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Thursday the 2nd of October 2008

Welcome to the Helpforce Daily Briefing, on Thursday the 2nd of October 2008

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

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1. Latest Virus Alerts From Sophos
---------------------------------------
Bat/Taisha-A on 2 October 2008 12:22:20 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/battaishaa.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-HUU on 2 October 2008 12:22:20 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagenthuu.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/ASP-C on 2 October 2008 12:22:20 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojaspc.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Dwnldr-HIP on 2 October 2008 12:22:20 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojdwnldrhip.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/FakeAV-EG on 2 October 2008 12:22:20 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojfakeaveg.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Small-EMJ on 2 October 2008 12:22:20 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojsmallemj.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-HUS on 2 October 2008 11:27:48 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagenthus.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Agent-HUT on 2 October 2008 11:27:48 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojagenthut.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/Banloa-FY on 2 October 2008 11:27:48 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojbanloafy.html?_log_from=rss
Troj/FakeVir-GG on 2 October 2008 11:27:48 Z
http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/trojfakevirgg.html?_log_from=rss

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

-- Sysadmin Steals Almost 20,000 Pieces Of Computer Equipment
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/TebtVrcNkqM/article.pl)
coondoggie writes "Now this is some serious computer theft. We're talking 19,709 pieces of stolen computer equipment from the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. The theft included everything from PCs and printer toner to hard drives, software and other office equipment amounting to over $120,000, according to court documents and published reports."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Hackers Clone Elvis' Passport
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/WESuiLeLiVU/article.pl)
Barence writes "Hackers have released source code that allows the 'backup' of RFID-protected passports, although the tool can potentially be used to create fake or cloned documents. The Hacker's Choice, a non-commercial group of computer security experts, has released a video showing a cloned passport being approved by a security scanner at a Dutch airport. When the reader scans the passport, it is revealed to belong to one Elvis Aaron Presley, complete with picture. Reports of the hackers serenading security staff with 'Are You Clonesome Tonight' are unconfirmed."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Credit Card Security Standard Issued
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/WDZGCdh2lhk/article.pl)
alphadogg writes "The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, the organization that sets technical requirements for processing credit- and debit-cards, Wednesday issued revised security rules, while also indicating next year it will focus on new guidelines for end-to-end encryption, payment machines and virtualization. PCI adherence has been pushed big time in the industry to help avoid more big breaches such as the one involving TJX. Those familiar with the standard say it could be expensive to implement and that there are some things those using wireless LANs will need to pay especially close attention to."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Man Uses Remote Logon To Help Find Laptop Thief
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/KRD0o5fHQZ0/article.pl)
After his computer was stolen, Jose Caceres used a remote access program to log on every day and watch it being used. The laptop was stolen on Sept. 4, when he left it on top of his car while carrying other things into his home. "It was kind of frustrating because he was mostly using it to watch porn," Caceres said. "I couldn't get any information about him." Last week the thief messed up and registered on a web site with his name and address. Jose alerted the police, who arrested a suspect a few hours later. The moral of the story: never go to a porn site where you have to register.Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Hikers May Have Found Fossett Items
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/ZJ976AVqtO0/article.pl)
Anonymous Coward writes "CNN is reporting 'A weathered sweat shirt, cash and a pilot license with Fossett's name were found Tuesday near Mammoth Lakes, police Chief Randy Schienle said.' The license did not have a photo. '"We're not certain that it belongs to Steve Fossett, but it certainly has his name on the ID," Schienle said.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Spammers Targeting Microsoft's Revised CAPTCHA
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/OcpokuVYnvk/article.pl)
toomuchtoomuchspam writes "According to Websense, Microsoft's CAPTCHA has been busted again. CAPTCHA was surely a logical move for different service providers to fight against spammers, but it seems to be melting down. 'Realizing the potential for massive abuse from spammers with anti-CAPTCHA capabilities, who could use the clean IP reputation to carry out various attacks over Email and Web space, Microsoft attempted to increase the complexity of their CAPTCHA system. The CAPTCHA system was revised in an attempt to both prevent automatic registrations from computer programs or automated bots, and preserve CAPTCHA's usability and reliability. As this attack shows, those efforts have failed,' says Websense security researcher Prasad. Could there be any better CAPTCHA? A better solution?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Toshiba Battery Charges In 10 Minutes
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/wSc2QO3xn-0/article.pl)
Slatterz writes "Toshiba has unveiled a battery prototype that offers a 90 percent charge capacity in just 10 minutes. The Super Charge Ion Battery (SCIB) is capable of handling 5,000 to 6,000 recharge cycles, compared to the typical 500 offered by standard lithium-ion batteries. The new battery is composed of a durable material that offers a high level of thermal stability and prevents overheating."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- How Big Should My Swap Partition Be?
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/OPtGb08yFXs/article.pl)
For the last 10 years, I have been asking people more knowledgeable than I, "How big should my swap be?" and the answer has always been "Just set it to twice your RAM and forget about it." In the old days, it wasn't much to think about — 128 megs of RAM means 256 megs of swap. Now that I have 4 gigs of RAM in my laptop, I find myself wondering, "Is 8 gigs of swap really necessary?" How much swap does the average desktop user really need? Does the whole "twice your RAM" rule still apply? If so, for how much longer will it likely apply? Or will it always apply? Or have I been consistently misinformed over the last 10 years?Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Vint Cerf Says It's Every Machine For Itself
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Az7pzEq8KTY/article.pl)
Hugh Pickens writes "The Guardian has an interesting story on Vint Cerf, the 'father of the internet,' in which he says there's no silver bullet for scammers, spammers and criminals running zombie networks and porn-to-porn file swapping because 'the internet was designed that way.' Cerf adds, 'Like every medium, the internet can be abused. When we think about it, we can commit fraud locally and internationally using the telephone system and postal service.' However, Cerf is also convinced that it's the internet's openness — in allowing people with new ideas to do their thing without getting anyone's permission — that is the main source of its power, and he is against the idea of a two-tier internet with a trusted, controlled 'overnet' for commercial and business use, and an 'undernet' where anything goes. 'My bias right now tends to be "It's every man for himself" — you need to be suspicious whether you're inside the trusted cloud or not, and when it fails, the house of cards tends to collapse.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Google, Circa 2001
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Aa5G2JEQDgc/article.pl)
An anonymous reader writes "If you have 10 minutes to spare, take a look at an archive that Google has posted to mark the company's 10th anniversary. The search engine and its results are based on data from 2001, but it's interesting to see what turns up when popular 2008 terms are entered. For instance, iPod generates a reference to Image Proof of Deposit Document Processing System, and the 771 Barack Obama results centered around his duties as an Illinois State Senator."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Otherland MMO Announced
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/QG-jBdngnNs/article.pl)
Eurogamer breaks news that German games publisher DPT Entertainment will be making an MMORPG based on Tad Williams' Otherland series of books. As anyone who has read the books will know, this could be an interesting new spin on virtual worlds. Quoting: "For want of a better soundbite, let's call it the first cyberpunk MMO: a virtual world about virtual worlds, in which your avatar is an avatar, the NPCs play NPCs, and you explore a multiverse in which you might be in realistic historical surroundings one minute, and cartoon fantasy ones the next. Everything changes, even your own appearance, and nothing is even pretending to be real. ... You start the game as one of those consciousnesses in a place called the Land of the Lost, a nightmare scenario which you're trying to escape. You'll run, be killed, and reborn in a 'baby' state as a simple, low-rent sim (though we suspect the game won't be using that term, for obvious reasons) - a blank, featureless avatar that can be male, female or even neither."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Africa Leads In IPv6 Adoption
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/HAENzw2JJX8/article.pl)
Ian Lamont writes "The recent news that China will run out of IPv4 addresses in a few years points to slow adoption of IPv6 in some developed countries. Now it turns out that the largest number of networks displaying new IPv6 address blocks are registered through AfriNIC, which services networks in Africa and the Indian Ocean. While AfriNIC has a smaller installed base than other regions, many countries in Africa are showing rapid growth in terms of online connectivity."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Microsoft To Release Cloud-Oriented Windows OS
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/wg04E3Y4z5E/article.pl)
CWmike writes "Within a month, Microsoft will unveil what CEO Steve Ballmer called 'Windows Cloud.' The operating system, which will likely have a different name, is intended for developers writing cloud-computing applications, said Ballmer, who spoke to an auditorium of IT managers at a Microsoft-sponsored conference in London. Ballmer was short on details, saying more information would spoil the announcement. Windows Cloud is a separate project from Windows 7, the operating system that Microsoft is developing to succeed Windows Vista."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- AIDS Virus Now Estimated To Be 100 Years Old
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/ExGlJIKswm4/article.pl)
ChazeFroy writes "A new study estimates that the AIDS virus, HIV, started to circulate in the human population between 1884 and 1924, with a more focused estimate at 1908. This is much earlier than the previously-held estimate of 1930. 'The new result is "not a monumental shift, but it means the virus was circulating under our radar even longer than we knew," says Michael Worobey of the University of Arizona, an author of the new work.' The article also speculates that HIV first began to spread in Kinshasa, Congo."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

-- Apple Drops Part of iPhone Developer NDA
(http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/liHx6vfWhhY/article.pl)
ds writes "Apple, this morning, announced they are dropping the iPhone Developer NDA in respect to released software. Previously, iPhone developers were legally bound even after their software had been released." Another reader adds, "Early release software is still covered, but this should bring about increased developer interaction, as well as a slew of iPhone dev books." The complete message about the NDA change can be seen for now at Apple's iPhone Developer site, and is reproduced below.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
-----------------------------------------------

-- Site of the Week: Election Dashboard 2008(http://netforbeginners.about.com/b/a/257711.htm)

This is a mesmerizing pair of web pages. The database folks at iDashboards.com have assembled Gallup poll and election campaign data for viewing in graphical format. See how men, women,...

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