Blog for "the-enabler" of the letsnet.org network

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EarthLink unveiling anti-scam toolbar
By Bob Sullivan - Technology correspondent MSNBC

Updated: 6:13 a.m. ET April 15, 2004

Consumers worried about falling for Internet scams will soon be able to download a free software tool to protect themselves. On Monday, EarthLink will unveil ScamBlocker, a program designed to spot imposter Web sites used in the identity theft schemes known as "phisher" scams.

Such scams can be hard for users to identify because the fake Web sites often look exactly like legitimate corporate Web sites for financial institutions such as Citibank, or e-commerce firms such as eBay. EarthLink's program will work with browser software to determine whether a site is fair or foul -- similar to the way that antivirus programs work with e-mail software.

With ScamBlocker installed, users who click on an e-mail link to a Web site that has been reported to be fake will instead be directed to an EarthLink site with a warning explaining that the site is suspect. Users can click on links to to learn more about phishing or continue on to the imposter site if they wish.



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Worm's latest variant exploits old vulnerabilities and spreads without an attachment.

Matthew Broersma, Techworld.com
Friday, April 16, 2004

The latest variant of the hugely effective Netsky series of worms is causing trouble by spreading without the use of an attachment. Slipping past many e-mail gateways, it can launch simply by being viewed in an e-mail program.

Rather than attaching the worm's executable code to an e-mail message, Netsky.V uses two separate vulnerabilities in Microsoft software to download the code from an infected PC. Many e-mail gateways now block all e-mail attachments, so the worm's tactic is a way of getting around that precaution, experts says.




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Will I've found that if Linksys great website is not the kind of help you need or would like to be part of a group of Linksys owners and users, here; http://www.dslreports.com/forum/linksys

This is a "user-group" or "a forum", one of the many that make up dslreports.
This one is there so that user of Linksys products can help each other to understand so as to grow, safely...



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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So ends a naive attempt to beat Microsoft at its own game.


By Kieren McCarthy, Techworld


Lindows has announced its new name - Linspire - and posted a mirror of its Lindows.com site at Linspire.com.


The Linux software vendor that sells a desktop operating system similar to Microsoft's Windows OS, announced last week that it had decided to change its name due to constant legal pressure by Microsoft, which claims Lindows infringes its trademark.


The decision to back down came just two days after a US judge refused to prevent Microsoft from taking the company to court outside the US and turned down Lindows' request for a judgement made against it in the Netherlands to be struck. That left the way open for Microsoft to chase the company all over the world's courts and effectively knock it out of business with huge legal costs.


Lindows therefore decided to concentrate all its efforts on winning its ongoing trademark battle with Microsoft in the US, started in December 2001. It claims that if it wins it will then work on reinstating its name across the rest of the world.


But while the US case has seen Microsoft lose two injunctions so far, Lindows has not fared so well in the rest of the world. A Dutch court agreed that Lindows was infringing Microsoft's Windows trademark and ordered that Internet users from Benelux not be allowed access to the Lindows.com site.


This led to the daft situation where Lindows renamed itself Lin---s, complete with new website. Microsoft, unbowed, then incredibly claimed that Lin---s was its trademark as well.


But Microsoft has also won injunctions in Finland and Sweden and pursued the case in France and Spain, as well as Canada and Mexico.


So now Lindows moves onto its third name. Michael Robertson, founder and CEO explained why last week: "I believe it's the only way to respond to an onslaught from such a rich company." Microsoft has yet to comment, although even it can't claim rights to Linspire.


Robertson hasn't explained the choice but we strongly suspect it has something to do with the word "inspire", meaning "to fill with enthusiasm" rather than "foolishly tried to take on aggressive giant on his own ground".


MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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By Gregg Keizer Courtesy of TechWeb News

Browser-based attacks are on the upswing and may pose the next major threat to enterprise security, said a survey released Monday by a computer trade organization.
According to the Computing Technology Industry Association's (CompTIA) second annual survey on IT security, attacks through the browser -- typically conducted by attackers by enticing users to malicious Web sites by e-mailing or IMing links -- showed the biggest percentage jump of any of the 15 threat categories posed to the nearly 900 IT professionals polled.

Such browser-based attacks try to trick users into disclosing personal information, including credit card number and bank accounts, or are the way hackers plant their own code on victims' computers.

In 2003, 36.8 percent of the IT workers surveyed said that their organization had suffered a browser-based attack in the last six months, up from just 25 percent the year before.

"These attacks are unleashed when someone visits a Web page that appears harmless, but actually contains hidden malicious code intended to sabotage a computer or compromise privacy," said Steven Ostrowski, the CompTIA executive responsible for assembling the survey's conclusions. "The result of the attack may be as simple as a crashed browser, or as serious as the theft of personal information or the loss of confidential proprietary data."

found This Story from InformationWeek.com @ dslreports.com link on the left.


MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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A relatively new set of targets are surfacing - the academic and research supercomputing complexes. While little actual hacking or DoS damage was done, the successful infiltration provides a warning that even hardened Unix/Linux systems and networks are vulnerable to sophisticated methods. Two telling quotes from the article;

Quotes from Washington Post article;

"Technicians at Stanford, which is not part of the TeraGrid network, quarantined at least 30 computers after the attack. It targeted computers running versions of the Linux and Solaris operating systems that were vulnerable to several recently discovered software flaws."

"This incident is definitely giving us an opportunity to reevaluate the maintenance and protection we provide to our Unix systems," Bird said. "When you're completely focused on widespread attacks on [Microsoft] Windows systems, it's certainly startling."

End quotes

Link to Washington Post article:
www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A899.. YES WITH THIS LINK YOU GET TO THE STORY, go on try it! This news found at dslreports.com they is a lick to them over on the left...




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Not surprisingly, Gartner research group notes that 90% of wireless devices lack adequate protection. Not a revelation, but look at the numbers and be afraid: Wi-Fi use has exploded from 9 million to 30 million in a single year, with "free" wireless routers from Qwest and Verizon soon to be springing up all over. In Qwest's case, their modem for all new users will come with integrated Wi-Fi functionality. The phrase "inadequate security" will likely need to be redefined over the next two years. 40% of broadband users don't bother using a firewall; think they'll change their router's default password?
This byte of news found at www.dslreports.com a form on broadband, join it.



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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http://www.votebushout.biz/99reasons.asp

hear of this one on the http://www.AirAmericaradio.com . You know where Al Franken has his radio show from 9 to noon.


MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Every week we bring you an overview of the current viruses, worms, and other threats trying to get to your computer.

The past week was a busy one for virus writers and antivirus vendors. We saw some more Netsky and Bagle variants, as well as a number of new Trojans, but the most prevalent was Netsky.P, the week's top threat. A new Bugbear variety is also starting to make the rounds, although we haven't yet seen it in wide distribution.

Apple systems have been fairly immune to viruses compared with PCs. A new "concept" Trojan is making waves in the Mac community, though. Security company Intego announced the appearance of a new Trojan, MP3Concept.

The famous Nigerian 419 scam (also known as the advance payment scheme) was in the news this week, with the conviction of one of the perpetrators. According to U.K. newspaper AllAfrica.com, Peter Okoeguale, a Nigerian living in Wales, was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 20 months in prison.

In Virus Bulletin, Peter Ferrie and Frédéric Perriot, researchers at Symantec, just published "The Wormpire Strikes Back," an analysis of the Welchia.B (Nachi.B) worm. If you're interested in a deeper understanding of worms take a look at the whitepaper.

On Friday we received a new eBay spoof. The pitch was essentially the same as earlier ones, though the trend lately has been toward banking phishes. This was a simple "dear valued eBay member" e-mail claiming that recipients' accounts would be terminated if they did not update their information. As of Sunday evening, the site was offline.

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Among all the new features in Microsoft Outlook 2003 are three important new tools to help organize your e-mail: Search Folders, Favorite Folders, and improved message flagging. The first is easy to dismiss—incorrectly—as not being useful. The second is easy to miss altogether. The last is hard to miss but still worth pointing out. Here's a look at all three features, starting with Search Folders.

By default, Outlook's Search Folders has three folders in it—For Follow Up, Large Mail, and Unread Mail. As the names imply, each folder will show you a select portion of the messages in your in-box. If you want to see only the messages you have flagged, for example, you can go to the For Follow Up folder. More important, you can create additional search folders. Simply right-click on Search Folders, chose New Search Folder, and define a folder using any criteria you like.


Don't let the name fool you; search folders are not good search tools. After all, how many searches do you have to repeat on a regular basis? And creating a new search folder is essentially identical to using Outlook's very slow Advanced Find command (Tools | Find | Advanced Find). We'd argue that search folders are most useful as an organizing tool, and they are better thought of as organizing folders.

The rest of the story

I don't use Outlook due to the fact that Hacker aim for Outlook users. I use Yahoo and other web based services. I never use my ISP's mail service. Great security that way.

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California state senator on Monday said she was drafting legislation to block Google Inc.'s free e-mail service "Gmail" because it would place advertising in personal messages after searching them for key words.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=575&e=7&u=/nm/tech_google_dc

No One Gets Something For Nothing, the trick on the Internet is know what or how your paying for what your getting. Be careful out there!

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Are you interested in switching to a high-speed cable/DSL modem? I can testify to its speed. When you first start using a broadband Internet connection, whether cable or ADSL, you'll be amazed at the speed. At any rate, for information and news about cable/DSL modems and Internet cable services, look at the Broadbandreports.com forum speed test page. The home page is www.dslreports.com. And they are listed on the NAV bar on the left.




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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When you need to copy text from a Web page viewed in Opera, you highlight the text and then right-click it. Choose Copy text from the menu. This is pretty much the same method that you'd use in any browser. But if you want to copy a single word in Opera, you can just double-click the word. This opens a menu from which you can choose Copy Text.

Remember, Opera also gave you free email accounts as well as the free browser. If you end up liking it you can buy a richer browser and email. Great for use to confirming your other accounts at other places on the net when you don't want to gave them an email account you really use. I am SO glad I use my Opera email account with Google who sold that address to just about every one. By the by, that is Google reason for getting into Email. Google will be scanning other email so that they can better sell that address off to juck IE spammers. And remember, if you phone # is not unlisted and SBC is your phone Co. All anyone has to do is do a search using your phone # in Google and up pops your home address, etc. This is hoW Google and SBC are "in bed" together.
BE SAFE OUT THERE.


MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Are you interested in switching to a high-speed cable/DSL modem? I can testify to its speed. When you first start using a broadband Internet connection, whether cable or ADSL, you'll be amazed at the speed. At any rate, for information and news about cable/DSL modems and Internet cable services, look at the Broadbandreports.com forum speed test page. The home page is www.dslreports.com. And they are listed on the NAV bar on the left.



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Are you interested in switching to a high-speed cable/DSL modem? I can testify to its speed. When you first start using a broadband Internet connection, whether cable or ADSL, you'll be amazed at the speed. At any rate, for information and news about cable/DSL modems and Internet cable services, look at the Broadbandreports.com forum speed test page. The home page is www.dslreports.com. And they are listed on the NAV bar on the left.




MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".