| Conficker Worm to re-appear April 1st |
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The Conficker virus will be receiving updates on April 1, 2009, and look to infect more computers. As long as your Windows is fully updated and your anti-virus is fully updated, this should not be a threat to users.
Conficker is a worm, also known as Kido or Downadup that cropped up in November. It exploits a vulnerability in Windows that Microsoft patched in October.
Conficker.B, detected in February, added the ability to spread through network shares and via removable storage devices, like USB drives, through the AutoRun function in Windows. Conficker.C, which surfaced earlier this month, shuts down security services, blocks computers from connecting to security Web sites, and downloads a Trojan. It also reaches out to other infected computers via peer-to-peer networking and includes a list of 50,000 different domains, of which 500 will be contacted by the infected computer on April 1 to receive updated copies or other malware or instructions. Previous Conficker variants were written to connect to 250 domains a day.
Microsoft has found Conficker to be such an irritant that it has issued a $250,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest.
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| Internet Explorer 8 |
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Released just a few weeks ago, March 19th, Internet Explorer 8. IE8 is packed with features and we have found it to be useful and user-friendly. IE8 has included more safety features. The SmartScreen Filter helps to protect you from the installation of malware or malicious software; a screen will pop-up if you visit a website that is not considered safe. Cross Site Scripting (XSS) Filter detects malicious code running on compromised websites, which can conduct information disclosure, cookie stealing, account/identity theft, etc. Data Execution Prevention (DEP) prevents damage to your computer from viruses. Domain Highlighting helps you avoid deceptive and phishing sites by making it easier for you to identify a web address (URL) in the address bar.
Added features – Accelerators – do a task without going to other websites to get it done; for example, highlight an address in a web page and click the Accelerator button which pops up and then click on Live Maps to view its location, Enhanced Navigation – when opening a new tab from another, the new tab is placed next to the originating tab and color coded, so that the user can quickly see which content is related to other opened tabs, Increased Performance – the new script engine is much faster than previous versions allowing for faster load times from sites using javascript or asynchronous javascript and xml, Improved Favorites & History Management – adding favorites is easier with the new “one click” add to favorites, Instant Search –faster searches with visual images, for instance, if searching for the weather in Washington DC it would have a live image of the weather for DC next to the link, Web Slices – frequently visited sites such as ebay, email, constantly need to be refreshed to view updated info, now with web slices you can add the link to your favorites, and view the link without actually navigating to it.
To install IE8 visit the following link - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx
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| Adamo by Dell |
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Dell’s latest laptop has a stunning ultra-thin aluminum-body and is sleek with a depth of less than two-thirds of an inch. It comes in two colors, “onyx” and “pearl.” It is thinner than Apple’s MacBook Air (from $1,800) and Hewlett-Packard’s Voodoo Envy (from $1,900). Support from the same team of service reps is $99 for one year or $349 for three years.
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| Quick Tip for Office |
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You can add any email to your Calendar by simply dragging and dropping to a date on your Calendar under the To-Do Bar to create a Reminder to get something done.
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