"I've written previously about CyberDefender, and looking at what this guy went through after falling for their scam to the tune of $249.99 (approx £150), they've not changed one bit - they're still rogue."Members of the security community know MBAM is an excellent program -- and apparently so do the security vendors (both real and rogue). Get the real thing from Malwarebytes.org.
This message about Conficker is not for people in the security industry. It is directed to the home computer user.". . . the worm program blocks security software, distributes code by creating a peer-to-peer network, and attempts to prevent anyone but the authors from updating its code by authenticating updates using a hash algorithm — known as MD6 — that is only a few months old. The collection of those capabilities worried the researchers."With that in mind, there is reason to worry if you or your friends have file sharing turned on, use P2P (Peer to Peer) programs, or share information via USB (thumb) drives.
"3 people helped each day, ‘paid forward’ by each person helps 4.7M people in two weeks."If each Security Garden reader checks with one or two of their friends and they in turn check with their friends, to make sure the computer(s) in their home have file sharing disabled, are updated, have a firewall and up to date antivirus software, worms like Conficker will have less of a chance of spreading.
Help from Microsoft:" 'In the best case, Conficker may be used as a sustained and profitable platform for massive Internet fraud and theft," wrote Phillip Porras, Hassen Saidi and Vinod Yegneswaran, all of SRI International. "In the worst case, Conficker could be turned into a powerful offensive weapon for performing concerted information warfare attacks that could disrupt, not just countries, but the Internet itself.' "
See the DreamSpark site for more information: https://www.dreamspark.com/Default.aspx"This site enables students to download professional-level Microsoft developer tools to advance your learning and skills through technical design, technology, math, science and engineering activities."
"Mozilla’s security response team is scrambling to ready a patch for what appears to be a serious security flaw affecting its flagship Firefox browser.Read the complete report at Exploit code sends Mozilla scrambling to fix FirefoxThe vulnerability, released alongside proof-of-concept code on several security sites, could lead to malicious code execution attacks if a Firefox user is lured to a Web site rigged with exploits. It affects all versions of the open-source browser, including the newest Firefox 3.0.7."
You may or may not have heard of "Confiker" or "Downadup". At this juncture, it does not matter what you have heard.
Would you like to win a Kodak OLED wireless photo frame (worth around 800$)? The folks at OLED-Info would love to give you one if you are the winner of the contest. The Kodak photo frame has a 7.6" AMOLED display, 800x480 resolution and a contrast ratio of 30,000:1 (made by CMEL). It has built-in Wi-Fi, 2GB of storage and accepts USB drives or memory cards."Bold, bright and beautiful. From any angle, the future belongs to Kodak OLED, the enabler of the future display industry."You have a chance to be part of that future today and own your own Kodak OLED Wireless Photo Frame! There are three ways to enter. Check out the details at OLED-Info Kodak Photo frame contest. The contest is open to world-wide participants.
Kodak Organic Light Emitting Diode: "Kodak OLED - From Any Angle" video shows a recent overview of Kodak's key technical advancements, cutting edge Kodak OLED products, and an in-depth discussion from some of Kodak's OLED leadership team on how Kodak's efforts will continue to enable the OLED industry from within both the solid state lighting and flat panel display markets.
Ciprian has been having all the fun conducting the interviews. In a turn-about, Anand Khanse (HappyAndyK) decided it was time that we had the opportunity to learn a bit more about the person doing the interviewing.
Meet Ciprian of vista4beginners.com at Windows Vista Help Forum.
Similarly, IE8 will not load fast or it will hang if restricted sites exist in the IE Restricted Sites zone, e.g. using IE-SPYAD or Spyware Blaster."@Donna: We have determined that there is a problem with the SpyBot Search and Destroy "innoculate" feature which puts 10000 domains in the restricted sites list.
*** It's possible that this might be causing the performance problems on startup that some folks are reporting here. ***"
"Microsoft has made a confusing and inconsistent decision in the way it handles IE8 under XP/Server 2003 and Vista/Server 2008.
- In XP, open Add or Remove Programs from Control Panel, where you will find Windows Internet Explorer under the Currently Installed Programs list. Select its entry in the list and click Remove.
- In Vista, you won’t find IE8 in the Programs and Features list, because Vista considers IE8 an update. Instead, look for the View Installed Updates link in the navigation pane. (A similar link is available from Windows Update; look in the lower left corner for Installed Udpates.) You’ll find Windows Internet Explorer 8 under the Microsoft Windows category. Click its entry in the list and then click Uninstall.
If you want to remove an earlier IE8 beta or the release candidate, or if you need to install the released version and roll back to IE7 on your Vista machine, you should be able to do so pretty easily at this point.
Update: In the comments, Dan asks whether it’s necessary to uninstall the Release Candidate first. I checked the Release Notes and the IE8 Readiness Toolkit and the Internet Explorer TechCenter and found no indication that uninstalling the older version was required. It is a reasonable precaution, but probably not necessary."
IE8 Installation Instructions:
button > All Programs > Windows Update."a contest that pits researchers against technologies to see whether technology or human wins. It’s also a contest that presents interesting challenges to Microsoft and a contest which you might think Microsoft opposes. Like many other issues in the security ecosystem – it’s not that simple. The contest exemplifies two basic tenets behind the TwC Security teams’ efforts. You can’t hide from the truth (wishing doesn’t make it so) and every issue is an opportunity to learn and improve."Interestingly, it took seconds for a fully patched MacBook with the Safari browser to be hacked. As described by Ryan Naraine at Pwn2Own 2009: Safari/MacBook falls in seconds:
"Charlie Miller has done it again. For the second consecutive year, the security researcher hacked into a fully patched MacBook computer by exploiting a security vulnerability in Apple’s Safari browser.It took longer to perform a clean drive-by download attack against Internet Explorer in what was described as a “brilliant IE8 bug!”, that in the wake of the release of IE8 today at the Mix Conference today. Ryan Naraine's report can be found at Pwn2Own trifecta: Hacker exploits IE8, Firefox, Safari.
“It took a couple of seconds. They clicked on the link and I took control of the machine,” Miller said moments after his accomplishment."
"WinVistaClub is pleased to offer, 7 copies of the latest ESET Smart Security v 4 edition free as giveaways to the members of WinVistaClub, in a 'simple to participate contest'. The product otherwise costs $59.99.
ESET Smart Security adds a firewall and antispam technology to ESET NOD32 Antivirus, protecting your family from Internet threats while blocking annoying junk email. ESET Smart Security 4 sports an easier to use firewall and delivers smarter antispam for Outlook, Outook Express, Thunderbird and other popular mail clients.
What's New:
Smarter Scanner — Threats don't always enter in ways you expect. ESET Smart Security inspects SSL-encrypted communication channels like HTTPS and POP3S, and intelligently scans compressed files to find threats that other products miss. ESET's Smart Optimization feature makes file scanning faster than ever.
Time-saving Firewall — The new Learning Mode saves time by automatically creating firewall rules by observing how you use your computer, while offering advanced firewall modes for power users.
Upgraded Antispam — ESET Smart Security now takes care of annoying spam with a smaller, faster, and even more effective spam filter.
Removable Media Security — Threats can enter your PC from removable media such as USB thumb drives. For self-running media, ESET Smart Security scans autorun.inf and associated files on mount, in addition to scanning any file on any removable device when it is accessed, or during a full-scan of the media. Power users can adjust ESET Smart Security to perform additional levels of scanning on removable media.
System Tools — ESET SysInspector and ESET SysRescue simplify diagnosis and cleaning of infected systems by allowing deep scans of system processes to find hidden threats, and creating bootable rescue CD/DVD or USB drives to help you repair an infected computer.
Self Defense — ESET Smart Security has built-in technology to prevent malicious software from corrupting or disabling it, so you can rest assured your system is always protected.
Usability Improvements — ESET Smart Security has numerous speed, security and usability upgrades.
-Energy-sipping battery mode extends laptop battery life without compromising security
-Advanced Protection Status screen informs you of detected threats
-Information pop-ups are hidden when running full screen applications like games, video players or presentations
-Password protection prevents ESET Smart Security from being uninstalled by strangers
-New interface and keyboard shortcuts simplify use for visually impaired users
Eset vs Competition makes an interesting read.
And what do you have to do to win this license ? Simply make a separate new post, in any section on any tech topic.
It could a tip or an article or a development. It could be from your blog or another source. The best or most interesting article or tip will get the license. This way one license will be given free every week. If there are less than 10 entries, the license will not be given away for that week but carried forward. You can post multiple entries too. Preference will be given to members having more than 10 posts .
I am taking the liberty of announcing the MVP members from this forum as the Judges. Hope it is alright with all.
Judges for the first 4, weekly contests.
1. Corrine & myself (Today - 22 March)
2. Choto Cheeta & myself (23 March - 29 March)
3. James & myself (30 March - 6 April)
4. Ramesh & myself (7 April - 13 April)
The Judges for the next 3, weekly contests, can be decided later.
If you not yet a member of the WinVistaClub, you can register here for free instantaneously."
Download WinPatrol V16.0.2009 
Initially, the non-UAC version will run so you don’t have a UAC alert every time you reboot. If however, a change is detected and WinPatrol needs permissions we’ll swap the WinPatrol monitor with the one which requires UAC.
This dialog will only be seen by Vista and Windows 7 machines with UAC activated. It will only occur once and only if needed."
Hide Alerts
This kind of tailored advertising does raise questions about user choice and privacy — questions the whole online ad industry has a responsibility to answer.As a result, in the Google Privacy Center, Advertising and Privacy, there is an Opt out option:
"The service would allow Google, which already collects vast amounts of data about the behavior of Internet users, to gather information on their calling habits.Google Docs“It raises two distinct problems,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “In the privacy world, it is increased profiling and tracking of users without safeguards. But the other problem is the growing consolidation of Internet-based services around one dominant company.”"
"BBC reporter Spencer Kelly and security company PrevX took over an existing botnet of approximately 22,000 computers, and used them for their spam experiment - ordering the innocent third-party computers to send 500 spam messages each to Hotmail and Gmail accounts under the control of the BBC."As someone who helps in the security forums helping people clean their computers of malware, I am of the strong opinion that this so-called investigation by BBC Click was, if not against the Computer Misuse Act, at the very least highly in appropriate. I am surprised there is not more censure of PrevX for their participation.
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The more serious problem at the moment is that Graham Cluley of SOPHOS has reported in Malware authors jump on the PIFTS.EXE bandwagon:"Several readers wrote in with samples of a file PIFTS.exe that seems to be related to a Norton update and gets flagged for its behavior.
The file has been confirmed to call home to stats.norton.com ."
Please stick to the "mainline" sites when seeking information on PIFT.exe. In the event you do hit one of the infected sites, close any pop-up via Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc > Applications > End Task)."We're seeing evidence that websites containing malware are showing up in search engine results when people hunt for more information about PIFTS. Sophos's WS1000 Web Appliance is already picking up some of these sites as Mal/BadRef-A, and preventing users from accessing them.
The Mal/BadRef-A script redirects to another malicious script (detected by Sophos as Troj/Reffor-A) which then itself redirects to a page detected as Mal/FakeAvJs-A.
That page leads to a fake anti-virus scan (also known as scareware) designed to frighten computer users out of their hard earned cash. It's ironic that a scare about a file in an anti-virus program is leading users to search and visit a page where they will be scammed by a fake anti-virus program. Ho hum."
"A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.
If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.
Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.
I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.
His name?.........
>
>
>
>
>
>
We just call him 'TV.'
He has a wife now...We call her 'Computer.' "
Author: Unknown
Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...
"An update has been released for Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton AntiVirus 2009. Just like the last patch, we're using new technology. Because of this, we are distributing this patch in a more controlled manner. Some of you may not receive the update as quickly as others. We will post another announcement with more detailed information shortly when deployment is more widespread. In the meanwhile, your patience is appreciated while the patch continues to be distributed.If you are not familiar with the issues regarding IAC/Ask there are numerous references in this recent article.
Cheers,
Tim Lopez
Norton Forums Administrator
Symantec Corporation"
After finishing the scan, the agent offered to run "a scan from the Norton security." He also called it "a deep scan just from a online Norton program."Low and behold, it was not a Norton program but the free for personal use version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware that the Norton representative presented:
"The "Norton program" turned out to be a free non-Symantec product called MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware. I watched the whole process – no Symantec product was involved. Symantec says this should not have happened and won't happen in the future."
