Tech News Blog
6.24.05
Real Player Users Should Update
If you use RealPlayer, you should update the application to avoid leaving your computer open to crackers. Secunia released a bulletin regarding the issue, CNET has an article about the update, and the holes you’ll be leaving open if you don’t install the update.

New Beta Version of Anti-Spyware from Microsoft
Mary Jo Foley of Microsoft Watch is reporting that Microsoft has released a new beta version of their anti-spyware application. I have yet to try it so I can’t report on any of the new features and the item from Microsoft Watch is short on details regarding the same.

When Does Adware Become Spyware – Part 2
PC World has updated a previously published article regarding the delisting of some spyware and the item was cited here as an example of why you need more than one spyware removal tool at work on your computer. PC World has updated the article to reflect new data presented in their magazine in July; surf to their web site to learn more.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these updates notices for open source users: Red Hat (1, 2, 3) and Sun Solaris (1, 2).

Tip of the day from Multiple Platforms.com
Download a free song from the iTunes Music Store. Just click on the iTMS logo on the left side of this page and you’ll be jamming to a new song in no time.

What is Adware?
Wikipedia supplies the following definition for Adware: “Adware or advertising-supported software is any computer program or software package in which advertisements or other marketing material are included with or automatically loaded by the software and displayed or played back after installation or in which information about the computer or its users activities is uploaded automatically when the user has not requested it. These applications often present banner ads in pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen.
The Opera web browser is a popular example. Adware helps some developers recover programming development costs, and it may allow the software to be provided to the user of the application free of charge or at a reduced price: due to the advertising, the programmer may still profit from the wide use of their work, motivating them to write, maintain, and upgrade the software product.
Some adware is also shareware, as such it may be used as term of distinction used to differentiate between types of shareware software. What differentiates adware from other shareware is that it is primarily advertising supported. Users may also be given the option to pay for a "registered" or "licensed" copy, which typically does away with the advertisements. Other types of shareware include demoware, nagware, crippleware, freeware, loyaltyware, and even spyware.
Some adware programs have been criticized for occasionally including code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties, without the user's knowledge or consent. These programs are often called spyware; however, the word adware is sometimes also used to describe spyware.
spyware has prompted an outcry from computer security and privacy advocates, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center [1] (http://www.epic.org). Often, spyware applications send the user's browsing habits to an ad serving company, which then targets adverts at the user based on their interests. Kazaa and eXeem are popular programs which incorporate software of this type.”

Tech News Blog
6.23.05
Systems Safer When Not Running as Admin
Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI and host of Call For Help has warned listeners and viewers not to run their computers (PCs or Macs) as administrators because of the greater likelihood that you will allow an action that will compromise the security of your system. According to a report in eWeek, others are now striking the same tune as The Tech Guy, and a security guru from Microsoft details how many users could have avoided infection if they were not running their PCs as admins. Apparently, ‘default’ use of the admin account will change in Longhorn (see below).

Browser Flaw Confirmed By Mainstream Media
Not to toot my own horn, but the browser flaw I reported about on June 21st, 2005 was confirmed by the mainstream media outlets yesterday. The corporate tech news reporters used the same source I used, Secunia. I’m not sure why it took CNET and PC World so much longer to report the fact.

Preview of Microsoft’s Long-Delayed Longhorn
PC World and several other tech news sources are previewing the soon-to-be-released or long-delayed new operating system from Microsoft, Longhorn. If you are interested, follow the link to the article:
Longhorn Preview
The newest versions of the next Windows add graphics sizzle and more search features but lack visible productivity enhancements. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories]

Review and Comparison of OpenOffice.org Writer and Microsoft’s Word
Bruce Byfield was one of the first to review the office applications from OpenOffice.org and in his latest report for NewsForge, he reviews the writing tools from OpenOffice and Microsoft. After an extensive report and comparison of the programs, Bruce declares that the free product is equal to or superior to the commercial product, and that supports a similar opinion stated in this forum on numerous occasions (see 6.10.05. Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: OpenOffice).

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following bulletins: Linux Kernel, Mandriva, Gentoo (1, 2, 3), and SuSE (1, 2, 3).

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com
The tip of the day will return next week.

What is Longhorn?
The term Longhorn conjures up images of cowboys and cattle drives. The new Longhorn on the range will carry the Microsoft brand and Wikipedia supplies this alternative definition of Longhorn: “Longhorn is Microsoft's codename (for a full list see Microsoft codenames) for the next version of its Windows operating system, to follow on from Windows XP SP3 [1] and Windows Server 2003. It was originally expected to ship sometime early in 2006 as a minor step between Whistler and Windows Blackcomb (Longhorn is a name of a sports bar at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort).
Gradually, Longhorn assimilated many important new features and technologies of Blackcomb. On August 27, 2004, Microsoft announced that they are delaying release of WinFS so that Longhorn could be released in "a reasonable timeframe" (officially marked as December of 2006). Two beta versions have been planned, the first expected to debut in Q2 2005 and the second in Q4 2005, with release candidates to be released throughout 2006.
Longhorn is currently available as a preview release available to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers, and at select Microsoft developer conferences. The preview release is classified as an alpha version at the moment, and as such its performance and feature sets are not necessarily representative of the release product. As with many products (including all Windows releases since 98) it has since been leaked onto popular file sharing networks.”

Tech News Blog
6.22.05
Swallowed it: Hook, Line, and Sinker
John C. Dvorak is a tech journalist extraordinaire and he exercises his innate capabilities before jumping on any bandwagon. In his latest column published by PCMag, John has spotted the wolf wearing sheep’s clothing again; this time it revolves around the latest shtick regarding the dangers of BitTorrent and P2P file sharing. Mr. Dvorak credits this media snow job to Microsoft and the motivation for the company to create the latest rhetoric is provided in his article. Yes, I fell into the trap in that I published a link to the story, but in my defense, I did use a question mark in the headline and presented the piece as a story from a usually reliable source. Read more here:
The Scheme to Discredit BitTorrent
Don't believe everything you read. [PC Mag: John C. Dvorak]

Low Tech Tip: Shred Smartly
This tip from eWeek doesn’t exactly qualify as a high tech tip, but it might save you from a high invest of time and frustration: when shredding, shred smart or don’t bother. Crosscut shredders will provide you with a higher degree of protection and despite the shrill noise created here and elsewhere regarding compromised security and identity information, the easiest method to steal your ID is still from your trashcan.

Microsoft Word Alternatives Updated
NeoOffice/J 1.1 for Mac-heads and kOffice 1.4 have been updated according to MacNN and LinuxToday, respectively. I have tried previous versions of both these excellent open source Microsoft Office alternatives, have found them equal to or superior to most Office tools and the price is right, free.

The iTunes Podcast Software Might Cause Conflict
If it sounds to good to be true, wait to publish it… Well, if it seems to be that way lately it is because the preceding is true. You might want to read the following from Playlist before installing the much-heralded software plug-in for podcasting called BadApple. Actually, the bug is bothering Windows iTunes users only so far:
News: BadApple may be a bad apple
Third-party plug-in for iTunes podcasting causing problems. [MacCentral]

Do You Want to be an Antivirus Checker?
If you want to test OneCare Live, the new antivirus service that Microsoft plans to release in the near future, check out the article published by CNET. The beta release will follow this alpha trial sometime this summer according to Microsoft.

New Kernel from Linux/ Sun Solaris Express Update
The latest release from Linus Torvalds, version 2.6.12 is available according to a report from PC World. The new release contains major changes and driver updates. CNET is reporting that Sun Microsystems has released another version of Solaris Express.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following bulletins for open source systems: Fedora (1, 2), Gentoo (1, 2), Ubuntu (1, 2), and Slackware.

What is BitTorrent?
According to Wikipedia, “BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file distribution tool written by programmer Bram Cohen and debuted at CodeCon 2002. The reference implementation is written in Python and is released under the BitTorrent Open Source License (a modified version of the Jabber Open Source License), as of version 4.0.
With BitTorrent, files are broken into smaller fragments, typically a quarter of a megabyte each. As the fragments get distributed to the peers, they can be reassembled on a requesting machine in a random order. Each peer takes advantage of the best connections to the missing pieces while providing an upload connection to the pieces it already has. This scheme has proven particularly adept in trading large files such as videos and software source code. In conventional downloading, high demand leads to bottlenecks as demand surges for bandwidth from the host server. With BitTorrent, high demand can actually speed throughput as more bandwidth and additional “seeds” of the completed file become available to the group. Cohen claims that for very popular files, BitTorrent can support about a thousand times as many downloads as HTTP.”

Tech News Blog
6.21.05
Universal Browser Flaw
A JavaScript flaw has prompted Secunia to release security bulletins graded ‘less critical’ and with the exception of one, the solution is the same: don’t surf to unsavory sites. The flaw exists in the Mozilla browser family, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Opera with an update available for the latter. Additionally, Safari and Internet Explorer for Macs suffer from the same flaw.

Tech News Briefs
Summer vacation is upon us, but my research project is shifting into high gear so here are some tech news headlines with leads (italicized) and links for your surfing pleasure. The theme of the day seems to be security, security, and more security:

Security Tools Next Cracker Target
Security tools face increased attack
As the pool of Windows security bugs dries up, analysts say hackers are turning to security software to break into PCs. [CNET News.com]

Massive Theft of Credit Card Info
Over the weekend we learned of yet another breach of trust and the extent of those that might be effected is still unknown. Some news sources claim that it the investigators are responsible for the uncertainty as they are still developing the case against the perpetrators. Read more from these sources:
Details emerge on credit card breach
Payment processor didn't meet guidelines, MasterCard says, as details come out about the break-in that exposed 40 million accounts. [CNET News.com]

Security Breach Exposes 40 Million Credit Cards
Network vulnerabilities allowed an outsider to access the info, company says. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories]

Major Card Vendors Stay Mum on Data Breach
Citing a lack of information and FBI requests for silence, most major credit card issuers are keeping quiet about how many of their customers were caught up in the hack into a third-party transaction processor's network. [eWEEK Technology News]

Are Security Solutions Just Feel Good Medicine?
According to this release by The Register, the protection we are receiving from security applications are not much protection, and this maybe true. A router with NAT protection can provide with as much protection as many firewalls, especially if the firewall owners fail to keep them up to date. Read on about the subject here:
Security products 'riddled' with bugs
Who guards the guards? [The Register]

Apple Drops Virex from .Mac
I used to encourage people purchasing a Mac from to invest in a .Mac account because it included a virus scanner from MacAfee among other things; note the past tense in the previous phrase. MacFixIt reports that we those of us that are .Mac members will no longer have the luxury of a ‘free’ antivirus program. It seems that Apple is perturbed over recent conflicts with Virex and MacAfee’s attempts to patch the problem have not provided proper remedies according to the report. The same protection from MacAfee is double the cost of a .Mac account, illustrating that we were correct in previously emphasizing what a bargain the account with Apple was, note the previous tense, and let us hope that the release of Virex from the package supplied by Apple isn’t the start of an unsavory trend.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these updates for those of us using open source systems: OpenBSD and Gentoo.


Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com is on sabbatical this week.

What is .Mac?
Wikipedia tells us that: “.Mac refers to a group of online services offered by Apple Computer. These include website hosting with preexisting templates, IMAP and web-based email, iDisk online storage via WebDAV, a free copy of McAfee's Virex antivirus software, backup software and other "specials" offered by Apple to subscribers.
Apple previously offered the .Mac service for free under the name iTools, which drew to a close in September of 2002 after .Mac debuted in July, at Macworld Expo New York. Mac users had varied responses to this move. Critics called the .Mac service overpriced at $99 USD and did not appreciate that subscribers of iTools who did not subscribe to .Mac lost their @mac.com email address. Advocates cited the improved services. Apple eventually included a referral program where referrers received 20% off their next year of .Mac for each paid referral.
2 of the 5 iLife applications (iPhoto and iMovie) are integrated with .Mac, allowing .Mac members to share their movies, photos and personal files through the iDisk and .Mac homepages. Apple also includes Backup software for Mac OS X to use with .Mac. iSync is also supported by allowing users to synchronize their address book, calendars, and Safari bookmarks.”

If you would like to take a .Mac account for a free spin, just click on the link found on the left-side of this page.

Tech News Blog
6.20.05
Trend Setters?
According to a report from PC World, the coordinated attack aimed at U.K. business and government computers could be indicative of a new trend in cracker attacks. The new hook is a twist on social engineering and targets specific individuals within an organization as targets for secured information. Even though the targets in this case are commercial, the bottom line for this article seems to be that we’ll see the same methods used against the rest of us soon.

Firefox and Spotlight Aren’t Getting Along
MacFixIt readers are reporting a conflict between the Firefox family of browsers and the new indexing tool including in Tiger, Spotlight. Apparently, every time Firefox is shutdown a new bookmark is added to Firefox. To correct the problem you need to open System Preferences and select Spotlight; then click on the Privacy tab and select the add button (bleow the list field) then browse to Firefox and double-click to add it to locations you don’t want Spotlight to index. You might also want to include external hard drives that contain backup information also.

TWITS Return
If you are a fan of This Week In Tech you are in luck, podcasts from this week and the last week are now available. Visit the web site for mirror sites and more.

Zombie Prevention 101
It is far easier to keep your computer from becoming a zombie than it is to recover after crackers have co-opted your PC and for proof, you can visit PC World for the directions on how to recover your box post-infection. The article also explains the new market for your computer after it has been zombie-fied.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released these bulletins for open source users: OpenBSD, SuSE, Slackware, and Gentoo (1, 2, 3).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com is on sabbatical this week.

What is a Zombie?
Wikipedia has this information on a zombie: “A zombie computer (abbreviated zombie) is a computer attached to the Internet that has a hidden software program or backdoor. This backdoor allows the computer to be remotely controlled by others. Some uses for a zombie include conducting distributed denial of service attacks or sending spam, while not revealing an attacker's true identity.
Backdoors are often installed with spammed Trojans or e-mail worms.”