Internet

Down & Up Worm Worst Ever

/ Internet, Viruses, Windows

Over the last few months, the “Down and Up” worm, also known as “Conficker” has infected an estimated 6% of all PCs worldwide. The concern is what the authors will now do with all these compromised systems. They could ask for credit card information as the bogus Antivirus 2009 does. They could use the computers to attack and demand money from websites through denial of service (DOS) attacks. No one knows yet what the intentions of the authors are.

It is considered the most professional and pernicious worm attack that researchers have yet seen. It effects all versions of Windows. As a worm, it does not require any user action for the computer to be compromised. The machine must just not be recently patched.

Download the Malicious Software Removal Tool (also available in Windows Updates) in order to protect your computer or to possibly get rid of the worm (most people who have it do not know). Then you can feel comfortable that your computer is owned by you and not by the bad guys.

CNN to create 3D Inauguration Image

/ Internet, Local DC area

If you are going to the inauguration, you can take pictures (under 10MB in size) of the event and send them to themoment@cnn.com.

CNN will then use Microsoft’s PhotoSynth software to create a massive 3D image. It will be interesting to see how well it works, especially since most of the event will be covered with people. Since the people move, it’s not clear how well the software will be able to match images up. But PhotoSynth has created great 3D experiences in other locations.

UPDATE: See the results of CNN’s PhotoSynth project at CNN’s The Moment site.

Presidential Inauguration

/ Internet, Local DC area

The Presidential Inauguration of Barak Obama on January 20th is expected to be a huge event, eclipsing the previous largest ever turnout since Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 inauguration with 1.2 million people. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty says up to 4 million people could converge on downtown Washington for the inauguration, although the Secret Service says that it expects 2 million people.

Screenings

Every one of the 240,000 people attending the actual swearing-in ceremony will be screened by walk-through or hand-held metal detectors. Beyond the obvious weapons not allowed, you also will not be allowed to bring:

  • Sticks or poles
  • Pockets or hand tools, such as “Leatherman”
  • Packages
  • Backpacks
  • Large bags
  • Duffel bags
  • Suitcases
  • Thermoses
  • Coolers
  • Strollers
  • Umbrellas
  • Tripods and camera bags
  • Laser pointers
  • Signs
  • Posters
  • Animals (other than service animals)
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Other items as determined by and at the discretion of the security screener

So while you might have thought it would be funny to point a laser pointer at the presidential motorcade, it will not be allowed.

It is likely to be so crowded that you won’t want to bring much with you besides your cellphone and camera.

Cellphones

Cellular carriers are adding capacity with temporary towers along the parade route. Still, with an unknown number of visitors, there is concern that the network will be overloaded.

One suggestion is to use text messages if your calls are not going through. These take up very little bandwidth and should work more easily.

Emergency responders and 911 calls will be given priority so those calls should be able to get through.

Getting to the event

All N. Va bridges will be closed to cars. You can walk or bike the bridges.

D.C. will be mostly shut down to traffic.

News

The Washington Post has an Inauguration Central website that includes:

  • A live webcam that is focused on the U.S. Capitol to show the construction of the Inaugural stage.
  • An FAQs section that gives users valuable information about ticket availability, transportation, ceremony timing and parade information, providing a sense of what to expect during in the weeks leading up to the Inauguration.
  • A downloadable map of the parade route with the most updated road closures in the area.
  • A calendar of Inaugural parties and events happening during Inauguration Week.
  • Quizzes, polls and discussion threads which give users a chance to test their inaugural knowledge.
  • A visitors guide which includes an interactive map of attractions on The Mall, suggestions on planning a trip to D.C. and advice on where to get lunch post-inauguration.
  • A section that features inauguration history, including a slideshow that provides a look at past inaugurations.

Inauguration Pop-up

One of favorite items to commemorate the inauguration is a pop-up picture of the event that you can print out and make yourself. This low-tech print out might not be like attending the real thing, but it will certainly be more comfortable.

Old School Hacker

/ Internet

Most high profile hacking today is for profit. The Russian mob and other criminal gangs are often involved in taking over computers, stealing credit cards, and threatening websites with denial-of-service attacks.

That’s why it was somewhat refreshing to see what a hacker did to Twitter yesterday, breaking into 33 celebrity accounts to leave messages on their behalf.

Here’s what CNN’s Rick Sanchez got:

Fox News got “Breaking: Bill O Riley is gay”.

There may have been some profit motive, as President Elect Barack Obama’s account was hacked to have a link to a site that offered a $500 gas card for taking a survey. The Facebook page on Twitter had a link to a porn site. Both sites had affiliate links associated with them, meaning that someone would be getting a referral fee.

The break-ins were tracked down to someone called Gmz from a site called Digital Gangster. It is not yet known if Twitter will pursue the matter legally. If money was made from affiliate accounts, it should be easy to track the person down. A post on the Digital Gangster said:

“That guy [who hacked the sites] must have been a very generous individual. To hand out accounts rather than use that for profit. Could it be enough for respect or just enough for that user to be identified as an “idiot”?”

Common Computer Problems and Fixes

/ Internet, Viruses, Windows

Lifehacker.com has an article on how to Help Clueless Relatives with Their Computer Problems. These are common problems that come up with most PCs. By following this advice, you can fix your computer or the computer of those who consider you the computer expert in the family.

“It takes forever to start up.”

If your loved one has installed any software on the computer—especially ISP-specific packages that automatically include bundled add-ons—there’s no doubt unnecessary items have planted themselves into its startup. Use our complete guide to speeding up your startup to get rid of the stuff they don’t need, and save CPU cycles and time on boot-up.

“I keep getting a pop-up saying I need to pay for my antivirus software.”

If the default trialware antivirus software that came pre-installed is now bugging your clueless relative to pay for a subscription, uninstall it. Then, check out Lifehacker readers’ five favorite—and FREE—AV packages ready for download and installation. To fast-track to a free replacement, grab the free edition of AVG.

“When I get on the internet things look weird” or “I keep getting these annoying popup ads.”

Thoroughly check your relative’s PC for evidence of malware: like a hijacked web browser that redirects google.com to an Asian porn site, unsolicited pop-up ads, or suspicious programs named things like “Keypress Watcher.” If you suspect nefarious software has glommed onto Windows, get to scrubbing. Back in 2006, we ran down how to fix Mom and Dad’s malware-laden computer and the advice still stands. Go straight for a copy of Ad-Aware Free and Spybot Search & Destroy to get started.

Then, download and install Firefox, set it as the default browser, and replace all the IE shortcuts labeled “Internet” with the fox.

“I can’t find the digital photos I downloaded last month.”

If Aunt Bertha never gets the photos and videos she took with her digicam onto her computer—or she does, but they get lost in the abyss of her hard drive—make sure she has the right software to preview and find ’em. Install Picasa 3 and scan your loved one’s entire hard drive for digital photos to add them to the library.

Relatives who take digital home videos should also get a free copy of VLC installed to insure that they’ll be able to play any clip they’ve got.
“I’m running out of hard drive space.”

If Uncle Marty thinks he needs a new computer because he keeps getting a “low disk space” message, tell him all is not lost. Find out where all that gigabytage is going by visualizing his hard drive usage with free tools that will map what files are taking up what space. Then, declutter his hard drive of the bits and bytes he doesn’t need (and didn’t know he had).

“The internet stopped working.”

The worst family tech support situation to get in is one that involves no (or a very slow) internet connection. Before you head over to Cousin Bob’s house, load up a USB drive with the software you’ll need to troubleshoot things without a connection (or without a broadband connection). TechRadar compiles a list of fix-it tools you can take with you to the family holiday get-together.

Macs Solve These Problems

This list is for PCs only. Macs typically do not have any of these problems, so you might suggest that your relatives buy a Mac if they can afford it and they are regularly having trouble.

Remote Access

Another idea is to install LogMeIn (PC and Mac) on their computer and add their computer to your list so that you can fix problems when you aren’t there. iChat (on Mac) and VNC also work well to remotely control a computer and fix problems.

Speed Up and Slim Down Windows

Other advice for improving computer performance is in our articles on speeding up Windows XP and Windows Vista.

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