IE Flaw Creates Another Annoyance For Windows Users (for the 1,000th time)
I know that headline sounds a bit generic becuase these flaws seem to be exposed on nearly daily basis, but its still true. This time a flaw(s) in IE has allowed a website to installing spyware/adware/pop-up creating toolbars on unsuspecting victims.
One flaw lets an attacker run a program on a victim’s machine, while the other enables malicious code to “cross zones,” or run with privileges higher than normal. Together, the two issues allow for the creation of a Web site that, when visited by victims, can upload and install programs to the victim’s computer, according to two analyses of the security holes.
Oh, and better yet, many suspect that some company or companies have already used these techniques. This is of course, ruffling some feathers.
The possibility that a group or company has apparently used the vulnerabilities as a way to sneak unwanted advertising software, or adware, onto a user’s computer could be grounds for criminal charges, said Stephen Toulouse, security program manager for Microsoft.
“We consider that any use of an exploit to run a program is a criminal use,” he said. “We are going to work aggressively with law enforcement to prosecute individuals or companies that do so.”
The flaws are apparently being used to install the I-Lookup search bar, an adware toolbar that is added to IE’s other toolbars. The adware changes the Internet Explorer home page, connects to one of six advertising sites and frequently displays pop-ups–mainly pornographic ads, according to an adware advisory on antivirus company Symantec’s Web site.
Sucks doesn’t it? (For the 1000th time.)
Why Pay When You Can Get It For Free?
Apparently, all those companies that tried to go into the “WiFi Hot Spot…for a small fee” market are finding that its a little harder to stay in the black than they initally hoped. Turns out its so easy to setup a hot spot at a local Mom and Pop store or cafe, or any one of those city-wide free WiFi setups like Seattle Wireless or NYC Wireless. What all these businesses and free-WiFi groups have done is destroy most of the companies that are trying to use WiFi as a business model. As a matter of fact, it seems the T-Mobile is the only company able to turn a profit so far, and that is mainly becuase of their setups in most airports and they are drawing from their already big cellular customer base.
T-Mobile has 4,650 Wi-Fi hot spots in Kinko’s, Borders Bookstores, hotels, airports and Starbucks cafes, and it is adding 35 a day, the company said. Last week, it announced plans to deploy hot-spot connections in 122 Hyatt Hotels in North America. Users pay $9.95 for single-day access, $29.99 for a monthly access to all hot spots in the network or $19.95 a month if they are customers of T-Mobile’s cellphone service.
The company would not disclose how many customers it has, or its revenue or profits. But Joe Sims, general manager of T-Mobile’s Wi-Fi business, said, “We fully expect to make money in the public hot-spot business.” He noted that the company has learned some important lessons – namely, that the hot spots need to be in locations with heavy traffic from business customers and that a profitable Wi-Fi business needs to build a national network and brand that will give users the ability to log on at a variety of locations using the same service.
There is a good article about all of this on the New York Times: Technology site (free registration required). Check it out if you are interested in this type of stuff. It gives you a good idea where this is all heading in the near future.
OS X on Windows XP
So I know a lot of people are reporting on how the new program, PearPC, lets you run OS X on Windows. But I actually tried to get it working on the newest PC I have: 1.8 gHz P4, 640 RAM, Windows XP Pro. Its not exactly easy, or at least it wasn’t for me.
According to the PearPC site you have to run download Darwin and use that to format this .img drive to then install OS X on it via an ISO file (PearPC won’t, at this time, let you use your acutal CD Drive on your Windows PC). Sounds kinda easy…well, I had problems. PearPC wouldn’t see the .img, 6 gig, HD I downloaded and uncompressed. Basically, I can get to the OS X install, but when I need to pick a partition to install to, nothing it there.
I feel like a dumbass, sitting here working to get OS X going on a Windows system, that is sitting next to a perfectally good Mac running a real, functional OS X install.
I’ll keep going…now I’m on a mission. (I did it! Click “read more” to see how.)
Microsoft Takes a Break on Their Piracy War
For the time being it looks like Microsoft as softened its usual rock-hard stance on piracy. It looks like XP Service Pack 2, unlike Service Pack 1, will be restriction free when it comes to being installed on a pirated version of Windows XP. On the previous service pack, upon the installation of the pack, it checked your serial number against a “black list” of serials and would not install if yours happened to be on that list. In this case, Microsoft decided that it would be in the best intrest of their paying customers if all Windows XP machines, including the pirated ones, are secure to stop the spread of worms and virii.
“It was a tough choice, but we finally decided that even if someone has pirated copy of Windows, it is more important to keep him safe than it is to be concerned about the revenue issue,” [Microsoft group product manager Barry Goffe stated].
He admitted, however, that it is more than altruism that helped Microsoft come to this decision.
“Having these unsecured users means bigger worm and virus outbreaks – which also impacts the Internet and consequently, our legitimate users as well.”
There are of course other features in this service pack, like a firewall and a pop-up blocker. But you have to admit, Microsoft taking a break in thier “fight against piracy” is the big news.
Linspire picks another fight.
After picking and finally losing the fight with Microsoft over their software name: “Lindows”…they are now poking Apple in the ribs with their new software for their, in my opinion, worthless OS. The software programs I’m referring to are LPhoto and LSongs. Click those links and you tell me if they look just a bit like Apple’s iPhoto and iTunes, not to mention the distinct naming schemes.
If Linspire thinks that Microsoft was a pain in the ass to fight…NOONE protects their intelectual property like Apple.
GMail? Its no joke.
It seems that google’s annoucement of their new GMail web-based email service that touts 1 gigabyte of space for each member was not an April Fool’s Day joke after all. Google will soon offer their ad-driven webmail service and fire two good shots at the status quo of current webmail. The first shot is changing the way email in general currently works, they plan to let you keep all email and as opposed to organizing them in folders, they plan to just use google’s strong search engine to rifle through the messages to get what you need. The other shot is to the current heads of webmail, Yahoo! and Hotmail(owned by Microsoft). They only offer a few megabytes for email where as GMail will offer an entire gigabyte. It all seems just dandy right? Well, there’s always something…Some people aren’t comfortable with all of GMail’s operations.
Despite all of this, I’m pretty sure I’ll sign up for an account when I can.
Source: CNet | Google’s Web mail no joke
David Coursey says goodbye to AnchorDesk
For the past three years I have always made it a point to go to AnchorDesk.com (part of ZDnet) and read the, once daily, now thirce-weekly, tech-news article by David Coursey. Even though I did not quite agree with him a portion of a time, and I found him a little too much in love with Microsoft, I am still sad to see him go. He will be leaving as of March 19th, 2004.
This is a friendly parting, tinged with the sadness of leaving a group of people that I really like and a company I have grown to love. This is a small world and I am sure I will be working with many of these people again. (Special thanks to Patick Houston and Dan Miller)
David will be still producing an article, but it will be mostly corporate in it’s focus, and he will go on with his own private, consulting firm.
Best of luck to David Coursey from hellyeahbitch.com (even though he has never heard of us)!
Read his “goodbye” article
Check out his site here: coursey.com
The best wifi protection?
I have been struggling with my Linksys 802.11b wireless router and my now Airport Extreme enabled iBook G4. It connects fine when there is no protection what so ever on the wireless network signal. Which is all fine and dandy. But I’m not so wild about leaving my network completly unprotected, mostly becuase there are so many Windows machines on the network. So what to do? Put some protection on it right?
Choice #1: WEP (Wired Equivalance Protection)
This option sucks. It means well, but the “Protection” part of the acronym is complete crap. With the right, widely available, software and some time anyone can get into my network with little or no problem. I should know, I do this all the time.
Choice #2: WPA (WiFi Protected Access)
This option is better, but not great for me. In fact, this option was unavailable until recently when I remembered that I haven’t ever upgraded my firmware on my router. So after I did, I thought this was for sure the option for me. Yet for some reason my iBook and my router will not cooperate on WPA encryption. It will work once, then after that, never again. I can’t figure out the problem, so it rules out that option.
Choice #3: MAC Address Filtering
After a few minutes of problems with setting it up, we seem to have found our winner. This seems to work the best and gives me even more control over the access of the network. I know that this protection can be broken as well by someone spoofing their MAC address as mine. But since the only filter in place is my iBook, the chances of that happening is very slim.
The point of all this is I was wondering what is the most common protection method out there and what everyone out there uses.
Disscuss it here
Get ready for Windows ME 2!
Even though they have disputed it over and over again, Microsoft will release an interm version of Windows XP before Longhorn. Oh yeah they are going to call it Windows XP Reloaded…no I’m not kidding. REALOADED?! Who are they kidding with that crap? Anyway, here is what the big time “Microsoft-Groupie” bink had to say about it:
He fails to mention that the last time that Microsoft did this was the absolutly horrible Windows ME. Hopefully it won’t be like that, but judging by the stupid things that have been coming out of Gates’ mouth lately (“windows is more secure…”) I have a feeling that this is the equation for the future: ME 2 = XP Reloaded
Source: Bink