[MikesWhatsNews] MWN #787 HackFix

MikesWhatsNews  
in today's issue #787
August 4 2005

2       Windows Vista
3       FireFox 1.0.6
4       The Parasite Fight New Version 7.0
5       IE-SPYAD: Restricted Sites List for Internet Explorer 
6       HijackThis Code
7       PageDefrag
8       CCC    Multiple Image Resizer
9                 Find a Lost File      
10      Foxit PDF Reader for Windows
11      Google tip "intitle" Keyword
HackFix Updates 
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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;
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and; http://www.freelists.org/archives/mikeswhatsnews/
The HTML version is available here http://www.http://www.mwn.ca/

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AOL Users</a>
___________________________________________________________
2
Microsoft announced that Longhorn will be name Windows Vista. 
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/default.mspx

Bringing clarity to your world.

Today we live in a world of more information, more ways to communicate, more 
things to do. There is more you can do and even more you can discover. 

Every day, millions of people around the globe rely on their Windows PC to 
manage their increasingly digital lives. While familiar tools for managing 
digital information are powerful, today's world requires more.

In today's digital world, you want the PC to adapt to you, so you can cut 
through the clutter and focus on what's important to you.

Introducing Windows Vista?

It enables a new level of confidence in your PC and in your ability to get the 
most out of it.

It introduces clear ways to organize and use information the way you want to 
use it.

It seamlessly connects you to information, people, and devices that help you 
get the most out of life.

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3
Firefox 1.0.6 for Windows 
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Popup Blocking 
Stop annoying popup ads in their tracks with Firefox's built in popup blocker. 
Tabbed Browsing 
View more than one web page in a single window with this time saving feature. 
Open links in the background so that they're ready for viewing when you're 
ready to read them. Find out more... 
Privacy and Security 
Built with your security in mind, Firefox keeps your computer safe from 
malicious spyware by not loading harmful ActiveX controls. A comprehensive set 
of privacy tools keep your online activity your business. 
Smarter Search 
Google Search is built right into the toolbar, and there is a plethora of other 
search tools including Smart Keywords (type "dict <word>" in the Location bar), 
and the new Find bar (which finds text as you type without covering up 
anything). 

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4
"THE PARASITE FIGHT" OVERHAULED - New Version 7.0
http://aumha.org/elist.cgi/2005/07/18#20050717-1

I have significantly overhauled my page **THE PARASITE FIGHT - Finding,
Removing & Protecting Yourself From Scumware** at
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm, including its to-the-point companion page
The Parasite Fight - Quick Fix Protocol (http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm).
The changes reflect my changing views as the terrain of malware (and of the
tools available for fighting it) evolves.

By "parasite" I mean the whole non-virus category of adware, spyware,
numerous kinds of hijackers, automatic dialers, and the like. It is probably
only a formality that I continue to call these "non-viral," though it
remains true that these newer kinds of scumware don't meet the core
definition of a virus, i.e., that their primary task is to replicate
themselves. The main reason for differentiating parasites from viruses is
that, for a real user in practice, a virus can be defined as "that category
of malware which is normally identified and removed by antivirus software."
That's the practical bottom line: How do we identify and remove these
blights? By persisting in the separate language -- by dividing **malware**
(malicious software) into two separate branches of **viruses** and
**parasites** -- it is easier for the end-user to keep in mind which
programs he or she should expect to help out in solving the problem.

Leading antivirus companies are finally getting on the parasite bandwagon,
so this "seat of the pants" definition won't continue to apply for more than
another year or two. The line is already starting to blur between which
categories of malware a particular program will seek to identify and remove
-- and this is a good thing! For the present, though, the differentiated
nomenclature is pretty useful.
++
____________________________________________________________
5
IE-SPYAD: Restricted Sites List for Internet Explorer  
https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource.htm
Last Updated: Jul 17 '05

IE-SPYAD adds a long list of sites and domains associated with known 
advertisers, marketers, and crapware pushers to the Restricted sites zone of 
Internet Explorer. Once you merge this list of sites and domains into the 
Registry, the web sites for these companies will not be able to use cookies, 
ActiveX controls, Java applets, or scripting to compromise your privacy or your 
PC while you surf the Net. Nor will they be able to use your browser to push 
unwanted pop-ups, cookies, or auto-installing programs on your PC.

Please note that IE-SPYAD is not an ad blocker. It will not block standard 
banner ads in Internet Explorer. What this Restricted sites list of known 
advertisers and crapware pushers will do, however, is: 

stop unwanted crapware from being installed behind your
back via "drive-by-downloads";
  
prevent the hijacking of your home page and other key
Internet Explorer settings;
  
shut down ActiveX, Java, and scripting, all of which can
be employed to push obnoxious advertising on you and
compromise your privacy and security;
  
block cookies, which can be used to monitor and track your 
travels around the Internet;
  
combat obnoxious script-based popups that clutter your
screen and force unwanted advertising on you. 
This Restricted sites list is based in part on info from:

discussions in the SpywareInfo Forums, Spyware Warrior, CastleCops, 
and other forums that specialize in crapware removal
  
major crapware reference sites:
 
and.doxdesk.com
CounterExploitation
Kephyr.com
PestPatrol
Spyware Guide
  
the latest updates to well-known anti-crapware programs such 
as SpyBot Search & Destroy, Ad-aware, and SpywareBlaster
++ There is more on the web site.
____________________________________________________________
6
HijackThis Code
 
To those of you bold enough to diagnose your own computer problems using the 
diagnostic tool, HijackThis, here is a quickie "cheat sheet" on what each HJT 
code means:

R0, R1, R2, R3 - Internet Explorer Start/Search pages URLs 
F0, F1 - Autoloading programs 
N1, N2, N3, N4 - Netscape/Mozilla Start/Search pages URLs 
O1 - Hosts file redirection 
O2 - Browser Helper Objects 
O3 - Internet Explorer toolbars 
O4 - Autoloading programs from Registry 
O5 - IE Options icon not visible in Control Panel 
O6 - IE Options access restricted by Administrator 
O7 - Regedit access restricted by Administrator 
O8 - Extra items in IE right-click menu 
O9 - Extra buttons on main IE button toolbar, or extra items in IE 'Tools' menu 
O10 - Winsock hijacker 
O11 - Extra group in IE 'Advanced Options' window 
O12 - IE plugins 
O13 - IE DefaultPrefix hijack 
O14 - 'Reset Web Settings' hijack 
O15 - Unwanted site in Trusted Zone 
O16 - ActiveX Objects (aka Downloaded Program Files) 
O17 - Lop.com domain hijackers 
O18 - Extra protocols and protocol hijackers 
O19 - User style sheet hijack 
Added in HijackThis 1.98.x:
O20 - AppInit_DLLs Registry value autorun 
O21 - ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad Registry key autorun 
O22 - SharedTaskScheduler Registry key autorun  
Added in HijackThis 1.99.x:

O23 - NT Services 

Thanks to; Sean at MCH FORUMS (registration required -- FREE to join)
http://mycomputerheadaches.tz4.com
MCH Yahoogroups
http://shorterlink.com/?PBFUJ5
____________________________________________________________
7
PageDefrag free
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/PageDefrag.html
Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Server 2003.
One of the limitations of the Windows NT/2000 defragmentation interface is that 
it is not possible to defragment files that are open for exclusive access. 
Thus, standard defragmentation programs can neither show you how fragmented 
your paging files or Registry hives are, nor defragment them. Paging and 
Registry file fragmentation can be one of the leading causes of performance 
degradation related to file fragmentation in a system. 

PageDefrag uses advanced techniques to provide you what commercial 
defragmenters cannot: the ability for you to see how fragmented your paging 
files and Registry hives are, and to defragment them. In addition, it 
defragments event log files and Windows 2000/XP hibernation files (where system 
memory is saved when you hibernate a laptop). 
____________________________________________________________
8
'Christy's Computer Corner'
  thanks to Christy;
http://www.1stpick.org

Multiple Image Resizer Freeware
http://www.acumensystems.com/mir/

This program allows you to process individual images or folders
of images. You can resize, add borders, overlay text, and rotate
and flip images. It handles a variety of input and output image
formats including BMP, JPG , GIF, TIFF, EXIF, PNG, EMF, ICO and
WMF. It includes the ability to select JPEG output quality, and
also to set the output resolution of a processed image. You can
choose from different quality resizing methods, and you can keep
current with the latest updates using the built-in check for
updates feature. 

~~~~~~~~
9
Find a Lost File

So, you've misplaced a file. It's easier to find than you think.

Click the Start button and select Find or Search. A screen will
open up that allows you to search for files.

To do a search, just type the name of the missing file in the
"Named" box.  If you're using XP, you'll need to click the "All
files & folders item" and type what you're looking for into the
"All or part of a file name" box.  
If you're not sure what the name of the file is, you can
use wildcards. 

For example, say you're looking for a text file, but you aren't
100% sure of the file name. Type *.txt in the "Named" or "All or
part of a file name" box. The * is a wildcard, meaning that as
long as a file has an extension of .txt, it will be displayed.

Don't worry. You don't have to know the file extension if you
already know the name of the misplaced file. If you know the 
name of the file, just type it in the box and it will attempt locate
it. In fact, even if you only have a partial file name, that will work too.

Once the file is located, just double-click it to open it up.


Was this forwarded to you ?
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____________________________________________________________
10
Foxit PDF Reader for Windows  free
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php

Foxit PDF Reader runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP/2003. 
It is provided by Foxit Software Company for free non-commercial use.

Foxit PDF Reader is a free reader for PDF (eBook) documents. 
You can view and print PDF documents with it.

Foxit PDF Reader is small (the download size less than 1MB), so you can 
download it quickly. It doesn't need any lengthy installation, so you can start 
to run it as soon as you can download it.

And it starts up immediately, so you don't need to wait the annoying "Welcome" 
screen to disappear.

Foxit PDF Reader is extremely easy to use, just double click it to start and 
then click open button to open your PDF document. If you want to print, click 
on "Print" button. If you want to setup the page layout for printing, select 
"Print Setup" from "File" menu.

____________________________________________________________
11
Google tip "intitle" Keyword ~ Mike's Friday Tip

Did you know you can direct Google's focus when searching?

Use the "intitle" Keyword
Google's "intitle" Keyword allows you restrict searches to the titles of Web 
pages, ignoring the page content. 
For example, you can enter "intitle:Microsoft" 
to search for Web pages whose title contains the word Microsoft.

____________________________________________________________

  HackFix updates, thanks to Christy;
staff@xxxxxxxxxxx
Http://www.hackfix.org
This weeks Virus Pattern Updates (08/04/2005)


Updates will now vary in time but remain the same in day.  Our time schedule no 
longer allows for updates to be sent at a specific time on any day so we will 
continue to send them on Thursdays to help our readers to remember to update 
before leaving for the weekend (time away or from work).   We apologize if this 
causes any confusion.

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


Aladdin Knowledge Systems

Esafe Desktop/Gateway/Enterprise
Last Updated Aug 03/2005
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 Aug 04/2005
To update your software:
Visit: http://www.avast.com/
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 Aug 04/2005
To update your software
Visit http://www.authentium.com/support/downloads/index.cfm
~~~~~

Center for Antivirus Technologies (CAT)

Quickheal
Last Updated Aug 04/2005
To update your software
Visit: http://207.230.103.11/public/updates/updates.asp
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 Aug 04/2005
To update your software
Visit: http://www.f-prot.com/download/home_user/
~~~~~

Computer Associates

E-Trust
Last updated Aug 04/2005
To update your software
http://www3.ca.com/support/vicdownload/
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.

~~~~~~


GeCad Software

Rav (Reliable AntiVirus)
Last Updated:  Aug 04/2005
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 
Announcing the End of Support for AVG Anti-Virus 6.0 (December 31, 2004)
Read more here: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_avg6_termination.php
(New update details will be available soon)

Last updated Aug 04/2005
To update your software
Visit: http://www.grisoft.com/doc/72/lng/us/tpl/tpl01
Or 
You can also perform updates using the Check for 
Updates option within the menu that opens after right 
mouse button clicking over the AVG icon located on 
the system tray.



**Note:  
To help speed up AVG updates you can set your program to use 
an alternate download site.  
AVG 7.0  go to the control panel at the bottom is "Update Manager" 
select that and then select "settings" (at the bottom)  in there under  
"url"  you can add/delete/edit etc  the update urls as needed  you 
can move the order of the update urls as well.... such as putting the 
backup url first etc.  You can add the secondary site (www.grisoft.cz) 
to help to ease the server and make your update go quicker as most 
don't use it!
~~~~~

H+Bedv

AntiVir
Last updated Aug 04/2005
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 Aug 04/2005
To update your software
Visit: no visable update page on site main page at 
http://www.centralcommand.com/index.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 
Last updated Aug 04/2005 
To update your software
Visit: http://www.kaspersky.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:  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 Aug 03/2005
To update your software 
For Mcafee Visit
http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/updates/superdat_download.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 Aug 01/2005
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.

~~~~~

Softwin

BitDefender 
Last Updated July 29/2005 
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

~~~~~

Sophos

Sophos Anti Virus
Last IDE available Aug 04/2005
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 Aug 04/2005
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 Aug 03/2005
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)

**Note:  Users of non-NPF (i.e., old 3-digit pattern format) compliant 
products will not be able to update to the pattern release indicated 
in this email.  Non-NPF compliant products can only update to 
pattern 991, which was released March 7, 2005. TrendLabs urges 
all affected customers to apply the New Pattern Format solution 
at http://www.trendmicro.com/en/support/npf/overview.htm or 
upgrade to the latest product version to address this limitation.
 
~~~~~~~~~

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

3017 St Clair Ave #176
Burlington, Ontario
L7R 3L7

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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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