Hillpark Computer Specialist

new virus

2009-10-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

src=http://anydisk.anyprinting.com/webfolder/index.php
src=http://weihua.ca/_vti_txt/medicalplan.shtml.php
src=http://spielwaren-carl-loebner.de/shop/team.php
src=http://nextage.co.il/config/referer.php
src=http://nextage.co.il/config/referer.php
src=http://spielwaren-carl-loebner.de/shop/team.php

I found this fucking virus in my website's file..

If you are not sure where its came, juz check all your .js file.

Hardware hacking a cat and mouse game

2009-10-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR: If you ask Joe Grand, president of Grand Idea Studio — an R&D and product design company, he’ll tell you that no piece of hardware can ever be safe enough from hackers.

“If something has electronics running inside, it can easily be tampered with, and many such products are susceptible to being compromised by even simple attacks,” he said.

According to him, hardware hacking has recently reappeared on hackers’ radars because of the plethora of easily available tips and tools available on the Internet.

He said the tools of the trade are very affordable and for a paltry sum experienced hardware hackers can have a die made of the circuit board they wish to hack.

This form of outsourcing is something new in the hardware hacking world, Grand said in his keynote address at the recent Hack in The Box Security Conference (HITBSecConf) here.

“Things that used to be difficult to do for hardware engineers and hackers have become so easy that there really isn’t any excuse now for hackers not to hack into hardware,” he said.

A mix of new and old methods can also help with the process of hacking hardware.

Citing an incident where he hacked into parking meters in San Francisco, Grand applied social engineering techniques to learn how the meters worked. “and the officials were only too happy to tell me everything.”

With that information and some software tools, he managed to confound the system running the parking meters into granting him US$999.99 (about RM3,600) worth of parking time.

“I didn’t use it, of course. I informed the city council about it and they are currently doing something to fix (the loophole in the) system,” he said.

Another trend that is making the job of a hardware hacker even easier is product enthusiasts disassembling a product and then posting detailed pictures of its components on the Internet.

“This shows hardware hackers what kind of components are used to build the product, which can clue them in to its vulnerabilities,” he said.

Good and bad

Just like with any other hacking activity, hardware hacking can lead to detrimental consequences, such as service theft or having your product cloned by unscrupulous parties.

But there is a silver lining, Grand said. If product developers make an effort to understand the skills of hardware hacking, they will be able to build a more secure product.

He said hardware designers usually leave a lot of clues on how to hack into a product because they are always in a hurry to put the devices on the market and place little emphasis on security.

Grand said hacked hardware is probably a more costly problem to solve than hacked software.

“In the software world all it takes is an inexpensive patch but it’s not that simple when it comes to hardware. A lot of times, it requires the companies to issue a new version of the hardware which can be a costly fix,” he said.

Having said that, Grand believes that it is impossible to devise a totally secure hardware product, no matter how much a company chooses to spend on this. The trick is for the company to keep staying ahead of the hackers.

“It’s a cat and mouse game. Hardware developers will try to make their products secure but there’ll always be an unplugged hole somewhere,” he said. This keeps everyone on their toes.

British hacker loses latest extradition appeal

2009-10-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

LONDON: A British man accused of hacking into US military computers has failed in his latest bid to avoid extradition to the United States.

Gary McKinnon is charged with breaking into dozens of computers belonging to Nasa, the US Department of Defense and several branches of the US military soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. US prosecutors have spent seven years seeking his extradition.

McKinnon claims he was searching for evidence of alien life, although prosecutors say he left a message on an Army computer criticising US foreign policy.

Friday’s decision denies McKinnon the possibility of taking his case to Britain’s new Supreme Court — the latest in a series of blows to his campaign to remain in Britain.

Lord Justice Stanley Burnton said that extradition was “a lawful and proportionate response” to McKinnon’s alleged crimes.

McKinnon’s attorney, Karen Todner, said she was not giving up.

“The legal team are now considering our position and we will exhaust every avenue to prevent Gary’s extradition,” she said after the ruling.

McKinnon’s supporters argue that the 43-year-old is autistic and should not be put through the ordeal of a custodial sentence across the Atlantic.

His case has attracted significant attention in Britain, where it has served as touchstone for debate about the country’s fast-track extradition treaty with the United States — signed in the wake of Sept 11 — and wider US-British relations.

McKinnon’s mother, Janis Sharp, said that her government was too willing to send its citizens to the United States “as sacrificial lambs” to safeguard the pair’s “special political relationship.”

“To use my desperately vulnerable son in this way is despicable, immoral and devoid of humanity,” she said after the ruling.

Britain’s Home Office, which would ultimately be responsible for handling McKinnon’s extradition, said only that it had noted the decision. — AP

Autowait for rapidshare for firefox- no need to wait anymore

2009-09-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Script Summary:
Script to automatically download files from rapidshare as free user. More advanced, deals with all possible errors and responds accordingly. MOTTO: "Just open all links in the tabs and go play outside;-)"
Version: 1.0.18 (Aug 20, 2009)

MOTTO: "Just open all links in the tabs and go play outside;-)"

This script can automatically download files from RapidShare.com. On the first page it clicks on Free Download, then it waits until the download is ready (this also deals with all possible errors - another download in progress, 15 minute limit, session expired, .. can be extended easily). Then it waits those few seconds during countdown and clicks on the download link.

It means that if you set up Firefox to download rar files without asking and set up a default download directory, you really don't have to care about anything else. You will still need to wait all those timeouts and countdowns, but you won't have to sit in front of your computer to do that;-)

The script also displays status messages in the window title, so you can see how all your files are doing.

I would really like to hear your opinions, or if you found a bug or want an improvement, just let me know.

Please click button to install

Berjuta gagal layari Google

2009-05-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Gergasi enjin carian Internet, Google memohon maaf kelmarin selepas masalah teknikal menyebabkan berjuta-juta orang tidak dapat menggunakan perkhidmatannya termasuk Mel Google dan Berita Google.

Gangguan sejam itu tidak terhad kepada pengguna Internet di Amerika Syarikat (AS) malah kebanyakan negara lain turut menghadapi masalah sama.

Perkhidmatan lain yang terjejas ialah Peta Google dan laman web perkongsian video, YouTube.

Pelbagai aduan dan komen orang ramai mengenai gangguan perkhidmatan syarikat yang menguasai lebih 60 peratus pasaran enjin carian di AS itu disiarkan di laman blog Twitter.

Di beberapa tempat, orang ramai tidak dapat menggunakan laman web Google manakala enjin carian itu amat perlahan di beberapa kawasan lain.

Kenyataan syarikat itu menyatakan gangguan berlaku apabila salah satu sistem Google mengalami masalah menyebabkan banyak laluan web dilencongkan ke laluan Asia sekali gus mencetuskan kesesakan.

"Kesannya, kira-kira 14 peratus pengguna kami mengalami perkhidmatan yang perlahan atau gangguan penuh," kata kenyataan Google.

"Selama ini, kami bekerja keras bagi memastikan perkhidmatan yang disediakan berjalan dengan pantas dan boleh digunakan pada bila-bila masa. Gangguan seperti itu memalukan kami.

"Kami memohon maaf dan anda mendapat jaminan bahawa kami akan bekerja dengan lebih keras bagi memastikan masalah serupa tidak akan berlaku," tambahnya.

Syarikat enjin carian yang beribu pejabat di California, AS itu menyatakan, gangguan berlaku kira-kira pukul 9.48 malam waktu Malaysia dan berakhir sejam kemudian. - AFP

Google Maps Malaysia launched

2009-05-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

GOOGLE Inc has launched Google Maps Malaysia (http://maps.google.com.my), a new search platform that enables users to find local geographic information on their personal computers and mobile phones.

These include online maps, satellite imagery, driving directions, addresses and business listings, Google said in a statement today.

Google's Southern Asia product manager Andrew McGlinchey said Google Maps Malaysia was an exciting step forward in helping Malaysian users quickly and easily find the local geographic information.

"Google's dynamic and collaborative geographic platform allows consumers to create personal maps and enables businesses to connect with customers through virtual maps," he said.

Users can search for local businesses and points of interest, check out what events or movies are going on nearby, advise visiting friends and tourists on local attractions, research the locations or properties to buy or rent, and even locate dining, shopping or nightlife options, Google said.

Google's Southeast Asia head of marketing Derek Callow said Google Maps Malaysia enabled local users, businesses and developers to contribute and share their information.

"This is a great start and we're looking forward to working with many more Malaysian organisations to enhance the quality, features and usefulness of the local version of Google Maps," he said.

An expensive Dream

2009-04-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

The Logitech Pure-Fi Dream, a clock radio for the iPhone and iPod, has a nice mix of design and functionality.

There are plenty of ways that I’d like be woken up in the morning, and top on that list is to be (a)roused by a beautiful supermodel.

However, since that’s not very realistic, I’m quite content to stick to my alarm clock radios.

The Pure-Fi Dream is a stylish clock radio that also functions as an iPod and iPhone-compatible music system.

Created by Logitech as a premium product in their Pure-Fi line, this is a good looking model that you can realistically take into your bedroom.

Looks dreamy

The first thing you’ll notice about the Pure-Fi Dream is that it’s pretty sleek-looking.

It has a curved, bean-shaped body with cloth grill speakers on both ends and the iPod/iPhone dock sitting at its front.

The glossy black finish is complemented by the glowing orange buttons — mostly situated on the top of the device — and similarly coloured display screen. And it will fit neatly into any modern bedroom.

The Pure-Fi Dream isn’t entirely compact, so while it’ll make an eye-catching addition to any bedside table, you’ll probably want to clear out some space for it first.

It’s about 35cm wide and 14cm deep, and that’s not even counting the bulky power supply.

Visit : www.logitech.com for more review about this gadget

Say goodbye to mouse lag

2009-04-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

A4-TECH recently unveiled its G7-630 wireless mouse for Windows and Mac users that promises full speed and no delays.

The 2.4GHz-based 800dpi mouse comes with a two-way communication technology and error correction capability to speed up data transmission and increases wireless precision, the company claimed.

Additionally its built-in auto channel hopping feature automatically detects and secures available channels in the busy public 2.4GHz universal bands to prevent connection loss.

The mouse works up to 15m, making it suitable to be used to control a media centre in the living room while you lounge around comfortably on the sofa.

Its mini-receiver is given a gold-plated surface treatment to ensure transmission efficiency and stability, A4-Tech claimed. When used with a laptop, the “plug and forget” receiver is small enough that you can let it stay inserted in the USB port even when you pack the laptop away.

There is also a small hidden compartment underneath the mouse to house the mini-receiver when it is not in use.

Other notable features inlude the Three-Shiftable Report Rate and Eight Gestures options. Users can select three different report rates, including 2ms, 4ms and 8ms, to deliver smooth and accurate cursor control depending on the task.

The faster speed is highly recommended when playing fast moving PC games, A4-Tech said.

Meanwhile the Eight Gestures option is to quickly issue commands in an application — users can continually press the right button and move the mouse to one of the eight predetermined directions to activate the function.

The RM99 mouse is powered by a single AA battery, which can last up to 1,000 hours depending on usage, said the company.

Gamers smash world record

2009-04-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

The gamers who participated in Cyberfusion’s One Nation Cyberjaya world record attempt for the longest LAN party have succeeded in style.

Supervised by officials from the Guinness World Records, Malaysia now officially holds the world record for longest LAN party.

Starting at midnight on Saturday and ending at 4pm on Sunday, 274 gamers played non-stop for 40 hours.

The participants brought and boasted the power and superiority of their own computers while waiting in line to get registered. All players were given five minutes bathroom break per hour which can be accumulated according to the Guinness rules.

Many took full advantage of the rule to accumulate their breaks and used the time to sleep in their car.

However, rumours of a player who did not take a single break in 40 hours could not be verified.

There were also a few who faltered or did not return within the stipulated time and were subsequently disqualified.

The original plan was to break the record of 36 hours by an extra two which would have set the record at 38 hours. Just before the 38th hour mark, when the record had already been broken, the organisers asked the players if they could push on to 40. By a majority vote, they agreed buoyantly to continue.

With energy drinks strewn all over the floor and sleep deprived gamers sluggishly walking to the exits, some still had the energy to talk about what this means for Malaysian gaming.

Eighteen-year-old student Ng Yun Bin, who was playing a variety of games including DotA and Left 4 Dead, said Malaysian gaming will certainly benefit from this. “Malaysia is already quite good in many games and we have many events here already,” said Ng. “This record will give us even more exposure and more events will be held here.”

Some players even came in pairs. Two students, 23-year-old Ansarul Iqmal Roslan and 22-year-old Nurul Nisa Omar are a couple who decided to be part of the record together.

“I’ve loved gaming since I was a kid so this was not that hard for me,” said Ansarul.

“I think more gaming companies will want to have events in Malaysia after this which is great.”

He also appreciated having his girlfriend with him to keep him company, especially since she is not a passionate gamer like him.

AMD and Cyberview Sdn Bhd marked the occasion as a success. Managing director of Cyberview Datuk Redza Rafiq said that the record attempt along with the other competitions held at Cyberfusion will serve as the catalyst for Malaysia’s bid to host the 2010 World Cyber Games Asian Championship.

Cyberfusion, organised by Cyberview Sdn Bhd and AMD, was held at Multimedia University (MMU) in Cyberjaya.

April Fool's Day computer virus could cause internet chaos today

2009-03-31T20:20:00.001-07:00

A virus that experts believe has wormed its way into millions of computers could choose today to attack.

The Conficker virus, which is thought to have infected up to 15million computers since last autumn, has so far lurked harmlessly - but it is said to be programmed to change the way it operates today.

No one knows what it will do - with some suspecting it is simply an April Fool's joke.

But there are fears the virus, which infects machines through the internet and via memory sticks, will be used to steal bank details, send spam emails or crash a major website by overloading it by redirecting all affected computers to it.

Conficker, which is also known as Downadup or Kido, is a 'worm' virus that exploits a gap in Microsoft Windows software.

Parliament, the Ministry of Defence and several NHS trusts have been infected, as well as home computers.

Experts are sceptical about whether today is the day the worm will turn, but urge the public to ensure their anti-virus software is up to date.

Security patches can be downloaded from Microsoft, which has offered a £175,000 reward to find the culprits.

One sign of already being infected is being blocked from visiting the websites of anti-virus companies such as McAfee.

Graham Cluley, of internet security company Sophos, advises people to rid their machines of the worm as soon as they can.

He said: 'There is no reason to believe that there will be any instructions for Conficker to receive on 1 April,' he said. 'They could just as easily be delivered on 2 April, 4 April, 25 May or never.

'This network is large and the whole world is going to be watching everything it does.

'You could argue it is a victim of its own success because it is going to be difficult for it to do anything under the radar.'

Mikko Hypponen, of antivirus software firm F-Secure, said: 'It is scary thinking about how much control a hacker could have. They would have access to millions of machines.'

How do I know if my PC has been infected?

Conficker finds vulnerable computers and automatically disables security services and blocks access to anti-virus websites.

You might be infected if your internet connection is running particularly slowly.

Find out whether you already have Conficker by using Microsoft, Symantec or a McAfee security tool.

How do I stay safe?

Make sure your PC is running the latest version of anti-virus software such as Norton or McAfee.

Make sure any USB devices you use on your PC are from trusted sources - Conficker downloads files when an infected USB is used on a new PC

Update your PC with all the latest ‘patches’ from Microsoft - available from Microsoft's website.

If your PC has been infected with the virus you can download Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool from the website.

Virus serang Internet sempena April Fool

2009-03-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

LONDON - Para pemilik komputer disaran supaya berwaspada berikutan virus Conficker dipercayai akan menyerang Internet hari ini bersempena 'hari penipuan' atau April Fool, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Virus yang sudah menjangkiti lebih 10 buah komputer di seluruh dunia itu dibimbangi boleh melumpuhkan sistem jaringan Internet.

Pakar-pakar memberi amaran virus itu boleh digunakan untuk mencari dan mencuri nombor dan kata laluan kad kredit atau melumpuhkan laman web seperti Google.

"Komputer-komputer yang dijangkiti Conficker akan menjadi rangkaian komputer zombie dan boleh digunakan untuk menghantar e-mel atau menyerang laman web lain," kata seorang pegawai di firma keselamatan Internet Sophos, Graham Cluley.

Pengeluar perisian komputer terbesar di dunia, Microsoft sudah menawarkan perisian percuma untuk memusnahkan virus itu. - Agensi

Pengasas Yahoo letak jawatan

2008-11-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO - Pengasas bersama enjin carian Yahoo di internet, Jerry Yang yang menolak tawaran pengambil alihan sebanyak AS$47 bilion (RM169 bilion) daripada Microsoft kini dalam proses meletakkan jawatan sebagai ketua pegawai eksekutif (CEO).

Yang berumur 40 tahun mengambil alih jawatan (CEO) setahun lalu dan akan kekal memegang jawatan itu sehingga penggantinya diperoleh.

"Yang dan Lembaga Pengarah telah mengadakan dialog berhubung waktu penggantian dan kita semua bersetuju bahawa kini adalah masa sesuai untuk melakukan peralihan CEO baru," kata Pengerusi Yahoo, Roy Bostock.

"Kami berasa terhutang budi kepada Yang dan sumbangannya sebagai CEO sejak 18 bulan lalu," katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Menurut Yahoo, Yang yang mengasaskan enjin carian itu pada 1995 ketika berumur 26 tahun bersama rakan sekelasnya, David Filo dari Universiti Stanford.

Yang kemudian menjadi bilionair apabila syarikat itu disenaraikan pada tahun seterusnya. - AFP

Microsoft Malaysia nasihat orang ramai abai e-mel berangkai

2008-10-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Microsoft Malaysia, anak syarikat perisian komputer terkemuka dunia yang berpangkalan di Amerika Syarikat (AS), Microsoft Corporation tidak terbabit dengan sebarang aktiviti atau menyokong apa-apa bentuk e-mel spam atau ‘sampah’.

Jurucakap Microsoft Malaysia berkata, perbuatan pihak tertentu itu disedari pihaknya sejak tiga tahun lalu.

“Kami meminta orang ramai tidak melayan e-mel berangkai yang mendakwa pengasas Microsoft, Bill Gates mahu memberi wang kepada penggunanya.

“E-mel yang mencalarkan imej Microsoft ini mengarut dan tidak masuk akal. Justeru, jika terima abaikan,” katanya ketika mengulas laporan muka depan Harian Metro kelmarin mengenai sindiket penipuan Internet yang menggunakan nama Gates bagi tujuan mengaut keuntungan.

Laporan memetik, taktik licik terbaru sindiket penipuan Internet dikesan menggunakan nama jutawan yang juga pengasas perisian Microsoft, Gates, bagi memerangkap mangsa melalui e-mel.

Antara kandungan e-mel yang kini tersebar luas di seluruh negara ialah ‘tidak perlu mengeluarkan sebarang modal atau pelaburan, namun dijanjikan pulangan wang ribuan ringgit setiap minggu dengan hanya menghantar e-mel’.

Dakyah e-mel berangkai itu menyatakan Gates mahu berkongsi kekayaan melimpah-ruah dimilikinya dengan pelanggannya, menerusi dua syarikat tersohor, Microsoft dan AOL.

Naib Presiden Dapat Vista Sdn Bhd yang juga pengasas dapat.com, Azli Paat, menjelaskan e-mel berantai seperti itu digunakan sindiket untuk menjual nama, alamat, e-mel dan nombor telefon mangsa kepada syarikat tertentu.

Sementara itu, Kementerian Tenaga, Air dan Komunikasi (KTAK) akan mengambil langkah serius membanteras sindiket yang menjalankan kegiatan jual beli maklumat peribadi orang ramai tanpa kebenaran dan dengan tujuan jahat.

Timbalan Menterinya, Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, berkata perbuatan menganiaya orang ramai dengan modus operandi tersembunyi di sebalik emel sebagai tidak beretika.

“Sekiranya kejadian itu benar berlaku, ia sesuatu perniagaan yang tidak beretika. Mana boleh jual maklumat peribadi orang lain tanpa kebenaran.

“Pelaku boleh diambil tindakan keras mengikut Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia 1998 (AKM),” katanya.

Pelayar terbaru Microsoft

2008-08-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON – Syarikat komputer gergasi, Microsoft melancarkan pelayar internet terbaru yang membolehkan pengguna melayari internet tanpa meninggalkan sebarang kesan di laman web yang mereka lawati, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Pelayar internet yang dikenali sebagai porn mode menyembunyikan sejarah laman web yang dilawati oleh seseorang individu pada satu komputer yang sama.

Ciri terbaru itu dijangka memberi tamparan hebat terhadap enjin pencarian Google yang banyak bergantung kepada sejarah pelayar untuk menyasarkan satu-satu pengiklanan.

MA-134.072008 : MyCERT Special Alert - Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Products

2008-07-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has released notification regarding latest vulnerabilities in its products. There are two vulnerabilities that will be affecting many users in Malaysia. Users are advised to take high precautions and execute remedial action to avoid their machines from being compromised.

Three Microsoft products that are experiencing the vulnerabilities are as below:

i. Microsoft Word
ii. Microsoft DNS

The details of the vulnerabilities have been summarized in the tables as below. Be very aware that there is an exploit available for the vulnerability of Microsoft Word and users are advised to undertake a prompt action to fix the vulnerabilities

Produced in 15th July 2008 by MyCERT, CyberSecurity Malaysia, an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).

Revision History:

Initial Release: 15th July 2008
Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution (951207)
CVE / Microsoft
Security Bulletin CVE-2008-2244
System Affected

* Microsoft Word 2002 Service Pack 3

* Microsoft Word 2000 *

* The software may just exit when opening purposely crafted .doc file

However the software listed below are NOT affected from the vulnerability
* Microsoft Office Word 2000

* Microsoft Office Word 2003 Service Pack 2

* Microsoft Office Word 2003 Service Pack 3

* Microsoft Office Word 2007

* Microsoft Office Word 2007 Service Pack 1

* Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003

* Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3

* Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats

* Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 1

* Microsoft Office for Mac 2004

* Microsoft Office for Mac 2008

Method of infection

User initiated, by opening specially crafted Microsoft Word file with embedded code; usually sent via email or hosted on websites. Attacker then could get access of complete control on the machine
Impact

Attacker could execute exploit remotely by manipulating memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Word.

Attacker may gain the same user right as local user, and fewer user rights reflects less affected system.
Exploit

AVAILABLE

It exploits Microsoft Word Macro processing code for macro names length vulnerability and then executes the attacker-supplied arbitrary code on the compromised computer, drops the backdoor and executes it.
Fixes/Remedial

Run all software as a nonprivileged user with minimal access rights.

Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 Viewer or Microsoft Office Word 2003
Viewer Service Pack 3 to open and view Microsoft Word files.

Do not open and save Microsoft Office file from unknown sources or unexpectedly.

Vulnerabilities in DNS Could Allow Spoofing (DNS Insufficient Socket Entropy Vulnerability & DNS Cache Poisoning Vulnerability)
CVE / Microsoft
Security Bulletin CVE-2008-1454 CVE-2008-1447/MS08-037
System Affected

* DNS Client - Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4
DNS Server - Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP4

* DNS Client - Windows XP SP2 & SP3

* DNS Client - Windows XP Pro x64 2 & Windows XP Pro x64 SP2

* DNS Client - Windows Server 2003 SP1 & SP2
DNS Server - Windows Server 2003 SP 1 & SP2

* DNS Client - Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition & Windows Server 2003 x64 SP2
DNS Server - Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition & Windows Server 2003 x64 SP2

* DNS Client - Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium & Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium.
DNS Server - Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium & Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium.

* DNS Server - Windows Server 2008, 32 bit

* DNS Server - Windows Server 2008, x64

Method of infection

DNS Insufficient Socket Entropy Vulnerability - CVE-2008-1447

The cause of this is the lack of sufficient entropy allowing an attacker to spoof DNS query responses.

An attacker could send specific queries to a vulnerable DNS server or client, and at the same time respond back in a manner that allows the attacker to insert false or misleading DNS data. The attacker could then redirect Internet traffic from legitimate locations to an address of the attacker's choice.

DNS Cache Poisoning Vulnerability - CVE-2008-1454

The vulnerability could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to send specially crafted responses to DNS requests made by vulnerable systems, thereby poisoning the DNS cache and redirecting Internet traffic from legitimate locations and invoking Man in the Middle attack.

It happens when the software fails to properly handle responses that contains data outside of their authority. Including data from beyond the DNS Server authority can cause extra data to be inserted into the DNS cache.
Impact

DNS Insufficient Socket Entropy Vulnerability - CVE-2008-1447

An attacker who has successfully exploited this vulnerability can insert arbitrary addresses into the DNS cache, also known as DNS cache poisoning. Unsuspecting users would fall prey to a pharming attack.

DNS Cache Poisoning Vulnerability - CVE-2008-1454

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could insert false or misleading DNS data in the response to specific DNS requests, thereby redirecting Internet traffic. This will then expose users for pharming attack.
Exploit N/A
Fixes/Remedial

Available (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-037.mspx)

Ensure that only trusted hosts and networks can send DNS responses to affected machines.

Type your summary here

Type rest of the post here

TheWonderBar

2008-06-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

THEWONDERBAR.
Moor. Chlorey’nahre. Original.

“Experience thewonderbar today!! Unleash its magic on your skin”

Suitable for all skin types, thewonderbar is formulated for daily use to cleanse, tone, and moisturize the
face for the conditioned look.

"All you have to do is to work the thewonderbar facial bar into lather, gently massage into the skin, leave
it on to permeate your skin for 3 minutes and wash off with water. Admire the effects of thewonderbar
conditioned skin in the mirror, as it continues throughout the day."

THEWONDERBAR is also effective as a shampoo and shaving foam.

website: www.thewonderbar.info
any inquiry & to order:

Cisco Chief claims antivirus software is a waste of money

2008-05-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, Cisco's Chief Security Office, John Stewart, made an interesting statement regarding the nature of today's virus and malware threats. He has stated that spending money on Antivirus (along with other types of malware protection) is a complete waste, with vendors fighting an uphill battle that they are losing. It's a statement that many could probably relate to, as often even a machine that is fully patched and fully updated can still fall prey to viruses or spyware.

[Click here for more]

Mr. Stewart asserts that the frequency of new malicious software being released into the wild has made it so commonplace as to be almost ignorable, with companies preferring to just “live with them” rather than struggle to fight them. That sounds like a complete loss of hope, but it wasn't all doom and gloom – he vouched for the idea of white-listing software, crafting systems that only let certain software execute at all. Provided that control is in the hands of the user (or at least whoever administers the machine), it's a nice ideal if not completely realistic.

A lot of people disagree with that point of view – the regional director of McAfee, for instance, who retorted to the Cisco Chief's comments, claiming that while AV suites are not perfect, it is certainly leagues better than having an unprotected machine.

Type your summary here

Type rest of the post here

Windows Defender update breaks USB devices in Vista

2008-04-17T01:10:00.000-07:00

A software update hosing your OS is pretty bad. It's happened to all of us us at one point or another, though, and frustrations aside we get over it. A software updating denying you access to hardware, however, is something entirely different – and that's exactly what Microsoft is facing right now. It seems that a recent update to Vista is causing problems with USB devices, including USB mice and keyboards. The problem, it seems, will result in these devices no longer functioning, making it pretty difficult to implement any fixes or use the machine at all if you rely on USB input.

The update was for the Windows Defender package, and currently Microsoft has no fix available for it. In the meantime, if you are struck by this problem, your only real recourse is to use a PS/2 device – or remove the update and keep it off your system.

Protect Your Investment on Acer Product!

2008-04-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

Protect Your Investment !!

Acer Aspire 3680-2680 / 3680-2680G/
3680-2680D2 / 4710 / 4720 / 5315 / 5710 /5720
is NOT an authorised product of
Acer Sales & Services Sdn. Bhd

How to confirm your Acer is Genuine?
Before you buy Acer Laptop, make sure it has all following features:

Pre-installed with genuine Windows Vista; Rose-color Certificate of Authenticity (COA) included.
3-year Limited Local Warranty.
1 year International Traveler's Warrany*
Able to uplift to 3-years International Traveler's Warranty with Acer SuperCare Extended Warranty.
Free** RM10000 AIA Personal Accident and Snatch/ Assault for up to 90 days.
SIRIM approval sticker.
Buy only from Acer Authorised Resellers.

*for selected model only
**for every purchase Acer notebook or Multimedia Pc during the promotion period

[click here for details]

Will Microsoft Deliver Windows 7 Next Year?

2008-04-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Microsoft hints that the next version of its Windows operating system will arrive in 2009.

Microsoft has dropped two strong hints in the past two days that the next version of its Windows operating system will arrive in 2009, shaving up to a year off previous expectations.

It could also be a signal that Microsoft intends to cut its losses with Windows Vista, which has been poorly received or shunned by customers, especially large companies.

Microsoft has long said it wants to release Windows 7 about three years after Vista, which was released to manufacturing in November 2006 but not officially launched until January 2007. Given Microsoft's recent track record - Vista arrived more than five years after XP - most outsiders had pegged some time in 2010 as a safe bet for Windows 7's arrival.

But News.com reported Friday that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates answered a question at a business meeting in Miami about Windows Vista by saying "Sometime in the next year or so we will have a new version."

And during its announcement Thursday that it would extend the availability of Windows XP Home for low-cost laptops, Microsoft said it would retire the operating system only after June 30, 2010, or one year after the release of Windows 7, whichever comes later.

That implies that Microsoft is targeting the middle of next year for some sort of release milestone for Windows 7 - the only codename known at the moment - though whether that would be a final release to consumers or an RTM, which allows businesses and OEMs to start installing it, is unknown.

A Microsoft spokeswoman, in an e-mail, said the company "is in the planning stages for Windows 7 and development is scoped to three years from Windows Vista Consumer GA." She said the company was providing early builds of the new operating system to gain user feedback, but otherwise was not providing further information.

Gates also said that he was "super-enthused about what [Windows 7] will do in lots of ways" but didn't elaborate.

What could those be? Microsoft has divulged a few things. Responding to criticism that Windows has become unnecessarily bloated, the company has 200 engineers developing a slimmed-down kernel called MinWin that uses 100 files and 25MB, compared to Vista's 5,000 files and 4GB core and is so small it lacks a graphical subsystem.

Microsoft has also confirmed that the operating system will come in consumer and business versions and in 32-bit and 64-bit editions.

Screenshots of early betas of Windows 7 are also appearing. Blogger Paul Thurrott yesterday put up screenshots from build 6519 of Windows 7 released in December, which he said looks like "a slightly enhanced version of Windows Vista."

Microsoft needs to start generating excitement about its software months or years in advance in order to prepare its millions of reselling partners.

But if it talks up Windows 7 too much, it runs the risk that large companies -- Microsoft's most profitable customer segment -- will hold on to their Windows XP machines and skip Vista entirely in favor of Windows 7.

That appears to be happening. A recent enterprise survey by Forrester Research Inc. showed that only 6.3% of enterprises were running Vista at the end of December, with most of the upgrades coming at the expense of aging machines running Windows 2000, not XP.

The vast majority of the 100 million copies of Vista that Microsoft has sold so far have gone to individuals and small businesses purchasing new PCs.

The least-loved version of Windows has long been Windows Millennium Edition (ME), a buggy minor upgrade that was superseded by XP within a year of its release. Despite its far greater - some would say, too great - technical ambition, Vista may end up lumped together with ME as one of the blips on Windows' long-term roadmap.

Internet crime up, says IC3

2008-04-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

A recent report by the “Internet Crime Complaint Center” has posted some interesting statistics about fraud on the web and how much it is costing the victims. Over the course of 2007, there were fewer complaints filed than in 2006 – but the value of those went up. In total, around $40 million more was reported than the year before.

Individual complaints averaged around $3500, which may look like a drop in the bucket of several million dollars, but if you lose $3500 to an Internet criminal you're probably hurting anyway. Some other interesting statistics of the report, which is downloadable from the IC3 site, include who was more likely to be defrauded and what the methods were. The “Nigerian” scam mails came in at a mere 1.1%, whereas auction fraud on sites like eBay was a behemoth 35.7%. Identity theft was also low on the list at only 2.9%.

How to access Yahoo SMTP

2008-04-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

If you want to use Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird or other third party email clients to view your email you have 2 options.
Subscribe to mail plus:
http://billing.mail.yahoo.com/bm/Upgrade...

or download and install YPOPS
http://ypopsemail.com/

another link : http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/YahooPOPs-Download-3702.html

then follow the directions for your version of outlook here,

http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/mail/or...

If you have trouble with set up, check the YPOPS installation page for alternate set up instructions.

http://dbeusee.home.comcast.net/
Click on YPOPS link on the left.
Then Click on Configuring email clients towards the bottom.
Choose the appropriate link for your mail client.

I currently utilize version 2.0.0.4 of Thunderbird
and version 0.8.3 of YPOPS (there is a more recent version of YPOPS that you need if you are Yahoo Beta Mail) and have no problems.

Thumbs up are always appreciated if I have truly helped you!!

YahooPOPs description
YPOPs! (YahooPOPs!) is an application that provides free POP3 access to Yahoo! Mail

YPOPs! is a Windows, Linux, Solaris and Mac program providing POP3 access to Yahoo! Mail.

Yahoo! Mail disabled free access to its POP3 service in April 2002. This resulted in many people (including myself) to look for alternative free POP3 services.

But this exercise can be very difficult because of the fact that your Yahoo! Mail address could be with several people and informing all of them about your new email address could prove to be a nightmare.

This application emulates a POP3 server and enables popular email clients like Outlook, Netscape, Eudora, Mozilla, Calypso, etc., to download email from Yahoo! accounts.

We do not go against the license agreements of Yahoo! Mail. This application is completely legitimate and well within the realms of legal software.

What's New in This Release:

· Handle "Invalid ID or password" error with a pop-up dialog showing the error with hint how to solve it.
· Handle Yahoo Shortcuts introduction message automatically so that login is successful.
· Give error dialog if unexpected page encountered during login.
· When YPOPs detects error "Your login session has expired.", give helpful hints how to solve it.
· Include the account name in the login verify window title.

FBI Suspects Chinese Hackers Damaged Darfur Site

2008-03-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

The FBI is looking into a China-based hack of servers at the Save Darfur Coalition.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into a possible China connection in the hack of a nonprofit group created to draw attention to the ongoing genocide in western Sudan's Darfur region.

The Save Darfur Coalition called in the FBI earlier this week after discovering that someone had gained unauthorized access to its e-mail and Web server, according to Allyn Brooks-LaSure, a spokesman with the group.

Brooks-LaSure doesn't know who is behind the attacks, but he said the Internet Protocol addresses of the computers that had hacked his organization were from China. "Someone in Beijing is trying to send us a message," he said.

The hackers seemed to be primarily interested in gathering data on his group, Brooks-LaSure said. Save Darfur has been trying to get China to pressure Sudan's government into stopping the mass killings in Darfur's ongoing civil war. China is one of Sudan's largest trading partners.

Computers in China have been the source of many attacks in recent years, although security experts say that sometimes China-based machines are simply used as jumping-off points for attackers who actually reside in other countries such as the U.S. or Russia.

Groups that work with Save Darfur may have also been hit, Brooks-LaSure said. Some partner organizations have been the subject of very targeted e-mail attacks over the past few weeks that have tried to trick workers into opening malicious documents or visiting malicious Web sites. These are both common ways of installing unauthorized software on a victim's computer.

This type of targeted e-mail attack was recently employed by attackers looking to infect people on a pro-Tibet mailing list. Victims who opened what appeared to be a statement of solidarity for the people of Tibet were secretly hit with attack code that exploited a flaw in Adobe's Acrobat software, said security researchers at F-Secure in a blog posting.

"It looked like it was coming from the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO). However, the e-mail headers were forged and the mail was coming from somewhere else altogether," wrote F-Secure.

Many pro-Tibet organizations have been targeted with these types of attacks in recent months, the company added. "This is not an isolated incident. Far from it," the company said. "These e-mails have been sent to mailing lists, private forums and directly to persons working inside pro-Tibet groups. Some individuals have received targeted attacks like this several times a month."

A similar type of attack was used last month to infect computers at a committee working on security at the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, according to security vendor MessageLabs.

Members of that committee were infected by a malicious Microsoft Word document that they then forwarded to other organizations, according to MessageLabs researcher Maksym Schipka. In that case, "the bad guys did not have to hack into the good guy's mail server, all they had to do was persuade them that the document was something interesting so that the good guys themselves would forward it on," he said.

It is not clear that there is any connection between the attack reported by MessageLabs and that reported by Save Darfur.

When contacted Friday regarding the Save Darfur incident, FBI Spokeswoman Debbie Weierman confirmed that the law enforcement agency was "looking into the matter."

==>> Click here for more news

Samsung introduces 500GB 2.5" drive

2008-03-06T02:43:00.001-08:00

How would you like 1TB of storage? While feasible enough when dealing with a desktop or server, getting such huge amount of storage in a laptop isn't all that easy. Samsung is one of the few companies trying to address this problem, and today they introduced an all new 500GB laptop hard drive that manages to squeeze three 167GB platters into a tiny amount of space.

The Spinpoint M6 is a standard 2.5” unit operating at 5400RPM, with a price tag not all that hard to swallow – a tad under $300. It also has a smaller but faster variant, the Spinpoint MP2, which is a 250GB unit spinning at 7200RPM. While Samsung isn't revealing any design wins immediately, it should only be a matter of time until vendors start to offer not only one but two drives inside a single machine for an effective one terabyte of storage. Other vendors have already done it, namely the Asus M70S laptop using two Hitachi drives.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 features revealed

2008-03-06T02:41:00.000-08:00

Update: The download links are now live on Microsoft website, so you can grab Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Windows Vista, Server 2008, Server 2003 SP2, or XP SP2.

Update #2: It appears to be that the Microsoft installer doesn't like the (supposedly unreleased) Service Pack 1 for Vista as it refuses to install in that platform. One of our readers has also suggested it won't want to install on XP SP3 either. We assume there are ways to circumvent this, just don't be alarmed if you get an error message.

In preparation for the impending launch of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1, Microsoft has set up a website detailing some of the improvements, changes and new features users can expect to see in the next version of its web browser including two new technologies dubbed WebSlices and Activities.

Activities give users ready access to third-party online services from any page they visit through a right-click contextual menu, allowing them to easily do things like retrieving an address map, submitting a story to Digg, sharing a page on Facebook, and so on. As for WebSlices, this new feature will enable users to crop a specific area on a website and bookmark it for future reference.

Other new features coming in IE8 Beta 1 include a new favorites bar, an improved phishing filter, and a new automatic crash recovery feature which brings back your tabs in case of a browser crash. The beta is widely expected to launch at this year’s Mix 08 which begins today. In fact, a download page is already up – though the links are not working as of this writing.

Waspada virus telefon bimbit

2008-02-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

SELAMA ini, kita sering mendengar tentang virus komputer, tetapi akhir-akhir ini istilah virus telefon bimbit mula kedengaran dan dijangka akan menjadi popular di pendengaran anda.

Sungguhpun serangan virus telefon bimbit masih jarang, namun bahaya ancamannya kian berkembang seiring dengan peningkatan bilangan pengguna yang mengakses internet dan memuat turun fail dengan telefon bimbit mereka, kata pakar.

Satu tinjauan yang dikeluarkan pada minggu ini di Kongres Industri Mudah Alih Dunia di Barcelona, Sepanyol menunjukkan bahawa hanya 2.1 peratus pengguna telefon bimbit yang mengalami serangan virus. Mereka juga mendapati hanya 11.6 peratus pengguna mengetahui jika ada telefon bimbit kepunyaan rakan mereka diserang virus.

Kajian oleh pakar sekuriti teknologi maklumat (IT), McAfee, berasaskan 2,000 responden di Britain, Amerika Syarikat (A.S) dan Jepun itu juga menunjukkan bahawa 86.3 peratus daripada mereka tidak pernah berpengalaman diserang virus telefon bimbit.

Tinjauan tersebut bagaimanapun mencadangkan bahawa semakin pasaran telefon bimbit berkembang dengan peningkatan penggunaan internet dan muat turun, semakin cenderung untuk virus atau pepijat menyerang telefon bimbit.

Sebagai contoh, serangan virus di Jepun iaitu negara pasaran telefon bimbit paling membangun di dunia adalah yang paling biasa berbanding tempat-tempat lain.

"Kita patut melihat di Jepun masa kini yang mana ia merupakan gambaran teknologi mudah alih masa depan dunia," kata Graham Cluley, seorang perunding di Sophos, sebuah lagi firma sekuriti IT.

"Saya tidak terkejut, jika kita melihat masalah ini berkembang kerana telefon kini berkembang menjadi komputer mudah alih," tambahnya.

Laman web www.mobilephoneviruses.com yang mengesan insiden jangkitan virus telefon bimbit, menyenaraikan beberapa virus seperti Skulls, Velasco dan Commwarrior.

Sejenis virus juga telah menyerang kira-kira 110,000 telefon bimbit di Sepanyol tahun lalu, menyerang telefon bimbit yang dioperasikan dengan sistem operasi Symbian. Ia tersebar menerusi mesej MMS atau teks mesej mengandungi audio, video atau fail gambar.

"Virus bukanlah isu besar sekarang tetapi ia mempunyai potensi untuk menjadi polemik pada masa depan apabila penggunaan internet lebih meluas," kata penganalisa di syarikat penyelidikan pasaran Forrester, Pete Nuthall.

Industri telefon bimbit kian berkembang apabila pemilik telefon bimbit kini menggunakan telefon mereka lebih daripada sekadar membuat panggilan dan mengirim mesej.

Sedangkan, dua fungsi ini kian dipinggirkan di negara-negara maju dengan memberi tumpuan kepada penawaran fungsi internet, video, game dan pemetaan.

"Ia merupakan satu risiko yang memerlukan kita untuk berwaspada tetapi seseorang itu tidak wajar menjadikannya dramatik dan membimbangkan pengguna," kata Emmanuel Forgues dari kumpulan sekuriti IT Rusia, Kaspersky.

Menurutnya, ia adalah risiko yang wujud dan tentunya sedang berkembang.

Cluley berkata, terdapat kira-kira 350,000 virus telah ditulis untuk menyerang komputer-komputer yang beroperasi dengan Microsoft Windows dan lebih kurang 200 virus untuk sistem operasi telefon bimbit.

Virus-virus komputer biasa ditulis oleh geng-geng penjenayah untuk mencuri wang dan informasi peribadi, tetapi virus telefon bimbit menjadi gelanggang buat kanak-kanak menunjukkan kehebatan," katanya.

Seorang kanak-kanak lelaki berusia 12 tahun telah menulis sejenis virus untuk telefon iPhone Apple yang menghentikan operasinya dan 'menukarnya menjadi seperti batu'," kata Cluley, dan akibatnya, pengguna perlu ke laman internet kanak-kanak itu serta memuat turun perisian tertentu.

Menyorot sejarah, virus komputer telah mula dikenal pasti menjangkiti telefon bimbit pada tahun 2004, seperti mana yang dilaporkan oleh syarikat-syarikat pembangun antivirus.

Pembangun perisian sekuriti Russian dari Perancis, Kaspersky Labs berkata, virus tersebut yang dinamakan Cabir dipercayai dibangunkan oleh sebuah kumpulan penggodam antarabangsa yang digelar 29A.

Cabir lazimnya menjangkiti telefon bimbit bersistem operasi Symbian. Ia biasanya boleh berjangkit menerusi teknologi tanpa wayar bluetooth.

Apabila cecacing itu memasuki komputer, ia akan secara berterusan mengesan peranti-peranti yang dilengkapi khidmat bluetooth sekali gus mengurangkan jangka hayat bateri kerana aktiviti pengimbasan yang berterusan.

Microsoft didenda RM4.3 bilion paling tinggi di dunia

2008-02-28T00:52:00.000-08:00

LONDON - Syarikat perisian komputer, Microsoft didenda sebanyak £681 juta (RM4.33 bilion) sekali gus mencipta rekod yang paling tinggi dan syarikat pertama melanggar larangan yang keluarkan oleh Kesatuan Eropah (EU).

==>> Click here for more news

Syarikat itu dikenakan denda selepas ia mengingkari larangan yang dikenakan selepas didapati melanggar peraturan pada Mac 2004 dan didenda sebanyak £376 juta (RM2.4 bilion).

Ia didapati menggunakan harga tinggi dengan tujuan untuk tidak menggalakkan persaingan perisian dan melanggar arahan supaya menyediakan maklumat kenapa harga tinggi itu dikenakan.

- Agensi

Parent's Guide to MySpace

2008-01-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

Recently our local news station KNX 1070, broadcast a segment Who’s on MySpace – they spoke of the potential dangers our children face using the website MySpace. As a Microsoft consultant AND parent of two, I’ve been repeatedly approached by my clients to comment on “What should a parent do?”

THE “REAL” DANGERS
Because of the anonymity of the Internet, pedophiles scour MySpace looking for potential victims. These predators use the children’s personal MySpace information to begin conversations with their intended victim. Conversations take place over a period of time to gain their trust. As parents we do not allow out children to chat with strangers – this must be the same rule on the Internet.

Posting “innocent” information containing hints to: the child’s real name, phone numbers, home address, school name (which yields a location), places they regularly visit (i.e shopping malls, parks also yielding a location), or their school schedule. This personal information can be used by predators to create a “portfolio” of information on their child victim.

Children post information about their friends without regard to its consequences. Comments left in anger, or even in jest can lead to a great deal of “real world” problems (especially with girls more prone to express their feelings in words).

MySpace is not the only social networking website for parents to be “worried about” (i.e. AOL's AIM-Pages, Bebo, FaceBook, Friendster, imeem!, LinkedIn, LiveJournal, MSN Spaces, MyYearBook, Google's Orkut & Xanga)

MySpace BACKGROUND
“Social Networking” a technical term for “a method for people to meet and socialize” – however if you use the term “Social Networking” with your children; you’ll sound dreadfully “out-of-touch”

MySpace is an easy to use social networking website that allows people to meet and socialize. People customize their personal “space” with information about their personal lives and interests. People join MySpace in the hopes of meeting and sharing their “space” with other people with the same interests.

MySpace allows people to “search” for others based upon various categories – the more categories you complete the easier it is for others to find you – completing fewer categories with more specific answers will limit the number of people that locate you.

Children under 13 may not join MySpace and your kids know this. When your 14 year old approaches you – be prepared!

Adults use MySpace for Dating, Serious Relationships, Networking & Friends – children under 18 should ONLY use MySpace for making FRIENDS!

A LITTLE PARENTAL PERSPECTIVE
Becoming a parent quickly teaches us that we don’t know “everything” – so it’s OK if you don’t know about MySpace.

Today’s parents need to remember OUR parents or grandparents thought the “World was coming to an end” because of Rock-n-Roll. The music they originally feared is now played in elevators and grocery stores everywhere. MySpace is not going away, so setup your own MySpace account and learn to "love it"

Before the Internet, we had:
“School Annuals" to share our school portrait. (Today we have MySpace)
“School Annuals" to share pictures of school events. (Today we have MySpace)
“School Annuals” for our friends to sign autographs and leave messages. (Today we have MySpace)
“Slam Books” for our friends to write in and pass around. (Today we have MySpace)
Passed notes in class (Today we have MySpace & Text Messaging)
Handed out invitations to parties (Today we have evites)
Photocopied maps from the Thomas Brother’s Guide (Today we have online maps)
Really long telephone calls while watching the same TV show (Today we have Instant Messaging)
Speaking in “Pig Latin” thinking nobody else understood (Today we have L33T speak)
Polaroid Instant Cameras (Today we have Digital Cameras)
Going to the Video Arcade to play against friends (Today we have Online Gaming)
Read the World Book / Encyclopedia Britannica (Today we have Wikipedia)
Parties where your friend’s parents were not home (Today some parents don’t read their kids’ MySpace account)

Most parents feel their kids know MORE about computers than adults – but usually this is NOT the case. You're confusing your kid’s CONFIDENCE with knowledge. If you asked your child if they think they could drive a car – they’d quickly say “yep!” Your children simply “click-around” on your computer faster than you – they usually don’t “understand” what they are doing.

When teaching our children to drive a car – we begin training in an open parking lot. But at some point, our children need to learn how to drive defensively, navigate traffic and avoid accidents. Apply this same philosophy to your children’s use of the Internet.

Simply saying “Don’t Use MySpace” will undoubtedly fail with many children. Children and especially teenagers need to socialize. The Internet is our new playground and meeting place. As parents we need to learn how to use MySpace safely – and teach our children how to build normal, healthy, online relationships.

When your child sets up their MySpace account – do it WITH them. Verify the proper safety restrictions (below) – and remember to visit their MySpace often to read what your child is doing! (Even better. Setup your own MySpace account and "subscribe" to your child's account. This provides automatic monitoring of changes & updates.)

HOW TO SETUP YOUR CHILD’S MySpace ACCOUNT
Go to MySpace (Click on SignUp to begin)

Do not enter your child’s real name – use a nickname [Choose a name that is not gender specific (i.e. princess) hints at their age (i.e. Baseball1992) or hints at their location (i.e. NewYork2006)]

Enter either your own or your child’s email address. [In the future I’ll address how to safely setup your child’s email address]

If you do not wish your child’s zip code listed – enter a bogus zip code, or select a country other than Canada, UK, or the US and leave the zip code “blank”

Do not use your child’s true birthday, but ensure that it still reflects their true year age. Click to NOT share your child’s birthday.

NOTE: Be careful when entering the verification code – if you enter it incorrectly it will reset the “share your birthday” field!

Edit the profile to select a permanent MySpace name [Choose a name that is not gender specific (i.e. princess) hints at their age (i.e. Baseball1992) or hints at their location (i.e. NewYork2006)]

Select do NOT allow searching on your real name.

HOW TO VERIFY YOUR CHILD’S MySpace SETTINGS
Go to your child’s MySpace account (created above)

Click on Edit Profile and verify these settings:

Interests & Personality (Review and approve their writings – you don’t want to reveal too much)

Name (Ensure it’s an approved nickname)

Basic Info (Ensure their birthday is “incorrect” but still reflects their true year age. they’re there for “Friends” only, Do not answer Ethnicity, Body Type, and Height – these are not appropriate for children simply wanting to meet other children (predators can use this information)

Background & Lifestyle (Ensure that Marital Status = Single, Sexual Orientation = No Answer, Hometown = “blank”, Religion = No Answer, Smoker = No, Drinker = No, Children = No Answer, Education = No Answer, Income = No Answer]

Schools (Should be blank!)

Companies (Huh? Should be blank)

Networking (Should be blank)

Profile Songs (It’s up to you if you wish to allow your kids to share their music tastes)

Click on Account Settings and verify:

Email Address (Verify you know this email address)

Change Password (I personally think you should know your child's password)

Notifications (Select “Do not send me notification emails”)

Newsletters (Select “Do not send me MySpace newsletters”)

Privacy Settings (Ensure that EVERYTHING is selected EXCEPT BOTH “Show My Birthday to my Friends” and “Who can view my profile: Anyone under 18 on MySpace”)

IM Privacy Settings (Ensure that either “No one can IM me” or “Only Friends can IM me” is selected)

Mobile Settings (Unselect ALL of these settings)

Groups Settings (Unselect this setting)

Calendar Settings (Doesn’t really matter)

Blocked Users (Periodically review this list of users that your child has banned/blocked)

Profile Views (Don’t reset your child’s counter – they’ll be rightfully upset)

Profile Settings (UNselect “Display Groups I belong to” and SELECT all THREE “Disable HTML Profile Comments”, “Disable HTML in Pic Comments”, “Disable HTML in Blog Comments”)

Music Settings (SELECT BOTH “Disable My Player from Automatically Starting”, “Disable Band Songs From Automatically Starting”)

Away Message (If used, ensure that you approve of the message being sent)

Time Zone Settings (Ensure that you have the correct time zone selected OR ensure that it matches your bogus zip code)

Click on Upload / Change Photos (approve pictures if any)

Click on Manage Blog – then select Customize Blog

Under the Side Module section ensure that all of these settings are set to No

Show Gender? No
Show Status? No
Show Age? No
Show Sign? No
Show City? No
Show State? No
Show Country? No
Show Signup Date? No
Show Subscriptions? No
Show Blog Groups? No

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Road to Know Where’s Parent’s Guide to the Internet

Fred Stutzman's Ten Rules for Facebook

Kevin & Dale Farnham's Tips for Teens and Parents on How to Use MySpace Safely & Responsibly

Remember to continually read your child's MySpace account!

Help your child learn how to approve their new MySpace friends.

If you really want your kids to stop using MySpace and think it’s uncool – use MySpace yourself! (^_^)

Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety

2008-01-01T21:52:00.000-08:00

With statistics like: “1 in 5 children are sexually solicited/approached over the Internet in a one-year period of time” and “20% of violent offenders service in state prisons reported having victimized a child” this obviously is not something that (we) parents’ should take lightly!

The Perfect Victim

Ideal Age: 11-14

No or Little Parental Involvement

No Definite Bedtime

Can be Away from Home Without Anyone Knowing Where They are

Has Exclusive Use of the Computer Privately

Unfortunately, your child can easily & freely register their name, email/chat address, birthdays etc. on a variety of websites. Check to see if your children are already listed with: AllTheWeb, AnyBirthday, Google, MSN, MyFamily, Yahoo!, ZabaSearch & ZoomInfo.

This video demonstration from Netsmartz dramatically illustrates how vulnerable our children are when chatting online. Our kids use an online chat language that is meant to be quick (who wants to type) AND of course, to confuse (us) parents.

Parents Internet Access Guidelines

Place the computer in a central location in the home, not in your child’s room.
Learn who your children are chatting with online
Your existing rule “Don’t talk to strangers” needs to now include “online strangers!”
Learn and use the same chatting and search tools used by your kids. (Besides, chatting can be fun for adults too!)
Define and make an agreement with your child about computer usage: hours, access to chat revealing personal information & photographs.
While you can configure Microsoft’s Content Advisor, do not rely solely on this to block/filter content. There are 3rd Party Parental Controls available; and thankfully this problem was addressed in the Windows Vista.
Let your child know that telling you about unwanted or suspicious chatting will NOT lead to restrictions on using the computer. YOU (the parent) need to take this seriously and either contact the CyberTipline or your police department.
Be aware that your kids have access to computers at school, library and friends’ homes.
Read the Electronic Frontier Foundation's "The Bloggers' FAQ on Student Blogging," which addresses legal issues arising from student blogging. It focuses on blogging by high school (and middle school) students, but also contains information for college students.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has additional safety tips for families with elementary-school-aged and teen-aged children using computer online services.

Resources invaluable to this article:

i-SAFE extends education beyond the classroom with Community Outreach. We have programs for students, educators, parents, law enforcement, and community leaders.

Laura Chappell’s Kids Project provides educational resources and presentation materials to parents and leaders for regionalized delivery of Internet Safety for Kids presentations.

The NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational safety resource that teaches kids and teens how to stay safer on the Internet. NetSmartz combines the newest technologies available and the most current information to create high-impact educational activities that are well received by even the most tech-savvy kids.

Perverted-Justice.com recruits volunteer contributors who pose as underage children in chatrooms. Posing from a variety of ages (standard ages are 10-15), these contributors simply go into chatrooms with fake online screennames and wait for predators to instigate conversation with them.

When you’re ready – take the Internet Safety Quiz for Adults

Parent's Guide to Xbox Live Online Gaming

2008-01-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

There’s no questions playing games on a standard PC is a blast – but with the exception of the upcoming Windows Vista; there are very little parental controls to protect our children. It’s simply too easy to install inappropriately software, or chat with online strangers. A dedicated gaming console like Microsoft’s Xbox & Xbox 360 has family privacy settings to ensure children has a safe online gaming experience.

As parents we know there’s less chance of our children getting into trouble if they’re supervised. We search for licensed daycare, and are thrilled when our teenage babysitter is Red Cross Certified – instead of “pick-up games at the park” we prefer participation in “organized” sports, and of course, always visit a friend’s home only when a parent is present.

Today’s online gaming is your children’s’ new (electronic) playground. Parents understand the importance in seeing their children participate in sporting, musical, and theatrical events. Parents need to get-involved in online gaming with their children – even if it’s simply to watch. Besides, you’ll probably discover all the fun "old school" games on Xbox Live Arcade.

How to Configure / Verify Microsoft’s Xbox Live’s Family Settings to Protect Your Children:

Online Friends – Other people on Xbox Live may want to add your child to their personal friends list. To manage approval of your child's online friends, you can require these requests to be approved by you.
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Privacy and Friends, then New Online Friends.
Choose one of the following settings:

Select Approval Not Required to allow your child to send and accept new friend requests on his or her own.
Select Require Approval to require that all new friend requests be approved by you. If you select this option, you must also approve any new friend requests that your child wants to send to other people.

Communications – Manage who your child can communicate with on Xbox Live. Communication on Xbox Live includes chat, messages, and game invites using voice, video, or text.
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Privacy and Friends, then Communications.
Choose one of the following settings:

Select Everyone to allow your child to communicate with anyone on Xbox Live.
Select Friends Only to allow your child to communicate only with people on his or her friends list.
Select Blocked to block everyone from communicating with your child. Your child will still receive new friend requests.

Gamer Profile Viewing – Decide whether your child can see other people's gamer profiles. A gamer profile includes information about a member's online achievements and game history. It can also contain a gamer's motto, which may be inappropriate for children.
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Privacy and Friends, then Gamer Profile Viewing.
Choose one of the following settings:

Select Everyone to allow you child to see everyone's gamer profile.
Select Friends Only to allow only your child to see only the gamer profiles belonging to your child's friends.
Select Blocked to block your child from seeing anyone's gamer profile.

Gamer Profile Sharing – Decide who can see your child's gamer profile. Your child's gamer profile includes their motto and information about their online achievements and game history.
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Privacy and Friends, then Gamer Profile Sharing.
Choose one of the following settings:

Select Everyone to allow everyone on Xbox Live to see your child's gamer profile.
Select Friends Only to allow only your child's friends to see your child's gamer profile.
Select Blocked to block everyone from seeing your child's gamer profile.

Online Status – Decide whether other people can see your child's online status. If you allow others to see your child's online status, they can see your child's current online activity, such as the game they are playing and whether they are available to play a game.
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Privacy and Friends, then Online Status.
Choose one of the following settings:

Select Everyone to allow everyone on Xbox Live to see your child's online status and current activity.
Select Friends Only to allow only your child's friends to see your child's online status and current activity.
Select Blocked to block everyone from seeing your child's online status and current activity.

Online Games – To determine whether your child can play Xbox 360™ games with other players on Xbox Live.
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Online Gameplay, then Xbox 360 Online Games.
Choose one of the following settings:

Select Allowed to allow your child to play Xbox 360 games with others on Xbox Live.
Select Blocked to block your child from playing Xbox 360 games with others on Xbox Live.

Member Content – Decide whether your child can access content created by other people on Xbox Live. Member content includes images and text in games and gamer profiles.
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Content, Member Content.
Choose one of the following settings:

Select Allowed to allow your child to access member content.
Select Friends Only to allow your child to access content created by people on their friends list.
Select Blocked to block your child from accessing all member content.

Downloadable Content – Decide whether your child can download premium content from Xbox Live Marketplace. Premium content includes Xbox Live Arcade games, game extensions, demos, and other items. If you choose to block this content, your child can still obtain free downloadable content.
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Content, Downloadable Content.
Select one of the following settings:

Select Allowed to allow your child to download premium member content from Xbox Live Marketplace.
Select Blocked to block your child from downloading premium content. Your child will still be able to get free downloadable content, determined by the game ratings settings on your console.

General Family Settings
Start from the System area of the Xbox Dashboard *
Select Family Settings, then Console Controls.
Configure the Following:

ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) Game ratings: Select the games you want your child to play, from EC (Early Childhood) to M (Mature).
DVD movie ratings: You can set Xbox 360 to play R, PG-13, PG, or G-rated movies.
Access to Xbox Live: Games can be played based on rating, and you can restrict access to your child's friends list or gamer profile.
Set pass code: Please pick a secure password!
Family Timer allows you to set limits on each child's console use per day in 15-minute increments, and Weekly in 1-hour increments.
Turn off Family Settings: No kids? Turn it off.

(*) First Time Setup Information: From the Initial Setup Complete screen. Select Family Settings, Xbox Live Controls and sign in using the password for your Microsoft Passport Network account. When you sign in, the system will load your child's profile (or, if there is more than one child profile, you'll be able to choose from all available child profiles). But the Passport Network account password you will need to provide is your own.