[MikesWhatsNews] MWN #614
- From: "Mike" <mikebike@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: mikeswhatsnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 16:56:11 -0800
MikesWhatsNews, 11, 12, 2002
in today's issue #614
Poldo - Trojan
Pegasus Mail 4.2a
Bonzi Buddy Sued
Apple Turns Sour on Local Telco
Happy Holiday Memory Test
Vivisimo.com
Federal Trade Commission
Best Download
Advent Calendar
CCC Columbia Encyclopedia
Use Your Numbers Differently
____________________________________________________________
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 or
issue #. Here is the address direct to the messages;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MikesWhatsNews/messages
and; //www.freelists.org/archives/mikeswhatsnews/
____________________________________________________________
Poldo - Trojan
McAfee reports at http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_99866.htm
This trojan poses as an anti-virus program and a file commonly associated
with an email hoax.
The trojan is designed to display popup windows and alter the default search
page, and start page of Internet Explorer.
When run, the trojan copies itself to the WINDOWS SYSTEM (%SysDir%)
folder as:
AVIRCHK.EXE
JDBGMRG.EXE (NOTE: This filename is close to a common
system file
JDBGMGR.EXE, but NOT the same)
Method Of Infection
Trojans do not self-replicate.
They are spread manually, often under the premise that the executable is
something beneficial. Distribution channels include IRC, peer-to-peer
networks, newsgroup postings, etc.
This trojan may be distributed under the pretense that it is an anti-virus
checker program.
++ There is more on the web site.
So, while the hoax is still a hoax, a transposition of two letters makes
it not a hoax.
Thanks to; Handle With Care
____________________________________________________________
Pegasus Mail 4.2a ~ update
http://www.pmail.com/
Pegasus Mail, the Internet's longest-serving PC e-mail system,
and for the Mercury Mail Transport System, our comprehensive
range of Internet Mail Server products.
Pegasus Mail and Mercury are free products, dedicated to serving
all who need them.
++
____________________________________________________________
Bonzi Buddy Sued ~ computer hijacker program
http://www.lukins.com/bonzi/
A nationwide class action lawsuit was filed on November 25, 2002, in the
Superior Court of Spokane County against Bonzi Software, Inc. Bonzi is among
the world?s most prolific issuers of Internet advertising banners.
Bonzi?s website has been ranked as one of the most frequently visited
websites in the world.
The class action complaint alleges that Bonzi deceptively and fraudulently
commandeered millions of internet users to Bonzi?s commercial websites
through dissemination of tens-of-millions of fraudulent Internet advertising
banners that impersonated computer error messages. The Complaint states that
through use of such Fake User Interface (?FUI?) dialogs that gave the
false appearance of being computer error messages, Bonzi tricked millions of
Internet users into interrupting the work they were performing to respond to
the fraudulent error message, only to unexpectedly find both computer and
computer user thus hijacked to defendants? commercial website.
Thanks to; Kim Komando Computer Show Newsletter
Visit us on the Internet at:
http://www.komando.com/
____________________________________________________________
Apple Turns Sour on Local Telco (News.com.au)
http://click.macworld.email-publisher.com/maaaHo5aaUN0hbVhyUkb/
A small Australian telecommunications company
found itself on the wrong end of an Apple lawsuit when the
computer company alleged that Apple Communications was stealing
its name. Apple Computer Australia says the company has owned the
global naming rights of the popular fruit since the computer boom
of the early 1980s, and has asked for the erstwhile Apple
Communications -- now Green Communications -- to pay the $100,000
in legal fees Apple accrued while pursuing this case. According
to Green Communications owner Daniel Cheng, "Hell will freeze
over before that happens. I'd rather spend it on advertising so
my clients can learn our new name."
From; MacWorld
____________________________________________________________
Happy Holiday Memory Test
http://www.flw.com/puzzle.htm
Select cards to find pairs.
Number of turns needed to complete are calculated.
____________________________________________________________
Link of the Week: Vivisimo.com
http://vivisimo.com/
I get a fair number of submissions to Link of the Week from Scot's
Newsletter readers and others. And once in a while such a submission turns
up a gem. Founded by research computer scientists at the Computer Science
Department at Carnegie Mellon University, Vivisimo.com is an Internet search
site designed to demonstrate of a new document-clustering technology applied
to a Web search. Vivisimo doesn't index or spider the Web. Instead it's a
metasearch service that organizes the output of other search engines, using
a "specially-developed heuristic algorithm to group - or cluster - textual
documents."
All I know is that Vivisimo works. I've been trying for several days to find
an online store that's selling a very specific decorative, educational toy.
The only catalog that had been selling it (or so I thought) discontinued it.
So when Scot's Newsletter reader Mike Lynn sent me Visimo's URL (thanks,
Mike!), I thought, well, I'll give it a shot. Wow. It found the educational
toy in about 5 seconds. I called and ordered it right away. There were only
a few left in stock. Vivismo proved itself in seconds where Google.com, my
all-time favorite search site, had failed after an hour's research. I'm
sold. Vivisimo clearly deserves Link of the Week status, and a spot in all
our bookmarks.
++
From; Scott's Newsletter
http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/36.htm
____________________________________________________________
Re: FTC Ref. No. 2573916
A New Spyware Tactic?
I wrote to the FTC about the spyware article, the letter below is there
reply;
Dear Mike Baynes:
Thank you for your recent letter to the Federal Trade Commission ("the
Commission"). The Federal Trade Commission acts in the public interest to
stop business practices that violate the laws it enforces. Letters from
consumers and businesses are very important to the work of the Commission.
They are often the first indication of a problem in the marketplace and may
provide the initial evidence to begin an investigation. The Commission does
not resolve individual complaints. The Commission can, however, act when it
sees a pattern of possible violations developing. The decision to open up
an investigative action depends on how widespread the practice is, how many
consumers are hurt, how much harm is done, and how much evidence we have.
We must also determine how much staff time and effort we can put into each
case, and we must concentrate on the most urgent problems.
Letters such as yours provide valuable information that may be used to
develop or support Commission enforcement activities. Your letter will be
added to our files for that purpose. We appreciate your taking the time to
write.
Sincerely yours,
____________________________________________________________
Best Download
http://www.bestdownload.com/
"The place where you can get all the best programs,
games, mp3, and emulator that is available on the net. All together
in one place and listed comprehensively so that you will only get the
BEST. Updated Daily."
thanks to; Christy
____________________________________________________________
Advent Calendar
http://www.north-pole.co.uk/advent_calendar/index.htm
Lovely online advent calendar. You have a few days to open so get
cracking, and enjoy.
Thanks to; Janet from Globchatters
http://home.clara.net/wightway/
____________________________________________________________
Christies Computer Corner thanks to Christy;
<1stPicksoftware-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=subscribe>
Columbia Encyclopedia
http://www.bartleby.com/65/
Sixth Edition
Containing nearly 51,000 entries (marshalling six and one-half
million words on a vast range of topics), and with more than
80,000 hypertext cross-references, the current Sixth Edition is
among the most complete and up-to-date encyclopedi=E6 ever
produced.
~~~~~~~
Use your numbers differently
"If you don't use the number keys on the
numeric keypad, you can use them as single-click
keyboard shortcuts for launching your 10 favorite
apps. Start by turning on the NumLock key. Then,
right-click on an existing program shortcut and
choose its Properties. In the Shortcut tab, select
the 'Shortcut key' field, press the number key
(on your number pad) that you want to associate
with the program, then click 'OK.' Repeat the steps
for each app's respective shortcut. Now, you'll need
to keep these shortcuts on your Desktop, or in your
Windows folder. With NumLock on, you'll be one key
away from your favorite program.
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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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