Microsoft Confirms Excel Zero-Day Attack Under Way

Microsoft June 15 confirmed that a new, undocumented flaw in its widely used Excel spreadsheet program was being used in an attack against an unnamed target.

Microsoft Confirms Excel Zero-Day Attack Under Way

“The company’s warning comes less than a month after a code-execution hole in Microsoft Word was exploited in what is described as a “super, super targeted attack” against business interests overseas. The back-to-back zero-day attacks closely resemble each other and suggest that well-organized criminals are conducting corporate espionage using critical flaws purchased from underground hackers.”

Help Protect the FREE Internet!

You have gotten used to a “net neutral” Internet. We take it for granted. But, if certain forces have their way, the Internet could become “segmented” into faster and slower “lanes” on the “Information Superhighway.” The Internet is the “great equalizer” for folks like me that are opinionated and want to share their thoughts and ideas freely! Join the drive to keep the Internet free!

Save the Internet!

“The SavetheInternet.com Coalition is a real grassroots alliance of organizations, citizens, businesses and bloggers that have banded together to protect Internet freedom. The Coalition believes that the Internet is a crucial engine for economic growth and free speech. We are working together to urge Congress to preserve Network Neutrality, the First Amendment for the Internet that ensures that the Internet remains open to innovation and progress. From its beginnings, the Internet has leveled the playing field for all comers. Everyday people can have their voices heard by thousands, even millions of people. The SavetheInternet.com Coalition — representing millions of Americans from all walks of life — is working together to ensure that Congress passes no telecommunications legislation without meaningful and enforceable Network Neutrality protections.”

Bill Gates to “Retire”

Bill GatesWell, to be less involved in the day-to-day operations anyway. I gotta give Bill G. credit. (I know you probably think the aliens have replaced me!) Anyway, Bill G. and I are the same age. If I had the mega-mega bucks that he has, I think I would have long since gone on to pursue other things. But then, I know he is probably heavily involved in Microsoft as “part of himself,” defining who he is… so it is probably hard to leave. He is actually slowly removing himself from day-to-day operations over a two year period. He will remain as Chairman of M$. So, Bill, enjoy!

Bill Gate Steps Down

Don’t worry! I will resume attacking M$ really soon, I promise! [GRIN!]

Fun With Microsoft Notepad!

So… you know I like to torque Microsoft’s jaw about how lame their products are… here’s a fun “proof” that you can show an unsuspecting user!

This actually works. It will not crash your computer, it just “breaks” Notepad in that it causes it to display very oddly. No permanent damage comes of doing the following steps.

Here’s how to do it:
1. Open up Notepad (not Wordpad, not Word, or any other word processor)
2. Type in this sentence exactly (without quotes): “this app can break”
3. Save the file to your hard drive.
4. Close Notepad
5. Open the saved file by double clicking it.

Weird, huh? Proof again that Microsoft is a bizarre company! Notepad just can’t seem to handle that string. Maybe an “insider” Microsoft programmer joke? If so, what other “surprises” are “under the hood?”

Microsoft as “Big Brother!”

A lot of people are VERY concerned about what is being called “Domestic Spying” by the government, with cries of, “Big Brother!” and Orwellian conspiracy schemes are discussed in hushed tones throughout the country. A close look at the truth of such programs would seem to make these fears less scary… as the information being gathered is not actual phone conversations, but just numbers called. Still, that is enough to chill many folks!

Now, what if I told you that there was a company that since 2005 has had a program on YOUR computer that reports EVERY DAY about your system, what it is running, and other pertinent information? well, that HAS been happening… and the company is… you guessed it… Microsoft!

Microsoft as “Big Brother”

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols says in his article, “I don’t mean to be paranoid, but when someone tells me that, oh, by the way, they’ve been checking on my XP and Windows 2000 PCs every day since July 2005 when Microsoft made WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) mandatory or you couldn’t download patches, I get a little concerned. Still, it’s not like Microsoft would actually collect more information and then use it against such competitors as Firefox would they? Oh wait, come to think of it, didn’t Microsoft once cause Windows to produce fake error messages if a user was running DR-DOS instead of MS-DOS? While they never admitted to it, they did finally end up paying Caldera Systems, one of the ancestors of today’s SCO, approximately $60 million to make the resulting lawsuit go away. No, nothing like that has happened. I mean maybe they’re using WGA to report on what applications people are really using for market information, but that’s harmless isn’t it? I mean lots of spyware, ah, programs do that, right? Of course.”

Geek Software of the Week: rcFTP

Have you eve needed an FTP client for, shall we say, a “non-technical” user? Someone that you know needs FTP access to upload files, but Filezilla (which I LOVE!) would just freak them out? Well here you go! Complete with my own “brain-dead-easy” instructions! “rcFTP” stands for “right-click” FTP.

rcFTP

Instructions:

Download the program “rcFTP” and install it. Here’s the location on the web of the file (Click on the link below to get the file, look on the right hand side of the screen that is displayed, for the file called “Setup.”)

Welcome

Save it somewhere where you know will where it is (the desktop is fine.)

Double-click the file you downloaded to install the program.

Click the “Install” button in the lower right corner of the screen that comes up, and click “Yes” that you want it to create the directory.

Click “Yes” to start the application for the first time.

Click “Yes” to add to the Startup folder.

Click “OK”… we will now need to use it the first time to create a “profile”.

“Right-Click” on any file, and look for the “Send to”… then choose “Upload with rcFTP”

Click “Delete” under the top line to delete the example profile. Then click “New.”

Fill in the screen that pops up with the following:

FTP Address:
yourftpaddress.com

Loginname:
yourusername

Password:
yourpassword

Click “Save” in the lower right hand corner.

Give it a Name like “My Files”

Click “Upload Now” in the lower left corner to send the file. You will see the file upload progress.

If you see a Windows XP Security pop-up that says “Do you want to open a port for rcFTP?” Click “Unblock.”

Click the “X” in the upper right hand corner of rcFTP to exit. You are done!

Dr. Bill Podcast #40 – “Dr. Bill Dare’s to be Stoopid!”

Dr. Bill Podcast – 40 – (06/10/06)
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One year of Blogging! 40 episodes of Podcasting… and Dr. Bill dares to be “stoopid” in the process! Lot’s of corrections, but as long as we are daring to be stupid, it is OK!

Weird Al’s “Dare to Be Stupid!”

Geek Software of the Week is Kaxy: A Web Proxy to “anonymize” your Web time! Dr. Bill PLEADS for contributions of Geek Software of Week nominees and Geek Culture, a Bill in Congress that if is passed this week will take away our “fair use” rights to listen to music! Discussion of MythTV and a comparison with Beyond TV for Windows by Snapstream… very cool stuff! Another feature that we were waiting for in Vista bites the dust! What WILL we finally get in Vista? Ethereal changes its name to “Wireshark.” Remember, DARE TO BE STOOPID!!!

Ethereal Changes Name to “Wireshark”

The well known Open Source Packet Sniffer “Ethereal” is now known as “Wireshark!”

Ethereal Changes Name to “Wireshark”

“Gerald Combs, founder of the Ethereal project — billed as the world’s most popular network protocol analyzer — caused a flurry of excitement among users and developers Wednesday when he announced on the Ethereal developers mailing list that he was changing jobs, moving to a new location, and taking the project and its core developers with him as he leaves.”

This Blog: One Year Anniversary!

Today is officially one full year since starting this Blog! Wow! We have come a long way in one year! We now have not only the Blog, but the Podcast, and I am actually considering a VODcast (Videocast, Vlog… take your pick.) We have become part of the Techpodcasts.com Network, and we have (as of today) 27 folks from around the world that have put a pin in our Frappr map (so far!)

So… time has marched on, and I trust that you have found my musings entertaining and informative! Let’s go boldly into the next year!

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