[MikesWhatsNews] MWN #723 HackFix

["Mike" <mikebike@xxxxxxxxx>]

MikesWhatsNews, 12, 03, 2004
in today's issue #723
HackFix Updates
2       chessKIDS academy 
3       SpyBot Beta and Info
4       CapsUnlock
5       How To Lock Down Your System
6       The PC, a Motoring Analogy
7       AxCrypt
8       CCC   Back4Win 
9                Help and Support       
10      Windows XP SP 2 Training Course for Developers
11      Enable XP Firewall Before Going On Line
12      Office XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
        Office security update for March 2004
____________________________________________________________

NOTE: Any time you see the "  ++ ",  it means there is more 
          of the article, or story, on the linked site. Mike
____________________________________________________________

There is a complete archive of past MikesWhatsNews newsletters 
available to members on the Yahoo page, it is searchable by word 
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___________________________________________________________


  HackFix updates, thanks to Christy;
staff@xxxxxxxxxxx
Http://www.hackfix.org
This weeks Virus Pattern Updates (03/11/2004)


All Software listed Alphabetically by Company name as some 
companies manufacture more then one product.


Aladdin Knowledge Systems

Esafe Desktop/Gateway/Enterprise
Last Updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.esafe.com/esafe/downloads/virusig.asp
Or
From the Esafe folder in your Start Menu select Download Updates
~~~~~

AlWil Software

Avast Antivirus
Last Updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software:
Visit: http://www.avast.com/i_kat_69.html
Or
Right click on the AVAST icon in the system tray, Select iAVS Update, 
AVAST will check for updates and download the appropriate files as needed.
~~~~~

 Authentium Software Systems

Command antivirus
Last Updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software
Visit 
http://www.authentium.com/support/downloads/index.cfm
~~~~~

Center for Antivirus Technologies (CAT)

Quickheal
Last Updated Mar 10/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.quickheal.com/winupg.htm
Or
Open Quickheal select Utility from the top toolbar and liveupdate.  Follow
the 
onscreen prompts.  Alternately you can select Liveupdate directly from the 
QuickHeal program menu on the startmenu.
~~~~~

Frisk Software Systems

Fprot
Last Updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.f-prot.com/download/home_user/
~~~~~

Computer Associates

E-Trust
Last updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software
http://support.cai.com/Download/virussig.html
Or
From the Respective folder in your Start Menu select Autodownload

For Vet Anti virus
http://www.vet.com.au/html/software/update.html

Be sure to have your Customer ID and your registered email address 
handy for verification.

**Note**

We knew this time would come eventually, that Computer Associates would 
not continue to support/update the older program 
https://www2.my-etrust.com/services/ipe_support??
~~~~~~


GeCad Software

Rav (Reliable AntiVirus)
Last Updated:  Mar 11/2004
To update your software:
Visit: 
http://www.ravantivirus.com/pages/dldupdate.php?type=Daily
Or
Open Rav and select Rav Update from the toolbar
~~~~~

Grisoft Inc.

AVG 
Last updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php
Or 
Open AVG and click Virus Database to check for updates
Or
Open AVG control centre and click Update Manager/update now

**Note:  To help speed up AVG updates you can set your program to use 
an alternate download site.  
Open AVG control centre->update manager->download from server.  The 
drop downbox should have listed www.grisoft.com (default)  and 
www.grisoft.cz. (be sure to select "apply" when done to save the changes) 
The default site is most often used so can at times become temporarily 
unavailable.  By using the secondary site (www.grisoft.cz) helps to ease 
the server and makes your update go quicker as most don't use it!
~~~~~

H+Bedv

AntiVir
Last updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.free-av.com/antivirus/allinonen.html
Or
Open AntiVir, from the top toolbar select Tools->
start internet update and follow the on screen prompts.


Vexira 
Last updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.centralcommand.com/updates.html
Or
Open Vexira, from the top toolbar select Tools->start internet update and
follow the on screen prompts.

Vexira Antivirus is marketed by Central Command however it is the same
program as Antivir with only a different name.
~~~~~

Kaspersky

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (formerly AVP)
Last updated Mar 05/2004 
To update your software
Visit: http://www.kasperskylabs.com/updates.asp
Or
Open AVP from the top toolbar click Tools-> Update virus definition
Or
From the Kaspersky folder in your Start Menu select AVP updater


*Note*  Avp now has available a cumulative update and a 
daily update with the daily being any important items they 
feel shouldn't wait till the next cumulative update.  Our 
dates here are based on the most recent Major update.

**Note:  Improved update accessiblity.  To ease the update web traffic
Kaspersky labs has additional servers for autoupdating.  The program
defaults to use one server but can be altered to check a variety of 
servers. Select Kaspersky updater, select update via the internet to 
open the drop down box(es) select "location"  Check the box labeled 
"Use alternate locations from the list"  select next and next to update.  
This option should stay selected after the first time.  This helps 
Kaspersky lighten the load for updates and helps you obtain updates 
easier.
~~~~~

Network Associates

Mcafee 
Last updated Mar 10/2004
To update your software 
For Mcafee Visit
http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/updates/superdat.asp
(for Virus and Engine updates)


Drsolomn (Product no longer available for new users however 
updates still available for current users):  Go to the following 
Internet site: http://download.mcafee.com/updates/4x.asp
IMPORTANT: When you get to this site you may notice that it refers 
to VirusScan. This update is not only for VirusScan. It also works 
with Dr.Solomon's. 

Or
Open your respective software virus scan scheduler, double click 
Auto update, click Run Now to do a manual live update, or click 
Schedule to set up a timed live update.
~~~~~

Norman Data Defence

Norman Virus Control
Last updated Mar 11/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.norman.com/downloads.shtml#definition_files_updates
Be sure to have your Valid Username and password handy for verification.
Or
From the Norman folder in your Start Menu select Internet Update

**Note Norman Virus Control web updates are only for version prior to 
5.0.  Norman 5.0 can only be updated via the update in the program itself.

Thunderbyte Anti Virus
Current Version: This product is no longer being supported.
http://www.norman.com/tbav.shtml
~~~~~

Softwin

BitDefender (Previously known as AVX - AntiVirus eXpert as of Nov 06/01)
Last Updated Mar 05/2004 
To update your software
Visit: 
http://www.bitdefender.com/bd/site/downloads.php?menu_id=19&s_id=3
Or
Open BitDefender select Protection Options->live upgrade
Or
From the BitDefender folder in your Start Menu select Bitdefender Live
         
Press Release on the software change 
http://www.bitdefender.com/press/ref1.php
~~~~~

Sophos

Sophos Anti Virus
Last IDE available Mar 11/2004
To obtain the latest IDE files
Visit: http://www.sophos.com/downloads/ide/

**Note:  Sophos does not update as other products do.  They update 
the Engine/software once a month (or so) to include all the previous 
IDE files.  New IDE files are available with new virus threats and must 
be downloaded individually until the next software update is available.  
Our update dates reflect the most recent available IDE file.
~~~~~

Symantec

Nortons AntiVirus
Last updated Mar 10/2004
To update your software
Visit: 
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/defs.download.html select 
your language -> product from the list
Or
Open Nortons software and click the "live update" button
Or
From the Nortons folder in your Start Menu select LiveUpdate - 
Norton Antivirus
~~~~~

Trend Micro

PcCillin 
Last updated Mar 10/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.antivirus.com/download/pattern.asp
Be sure to have your Registration number handy for verification
Or
Open PcCillin click Update then click Update Now (or Update later 
to Schedule a timed update)
~~~~~~~~~

If there is an Anti Virus program that is Not listed here that
you would like to see added to the weekly updates list Please
feel free to let us know.

Remember Your anti virus software is only as good as the user...
If you don't keep it updated it won't provide you with maximum
protection.

This weekly Update will be sent every Thursday on or after
6pm (eastern) to keep you up to date on virus pattern updates
available. Virus patterns are checked for most recent update
date as of 6pm Thursdays.

~~~~

~ Hackfix Project Staff
staff@xxxxxxxxxxx
Http://www.hackfix.org

____________________________________________________________
2
Learn chess at chessKIDS academy 
http://www.chesskids.com/
Teach your kids how to play chess with our free online chess course 

Interactive chess lessons, quizzes, games and puzzles for kids
Play chess against the computer
FREE online chess books for kids - download and print
Everything YOUR school needs to run a chess club
A unique chess site for kids, teachers and parents
____________________________________________________________
3
New SpyBot Beta and Info
Several readers pointed me to the new version of Spybot in quiet beta
testing now. 
It doesn't appear to be private--- just not publicized--- so here's the
download link.
http://www.safer-networking.org/files/spybotsd13.exe

But note: It *is* a beta--- unfinished software--- so use with caution. 
All the normal beta warnings apply: 
It may crash, or cause your system to crash, or may cause you to lose data,
and so on. 
So don't be upset if you find bugs!

While poking around the rest of the site, I also saw a page that's come a
long way since I first saw it: It's a list of popular software that's often
infected with some sort of spyware; and a list of spyware-free alternatives.
Very handy! See
http://langa.com/u/3i.htm
From langa list;
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-03-04.htm

____________________________________________________________
4
CapsUnlock  free
http://www.brainsystems.com/capsunlock/
CapsUnlock supersedes the locking mechanism of the CapsLock key and thus
prevents the accidental turning on of CapsLock. It runs as a little tray
application in the taskbar. The user can select an override option, which
allows CapsLock to be switched on and off by holding down the left Shift key
while pressing CapsLock. Furthermore CapsUnlock also disables the Insert
key. 
++
____________________________________________________________
5
How To Lock Down Your System
http://www.zoneedit.com/doc/msvirus.html?
This technique will vastly improve the safety of your internet environment
on your Windows machine, protecting you against many viruses, even new ones!
Viruses can look like they come from anyone, to anyone - there is often no
way to detect them and "scanners" can't usually help you with them. No
matter how much money you pay - scanning software and firewalls usually will
not protect you against new/unknown viruses. As a side benefit, this
technique will also stop those crazy popups and popunders coming from
untrusted sites. 
++
____________________________________________________________
6
The PC, a Motoring Analogy

In this analogy a PC could be compared or likened to a car.

As PC users we have to learn how to drive our PC's, but the learning goes
much further than just being able to drive. We also have to understand the
mechanics of how it all works. The mechanics could be software or hardware.

If we take our PC out on the road, i.e. the Internet, we also have to learn
the rules. On the road we will encounter good drivers and bad drivers, it is
the same with the Web.

We could look at Anti virus Applications and Spy Ware as Seat Belts and Air
Bags. It is no good having seat belts if we don't wear them, which is just
like having an Anti Virus Program and not regularly updating it. 

We do not intend to have an accident, in the same way we do not go looking
for a Virus. But if we have an accident we are certainly thankful that we
have Air Bags and were wearing our Seat Belt. It is the same with Anti Virus
and Spay Ware applications.

Some of us like to work within communities, like this Group. Within a
community we have decided on the social rules that we collectively would
prefer to work within, the rules of the road if you will.

It makes sense if we all drive on the same side of the road, otherwise we
would have chaos. Here in the UK we drive on the left, in the USA they drive
on the right. This is fine, if when I go to the USA, I also drive on the
right. 

However, if I still want to drive on the left, we would have collisions and
I would run the risk of being banned from driving. It is the same in our
Group, we must all drive on the same side of the road or risk being banned.

We could liken the Operating Systems to Engines and fuel, Petrol, Diesel,
Propane or Methanol etc., these would be Win98, Win Me, Win XP, Linux etc.
Although we cannot put Diesel in a Petrol car, we can still drive on the
same roads, regardless of the type of engine or fuel. There will be
differences in how the engines operate, but they do the same job, they get
us from A to B. Some will get us there quicker and some will cause us
problems.

Connecting to the Internet can also be likened to the roads and highways.
Using a dial up connection is slow, but it is relatively inexpensive. Using
broad band is much quicker, but just like using a high speed toll road you
have to pay more to use it.

CPU, Memory and Hard Disk could be likened to an engine capacity and number
of cylinders & valves. In broad terms, the bigger the faster. But you have
to ask the question how fast do I need. What exactly am I going to be doing?
It would not make a lot of sense to drive a high powered Ferrari a few
hundred yards to the local shops. On the other hand a journey of a 1,000
miles will be achieved in comfort with the right amount of horse power under
the hood.

If we likened Programs to Passengers, the larger the Hard Disk the more
seating capacity we have. But again, without the correct engine to power us,
our journey may be very slow.

When we are learning to drive we do not want too much power, as we do not
yet have the experience to control it. 

Copyright March2004 Bernie Baker Moderator of the Computer Tricks and Tips
Group:
http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/Computer_tricks_and_tips/

____________________________________________________________
7
AxCrypt ~ Release 1.4.3 free
http://axcrypt.sourceforge.net.
AxCrypt is free and easy to use open source strong file encryption for
Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2K/XP, integrated with Windows Explorer. 
Encrypt, compress, decrypt, wipe, view and edit with a few mouse clicks.
Cryptographic primitives are AES-128 and SHA-1. 
Encrypted files have a ".axx" extension added to their names, and are shown
with a new icon.
To encrypt a file, right-click it in Windows Explorer and select 'AxCrypt |
Encrypt'. 
To edit or view an encrypted file - just double-click it. 
To decrypt, right-click and select 'AxCrypt | Decrypt' instead.
No configuration is necessary. Run the installer, and AxCrypt is ready to
use.

UNIQUE FEATURES 
The following are features that really set it apart from all other file
encryption tools, commercial as well as free:

Double-click to edit/view with any application, with automatic re-encryption
when done. 
Extensive command-line interface for scripting and programming. 
6 languages in one executable distribution. 
Absolutely no user configuration necessary or possible before use. 
Open source under GNU GPL. 
++
____________________________________________________________
8
'Christy's Computer Corner'
  thanks to Christy;
http://www.1stpick.org

Back4Win Freeware
http://www.alistairgeorge.com/b4win/

Losing Data (computer files) is at least disconcerting, at most potential
failure of your business!. 
Backup software used regularly, insures your computer against these losses
by storing copies of your data in a safe place. Back4Win is free, and is
highly regarded by thousands of users as a no-cost solution for data
integrity. 
Business users should seriously consider the very low cost of $24.95 for
Back4WinXP which, along with many other features, automatically keeps all
versions of critical files, so you can go back to any version. 
This 'Stealth' mode makes Back4WinXP tremendously more secure than regular
backups.
~~~~~~~~
9
Help and support
The most under used resource available for free to every computer user is
the Microsoft Help and Support Center.

Should you encounter a problem or desire to accomplish a task and don't know
the procedure or method to do so, try the Help
system that is part of virtually every application on your computer
including the Operating System

Access Windows Help by clicking on Start, then click on Help.
You can also access context sensitive Help by pressing F1. 
Context sensitive means that the Help screen that opens will be related to
whatever you were doing or wherever the mouse pointer was clicked last.

Pressing F1 or clicking the ? on a toolbar in MS Office applications opens
an Assistant screen. 
Enter a question and the Assistant will provide one or more possible
solutions.

Help on the Menu Bar (usually the top bar just under the title, with File,
Edit, View, etc.) opens the Help System in any
application that provides on-line help.

Some applications place a question mark (?) near the Min-Max-Close buttons
in the upper right corner of a window. 
When it's there, you can click on the ? then click on a an item of interest
in that window and an explanation of the item
pops-up, if available.

Was this forwarded to you ?
Get your own subscription here:
<1stpickPCtips-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=subscribe>

____________________________________________________________
10
Windows XP SP 2 training course for developers
http://msdn.microsoft.com/security/productinfo/XPSP2/introduction.aspx
Training Contents 
Introduction
Increased Network Protection
New Memory Protection
Improved Email Security
Enhanced Browsing Security
Summary
Welcome to the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Training Course for Developers.
 It is the goal of this course to make you, the developer, aware of the
implications in the deployment of Service Pack 2 on computers running on the
Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Editions.

Specifically, upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

1. Summarize the rationale for increased security in Windows XP SP2.
2. Identify the four development areas that this service pack affects.
3. Review the current situation.
4. Identify the common areas where applications will break once XP SP2 is
deployed. 
5. Identify the possible short-term fixes and longer-term solutions.
6. Explain how code samples for application upgrades allow the developer to
take advantage of the changes made by XP SP2.
7. Summarize the Next Steps that can be taken to correct problems that may
arise with the installation of XP SP2.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 is more than a normal roll-up of bug fixes for
Microsoft's flagship operating system. It is also being used to deliver a
significant upgrade to enhance Windows XP security and to simplify the
software update process.
++ 

____________________________________________________________
11
Mike's Friday Tip  ~ Enable XP Firewall Before Going On Line

If you find your self in the position of having to reinstall Windows XP be
sure to enable the built in firewall before going on line to get the
critical updates.

This will prevent the Blaster worm from infecting your computer before you
get all the updates and patches installed.
See; http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/blast.asp

Having the Free CD's from Microsoft with the Critical updates and patches is
also a good plan;
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp

____________________________________________________________

Office XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
<http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=85AF7BFD-6F69-428
9-8BD1-EB966BCDFB5E&displaylang=en>
Office XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) provides the latest updates to Microsoft
Office XP. SP3 contains significant security enhancements as well as
stability and performance improvements. Some of the fixes included with SP3
have been previously released as separate updates. This service pack
combines them into one update. SP3 applies to any level of Office XP and
does not require any previous service packs to be installed. This update
applies to the following Office applications: Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft
Excel 2002, Microsoft Outlook© 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint© 2002,
Microsoft Access 2002, Microsoft FrontPage© 2002, Microsoft Publisher
2002, and Microsoft Office XP Web Components.
++

Office security update for March 2004
What You Should Know About the Office Security Update for March 2004
http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/20040309_office.asp

Published: March 9, 2004 | Updated March 10, 2004

Why We Are Issuing This Update
The Office security update for March 2004 addresses newly discovered issues
in Microsoft Outlook® 2002. If you have Outlook 2002 installed on your
computer, you should download the update and install it.
++
____________________________________________________________
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Antivirus software is a good choice to scan your system for possible viruses, 
however no virus scanner is 100% effective as manufactures cannot keep up with 
the rapid change of viruses that happens daily.
Be sure to update yours regularly.
http://www.hackfix.org/software/antivirus.html
______________________________________________________________________
Please feel free, to offer constructive criticism, as that will help me keep it 
interesting.
I also welcome any submissions about new products, web pages, or articles of 
interest.

All submissions posted in MWN will be given proper credit.
"MikesWhatsNews" believes in giving credit where credit is due but at times 
deadlines and information that is very important to readers we accidentally 
misspost an item.

If you believe something to be miscredited, or you know the author of one of 
the articles which we have posted as 'unknown', please do let us know so we can 
correct the information where applicable.

Many times in a article you may see a click here for more information, or to go 
to a link, these often will not work, as the original information, was taken 
from a page with HTML links. This is when you will want to go to the webpage 
indicated in the article, ++ ,for 'the rest of the story'
***MfM*** indicates that I am adding my own information to a particular    
article.
                         `~*~*~*~*~*~`
Mike ~It's a good day if I learned something new.
You can read a sample of my newsletter on my web page http://www.mwn.ca
My virus pages ~ http://virusinfo.hackfix.org 
mytech@xxxxxxxxxxx
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[MikesWhatsNews] MWN #723 HackFix