GUI available for Windows. It completely implements PGP (pretty good privacy) and the algorithms used are completely unpatented. GnuPG will decrypt and verify PGP 5, 6, and 7. Also other algorithms can be easily implemented using modules.
This application allows for the creation of private and public keys and the import of public keys to enable a file to be encrypted for a specific person.
The different types of keys that are available are DSA and ElGamal, DSA, and ElGamal, the first of which is default. The size of the key can be anything above 768 bits and is recommended to be no more than 1048 bits. While larger keys are of course more secure, they also take longer to encrypt and decrypt.
Those interested in learning more about this application can go to the GnuPG website.
Gnu Privacy Guard (GnuPG) is command line only although there is a GUI available for Windows. It completely implements PGP (pretty good privacy) and the algorithms used are completely unpatented. GnuPG will decrypt and verify PGP 5, 6, and 7. Also other algorithms can be easily implemented using modules.
This application allows for the creation of private and public keys and the import of public keys to enable a file to be encrypted for a specific person.
The different types of keys that are available are DSA and ElGamal, DSA, and ElGamal, the first of which is default. The size of the key can be anything above 768 bits and is recommended to be no more than 1048 bits. While larger keys are of course more secure, they also take longer to encrypt and decrypt.
Those interested in learning more about this application can go to the GnuPG website.
Labels: encryption, GNU, linux, Mac, OSS, windows
Crashes come with newest Microsoft patch.
The latest patch (MS06-042) released by Microsoft can cause IE to crash on some web sites. The web sites that cause this problem according to Microsoft use version 1.1 of HTTP and compression. Other problems that customers have reported include crashes when using PeopleSoft for administration systems and Microsoft CRM tools among other applications.
Microsoft has a temporary fix for this issue, but the only way to get it is to call Microsoft support. For those who can wait, another patch to fix this problem is expected on August 22.
Microsoft has a temporary fix for this issue, but the only way to get it is to call Microsoft support. For those who can wait, another patch to fix this problem is expected on August 22.
Labels: IE, microsoft, patch, update, windows
IBM, Transitive increase Linux software options
IBM and Transitive are working together with a software program called QuickTransit. This software translates software designed for one computer to run on another. IBM's goal is to port Linux software used on x86 servers to IBM's Power-based servers. The software will ship as a test version sometime in the first quarter of 2007 with earlier test versions showing up in the last quarter or this year.
While Transitive will do all of the development on the software, IBM will handle the distribution, shipping it as a standard application on certain Power-based servers made by IBM.
Intel is also working with Transitive to let people port software from RISC chips to x86 chips.
Apple has built their Rosetta technology on this tool to allow older Mac software to run on their new Intel-based processors. Silicon Graphics as well uses it to help the migration process from older MIPS processors to Intel Itanium.
This software translates the software as it is loaded and run. To improve the speed some common instructions are stored in memory to prevent having to translate them every time they are needed. Of course working this way is not as fast as running it in the native environment. The most important aspect is still that it allows the software to actually run. So long as it isn't too slow, which seems that it's not as it is used in so many different situations even now.
With the combination of this and Wine, Linux should be able to run most any software. There goes the issue of people complaining that there isn't any software for Linux.
While Transitive will do all of the development on the software, IBM will handle the distribution, shipping it as a standard application on certain Power-based servers made by IBM.
Intel is also working with Transitive to let people port software from RISC chips to x86 chips.
Apple has built their Rosetta technology on this tool to allow older Mac software to run on their new Intel-based processors. Silicon Graphics as well uses it to help the migration process from older MIPS processors to Intel Itanium.
This software translates the software as it is loaded and run. To improve the speed some common instructions are stored in memory to prevent having to translate them every time they are needed. Of course working this way is not as fast as running it in the native environment. The most important aspect is still that it allows the software to actually run. So long as it isn't too slow, which seems that it's not as it is used in so many different situations even now.
With the combination of this and Wine, Linux should be able to run most any software. There goes the issue of people complaining that there isn't any software for Linux.
FDIC isn't going to email you for your bank information
If you receive an email from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation don't believe it.
There is a new scam to get your bank and other information by instructing you to file for the FDIC protection system. The email that you would receive also says that your bank sent them an application to secure your account.
Think about the situation for a moment, would the FDIC actually email you or would they send a formal letter? Secondly, if your bank sent the application why does the FDIC need you to complete another form? Lastly, as I recall banks in the US all are insured by the FDIC, if they weren't you probably would have chosen a different bank.
There is a new scam to get your bank and other information by instructing you to file for the FDIC protection system. The email that you would receive also says that your bank sent them an application to secure your account.
Think about the situation for a moment, would the FDIC actually email you or would they send a formal letter? Secondly, if your bank sent the application why does the FDIC need you to complete another form? Lastly, as I recall banks in the US all are insured by the FDIC, if they weren't you probably would have chosen a different bank.
Labels: email, phishing, scam, spam
15 August 2006
Two Companies Sued for Spamming
Two companies are being sued by Michigan for luring children to gamble and purchase alcoholic drinks with spam. In Michigan companies are required to ensure that any products that children cannot buy or do legally are not advertised in emails to children.
RR Media and Data Stream Group both face up to $10,000 in fines and possibly other charges if found guilty.
The charges were brought up after an investigation involving complaints of inappropriate emails for alcohol and gambling being sent to address registered as belonging to children.
Parents living in Michigan can go to the Protect MI Child website where they can register their children's email address, instant message address and fax number or file complaints relating to the Michigan Child Protection Registry Act.
Let's hope more people start fighting against spam using whatever means available even if it's only sending messages to ISPs.
RR Media and Data Stream Group both face up to $10,000 in fines and possibly other charges if found guilty.
The charges were brought up after an investigation involving complaints of inappropriate emails for alcohol and gambling being sent to address registered as belonging to children.
Parents living in Michigan can go to the Protect MI Child website where they can register their children's email address, instant message address and fax number or file complaints relating to the Michigan Child Protection Registry Act.
Let's hope more people start fighting against spam using whatever means available even if it's only sending messages to ISPs.
The Linux laptop has come
Lenovo and Novell are teaming up to provide Thinkpad laptops with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10. This will be available on the Thinkpad T60p focusing on engineers and high-end users. A 14-inch and 15-inch display version are expected to be released with the 14-inch starting at $3099.
Lenovo will also provide Linux support for these computers in a complete solution for users. This will help make the switch between a Windows environment to Linux a lot easier.
Expect the official announcement from Lenovo at Linuxworld today and the computers should start shipping soon after that.
Lenovo will also provide Linux support for these computers in a complete solution for users. This will help make the switch between a Windows environment to Linux a lot easier.
Expect the official announcement from Lenovo at Linuxworld today and the computers should start shipping soon after that.
Labels: laptops, linux, os, suse
1 Terrabyte hard drives expected this year
Later this year the 1 TB (terabyte) hard drive will probably be a reality.
I would ask what a person would need that much storage space for, but not that long ago I was thinking I would have difficulty in filling a 10 GB hard drive. That was full in less than two years. Currently with the creation of High Definition video, we have one way of filling such a drive.
Retail prices for hard drives are about 50 cents per GB of storage space so a TB drive should debut at around $500 unless the technology becomes cheaper to make.
This year is also marking the 50th birthday of the hard drive on September 13. In 50 years the hard drives have gone from a 24 inch wide monster weighing in at a ton to something that will fit in your hand and holds several GB's
I would ask what a person would need that much storage space for, but not that long ago I was thinking I would have difficulty in filling a 10 GB hard drive. That was full in less than two years. Currently with the creation of High Definition video, we have one way of filling such a drive.
Retail prices for hard drives are about 50 cents per GB of storage space so a TB drive should debut at around $500 unless the technology becomes cheaper to make.
This year is also marking the 50th birthday of the hard drive on September 13. In 50 years the hard drives have gone from a 24 inch wide monster weighing in at a ton to something that will fit in your hand and holds several GB's
Labels: harddrive
14 August 2006
Anticipated worm released. Now how much damage will it do?
Well it seems the worm that everyone has been talking about has been released. Let's just hope that it doesn't do so widespread damage as predicted.
Cuebot-L and Cuebot-M worms were discovered yesterday. These worms spread through chat programs and then through network shares on infected networks. Both of these live in the registry of Windows and allow outside computers to access the infected computers.
The good news is that if you have patched Windows after last Thursday there was a patch for the vulnerability this worm exploits, so those computers are safe.
Also most anti-virus programs are able to protect against it if they have been updated very recently. The problem is that not all anti-virus programs run constantly, which leaves the computer open to get the worm, but at least it should be able to be removed as well.
So the only thing to do is to wait and see if it affects many computers.
Cuebot-L and Cuebot-M worms were discovered yesterday. These worms spread through chat programs and then through network shares on infected networks. Both of these live in the registry of Windows and allow outside computers to access the infected computers.
The good news is that if you have patched Windows after last Thursday there was a patch for the vulnerability this worm exploits, so those computers are safe.
Also most anti-virus programs are able to protect against it if they have been updated very recently. The problem is that not all anti-virus programs run constantly, which leaves the computer open to get the worm, but at least it should be able to be removed as well.
So the only thing to do is to wait and see if it affects many computers.
Labels: antivirus, microsoft, os, vulnerability, windows, worm
Spam for your computer, mobile phone, and dinner
Spam is not only for your email anymore. Spammers have begun sending spam through text messages/SMS. With many mobile-phone users in the States being required to pay for messages received it can become costly.
Verizon Wireless says they are blocking about 50000 spam messages a day, while one California resident told Cingular to block all of his text messages because of spam.
For more information on the issue see this article.
Verizon Wireless says they are blocking about 50000 spam messages a day, while one California resident told Cingular to block all of his text messages because of spam.
For more information on the issue see this article.
OpenOffice too has its flaws, just lacks attackers
Researchers in France have tested the security of OpenOffice.org with not so good results. The risk of viruses for people using OpenOffice is as high as or higher than the risk of those using MS Office.
OpenOffice isn't nearly as popular as MS Office so most people don't focus on it to create viruses, making it safe while still having holes in its security. OpenOffice simply hasn't had people trying to break the security so the programmers working on the suite haven't noticed any errors.
The problems come from inadequate security checks and its extreme flexibility.
There is a bright side though, one of the flaws discovered has already been fixed and OpenOffice.org is working on other theoretical flaws that were discovered by the researchers.
OpenOffice isn't nearly as popular as MS Office so most people don't focus on it to create viruses, making it safe while still having holes in its security. OpenOffice simply hasn't had people trying to break the security so the programmers working on the suite haven't noticed any errors.
The problems come from inadequate security checks and its extreme flexibility.
There is a bright side though, one of the flaws discovered has already been fixed and OpenOffice.org is working on other theoretical flaws that were discovered by the researchers.
Labels: openoffice, OSS, vulnerability
13 August 2006
Technology investment for children's education
Perfectly timed before the start of school, the editor of Children's Technology Review, Warren Buckleitner has provided his opinions on technology products designed to help children learn. These products are for children down to three years old.
For about $60, parents can purchase something similar to a Gameboy that teaches letters, phonics, spelling, numbers, math, etc. Another device that connects to a television provides similar learning practice for the same price. Even better though there are some services that are free via the Internet. Some notable websites include Toledo Public Schools (about 100 "learning resources") and Ohio Department of Education. Test Prep Review is for students preparing for the SAT and other tests. For about $70 parents can purchase Inspiration, which is a brainstorming application that can help with writing and organizing your thoughts. A program I would personally recommend though is Freemind which is a very good Open Source application that I have used myself. And don't forget to include Google and Wikipedia in your choices of learning materials. Wikipedia sometimes needs to be used with some judgment as not everything there is as useful as it should be, but for the most part it is very useful and accurate.
I personally believe very much in the power of technology for learning and have used a computer myself when I was young to learn. The main point is for parents to limit what the children do on the computer. I don't mean limit their access to things but make sure they are using it for learning more than for playing. Games are fine so long as there is some educational value in them. Also don't try to save money on the educational products. I don't say buy the must expensive, but buy something you can afford that will last for several years and will provide your child with good quality material. While I like the idea of the $60 and $70 products that Warren mentions I would encourage parents of children about 5 and above to save a bit and purchase an actual computer for the child. If you focus it only on education and not gaming the computer should be able to last the child five to eight or more years and still be ok for the child to use for school projects. There is an investment that has real value if you can keep it through a child's entire primary school time. There are very few other products that you can buy children that are so long lasting.
For about $60, parents can purchase something similar to a Gameboy that teaches letters, phonics, spelling, numbers, math, etc. Another device that connects to a television provides similar learning practice for the same price. Even better though there are some services that are free via the Internet. Some notable websites include Toledo Public Schools (about 100 "learning resources") and Ohio Department of Education. Test Prep Review is for students preparing for the SAT and other tests. For about $70 parents can purchase Inspiration, which is a brainstorming application that can help with writing and organizing your thoughts. A program I would personally recommend though is Freemind which is a very good Open Source application that I have used myself. And don't forget to include Google and Wikipedia in your choices of learning materials. Wikipedia sometimes needs to be used with some judgment as not everything there is as useful as it should be, but for the most part it is very useful and accurate.
I personally believe very much in the power of technology for learning and have used a computer myself when I was young to learn. The main point is for parents to limit what the children do on the computer. I don't mean limit their access to things but make sure they are using it for learning more than for playing. Games are fine so long as there is some educational value in them. Also don't try to save money on the educational products. I don't say buy the must expensive, but buy something you can afford that will last for several years and will provide your child with good quality material. While I like the idea of the $60 and $70 products that Warren mentions I would encourage parents of children about 5 and above to save a bit and purchase an actual computer for the child. If you focus it only on education and not gaming the computer should be able to last the child five to eight or more years and still be ok for the child to use for school projects. There is an investment that has real value if you can keep it through a child's entire primary school time. There are very few other products that you can buy children that are so long lasting.
Labels: education, internet, OSS
Widespread Windows worm expected
There is huge risk right now of a worm attack against all Windows computers that requires no action by the user of the computer, so cautious computer users are still at risk. It was recently patched by Microsoft, but any computer that didn't receive the patch is at risk.
nCircle warns that the worm could be on the scale of MSBlaster a few years ago and could come in two weeks or two hours. A worm which exploits this vulnerability most probably will be widespread,spreading very quickly and causing many networks to go down for some time.
For the full story read nCircle's press release.
If you don't know if you're protected eEye Digital Security has a application to test for the vulnerability.
nCircle warns that the worm could be on the scale of MSBlaster a few years ago and could come in two weeks or two hours. A worm which exploits this vulnerability most probably will be widespread,spreading very quickly and causing many networks to go down for some time.
For the full story read nCircle's press release.
If you don't know if you're protected eEye Digital Security has a application to test for the vulnerability.
Labels: microsoft, vulnerability, windows, worm
12 August 2006
One computer that broke the network's back
Firefighters and paramedics in Clermont, Florida are responsible for the entire city's network shutting down. They are accused of using their city computers to view porn, gamble, and look at women on mySpace. One of these computers was the access point for a virus that shut down the city's network for days and deleted several files.
An investigation has begun into the inappropriate actions of the firemen and paramedics. What is interesting is that no investigation is being held as to how one computer with a virus could spread it to the entire city's network shutting it down. It seems a new system administrator should be the first thing that they look into, preferable one who knows what he's doing and how to actually secure a network to prevent such widescale damage.
An investigation has begun into the inappropriate actions of the firemen and paramedics. What is interesting is that no investigation is being held as to how one computer with a virus could spread it to the entire city's network shutting it down. It seems a new system administrator should be the first thing that they look into, preferable one who knows what he's doing and how to actually secure a network to prevent such widescale damage.
Labels: internet, networking
11 August 2006
RNDR Spam increase seen between 1600% and 4000%
Spam has been reported to be up by between 1600% and 4000% by CMS on a corporate level.
Spammers have changed their methods using RNDR (Reverse Non-Delivery Report).This method involves a spammer to send a spam to a fake account on their server and to address it from the actual intended recipient of the spam. Then when their server creates and sends the NDR it sends it to the victim. This bypasses most spam filters by making it seem that the message originated at the victim.
In the past email accounts would be harvested from the Internet and then used to send these spams, but currently there is a trend developing to create random strings to generate valid email addresses. The problem with this is that it can greatly overload an email server and can also be used as a DOS attack. This technique does successfully reach valid email accounts, but it creates a huge increase in email volume as well.
Aside from the extra messages and traffic, companies also run the risk of being blacklisted for generating spam that actually never really came from them.
Spammers have changed their methods using RNDR (Reverse Non-Delivery Report).This method involves a spammer to send a spam to a fake account on their server and to address it from the actual intended recipient of the spam. Then when their server creates and sends the NDR it sends it to the victim. This bypasses most spam filters by making it seem that the message originated at the victim.
In the past email accounts would be harvested from the Internet and then used to send these spams, but currently there is a trend developing to create random strings to generate valid email addresses. The problem with this is that it can greatly overload an email server and can also be used as a DOS attack. This technique does successfully reach valid email accounts, but it creates a huge increase in email volume as well.
Aside from the extra messages and traffic, companies also run the risk of being blacklisted for generating spam that actually never really came from them.
Comply with Chinese rules or give people no services?
People are so eager currently to say negative things about the Western IT companies such as Google and Yahoo providing services in China. Yes we know that these companies are working with the Chinese government to censor their search results. This is the law in that country. Anyone who has every lived or been in a foreign country knows that while in that country you have to follow the laws of that country even if the country you are from doesn't have them and you don't agree with them. If you cannot agree with the laws then you have to leave the country or risk punishment for not following them. This is no different with IT companies. The question is if the Chinese people are better off having no Google or Yahoo search engines or to have a censored form of them? Are Yahoo and Google doing the people of China a service still by providing them with something they otherwise wouldn't be able to have?
I of course do not support censoring data for anyone, but given the option of no service or a censored service when it comes to the Internet, which in today's world is one of the most useful and important tools available, I'd rather see the censored version allowing at least a little information for the people. Labels: Google, internet, yahoo
Semantec has more concerns over Vista's security.
In an attempt at increased security, Microsoft has blocked access to their kernel. While this could have an advantage if it wasn't for the fact that it has already been circumvented by malware, it has some very negative implications for security software solutions that rely on access to the kernel to function. This prevents any non-Microsoft security product from being effectively used in Vista, as Microsoft will not allow outside developers equal access to the kernel in order to choose the best security options or to improve the security of the platform.
In short, this is yet another reason why Vista is not as secure as Microsoft would have you believe.
In short, this is yet another reason why Vista is not as secure as Microsoft would have you believe.
Labels: microsoft, security, vista, windows
First FREE phone to phone calling service being tested
A new service is coming to a phone near you.
VoiceOne is testing a service within the US that allows people to call land-lines and mobile phones free of charge using their own telephone. The only requirement is that you sign up. There are no other conditions. After signing up you will be able to send SMS messages, leave text messages on the system and send email to the person of your choice. You are also able to put a link on your webpages to allow people to call you directly free of charge just by clicking the link.
Some of the features related to the actual calling include being able to block numbers, receiving sms messages about missed calls and messages left on the system for you.
VoiceOne is testing a service within the US that allows people to call land-lines and mobile phones free of charge using their own telephone. The only requirement is that you sign up. There are no other conditions. After signing up you will be able to send SMS messages, leave text messages on the system and send email to the person of your choice. You are also able to put a link on your webpages to allow people to call you directly free of charge just by clicking the link.
Some of the features related to the actual calling include being able to block numbers, receiving sms messages about missed calls and messages left on the system for you.
10 August 2006
Skype emails don't have to be from Skype
There is a new technique to get you to download an applicaton that will steal the passwords from your computer. An email is sent that claims to be from Skype. It then takes you to a fake Skype page and encourages you to download Skype. The problem is this is not Skype but malware called skypekur.exe. This file installs password recovery tools that then steal the passwords from your computer and send them back to the person who originally sent the email.
Currently there is one advantage that will prevent many people from falling victim, the email and page is in Turkish. That being said it would take no effort to change it into any other language. Most importantly is to be careful where you download Skype or any application from and to never trust emails asking you to download something.
Currently there is one advantage that will prevent many people from falling victim, the email and page is in Turkish. That being said it would take no effort to change it into any other language. Most importantly is to be careful where you download Skype or any application from and to never trust emails asking you to download something.
Labels: adware, email, skype, spam, spyware
HSBC online banking flaw leaves customers at risk
A warning for anyone who uses the global bank HSBC. A flaw has been found in their online banking procedures that allows for a keylogger to collect information used to access the bank's accounts. The flaw has been around for over two years in the current HSBC system. HSBC is said to be the only bank who uses this system with other commercial banks using more secure methods.
It is guaranteed that a person using this method can access the account in 9 tries but will probably get in in 5.
On the bright side the bank says that they have not seen this method used and the bank has less fraud online then the average. The bad news is that now that it is publicly available it is more likely for someone to want to try to do this.
It is guaranteed that a person using this method can access the account in 9 tries but will probably get in in 5.
On the bright side the bank says that they have not seen this method used and the bank has less fraud online then the average. The bad news is that now that it is publicly available it is more likely for someone to want to try to do this.
Labels: internet, security, vulnerability
09 August 2006
Hertz use of RFID cards for fast rentals
Hertz is testing RFID-enabled cards for their frequent renters. While this does speed up the process of renting cars, there is the issue that comes with all of the talk lately of how easy it is to copy a RFID chip even from a distance. I do agree that it is very useful and probably a very good improvement. But we have to leave ourself open to the possibility that someone could copy the card and attempt to use it.
The process being tested involves people with the card being able to walk directly to the car that is reserved for them and use the card against the windscreen to open the door and after acknowledging that they have a driver's license they can start the car with a push button. This does leave very little challenge for someone who clones the RFID to call Hertz and ask to rent a car on the other person's name and then use that cloned card to access the car with no Hertz employees aware of the problem.
While I agree with the use of the RFID cards as an improvement, I also hope Hertz is prepared to address the possible issue of unauthorized use of the cars.
The process being tested involves people with the card being able to walk directly to the car that is reserved for them and use the card against the windscreen to open the door and after acknowledging that they have a driver's license they can start the car with a push button. This does leave very little challenge for someone who clones the RFID to call Hertz and ask to rent a car on the other person's name and then use that cloned card to access the car with no Hertz employees aware of the problem.
While I agree with the use of the RFID cards as an improvement, I also hope Hertz is prepared to address the possible issue of unauthorized use of the cars.
Labels: rfid
08 August 2006
New scam will tell you the secret of the JFK murder.
Be warned of a new e-mail scam. This is similar to the Nigerian scam but this one is from a terminally ill KGB officer willing to give you information about the death of JFK. From this point the person will try to trick you into giving them personal information which of course will be used against you.
The best option is to ignore this message and any other similar type of message. The exact message can be found here.
The best option is to ignore this message and any other similar type of message. The exact message can be found here.
07 August 2006
AOL's facelift seems impressive
AOL has been busy lately offering more services in order to stay alive in today's Internet market.
Today's latest announcement is a free online anti-virus program. They are making this available to all internet users. This anti-virus is from Kaspersky Labs and updates hourly to protect users from viruses, spyware, trojans. It also features real-time scanning. Internet Explorer users will get yet another toolbar with this to add password manager and pop-up blocker features.
Yes this toolbar is a nice feature but it is one more thing to reduce the size of the viewing area of your webpages. I'm spending most of my time trying to get as much viewing area and as little toolbar area.
For those interested in this it can be downloaded here.
Also announced in a press release earlier this month, starting from September 5 GB of online space will be free for anyone. Also anyone interested in more space can purchase a 50 GB account, although it doesn't give the price of that. In addition they are offering free uploads and downloads from the storage space, a drag and drop interface between your computer and the online storage site, the ability to share the files and folders with others, and the ability to use AOL Pictures to print any photos on the drive. Anyone interested will have to have an AIM or AOL screenname.
AOL is also planning to release its e-mail, messaging, social networking applications and security features. The most impressive announcement is the intention of allowing people to have a local phone number with unlimited incoming calls free of charge. I admit I am not a fan of AOL but I will be looking into that feature.
Today's latest announcement is a free online anti-virus program. They are making this available to all internet users. This anti-virus is from Kaspersky Labs and updates hourly to protect users from viruses, spyware, trojans. It also features real-time scanning. Internet Explorer users will get yet another toolbar with this to add password manager and pop-up blocker features.
Yes this toolbar is a nice feature but it is one more thing to reduce the size of the viewing area of your webpages. I'm spending most of my time trying to get as much viewing area and as little toolbar area.
For those interested in this it can be downloaded here.
Also announced in a press release earlier this month, starting from September 5 GB of online space will be free for anyone. Also anyone interested in more space can purchase a 50 GB account, although it doesn't give the price of that. In addition they are offering free uploads and downloads from the storage space, a drag and drop interface between your computer and the online storage site, the ability to share the files and folders with others, and the ability to use AOL Pictures to print any photos on the drive. Anyone interested will have to have an AIM or AOL screenname.
AOL is also planning to release its e-mail, messaging, social networking applications and security features. The most impressive announcement is the intention of allowing people to have a local phone number with unlimited incoming calls free of charge. I admit I am not a fan of AOL but I will be looking into that feature.
Vista Already Hacked
Well it seems Vista has already been hacked. An undetectable program (Blue Pill) can bypass Vista security and the install unauthorized software. Microsoft is currently looking into how to secure Vista against this before its release.
We can be happy that this was found before the release of Vista and not after it, but that does leave the question as to whether other equally serious issues are hiding inside Vista.
I do have to congratulate Joanna Rutkowska from COSEINC for finding the hack. Has it even been a week since Microsoft challenged the hacking community to break Vista's security?
Here is what Joanna Rutkowska has to say about it.
We can be happy that this was found before the release of Vista and not after it, but that does leave the question as to whether other equally serious issues are hiding inside Vista.
I do have to congratulate Joanna Rutkowska from COSEINC for finding the hack. Has it even been a week since Microsoft challenged the hacking community to break Vista's security?
Here is what Joanna Rutkowska has to say about it.
Labels: blue pill, microsoft, vista, vulnerability, windows
06 August 2006
Cool Characters for Skype
Ok so this is not a very serious topic, but for those who use Skype, there is a very cool product that you can use. It's mouth moves to the words of your caller and it will wave it's hands and can flash when you have a call. Very cute and I'm sure very annoying, but cool.
You can find it and many other skype products here.
You can find it and many other skype products here.
Is Vista really so secure?
Recently the network stack of Microsoft Vista has been tested by Symantec. This network stack is a complete remake from previous versions and has never been run in the real world networking environment, leaving the possibility for many defects that are undetected.
The results of the testing has shown many bugs in many protocols some of which have been fixed in previous versions of Windows, only to show up again in Vista. There bugs included IP redirection attacks, the LLTD protocol for creating network maps was able to be decoded with very basic knowledge of how it actually worked. Microsoft has combined IPv4 and IPv6 support into the same stack, which is the first time it has been done in Windows, meaning this has never been tried in a real environment and also techniques used to protect IPv4 either don't exist or are very young for IPv6. This means we don't know how well they work. Several ports are configured in Vista that are not commonly used and sending data to some of them can cause the computer to either stop responding or crashes (this has been resolved). Some methods of attacking stacks from the past have successfully worked with the Vista stack that all other network stacks have solved. The current use of IPv6 also creates methods of gaining a connection to the computer.
I won't list all of the errors which have been found but with the errors that have it hints at a strong possibility that the network stacks have been rewritten and that more errors are probable than just the ones that have so far been found. It also raises questions about whether Vista is really as secure as Microsoft would like us to believe.
Symantec's full report can be found here.
The results of the testing has shown many bugs in many protocols some of which have been fixed in previous versions of Windows, only to show up again in Vista. There bugs included IP redirection attacks, the LLTD protocol for creating network maps was able to be decoded with very basic knowledge of how it actually worked. Microsoft has combined IPv4 and IPv6 support into the same stack, which is the first time it has been done in Windows, meaning this has never been tried in a real environment and also techniques used to protect IPv4 either don't exist or are very young for IPv6. This means we don't know how well they work. Several ports are configured in Vista that are not commonly used and sending data to some of them can cause the computer to either stop responding or crashes (this has been resolved). Some methods of attacking stacks from the past have successfully worked with the Vista stack that all other network stacks have solved. The current use of IPv6 also creates methods of gaining a connection to the computer.
I won't list all of the errors which have been found but with the errors that have it hints at a strong possibility that the network stacks have been rewritten and that more errors are probable than just the ones that have so far been found. It also raises questions about whether Vista is really as secure as Microsoft would like us to believe.
Symantec's full report can be found here.
Labels: microsoft, security, vista, vulnerability, windows
05 August 2006
Google and stopBadware.org team to create safer search
StopBadware.org and Google have recently joined forces to provide protection against sites which contain malicious software. When you click on a link from the Google search engine, a warning will come up instead of loading the page which gives a report on the types of danger on the page. An example of the report can be found here.
This should help many people avoid downloading malicious software. Although it may be useful to browse through stopbadware.org's reports to see if any information is located for sites that you regularly visit if there is a possiblity that they could contain such applications.
This should help many people avoid downloading malicious software. Although it may be useful to browse through stopbadware.org's reports to see if any information is located for sites that you regularly visit if there is a possiblity that they could contain such applications.
Labels: adware, Google, internet, spyware
Backdoor Trojan Warning
The trojan Backdoor.Win32.SdBot.asr seems to be popular currently. Detected on 21 June, it is installed on a computer then procedes to download more files that it needs to function. After that it procedes to create an IRC account and listen for commands to come in from that account.
Aside from finding information about your computer, it can also download files to your computer, take files off your computer, run or end an application, reboot your computer and load web pages. A complete list of the commands and activities this trojan can do can be found here.
If this trojan is detected on your system make sure it is not only removed from the system but also that it is removed from the Windows Registry or it will just reload itself when you reboot.
Aside from finding information about your computer, it can also download files to your computer, take files off your computer, run or end an application, reboot your computer and load web pages. A complete list of the commands and activities this trojan can do can be found here.
If this trojan is detected on your system make sure it is not only removed from the system but also that it is removed from the Windows Registry or it will just reload itself when you reboot.
Firefox vs. Opera
I have used Firefox for quite a while now and recently I installed Opera to see the differences and to see which one I liked better. That being said I'm a fan of both of them.
The current version of each has a lot of similarities. One feature I like more with Opera is the way they deal with the tabs. Opera has automatically a close button on each tab. With Firefox a similar feature can be gained with the installation of an extension which allows you to close the tab with a double click. Also still on the topic of tabs, Opera seems to have better support of their tabs and every window that opens will create a new tab unless you tell it to do different. So links that pop-up smaller windows still will but those windows will be directly linked to the tabs. Firefox has some difficulty in getting every window into a tab. The preview feature of the tabs in Opera is also very nice when you have a lot of tabs open. I would prefer the option of previewing links on web pages in Opera as one extension allows in Firefox.
Regarding extensions and widgets, Opera has some very nice widgets. Firefox has some as well and has the advantage of having a lot more extensions to offer. Many of the Firefox extensions are to give Firefox the same features as Opera, but a lot give it other very useful features as well.
Opera has one feature not found anywhere in Firefox that is exceptionally nice. I'm sure everyone has at one time or another closed either a tab or their browser by mistake. For users of Opera who close a tab accidentally there is a "trash" that holds the pages that you've visited to recover in that situation. It won't help you if you closed the browser, but if you use the feature of starting Opera where you left off the previous time, that won't be an issue as everything will already be there.
I encourage everyone to try both Firefox and Opera and see which one you like better. Both are very good browsers. Internet Explorer users might try Firefox first as it seems to me to be a kind of a step between IE and Opera. All web pages will look a lot closer to the way they do in IE and will behave the same way, while pages can sometimes behave strangely in Opera.
The current version of each has a lot of similarities. One feature I like more with Opera is the way they deal with the tabs. Opera has automatically a close button on each tab. With Firefox a similar feature can be gained with the installation of an extension which allows you to close the tab with a double click. Also still on the topic of tabs, Opera seems to have better support of their tabs and every window that opens will create a new tab unless you tell it to do different. So links that pop-up smaller windows still will but those windows will be directly linked to the tabs. Firefox has some difficulty in getting every window into a tab. The preview feature of the tabs in Opera is also very nice when you have a lot of tabs open. I would prefer the option of previewing links on web pages in Opera as one extension allows in Firefox.
Regarding extensions and widgets, Opera has some very nice widgets. Firefox has some as well and has the advantage of having a lot more extensions to offer. Many of the Firefox extensions are to give Firefox the same features as Opera, but a lot give it other very useful features as well.
Opera has one feature not found anywhere in Firefox that is exceptionally nice. I'm sure everyone has at one time or another closed either a tab or their browser by mistake. For users of Opera who close a tab accidentally there is a "trash" that holds the pages that you've visited to recover in that situation. It won't help you if you closed the browser, but if you use the feature of starting Opera where you left off the previous time, that won't be an issue as everything will already be there.
I encourage everyone to try both Firefox and Opera and see which one you like better. Both are very good browsers. Internet Explorer users might try Firefox first as it seems to me to be a kind of a step between IE and Opera. All web pages will look a lot closer to the way they do in IE and will behave the same way, while pages can sometimes behave strangely in Opera.
Labels: firefox, internet, opera
04 August 2006
More security flaws shown at Black Hat conference
It seems that a flaw in xerox printers has been found and demonstrated at the Black Hat conference. The flaw allows an application to be run on the printer which can read the documents being printed.
Xerox has issued a patch for this in February. Only those with a Workcenter or Workcenter Pro 200 printer need to worry and only if you bought it between October '05 and June '06. The issue has been patched. There is a patch that addresses the issue that can be found at http://www.xerox.com/security.
Xerox has issued a patch for this in February. Only those with a Workcenter or Workcenter Pro 200 printer need to worry and only if you bought it between October '05 and June '06. The issue has been patched. There is a patch that addresses the issue that can be found at http://www.xerox.com/security.
Labels: printing
03 August 2006
Warning for those using wireless connections.
Wednesday there was a demonstration in Las Vegas as the Black Hat security conference showing that a wireless connection could be hacked by another computer with a wireless card. This exploit could be used to install programs to discover passwords or read important informaton on the computer. This is not a problem with any operating system, it's a problem directly with the wireless cards. The full story can be found here.
Intel has just the day before released a patch for their wireless cards to probably prevent this type of exploit. Hopefully other companies will do the same soon.
This probably will not be such a big risk to people who use wireless networking in their homes, but for people who like to visit cafes and other places with wireless internet access, this can be a very big security risk.
Intel has just the day before released a patch for their wireless cards to probably prevent this type of exploit. Hopefully other companies will do the same soon.
This probably will not be such a big risk to people who use wireless networking in their homes, but for people who like to visit cafes and other places with wireless internet access, this can be a very big security risk.
Labels: networking, security, vulnerability, wireless
02 August 2006
Firefox exploited
Well Firefox is starting to see some exploits. Using the same method as extensions are installed, Infostealer.Snifula installs itself and can then download trojans that will run from startup. This then can capture passwords which the "extention" will send to the attacker waiting for the information.
So far the attack is not very widespread containing itself mostly in Australia.
For the best protection, make sure you download only files you trust and keep up to date on the Firefox patches.
For more information look here.
So far the attack is not very widespread containing itself mostly in Australia.
For the best protection, make sure you download only files you trust and keep up to date on the Firefox patches.
For more information look here.
Labels: firefox, vulnerability
01 August 2006
Photosynth
Microsoft has developed a very useful product for creating 3D panoramic views of a scene. The application allows you to add images from different angles and different locations and the images will be spliced together accurately to form a panorama of all your pictures.
Seeing the video of the program in use, it seems like a very nice application and I would be willing to try it. If it works well it will be one of the better applications for creating panoramas.
You can find out more information from Microsoft here.
Seeing the video of the program in use, it seems like a very nice application and I would be willing to try it. If it works well it will be one of the better applications for creating panoramas.
You can find out more information from Microsoft here.
Labels: 3D, images, microsoft, photosynth
More to worry about
Recently a woman found some of her computer's files locked and a ransom being demanded by hackers. When she went to the police, they could offer no help. They stated that it could be anyone, anywhere and it wasn't worth looking for them.
In the near future it is said that these sort of attacks with ransomware may be unable to be prevented. Also the problem arises when the "hackers" use the information from your computer to do more than just demand ransom for a key. With a key 660 characters long, it may be very hard to discover the key yourself.
To learn more go here.
In the near future it is said that these sort of attacks with ransomware may be unable to be prevented. Also the problem arises when the "hackers" use the information from your computer to do more than just demand ransom for a key. With a key 660 characters long, it may be very hard to discover the key yourself.
To learn more go here.
Labels: adware, encryption, ransomware
