Internet Security Companies Warn about Patch Tuesday and Valentines Day.

By Paul | Feb 9, 2009

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With Tomorrow being released some very highly rated Remote Code Execution to become Zero day in very short time. Some researchers are speculating about more viruses will be released in conjunction to Valentines day. According to this one post it will be likely to be E-cards being sent to try to lure you into downloading Malware.

Various security vendors, including CA Inc, MX Logic Inc., Trend Micro Inc., and Panda Security, have issued alerts about new Valentine’s Day-themed spam campaigns that try to dupe users into installing the Waledec bot.

Researchers note that many websites which are affiliated to Waledac e-card scam have been recently updated with content based on the Valentine’s Day theme.

Web sites distribute Trojan files which are commonly named love.exe; onlyyou.exe; you.exe; youandme.exe; and meandyou.exe and the list is not exhaustive.
[Via Express Buzz]

Tools for Virus Removal : The ones I like to use!

By Paul | Dec 15, 2008

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In this post I want to talk about virus removal tools that I like to use when I need to remove a virus. Some thing to consider when using these tools are:

Is it a Rootkit?
Is it Spyware?
Is it a Virus?
Is it a Trojan?
Is it a Worm?

Each of these have to be dealt with differently because each requires something different. Like rootkits if you have one installed and know that it is a rootkit you only options are to download some rootkit removers like:

Sopho’s Anti-rootkit remover – This is good for those more known viruses and can remove several types of rootkits. This isn’t the only one I use, but it is a part of group that does the rootkit removing for me.
Microsoft Rootkit Revealer – This is good for proving there is a rootkit. I’ve not seen it not detect a rootkit. Most of the time when I find a rootkit from the other rootkit revealers this one actually dos better with information.
Panda Anti-Rootkit Remover — This one is another one I use when the other ones can’t remove it. Each one does remove certain rootkit differently and works better than the other.

Is this Hardcore PC Falcon Northwest Mach V Extreme or not?

By Paul | Dec 3, 2008

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Just saw this on PcWorld Reviews and thought I’d talk about the specs. I would love to get one of these for my self. It comes with:

Silverstone Temjin TJ03 full tower case
Intel Core i7 965 Extreme processor — Overclocked to 3.8 GHZ

12GB of DDR3-1066

7200-rpm Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 hard drive

dual 2GB ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics

22-inch Samsung 2243 LCD

All these are links are for those who would like to make this computer yourself. The links are where you could go to buy the parts. The price after you buy the parts are estimated at $7395 price and I think you could get that down to 5000$ if you look for rebates and other incentives. I wouldn’t mind having this computer for gaming myself. It sure would be nice to give for someone on the holidays. This would be good for people wh o are looking to computer game developers or people who are into 3D rendering. Just though I share this little review with you. They really did a fantastic review of this product on there site.

You asked for it, Now it’s real — Vista SP2 Dec 4,2008

By Paul | Dec 2, 2008

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Beginning Thursday Dec. 4^th, we will be making the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta available to everyone through a Customer Preview Program (CPP). The CPP will launch on TechNet and be available to anyone interested in trying out this service pack. The CPP is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers, and IT Pros who would like to test Service Pack 2 in their environments and with their applications prior to final release. For most customers, our best advice would be to wait until the final release prior to installing this service pack.

[Via Technet]

Yes you heard right, you can get into the Beta of Vista SP2 and not have to wait till April. Some things to remember:

It is a Beta
It will Have Bugs
It is for people who want to test it out
It should only be installed for people who need to test it out

Hello Twitter, Goodbye Pounce!

By Laforge129 | Dec 1, 2008

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In a move that feels more like a cruel prank than a financial strategy, Six Apart has purchased Pownce–only to shut the company down. The blogging company acquired the micro-blogging site for an undisclosed sum before announcing that it would shut Pownce in a mere two weeks.

[via PcMag]

Although This is nothing to big because those who use Pownce was using just o play around with. People who are using Pownce will have to go back to Twitter or something other like Twit Army. If you have an account there you will need to start looking around for another social outlet. Some of the ones I like are on my About me page and should give you some ideas on where you look.

Although if Six Apart was smart they should of tried to Monitize the service but I guess they just wasted there money in buying Pounce. They wanted something else from the company that owned Pounce but not sure what.

Stop botnets in its tracks With a Firewall!

By Laforge129 | Nov 30, 2008

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According to PC World and I’ll quote:

According to FireEye chief scientist Stuart Staniford, detection rates are so poor that, on average, only around 40 percent of security software can detect binaries during the period of greatest infectivity and danger, namely the first few days after a particular variant starts being used by botnet builders.

[via PC World]

Now let’s talk about this, having been seeing recent surges of people getting infected. I’ve come to the conclusion that companies like AVG and other Anti-Virus companies are keeping up. Now true if all you have is an Anti-virus and nothing else that greatly increases your likely hood of getting a virus.

In a recent virus storm, We have people finding my site because of a Good Firewall. No if he didn’t have anything but Windows firewall then it would of gotten through and you would not of known about it. So let’s talk about how to prevent botnet attacks. This is relatively easy and if you follow some common rules. You to could be less likely to be infected. I will say this most people don’t do these common tips and they should do them.

Technorati Officially laysoff 6 people!!

By Laforge129 | Nov 25, 2008

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Technorati released today they are going to Lay off 6 people and I will quote:

Unfortunately, this means sacrifices. Technorati’s management team members are taking pay cuts ranging from 15-25% and employees are taking 10% cut. This also includes the reallocation of staff. We’re laying off six employees today – including two executives — and there are two additional departures we won’t replace. These are high performers who have worked long hours to get us where we are now. They’re also friends, and we’re very sad to see them go. We simply need a leaner and reconfigured mix to get us through 2009.

[via Technorati Weblog]

They will also be taking pay cuts all through the company. So the recession is hitting them also. I am sure CEO Richard Jalichandra has the company interest in mind. According to Techchunch, they have added these recent layoffs ticker. You can also search my blog for other layoffs that have happened or will happen.

Antivirus Professional 2008 uses Scare tactics

By Paul | Nov 10, 2008

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We came across a rogue today called Antivirus Professional 2008 that uses GeoIP Lookup as part of its scare tactics. This site uses Flash and script to create the effect of an online scan, that then attempts to push an installer at the visitor. The NoScript extension for Mozilla Firefox is an excellent way to mitigate against this kind of garbage.

[Via F-secure]

It seems that there is a site out there, that seems to be trying to scare you into downloading there software. If you have any questions about this site please feel free to check out what I’ve found out:

Registration Service Provided By: ESTDOMAINS INC
Contact: 1.3027224217
Website: http://www.estdomains.com
Domain Name: ANTIVIRUS-ONLINE-SCANNER.COM
Registrant:
N/A
Serento faloimitator@list.ru

Minskay str. 27-14
Kiev
Kiev 237293
UA
Tel. 044.2901732
Creation Date: 07-Jun-2008
Expiration Date: 07-Jun-2009
Domain servers in listed order:
ns2.antivirus-online-scanner.com
ns1.antivirus-online-scanner.com
Administrative Contact:
N/A
Serento faloimitator@list.ru

Minskay str. 27-14
Kiev
Kiev 237293
UA
Tel. 044.2901732
Technical Contact:
N/A
Serento faloimitator@list.ru

Minskay str. 27-14
Kiev
Kiev 237293
UA
Tel. 044.2901732
Billing Contact:
N/A
Serento faloimitator@list.ru

Minskay str. 27-14
Kiev
Kiev 237293
UA
Tel. 044.2901732

Comfirmed: DHL to Lays off 10,000 workers!!

By Paul | Nov 10, 2008

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[COMFIRMED]

According to The Press-Enterprise has announced all 18 U.S. Hubs will close and that means 10,000 workers will be out of a job. They will keep 3,000 for international business. I wanted to tell everyone about this as soon as I found out.

There is a rumor that DHL might layoff some of it’s employees. About 8,000 Jobs will be announced to tomorrow when they release the earnings report. Now I know very little about this parent company but they have 475,100 employees and that would mean 1.6% of the people would be laid off!!

According to Business Week there Volume have been going down this year.

(CNN) — A southern Ohio community is bracing for possible layoffs as DHL Express — the largest employer in the area — planned to announce its quarterly earnings report and restructuring details. [Via CNN]

Circuit City to layoff employees and might close several stores!

By Paul | Nov 7, 2008

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Some sources are say this:
The newspaper cited one of the affected workers, who indicated that between 500 and 800 employees would be let go. The layoffs reportedly began yesterday with the departure of several “upper management” executives, the source said.

[via Twice]

Now I know people hate when I blog about this because it is so depressing but I do like to let people know about this stuff so you can know what to expect in the coming future. This is all due to the economy and the recession that is on our doorsteps. If you would like to find out what other companies are laying off that I know about just click this [LINK] and it will show you all the other blog posts that I talked about that have or are laying people off. I keep telling people to keep there resume’s ready for just this type of outcome.

Left 4 Dead Sneak Peak!

By Paul | Nov 6, 2008

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Yes they finally released the demo. According to my sources and I’ll quote:

Newell said: “We will be releasing demos for both the Xbox and for the PC. I don’t know what the date is for release on that, though. I think it’s going to contain the first part of one of the campaigns. I think it’ll probably be Hospital but I’m not sure. That’s a decision that Doug Lombardi is making.”

[Via Videogamer]

If you want to see the game screen shots you and preview the pictures all you need to do is go HERE. You can also start pre-purchasing Left 4 Dead on The PC and be ready to play when it comes out. Watch the Video from Steam for Left 4 Dead Intro In English. You can also Gift the Game for the Holidays, I would like one to get and try it out so if you want to give me the Gift just send it to me via my email address. According to Steam, you will haveto pre-purchase Left 4 Dead and then the Demo will be available for you a week before hand!! so that is one good thing!! So go buy it and enjoy!!! Also you will need to install Steam to enjoy the demo.

Sony recalls 340,000 batteries.

By Paul | Oct 31, 2008

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Sony Recalls Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Previous Fires

The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using the product immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Rechargeable, lithium ion batteries containing Sony cells used in Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation, Gateway Inc., Sony Electronics Inc., and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. notebook computers.

Units: About 340,000 batteries (an additional 3,080,000 battery packs were sold worldwide)

Battery Cell Manufacturer: Sony Energy Devices Corp., of Japan

Hazard: These lithium ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been 16 reports of notebook computer batteries overheating, causing minor property damage and two minor burns. All of these reported incidents and injuries have been associated with earlier recalls of notebook computer batteries containing these Sony cells. There have been no incidents involving batteries sold by the notebook manufacturers participating in this announcement.

[via U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]

Microsoft reveals “Microsoft Azure”

By Paul | Oct 27, 2008

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Windows Azure is part of a set of new and existing technologies behind the Azure Services Platform, a development and execution platform that runs end-user and corporate software on Microsoft’s own servers, accessible over the web. It joins Google’s App Engine and Amazon’s EC2 in an increasingly competitive market.

[Via ZDnet]

Although, There isn’t much more they have said I am quite curious how they will interegrate this into the cloud computing. According to Microsoft, it won’t run on the company server but Microsoft Datacenter. Now this I can see is a big security problem. Because most companies use what they call an Intranet and not the internet. So that leaves questions on if companies are going to use this system or not. Are you ready to let your information float somewhere over the inernet tht is SENSITIVE and CONFIDENTIAL? These are the questions that Microsoft will have to Answer, before any company will use this on there systems.

Mahalo Lay’s off around 10% of it’s workforce!!

By Paul | Oct 22, 2008

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In an email he sent to the readers of his publication, Jason Calicanis talks about having to lay off around 10% of people from Mahalo. Here’s the quote:

We’ve laid off a just under 10% of our full-time staff, cut our overhead by doing smart things like renting desks (we have six desks/offices available fyi), and reorganized our editorial department to focus on freelance positions over in-house editors. The net result
of the effort is we are giving Mahalo another year of “dry powder” (or runway) to complete our mission.

This is not to be unexpected after all the talk about the recession coming our way. It does however emphasizes the need for companies to consider there profit margins and accounting strategy.

Mahalo was launched in May 2007 as an Alpha test. That is to say only a select number of people were able to access the site and create feedback to the development of the site. As of January of 2008 it is in what we call the Beta test phase. Which means more people are testing it out and find out it’s flaws to report back about where they need to improve. Mahalo’s directory employs human editors to review websites and search engine results.

Are you asking to be scammed?

By Paul | Oct 15, 2008

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As we go further into the economic death, we are faced with the most undesirable aspect of the human culture. That is to say, scammers are going to use the chance to find people to scam. I don’t say this lightly because scammers have become more cunning and dubious through the years. They are actually using the internet as well as most companies. They are going to sites like Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, and other hiring sites to get people to apply for jobs.

<<See Previous Post – Nationwide Marketing Scam

Having said that, I recently had a problem with being tried to be scammed. I applied to a job posted on Careerbuilder and that is how they got a hold of my home address. I did not think about the security problems associated with applying for jobs on line, until recently.

As you can see that is how they got a hold of my information and have made myself vulnerable to scams and also, other potential problems. I am talking about Theft ID and also spam. Although spam is to be expected with anything we do online. I’ve come to the conclusion that we will always have to deal with spam. I wanted to talk about how to be careful when you apply for online jobs and put your information out on the internet. I’ve started taking some steps to prevent this from happening again.

Google Ups the Anti!!

By Paul | Oct 4, 2008

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As part of our effort to protect the accounts of AdSense publishers, we have mailed a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the payment address entered in your account. This PIN must be entered on the PIN Information page before any payments can be issued to you. In the meantime, your account remains active, and you may continue to show ads and accrue earnings.

Well that came unexpectedly, Google actually is trying to protect our accounts now from getting phished and or/taken over by some malicious person. This is called two factor verification**, Something you know and something you have. You can also get verify through your Cell Phone. Here is what they said in my Email:

Is Spore Worth 49.99?

By Paul | Sep 10, 2008

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So I been doing a little digging and trying to find out what the heck people are complaining about and I found some great reviews telling me exactly why people hate EA. They don’t necessarily hate Spore or Will Wright, but the Security around The Spore game.

So In a couple of these comments. These reviews talk about Creating the creatures and All. I’ll submit some of the reviews that I thought was relevant and let you decide for yourself. I would however wonder the one big question? Is Spore Worth the Money? Here’s the details that I know of right now:

You can only install it 3 times before you have to call EA to get an override code. (Although I heard rumors that if you unistall it, you will get a credit for an Install)
You can not Install new hardware or upgrade your hardware because if you do, it’ll count as an install, According to this one person.
The game only allows 1 login per Install. So you can’t have more than one character and one universe according to this person.