Meeting The Googlers

"New York Times, Thursday, March 25, 2004


by David Pogue


Google, the Web search page-slash-cultural
deity is expected to go public this Spring - the biggest in high-
tech history, with a valuation as high as $25 billion!




For the best of both worlds, form and function, download and install the Google toolbar. Not only does it put the
Google search box into your browser full-time, but it also blocks pop-
up ads and fills in forms for you. By The Way (BTW) it is Spyware free -Google Toolbar Download-.



Phrase your question in the form of an answer. "After all, you're
not looking for Web pages that ask your question," explains director
of technology Craig Silverstein. "You're looking for pages that
answer it." So instead of typing, "What is the average rainfall in
the Amazon basin?", you might get better results by typing "The
average rainfall in the Amazon basin is."


This is an old one, but very important: Put quotes around phrases
that must be searched together. If you put quotes around "electric
curtains," Google won't waste your time finding one set of Web pages
containing the word "electric" and another set containing the
word "curtains."


Similarly, put a hyphen right before any word you want screened
out. If you're looking up dolphins, for example, you'll have to wade
through a million Miami Dolphins pages unless you search
for "dolphins -Miami."

Google is:

A global White Pages and Yellow Pages. Search for
"phonebook:home depot norwalk, ct," Google instantly produces the
address and phone number of the Norwalk Home Depot. This works with
names ("phonebook:robert jones las vegas, NV") as well as businesses.
Don't put any space after "phonebook." And in all of the following
examples, don't type the quotes I'm showing you here.


A package tracker. Type a FedEx or UPS package number
(just the digits); when you click Search, Google offers a link to its
tracking information.

A calculator. Type in an equation ("32+2345*3-234=").
Click Search to see the answer.


A units-of-measurement converter. Type "teaspoons in a
gallon," for example, or "centimeters in a foot." Click Search to see
the answer.


A stock ticker. Type in AAPL or MSFT, for example, to see
a link to the current Apple or Microsoft stock price, graphs,
financial news and so on.


An atlas. Type in an area code, like 212, to see a
Mapquest map of the area.


Google is Wal-Mart's computer. Type in a UPC bar code number, such
as "036000250015," to see the description of the product you've
just "scanned in." (Thanks to the Google Blog,
http://google.blogspace.com, for this tip and the next couple.)


An aviation buff. Type in a flight number like "United
22" for a link to a map of that flight's progress in the air. Or type
in the tail number you see on an airplane for the full registration
form for that plane.


Google is the Department of Motor Vehicles. Type in a VIN (vehicle
identification number, which is etched onto a plate, usually on the
door frame, of every car), like "JH4NA1157MT001832," to find out the
car's year, make and model.


For hours of rainy-day entertainment, visit http://labs.google.com.
Here, you'll find links to new, half-finished Google experiments-like
Google Voice, in which you call (650) 623-6706, speak the words you
want to search for and then open your browser to view the results.
Disclaimer: It wasn't working when I tried it. (Ditto a lot of these
experiments.)


Poke around the "Services & Tools" link on the Google.com home page
and you'll find some of the better-known lesser-known Google
features, if that makes any sense. For example, there's Froogle
(product search), News, Groups (Internet discussion boards), Google
Catalogs (hundreds of scanned-in product catalogs), Images (find
graphics and photos from other people's Web sites), Blogger (publish
your own online journal), Google language translation, Google Answers
(pay a couple of bucks to have a professional researcher find the
answers for you) and much more.



Visit David Pogue on the Web at DavidPogue.com."

Shoot The Messenger..

Shoot The Messenger: "The Latest Spam Technology

The Windows 'Messenger Service' is being exploited to spray the Internet with unsolicited commercial eMail. The receipt of a single UDP packet can cause a 'Messenger Service' dialog to pop-up on the user's screen. It is possible for the sender to 'spoof' (falsify) the packet's 'Source IP', making these packets impossible to trace back to their origin. If our experience with eMail SPAM is any model, we can expect to see a lot more of this in the future."
If you need to leave the service running, block port 135 in your firewall.



If you can't block that port for whatever reason or would prefer to completely disable the service, follow these directions:



For Windows 2000 and XP


* Go to start and click Run

* Type services.msc

* Double-click on Messenger

* In the Messenger Properties window, select Stop, then choose Disable as the Startup Type

* Click OK.



For Windows 95, 98, and ME



* Under Control Panel, select Add/Remove

* Select Windows Setup
* Select System Tools

* Click Details

* Uncheck WinPopUp

* Click OK.

New NetSky variant reported - Computerworld

New NetSky variant reported - Computerworld
(IDG NEWS SERVICE) - A new version of the NetSky e-mail worm has begun circulating on the Internet, antivirus software companies reported.

Like its predecessor, NetsSky.B, which struck last week, the worm, known as NetSky.C, arrives via e-mail messages with familiar subject lines like "Question," "Fwd: lol" and "Re: hey." Users launch the worm by clicking on attachments accompanying the messages.


"They're keeping subject messages really simple, which entices users to click on the attachment," said Steven Sundermeier, the vice president of products and services at Central Command Inc., a security software vendor in Medina, Ohio. "You could see how that kind of piques users' curiosity."

Once launched, the worm installs its own mail server on the user's computer and begins sending infected e-mail using addresses it collects from the infected computer.


*Read my email Tips...

The worm also appears to target users of file-sharing services, said Sundermeier. "If it finds any subdirectory that has the word shar in its name, it will drop a long list of enticing file names in it, which are copies of itself," Sundermeier said. "That now makes it available through file-sharing applications like Kazaa or instant messaging applications."

How Firewalls Work

howstuffworks.com, How Firewalls Work: "If you have been using the Internet for any length of time, and especially if you work at a larger company and browse the Web while you are at work, you have probably heard the term firewall used. For example, you often hear people in companies say things like, 'I can't use that site because they won't let it through the firewall.'
If you have a fast Internet connection into your home (either a DSL connection or a cable modem), you may have found yourself hearing about firewalls for your home network as well. It turns out that a small home network has many of the same security issues that a large corporate network does. You can use a firewall to protect your home network and family from offensive Web sites and potential hackers. "

Wired News: Cheapskate's Guide to a Safe PC

Wired News: Cheapskate's Guide to a Safe PC: "MyDoom virus-laden e-mails may no longer be clogging inboxes, but security experts believe the worm may still be active on thousands of computers around the globe.
Each of those infected computers now contains a backdoor that allows any malicious hacker with a modicum of technical skills to remotely access and control the infected machines, doing anything a user sitting in front of the computer's keyboard could do.
But wait ... there's more.
'Chances are those MyDoom computers are also harboring other viruses, spyware, Trojans and all sorts of garbage,' says London-based network administrator Nick Bayless. 'Some people's computers are the virtual version of an insane asylum and a prison, home to all sorts of crazy, ill-intentioned and just plain bad characters.' "

Yahoo! News - Vicious Worm Infects Without Attachment

Yahoo! News - Vicious Worm Infects Without Attachment: "A handful of Bagle worm variants are attacking Windows users with an insidious new twist: They can infect computers without tricking them into opening a file attachment -- opening an e-mail is all it takes. " Click the link for the rest of the story!

What is Adware?

ADWARE

Any software application in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running is called Adware. Software can be Adware and Spyware at the same time! More importantly, not all Adware is Spyware and most Spyware is NOT easily detected by displaying ads.

Most people are familiar with or have heard of freeware, shareware, cookies, media players, interactive content, and/or file sharing. What you may not realize is that some of the above mentioned may contain (more often then not) code or components that allow the developers of these applications and tools to actually collect and disseminate information about those using them.
They can track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, alter important system files, and can do this without your knowledge or permission. The security and privacy implications of these exploits should be quite obvious! Adware and Spyware are intrusive and undesirable threats to your privacy on any system or network!

email Tips:

a) always put a subject, be suspicious of emails without a subject

b) add the entry !000 worm@lert into your address book so you will know if you are infected by an email address book virus, if a virus sends out an email from your address book this email will come back “undeliverable” & you will be alerted by this name “worm@lert”

c) empty or reduce the sent & deleted items regularly. If a virus is in one of these folders it can remain dormant until a specific date.

d) Setup and Use multiple email "rules" to delete obvious Spam by using Keywords like viagra or refinance, etc...

Personal firewalls: The 'other' antivirus software - Computerworld

Personal firewalls: The 'other' antivirus software - Computerworld: "They come under different names -- SubSeven, NetBus, Deep Throat, Back Orifice or the recent Mydoom -- but they share a common trait: They open a back door to an infected system. You wouldn't leave the back door of your home or business open to intruders, and your computer merits the same prudence.
Most commercially available antivirus products will detect known worms and Trojans containing back doors, but malicious code evolves rapidly, and new, more sophisticated threats surface daily. Worms can spread very quickly, and antivirus vendors aren't always able to develop and disseminate updates in time to prevent a major outbreak. "

SPYWARE.... What is it?

What is Spyware-
Any software application in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running is called Adware. And any software that sends data back to a third party - WITHOUT ASKING the user - is Spyware.
This means that a software can be Adware and Spyware at the same time! More importantly, not all Adware is Spyware and most Spyware is NOT easily detected by displaying ads.

Model hacker behavior - Computerworld

Model hacker behavior - Computerworld: "MARCH 19, 2004 (CIO) - Forget about patches. Researchers at the Florida Institute of Technology are looking for ways to fight hackers by modeling their methods, or 'exploits.' The research could eventually lead to new types of security tools capable of stopping attacks that hackers haven't even invented yet. "

Security highlights from around the Web - Computerworld

Security highlights from around the Web - Computerworld: "University computers hacked: San Diego State University warned more than 178,000 students, alumni and employees that hackers broke into a university computer server where names and Social Security numbers were stored, the San Diego Union Tribune reports. University officials said the hackers infiltrated a server in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships in late December and used it to send spam e-mail messages and transfer files, including MP3 music files. The problem was discovered in late February and SDSU took the server off the network."

0Spam.com - A Virtually 100% Effective Free Anti-Spam Service

0Spam.com - An Effective Free Anti-Spam Service:
"0Spam.com is a free, virtually 100% effective anti-spam service designed for POP E-mail accounts and now works with Yahoo and Hotmail accounts. Unlike other anti-spam services that use filters which don't filter out all the spam and even filter out non-spam, 0Spam.com uses a whitelisting technique that safely removes spam from one or more inboxes. 0Spam.com is not a software program, nothing to download or install, and there is no need to change the way your E-mail accounts are currently setup."

Experts Debate Phatbot Worm

Yahoo! News - Experts Debate Danger of Phatbot Worm: "Security discussion lists and reports were abuzz Wednesday with talk of a new worm, named 'Phatbot,' that had spread to as many as hundreds of thousands of systems. But not all security experts agreed that the worm was widespread. "

Microsoft confident bounties will nab virus writers - Computerworld

Microsoft confident bounties will nab virus writers - Computerworld: " A trio of bounties Microsoft Corp. placed on the heads of virus writers has generated a variety of investigative leads, but still no arrests, a top security official from the software giant said"

New Bagle and Netsky worms...

March comes in with a roar: "The saying goes that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But with new versions of the Bagle e-mail worm and a virulent new form of the Netsky virus, March's arrival is looking more wormy than leonine."

'Worm war' behind recent virus releases

'Worm war'
Antivirus experts have identified new versions of three major e-mail worms and say that a "war" between rival virus writers may be to blame for the rash of outbreaks in recent weeks.New versions of the Mydoom, Netsky and Bagle worms have all appeared on the Internet in the past 24 hours. Antivirus researchers have uncovered text messages in two of the worms that suggest a battle is under way among virus writers, antivirus companies said today.

All three variants resemble their predecessors, which spread in e-mail messages with vague-sounding subjects using infected attachments such as .zip, .exe, or .pif files. The viruses have their own Simple Mail Transfer Protocol engines and harvest e-mail addresses from infected computers, which are then targeted with infected mail, antivirus companies said.

SPAM spam S p a m SpAm

Spam, it's what's for dinner.....



SPAM, the other other white meat....



Spam is the flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. In other words, all that annoying email you didn't ask for.

It is Best NOT to reply or they have you! Don't EVER use the "unsubscribe" link as that also tells them you are active.. You're then a known target & they will sell that info to other spammers (ie- lowlife scum of the internet, don't get me going LMAO) resulting in even more virtual junk mail...


Boycott Internet spam!

Yahoo! News - Hackers Embrace P2P Concept

Yahoo! News - Hackers Embrace P2P Concept
Computer security experts in the private sector and U.S. government are monitoring the emergence of a new, highly sophisticated hacker tool that uses the same peer-to-peer (P2P) networking abilities that power controversial file-sharing networks like Kazaa and BearShare.

Inagural Post

Here I'll post links to all relavent stories I find. A comment section will be implemented, please use it for comments, suggestions or help you may need cleaning your PC. An "FAQ" section will soon be developed too.
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With your help maybe we can make a difference. Thanks!