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Wednesday the 13th of January 2010

Welcome to the Helpforce Daily Briefing, on Wednesday the 13th of January 2010

1. Virus Warnings
2. Daily Technology News
3. Latest Shareware and Freeware
4. FAQ for the day
5. Advice of the day
6. Internet Advice

This is a free service provided by Helpforce.com, to unsubscribe please visit http://www.helpforce.com
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1. Latest Virus Alerts From Sophos
---------------------------------------
Mal/Bifrose-Z on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/malbifrosez.html?_log_from=rss
Mal/FakeAV-CH on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/malfakeavch.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MDP on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmdp.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MDQ on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmdq.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MDR on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmdr.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Banker-EVG on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojbankerevg.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/GamPass-X on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojgampassx.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/JSRedir-AO on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojjsredirao.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/KillB-Gen on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojkillbgen.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Mdrop-CJU on 13 January 2010 11:52:24 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojmdropcju.html?_log_from=rss

2. Latest Technology News From Slashdot
-----------------------------------------------

-- Organ Damage In Rats From Monsanto GMO Corn
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/qIkZalKgjTY/Organ-Damage-In-Rats-From-Monsanto-GMO-Corn)
jenningsthecat writes "A study published in December 2009 in the International Journal of Biological Sciences found that three varieties of Monsanto genetically-modified corn caused damage to the liver, kidneys, and other organs of rats. One of the corn varieties was designed to tolerate broad-spectrum herbicides, (so-called 'Roundup-ready' corn), while the other two contain bacteria-derived proteins that have insecticide properties. The study made use of Monsanto's own raw data. Quoting from the study's 'Conclusions' section: 'Our analysis highlights that the kidneys and liver as particularly important on which to focus such research as there was a clear negative impact on the function of these organs in rats consuming GM maize varieties for just 90 days.' Given the very high prevalence of corn in processed foods, this could be a real ticking time bomb. And with food manufacturers not being required by law to declare GMO content, I think I'll do my best to avoid corn altogether. Pass the puffed rice and pour me a glass of fizzy water!"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Game Endings Going Out of Style?
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/2U0K4fKX2Zo/Game-Endings-Going-Out-of-Style)
An article in the Guardian asks whether the focus of modern games has shifted away from having a clear-cut ending and toward indefinite entertainment instead. With the rise of achievements, frequent content updates and open-ended worlds, it seems like publishers and developers are doing everything they can to help this trend. Quoting: "Particularly before the advent of 'saving,' the completion of even a simple game could take huge amounts of patience, effort and time. The ending, like those last pages of a book, was a key reason why we started playing in the first place. Sure, multiplayer and arcade style games still had their place, but fond 8, 16 and 32-bit memories consist more of completion and satisfaction than particular levels or tricky moments. Over the past few years, however, the idea of a game as simply something to 'finish' has shifted somewhat. For starters, the availability of downloadable content means no story need ever end, as long as the makers think there's a paying audience. Also, the ubiquity of broadband means multiplayer gaming is now the standard, not the exception it once was. There is no real 'finish' to most MMORPGs."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- 2010 AL30, Asteroid Or Space Junk, To Pay a Close Visit
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/DWBrqKCHo_A/2010-AL30-Asteroid-Or-Space-Junk-To-Pay-a-Close-Visit)
astroengine writes "A near-Earth object that could be manmade has just been discovered hurtling toward us. On Wednesday (Jan. 13), an object called 2010 AL30 will fly by Earth at a distance of just 130,000 km (80,000 miles). That's only one-third of the way from here to the moon, i.e. very close. It will miss us, and if it did hit us, it wouldn't do any damage anyway, but I managed to pick up on some chatter between planetary scientists and found out that the 'asteroid,' or whatever it is, gives us a new standard: a 10-meter-wide asteroid can be detected two days before it potentially hits Earth. A pretty useful warning if you ask me."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- BioWare Targeting Spring 2011 For Star Wars: The Old Republic Launch
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/t17NeVlF2Lk/BioWare-Targeting-Spring-2011-For-emStar-Wars-The-Old-Republicem-Launch)
MTV's Multiplayer blog reports on comments from BioWare employee Sean Dahlberg, which indicate that they are aiming to release the game in spring 2011. He said, "While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars: The Old Republic. We've got a lot of exciting updates and reveals planned throughout 2010, including the first-ever hands-on testing for the game. ... We can't wait to share more about the game with you as we progress through the year, so make sure you stay tuned to the official website for details." Recent posts to the game's developer blog provide details on the Imperial Agent and the Jedi Knight. They also released a video which gives insight into their design process for the Dark Side.Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Is RCA's Airnergy Snake Oil?
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/LhAcsxGwiVg/Is-RCAs-Airnergy-Snake-Oil)
Ben Newman writes "Of all the tech that's come out of CES this week, nothing has gotten the blogosphere more excited then the RCA Airnergy. A lot of people love the thought of an ever-recharging cell phone, and the Airnergy promises to constantly charge its internal battery through 2.4GHz wireless signals. Neat idea, but as some commenters have pointed out the energy just isn't there to make this work — BOTECs for a full charge range from 100 days to 32 years. Plus, don't let the RCA brand fool you into thinking this must be from a legitimate company: RCA hasn't existed as anything more then a licensed brand name for a couple of decades. So what do Slashdotters think — real deal or 21st century hokum?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Half of US Patents Issued Out of US For Second Year
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/lJruyl01nKo/Half-of-US-Patents-Issued-Out-of-US-For-Second-Year)
netbuzz writes "According to a new report from IFI Patent Intelligence, 51% of patents issued by the United States in 2009 went to companies located overseas. While this marks the second consecutive year that a majority of US patents have landed abroad, an author of the report says: 'It's foolhardy to use this statistic to infer that American firms are losing ground to foreign competitors because with patents, it's important to consider quality, as well as quantity.' IBM was once again granted the most patents of any company, 4,914, followed by Samsung and Microsoft."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Forrester Says Tech Downturn Is "Unofficially Over"
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/HLrsUu64EK8/Forrester-Says-Tech-Downturn-Is-Unofficially-Over)
alphadogg writes "The US IT market will grow by 6.6% as high-tech spending rebounds in 2010, according to Forrester Research's latest estimates. The research firm based its projections on data reported for 2009, though its fourth quarter numbers are incomplete. Forrester says hints of a recovery surfaced in the third quarter, and now the company expects the global IT market to grow by 8.1% in 2010. Forrester's US and Global IT Market Outlook: Q4 2009 reads: 'The tech downturn of 2008 and 2009 is unofficially over, while the Q3 2009 data for the US and the global market showed continued declines in tech purchases (as we expected). We predict that the Q4 2009 data will show a small increase in buying activity, or at worst, just a small decline.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- The Economy of Wikileaks
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/J_AN1XtEWAM/The-Economy-of-Wikileaks)
StefanBerlin writes "Wikileaks is fast becoming one of the most politically important platforms on the Web. In this interview Julian Assange, the spokesperson, talks about its current situation and about the financial and economic background of Wikileaks. He also talks about why they cancelled the planned auction of the emails of Hugo Chavez's former speechwriter in Venezuela, and about Wikileaks' plans for a subscription model that could possibly solve the site's financial problems once and for all."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- US Coast Guard Intends To Kill LORAN-C
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/xYjzycvmIJk/US-Coast-Guard-Intends-To-Kill-LORAN-C)
adaviel writes "LORAN (Long Range Aids to Navigation) is an electronic navigation system using low-frequency radio, used by many boaters (including me) before GPS. It has an approximately 200m accuracy and is a functional replacement in case GPS fails or the US implements selective availability in time of war. The US Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, intends to turn it off starting February 8." This is in spite of $160M spent on modernizing LORAN stations over the past 10 years.Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Google Hacked, May Pull Out of China
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Og-Oce66uHc/Google-Hacked-May-Pull-Out-of-China)
D H NG writes "Following a sophisticated attack on Google infrastructure originating from China late last year, Google has decided to take 'a new approach' to China. In their investigation, Google found that more than 20 large companies had been infiltrated and dozens of Chinese human rights activists' Gmail accounts had been compromised. Google has decided to 'review the feasibility of [its] business operations in China,' no longer censoring results in Google.cn, and if necessary, to 'shut down Google.cn, and potentially [Google's] offices in China.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Comcast Launches Broadband Meter
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/GGJzhBxag54/Comcast-Launches-Broadband-Meter)
nlawalker writes "Beginning on Tuesday, January 12, Comcast high-speed internet users in Washington state will have access to an online tool that displays their bandwidth usage for the most recent three calendar (not billing) months of usage, including the current month. Washington is the second market to receive access to the tool, following its introduction in Portland. 'For the fraction of less than 1 percent of our customers who are concerned about exceeding our excessive use threshold, we believe this meter will help them monitor and calibrate their usage,' said spokesman Steve Kipp. Perhaps those who aren't using 250GB a month should take it as a challenge."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Google Docs To Host Any File Type
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/wiaSNBApLyA/Google-Docs-To-Host-Any-File-Type)
ezabi writes "According to a post on the official Google blog, in the coming weeks Google Docs will offer to host all file types with a limit of 250 MB, which as they say is larger than the current limit for email attachments. This will have its consequences: paid file sharing will die, more shared pirated material, newer vulnerabilities and malware distribution channels..."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Man Sues Neighbor For Not Turning Off His Wi-Fi
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/yEEzYaPh5KA/Man-Sues-Neighbor-For-Not-Turning-Off-His-Wi-Fi)
Scyth3 writes "A man is suing his neighbor for not turning off his cell phone or wireless router. He claims it affects his 'electromagnetic allergies', and has resorted to being homeless. So, why doesn't he check into a hotel? Because hotels typically have wireless internet for free. I wonder if a tinfoil hat would help his cause?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Twitter Hackers Take Down Baidu
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/jwDqGppW4cw/Twitter-Hackers-Take-Down-Baidu)
snydeq writes "The group that took down Twitter last month has apparently claimed another victim: China's largest search engine Baidu.com. Offline late Monday, Baidu.com at one point displayed an image saying 'This site has been hacked by Iranian Cyber Army,' according to a report in the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party and other Web sites. The Iranian Cyber Army first gained notoriety with its Dec. 18 Twitter attack. Baidu's domain name records were the focus of the hack. On Monday, the company was using domain name servers belonging to HostGator, a Florida ISP, instead of the Baidu.com nameservers the company normally uses."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Google Charges ETF For Nexus One On Top of Carrier's
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Z-ADGoldlbw/Google-Charges-ETF-For-Nexus-One-On-Top-of-Carriers)
dumbnose sends along the news that Google is double-dipping on the Nexus One early termination fee. Ars sorts out the double dose of fine print from Google and T-Mobile. What it boils down to is, if you give up on your Nexus One between 14 days and 120 days after the sale, it will cost you $550: $350 to Google (automatically charged to the credit card you used to buy the phone) and $200 to T-Mobile. After 120 days the Google fee goes away and after 550 days the T-Mobile ETF begins prorating. A poster on Dave Farber's email list provides another perspective on the "restructuring of the handset premium."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

3. Latest Shareware from Planet-Shareware
-----------------------------------------------

4. FAQ of the day from Helpforce
-----------------------------------------------

-- I keep getting hits on different ports on my computer
(http://www.helpforce.com)

Question: I recently installed a firewall on my computer and ad-aware. I am connected to the internet through a dsl cable. since installing the firewall and have noticed hundreds of hits on numerous ports on my computer. The most hits are on 1616, 137,139, & 80. my question is this, is this just background noise or actual hack attempts? These hits are continuous averaging 100+ per hour. Is there a downloadable program out there to trace these events, or is there anything else i can do to protect myself from being hacked.

Answer: What firewall do you use? Try one (e.g. zonealarm) which monitors which programs are using which ports and then asks whether or not they should be allowed. This will stop spyware or trojans. Apart from that, I would suggest keeping your IP address a secret. If you use IRC try to get a VLine or mode +x if the network supports that.

5. Advice of the Day from ask-leo
-----------------------------------------------

6. Internet Advice
-----------------------------------------------

-- Emoticon of the Day(http://netforbeginners.about.com/b/a/258251.htm)

Emoticons, or 'smileys', are such a regular part of daily Internet messaging. Whether it's IM, email, discussion forums, Google Waving, or online game chat, all kinds of smiley icons surface....

Thank you for your continued support, please do not reply to this email address as emails will not be answered.

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