The Rumor is True – Google is Coming to NC!

Good for us! Google is building a data center right here in North Carolina! Hooray! I would love for us to become known as the “data state” as opposed to the “cigarette state!”

Google to build data center in N.C.

“RALEIGH, N.C. – Search engine giant Google Inc. plans to spend $600 million to build a data center in North Carolina, state officials and the company said Friday. The so-called ‘server farm’ will eventually employ 210 people in a region hit hard in recent years by layoffs in the furniture and textile industries. ‘This company will provide hundreds of good-paying, knowledge-based jobs that North Carolinas citizens want,’ Gov. Mike Easley said in a statement. ‘It will help reinvigorate an area hard hit by the loss of furniture and textile jobs with 21st century opportunities.’ The state will give the company $4.8 million as part of a total incentives package that could reach more than $100 million.”

Microsoft “Patches” a Patch?!

So, Excel has a problem… Microsoft issues a security patch… then, they come back behind that and “patch” the patch! Why? Because if you install the patch… you then can’t open some of your own Excel files! Way to go, M$!

Microsoft Patches Buggy Excel Patch

Microsoft has re-released an update issued in its January 2007 patch batch to correct a glitch in the way Excel 2000 processes information. The company announced that the ‘targeted re-release’ was necessary to correct the bug, which occurs in the way Excel 2000 processes the phonetic information embedded in files created using Excel in the Korean, Chinese or Japanese executable mode. ‘After you install [the patch], you can no longer open some files that you created by using any version of Excel,’ the company warned. The patch was shipped Jan. 9 as part of the MS07-002 bulletin that provided fixes for a total of five Microsoft Excel vulnerabilities. The update is rated ‘critical,’ Microsoft’s highest severity rating.

“Storm Worm” Attacks the Net!

The timely news of storms in Europe is being used to spread a worm across the net.

Storm Worm Hits Computers Around the World

“Computer virus writers started to use raging European storms on Friday to attack thousands of computers in an unusual real-time assault, head of research at Finnish data security firm F-Secure told Reuters. The virus, which the company named ‘Storm Worm,’ is sent to hundreds of thousands of e-mail addresses globally, with the e-mail’s subject line saying ‘230 dead as storm batters Europe.’ The attached file contains the so-called malware that can infiltrate computer systems. ‘What makes this exceptional is the timely nature of the attack,’ Mikko Hypponen, head of research at F-Secure said. Hypponen said thousands of computers around the world, most in private use, had been affected. He said most users would not notice the malware, or trojan, which creates a back door to the computer that can be exploited later to steal data or to use the computer to post spam.”

The New Knoppix is Prettier, and Works Great!

I had a chance to use the latest version of Knoppix today… and it worked great! And, I was very impressed by how pretty it was! Check it out!

Knoppix 5.1.1: Now with eye candy

“The new year has brought a new release of the Knoppix live CD. Along with the usual updates to application software, the most noticeable change in version 5.1.1 is the inclusion of the Beryl 3-D desktop with the Emerald theming engine. Since support for Beryl is still experimental, the 3-D desktop is provided in Knoppix as an option. To enable it, you have to use the knoppix desktop=beryl cheat code on boot. Considering the current status of Beryl, the new 3-D desktop works surprisingly well; it starts without any problems on a lowly Acer TravelMate 243 laptop with an Intel 82855 GM integrated graphics controller, and it feels snappy and is a joy to use. While some may consider the inclusion of Beryl in Knoppix a gimmick, it provides a great introduction to the whole 3-D desktop idea. Installing Beryl can be a tricky and time-consuming business, so the ability to try the fancy 3-D desktop with zero effort is a boon for all users looking for some Linux eye candy.”

ALSO, it has Frozen Bubble! What more do you need? (By the way, I used it at work to rescue some data… “it” being Knoppix… NOT Frozen Bubble, of course!)

Good News, Bad News for Microsoft on IE7

The Good News: There have been 100 Million downloads of IE7!

The Bad News: The New IE7 Browser is losing ground!

Despite 100 Million IE 7 Installs, Microsoft’s Browser Still Loses Ground

Although Microsoft recently touted the 100 millionth installation of Internet Explorer 7, Web measurement firms said that the new browser is simply being swapped out for older editions and hasn’t had an impact on Firefox’s continued climb. ‘[As of] January 8th, we had the 100 millionth IE7 installation,’ said Tony Chor, an IE group program manager, in an entry on the team’s blog. “Even more important than installations is usage. According to WebSideStory (the company we use to measure browser usage), as of this week, over 25% of all visitors to sites in the U.S. were using IE7, making IE7 the second most used browser after IE6. “

Geek Software of the Week: VirtualBox!

It has been a while since we have had a “Geek Software of the Week,” and this is a fun one! The formerly “closed source” software “VirtualBox” has now gone Open Source! It is a virtualization environment, like VMware.

VirtualBox

“InnoTek VirtualBox is a family of powerful x86 virtualization products for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU Public License (GPL).”

Check out the screen shots in this link:

VirtualBox Screen Shots

“Presently, VirtualBox runs on Windows and Linux 32-bit hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), and OpenBSD. VirtualBox is being actively developed with frequent releases and has an ever growing list of features, supported guest operating systems and platforms it runs on. VirtualBox is a community effort backed by a dedicated company: everyone is encouraged to contribute while InnoTek ensures the product always meets professional quality criteria.”

The Dr. Bill Podcast Number 71, and Video Netcast Number 2! (Video)

Dr. Bill Podcast – 71 – (01/13/07)
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“It’s All About the Pentiums,” by Weird Al Yankovik, our Geek Culture for the Week! How To: “Ghost4Linux Backup and Restore,” Props to Henry L. Ratliff for a BIG, new feature for DirCaster, also, a tour of the DirCaster web site, also, a new feature to Dr. Bill.TV! My son, Ben’s first submission to YouTube, and how he did it! Geek Project, how to do a VODcast! The Top 10 Nastiest Malware Trends!

The Dr. Bill Podcast Number 71, and Netcast Number 2! (Audio)

Dr. Bill Podcast – 71 – (01/13/07)
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“It’s All About the Pentiums,” by Weird Al Yankovik, our Geek Culture for the Week! How To: “Ghost4Linux Backup and Restore,” Props to Henry L. Ratliff for a BIG, new feature for DirCaster, also, a tour of the DirCaster web site, also, a new feature to Dr. Bill.TV! My son, Ben’s first submission to YouTube, and how he did it! Geek Project, how to do a VODcast! The Top 10 Nastiest Malware Trends!

The Top 10 Nastiest Malware Trends

What would you label “the worse” of the malware that’s “out there” in the wild? IT Security has a list. I have only quoted the first paragraph of each one, so click on the link below for full details:

IT Security: The Top 10 Nastiest Malware Trends

“1. Adware

The most common form of malware is adware. It’s a type of spyware that secretly imbeds itself on your computer and analyzes your web browsing habits and then related banner advertising occasionally in popup windows. While most of the advertisements you see are for legitimate companies, the actual producers of the spyware are not…

2. Browser Hijacker

Browser hijackers, or hijackware, al ter web browser settings to redirect you to a different homepage, typically to questionable websites (adult, gaming, celebrity). Those programs which redirect surfers to adult sites will sometimes leave telltale bookmarks, which have been known to cost people their jobs…

3. Internet Dialer

There are legitimate Internet dialers, but the malware variety does sinister things including making phone calls to 1-900 numbers secretly through your modem. The result is been monster phone bills and lots of family feuds…

4. Keylogger

In the past, keyloggers have been legitimate software used by law enforcement. The FBI used [1] a Trojan to download a keylogger called Magic Lantern, which helped indict Nicodemo Scarfo, Jr., for running an illegal gambling organization. Keyloggers are also used by companies to monitor employees, and by parents to monitor children online…

5. Rootkit

Rootkits are amongst the most sinister of all types of malware, going to the operating system and disabling security features such as firewalls and anti-virus programs, thus rendering themselves invisible. They also install other malicious code, change DNS settings and system configurations, access private files, and generally affect security and system performance…

6. Trojan Horse

Trojan horses are masters of disguise. This form of malware pretends to be innocuous plugins, add-ons, or even CODECs (Encoder/ Decoder) for multimedia audio or video players such as WinAmp, and other harmless software. The creators of trojan horses often use an e-mail or a web page written to trick you into installing the Trojan. Trojan horses may live on websites with music or video downloads or even some of the new batch of web2.0 alpha- or beta-mode application sites…

7. Worm

Worms are a self-propagating (they multiply on their own) form of malware. Worms hunt for security flaws in other computers on the same network as an infected computer and copy themselves onto the new computer through that loophole. This way of multiplying makes worms particularly dangerous, because they can result in huge network traffic floods or outages, as well as mass infection over a short time…

8. Virus

The term “virus” has been used fairly generically in the history of computing, but technically speaking, it refers to software that inserts malicious code into existing documents or even other code [1], and which is then spread by various means. Some early viruses were pranks, others were propagated via MS-Word documents attached in emails…

9. Drive-By Download (DBD)

In general, the term “drive-by download” (DBD) refers to any malware installed without user consent or knowledge. This malware can download spyware, a virus, etc., and this can happen while viewing a website or popup window, or from an email message…

10. Piggyback

Piggyback malware refers to embedded malicious code within an otherwise harmless executable file. According to a recent study, 4% of websites and 5% of available downloads were infected with any of 89 types of malware [1]. This means that even trusted sites might cause your computer to be infected, thus rendering IP/ site blacklists less effective. Typically suspect piggyback sites are those having downloads for games, music, and wallpapers, as well as celebrity and adult sites…

Quick Summary of Growing Malware Trends

This quick summary is a brief reminder of current Malware trends and new threats which are expected to grow in 2007:

1. Mobile attacks using SMS (SMiShing), whereby malware such as MSIL/Xrove infects smartphones via ActiveSync.
2. Media malware using MPEG video files or CODECs for MP3 audio players. Thanks to the popularity of video sharing sites like YouTube, this mode of attack is expected to grow.
3. Increase in zombie computers and botnets.
4. Return of parasitic malware, which operate by modifying files already existent on your hard drive.
5. Increased silent and targeted attacks on transactions instead of computers.
6. Suicidal malware that uses polymorphic techniques to evade detection.
7. Ransomware. A new threat, called ransomware, is where malware authors hold computers hostage unless an infected machine’s owner pays a certain amount.”

My Son’s First YouTube Post

My son, Ben, is a “chip off the ol’ block” in that he, too, is a geek! I have been working with video technology to produce my podcast/netcast on Dr. Bill.TV, and he has been working on a game challenge for YouTube. Here’s his first post. He did it all himself (after the ol’ man introduced him to the software we use for editing the video.)

He “shot” (acquired?) the video by playing the game on a TV that has a built-in VCR. We then “ported” the VCR feed through a device from ADStech called “VideoXpress,” which I must say, I am pretty impressed with!

ADStech VideoXpress

He then edited it with Ulead’s VideoStudio:

Ulead VideoStudio 10 Plus

Pretty cool stuff! That’s my boy!

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