Multipleplatforms

6-5-04
News Links

New Worm targets MS
The Industry Standard reports that two new worms named "Explet.A" and "Plexus" were discovered on Wednesday attacking Windows users who have yet to update their computers in response to Sasser and Blaster. The new worm enters through the same pathway as Sasser, through the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service. If you are infected go to the Microsoft Support Site and use the Sasser worm removal tools, update your OS, and if you are using XP make sure you follow the directions regarding system restore.

Worm After Credit Info
The Kargo virus is aggressively seeking credit card information from those PC users that are infected according to reports in the BBC. If Kargo has infected you, check your credit reports frequently and change your passwords ASAP. Kargo acts as a key logger and records your keystrokes. If you did not update your operating system in April or May and your system response is slow, you might be infected. Try the free AVG Anti-virus from Grisoft.com, and if you cannot download it, go to a friend's house and burn it to a disc, then use the disc to disinfect your computer.

Spam From Zombie PCs
So, who is responsible for all the spam that fills your inbox everyday? According to reports in The Register, zombie computers do the dirty work; zombies are computers infected with Trojan Horses and their unwilling owners are responsible for 80% of all the spam we receive; and yet another reason for you to go purchase a router quickly.

Dropped Wireless Questions on Help Boards
The help boards are full of questions about dropped Wi-Fi connections for XP users and according to Daniel Terdiman of WiredNews many surfers are suffering from the same malady. MS is denying the recent updates are the source of this problem and no fix has been announced. We will keep you posted.

More Help Board: Slow System
Another help board user was unable to access the Norton Live Update and wanted to know what they could do. We suggested bypassing Norton and using the AVG Anti-virus from Grisoft.com. If they were unable to access it from their computer, then they should follow the procedure suggested above for the Kargo virus.

MS Flip-Flop
The BBC reports that Microsoft has reversed an earlier decision and will not allow XP users with unauthorized copies of Windows to access SP2. It is unfortunate in that this will allow for the continued exploitation of these machines.

Battery Replacement for iPod
The Macmegasite has some great news for iPod owners with dead batteries. Check out the reader specials regarding: iPod self-service battery replacement.


Get a Review of SUSE LINUX 9.1
Find out the facts about SUSE LINUX 9.1 from DesktopOS reviewer Jason Prince and decide if this is the new platform for you.

Top Five Downloads from Softpile.Com
Here are the top five free downloads from Softpile.com/. We have not tried these downloads, so please use with caution and check for spyware after installation; let us know if you find any spyware at: contactus@multipleplatforms.com
1. 3D Liquid Adamantium Stream ScreenSaver 2.0: A cool screen saver.
http://www.softpile.com/Desktop/Screen_Savers/Review_35129_index.html
2. Sands of Time 3D Screensaver 1.0: Free screensaver http://www.softpile.com/Desktop/Screen_Savers/Review_35126_index.html
3. MMD CamExplorer Free 2.4c. Webcam database lets you search, view and monitor many webcams.
http://www.softpile.com/Internet/Utilities/Review_33030_index.html
4. Vendi's Free Icons 1.0: Free icons for you computer and you. http://www.softpile.com/Desktop/Icons/Review_35114_index.html
5. Blue Lagoon Island 3D Screensaver 1.0: A free screensaver with 3D graphics and original sound track.
http://www.softpile.com/Desktop/Screen_Savers/Review_35113_index.html

Have a great weekend and tune-in to the Internet stream from KFI for Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI from 12-3pm PT.

Get the links to all these stories and post your questions to: http://www.multipleplatforms.com

6-4-04

New Update for Linksys Routers
CNET reports that Cisco Systems released a firmware update for Linksys WRTS54G 802.11g wireless router that corrects a serious security flaw. Without the update a hacker (AKA war drivers) can come through your backdoor and right into your configuration page, so get your firmware update quickly or you will then need to learn how to reset the router to the default settings and still update the firmware.

Spend Three Hours With The Tech Guy Leo Laporte
If you like computers and tech gadgets, you will love Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI. Leo answers your questions about all things tech, from Bluetooth to digital and video cameras, if it has a chip; he has your answer on Saturday and Sunday from 12-3 PT. You can visit his website at Leoville.com and find links to his spy cams, the chat room, and links for Leo's show notes.

Good Buy On eMacs
Low End Mac reports some rock bottom prices on eMacs. They also give good recommendations for the eMacs in use at their worksite. Low End Mac's website is a great place for Apple history buffs and collectors that are playing with vintage Macs (we have a MacintoshPlus with an EMAC hard drive, a Macintosh SE, and a Quadra 650, all running).

Improvements to .Mac
While Apple has improved their website for .Mac customers and made the support found there easier to use, what they fail to tell you is that this is all the help you can get. They no longer provide phone support for .Mac account users, so if you have a problem not covered in the help sections, your only recourse is to email Apple and wait for a reply. Having said that, we can still say that the .Mac account is a good value. It provides you with off-site storage for easy and quick backup, your own personal webpage that you can use to post pictures for family and friends to view, you receive access to MacAfee's Virex, an email account, and your membership entitles you to join .dotmac.info where you can post a blog. You can try it free for sixty-days if you visit Apple's .Mac website.

The Year of the Worm
While some consider this the year of the Monkey, Sophos security analyzers might choose to call this the year of the worm after discovering 959 new worms in the month of May 2004 alone according to Slashdot and Information Week. Sophos added W32/Agobot-JM today, the ninth new addition since June 1, 2004. If it seems like we dwell on viruses in this column, you now have a valid reason.

If You Have a Question
We would love to help you with your computer problems but need to know what it is you need help with; please submit your questions to: contactus@multipleplatforms.com or any of the Multipleplatforms links. We will answer your questions ASAP in plain (non-tech) language.

Find the links to all these stories and post your questions at: http://www.multipleplatforms.com

6/3/04

Office 2004 Finally Ships
Office 2004 Pro is still on hold, but the Standard and Student versions of Office 2004 for Mac are now shipping ($400 for the full version/ $240 to upgrade and $150 for the student/teacher version). If you would like to try a 30-day free trial of Office 2004 you can visit the Mactopia website. According to MacNN News the reasons behind the delay of the 2004 Pro release is associated with the same delay problem affecting MS’s release of SP2. Virtual PC 7 for Mac will be included in the pro version and is probably worth waiting for if you are considering purchasing a solution for using multiple platforms in your computer world.

Hoax Viruses
What is a hoax virus? It is the virus that is not; or more to the point, a rumor that has been elevated to the status of a virus. A form of social engineering, these false rumors often prompt the receiver into removing vital files from their systems, corrupting files so that they are no longer usable, or worse giving the victim a double whammy by providing a backdoor entrance for hackers. Before you remove any files based on an email from a friend, check our web page that lists the top ten virus hoaxes provided by Sophos Virus Information Center.

Feedbot Turns Safari Tab in to News Reader
We use a fantastic newsreader tool available from Net Newswire to find our news and the small fee they charge for using this excellent software is a great investment. However, if you are not writing news items for a website and you have Safari, you can use Feedbot to access news from sources with RSS feeds. What is an RSS feed? It gives Internet users the ability to track the news sites that interest them. Look for more on this topic in a future how-do-you-do-that article.

Cross-Platform (AKA Multipleplatforms) Media Player
We love applications that can be used in multiple platforms, and VLC Media Player is just the ticket for computer users looking for a media player that can be used for Macs, Window, BeOS, Debain, Mandrake Linux, Redhat Linux, SuSE Linux, and other operating systems. The best feature just might be the price, free. Check it out on your OS and give us your feedback at: contactus@multipleplatforms.com

Mac Word Sleuths Have Free Game Option
If you like to play word games, then you probably remember Boggle and now Apple word fanatics can download Boggle 1.0.1 free from the good programmers at Pyramid Productions. The download made the top ten on CNET’s popular download site.

G4/Tech TV Technical Glitch
The Tech TV website is gone, but not forgotten and will soon be functional again according to the hosts at the Screen Savers, Patrick Norton and Kevin Rose. The websites demise is unfortunate due to the wealth of technical information currently unavailable, and we cannot access the show notes so hopefully they will get the problem corrected soon. Leo Laporte continues to provide helpful tips on the Screen Savers, and Kevin Rose handled the technoglitch without a hitch by providing his great tips on free DVD backup software available to Multipleplatforms users at his website KevinRose.com/.

Panther Named Top OS by PC World
We noted the inclusion of iTunes for Windows in PC World's annual Best of Awards, but neglected to mention that Panther was named the best operating system of the year. And once again, PC World has gotten it right. Panther is a great OS system, now about those security flaws…

Real Viruses
Today the help boards had the usual pleas about corrupt files, and lost passwords, but a name that popped up in several queries was "Symproxysvc.exe", a Trojan Horse that has been around for a while. The Trojan Horse affects most Windows operating systems. Find out more about this problem from the Symantec website. Sophos added four new viruses today and you can learn about them at our webpage. Most of the computers currently being infected are owned by people that ignore advice to update, do not let yourself become the next victim, remember the geeks code: BUB—Backup, Update, Backup! In addition, purchase a router even if you only own one computer, the protection it provides is better than most software firewalls.

See the links to all these stories and post questions @: http://www.multipleplatforms.com

6-2-04

Your Mac World
Have you listened to Internet radio? Do you like Macs? Then join Shawn King and Jay as they discuss Mac games and interview the CEO of SoftDesign. You can listen to the live feed, join the chat room, or find archives of previous shows at their website.

PC World Picks New Software Product of the Year: iTunes for Windows
PC World announced the Product of the Year Awards and among the victorious is iTunes for Windows. PC World states, "It looks great, it's easy to use, and it has a surprising number of useful features, like the abilities to generate rules-based Smart Playlists and to trim individual tracks". AMD and the Athlon 64FX Processor are the winners in the Product of the Year Award and the IBM ThinkPad series was elevated to Hall of Fame status.

Great Site for .Mac Users
A fun and informative place to visit for everyone is dotmac.info, a website that features information for Apple users and the blogs of .Mac accounts members. You can visit our Technews blog there and many other interesting posts from Mac users worldwide. Membership numbers for the .Mac users has reached 500,000 according to MacWorld UK.

Vonage Reduces Price of Internet Phone
If you have been thinking about Net telephony but have hesitated because of the start-up kit price, wait no longer as Vonage as reduced the cost of the kit that now cost $30, a seventy dollar deduction as reported by CNET.

Hijacked Browsers for PC Users
The buzz on the help boards in the past few days has revolved around hijacked browsers. A great site to learn about this annoying trend is Spywareinfo.com/, where you can learn how to remove the problem. You can also find the newest viruses detected (two more added today) and the find the top ten hoax viruses at our Sophos Virus Link.

New Features at Multipleplatforms.com
We have moved the News to the first page that you visit and you can now search our website by clicking on the Search link at the top of the page. You can also visit the aforementioned virus links and products we have used and endorse.

Get the links for all these stories at: http://www.multipleplatforms.com

June 1, 2004

SP2 Will Focus On Four Areas
When Microsoft releases their much delayed SP 2 update, it will focus on 4 areas according to insiders at MS. Microsoft will address closing network security gaps, improved security for IM and email, provide more secure internet surfing, and provides more protection for the OS. Other features rumored to accompany SP2 are automatic software updates, a better firewall that is enabled, Bluetooth and more. Evidentially, RC1 was incompatible with some websites and has caused the additional delay according to MS sources.

Norton Users Need to Update
Symantec has released updates for PCs protected by Norton and it includes new virus definitions (6/1/2004 rev. 7) released on June 1, 2004. Norton released a virus definition for Macs on May 14, 2004. You can go to the Symantec site to find out if you need an update, or use your live-update option.

NetFlixFreak Gets a Tweak
If you use a Mac and have an account with Netflix, you will want to get this shareware product to make you Netflix experience more user friendly. We do not usually recommend shareware due to a limited budget ($0 is pretty limited); and a reluctance to unleash some malicious spyware on your computer stops of from recommending applications we have yet to try without at least a warning. We have tried this product and love it, the best feature is the ability to retrieve your entire viewing history; and the people at Littleappfactory have made this feature better based on our experiences and according to reports by Macnnnews.com/.

Mac Server Connection Messages
Still having some problems after the latest Apple 10.3.4 update? If you have received the message: "Cannot make a secure connection to YourServer. The server YourServer does not support secure connections via SSH. To connect with reduced security, click Continue", then you should visit the excellent website MacFixit and read their article regarding this issue. You can also view Apple Knowledge Base article #25758. Do not give up hope; there is a fix available for this problem.

Wireless is Not Secure, But Can Be
We have heard about the security flaws that exist with wireless networks, but with a little effort you can make it safer to surf wirelessly; to learn more about the actions you can take to avoid some common problems and learn about war-driving read the article by Wired News: Security Free Wireless Networks.


Free Download Tuesday From iTunes
Today is the day to visit the iTunes store for the free download of the week Run from Snow Patrol a hot group from Ireland. It is free for a limited time, so do not delay and download today.

Two New Viruses Listed by Sophos
Two new viruses are listed on the Sophos New Virus List:
1. W32/Rbot-V
2. Troj/Orifice-G
Learn more about theses new threats by visiting our Sophos Virus Links Page at Multipleplatforms.com/.

Get the links to these stories and post questions to http://www.multipleplatforms.com

5-31-04
Apples Fix Does Not Fix All
John Gruber from Daring Fireball continues to report that Apple is more concerned with image than with substance and more importantly, the last security fix from Apple does not address all the security issues despite Apple's (and this column's) assurances that it did address the same. Furthermore, Apple claimed the latest fix included the previous security fix release, but in-fact did not include the fix. This recent and real threat to Mac people deserves attention. John recommends the free fix from Rubicode Software that installs a system preference panel to disable or change settings, and Leo Laporte recommends Paranoid Android to watch over the incoming internet traffic.

Mac Users Report More Troubles
As we have reported previously, we have had no conflicts with the latest update but many users continue to experience problems as reported by eWeek.

MaAfee Releases Virex 7 Update
.Mac members and McAfee Security customers can find a new update for their virus detection systems from the company website or by opening your Virex application and begin a virus scan, it should prompt you to update.


Linux and Windows Security Comparison
NewsForge has an excellent article that compares the security of Linux and Windows that is aimed at IT managers, but could also be useful to those contemplating running an in home server.

The Top Five Windows Downloads From CNET
1. Ad-aware (kills spyware)
2. Spybot- Search & Destroy (another popular spyware killer)
3. ICQ 4.0 ( a favorite chat client)
4. Winzip (opens zip files)
5. iMesh (allows users to search and share files)
Bonus! Limewire (gives you more searching power)

Get the links for all the stories and post your questions @: http://www.multipleplatforms.com