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Friday the 5th of February 2010

Welcome to the Helpforce Daily Briefing, on Friday the 5th of February 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
For free technical support, visit us at http://www.helpforce.com

1. Latest Virus Alerts From Sophos
---------------------------------------
Troj/Bredo-AT on 5 February 2010 11:42:33 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojbredoat.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/FakeAV-ATB on 5 February 2010 11:42:33 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojfakeavatb.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Tiotua-CC on 5 February 2010 11:42:33 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojtiotuacc.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Tiotua-CE on 5 February 2010 11:42:33 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojtiotuace.html?_log_from=rss
JS/Zapcast-A on 5 February 2010 10:02:53 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/jszapcasta.html?_log_from=rss
Mal/Wintrim-A on 5 February 2010 10:02:53 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/malwintrima.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-MJY on 5 February 2010 10:02:53 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagentmjy.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Dloadr-CYK on 5 February 2010 10:02:53 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojdloadrcyk.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/FakeAV-ATY on 5 February 2010 10:02:53 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojfakeavaty.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Mdrop-CKA on 5 February 2010 10:02:53 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojmdropcka.html?_log_from=rss

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

-- Routine DNA Tests For Newborns Mean Looming Privacy Problems
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/daXxWFCT6dI/Routine-DNA-Tests-For-Newborns-Mean-Looming-Privacy-Problems)
pogopop77 writes "CNN has an interesting story about how newborn babies in the United States are routinely screened for a panel of genetic diseases. Since the testing is mandated by the government, it's often done without the parents' consent. However, many states store that DNA information indefinitely, and even make it available to researchers with little or no privacy safeguards. Sometimes even the names are attached! Here is information on state-by-state policies (PDF) of the handling of the DNA information."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- GameStop, Other Retailers Subpoenaed Over Credit Card Information Sharing
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/8HKXmVrx1PM/GameStop-Other-Retailers-Subpoenaed-Over-Credit-Card-Information-Sharing)
New York State's Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, has subpoenaed a number of online retailers, including GameStop, Barnes & Noble, Ticketmaster and Staples, over the way they pass information to marketing firms while processing transactions. MSNBC explains the scenario thus: "You're on the site of a well-know retailer and you make a purchase. As soon as you complete the transaction a pop-up window appears. It offers a discount on your next purchase. Click on the ad and you are automatically redirected to another company's site where you are signed up for a buying club, travel club or credit card protection service. The yearly cost is usually $100 to $145. Here's where things really get smarmy. Even though you did not give that second company any account information, they will bill the credit or debit card number you used to make the original purchase. You didn't have to provide your account number because the 'trusted' retailer gave it to them for a cut of the action." While there is no law preventing this sort of behavior, Cuomo hopes the investigation will pressure these companies to change their ways, or at least inform customers when their information might be shared.Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- First Room-Temperature Germanium Laser Completed
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/TgAsqmJNpBM/First-Room-Temperature-Germanium-Laser-Completed)
eldavojohn writes "MIT researchers have built and demonstrated the first room-temperature germanium laser that can produce light at wavelengths suited for communication. This achievement has two parts: '[U]nlike the materials typically used in lasers, germanium is easy to incorporate into existing processes for manufacturing silicon chips. So the result could prove an important step toward computers that move data — and maybe even perform calculations — using light instead of electricity. But more fundamentally, the researchers have shown that, contrary to prior belief, a class of materials called indirect-band-gap semiconductors can yield practical lasers.' While these are only the initial steps in what may become optical computing devices, the article paints it as very promising. The painful details will be published in the journal Optics Letters."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Fallout: New Vegas Coming This Fall, Trailer Released
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/8HoYfEnNhfE/emFallout-New-Vegasem-Coming-This-Fall-Trailer-Released)
Bethesda announced today that Fallout: New Vegas is scheduled for release sometime this fall, and they released a trailer as well. Details are scant yet on the official site, but they had this to say:
"Experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault: Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however — while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency,* in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay. (* Should not be construed as a legally-binding claim.)"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Lord Lucas Says Record Companies "Blackmail" Users
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/pq21tVCOeOo/Lord-Lucas-Says-Record-Companies-Blackmail-Users)
Kijori writes "Lord Lucas, a member of the UK House of Lords, has accused record companies of blackmailing internet users by accusing people of copyright infringement who have no way to defend themselves. 'You can get away with asking for £500 or £1,000 and be paid on most occasions without any effort having to be made to really establish guilt. It is straightforward legal blackmail.' The issue is that there is no way for people to prove their innocence, since the record company's data is held to be conclusive proof, and home networking equipment does not log who is downloading what. Hopefully, at the very least, the fact that parliament has realised this fact will mean that copyright laws will get a little more sane."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Murdoch Says E-Book Prices Will Kill Paper Books
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/uUL6hLhuFA0/Murdoch-Says-E-Book-Prices-Will-Kill-Paper-Books)
hrimhari writes "The settlement between Amazon and Macmillian got the attention of a known dinosaur. Consistent to his views, Mr. Murdoch wants to defend his book editors by killing the cheaper solution. '"We don't like the Amazon model of selling everything at $9.99," Murdoch said. "They pay us the wholesale price of $14 or whatever we charge," he said. "But I think it really devalues books, and it hurts all the retailers of the hardcover books.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Pluto — a Complex and Changing World
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/IfVYssByaVM/Pluto-mdash-a-Complex-and-Changing-World)
astroengine writes "After 4 years of processing the highest resolution photographs the Hubble Space Telescope could muster, we now have the highest resolution view of Pluto's surface ever produced. Most excitingly, these new observations show an active world with seasonal changes altering the dwarf planet's surface. It turns out that this far-flung world has more in common with Earth than we would have ever imagined."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Craig Mundie Wants "Internet Driver's Licenses"
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/qgYel_JuOMI/Craig-Mundie-Wants-Internet-Drivers-Licenses)
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Craig Mundie, Microsoft's Chief Research and Strategy Officer, called for the creation of an 'Internet Driver's License' at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying, 'If you want to drive a car you have to have a license to say that you are capable of driving a car, the car has to pass a test to say it is fit to drive and you have to have insurance.' Of course, there are quite a few problems with this. For starters, internet use cannot yet cause death or dismemberment like car accidents can; and this would get rid of most of the good of internet anonymity while retaining all of the bad parts, especially in terms of expanding the market for stolen identities. Even though telephone networks have long been used by scammers and spammers/telemarketers, we've never needed a 'Telephone Driver's License.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Keep SSH Sessions Active, Or Reconnect?
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/UcSVl7RZQZc/Keep-SSH-Sessions-Active-Or-Reconnect)
borjonx writes "Is it safer to log out of an SSH session, and re-establish it later, or just keep the connection open? Like many of you, I use OpenSSH to connect to my Slackware Linux boxes remotely from Linux and WinXP (putty.exe) clients. At home and at work, I wonder if it would be safer to just leave the connection open (my clients are physically secured, the servers limit connections with hosts.allow). Is it more secure to re-establish the connection over an insecure link (big bad internet) where people can sniff that handshaking, or is it more secure to just remain connected? I connect 1 to 4 times per day, most days."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- How Infighting Hampers Innovation At Microsoft
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Esy5-EcBdZY/How-Infighting-Hampers-Innovation-At-Microsoft)
Garabito writes "Dick Brass, former vice-president at Microsoft, published an op-ed in The New York Times, where he states that 'Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator' and how 'it has lost share in Web browsers, high-end laptops and smartphones.' He attributes this situation to the lack of a true system for innovation at Microsoft. Some former employees argue that Microsoft has a system to thwart innovation. He tells how promising and innovative technologies like ClearType and the original TabletPC concept become crippled and sabotaged internally, by groups and divisions that felt threatened by them."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Police Want Fast Track To Get At Your Private Data
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/bvRmGML7gbc/Police-Want-Fast-Track-To-Get-At-Your-Private-Data)
An anonymous reader writes "According to this story on CNET, police again are pushing for new laws requiring ISPs and webmail providers to store users' private data for five years and also want a new electronic way of speeding up subpoenas and search warrants via police-only encrypted portals at all ISPs and webmail providers."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Symbian Completes Transition To Open Source
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/v6_YKXwCQng/Symbian-Completes-Transition-To-Open-Source)
Grond writes "Symbian, maker of the the world's most popular mobile operating system, has completed the transition to a completely open platform months ahead of schedule. While the kernel was opened up last year, the entire platform is now open source, primarily under the Eclipse Public License. A FAQ is available with more information about the platform opening."

Adds an anonymous reader, linking to PC Magazine's story on the transition: "By putting Symbian fully in the public domain, the Symbian Foundation is pitting it against Google's Android. Symbian is well known across most of the world, but it's mostly a foreign curiosity in the US, AT&T is the only carrier that currently has a symbian phone in its lineup, the Nokia E71x."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Following Tech's Money Trail In Washington
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/5z_EOKkNs5k/Following-Techs-Money-Trail-In-Washington)
snydeq writes "Having outlayed $111 million to gain political influence in 2009, the tech industry is clearly learning how to play the lobbying game, writes InfoWorld's Bill Snyder. And while longtime lobbying stalwart General Motors nearly outspent the tech industry on its own, the rise of lobbying among tech giants, especially those under antitrust scrutiny, is staggering. Google, which has been drawing interest from the feds over its online advertising business, has increased its efforts twelve-fold in the past four years. And while Google frames its sudden increased interest in Washington as a matter of growth inspiring greater civic responsibility, the company may find itself sucked further into Washington, now that it is party to an international spat involving both the US and Chinese governments. Among those that top the list of tech lobbyists, Oracle, Intel, and Microsoft all have come under scrutiny in the past year, with Intel accused of monopolistic practices and Oracle requiring sign off on its merger with Sun."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Why the First Cowboy To Draw Always Gets Shot
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/IwUINNOJZrw/Why-the-First-Cowboy-To-Draw-Always-Gets-Shot)
cremeglace writes "Have you ever noticed that the first cowboy to draw his gun in a Hollywood Western is invariably the one to get shot? Nobel-winning physicist Niels Bohr did, once arranging mock duels to test the validity of this cinematic curiosity. Researchers have now confirmed that people indeed move faster if they are reacting, rather than acting first."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- IE Flaw Gives Hackers Access To User Files
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/D9eopFZr8AE/IE-Flaw-Gives-Hackers-Access-To-User-Files)
snydeq writes "Microsoft warned that a flaw in IE gives attackers access to files stored on a PC under certain conditions. 'Our investigation so far has shown that if a user is using a version of Internet Explorer that is not running in Protected Mode an attacker may be able to access files with an already known filename and location,' Microsoft said in a security advisory. The vulnerability requires that an attacker knows the name of the file they want to access, according to the company."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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

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

-- My mustek scanner wont let me scan to my screen
(http://www.helpforce.com)

Question: My problem is with my mustek 1200ub plus scanner, i can scan to printer no problem but i cant see the scan on the screen first, what do i have to do? hope u you can help me.

Answer: Mustek scanners are the same brand as Packard Bell scanners and several others.There are known problems with these series of scanners and Windows XP.My advice is to go to the Mustek web site and download updated drivers for your PC.You can download Mustek drivers for your scanner at: http://www.mustek.com/Download/mustekdrivers.htmlYou will need to select your location, followed by your windows version in order to download.

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

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

-- Troubleshoot Your Slow Internet Connection(http://netforbeginners.about.com/b/a/258255.htm)

Slow Internet happens for various reasons. You might have poor hardware connecting your machine to the wall. Maybe your modem-router is not configured correctly. Perhaps you have...

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