MS confirms that all versions of IE have critical new bug

It adds IE6 and IE8 Beta 2 to the list, recommends disabling .dll to stay safe

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Microsoft cleans fake antivirus tool from 994,061 PCs

The Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) is a small program Microsoft pushes out to computers on Patch Tuesday to clean out a list of malware. On this month's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft added scans for a malware file that masks itself as security software, and it found plenty of copies.

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Perseid Meteor Shower

I just went outside to look at the meteor shower, I am seeing about 3 per minute at 3:38 AM, and it is freakin beautiful! The humidity is low, its cool outside and the sky is crystal clear! GO Outside!

Historic Victory for Net Neutrality

Nothing could stop the people-powered movement to hold Comcast accountable for illegally blocking Internet content. The FCC issued a punishment that has Network Neutrality opponents cringing and the rest of us popping champagne.

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Dropbox invitations

I've got a few - totally free, no strings attached! Just use the call me button on the lower right hand side of the page, give me your email address or contact me via ICQ @ 220195434 get em while they're hot!

Firefox Users Most Secure on Internet, Study Reveals

Mozilla Firefox fans might rest a little easier these days after a study released Tuesday revealed that its users are most secure on the Internet.

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Seven Reasons to Move to Linux

Common reasons cited for not moving to the open-source operating system include system complexity, lack of in-house IT skills and a shortage of business applications. Both the open-source software community and the vendor world have done a lot to address these shortcomings, and the inroads gained are plain for all to see.

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Firefox sets new record, cracks 19% market share

Mozilla Corp. used the launch of Firefox 3.0 last month to boost its browser market share to over 19%, an Internet measurement company said today.Most of Firefox's increase came during the week following Version 3.0's release, when the combined share of Firefox 2.0 and 3.0 jumped from 18.2% before the June 17 launch to 18.6% immediately after.

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Revision3 Sends FBI after MediaDefender

The popular Internet television network Revision3 suffered from a severe DDoS attack, launched by the infamous anti-piracy organization MediaDefender. After targeting The Pirate Bay’s trackers, MediaDefender apparently thought it was a good idea to spread their fake torrents through Revision3.

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The Identity Button - Firefox 3's New Security UI

Deb Richardson from Mozilla has written up her latest introduction to Firefox 3's upcoming new features, this time describing the "Site Identity" button. Is this the death of the padlock?

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Superior Alternatives to Crappy Windows Software

It may be the year 2008, but a whole lot of sucktacular software still rears its ugly head on PC's everywhere, even when better-behaved options are freely available. Whether it's molasses-slow bloatware, shameless adware, anemic default apps, or "trial period expired!" nagware, it's time to replace stinky Win software with its superior alternatives

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5 Important Security Apps for Linux, Mac, and Windows

We've got you covered with five freeware or shareware security tools for Linux boxes, Macs, and Windows machines, all recommended by Ars staffers.

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Introduction to Linux

Easy to read, accurate in plain language. Linux is a free open-source alternative to Windows and Macintosh.

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The Wretched Life of the Insomniac

Insomnia is a problem most insomniacs don’t want to talk about. In fact, it’s a problem many of us don’t know how to talk about.

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Using GPG/PGP/FireGPG to Encrypt and Sign Email from Gmail

This tutorial will show how to use GPG and the FireGPG plug-in to encrypt and decrypt messages in Gmail. GPG is an open source implementation of OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) , a public-key-encryption system. With public key encryption you don’t have to give away the secret key that decrypts data for people to be able to send you messages.

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Run Windows Apps Seamlessly Inside Linux

You can have Windows apps running right on your Linux desktop and sharing the same desktop files. It's relatively painless, it takes only a little bit longer than a Windows XP install, and it works just like virtualizing Windows on a Mac with Parallels Coherence -except it's free. Here's how to do it.

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What is Linux? and, why YOU should try it!

This excellent article: What’s This “Linux” Thing and Why Should I Try It? at MakeUseOf.com Is about as thorough as it can be on what Linux is. This is one reason that I have not been as active on this blog as I would have been recently. I have become very active in the Ubuntu community. Don't worry though, this blog will remain dedicated to the Windows users and I will keep focused on Windows security. (Here anyway)

You see, I have grown a little tired of Windows. It just doesn't excite me the way it once did. It looks like Vista is a flop, Microsoft wants to end support for XP soon, and I simply disagree with alot of the DRM that they have put in Windows Vista, and the direction that Microsoft has taken the operating system. I have been finding other things to get excited about, and the Linux community, and free open source software has filled the void.

After what I have learned and experienced, I am really starting to wonder if Linux wont start to fill the cracks left behind from Microsoft for alot more people out there too.

I can see how Linux can OVERTAKE the market that Windows has so comfortably held for the past few decades. How will this be accomplished you ask? For several reasons. The first is simple cost. Most Linux operating systems are 100% free. They are now as easy to use as Windows for most users, Linux runs great on older computers, and there are some things you can do on Linux you cant do on Windows or at least not as easily.

The big thing that Linux operating systems have overcome is ease of use, and as the article states, it is more secure than Windows. There are still a few issues that some Linux OS's must overcome for it to be as simple as Windows for ALL users, and that is another reason why I've become active in the Ubuntu Community. I want to do what I can to make it a snap for ALL users. Give the article a read, and give it some thought. I bet that if you give it a try you wont be disappointed!

Third-Party Gmail App Steals Passwords

According to this article at InformationWeek This third party app steals your user name and password. People, please be careful what you install on your computer. Be mindful of where you get Shareware or Freeware. Most importantly, Use common sense!

Giving away Invitations to Joost, GrandCentral, Hulu

If you would like an invitation to Joost, Hulu, or GrandCentral, you can reach me via ICQ# 220195434 or just simply hit the call me button on the lower right hand side of the page, and leave me a voice mail telling me which you want, and a valid e-mail address.

Mozilla Firefox 3 beta 3 released today!

New Mac proto theme, better OS integration on Linux and Mac, major speed improvements, memory usage reduction, integrated search of addons, and thousands more changes."Firefox 3 Beta 3 includes approximately 1300 individual changes from the previous beta..."

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My Ubuntu/Linux Experience

This is a copy of a post I made at the Ubuntu-SC Forums

I just put Ubuntu 7.10 on my 2nd machine, this one is capable of running Compiz, so now I can fool with it for the first time without the live CD. I really like Compiz. It really adds to the user experience. It makes you feel like you have a really powerful computer, and with the ability of Linux to run nicely on older hardware it makes you feel like you have gotten the most out of the hardware you have spent your money on. I tried Compiz once before, but it did not run at all off the Live CD, so I never fooled with it again, but this leads me to a question for the Linux community as a whole.

One thing I have noticed in the process of experimenting on all of the Distros and different versions of Distro's is that each one seems to have its own distinct problems or pluses. For example: I tried Knoppix (various versions) on one PC. Some of my hardware worked on one version and some did not on a different version. You would think that I would gain functionality with the newest version and more software features would work, but this is not what I experienced - I lost some functionality and gained some functionality irregardless of whether it was a newer or older version of the Distro and even between the Distro's. I experienced the same thing on Ubuntu, gOS, PC Linux OS, Linspire, DSL, Knoppix STD, and Suse.

I do have to admit, that over all it has gotten better, but I still feel somewhat iffy about upgrading to a newer version of a distro for fear of losing some functionality of my hardware, or a favorite software feature.

Ubuntu 7.10 has obviously gotten better than earlier versions of Ubuntu. I think I started with a version 5.xx and seen mainly nothing but improvement. I decided at v7.04 that the next version (in my Mind) would be "ready for prime-time" and that I would actually install it on a machine that I use daily. However, I still need my XP on at least 1 of my machines, for the simple fact that I use Newsleecher and there is no good Linux replacement that I have found, and I must have XP on my Laptop because of its portability, and increased chances of being lost or stolen, I use PGP Whole Disk Encryption to keep my banking and other passwords and data secure. Again, no Linux alternative.

Comments , suggestions, and airing of grievances welcome...

RIAA Website Wiped Clean by “Hackers”

Apparently the RIAA is so busy suing consumers that they forgot to hire a decent programmer. With a simple SQL injection, all their propaganda has been successfully wiped from the site.

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iPhone Trojan Discovered!

The first trojan for the Apple iPhone has been identified by security firms F-Secure and Symantec, who have warned users to be cautious about installing third-party applications. The malware, variously called "113 prep" and "iPhone firmware 1.1.3 prep" purported to be a download of the leaked iPhone firmware 1.1.3, which broke cover last week.Not that I really care, but those who have an iPhone should take notice.

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Malware Evolving Too Fast for Antivirus Apps

Use common sense while online, be as safe as you can, and whatever antivirus software you use, make sure it automatically updates itself. Frequently!

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Why Linux Distros Are More Secure Than Windows

This is an excellent article! This is one reason I have put the Ubuntu link at the bottom of these blog pages. Hopefully, you too will switch!

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