June Tech News Archive in reverse chronological order

 

6.30.05

New Legislation Aimed at Tightening Security; but does it go far enough?

CNET is carrying a timely story regarding new legislation proposed on the national level to cut down on the prolific growth of security breaches that affect the individual consumer as well as unsuspecting merchants. The bills if enacted as currently drafted would surely bring howls of protest from the credit card and business interests, but the bill still lacks any significant deterrents for the mega-billion dollar corporations who have routinely been lackadaisical in their efforts to protect our vital information. If I sound somewhat bitter, angry, or just plain fed-up, let me assure you I have a reason to be. Allow me to explain.

How many ways can you be compromised?

As an employee of the State of California, my vital information including social security number, date of birth, drivers license number and more have been illegally exposed on three separate occasions (that we have been informed of) and in each of those cases we were collectively assured that there was nothing to worry about. However, we were advised to check our credit reports frequently. If that were my only complaint with security breaches, I might feel less inclined to crow this loudly; and thankfully, the breaches haven’t resulted in someone assuming my identity.

However, the story of corporate and bureaucratic ineptitude isn’t quite finished and long-time readers may recall that I wrote about becoming a victim to credit card skimming (see below for definition). Crackers using software and a compliant merchant to find active numbers obtained our credit card number and expiration date. In defense of our credit institution, they quickly froze our account and we were not held liable for any of the charges. Furthermore, this was a new type of crack attack and it seems that the companies involved have closed the door on this swindle. With the latest wave of disclosures regarding credit information, I cranked up the volume on the need to increase the penalties for this type of problem, not realizing that the ugly-credit monster was about to strike our home again. This time the news arrived in the form of a letter from our bank detailing the fact that are credit card number and expiration date were part of the information crackers gained when raiding ChoicePoint. Remember, these problems are not associated with the Internet per se, or transaction over the same. In all of the above instances, the fact that I’m a confirmed Internet user hasn’t prompted these issues and any or all of the occurrences could happen to anyone that has a credit card, social security number, or in short if you are or were breathing.

The fact that these problems hit home with United States Senator Patrick Leahy has prompted the call for more legislation, but as I mentioned previously, the senator’s bill lacks a bite for these corporations that can’t keep the back door closed. Stay tuned for more…

Open Source Updates

Secunia released these bulletins: FreeBSD (1, 2), Fedora, and Red Hat.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Dog Friendly Travel

We are planning for an upcoming vacation and of course, our dogs need a vacation too. This year I found a great web site for pet people, DogFriendly.com/. The site provides you with links to lodging, places, and activities you can enjoy with your pet while on your annual respite. We found several places to stay for each of our chosen rest stops and the folks at The Inn at Schoolhouse Creek seem to actually be excited about the arrival of our dogs.

What is Skimming?

The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau supplies this definition: “Credit card skimming is a practice that has been around for over a decade but, has increased in frequency the past two or three years.

Here is how it works. Skim artists recruit gofers, who then find temporary work within restaurants, hotels and retail establishments. The recruits are given small, illicit, electronic devices, known as skimmers, that capture all of the credit or debit card's details (name, address, telephone number, card number, credit limit and PIN number) in the few seconds that it takes to swipe the card through the machine.

When the unsuspecting customers go to pay their bill, their card is first swiped through the legitimate credit card machine, but then, secretly, it is also swiped through the smaller skimmer machine. The gofer then passes the gadget on to the skim artist, who pays them cash for their part in the crime. Once the skim artist has the details, he downloads the information onto a computer and makes up a fake card. The "cloned" card is embossed with the details of the victim's credit card and passed on to others, who may sell the card or use it for their own benefit.”

Another form of skimming involves harvesting your credit card number and expiration date with software programs aimed at compliant merchants. Once the software detects a positive hit on a number, the crooks quickly target other unsuspecting merchants for anything they can get their hands on without risking capture. The latter is the form of skimming that we fell victim to.

6.29.05

New Worm Uses John Paul ll as Hook

The latest worm is using the passing of John Paul ll as a hook for unwary PC users and if you are infected your security system will be history. CNET is reporting on this and another attack by a Bagle variant that is enlisting zombie computers via a Trojan horse. The compromised PCs are then used in nefarious ways; what a shock!

Adobe Patch for Macs

As reported here yesterday Mac owner using Adobe applications should update the program to avoid security issues. CNET has more on this threat to Apple users.

Virtual PC for Mac Has Update

Microsoft has released an update for Virtual PC for Mac that will address the conflicts that Tiger users are currently experiencing according to a report by MacCentral. If you are having problems with Virtual Switch, Zero Configuration, or printing issues make sure you install the update.

Searching For Multiple Platforms Printer

If you are working on your Mac and cannot locate a printer that is connected to your PC then Apple has a tip that will help you isolate and eliminate the irritation.

Open Source Updates

Secunia released the following security or update bulletins for open source users: Mandriva (1, 2), Sun Solaris, and Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Test Your Defenses

If you would like a free security assessment of your computers’ defenses then Steve Gibson’s GRC.com is the place to visit. Steve has provided Shields Up, an excellent test package that will give your computers’ security blanket a thorough inspection and alert you of any vulnerability that may leave your box at risk.

Who is the Creator of Shields Up?

The creator of today’s tip of the day is Steve Gibson and Wikipedia has this about that: “Steve Gibson (b. March1955) is a computer engineer and journalist based in Laguna Hills, California. Gibson has had a long career in the technology field starting in his teen years. He began in hardware projects but moved more towards software development in the 1980s. Gibson founded Gibson Research Corporation in 1985, and is currently its primary employee. Gibson is also a contributing editor to InfoWorld magazine.

In the 1980’s, his SpinRite program optimized the efficiency of hard disks. SpinRite has evolved to this time (early 2005) into a data loss prevention and data recovery utility.

Gibson is an advocate of assembly language programming, and prides himself with writing whole applications exclusively in assembly language. He is one of several advocates of optimizing computer programs and reducing the size of their executables.

Gibson has garnered criticism for certain writings on computer security which allegedly do no more than spread fear. He has also been accused of shameless self-promotion, and has oft been likened to a snake oil merchant. These accusations notwithstanding, he has developed and distributed (for free) a number of useful security tools, including the popular ShieldsUp port-scanning site. His writings also provide something of a glimpse into the world of hackers and crackers, of which he counts himself one of the former.”

6.28.05

Tech News Briefs

Due to circumstances beyond my control (an emergency trip to the vet), the tech news today is confined to the following leads:

Moderately Critical Adobe Flaw For Macs

Secunia has released a security bulletin graded ‘moderately critical’ for Mac users that use Adobe Acrobat or Reader 7.x/. The company suggests: “Update to version 7.0.2.”

iTunes 4.9 "taking Podcasting mainstream

Apple today announced it is "taking Podcasting mainstream" by building everything users need to disc... [MacNN]

Trace 2 unearths risks in Office files  

Update of scanning tool scans local files and the Web for Office documents to find hidden data or potentially sensitive information. [CNET]

More on Supreme Courts Actions

Grokster Ruling Begins the Good Fight

Opinion: It's not censorship; the government can and should enforce laws on the U.S. Internet. [PCMag:Tech Commentary]

FAQ: The Supreme Court's ruling against P2P  

What did they say? What does it mean to me? Questions about Grokster and file swapping's future answered. [CNET]

Text of Supreme Court ruling on Grokster  

Read the majority opinion on the case and concurrences written by Justice Ginsburg and Justice Breyer. [CNET]

Grokster case: Winners and losers

Supreme Court ruling could have profound impact on tech landscape--beyond current battle of Hollywood vs. a few P2P sites. [CNET]

Open Source Updates

Secunia has these updates for open source systems: Linux and Ubuntu (1, 2).

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com and What is …? will return tomorrow.

 

6.27.05

Supreme Court Rules: Grokster and Others Liable

File-swappers have taken a direct hit and the movie and recording industry are the clear winners after the Supreme Court ruled that if you build it, you’re responsible for the events that follow. According to the release by CNET, “In a unanimous decision, the justices ruled companies that build businesses with the active intent of encouraging copyright infringement should be held liable for their customers' illegal actions.” The real looser appear to be innovators like Grokster; will the affect of a ruling like lead to a decline in new technology? Apparently, the Justices feel that the latter is preferable to any ‘possible’ or alleged loss by the recording industry and Hollywood interests. It makes me ponder what would have happened if the recording industry had been this powerful in the late 1950s and had prevailed in a similar manner to prevent public access to video recorders. Just think of the billions of dollars in revenue the movie studios and record companies have lost because you and I have had the ability to record episodes of The Brady Bunch, and then swap and give those videos to friends and family!

More on File Swapping:

Who's who in the P2P debates

The Grokster case has prompted dozens of organizations to weigh in. Here's a rundown of key players and why they care. [CNET]

The evolution of file swapping

Four generations of file swapping have laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court decision. [CNET]

Flaw Repaired in Update for Macs

Mac users should install the patch for RealPlayer according to a report from MacNN. We reported about this same flaw last week and it could allow a cracker to compromise your Mac, so make sure you install the patch if you are using software from RealPlayer.

Open Source Updates

Secunia released the following bulletins for open source users: SuSE (1, 2), Fedora (1, 2, 3), Gentoo, Mandriva (1, 2) and Trustix.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Lance Armstrong Foundation

Lance Armstrong is preparing for the upcoming Tour de France, but the preparations for the fight against cancer will never stop and you can help in the fight to find a cure by purchasing a Livestrong Bracelet. These immensely popular symbols of hope are available from the Lance Armstrong Foundation Store. Just click on the link on the left side of this page and you can order the bracelets and other items and help support Lance’s battle to find the answer to cancer.

Alternatively, click here: LAF

What is the Tour de France?

Today we will temporarily deviate from the normal tech word for another type of tech world, bicycle racing and the penultimate event is the Le Tour de France. Wikipedia provides this definition: “The (Le) Tour de France (French for Tour of France), also simply known as Le Tour, is an epic long distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. It has been held annually since 1903, only interrupted by World War I and World War II, and is now one of the world's largest sporting events.

Along with the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) and the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), the Tour de France makes up cycling's "Grand Tours".”

6.24.05

Real Player Users Should Update

If you use RealPlayer, you should update the application to avoid leaving your computer open to crackers. Secunia released a bulletin regarding the issue, CNET has an article about the update, and the holes you’ll be leaving open if you don’t install the update.

New Beta Version of Anti-Spyware from Microsoft

Mary Jo Foley of Microsoft Watch is reporting that Microsoft has released a new beta version of their anti-spyware application. I have yet to try it so I can’t report on any of the new features and the item from Microsoft Watch is short on details regarding the same.

When Does Adware Become Spyware – Part 2

PC World has updated a previously published article regarding the delisting of some spyware and the item was cited here as an example of why you need more than one spyware removal tool at work on your computer. PC World has updated the article to reflect new data presented in their magazine in July; surf to their web site to learn more.

Open Source Updates

Secunia has these updates notices for open source users: Red Hat (1, 2, 3) and Sun Solaris (1, 2).

Tip of the day from Multiple Platforms.com

Download a free song from the iTunes Music Store. Just click on the iTMS logo on the left side of this page and you’ll be jamming to a new song in no time.

What is Adware?

Wikipedia supplies the following definition for Adware: “Adware or advertising-supported software is any computer program or software package in which advertisements or other marketing material are included with or automatically loaded by the software and displayed or played back after installation or in which information about the computer or its users activities is uploaded automatically when the user has not requested it. These applications often present banner ads in pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen.

The Operaweb browser is a popular example. Adware helps some developers recover programming development costs, and it may allow the software to be provided to the user of the application free of charge or at a reduced price: due to the advertising, the programmer may still profit from the wide use of their work, motivating them to write, maintain, and upgrade the software product.

Some adware is also shareware, as such it may be used as term of distinction used to differentiate between types of shareware software. What differentiates adware from other shareware is that it is primarily advertising supported. Users may also be given the option to pay for a "registered" or "licensed" copy, which typically does away with the advertisements. Other types of shareware include demoware, nagware, crippleware, freeware, loyaltyware, and even spyware.

Some adware programs have been criticized for occasionally including code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties, without the user's knowledge or consent. These programs are often called spyware; however, the word adware is sometimes also used to describe spyware.

spyware has prompted an outcry from computer security and privacy advocates, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center[1] (http://www.epic.org). Often, spyware applications send the user's browsing habits to an ad serving company, which then targets adverts at the user based on their interests. Kazaa and eXeem are popular programs which incorporate software of this type.”

6.23.05

Systems Safer When Not Running as Admin

Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI and host of Call For Help has warned listeners and viewers not to run their computers (PCs or Macs) as administrators because of the greater likelihood that you will allow an action that will compromise the security of your system. According to a report in eWeek, others are now striking the same tune as The Tech Guy, and a security guru from Microsoft details how many users could have avoided infection if they were not running their PCs as admins. Apparently, ‘default’ use of the admin account will change in Longhorn (see below).

Browser Flaw Confirmed By Mainstream Media

Not to toot my own horn, but the browser flaw I reported about on June 21st, 2005 was confirmed by the mainstream media outlets yesterday. The corporate tech news reporters used the same source I used, Secunia. I’m not sure why it took CNET and PC World so much longer to report the fact.

Preview of Microsoft’s Long-Delayed Longhorn

PC World and several other tech news sources are previewing the soon-to-be-released or long-delayed new operating system from Microsoft, Longhorn. If you are interested, follow the link to the article:

Longhorn Preview

The newest versions of the next Windows add graphics sizzle and more search features but lack visible productivity enhancements. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories]

Review and Comparison of OpenOffice.org Writer and Microsoft’s Word

Bruce Byfield was one of the first to review the office applications from OpenOffice.org and in his latest report for NewsForge, he reviews the writing tools from OpenOffice and Microsoft. After an extensive report and comparison of the programs, Bruce declares that the free product is equal to or superior to the commercial product, and that supports a similar opinion stated in this forum on numerous occasions (see 6.10.05. Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: OpenOffice).

Open Source Updates

Secunia released the following bulletins: Linux Kernel, Mandriva, Gentoo (1, 2, 3), and SuSE (1, 2, 3).

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com

The tip of the day will return next week.

What is Longhorn?

The term Longhorn conjures up images of cowboys and cattle drives. The new Longhorn on the range will carry the Microsoft brand and Wikipedia supplies this alternative definition of Longhorn: “Longhorn is Microsoft's codename (for a full list see Microsoft codenames) for the next version of its Windowsoperating system, to follow on from Windows XP SP3[1]  and Windows Server 2003. It was originally expected to ship sometime early in 2006 as a minor step between Whistler and Windows Blackcomb (Longhorn is a name of a sports bar at the Whistler-Blackcombski resort).

Gradually, Longhorn assimilated many important new features and technologies of Blackcomb. On August 27, 2004, Microsoft announced that they are delaying release of WinFS so that Longhorn could be released in "a reasonable timeframe" (officially marked as December of 2006). Two beta versions have been planned, the first expected to debut in Q2 2005 and the second in Q4 2005, with release candidates to be released throughout 2006.

Longhorn is currently available as a preview release available to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers, and at select Microsoft developer conferences. The preview release is classified as an alpha version at the moment, and as such its performance and feature sets are not necessarily representative of the release product. As with many products (including all Windows releases since 98) it has since been leaked onto popular file sharing networks.”

6.22.05

Swallowed it: Hook, Line, and Sinker

John C. Dvorak is a tech journalist extraordinaire and he exercises his innate capabilities before jumping on any bandwagon. In his latest column published by PCMag, John has spotted the wolf wearing sheep’s clothing again; this time it revolves around the latest shtick regarding the dangers of BitTorrent and P2P file sharing. Mr. Dvorak credits this media snow job to Microsoft and the motivation for the company to create the latest rhetoric is provided in his article. Yes, I fell into the trap in that I published a link to the story, but in my defense, I did use a question mark in the headline and presented the piece as a story from a usually reliable source. Read more here:

The Scheme to Discredit BitTorrent

Don't believe everything you read. [PC Mag: John C. Dvorak]

Low Tech Tip: Shred Smartly

This tip from eWeek doesn’t exactly qualify as a high tech tip, but it might save you from a high invest of time and frustration: when shredding, shred smart or don’t bother. Crosscut shredders will provide you with a higher degree of protection and despite the shrill noise created here and elsewhere regarding compromised security and identity information, the easiest method to steal your ID is still from your trashcan.

Microsoft Word Alternatives Updated

NeoOffice/J 1.1 for Mac-heads and kOffice 1.4 have been updated according to MacNN and LinuxToday, respectively. I have tried previous versions of both these excellent open source Microsoft Office alternatives, have found them equal to or superior to most Office tools and the price is right, free.

The iTunes Podcast Software Might Cause Conflict

If it sounds to good to be true, wait to publish it… Well, if it seems to be that way lately it is because the preceding is true. You might want to read the following from Playlist before installing the much-heralded software plug-in for podcasting called BadApple. Actually, the bug is bothering Windows iTunes users only so far:

News: BadApple may be a bad apple

Third-party plug-in for iTunes podcasting causing problems. [MacCentral]

Do You Want to be an Antivirus Checker?

If you want to test OneCare Live, the new antivirus service that Microsoft plans to release in the near future, check out the article published by CNET. The beta release will follow this alpha trial sometime this summer according to Microsoft.

New Kernel from Linux/ Sun Solaris Express Update

The latest release from Linus Torvalds, version 2.6.12 is available according to a report from PC World. The new release contains major changes and driver updates. CNET is reporting that Sun Microsystems has released another version of Solaris Express.

Open Source Updates

Secunia released the following bulletins for open source systems: Fedora (1, 2), Gentoo (1, 2), Ubuntu (1, 2), and Slackware.

What is BitTorrent?

According to Wikipedia, “BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file distribution tool written by programmer Bram Cohen and debuted at CodeCon2002. The reference implementation is written in Python and is released under the BitTorrent Open Source License (a modified version of the Jabber Open Source License), as of version 4.0.

With BitTorrent, files are broken into smaller fragments, typically a quarter of a megabyte each. As the fragments get distributed to the peers, they can be reassembled on a requesting machine in a random order. Each peer takes advantage of the best connections to the missing pieces while providing an upload connection to the pieces it already has. This scheme has proven particularly adept in trading large files such as videos and software source code. In conventional downloading, high demand leads to bottlenecks as demand surges for bandwidth from the host server. With BitTorrent, high demand can actually speed throughput as more bandwidth and additional “seeds” of the completed file become available to the group. Cohen claims that for very popular files, BitTorrent can support about a thousand times as many downloads as HTTP.”

6.21.05

Universal Browser Flaw

A JavaScript flaw has prompted Secunia to release security bulletins graded ‘less critical’ and with the exception of one, the solution is the same: don’t surf to unsavory sites. The flaw exists in the Mozilla browser family, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Opera with an update available for the latter. Additionally, Safari and Internet Explorer for Macs suffer from the same flaw.

Tech News Briefs

Summer vacation is upon us, but my research project is shifting into high gear so here are some tech news headlines with leads (italicized) and links for your surfing pleasure. The theme of the day seems to be security, security, and more security:

Security Tools Next Cracker Target

Security tools face increased attack

As the pool of Windows security bugs dries up, analysts say hackers are turning to security software to break into PCs. [CNET News.com]

Massive Theft of Credit Card Info

Over the weekend we learned of yet another breach of trust and the extent of those that might be effected is still unknown. Some news sources claim that it the investigators are responsible for the uncertainty as they are still developing the case against the perpetrators. Read more from these sources:

Details emerge on credit card breach

Payment processor didn't meet guidelines, MasterCard says, as details come out about the break-in that exposed 40 million accounts. [CNET News.com]

Security Breach Exposes 40 Million Credit Cards

Network vulnerabilities allowed an outsider to access the info, company says. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories]

Major Card Vendors Stay Mum on Data Breach

Citing a lack of information and FBI requests for silence, most major credit card issuers are keeping quiet about how many of their customers were caught up in the hack into a third-party transaction processor's network. [eWEEK Technology News]

Are Security Solutions Just Feel Good Medicine?

According to this release by The Register, the protection we are receiving from security applications are not much protection, and this maybe true. A router with NAT protection can provide with as much protection as many firewalls, especially if the firewall owners fail to keep them up to date. Read on about the subject here:

Security products 'riddled' with bugs

Who guards the guards? [The Register]

Apple Drops Virex from .Mac

I used to encourage people purchasing a Mac from to invest in a .Mac account because it included a virus scanner from MacAfee among other things; note the past tense in the previous phrase. MacFixIt reports that we those of us that are .Mac members will no longer have the luxury of a ‘free’ antivirus program. It seems that Apple is perturbed over recent conflicts with Virex and MacAfee’s attempts to patch the problem have not provided proper remedies according to the report. The same protection from MacAfee is double the cost of a .Mac account, illustrating that we were correct in previously emphasizing what a bargain the account with Apple was, note the previous tense, and let us hope that the release of Virex from the package supplied by Apple isn’t the start of an unsavory trend.

Open Source Updates

Secunia has these updates for those of us using open source systems: OpenBSD and Gentoo.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com is on sabbatical this week.

 

What is .Mac?

Wikipedia tells us that: “.Mac refers to a group of online services offered by Apple Computer. These include website hosting with preexisting templates, IMAP and web-based email, iDisk online storage via WebDAV, a free copy of McAfee's Virex antivirus software, backup software and other "specials" offered by Apple to subscribers.

Apple previously offered the .Mac service for free under the name iTools, which drew to a close in September of 2002 after .Mac debuted in July, at Macworld Expo New York. Mac users had varied responses to this move. Critics called the .Mac service overpriced at $99 USD and did not appreciate that subscribers of iTools who did not subscribe to .Mac lost their @mac.com email address. Advocates cited the improved services. Apple eventually included a referral program where referrers received 20% off their next year of .Mac for each paid referral.

2 of the 5 iLife applications (iPhoto and iMovie) are integrated with .Mac, allowing .Mac members to share their movies, photos and personal files through the iDisk and .Mac homepages. Apple also includes Backup software for Mac OS X to use with .Mac. iSync is also supported by allowing users to synchronize their address book, calendars, and Safari bookmarks.”

If you would like to take a .Mac account for a free spin, just click on the link found on the left-side of this page.

6.20.05

Trend Setters?

According to a report from PC World, the coordinated attack aimed at U.K. business and government computers could be indicative of a new trend in cracker attacks. The new hook is a twist on social engineering and targets specific individuals within an organization as targets for secured information. Even though the targets in this case are commercial, the bottom line for this article seems to be that we’ll see the same methods used against the rest of us soon.

Firefox and Spotlight Aren’t Getting Along

MacFixIt readers are reporting a conflict between the Firefox family of browsers and the new indexing tool including in Tiger, Spotlight. Apparently, every time Firefox is shutdown a new bookmark is added to Firefox. To correct the problem you need to open System Preferences and select Spotlight; then click on the Privacy tab and select the add button (bleow the list field) then browse to Firefox and double-click to add it to locations you don’t want Spotlight to index. You might also want to include external hard drives that contain backup information also.

TWITS Return

If you are a fan of This Week In Tech you are in luck, podcasts from this week and the last week are now available. Visit the web site for mirror sites and more.

Zombie Prevention 101

It is far easier to keep your computer from becoming a zombie than it is to recover after crackers have co-opted your PC and for proof, you can visit PC World for the directions on how to recover your box post-infection. The article also explains the new market for your computer after it has been zombie-fied.

Open Source Updates

Secunia released these bulletins for open source users: OpenBSD, SuSE, Slackware, and Gentoo (1, 2, 3).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com is on sabbatical this week.

What is a Zombie?

Wikipedia has this information on a zombie: “A zombie computer (abbreviated zombie) is a computer attached to the Internet that has a hidden software program or backdoor. This backdoor allows the computer to be remotely controlled by others. Some uses for a zombie include conducting distributed denial of service attacks or sending spam, while not revealing an attacker's true identity.

Backdoors are often installed with spammed Trojans or e-mailworms.”

6.17.05

Are Torrent File Sharers Risking Security?

According to CNET, those PC users that are sharing files through BitTorrent may now find that spammers are sharing their server space. The tool that can allow for legitimate uses, like sharing large files for DNA research, is fast becoming a favorite asset for crackers seeking to spread their spam.

AOL Number 1 in Unwanted Installation CDs and Zombies

Not only are we all privileged to be bombarded through snail mail by AOL’s constant inundation of install CDs from the former Internet giant, it now appears that the company may be responsible for a large proportion of the zombie computers that are responsible for spewing out the ever increasing volume of spam. PC World has the report and the bad news is that AOL still has enough market share to make all our email boxes overflow. Thanks AOL, hope you get some mail!

Slow Safari Connection After Update

MacFixIt continues to carry reports of Mac-heads experiencing slow downs or worse when surfing with Safari post-update installation. Most of those battling this issue report that persistence is the key, however others are resorting to alternative browsers. Apple will most likely take corrective action if the level of conflicts continues to prompt responses similar to the aforementioned.

Firefox Alpha 2 Released

If you want to contribute to the learning curve or just try out the latest offering from the Firefox/ Mozilla community, the Firebird 2.0 public Alpha release is available. Remember that you don’t want to use an alpha or beta release of a browser to accomplish mission critical tasks like banking, test taking, or any other activity that you are depending on.

Multiple Platforms Sharing Enhanced

Lava Software has just given Multiple Platforms users a huge boost and a great tool with the release of PC-Mac-Net FileShare v4.5 a tool that will let you swap files among your various platforms. I have tried it on my LAN and it the free version worked flawlessly although there is a file size limitation imposed on the non-commercial application. I will give the software an Internet trial this weekend, time allowing and report the results next week. If you have already established a network connection between your PC and Mac or Linux you more than likely can move files faster utilizing those pathways, but if you have a networking phobia, this may be the prescription you have been searching for. You can go to VersionTracker or Lava Software to download the tool.

Open Source Updates

Secunia released the following updates for the open source world: Red Hat (1, 2, 3) and Fedora (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Router 101

I accidentally disconnected the Ethernet cable between my broadband modem and my router last weekend and at the time at had no idea it would be the basis for a tip for this week. However, the confusion I temporarily experienced after reconnecting the cable set the wheels in motion for the final tip for this week. When you interrupt the connection between your modem and router, you need to power everything down first or you will not be able to establish Internet connectivity. After turning off the modem, router, and your computer you should first restart the modem, then restore the power to the router. Make sure your router LED begins to blink signaling that communication with the Internet is occurring. Now start up your computer and you should be able to surf away again. Dig out the manual for your router for the specific directions.

Bonus Tip: While you have the manual for the router handy, make sure you are not using the default password or the protection you gain from the router (NAT see below for definition) could be compromised by a sly cracker that uses the default password to take over your computer.

What is NAT?

This has been a word of the day frequently in this forum, but the NAT protection a router provides is worth repeating and Answers.com provides this explanation: “(Network Address Translation) An IETF standard that allows an organization to present itself to the Internet with far fewer IP addresses than there are nodes on its internal network. The NAT technology, which is implemented in a router, firewall or PC, converts private IP addresses (such as in the 192.168.0.0 range) of the machine on the internal private network to one or more public IP addresses for the Internet. It changes the packet headers to the new address and keeps track of them via internal tables that it builds. When packets come back from the Internet, NAT uses the tables to perform the reverse conversion to the IP address of the client machine. NAT is also provided with Windows Internet Connection Sharing (see ICS).

One disadvantage of NAT is that it defeats "Internet transparency," which means that packets remain intact from end to end (see RSIP).

NAT Adds Security

NAT not only conserves public IP addresses, but it also enhances security by keeping internal addresses hidden from the outside world. NAT prevents several kinds of first-level attacks, but not all, and must be used in conjunction with a personal firewall in a home network and more robust firewalls in a company (see firewall).”

6.16.05

Crackers Attack United Kingdom

CNET is reporting that attacks by crackers on business and government in the United Kingdom are on the rise and approaching a critical stage. According to the article, these attacks appear to be originating from East Asia. The article notes that Microsoft’s software is the most vulnerable to the assault and that Trojan horse attacks are the preferred method of infiltration. The report originates from a government watchdog agency, National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre.

More on the Apple Switch

The debate continues on the switch to Intel by Apple and the company has provided the best fodder for tech writers during a slow news period. eWeek has a nice feature on how the switch might eventually lead to a less expensive computer from Apple and speculates on whether the Apple platform will run on any PC processor without modification. Meanwhile, CNET is reporting that Apple want to trademark ‘Mactel’ and MacFixIt has a link to a story in Fortune that claims Dell is interested in Apple’s OS X platform.

Opera Users Should Update

Secunia is recommending that surfers using Opera as their browser of choice update to version 8.0.1 to avoid a javascript flaw that could allow a cracker to gain control of your computer.

Open Source Updates

Secunia has released the following bulletins for open source systems: Mandriva (1, 2), SuSE, Sun Solaris, and my favorite Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Twice Isn’t Always Nice

Having two of some things can be good or bad depending on the object. If you have duplicates of the same song in your iTunes library, this can be a bad thing if you’re fighting the battle of the bulge (in hard drive space). To locate any duplications open iTunes and click on Edit from the toolbar, then select ‘Show Duplicate Songs’. Your browser will display the music with more than one copy. To learn more about the individual file, highlight the item then click on the Apple key and ‘I’ or the Control key and ‘I’ for Windows users. In my case, the songs with multiple copies were a result of my converting them to mp3 files in order to play them on our iRiver music player.

What is a Critical Update?

Wikipedia has this definition for a critical update, “A critical update is a broadly released fix for a specific problem that addresses a critical, non-security-related bug.

Microsoft is well known for their massive amount of critical updates for their operating systems, but they never seem to solved much as new security holes appear all the time.”

6.15.05

Internet Explorer Holes Plugged by Patch

As noted yesterday, the patches released by Microsoft are important and the crackers will be pouncing on the newly identified entry points these updates address. PC World has more on the updates and emphasizes the severity of the holes left open if you do not patch your PC in a timely manner. I applied the patches last night to my XP Pro system without incident, the same cannot be said for my installation of the latest patch from Apple (see below).

Highly Critical Java Flaw Has Fix

According to CNET, Sun Microsystems released an update that repairs a flaw that earned an ‘extremely critical’ rating from Secunia. Those affected by the problem include users of Windows, Linux, and Solaris.

Update Adobe 7.0 to Avoid Problems

Secunia also advises users to update Adobe 7.0 to version 7.0.2 to avoid a flaw in that program.

Problems With Apple Security Update

After installing the latest update from Apple on my iMac, the computer froze while booting. I can’t really blame it on the security update because of a number of other possible factors might have contributed to this issue. I broke one of my cardinal rules: only apply one update at a time. As I mentioned on Monday, good usually won’t satisfy the perfectionist in me and in my never ending zeal to have a smooth running computer I updated a variety of programs and firmware after running a check via VersionTracker. After installing a batch of patches, I elected to install the updates from Apple manually through the Software update feature. Before this, I repaired disk permissions, powered down and disconnected my external firewire hard drive, my usual routine to avoid problems. When I attempted to restart, the iMac never got to the spinning wheel; after re-booting with the Tiger disk, I repaired the disk (that contained errors according to the dialogue box), but the computer still hung-up in the same spot. I then re-installed Tiger using the Archive option and the computer returned to its normal functionality. The moral of the story is that you should only patch one program or application at a time. Then if a problem occurs, the roll back will not be so time consuming and you will be able to positively identify the source of your woes.

Meanwhile, MacFixIt reports that some Mac-heads are having Safari slowdowns after installing the latest patch from Apple. The fix involves trashing a QuickTime plist file and you can visit MacFixIt if this problem is plaguing you.

New Fedora Release

Stentz is the name of the latest Fedora distribution and it is now available according to a report in eWeek. Those using 64-bit processors will welcome this latest release using the 2.6.11 Linux kernel and provides support for the Xen virtualization program. There is also a version for PowerPC users.

Open Source Updates

Secunia published these bulletins for the open source world: Mandriva (1, 2), and Red Hat (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Transfer your music from iPod

My friends John and Molly want to transfer the music from her iPod mini onto their new notebook. Before exercising my best option and searching first Google and then iPodlounge.com I managed to crash my PC and momentarily confuse my iPod Shuffle, but the latter is the subject of another tip of the day. Today we offer you the result of that previously mentioned search, a link to ipodcopy.com/. According to their web site you can: “Copy songs or playlists from your iPod to your PC. Songs are saved under artist/album folders. Large copy operations can be canceled while in progress. Copy all your music in a couple of mouse clicks.”

Would you like a better recommendation? How about this one from John, “We bought that iTunes copy (ipodcopy) and it rocks.  Molly moved 1000 songs from the desktop to the iPod to the laptop in minutes, and it has the same type of controls as iTunes so everything is easy to do.”

The cost of the program is twelve dollars.

What is a Navigational File Manager?

Wikipedia supplies this definition for our topic today: “In computing, a navigational file manager is a file manager that uses a "navigational" metaphor to represent filesystem locations. It is the dominant style of file manager for Desktop computers, being used, for example, in most recent Microsoft Windows products. For Mac OS X, Macintosh Explorer is an example of a navigational file manager.”

6.14.05

Adobe Releases Security Advisory

Adobe Systems has announced that a serious flaw exists that can affect PC users that use Photoshop CS, Creative Suite 1.0, and Premiere Adobe according to CNET. A patch for this problem is available from Adobe.

Potential, or Potential Pitfall

I have been focusing on the positive of the upcoming change of processors in Apple computers, but others knowledgeable prognosticators are suggesting a serious downside to the processor switch. In an article for PC Magazine, John C. Dvorak astutely predicts that there will be an increase in security attacks post-processor change and furthermore, the uniqueness of the platform will be forever lost if the inevitable occurs and Apple begins to compete directly against Microsoft through somewhat indirect methods. Mr. Dvorak correctly predicted the processor switch by Mac boss Steve Jobs several years ago extending more creditability to this prediction.

Open Source Updates

Secunia released the following update bulletins for open source users: Red Hat (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), Gentoo, Slackware, and Trustix.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Back Up Your iTunes Library

Apple encourages iTunes users to backup their library and there are a number of methods available to accomplish this task. You can backup the library to an external hard drive, burn them to a CD or DVD, or store them online. To copy your music to an external hard drive or burn them, visit the Apple web site for detailed directions for Macs and PCs. For online storage the July issue of PCWorld has a link Streamload.com where you can store up to 10GB of files free, although you are limited to 100MB of downloads per month according to the article.

What is a File Manager?

Yesterday we defined a web browser and alluded to the fact that we use other browser too and the subject of today is the browser type that allows us to view programs that populate our computers. Wikipedia has this definition, “A file manager is a computer program that provides a user interface to work with file systems. The most common operations on files are create, open, edit, view, print, play, rename, move, copy, delete, attributes, properties, search/find, and permissions.

Typically files are displayed in a hierarchy. File managers may contain features inherited from web browsers, including forward and back navigational buttons.

Some browsers may also provide network connectivity, e.g. via FTP, NFS or Samba.”

6.13.05

ZoneAlarm Update Causes Crashes

CNET is reporting that an update from ZoneAlarm for their firewall program is causing conflicts that sometimes result in the PC crashing. The ZoneAlarm Pro and the ZoneAlarm Security Suite were the two products affected according to the report and the company corrected the problem late Thursday. Those PC protected by the free ZoneAlarm firewall were not affected by this flaw. I have stopped using ZoneAlarm in favor of Windows Firewall combined with my router. I’m not actually recommending you do this at this time, let me test the waters first and remember I use my Mac for email and 99.9 percent of my surfing. Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI does recommend this method for those PC owners still connecting to the Internet with dial-up.

Microsoft Update Tomorrow

The release of updates from Microsoft tomorrow (Tuesday) will include some critical patches; in fact, none of the fixes are categorized as ‘non-security/high priority’. I usually recommend that Apple users wait several days before installing security updates, but those using the Windows platform should update their PCs immediately. I receive an email notification of the upcoming security patches from Microsoft and the crackers can also gain access to this information and quickly find new points of entry to attack your computer and this makes updating your PC time critical.

MacFixIt Update on Apple Patch

MacFixIt has received some reports of Macs freezing after the installation of the latest patch from Apple Security Update 2005-006, however this particular problem seems to be affecting only those on the Panther platform. MacFixIt reminds you to disconnect firewire devices before installing the update.

Open Source and Loving It Times Two

Good enough is just barely for me and I really wasn’t satisfied with a machine that is only capable of dual booting. Can you say triple-boot box three times, fast? I installed Ubuntu in an empty partition and I’m now running XP Pro, SuSE Linux, and Ubuntu on the same machine. The Ubuntu install was even easier than SuSE and the operating system includes some great applications just like SuSE. The included web browser (see definition below) is from Firefox and I feel right at home working on this, one of my many Multiple Platforms. Check out the Live CD for your machine, or download the Install ISO from Ubuntu.

Open Source Updates

Secunia released the following update bulletins for open source users: Conectiva (1, 2). Gentoo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), SuSE, and FreeBSD.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Browse Your iTunes Library

When you install Apple’s iTunes you can view your music library in a number of different modes. My favorite method to search through the tunes is using the browser feature that allows you to view all the genres, artists, and albums that your library contains. You can display this view by pressing on the Apple key and the B key with iTunes open. Windows users can select Command and B to open this view. Keep this tip handy as the tip for tomorrow relies on this view of iTunes. If you haven’t installed iTunes yet, click on the logo on the left side of this page to download the latest version of this music player from Apple.

What is a Browser?

There are several different browsers types we use while running our computers and the one most often discussed in this forum is a web browser; Wikipedia tells us: “A web browser is a software application that enables a user to display and interact with HTML documents hosted by web servers or held in a file system. Popular browsers available for personal computers include MicrosoftInternet Explorer, MozillaFirefox, Opera, and Safari. A browser is the most commonly used kind of user agent. The largest networked collection of linked documents is known as the World Wide Web.”

6.10.05

Signals Crossed?

PC World is featuring a story regarding security on the Internet and the gist is many of the threats we hear about are highly over-rated. The two threats that receive the most undue attention are in fact the topics that receive little or no coverage here at Multiple Platforms: cell phone viruses and VoIP safety. I haven’t focused on cell phones so that is why the first topic hasn’t received mention and as for the second I felt that these problems were being over-rated by the very companies could profit from that practice, the IT security firms, so I have basely ignored them (although my recommendations for VoIP have been tempered, I must admit). That seems to be the message of this article that comes during the week when the IT Security Summit is being conducted in Washington, D.C.

Leo Live and Leo Later

You can improve your digital knowledge on the weekend when you listen to Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI between 11 am to 2 pm (PDST). If you are in the Los Angeles area tune into AM640 and listen live or visit Leo’s web site then click on the KFI logo to hear the Internet stream. On Sunday afternoons, Leo chats with his old friends from TechTV and records their discussions for release as a podcast later that evening or ASAP. Check out the web site for This Week In Electronics (TWITS) to learn more about podcast.

Open Source Updates

Secunia has been busy and the following systems have update bulletins: FreeBSD (1, 2), Ubuntu (1, 2), Gentoo, and Fedora (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: OpenOffice

Once again, I was impressed with the OpenOffice, this time as part of the bundle of applications included in SuSE Linux 9.2/. Using Spotlight, the new search tool packaged with Tiger I located this previous information on the subject published here on April 7, 2005 (the following definition is from that date also).

(Previously published 4.7.05) I have reviewed the OpenOffice application that is available for the PC platform previously and I’ve found it to be effective as a replacement for Microsoft’s Office. This past weekend I got a chance to take the Mac version for a test drive and of the two available for this platform, I really like the smaller application NeoOfficeJ from OpenOffice.org/. The program does all the things we expect a word processor to do and in some cases more. The interface is intuitive and it converts Word and AppleWorks documents with little to no loss of formatting. This is an excellent freeware tool available for Multiple Platforms users and you should try it out. It does require the installation of X11 if you haven’t already installed it on your Mac and the program is included in the download package from OpenOffice.org/.

What is Shareware?

(Previously published 4.7.05) Shareware, freeware, and the other assorted –wares were the subject of a weeklong ‘What is’ series, however the tip of the day prompts a repeat of this definition, albeit from a different source, Answers.com: “Software that is available for free, usually over the Internet.” Free is good, we like it like that!

6.9.05

Microsoft Releases Update

Microsoft released several updates one of which will affect home users. According to PC World, Microsoft has finally unveiled Microsoft Update and this application will supplant the current Windows update system. The other updates are for Windows Servers and Microsoft’s business customers.

Internet Explorer Getting Tabbed

Faithful users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer are finally being rewarded for their allegiance as the company announced the addition of tabs to the browsing experience for IE surfers. I haven’t had an opportunity to give it a trial run, but if you are still using IE as your default browser, visit CNET to learn more about how Microsoft finally picked up the tab.

Update for Tiger Explained

Apple released a new update for Tiger and Panther users (Security Update 2005-006) and you can consult a variety of sources for information on the patch including but not limited to the following web sites: Apple, MacNN, Secunia, CNET, and MacFixIt. Secunia rates the update as ‘highly critical’. I usually wait several days before installing these Apple updates and remember to disconnect any Firewire peripherals before updating to avoid any conflicts with those devices. I repair disk permissions (accessed through the utilities file located in your Applications folder) before and after updating, but during his show this past weekend, tech expert Leo Laporte suggested that this is no longer necessary. Personally, I think it takes so little time to repair permissions that it is worth the few extra minutes it takes to accomplish this task. I am not suggesting you discount Leo’s advice, it is just that I’ve never encountered a problem with updating my Apples and I believe in the philosophy of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ when it comes to applying system patches to my Macs.

New Citizen

I have moved beyond Knoppix and SuSE Linux on Microsoft’s Virtual PC, finally. I added a new hard drive then reformatted and repartitioned both drives (after backing up my C drive, of course). I repositioned my IDE cables to use the DVD player as a boot drive then I reconfigured the BIOS and rebooted. After that it was almost as easy as installing any Windows or Apple platform thanks to the installation program provided with the system. Purist will undoubtedly feel that I have yet to earn my stripes, as there was no compiling required and the dual boot system seems to be working without a hitch, but it feels to me like I’ve become a new citizen of the open source community. The desktop, Internet browser, games, and applications that were loaded with this system are equal to or better than most similar programs in the commercial platforms. The package I used was provided as a courtesy trial and there are some limitations because of that caveat. By most any definition, this is a commercial product, as the provider hopes to package the system with support and charge for using the platform. Nevertheless, given the ease of installation, the nice package of applications, and the fact that it is less than one-third the cost of a comparable package from Microsoft, open source systems will definitely be a part of my Multiple Platforms world.

Open Source Updates

Secunia has released these updates for the open source community: Conectiva, Mandriva, SuSE (1, 2, 3), Red Hat (1, 2, 3), Gentoo, Ubuntu, and Linux.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com:

The tip of the day from Multiple Platforms comes in the form of a link to Microsoft where you will find helpful tips on how to spot a bogus email; click here for more information.

What is a Worm?

A worm is different from a virus or a Trojan horse and for a definition of worm we look to Wikipedia: “A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program, similar to a computer virus. A virus attaches itself to, and becomes part of, another executable program; however, a worm is self-contained and does not need to be part of another program to propagate itself. They are often designed to exploit the file transmission capabilities found on many computers.

The name 'worm' was taken from The Shockwave Rider, a 1970s science fiction novel by John Brunner. Researchers writing an early paper on experiments in distributed computing noted the similarities between their software and the program described by Brunner and adopted the name.

The first implementation of a worm was by two researchers at Xerox PARC in 1978.

The first worm to attract wide attention, the Morris worm, was written by Robert Tappan Morris, Jr., who at the time was a graduate student at Cornell University. It was released on November 2, 1988, and quickly infected a great many computers on the Internet at the time. It propagated through a number of bugs in BSDUnix and its derivatives. Morris himself was convicted under the US Computer Crime and Abuse Act and received three years' probation, community service and a fine in excess of $10,000.

In addition to replication, a worm may be designed to do any number of things, such as delete files on a host system or send documents via email. More recent worms may be multi-headed and carry other executables as a payload. However, even in the absence of such a payload, a worm can wreak havoc just with the network traffic generated by its reproduction. Mydoom, for example, caused a noticeable worldwide Internet slowdown at the peak of its spread.

A common payload is for a worm to install a backdoor in the infected computer, as was done by Sobig and Mydoom. These zombie computers are used by spam senders for sending junk email or to cloak their website's address.”

The bottom line is the worm is self-replicating and can multiply rapidly because of this characteristic.

Editors note: My wife is recovering and all is well; thanks to those who expressed concern.

6.8.05

Editors note: My wife will be in the hospital for the next several days for a planned non-elective surgery and I will not be able to post any news on Wednesday. Please feel free to submit questions on any annoyances and I’ll reply to them ASAP.

6.7.05

Apple and Intel: Will They Live Happily Ever After?

Steve Jobs confirmed the rumor that the future for Apple processors is with Intel on Monday (see Apple press release) and the reactions are mixed as expected with many pundits making dooms-day predictions for the maker of Macs. Making this switch is most certainly a huge risk, but so is getting out of bed in the morning; we are much safer under a warm blanket, but with a few notable exceptions, you can’t make a living from the comfort of your bed, getting up is a risk and a necessity. As a long-time Mac user but huge proponent for the use of Multiple Platforms, I personally think this move is a match made for a lifetime of happiness, not only for the corporations involved, but for future and past customers too. Allow me to explain why I believe this to be true.

Reasons Why Apple Changed

Previous delivery issues: Less than a year ago, we saw Apple delay the introduction of the new iMac and this delay was caused by tardy delivery of processors from IBM (see PC World July 2004). This delay cost Apple sales, frustrated consumers, and allowed journalist to claim that Apple wasn’t ready to be a primetime player.

Heat and Power: The current processors produced by IBM are creating so much heat and are so energy hungry that Apple cannot utilize them in a laptop. This is a limiting factor in any plan to capture a larger market share from Apple’s competitors. By making the switch to Intel, Macs will have a much more favorable power to performance unit ratio. According to TidBITs, an increase of more than four fold could be realized with a new processor based on comments made by Jobs during the keynote speech. The same report by the TidBITS staff also notes that Steve was somewhat short on details and specifics regarding processor power, etc.

Costs/IBM: Apparently Jobs had requested a price reduction on the costs of processors IBM was to provide, but the latter was unwilling to make any compromises regarding remuneration for their processors.

Rosetta/ Developer Tools: There is a software product already available that will allow this transition to occur more smoothly than many have predicted (see PCPRO.co.uk/: Apple’s Intel-based…) and Apple is promising developers support and in some cases a computer with an Intel processor (Apple press release). These efforts reflect the fact that Apple has --

Planned The Switch For Some Time: In his keynote speech Jobs noted that Apple’s operating system had been leading a double life and that Macs have been running on the ‘other’ processors for many months. Steve emphasized his point with a Mac using an Intel chip, utilizing Rosetta and running several third-party software products that had not been modified (see CNET: Jobs confirms Apple’s switch…). In addition, Apple has been riding high on the iPod wave and the company could possibly weather a period when sales of their computers decreased. Finally, if the economy suddenly slows due to an increase in the cost-of-living or we see a continued escalation of energy (gas) prices, electronic equipment will be one of the first products consumers stop purchasing and in that event all of the industry might suffer losses.

Reasons Why Doomsday Might Be Averted

So many editorials conclude that no one will purchase a Mac now that they know there is new technology forthcoming; and by extension, this will lead to the financial ruin of Apple. To those prognosticators, we offer the following reasons why Macs may continue to be purchased:

You replace your computer because you need to, not when you want to – Sure, we all like to think about the latest and greatest technology occupying the desktop space in front of our collective selves; but why do we normally purchase a new computer? Because the old one is no longer functioning, or is functioning so slowly it is no longer feasible to keep using the old box. Desktop computers last about three years before new technology begins to make them obsolete and laptops have an even shorter life span; these two factors are important components when attempting to forecast future sales. If you own a old (original) iMac, the recent upgrade to Tiger has left you behind; the hard drive is woefully small, and you might start experiencing issues with the monitor about now. Are you going to wait one or two years to purchase a new Mac, will you switch to a Dell because the PC is cheaper, or will you bite the bullet and grab a new iMac with the G5 processor that is fast, even if it does produce a little heat. My guess is most of us who own a Mac and need a replacement between now and the introduction of the new processors will not switch or do without. Moreover, let me assure you that even with the additional heat, the new iMac is much quieter than most PCs and just as fast. Furthermore, could Apple encourage prospective consumers to buy now rather than wait with –

Pricing Strategy: Apple’s introduction of the Mac Mini put pressure on the PC market and many of the low-end computer makers dropped their prices in response to the new Mac. If Apple lowered prices on the remaining inventory of computers, they might increase their own sales while simultaneously increasing pressure on their competitors producing PCs.

Long History of Supporting Legacy Systems: Apple has a history of supporting their operating systems as noted by the San Jose Mercury News and this switch is not likely to signal any change in that regard by the Mac maker. As I noted previously, until Tiger my old (original) iMac has been upgradeable and more productive with each new OS. I sincerely hope that Apple will not abandon the older Macs, but the change may signal the end for OS 9 users (see Silicon.com).

Digital Rights Management: Finally, there maybe much more to this than just increasing performance as pointed out in an article by Wired and cited yesterday in this column. Contained within the new Intel processor is a new DRM package that may allow Apple to grab the lead in offering online movies; can you say Apple iMovie Store?

Many other factors can make this a win-win situation for Apple. Most of the software developers have already promised to work with Apple including Adobe and Microsoft (see the Apple press release). Perhaps the ultimate benefit to this change could be a computer that can run both operating systems, a distinct possibility. From my chair and paraphrasing Z.Z. Top, the futures so bright I need to wear shades…

Open Source Updates

Secunia has these updates available for open source users: Gentoo (1, 2), Conectiva (1, 2), and Mandriva.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com

Due to the length of today’s post, I am neglecting the tip of the day, sorry…

6.6.05

Apple Making a Switch?

After their marketing campaign to get Windows users to migrate to Macs, it looks like Apple may be making a switch of their own and depending upon whom you listen to or whose writing you are reading it could be a good or bad move. The story broke late Friday afternoon and I have been reluctant to publish anything regarding Apple that hasn’t been confirmed because of the company’s recent legal actions against small web sites like Multiple Platforms.com/, but this story did not come from a rumor site it came from CNET, a highly respected tech news source. Based on the report from CNET, Apple may be ditching their PowerPC chips and new Macs will have their processors made by Intel. Computer expert’s opinions on the benefits and drawbacks are purely speculative at this point, but Wired has a good scoop on how Apple might ease the transition with a software product that allows for Multiple Platforms to run on the same processor without a loss of performance. Now that would make this a truly brilliant move by Steve Jobs and it would be in the best interest of Apple. Here are some links to other stories on this issue: MacCentral, MacNN, PC World, and Leo Laporte. We’ll all know more after the Keynote speech by Jobs today…

Camino, Firefox, and Mozilla Flaws

Secunia announced flaws in the Mozilla, Firefox, and Camino browsers that can allow unwanted intrusions by crackers and the remedy is the same in both instances. According to Secunia, users of the aforementioned browsers: “Do (should) not browse untrusted web sites while browsing trusted sites”.

Windows Remote Desktop has Security Issues

The busy workers at Secunia and their volunteer security watchers have noted a flaw that exists in Remote Desktop. Secunia suggests: “Connect only to terminal services over trusted networks.”

Apple iPod Recycling

Apple announced a new program to allow iPod owners to recycle their old music players; here is part of the press release from Apple:
Free iPod Recycling Program

Beginning today, customers can bring iPods they no longer want to any of Apple's 100+ retail stores in the US for free environmentally friendly disposal. Those who drop off an iPod, iPod mini or iPod photo will receive a 10% discount on the purchase of a new iPod that day. [Jun 03, 2005] Apple Hot News

Open Source Updates

Secunia has bulletins for Debian and Sun Solaris.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Open Source Distro

I know that this space is usually reserved for tips for you, but today I would like to turn the tables and ask for a tip for me, I hope you don’t mind. After dabbling in open source with Knoppix, I’m ready to venture beyond this system and I would like to know what your favorite distro is and why. If you have any experience with the open source world drop me an email at: http://mailhide.recaptcha.net/d?k=01_CYdbG3G8Bh7MdskTeTP0w==&c=pKEf2yrBRdKaLmzwt1ln6WdZae-yMxuGo0u42mijLo8=/. Thanks!

What is a Distro?

A distro according to Wikipedia is: “A Linux distribution or GNU/Linux distribution (or a distro) is a Unix-likeoperating system comprising software components such as the Linux kernel, the GNU toolchain, and assorted free and open source software. Some proprietary software is found in certain distributions and is not free software. A Linux Distribution — or distro, en parlante — is created by individuals, groups and organizations from around the world.

Companies such as Red Hat, SUSE and Mandriva, and community projects such as Debian and Gentoo Linux, assemble and test the software before releasing their distribution. There are currently over two hundred Linux distribution projects in active development, revising and improving their respective distribution.”

6.03.05

Three Steps to the Zombie State

The Glieder attack force, a Bagle variant with a three-pronged attack, is a new approach based on old techniques that eventually turns your computer into a zombie as we reported yesterday. PC World is featuring a story on how the crackers grab your Windows computer:

Details on How a Sophisticated Web Attack Works  Computer Associates describes how Bagle variant helps to turn PCs into zombies.

PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories

Apple iPod Owners Might Get $50

Credit Owners of iPods purchased before May 2004 could receive a fifty dollar credit from Apple if the settlement is approved by the presiding judge. According to CNET, the credit will settle the legal dispute that was created after many batteries on the early iPods failed to deliver the promised battery life. It appears that you will not be able to use the credit to purchase music from iTunes. Where is the outrage from the recording industry on this settlement? How are they going to remain in business if Apple denies their customers the ability to spend the credit on music?

Apple USB Boot: You Can’t Get There From

Here If you are purchasing an external hard drive for to support your Mac, make sure it has Firewire as an option if you plan to boot from the external drive. One of the problems with OS X is the lack of ability to boot from a USB hard drive. Visit MacWorld to learn more.

Open Source Updates

Secunia has these updates bulletins for the open source world: Debian, Red Hat (1, 2), and Conectiva (1, 2).

Tip of the Day and the What is items will return next week.

6.02.05

These Bagles are Biting Back

Bigger, bad, and getting uglier by the hour, the latest variants of the Bagle worm are beginning to take a bite out of security providers sense of well-being. CNET is reporting that Computer Associates has actually classified the latest Bagle like worms under the new moniker of ‘Glieder’ in part because of the different and more harmful behavior of these latest crack attacks. A Trojan named Win32.Mitglieder is downloaded to the PC post-infection that prevents the computer from contacting antivirus providers for updates. The third stage of the attack removes firewall and antivirus protection from the PC and at that point, your computer is controlled by and working for the crackers. To add insult to injury, your PC can then be sold to the highest bidder to be used in this seemingly never ending cycle of annoyances.

The Final Grades Posted

The finals have been graded and the results are posted. No, that is not a message I am sending to the students in my classes; but it is the subject of an article in PC World and the grade we are receiving on the topic of Internet security is bleak as we are getting a big fat ‘F’. The average score was a pathetic 6.7 out of seventeen questions. I think too many of us must have been surfing the net instead of taking notes when the instructor was lecturing on web site privacy policies and the pricing practices of Internet merchandisers. PC World supplies this link for you to take the test.

New Add-in Will Launch Windows in Seconds

PC owners often brag about the quick startup times of their computers, but in reality it is at least a minute or more before you can actually start using applications. Now a new add-in card introduced at an electronics show this week will reduce startup times to seconds, and give a big boost to games and other processor intensive tasks that rely heavily on accessing large files. Source: PC World.

Woody’s Ready

Linux Today has the word on the latest update for Debian GNU/Linux 3.0, AKA Woody. Check out the story and mirror links at Linux Today.

Open Source Updates

Secunia announced the following systems have update or security bulletins available: Red Hat (1, 2), Mandriva (1, 2), Conectiva, Gentoo, Sun Solaris.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Find Missing iPod/ iTunes

If your iPod or iTunes is not showing up on your PC, Apple has a web page for solutions and suggestions to make that Windows box recognize your iPod. Apple computer users are not immune from this malady and if a missing iPod is making you feel ill, visit this link from Apple for solutions specific to your platform.

What is iTunes?

We talk about it all the time at Multiple Platforms.com and there is a link to download it on the left side of this page, but what is iTunes? Wikipedia has this on that: “iTunes is a media player, written by Apple Computer, for playing and organizing digital music, video files, and purchasing digital music files in the FairPlaydigital rights management format. The iTunes Music Store (also sometimes referred to simply as "iTunes" or "iTMS") is the component of iTunes through which users can purchase digital music files from within iTunes.

The player has gained and maintained a reputation as being easy to use, while still allowing users precisely to organize their music (for example, features such as the smart playlist). iTunes is used to fill Apple's popular digital audio player iPod with songs. The program is freely downloadable and is also supplied with Mac OS X as well as Apple's iLife home-application suite.

iTunes is compatible with computers running Mac OS X, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003operating systems. Previously iTunes supported Mac OS 9, however OS 9 support was dropped with version 3.”

6.01.05

Like a Bad Dream That Keeps Returning

Much like that nagging nightmare, three or possible more new variants of the Bagle worm are spreading rapidly across the Internet via email according to PC World. This prolific worm’s progeny could number over 80 since it was first detected in early 2004. Read more about the annoying worm at PC World. CNET also carried a report regarding Bagle and the other worm now circulating, Mytob.

Tech News Snooze

With the exception of the story above, the slow tech news trend continues today, which is good news for all of us tired of battling the war on crackers.

Open Source Updates

Secunia issued these notices for open source users: Conectiva (1, 2), Red Hat, and Trustix.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Test Drive New Browser

Mozilla announced that the alpha version of Deer Park Alpha 1, the next line of browsers from the open source community, is available for testing purposes. The alpha version should not be used by those currently using Firefox 1.0.x/ and anytime you are using an alpha or beta version, you do not want to be working on vitally important tasks without first backing up all your important documents and folders.

What is an Alpha Version?

Wikipedia provides the following definition: “An alpha version or alpha release usually represents the first feature complete version of a computer program or other product, likely to be unstable but useful for demonstrating internally and to select customers. Some developers refer to this stage as a preview, as a technical preview or as an early access. Often, this stage begins when the developers announce a feature freeze on the product, indicating that no more features will be added to this version of the product, only bugs will be removed.

Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet.”

5.31.05

When is it Spyware?

According to PC World, prompted by threats of legal action, anti-spyware companies are delisting companies that claim their product is legitimate adware, not to be confused with spyware. To that we say: BALONEY! If it resides on your computer and generates advertisement I really don’t care what name you give it, I don’t want it and want to have the option of removing it. Having said that I can understand the position of anti-spyware makers, particularly those that offer their services to PC people at no charge. The best defense in this case might be a strong offense and that would include a team that includes several anti-spyware applications; make sure you include Microsoft’s Windows AntiSpyware product in that mix.

Portable Pain in the…

First we learned that the heat generated by laptops are harmful to our health and now CNET is reporting that notebooks are also creating pains in other places, including your wrists and neck. Most of those reporting problems have been using their portables for a desktop replacement and the juxtaposition of the keyboard and screen cause the discomforts that in the worst cases require medical attention. Read more about the aches and pains of portability at CNET:

Is your laptop a pain in the neck?

Notebook PCs may be convenient, but they're also an ergonomic nightmare. In addition, more and more people are discovering that the hard way. CNET News.com

Stats for May: Browser Results

The percentages leave little doubt and the visitors today are unlikely to change the top ten results for browsers used in the month of May while visiting Multiple Platforms.com:

61%  Microsoft Internet Explorer

13%  Firefox

9.2%  Safari

5.5%  unknown

4.6%  NetNewsWire

3.9%  Mozilla

1.5%  Netscape

0.2%  Opera

0.2%  Konqueror

Another Reason to Switch from Internet Explorer

As you can see from the above data, Microsoft’s IE remains very popular with visitors to this web site. However, Secunia is reporting yet another flaw in Internet Exploder 6.x and although they grade this threat as ‘not critical’, the solution they suggest will help thwart other more critical attacks. Secunia recommends: “Disable Active Scripting except for trusted sites.”

Open Source Updates

Secunia announced that Mandriva has an update available.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Don’t Forget the Other Search Engines

If you can’t get your web site ranked on Google, it can be hard to attract visitors to your site but that doesn’t mean that the search engine giant is the only game in town; in fact, a recent survey pegged Yahoo’s share of the search queries at only 5 percent less than Google’s. I also like Dogpile.com and recent stories about AskJeeves detail their attempts to gain surfers.

What is Konqueror?

Wikipedia supplies our definition for today: “In computing, Konqueror is part of the K Desktop Environment (KDE), primarily developed for the Linuxplatform, but also available for some other platforms (including BSD and, recently, MicrosoftWindows, although Windows support is very limited). It functions as a file manager, web browser, and file viewer. Like the rest of the "kdebase" package, Konqueror is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The name Konqueror is a play on the names of other browsers: first comes the Navigator, then the Explorer, and finally the Konqueror (and follows the KDE convention of having program names start with the letter K).

5.30.05

Happy Birthday Dad!

Tech News Lite

I promised a post today, but the tech news is definitely on the light-side so I am highlighting some important items from the last week, interspersed with some new and some review material.

Even an Eleven Year Old Can Do It

After spending several hours setting up Microsoft Windows Small Business Server