Tuesday, February 08, 2005

URLs from 2/8/05

Problems with Windows 98 shutdowns.

New browser spoofing vulnerability

The following is from Patrick Douglas Crispen's Internet Tourbus:

New Browser Spoofing Vulnerability
Audience: Everyone who DOESN'T use Internet Explorer
----------------------------------------------------

It looks like there is a new browser spoofing vulnerability that-- brace yourself--DOESN'T affect Internet Explorer. No, really. Affected browsers include Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, Netscape Navigator, and Opera on both PCs and Macs. But NOT Internet Explorer.

The vulnerability displays fake domain names in both hyperlinks and your browser's address bar. Is this earth-shattering? No. Should you lose sleep over it? No. Should you at least know a little about it in order to protect your personal information should something strange happen? ABSOLUTELY!

To see this vulnerability in action, check out

http://www.netsquirrel.com/articles/mozilla_spoofing.html

Now for the REALLY bad news: There's no way to fix this problem. Yet. [Setting network.enableIDN to false in about:config doesn't work and even SpoofStick is fooled by these fake URLs, despite rumors to the contrary floating around the blogsphere.] Should you panic? As I said, no! But, until the browser gurus find a fix, you should take the following precautions:

1. DON'T TRUST HYPERLINKS IN HTML-FORMATTED EMAIL MESSAGES (emails that display images and hyperlinks and look very much like web pages) even if those email messages are from your friends or family. This is especially true for hyperlinks in email messages from Amazon, AOL, eBay, PayPal, your bank, your credit card company, or any other company you normally do business with. If any web site, financial company, or commercial entity sends you an email asking you to click on a hyperlink in that email to update your account information, DO NOT CLICK ON THAT LINK. Because of this new spoofing vulnerability, you simply cannot trust hyperlinks in HTML- formatted emails to point to the correct URL.

2. BE SUSPICIOUS OF HYPERLINKS ON WEB PAGES YOU HAVE NEVER VISITED BEFORE. To be completely honest, the chance of you running into a spoofed URL on a web page is pretty slim, andthe chance is all but zero on the big .com sites you visit every day. More likely than not, the criminals will be spoofing URLs in email messages, not on Web pages. But, if you are at a web page you have never visited before, exercise a little caution. If something feels wrong, leave.

3. THE BEST WAY TO AVOID BEING HIJACKED BY A SPOOFED URL IS TO MANUALLY TYPE THE URL USING YOUR BROWSER'S ADDRESS BAR. Remember, the spoof only affects hyperlinks in email messages and web pages, not addresses you manually key in to your browser's address bar. So,to be really safe, if you need to access your account information at Amazon, AOL, eBay, PayPal, your bank or financial institution, your credit card company, or any other company you normally do business with, manually enter the URL.

--Thanks, Patrick!

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

URLs from 1/11/05

Today's problems and URLs:

New Microsoft Anti-Spyware tool

Toner info for Apple StyleWriter

Should Mac OSX users run Repair Permissions?; more info on permissions

How to accees System Restore in Windows XP:
start > programs > accessories > system tools > system restore


Tuesday, November 23, 2004

AdAware may be best spyware blocker

Bryan Powell reports that a recent study concludes that AdAware is the best spyware blocker.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Eccentric Babelizer translations

We told you about a few odd Babelizer translations on today's show. Babelizer takes a phrase from one language and translates to another. But usually the results aren't exact. It's possible to set up a loop so that the translations go back and forth several times until mutual unintelligibility is reached. Here are some results, alternately amusing, poetic and baffling, of running common "Help Desk" phrases through the process.

Babelizer translations:

Welcome to the Help Desk:

Chinese: Welcome to inquire the station.
French: Welcome with the service PLEASE.
German: Welcomely for support the desk.
Greek: Reception in the office of help.
Japanese: The help section should be welcomed.
Korean: Inside help desk illusion.

You are on the air:

Korean: It is an air which outside spreads out at the outside.
Japanese: There is an air.
Greek: You are in air.
German: They speak in the broadcast.
French: You are on the line.
Dutch: You are on air.
Chinese: You broadcast.

May I help you?:

Chinese: Perhaps we help you?
Dutch: We can be aid you possible?
French: Can we help you?
German: Can we help you?
Greek: Can help?
Italian: We can help them?
Japanese: Perhaps us who that can help somewhere thing?

You really need help:

Korean: Help with the realness which spreads out in necessity (partial translation).
Japanese: Actually help is necessary.
Greek: Need really the help.
German: They really need support.
Dutch: You really need aid.
Chinese: You really need to help.

Got a problem with your computer?

Chinese: Obtains has a your computer question?
Dutch: Did a problem with your computer get?
German: Did a problem with your computer receive?
Greek: It took a problem with your computer?
Italian: It has obtained a problem with your calcolazione?
Korean: Work it of high formation force inside comfort comforts it inside depiction possessing, inside the doesn' which is easy and,; Does the t under seizing boil it does respect the doesn' which to it to it in inside problem Anuikacikoiss funeral service and above on it it internal on inside Anui your computer kacikoiss internal it gets in inside,; It strengthens the t?

Windows shut-down problem

From Bryan Powell, here is an article about Windows shut-down problems, and here is another.

Article on spyware

Many of our Help Desk calls these days are related to problems with viruses and spyware. Please refer to the WMUB Help Desk page for our FAQs on this and other topics. Also, thanks to Guy Moore, here is a recommended article on spyware.

Remember that Help Desk recommends Spybot Search and Destroy, version 1.3. Bryan Powell also says take a look at SpywareBlaster, and comments: "Prevents spyware from being installed, but MUST be manually updated on a regular basis to be effective. To get automatic updates, you need to donate."

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Virus checker for Macintosh

Here's a free and small virus checker for the Macintosh. Thanks to Don Moeller for this tip.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

URLs from 10/19/04

Dell Power Adapter Recall

New Apple iBooks

New Bargain Buddy Removal

Video Compression Tutorial

Removing Bargain Buddy

There is a nasty virus going around called variously Bargain Buddy, Cash Back, Navisearch, and Bull's Eye. At this point standard virus removal techniques do not work. Here is information about removing it.

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

More on Window XP SP2

Here are some links for information on Windows Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.:

Post-Gazette
PCWorld
Microsoft
News.com
Ask-Leo
FlexBeta
Microsoft

Help Desk adivses that you run the SP2 upgrade from the free Microsoft CD (see an earlier Blog entry) rather than trying to download it.

New Firefox Browser

Mozilla has released a new web browser called FireFox that Bryan Powell recommends.

Possible security hole in WXP SP2

A Dutch website has identified a possible security hole in Windows XP, Service Pack 2. We have not checked this out, but here it is.