ZDNet : Do you really need antivirus software?

"Do you need antivirus software on your PC?
If you’re not sure of the answer to that question, then the short answer is yes. The longer answer is that security software is only one piece of what should be a simple, straightforward, and systematic approach to your PC’s health. I’ll outline my recommendations in this post. If you’re visiting the family over the holidays, you might want to take my list along with you." ~ Ed Bott

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/do-you-really-need-antivirus-software/2685?tag=content;search-results-river

I understand where he is coming from. I also see his strategy is fairly well thought out. Yes, the security software industry is sort of a protection racket, however, it is still within your best interests to invest in their software.

While I do not place my money into McAfee's or Symantec's hands as of late, I do believe they are trying in their own ways. The whole industry needs to go back to basics on their software. They also need to see that we want a good product at a decent price. I can protect 3 PCs well with Kaspersky Internet Security at $60, while Symantec sells Norton 360 for $80 for 3 PCs ( which is mediocre in my opinion).

Maybe it is our fault at the consumer level that some products have gotten so big. I do still believe that if the focus were to shift into better products, instead of how much they could milk out of us for them, they would make more money. Again this is my opinion.

ZDNet : Mac users can't afford to have their heads in the sand over malware

"Mac might not be under attack from as much malware as Windows, but according to security firm Sophos, users can’t afford to have their heads in the sand." ~Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/mac-users-cant-afford-to-have-their-heads-in-the-sand-over-malware/10503?tag=content;search-results-river

Just trying to pass along a bit of info. Remember, even Mac and Linux users are able to be attacked. So the whole idea of defense through obscurity may not work in today's market. Keep in mind that Apple has opened the door to themselves in other categories too. Others being the tablet and phone market.

XKCD - The Wikileaks comic

Ok this one I just found amusing.

Check it out here.

http://xkcd.com/834/

Tech News World : War and Revolution

"As we end 2010, 2011 is looking to be a relatively violent year when it comes to technology and technology companies. As I write this, there are folks calling the attacks by Wikileaks supporters a cyberwar, but I think it is more of a cyber-revolt, and the difference is important." ~Rob Enderle

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/War-and-Revolution-71422.html

This opinion intrigues and scares me a bit. I am a Information Security student, that being the case I know that this will most likely be something that can bite me in the arse. I know that this will be part of our future, especially finding ways to protect against attacks like those that Wikileaks supporters enacted.

BBC NEWS : Is your operating system a girl?

"The urge to anthropomorphise our computers and software can be irresistible, especially when systems run slow, or are difficult to manage.

The operating system on a computer, say Microsoft Windows XP or Linux, is the interface you look at every day.
On discussion boards and fan sites with bases around the world, these systems are discussed not as to how their code works, but as anthropomorphised characters, drawn in the Manga style." ~ Jamillah Knowles

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11900389

I can't help but laugh a bit at this post. I find it funny and also a bit like another thing many of us do to our cars. We name them, or at least call the "girl"/"boy". I don't think I have gone this far with a computer, but then again I just might not have noticed that I do it. If you do nothing else with this article, check out the pictures they are actually decent Manga style images.

BBC News : Anonymous Wikileaks supporters explain web attacks

"'Coldblood', a member of the group Anonymous, tells Jane Wakefield why he views its attacks on Visa and Mastercard as defence of Wikileaks.

A group of pro-Wikileaks activists who coordinated a series of web attacks have explained their actions.
The Anonymous group said they were not hackers but "average internet citizens" who felt motivated to act because of perceived injustices against Wikileaks.
The group said it had no interest in stealing credit card details or attacking critical infrastructure.
The details were posted online by one of the many factions claiming to carry out the attacks.
"Anonymous is not a group, but rather an internet gathering," it said in a statement published on 10 December."
~ unknown

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11971259

Note to self (and everyone else) : DO NOT PISS OFF THE NET!

To some this statement may seem... over dramatized. But hey, it is a fundamental piece of knowledge that many in our legislature forget. We are in a technology based society now. This means that many people in it can or will destroy you on the net. So be careful what you do and to who. I am not defending Wikileaks, in fact I do not agree with them. I do feel that information should be available, but there should also be some discretion on what to make public. Not all knowledge should be easily accessible. 

Top Tech News : Pentagon Bans Removable Drives on Classified Network

"To avoid more documents going to WikiLeaks, the Pentagon has banned the use of removable drives on its classified SIPRNet. The Pentagon said data transfers "routinely occur," but didn't disable removable media due to logistics problems. The Pentagon previously banned removable drives in 2008, but lifted that order early this year." ~ Barry Levine

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=0310036D8DOB

Well now, what do we actually say to this. In my mind I would have to state that I feel this should have stayed that way before. As a security student and computer user, I understand the need for removable media. But we are in the technological age and most people are relatively unintelligent. I am not saying most people are stupid, that is something different in my mind.
I am mainly of the opinion that in many cases, when bad things happen in a struggle ( I am using a light word here), I do not want to know about the civilian casualties. I remember reading about the world wars, and how much different the media was back then. In my opinion, if you feel that your 5 year old child should not be seeing it, it should not be broadcast. And I know there are some parents that feel that everything they watch their children should be able to as well. To you I say, shame on you.
If we really are a society of people who think that the video games and music are what make us violent, then we must also hold our news media accountable for it as well. There are many violent images there, in many cases more. I am a gamer also, and like many addicted to WoW ( if you don't know, you aren't one). In this game what do you do, you run around doing errands for NPCs ( Non-Player Characters, for those that may not actually know). That's about it. But do I feel that this causes me to be violent, no, I think it is more of a way for me to vent. Some of us need to find good ways to vent our anger, or at least better. Some have their FPS (first-person shooter), and some have puzzle games, both can be helpful.
I am going to end here, as I didn't really want to get into political stuff here.

Network World : Microsoft routes around its own COICA damage

"After the hack Microsoft said it was going to "work closely with law enforcement and product safety groups to keep Kinect tamper-resistant," which sounded pretty threatening. But when CNN interviewed two Microsofties after the incident and asked, "So no one is going to get in trouble?" The reply was, "Nope. Absolutely not."" ~ Mark Gibbs

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2010/120610-backspin.html

It seems both Microsoft and Apple are setting themselves up for these problems recently. It's kinda like the old saying "If you make something IDIOT proof, someone has to go and make a better IDIOT". But in this case hack proof. Now MS and Apple have their own sets of problems and claims, but it doesn't matter. Whenever someone claims to have the best protection, someone has to do everything they can to break into where they are not supposed to be. I would just like to see the look on the face on the hacker, after someone places high security measures on a BS file.

BBC News : Virtual asteroid run as Entropia club sold for profit

"A gamer who made headlines when he bought a virtual asteroid for $100,000 (£56,200) in 2005 has sold it for $635,000 (£395,000)." ~ unknown

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11795098

Although I must say I knew in part this would eventually happen, this is a bit unreal. I have heard accounts on the MMORPG front selling for a few hundred dollars, against the wills of the people who run them. The really amazing part to me is that he was making 125K annually from it as well. Note please that that was not in American money so it is more like $200K.
I must say I am in the wrong industry for making a huge living.

Tech News World : Obama, Palin, Best Buy and Lessons in Leadership

"When it comes to leadership in technology, the bar is set by Apple -- and the only company currently of its scale that comes close isn't an Apple competitor. It is actually Best Buy. Best Buy has been doing for the retail process what Apple has been doing for product, and if you haven't been in a Best Buy store in a while, it is time for a visit -- particularly if you are shopping for a new smartphone." ~Rob Enderle

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Obama-Palin-Best-Buy-and-Lessons-in-Leadership-71183.html

Yes I do realize that this is not technology. I will try not to do this too often, that is get into a political arena on things, also I will endeavor to not get into religion other than well wishes. That being said, I can plainly see that what he is saying is true. What this country needs is a leader, not a charismatic elected official. Although being charismatic is not a bad thing. What we need is the person who leads us forward and actually causes us to follow them. You aren't a leader without followers. I may not have believed that Obama was a good candidate for president, but that does not mean I had a better idea or that I want to see him fail. If the president fails so do we.

What some of us might need is a kick to the head or rear end, myself included. One thing I do want to clear up here is this: It took us a long time to mess ourselves up this badly, do you really believe that it would take only two years to fix? It took at least 8 to get us into it, so is we can get back out in 8 or under I would be very impressed, but I think is will be more like 16 years to call everything okay.

Tech News World : 5 Security Hurdles to Clear Before Choosing a Cloud Provider

"One of the most crucial steps an organization can take when choosing a cloud provider is setting up a reliable service level agreement that protects your data as it resides in the cloud. The answers a prospective provider gives to five key questions can tell you a lot about whether you can trust that outfit with your data." ~Dimitri McKay

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/5-Security-Hurdles-to-Clear-Before-Choosing-a-Cloud-Provider-71175.html
All of these questions are good, and even would work for a home user. I am not against the cloud just very wary of fully trusting it at this point. I know at one point all of us will be tied to it instead of a desktop or laptop with an OS on it. Just pay attention to your IPhone, and all of the other newer mobile devices.

Top Tech News : Report: North Korean Hacking Increases Ahead of G-20

"Three days after South Korea strengthened cybersecurity measures for main government and civilian web sites to cope with possible cyberattacks by hackers in North Korea, a South Korean newspaper says hackers based in China have collected unspecified minor information about the Group of 20 summit from South Korean government networks." ~Hyung-jin Kim

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=012001CFSQ8O
It is the sibling rivalry going on between them I guess. But this is something to keep an eye on.

 

Top Tech News : Europe Tests Cyberwar Defenses in Simulation Exercise

"European member states have tested their responsiveness to a cyberattack in a large-scale exercise that simulated attempts by hackers to paralyze critical online services. The aim of the test was to enhance understanding of how cyber-incidents are handled and test communication links and procedures in case of a real large-scale cyber incident." ~unknown

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=012000EWDNHO

One thing I wonder. How did the E.U. states perform in this experiment?
If I am brutally honest in this situation, I do not believe the U.S. would perform very well in this. That is not to say that we do not have good people to allocate to it, or resources to make it better. It just seems to me in my studies that we are just simply ill prepared to hold our own in this arena.

Top tech news : Web Account Hacking Made Easy with Wi-Fi

"Wi-Fi hot spots are ubiquitous, convenient, fun and dangerous. They're even more more dangerous if you're not making secure connections to the web sites you surf. Tools such as Firesheep -- a Firefox extension -- make it ridiculously easy to log into certain sites as another user and hack into a web account. So what can you do to protect yourself?" ~Dwight Silverman

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=003000C25VMC

Word to the wise protect yourselves while at Starbucks, drinking your coffee, and surfing the web.

Network World : Nightmare Robots: 20 Real and Creepy Androids

"Happy Halloween: These 20 creepy robots are guaranteed to give you the heebie-jeebies." ~Jared Newman

http://www.networkworld.com/slideshows/2010/102710-robots-androids.html#slide1

I have to say the spiders are the ones that creep me the most, they can crawl across the water... although some of the other ones are creepy too. I am also amazed at how close we are starting to come. Beware of the future we will wrought. 

Tech News World : Get Ready to Kiss IPv4 Goodbye: Q&A With ICSA Labs' Guy Snyder, Part 1 & 2

"Pressure to implement IPv6 is coming from both public and private sectors. "Based on these statistics, we can look out into the future and say pretty much for sure these are going to go away within the next 10 to 12 months, at least by the end of next year," said Guy Snyder, secure communications program manager at ICSA Labs." ~Richard Adhikari


http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Get-Ready-to-Kiss-IPv4-Goodbye-QA-With-ICSA-Labs-Guy-Snyder-Part-1-71118.html

"The concern regarding the Internet's dwindling supply of IPv4 addresses isn't new. Now, however, the bells are ringing again in the push toward IPv6. "Today the number shows 234 days remaining [for IPv4], and it shows 181 million IPv4 addresses remaining, and it's going down constantly. It shows 5 percent of those addresses are left," said Guy Snyder, the secure communications program manager at ICSA Labs." ~Richard Adhikari

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Get-Ready-to-Kiss-IPv4-Goodbye-QA-With-ICSA-Labs-Guy-Snyder-Part-2-71126.html

This is a good sign that we are actually moving forward in the technology department. Our president either is tech savvy or has some intelligent people at the helm in this department. I know that this will make some of the things I use now obsolete, but I understand that this is necessary. We all buy new equipment as we need it, I just hope the people higher up give us a heads up similar to the one with all TV going digital. 

KidZui Review

Sorry it has taken so long to get to the next video review of a Child safe browser. Enjoy the Vid, and even with a 7 rating I think this is a good choice.

Find it here:

http://www.kidzui.com/

Network World : 12 "White Hat" hackers you should know

I would just suggest you look at this and read about these people. Also note that many "White" hats used to be "Black" hats.
Drat! Just realized that some of you may not understand those terms.
3 Classes of Hackers:
"White" hat - These are the good guys, many are running companies making products to protect us.
"Gray" hat - Not good, but not bad, these guys work on the outside, many times are just curious and want to see if they can.
"Black" hat - These are the bad guys. They do things because they can and want to do harm and in many cases are doing it to extort money from someone.


http://www.networkworld.com/slideshows/2010/041510-white-hat-hackers.html#slide1

Network World : How to protect against Firesheep attacks

"Security experts today suggested ways Firefox users can protect themselves against Firesheep, the new browser add-on that lets amateurs hijack users' access to Facebook, Twitter and other popular services.

Firesheep adds a sidebar to Mozilla's Firefox browser that shows when anyone on an open network -- such as a coffee shop's Wi-Fi network -- visits an insecure site.
A simple double-click gives a hacker instant access to logged-on sites ranging from Twitter and Facebook to bit.ly and Flickr." ~Gregg Keizer

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/102610-how-to-protect-against-firesheep.html?hpg1=bn

I am a person who would like to be under the "White" hat. So I am posting this so that you can protect yourselves better.

Tech News World : Firesheep Exposes the Soft Underbelly of Website Security

"The new Firefox plug-in Firesheep is a tool that a public WiFi hotspot user can implement to snoop on the activities of other users of that hotspot. Mozilla says the flaw Firesheep exploits is not found in Firefox per se, but rather in the lax security standards to which many popular websites adhere. Firesheep will make it easier for malicious hackers to do their dirty work, but it also may motivate improvements." ~Richard Adhikari

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Firesheep-Exposes-the-Soft-Underbelly-of-Website-Security-71115.html

Well this is interesting. For you non-techies this should be a bit of a wake up call, and for you techies this is yet another way to have fun with others.
I have to say this doesn't surprise me. I, in some ways, am amazed it took this long for someone to find a way to create a hacking add in to Firefox. This might be one of the reasons I do not use my laptop at Starbucks, that and the fact that they want a subscription.

Top Tech News : File-Sharing Site LimeWire Shut Down by Federal Court

"In another victory for the Recording Industry Association of America, music-sharing site LimeWire has been shut down by a federal court. The RIAA also sued to close Napster and Grokster, and called LimeWire a "massive piracy machine." Another trial will determine damages, with the RIAA seeking $450 million from LimeWire principals." ~ Barry Levine

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=12300AADLHXU

As much as I do not like to see the RIAA win, I am actually seeing this as a good thing. When working a tech bench for a computer repair company, I saw Limewire a lot on machines that were riddled with viruses. But I see an even worse side to this also, this means people will use the more dangerous ways to get their music and not the ones that annoyed me.
For those of you that are just looking for a way to listen to music at work, and have a computer with an internet connection, you should try Grooveshark.

http://listen.grooveshark.com/

Top Tech News : Ray Ozzie Warns Microsoft of a 'New Day' Beyond PCs

"Microsoft's rivals are embracing a "New Day" in computing while Microsoft has not, outgoing Software Architect Ray Ozzie has warned. Five years ago, Ozzie outlined a "clear vision" for Chairman Bill Gates that remains elusive under CEO Steve Ballmer. Ozzie sees "connected devices" eroding Microsoft's traditional software monopolies." ~Jennifer LeClaire

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=122009J5KBQY

Well this seems to be the way things are going. And I do have to agree that it takes those few visionary people to make the new things happen. You can only get as far as you can dream possible.

New York Times: Will Apple’s Culture Hurt the iPhone?

"SAN FRANCISCO — If you want a smartphone powered by Google’s Android software, you could get Motorola’s Droid 2 or its cousin, the Droid X. Then there is the Droid Incredible from HTC, the Fascinate from Samsung and the Ally from LG.
That’s just on Verizon Wireless. An additional 20 or so phones running Android are available in the United States, and there are about 90 worldwide.
But if your preference is an Apple-powered phone, you can buy — an iPhone." ~MIGUEL HELFT 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/technology/18apple.html?ref=technology

I do see some trouble ahead for Apple in this market. But there are many ways for which they can still compete well. One way would be to open up the ITunes store to other phones. Yas this is risky but what in business is not in some way. This would still give them an edge. Maybe people with IPhones get a better price than those with a DROID or other mobile device. ITunes is available on a PC, and you have to pay for somethings just like the IPhone. I am speaking as a person who doesn't own an IPhone, DROID, or other device of the like. So this might already be implemented, and if it is, good thinking on the part of Apple.

Top Tech News : Homeland Security and Spy Agency To Join Forces

"The United States is stepping up its military-civilian cyberdefense coordination to help the country guard against the growing threat of cyberattacks against government and private computer networks. Government and private networks are increasingly under attack by hackers and other cybercriminals. The plan will include privacy oversight." ~ Lolita C. Baldor

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=102003IN7BGO

Well I'll be, once again we seem to have someone in the big leagues with a good idea. Quick someone get them an aspirin.
Seriously though, I am happy to see that someone is at least attempting to plug the holes. And trying to work together with others, sometimes more heads passing ideas along is a good thing.

Praise to you whoever thought up this idea.

Tech News World : Mac Lion: The King of the OS X Jungle?

"Apple has hinted that new Macs and a new OS X will be on the agenda during its next product announcement, scheduled for Oct. 20. The new OS will most likely be nicknamed "Lion," but beyond that, what Apple has in store is anyone's guess. Meanwhile, Microsoft wants to drive off zombies, Hulu may hold an IPO cash drive, and Google cars drive themselves.
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has this way of making its more devoted fans feel as though the company is giving them some sort of gift whenever it rolls out a new product. It plans a party, makes special invitations, and trots out the new inventions like it's paying tribute to a visiting dignitary. Nobody's giving anyone anything, of course; it's total salesmanship. Not a bad way to go about it, though." ~Paul Hartsock

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Mac-Lion-The-King-of-the-OS-X-Jungle-71043.html

Another new OS for Apple. I'm guessing Microsoft will push 7 even further, either that or make a new OS. The new OS is probably not a good idea for them. If I had a Mac I would appreciate this more I am sure. But honestly right now I would like the IPhone or the IPad. I feel these would suit my needs better. But who know a new IPad or special IPhone may be announced. Honestly Apple and Nintendo could try to sell us Dog Poo and call it the next peripheral and we would buy it and say it is awesome.

Network World : Security guidelines aimed at zapping power industry cyberattacks, malfunctions

"Based on input from the federal government, the North American Electric Reliability Corp., whose mission is to ensure the reliability of the bulk-power system, Thursday sent new security guidelines to about 2,000 electric-power operators to prevent compromise and malfunction of the grid.

The large motors and generators connected to the bulk-power system have to be turned on and off with considerable caution to prevent problems from occurring, notes Tim Roxey, manager of critical infrastructure protection at NERC. There are acknowledged gaps in protection -- something the industry since 2007 has named the "Aurora vulnerability" -- that could allow major disruptions to the power grid by throwing it out of sync through a potential cyberattack or simply an accident." ~ Ellen Messmer

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/101510-nerc-security-guidelines.html?hpg1=bn

Well news like this makes me feel a little better. I am happy to know the government is actually paying attention to the threat of Cyber warfare. If this keeps up I may actually gain some renewed faith in the possibility that we are not run by a bunch of brainless humanoids. I use the term humanoid because of Politics, Poly = many, Ticks = blood sucking creatures. I am not for republicrats or demicans, I just want to see the country moving forward in a good fashion with some intelligence at the helm. 

Tech News World : Three Apps That Keep Linux Squeaky Clean

For my Linux friends:

"As good as the Linux OS is, troublesome stuff sometimes happens. When it does, BleachBit and GtkOrphan can do a good job helping you solve small problems before they become major complications. Even if you manage to keep your OS in pristine condition, Startup Manager can help you alter settings without having to drag out the Linux manual." ~Jack M. Germain

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Three-Apps-That-Keep-Linux-Squeaky-Clean-71010.html

This seems like an interesting and useful article for those of us who are new to Linux. I will actually go into Linux and flavors of it at a later time.

BBC News : Two million US PCs recruited to botnets

"The US leads the world in numbers of Windows PCs that are part of botnets, reveals a report.
More than 2.2 million US PCs were found to be part of botnets, networks of hijacked home computers, in the first six months of 2010, it said.
Compiled by Microsoft, the research revealed that Brazil had the second highest level of infections at 550,000." ~ unknown

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11531657

This number is not really surprising to me, maybe a bit bigger than I expected, but not a surprise. I have worked on so many PCs and MACs that were used by people who don't believe in cyber security (ie anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewalls). Windows is not secure and OS X is not perfect, you need to set both up properly in order to be secure.

BBC news : UK infrastructure faces cyber threat, says GCHQ chief

"The UK's critical infrastructure - such as power grids and emergency services - faces a "real and credible" threat of cyber attack, the head of GCHQ says.

The intelligence agency's director Iain Lobban said the country's future economic prosperity rested on ensuring a defence against such assaults.
The internet created opportunities for hostile states and criminals, he said.
For example, 1,000 malicious e-mails a month are already being targeted at government computer networks, he said." ~ unknown

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11528371

Okay it is nice to know that it is not just us. WAIT! This could happen to us too. Yes this is a very real threats for us in the U.S. and many other countries. Our main defense now is that our infrastructure is so outdated in many ways that it is obscure. Defense through obscurity is actually a way people think they can be secure, not so. Just as the U.K. needs to address this matter we here need this matter attended to. Please secure yourself and family.

School and difficulties

For those of you that are wondering why I have been more absent lately, here is an explanation.
1- I have just started back to classes, I do go to school full time.
2- I am having some wireless difficulties with my desktop still. This is forcing me to look into  some alternative cures for my signals. Nothing illegal..... at least I do not believe so.
 One such cure is to turn another router into a repeater, if I manage this I will post links and a how-to.
3- My spare time has been spent on family and the videos on the child safety products.

Network World : Waging crypto wars 2.0

"I was drawn to security in the early 90s during the crypto battle against the U.S. government, which was trying to force companies to adopt broken encryption with built in backdoors, like the failed Clipper Chip. Fortunately, the crypto wars were won by the side of reason, not least because of activists hoarding crypto technology in offshore locations. Today we all enjoy strong, unbreakable, backdoor-free encryption as a result of the 90s crypto battle. That battle is about to begin again as the U.S. government proposes to introduce backdoors, by design fiat, into commercial communications security systems. They were wrong then and they are wrong now but the stakes are much higher this time. " ~ Andreas M. Antonopoulos

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2010/100610antonopoulos.html?hpg1=bn

For those of us who fear a "Big Brother" taking over, this would be one of the ways for it to be done. Most of us do not even think about it. It seems to me that the Democrats want to create and be "Big Brother", and the Republicans just want to act that way. Neither side has been getting security right, and it is definitely a major no-no to create a purposeful backdoor into all systems. Right now at least we are more secure because the systems have different holes. If we allow this to happen we are just asking for a full scale cyber attack. This will not make us more secure, in the end it will be less.

Tech News World : Microsoft Wants to Cordon Off Botnet-Infected Computers

"Microsoft is calling for "collective action" to combat cyberthreats -- particularly botnets. "Governments, industry and consumers should support cybersecurity efforts modeled on efforts to address human illnesses," says VP of Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney in a new position paper. "For a society to be healthy, its members must be aware of basic health risks and be educated on how to avoid them."" ~Kimberly Hill

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Microsoft-Wants-to-Cordon-Off-Botnet-Infected-Computers-70998.html

This seems like a good idea, however I fear will be implemented badly.

Kidrocket web browser for kids - Part 2

Kidrocket web browser for kids - Part 1

Check it out here:
http://kidrocket.org/

New feature list:

• New Email for Kids with Art/eCard attachments
• New Time Lock for limiting a childs time on the computer.
• New updated browser navigation (thumbnail GUI) and graphics.
• New Kidrocket.org websites. (Public & KidSafe)
• New online games and puzzles.
• Now Vista compatible. (Windows 98, 2000, XP, MCE, Vista)
• Updated kidsafe website list. view approved websites
• Now provides vocal prompts and confirmations, for alerts and various security related operations. - It Talks!

Existing feature list:

• Desktop protection "Lockdown" with ctrl+alt+delete disabling.
• Full featured childrens web browser, internet filter.
• Interactive math flashcards with configurable math equations.
• Art section with Doodle/Paint Pad & StarBrite (Lite-Brite) game.
• Full featured parental control panel - Browser admin.
• Customizable browser colors (almost 250 colors)
• Allow/Block Printing.
• Allow/Block Email.
• Built-in popup blocker
• Time in Use: timer and Digital Clock

BBC News : Online child protection chief Jim Gamble resigns

"The chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) has resigned in a row over its future, the BBC has learned. "

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11472033

I am one who believes in smaller government, but I do think certain things should remain separate. By rolling this agency into another organization you might lose more than you gain. When you combine you many times put more work on others thus problems arise and mi9ght get dropped by the wayside. Now what may happen is that his will actually bring more help for each to the table, more like a partnership rather than a merger which in many cases makes both smaller. For the sake of the children I hope for the former not the latter.

Top Tech News : October Declared Cyber Security Awareness Month

"President Obama has declared October Cyber Security Awareness Month and urged citizens to back up files and keep children safe. The declaration is part of a Global Online Safety Campaign urging digital citizens to protect themselves. McAfee, CyberDefender and Visa are among companies participating in the online security campaign." ~Barry Levine

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=012001D187R0

I see our security advisers are starting to get through to Washington. However this needs to happen a bit faster. But perhaps learning about how little our country has done to protect the infrastructure I have been jaded.

Network World : How to Keep Your Kids Safe on Facebook

"For the most part, Facebook provides a fun and safe way for users of all ages to communicate with their pals. But because kids and teens are, well, kids and teens, they're the ones most at risk of falling victim to the dangers of Facebook. With a bit of strategic parental guidance, you can educate your kids about the potential hazards of social media and give them the tools they need to protect themselves from online predators, guard their personal information, preserve their online reputation, and avoid suspicious downloads that could harm your PC. " ~Leah Yamshon

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/100110-how-to-keep-your-kids.html?source=nww_rss

I for one feel that there should be some age restrictions of FB (facebook). But I do know that these would not be followed or would just be subverted. It is the job of a PARENT to decide whether their child should be online at all. But it is also their job to monitor what they do on their computer. My children may have their own computer, however they have no internet connection and do not know what they need to make it happen. I find that a abstinence approach to their internet use is best while they are so young.

Top Tech News : Only You Can Keep the Internet Secure

"In an effort to elevate online safety to a major public issue, a coalition overseen by the Department of Homeland Security has launched a public-awareness campaign with the slogan "stop-think-connect." The campaign stems directly from President Obama's May 2009 pronouncement that the U.S. will assume a leadership role in making the web safer." ~Byron Acohido

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=0120012IKIPC

Well, how about that. It would appear that the approach is to teach the users more about how to keep themselves safe. Stop-Think-Connect. It actually sounds good, and seems like a decent plan.

Network World : Microsoft sues Motorola over Android phones

"Microsoft filed patent infringement complaints against Motorola and its Android phones in the International Trade Commission and U.S. federal court Friday, indicating that the software giant may hope to use its strong patent position as one way to set its mobile software apart from the competition.

Microsoft said that Motorola's Android phones infringe nine patents, including some that would appear to threaten most smartphone platforms. Android is the open source OS built by Microsoft rival Google.
The patents appear to include some related to Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, which syncs e-mail, calendar and contacts between a mobile phone and a software-based computer program, according to a blog post written by Horacio Gutierrez, general counsel at Microsoft." ~Nancy Gohring

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/100110-microsoft-sues-motorola-over-android.html?hpg1=bn

It would appear that MS is using it's weight to gain a larger foothold into a market again. But maybe it isn't deliberate. However I do not believe that infringement of patents or copyrights is a good idea. This case is bad for each company's business.

Tech News World : Jailbreak Could Boost Apple TV's Wow Factor

"Apple TV may be jailbroken, but there's nothing to run on it yet -- no apps or customizations to make the Apple TV experience more exciting. Still, those are bound to be down the pike, and the result could be a whole lot more than Apple initially intended to give consumers for their $99." ~Erika Morphy

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Jailbreak-Could-Boost-Apple-TVs-Wow-Factor-70953.html

Being that many of Apple's devices seem to get jail broken so fast, it makes me wonder if it was actually built into it from the beginning. But this is actually a good thing in my eyes, although I don't have one and I do not really know what these apps will enable it to do.

BBC News : Tech Know: BBC Micros used in retro programming class

"Computer history is cruel. It is a story of the old constantly being pushed aside for the newer, the faster, the smaller, the shinier.
Those old machines are rarely allowed a graceful retirement. Cast aside, they end their days in the dark ,fit only to be homes for spiders in lofts and cupboards.
But one lucky flock of BBC Micros is getting another lease of life by helping to educate students in the art of rigorous programming." ~Mark Ward

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10951040

I know that to most of you this would not be interesting at all, but it is to me. Think about the fact that these machines were used to create some of the first programs ever used. I find it even more interesting that they work at all.

New York Times : A Simple Swipe on a Phone, and You’re Paid

"It’s always thrilling when somebody looks at the Way Things Have Always Been Done, and then asks: Why?
And then goes on to change the world forever.
1967: Why is it necessary to wait in line for a human teller if all you want to do is withdraw cash?
1974: Why shouldn’t your document on the computer screen look the same way it will when it’s printed?
1991: If shampoo always settles to the bottom of the bottle, why is the cap on top?" ~David Pogue

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/technology/personaltech/30pogue.html?_r=1&ref=technology

I have to say that this intrigues me. I do some computer work on the side and being able to do this would make life a bit easier. Of course I would have to get the phone and hardware to do this but I digress. I can honestly say that I see a downside right away though, being from service industry jobs for a long period of time, what if the person reverses the charges on you. Or where does the money go? But the ammount of money the company asks for is fairly reasonable for the use of this device. 

A video update

BBC News : Change to 'Bios' will make for PCs that boot in seconds

"New PCs could start in just seconds, thanks to an update to one of the oldest parts of desktop computers.

The upgrade will spell the end for the 25-year-old PC start-up software known as Bios that initialises a machine so its operating system can get going.
The code was not intended to live nearly this long, and adapting it to modern PCs is one reason they take as long as they do to warm up.
Bios' replacement, known as UEFI, will predominate in new PCs by 2011.
The acronym stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface and is designed to be more flexible than its venerable predecessor." ~Mark Ward

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11430069

Being honest I did not even think about how old BIOS was, nor did I ever think something would replace it. But getting my computer to "boot" faster is a good thing and a bad thing. I run a dual boot system, Ubuntu 10.04 and Windows 7. For those of you that are wondering why.... Because I can, and I want to learn more about Linux. Ubuntu is one of the more wider known versions and fairly easy to use.
For those of you that do not know what dual booting is, basically it means my computer runs two operating systems of which I choose what one will load during boot up.
Here's the Wiki definition of it:
Multi-boot or Multi-booting is the act of installing multiple operating systems on a computer, and being able to choose which one to boot when starting the computer. The term dual-booting refers to the common configuration of exactly two operating systems. Multi-booting requires a program called a boot loader.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-boot

Tech News World : Feds Seek Sweeping Power to Hunt Bad Guys on the Web

"Federal law-enforcement organizations are working to draw up legislation that would give them the ability to monitor communications carried out via Internet technologies like peer-to-peer messaging and encrypted email. Agencies would still need to obtain a warrant for any given operation, but such a law could make it easier to for them to plug into these channels once permission is granted." ~Richard Adhikari

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Feds-Seek-Sweeping-Power-to-Hunt-Bad-Guys-on-the-Web-70913.html

This should raise even more alarms for the those conspiracy theorists. AH! Big Brother is watching and listening again. I better put on my tinfoil hat........   I am not one of the theorists but I do not think that for one moment they aren't doing this to everyone already. If you are, please do not be so naive. This is an attempt to make it legal for them anyway. Even if they are not, I do not want them to get this kind of power.

Top Tech News : Automated Feedback Loop Takes Out Facebook

"Facebook was forced to shut down for 2.5 hours after an automated error system created a persistent feedback loop. Facebook apologized to its more than 500 million users and turned off the automated system. Facebook's embarrassment came just days after a Twitter onMouseOver hack spewed pornography and spread worms through tweets." ~Jennifer LeClaire

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=12100B4DHB8B

I was one of the people that was wondering if he had messed something up on his computer when facebook went down. I have mentioned that we need to exercise caution when we are on these sites. But do you really believe that it was only a automatic feedback loop that caused it to go down. My guess is, not so much.

BBC News : Seeing the big picture on content

"The 'high bandwidth copy protection' scheme has been in use since 2004 even though the possibility that someone would be able to reconstruct the master key by examining HDCP-capable devices was known even before any systems were commercially available." ~Bill Thompson

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11380490

Again the more protection we create, the more it gets broken. As much as I love how fast machines are getting, I know that it also means protections cracking time is shortened. No protection is sure fire, that is why you whould use many layers. Your protection should be like Shrek or an onion, layered.

Top Tech News : Hackers Find New Ways To Assume Identities

"Although cyber scamming is nothing new, the way thieves use the data is constantly changing, and social media is a gateway to the latest scams. Identity theft experts fear that by sharing seemingly mundane personal details and preferences on social networking sites, people might be giving the bad guys clues about their security codes." ~Katie Leslie

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=111003KN0ZSO

This article is enlightening and a bit redundant to me. Let me explain why. To paraphrase "When you make something scam proof someone goes and makes a better scam." Like viruses, scams evolve as the ways to prevent them do. We must remain ever vigilant to keep ourselves safe.

New York Times : The Way We Live Now - Achieving Techno-Literacy

"But the computer was only one tool of many. Technology helped us learn, but it was not the medium of learning. It was summoned when needed. Technology is strange that way. Education, at least in the K-12 range, is more about child rearing than knowledge acquisition. And since child rearing is primarily about forming character, instilling values and cultivating habits, it may be the last area to be directly augmented by technology."~ Kevin Kelly

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19FOB-WWLN-Kelly-t.html?_r=1&ref=technology

We must always remember that our technology is a tool.

The Register : 1 in 10 Americans prefer colonoscopies to PC security

"The survey, sponsored by PCTools, also found that more than one in 10 Americans would rather get a colonoscopy that spend time cleaning up their computer." ~ Team Register

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/16/tools_survey/
Honestly I find this disturbing. But I do understand. My better half hates it when I do spring cleaning on her computer. She gets mad because it takes longer to get things done the first time she logs back onto whatever she needs to do. I find this also a bit enlightening, since that means that I may have more customers to my time.

Network World : Intel CISO:Biggest security threat is not understanding risk

"What is the most significant vulnerability that information security faces today and in the future? According to Malcolm Harkins, CISO of Intel, the biggest threat facing infosec is the misperception of risk." ~Joan Goodchild, CSO

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/091610-intel-cisobiggest-security-threat-is.html?hpg1=bn

Please remember even those people who are in the industry can make mistakes, after all we are still human. We sometimes overestimate how well our setup works and underestimate what the threat really is. This can work in reverse to. This is why people belong to groups with like minds, not the same, but similar. They can help each other better understand certain threats.

Tech News World : 10 Best IT Practices for Smartphone Security

"Treat all smartphones as uncontrolled endpoints. Smartphone users' identities can be stolen, hacked or inappropriately shared. Smartphones can get lost, stolen or borrowed. Device identification technology uses serial number information to allow organizations to associate a specific smartphone to a specific user. This provides a watermark for the device, and allows IT to remotely disable it and erase all sensitive data." ~Patrick Sweeney

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/10-Best-IT-Practices-for-Smartphone-Security-70826.html

How many of you have a smart phone? How many of you have them secured? In a few of my classes we have actually seen how secure they come out of the box, which is basically not at all. You have to enable your security in most cases. This is just some info on how you can be more secure.

Tech News World : Encryption vs. Tokenization: Under the Hood

"Most enterprise IT departments do not have the intimate knowledge needed to make good decisions about what to do with data. The wrong decision related to identifying sensitive data can cost a company millions in lost revenue and legal costs. Yet, the ability to secure data is the most important criterion companies have when deciding what their priorities are." ~Stuart Lisk

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Encryption-vs-Tokenization-Under-the-Hood-70809.html

This was some new information to me and thought it would quench the thirst of some of the higher techies out there.

Network World : 802.11n Wi-Fi making huge impact 1 year after standard ratified

"Shipments of 802.11n access points have accelerated since the IEEE standard was formally approved one year ago. But what the numbers alone don't show is the new reality of Wi-Fi networks: they are fast becoming the preferred way to connect and stay connected in the enterprise." ~ John Cox

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/091310-80211n-anniversary.html?hpg1=bn

Just a bit on 802.11n wireless. For those of you that may not know this is the most recent standard for wireless. I had been waiting on this for a while.

Better Video Quality

Some of you may have noted that the video quality has greatly improved. Until recently I was just using blogger to host them. Through a friend I found out that they actually turn out better when I host them on youtube then embed them onto the blog. There are more to come and I hope this improvement will bring more enjoyment and comments from everyone.

Tech News World : Smoking Out Attackers Hiding in Encrypted Data

"For an enterprise concerned about security, which most are, addressing the risks posed by threats hidden within encrypted SSL traffic is clearly not something that can be ignored. If SSL were being used for no purpose, then the problem could be solved by simply avoiding or preventing the use of SSL. However, the reality is that SSL is used to provide much-needed security for a wide range of network applications." ~David Wells

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Smoking-Out-Attackers-Hiding-in-Encrypted-Data-70807.html

I do not have much to say here. I agree with his his ideas and would like to see them implemented in the future. I do have to state that why many may be good, at current speeds some of these implementations might slow our connections down.

BBC News : Sex movie worm spreads worldwide

"A booby-trapped e-mail that promises free sex movies is racking up victims around the world, warn security firms."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11258795

I'm not one to tell anyone what you should and should not do with your time. It is your time and if you are one that wants to look at explicit images more power to you. Just realize that you need to beware that many of those sites are ill-protected against malware. Not that the site is unprotected, just that it has no protection for you.

Top Tech News : 'Here You Have' Virus Exposes Security Holes

"The lesson to be learned from the "Here You have" virus is no surprise: Keep your anti-virus up-to-date and your wits about you. Like many other viruses, the "Here You have" virus still requires you to click on a link and run the malicious code, so if you think before you click then you have nothing to worry about."
~Jennifer LeClaire

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=030002R9L4AC

Yet another hijack through email. Much like the "ILOVEYOU" or the "Melissa" worm, this one wreaked some havoc recently. "One other reason to keep an eye on what you open through your email.

Netsmartz

This site is run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited children. It has tools and games for teaching children-teens about how to be safe on the internet. It also has tools to help parents and law enforcement teach the youngsters as well. This seemed like a good place to start from, and being that all kids love to play (adults too), it would seem a good way to begin. Make learning to be safe online fun for the children and teens you care for.

http://www.netsmartz.org/index.aspx

Child safety on the net

A thought had occurred to me, the only reason my kids are safe is because I don't have the computer plugged in. So I have decided that a good plan would to be to review the products that are built to keep your kids safe. Programs such as Net Nanny and K-9. I am going to look into and review to see how they measure up.

Kaspersky 2010 Review

http://usa.kaspersky.com/

I do highly recommend this program to PC users looking for a solid all in one product.

Top Tech News : Microsoft Gets Legal Might To Take Down Spam Botnets

"Microsoft is taking aim at botnets. A legal ruling has given Microsoft permanent ownership of 276 web domains once used by the Waledac cybergang to send instructions to hundreds of thousands of spam-spreading PCs. Microsoft now has a proven legal means to take aim at U.S.-registered domains shown to be conducting criminal activity." ~ Byron Acohido

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=021000Q2NIAX

Well it was bound to happen. Microsoft actually doing something other than patching holes. I am a person who thinks you should go after your attackers, at least to stop them from happening. I know that this is a very sticky situation though. You have to first create the line at which you will not cross. Then you must know where the law stops helping you and actually goes after you. The shades of gray are many at this point. And unless you are a careful and mindful company you might fall to the other side of the law.

Spyware Blaster review

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

This one I was told about through a classmate. I used it a while ago when I was searching for new tech support programs. It was suggested mainly because it works with Adaware.

Spybot S&D review

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

 I have used this program for years. I trust this software quite a bit and it is freeware, only payment the creator receives is through donation.

Tech News World : Clam or Klam? Either Way, It's Easy Linux Protection

" Though you're probably less likely to find yourself riddled with malware if you're running Linux rather than Windows, that doesn't mean security software should be ignored entirely. ClamTK -- or KlamAV, depending on which environment you use -- gives your Linux PC an antimalware guard dog that goes beyond the old "security by obscurity" strategy." ~ Jack M. Germain

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Clam-or-Klam-Either-Way-Its-Easy-Linux-Protection-70777.html

Honestly I do not run an anti-malware program on my Linux partition or any of my VMs, this is something I should probably look into. I do not run my Linux partition often so I will do it through the use of VM. I will do a video on the VM creation, most likely on a Ubuntu install, then I'll do a video on the install of the anti-malware solution. Always a good idea to look into these things, especially when I might end up helping someone with it in the future.

Network World : VMware's plan for the Apple iPad still taking shape

"VMware won't be the first vendor to bring virtual desktops to the Apple iPad, having been beaten to the punch by rival Citrix.

But with VMware's marketing and product development resources, it will surely be a potent force in the drive to turn the iPad into a device worthy of business customers. VMware still isn't saying exactly when its desktop virtualization software will be iPad-ready, but the company did show a preview of VMware View for the iPad on the keynote stage at last week's VMworld conference." ~ By Jon Brodkin

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/090710-vmware-ipad-plan.html?hpg1=bn

There seem to be more and more reasons for me to want an IPad. I want an IPhone too. I'll be posting some videos about my VMs later.

Adaware Review

http://www.lavasoft.com/index.php

Network World : How Did My Protected PC Get Infected?

"SUPERAntiSpyware found three Trojans on Bill Artman's PC. Bill asked the Windows forum how this could happen when his PC is protected.

There's no such thing as perfect protection. Even if you have the best firewall and antivirus software available, and keep it up to date, something might get through. But knowing how they'll get through can help you block them." ~ Lincoln Spector, PC World

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/081610-how-did-my-protected-pc.html?source=nww_rss

Don't let this discourage you from trying to protect yourself. You need to understand that new viruses and holes in software are being found or created everyday. Your software can protect you, sometimes it just takes a bit of time to do so. Much like contraceptives, no anti-malware/virus product is 100% effective.

Network World : Botnet takedown may yield valuable data

"Researchers are hoping to get a better insight on botnets after taking down part of Pushdo, one of the top five networks of hacked computers responsible for most of the world's spam." ~ Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/090210-botnet-takedown-may-yield-valuable.html?hpg1=bn

This is kinda a big deal. Taking down even part of a botnet is no easy task. On a fun side note here, some people call the controlled computers of a botnet Zombies.

New York Times : A Strong Password Isn’t the Strongest Security

" Some computer security experts are advancing the heretical thought that passwords might not need to be “strong,” or changed constantly. They say onerous requirements for passwords have given us a false sense of protection against potential attacks. In fact, they say, we aren’t paying enough attention to more potent threats. "
~ Randall Stross

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/business/05digi.html?_r=1&ref=technology

I have to admit that I agree with this heretical view point. For some of us just having a password on our computer would probably stop some of the hijacks and viruses. But please note that this is still only the beginning of protecting your digital self. Think about how even our Western Heroes rode with their posse, so there needs to be more than one thing protecting your computer.

Malwarebytes Review

You can find it here : 
http://malwarebytes.org/

Top Tech News : Where Are You Now? A Rundown of Facebook's Places

" What exactly is Facebook Places, and how can you protect your privacy with location-based services? Services such as Facebook's Places leave an ever-expanding digital trail for online marketers, enabling them to target ads for you based on demographic information you've scattered about. Check your privacy settings before using Places. " ~ Barbara Ortutay

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=0020002BFWB4

AH! BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING US..... oh wait.... It's just that creepy stalker down the street and FACEBOOK. AH!
Seriously, we all like our privacy, so why are we giving up many pieces of it so readily. I for one do not own a cell phone. That may make me seem archaic, and this article might make me look paranoid, but am I the only person who sees this as a bad thing. This is not to say that if I could I would not go out and get one, I would love to own an IPhone or DROID. I just don't have the capital to get either and pay for their subscriptions.
Privacy does not mean safe, but some part of your safety does concern your privacy. When a person can go online and see exactly where you are, it just seems a bit much. My thoughts not necessarily yours, but hope it starts some juices flowing.

Top Tech News : New VMware Products Advance 'IT as a Service' Vision

" VMware introduced new cloud products and services at VMworld 2010 to support its vision of "IT as a Service." CEO Paul Maritz said server applications on virtualized systems are growing and surpass the number on physical servers. Three new VMware products -- vShield Edge, vShield App, and vShield Endpoint -- provide security and edge services." ~ Barry Levine

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=00200076HCAC

This might be over some of the heads of readers here, but I thought it was interesting and worth note. I use VM software regularly, and at one point used VMware. I agree with the notion of IT as a service, and do think that this software is quite good. I just prefer VirtualBox for my uses.

Top Tech News : Solving Your Annoying Internet Explorer Troubles

" Internet Explorer is likely the most popular web browser around, but users have numerous gripes, such as fixing settings to comfortable levels and securing passwords and usernames. Third-party tools such as the free IE New Window Maximizer make it easy to set your options over how IE launches, including the ability to close pop-ups. " ~ Jay Dougherty

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=0020005MILCO

Although I would state that it is the most popular only because it comes on every Windows machine, that might seem redundant. Customizing it could prove to better secure your system and also make your life easier as far as computing. Personalizing/Customizing is a big part of making your computer easier to use and more like the way you need it to work.
Personally I choose to use Firefox, but in the Securing Desktops course I took I was told it might be better to just use Internet Explorer. Let me explain. The reasoning behind this is kinda simplistic, but complex in it's own way. While using a different browser which is secure itself might be a good thing, it might inadvertently open holes in your system as well. While I do not agree with this logic, I do however, take it under advisement.

Avast Anti-virus Video Review

http://www.avast.com/index
Stay Tuned there are more to come.

New York Times : A Simple Wireless Network? Not Likely

" When one of the first instructions a popular wireless Internet router from Netgear gives its owner is a choice between the security protocols known as WPA-PSK (TKIP) and WPA-PSK (TKIP) + WPA2-PSK (AES), you know the home networking industry has problems."  ~  ERIC A. TAUB

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/technology/personaltech/26basics.html?_r=1&ref=technology

For those of us that understand a bit about wireless and it's security, this article may have more implications. but as some things get easier some things seem to get complicated. 

Top Tech News : No-Fuss Backup Solutions To Secure Your Data

" Make sure that your data is regularly secured with backup solutions that remove you from the equation. Windows Home Server provides the kind of hands-off, automated backup that most Windows users need. Automated online backup services are worth investigating; CrashPlan and Carbonite, in particular, offer some unique backup services."  ~ Jay Dougherty

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=132008M5KZFO

I plan on getting into backup talks later but this seemed to be something that people should look into. Seriously.

Tech News World : The Kernel Bug, the Missing Patch and the 6-Years-Later Fix

~"It just goes to show that not all distros are alike, and that all code can be expected to contain bugs," asserted Slashdot blogger Barbara Hudson. "The kernel has held up better than Ivory Soap. Like Ivory Soap, the kernel is 'pure enough' for most purposes, most of the time." Bottom line: "This incident hasn't altered my confidence in linux."~  ~ Katherine Noyes

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/The-Kernel-Bug-the-Missing-Patch-and-the-6-Years-Later-Fix-70714.html

Well, this is a bit interesting to me anyway. All this talk about Windows and MAC OS and now we actually find out that Linux has a few kinks to work out and that this one took six years to actually do something about. Meh! I understand that all OS have problems and limits, but I just find it amusing that this hole has been open for 6 years and no one actually plugged it up. Not that someone had not made a patch for it, just no one implemented it. Hmmmm....

BBC News : Virtual reality tackles tough questions

"Virtual reality is allowing scientists to ask difficult questions about human behaviour that were previously not possible or were thought too unethical."  ~ David Reid  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8918282.stm

When I was younger I would have thought that by the time I had reached the age I am now this would be integrated into my computer. I had hoped to be able to play online games like in dot hack sign. But something happened, VR just simply faded out like mullets and bell-bottoms. I am happy to see now that it is coming back into somewhat of a main stream. Well the realm of behavioral science anyway. This could lead to some of the stories I have seen and heard over the years. Some of which might cross the ethical boundaries.

Network World : Microsoft flaunts customer dumping VMware

"Microsoft is still refusing to showcase Hyper-V at VMworld in protest of VMware rules that Microsoft believes are designed to limit competition, but that doesn't mean the Microsoft hype machine will abstain from anti-VMware marketing.

In advance of next week's VMworld, Microsoft is touting a customer that is implementing a long-term plan to replace VMware with Microsoft and claims the move will provide savings of $3.2 million in the next three to five years. The customer, CH2M Hill, is ranked at No. 381 in the Fortune 500 and has corporate headquarters in Colorado."  ~ Jon Brodkin

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/082610-microsoft-virtualization.html?hpg1=bn

Just thought I would post this. It is interesting to me. I know that VMware is an outstanding program, however, I use VirtualBox.  I find VirtualBox to not hold me back when I make a VM out of any operating system. VirtualPC, which is owned by Microsoft, gives all the extras to it's own programs and seems to hinder all others. VMware doesn't seem to hinder you but it asks you to run in a cloud if you wish to create your own VMs. Either that or you need some potent hardware in order to do it in house. I find the use of cloud computing to be a bit of a hindrance, and still even though many advances have been made, it just seems to insecure to me. Call me old fashioned on this note but it is how I am.

Technical Difficulties

Because I want to LOL

up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, <select> start

Skype

I have to mention that Skype is a good program, and has many uses. For some it is just a cheaper way to keep in touch with relatives far away, for others it is a collaboration tool. I have used it for both. I have used it to get through school work, and have called friends/family across the country. If only I could get my Great Uncle to install it in the UK.
As far as collaboration goes people can use it to get work done or just bounce ideas about randomness.
Gotta love the random.

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home

Help

Looking for tech words that people would understand for use in the rating system. I would like them to be a bit fun also.

Facebook hijack

I have noted a facebook hijack going around.... an instant message is sent to you with a link. One thing is that you should never go to those links unless you know where it leads. Hope this helps someone.

An epiphany

It occurred to me, with the help of a friend, that I need to do some sort of a rating system on the products I discuss. So I will begin rating these programs. Not sure exactly what the rating will be, but stay tuned.

Oops - The Challenge : Part 6

Okay... well here is the lowdown on the OSX install. My desktop was not able to use VT or hardware virtualization due to it's processor <thanks Art>. I used Securable to check my hardware on my laptop, which said it was able to do the VT stuff.
Now most people would say don't mess with VMs on Vista, or a laptop. However I take some strange pleasure in going against the grain in areas of life and technology.
I had to update Virtualbox and move the image to the laptop in order to do all this.
From there I created the VM, turned off the EFI
Choose the image for the OSX os
Then start the machine
If all is well with the world you get the installer

Now you need to use the disk utility from the top of the screen
choose the Vbox disk
click erase
name the drive, and then click erase again
click disk utility again, then click quit disk utility
select your drive, click continue
The next window is important. Click customize at the bottom left.
For AMD Users check,
Any Updates included at the top.
Drop down Kernels and choose Legacy kernel.
AMD option below System support.
For Intel Users,
Any Updates included at the top.
Drop down bootloaders and check the newest chameleon.
Drop down Kernels and choose Legacy kernel.
Then click Next done and Install. To speed up the process you can click Skip when the disc check pops up.
Wait for it to finish installing…
Then if you did what I did and forget to dismount the cd/dvd image you need to shut the machine down, then unmount the image, then restart.
If all is well in the new kingdom, the normal setup items appear.
Just hit continue if you like me do not already have a MAC acct. But if you do I would recommend not using it anyway. Register or don't, but soon enough you are in MAC OSX

Anti-virus products

A free antivirus that is decent, and can be found here:  http://www.free-av.com/

This is a very thorough anti-malware product, it has brought a computer up for me on many occasions.
It can be found here: http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Avast Anti-virus pt 2

This software is free for regular home users, it has many options to help make it work for you.
The only thing Avast asks of a home user is that you register with them once a year. I know there is a paid version, but they consider that mainly to be for office use.

http://www.avast.com/index

If you are in the market for a good, free PC anti-virus program, I recommend this one highly. The boot-time scan feature has gotten me back into non-safe mode windows on a number of machines.

Avast Anti-virus

I apologize

I apologize for not posting recently... been busy with other people's machines... I will make another post soon... til then keep your info safe

This is the interface for the Kasperky Internet Security software. This program works very well in my opinion. I use it and know that it is not perfect, but no anti-malware product is. Remember that just having the software is not enough, you need to use the software. You also need to update it regularly. I have this set to do it automatically, and I see it update 2-3 times a day.

A definition of the computer virus

I have to state that this to me is a bare minimum answer for the this term, and is not totally correct. I am a IT Sec student, so we have been given many technical definitions. The term virus is more of a blanket term now, much like malware. But please read this and look up the site through the link.

"A virus is a simple program designed to cause harm to someone else's computer. A virus spreads by duplicating and attaching itself to other files. The extent of the damage depends on the virus. There are tens of thousands of viruses.
Some virus damage is insignificant but inconvenient. Some virus damage is disastrous, putting the computer system out of action by erasing files or corrupting data."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/implications/virusesrev1.shtml

 

Top Tech News : Removing Stubborn Viruses That Plague Your PC

"If you're a technology fan, you probably try out a lot of software, visit a lot of web sites, and have your share of externally-connected drives. And eventually, you'll fall prey to a computer virus or worm that you cannot eradicate. What can you do if that happens to you? Read on for some answers."  ~ Jay Dougherty

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11100B2HPLS6&page=1

This is actually a good article on what to do, granted it does not give you all the choices but many. Most of us never want to do a reload of our operating system. There is another way but it involves having tools that tech head are usually the only one to have. One being an external hard drive bay, this way you can take the drive out of the infected machine a run the virus scan on another computer. Hopefully this can eradicate the virus for you. Some people do not have this ability and it is a little bit on the higher level tech processes. So if you do not know what item is the hard drive you probably should not open your case.

Top Tech News : Antivirus Software: Do You Really Need It?

Okay, I get it most people do not like to have to buy and anti-virus product. But please remember there are free ones. I go into that at some point in the series of anti-virus posts.

"Today's browsers have a lot of security controls built in, and these tend to do a fine job of preventing phishing attacks or the automatic downloading of potentially malicious software. Antivirus tools add little to their already robust protections. So if you want to be free of antivirus software, be sure to use to latest version of your browser.
Do you wish you could do without antivirus software? There are certainly plenty of good reasons not to like it. After all, antivirus programs invariably slow down your computer, annoy you with false positives or status pop-ups, and of course most of them cost money -- often on a recurring, yearly basis. But can you just say no to antivirus software and still stay safe? The short answer is "yes" -- if you adopt some security -savvy computing practices."  ~  Jay Dougherty

http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11100B2HPEXI
Now I am not going to say he is wrong here. What most of us have to understand is that viruses and attacks are started and created almost on a daily basis now. I can say that I keep my computer as up-to-date as I allow. I have seen many patches installed that I have to uninstall or go to the manufacturer's website to get their latest driver. 
For the most part he is correct here, but this is also in a perfect world. More or less we need the products to give us that layer of protection. 
I don't want to compare the two but here we go. It's almost like saying she's on the pill, I don't need the condom. Everybody missed a dose of your meds at some point, and all it takes is once. You may follow his words and instructions everyday, but download just once and you may face a consequence.
More or less protect yourself and your PC.

Hopefully you can enjoy this video, and as I said there will be more uploaded as they are completed. I am working on some particular technical issues to give you information on.
Webcam is the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000, and the other toy is called a Dazzle and is made by Pinnacle systems.

MY TOYS

My new toys have arrived.... WOOHOO!!!!

Oops - The Challenge : Part 5

Well it would appear that I missed something so I have gone back to correct this misstep. I had a been using a sort of walkthrough from lifehacker.com (good site). It seems I forgot to disable EFI. But that still did not solve my problem looking into other issues.

Well this is where I am stuck I guess, maybe it is a bad image... gonna look for another.

The failure of my system.... Challenge : Part 4

Well I will continue with this as far as I was able to get.

Click on your MAC VM
Click the settings button
Click on storage
Click on the CD picture
Click on the folder picture
Click Add
Find the image for the OS
Choose the image and click open
Click on the image from the list then click select
Click OK

Now that we have the machine setup the next step is to run it so that it can hopefully install the OS.
This is where my system has failed, I am unable to since my current desktop in incapable of hardware virtualization, esp. of the CPU. I will attempt to use my laptop, but I believe I will end with the same result.
If by some chance you are able to get this running and followed my blog Awesome, and have fun. For now I will have to live with a Dream Linux for a similar MAC OS experience.

Thechallenge : part 3

First you need to start Virtualbox.
Click new
Click next
Choose MAC OS X from the drop down menu
Choose a name in the Name field (ie OS X)
Click next
All of the default settings should work and in many cases are good enough for the VM

This is the basic setup for creating any VM. The main changes would be for the OS and the name used. There are certain settings I change on certain VMs to make them function better.

This is an image of the VMs I currently have, and yes there are a lot of Linux flavors. Perhaps I should talk more about some of the flavors I have used and messed with at a later date. I will eventually start messing with Windows machine in Virtualbox, but I do not have any created at this time.

The challenge : part 2

Okay so first thing is first, I had to update my version of virtualbox. I find this product to be much more along the ease of use category. It used to be a Sun product it is now and Oracle product. The new version is 3.2.8. Next I needed to torrent the files needed to do the research. From what I gather I might still be unable to run it anyway. I should run Securable on my computer again to make sure. I still have another 6 hours til I get the files.

I am going to state again that I am against piracy and I am torrenting said files so that I can actually attempt to create a VM of OS X.

For those of you that do not know Securable is a program that tests your system, and gives you information on what types of virtualization you can do. Plus other information.
Also please note that not all torrenting is for illegal stuff. It can be used to get legitimate software faster, such as Linux operating systems.

For now I am going to continue the download and head off to sleep.

Of Instant Messaging and software for it - Part 3

Let's get further into the now. When I switched my email over to Gmail I noticed that I actually had an IM client built right in. I began to use it. I found it was good except the only people I had to talk to were my Gmail friends. Of which I only had a few.
Then I got involved in the almighty FB (facebook). This is a love/hate relationship. While I love the games and the ability to talk to family/friends I almost never am able to on the phone, you have to deal with the peanut gallery viewing your post and commenting. This can get very taxing. I will talk more about the loss of your privacy while trying to stay connected some other time.
It is around this time that a friend introduced me to another great IM program, Pidgin. This program allows you to connect to many different chat clients at the same time. You can pick it up here : http://www.pidgin.im/
This can even connect with FB, with some coaxing. This link will take you to the plug in download : http://code.google.com/p/pidgin-facebookchat/wiki/Downloads?tm=2

This is a picture of what the pidgin interface looks like. It is very simple to use.
1. Double click the downloaded file to install.
2. Once running you can add accounts. (if you are going to use it for FB to install the plugin before you run pidgin)
3. Click on the accounts tab, then manage accounts.
4. Click Add
5. Choose a client from the protocol menu (AIM, ICQ, Facebook, Google Chat)
6. Input your user name and password
7. Click Add
If you need to add more just follow steps 4-7 again
Done you should be able to chat with your different IM friends now and all through one program. Awesome eh?