Microsoft Releases Windows XP SP3 RC2

Microsoft Releases Windows XP SP3 RC2
February 20, 2008
By Michael Muchmore

Microsoft has made what is thought to be the final version of its Windows XP operating system available to the public. Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 2 can be obtained through Windows Update, but users need to change some registry settings for the update to be sent.

This is still a test version, and Microsoft is vague about when the final version will be released, asserting that it will be some time "in the first quarter of 2008." The public availability of this release candidate points to the software company getting close to the final release, however.

From extremetech.com. Complete posting here.

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This is good news to folks like me that reinstall XP Pro laptops and desktops. Just downloading and installing the post SP2 critical security updates (like 50 or so) takes a very LONG time! This will save at least 30 minutes for an install (that's a guess on time savings, not an actual test).

Wireless Security on the Go

From Extremetech.com

Wireless Security on the Go
Posted January 23, 2008
By Joel Durham Jr.

It's harder these days to purchase a notebook computer that lacks built-in Wi-Fi than one that features it. Chances are, if you're a frequent traveler, you want all the data-rific freedom that wireless networking offers. What you don't want, however, is to get hacked or tricked into giving sensitive information to the kind of jerks who would steal it.

Entire blog posting.

Secure Your Home Wireless Network for Free

From Extremetech.com

Secure Your Home Wireless Network for Free
January 15, 2008 By Joel Durham Jr.

It's startling how easy it can be to swipe data from wireless networks.
I live in a townhouse, so I'm at close quarters with my neighbors. It irks me when, for one reason or another, my Wi-Fi enabled notebook discovers nearby networks lacking any sort of security at all. Were I the nefarious type, I could waltz onto their network and look for shared folders containing sensitive data, leech their Internet connections, steal their media, monitor their network activity, and so on.

Entire article, lots of reading but simple, good information.

Podcast: Big Mac Attack or super sized hype?

SophosPodcasts

Big Mac attack or super-sized hype?

The first financially motivated malware was detected for the Apple Macintosh operating system in 2007 and security experts are warning Mac users to prepare for more attacks.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos discusses the evolution of Mac viruses.
Podcast: 13 February 2008 - Duration 09:47 minutes

http://www.sophos.com/security/podcasts/

SophosLabs Blog

SophosLabs Blog

Some good reading to catchup on the latest and "greatest" in viruses, worms, trojans, botnets, phishing, spam... you know... that fun stuff.

It's a blog from Sophos, not really technical, but does keep you in the loop on security issues with Windows, Linux, etc...

http://www.sophos.com/security/blog/2008/02/

Don't fall victim to the St Valentine's Day malware massacre

Don't fall victim to the St Valentine's Day malware massacre
Sophos reports on a storm of emails with cruel intentions

Don't be a stupid cupid - the Dorf-AW worm has been planted on websites carrying romantic images.

Companies and consumers have been warned to be aware of the dangers of emailed Valentine's in the run-up to romantic celebrations on February 14th. Millions of emails are expected to be sent in the run-up to St Valentine's Day, and some of them will include malicious viral attachments or link to dangerous websites.

IT security firm Sophos has reported that virus writers are increasingly using psychological temptations such as love, money and lust to encourage innocent users to activate malicious code.

The latest example seen by Sophos experts is a romantically-themed email which directs unsuspecting computer users to a website containing romantic images, alongside a variant of the Dorf malware (W32/Dorf-AW, also known as Storm).

Emails with subject lines such as "I Like You", "Powerful Love", "Tower of Love", "You Stay In My Heart", "Hugs And Kisses", "Val-ANT-ines", "Just You", "What is Love?", "The Love Train", "My Heart", "You're My Valentine", "Just You", "My Love For You", "Love Rose", "World Love", "You Stay In My Heart", "A Rose To Say...", "I Love You", "Valentine Friends", "Love Rose", "Thinking Of U All Day", "Valentine Invitation", and "Happy Valentine's Day!" actually link to a website designed to surreptiously infect and take control over PCs. Once a personal computer has been compromised it can be used to send further spam, launch denial-of-service attacks, or commit identity theft.

From Sophos website.

T-Mobile Dumps Google in Europe for Yahoo

T-Mobile Dumps Google in Europe for Yahoo
T-Mobile customers in 11 countries will see oneSearch as their mobile search application.

PC World Wednesday, February 13, 2008; 9:19 AM

T-Mobile announced Tuesday that it will soon begin using Yahoo as its preferred mobile search provider in Europe, ending the operator's existing relationship with Google for mobile search.

The move was seen by many as a minor coup for Yahoo, which is competing with Google and Microsoft to win the loyalty of a growing number of mobile Internet users. Others noted that mobile search is in its infancy and said the field is still wide-open.

Complete article.

McAfee Top 10 Predictions for 2008 Security Threats

McAfee Avert Labs
Top 10 Threat Predictions for 2008
http://www.mcafee.com/

1. Adware on the Decline
2. Botnets Piggyback on Storm’s Success
3. Crimeware and Phishing Move on to Secondary Targets
4. Instant Malware: A Different Kind of IM
5. Parasitic Crimeware Takes Root
6. Virtual Threat Growth to Outpace Real-World Growth
7. Virtualization Radically Changes Security
8. Windows Vista Joins the Party
9. VoIP Attacks Speak Up
10. Web 2.0: Interactivity Yields More Productive Malware

Here's the link to the 9 page .pdf report.

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It's scary out there... (oh, and, this is NOT an endorsement of their products!)

Starbucks Expands Wi-Fi Capabilities

Cool Beans: Starbucks Expands Wi-Fi Capabilities

(A new deal with AT&T broadband and business customers)

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008, 09:12 AM ET

From SmallBizResource Blog -- Mobility

Sweeter than two squirts of sugar-free vanilla syrup in my grande nonfat cappuccino, Starbucks will offer Wi-Fi in more locations courtesy of a new deal with AT&T.

Beginning this spring, the Seattle-based Caffeine King will begin rolling out AT&T's wireless broadband service to more than 7,000 of its locations across the country. Starbucks Card holders are entitled to two hours of free Wi-Fi per day, while "qualifying" AT&T broadband and Internet customers get a total free pass. Ditto for AT&T business customers. The rest of the java-drinking population can pay for two-hour installments ($3.99) or for monthly access ($19.99).

"Our new relationship with AT&T gives us the opportunity to expand and enhance the range of digital entertainment experiences for our customers as well as our partners, including the continued rollout of the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at Starbucks," said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment, in this statement.

For those of us already using T-Mobile, no worries: We can continue doing so at no extra cost.

Here's the posting.

Clarity Sought on Electronics Searches: US Agents Seize Travelers' Devices

Clarity Sought on Electronics Searches
U.S. Agents Seize Travelers' Devices

By Ellen NakashimaWashington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 7, 2008; Page A01

Nabila Mango, a therapist and a U.S. citizen who has lived in the country since 1965, had just flown in from Jordan last December when, she said, she was detained at customs and her cellphone was taken from her purse. Her daughter, waiting outside San Francisco International Airport, tried repeatedly to call her during the hour and a half she was questioned. But after her phone was returned, Mango saw that records of her daughter's calls had been erased.

A few months earlier in the same airport, a tech engineer returning from a business trip to London objected when a federal agent asked him to type his password into his laptop computer. "This laptop doesn't belong to me," he remembers protesting. "It belongs to my company."

Eventually, he agreed to log on and stood by as the officer copied the Web sites he had visited, said the engineer, a U.S. citizen who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of calling attention to himself.

Maria Udy, a marketing executive with a global travel management firm in Bethesda, said her company laptop was seized by a federal agent as she was flying from Dulles International Airport to London in December 2006. Udy, a British citizen, said the agent told her he had "a security concern" with her. "I was basically given the option of handing over my laptop or not getting on that flight," she said.

The seizure of electronics at U.S. borders has prompted protests from travelers who say they now weigh the risk of traveling with sensitive or personal information on their laptops, cameras or cellphones. In some cases, companies have altered their policies to require employees to safeguard corporate secrets by clearing laptop hard drives before international travel.

Today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Asian Law Caucus, two civil liberties groups in San Francisco, plan to file a lawsuit to force the government to disclose its policies on border searches, including which rules govern the seizing and copying of the contents of electronic devices. They also want to know the boundaries for asking travelers about their political views, religious practices and other activities potentially protected by the First Amendment. The question of whether border agents have a right to search electronic devices at all without suspicion of a crime is already under review in the federal courts.

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Certainly travelers and employers need to be aware of this. Entire article here.

Blackberry Outage: Monday afternoon

BlackBerry Blackout Strands Users
Failure Was Second In Less Than a Year

The afternoon service failure yesterday was the second in less than a year for Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry mobile device and operator of its e-mail server. Phone services were not affected, a Sprint spokesman said. (By Manu Fernandez -- Associated Press)

By Cecilia Kang
Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, February 12, 2008; Page D01

As the doors closed on the Metrorail train he was riding home from work yesterday, ABC News senior political reporter Rick Klein reached for his BlackBerry to encounter his worst nightmare: no new e-mails.

Earlier, Klein had been getting hundreds of e-mails an hour for his political blog "The Note" in preparation for today's Potomac Primary. But like millions of BlackBerry users across the country, he was caught up in an afternoon blackout that lasted for more than three hours.
For Klein, being cut off from e-mail, even during his half-hour commute to his home on Capitol Hill, seemed intolerable.

"It was like being underwater without an oxygen tank. It felt like every minute was an hour," Klein said.
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Dramatic yes, but it's true... when you come to rely on email communication from your Blackberry, when it doesn't work, it's like being up that creek without that paddle...

Here's the complete Washington Post article.

Toshiba R500 vs MacBook Air

OK, it's not just me, Toshiba is showing how their Portege R500 blows the MacBook Air outta the water...

From PC World article.

"Toshiba plans to put a polite boot into Apple's hyped Macbook Air with a new version of its Portégé R500 notebook featuring built-in 3G mobile broadband." Entire article.

MacBook Air, forget it, get the Toshiba Portege R500!

Seriously, the Toshiba Portege R500 is under 2 lbs, 12.1 screen, built-in DVD player, 3 usb ports, bluetooth, wireless n, a network connection, SD card reader, PC card slot, etc. 10 hour battery life, yup 10 hours.

On a practical tip, the Toshiba R500 truly is a business-class laptop. It's not all that fast but it has everything you need built-in. Why would anyone get a MacBook Air? I guess if you need a toy but don't need to do any work...

Neither is cheap!

Blackberry software update: Lots 'o updates

From pcmag.com posting
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What the BlackBerry Update Means for You
02.01.08
by Sascha Segan

BlackBerry owners rejoice! The upcoming BlackBerry 4.5 software will vault your Pearls and Curves into the top ranks of multimedia devices. We got RIM to explain, model by model and server by server, what the new software will give existing BlackBerry owners. (Version 4.5 used to be called 4.3.1, if you're really plumbed into the BlackBerry landscape.)

There's a lot of awesome stuff here, with multimedia streaming support, Microsoft Office document editing and HTML e-mail support at the fore. We're still waiting for RIM to tune up its Web browser, though—it's falling behind the options available on Windows Mobile, Symbian, and the iPhone.

Some of the new features are handheld-only; some require server upgrades. If you're on BlackBerry Enterprise Server, your IT department will need to upgrade; if you're on BlackBerry Internet Service, you'll need to wait a few months for your carrier to upgrade. I've marked server features with an (S), and handheld features with an (H) to show what you'll be able to do immediately.

Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and Alltel all confirmed that you'll be able to upgrade existing BlackBerries to the new software. We're still waiting for word from T-Mobile. The software will arrive within a few months, but the carriers and RIM aren't being any more specific than that.
Here's the scoop by model number.

If you have a BlackBerry Pearl 8100 or BlackBerry 8800, you'll get:

• Spell check (H)• BlackBerry Maps with Points of Interest (H)• Improved media player with playlist support and automatic playlist generation (H) • Voice note recording (H)• Streaming support for YouTube and Sling Player (H)• Bluetooth stereo music (H)• Microsoft Office document editing with DocumentsToGo (H)• Native format attachment downloading (S) • HTML e-mails (S)• Over-the-air device upgrades (S)• Free/busy calendar lookup (S)• Searching the server for old e-mail messages (S)

If you have a BlackBerry Pearl 8130, you'll get:

• Automatic playlist generation in the media player (H)• Microsoft Office document editing with DocumentsToGo (H)• Native format attachment downloading (S) • HTML e-mails (S) • Over-the-air device upgrades (S) • Free/busy calendar lookup (S)• Searching the server for old e-mail messages (S)

If you have any BlackBerry Curve or the BlackBerry 8820 or 8830, you'll get:

• BlackBerry Maps with Points of Interest (H) • Improved media player with playlist support and automatic playlist generation (H) • Voice note recording (H) • Video recording on Curve models (H) • Streaming support for YouTube and Sling Player (H)• Microsoft Office document editing with DocumentsToGo (H)• Native format attachment downloading (S)• HTML e-mails (S)• Over-the-air device upgrades (S) • Free/busy calendar lookup (S) • Searching the server for old e-mail messages (S)

If you have a BlackBerry 8700 or 8703e, you'll get:

• Spell check (H) • BlackBerry Maps with Points of Interest (H) • New pictures and ringtones applications (H)• Voice note recording (H) • Microsoft Office document editing with DocumentsToGo (H)• Native format attachment downloading (S) • HTML e-mails (S) • Over-the-air device upgrades (S) • Free/busy calendar lookup (S) • Searching the server for old e-mail messages (S)

If you have an older BlackBerry, maybe it's time to upgrade!

Mentioned in this roundup:

BlackBerry 8100 – The original BlackBerry Pearl is still on sale from T-Mobile. The Pearl's SureType keypad is easier and more accurate than texting, but takes up less room than a full QWERTY keyboard.

BlackBerry 8130 – The "Pearl 2," for Verizon and Sprint, adds a 2-megapixel camera and music and video players to the slim Pearl form factor.

BlackBerry 8700 – The 8800's predecessor as a business-class BlackBerry isn't quite as sleek, but it has a keyboard with separated keys that many people like more.

BlackBerry 8703e – This high-speed BlackBerry for Sprint and Verizon combines an easy-to-use separated keyboard with a business-friendly lack of camera.

BlackBerry 8310 – AT&T's BlackBerry Curve has lots of multimedia verve, GPS, and a camera, but no Wi-Fi.

BlackBerry 8320 – T-Mobile's Curve, on the other hand, has Wi-Fi and a camera, but no GPS. We like it because you can make unlimited voice calls over Wi-Fi networks with T-Mobile's Hotspot@Home plan.

BlackBerry 8800 – T-Mobile's BlackBerry 8800 is all business, with a bright screen, GPS, and the usual excellent BlackBerry E-mail.

BlackBerry 8820 – AT&T's business-class BlackBerry adds Wi-Fi, which speeds up Internet browsing but doesn't let you make voice calls over home networks.

BlackBerry 8830 – Sprint and Verizon give road warriors this truly global BlackBerry model, one of the few Sprint/Verizon phones to roam to Europe and parts of Asia

Vista's First Service Pack Will Hit In March

Vista's First Service Pack Will Hit In March
Bug fixes, network transfer speed improvements
11:08AM Monday Feb 04 2008 by Karl

As rumors predicted, Microsoft today officially announced the March release of Windows Vista Service Pack One, which the company hopes will fix many of the annoyances that have made the OS launch rocky. According to an official Microsoft blog post by Mike Nash, network file transfer speed should be substantially improved:

SP1 also includes changes focused on improving the performance of Windows Vista in areas that impact the customer experience the most. For instance, with SP1, copying or moving files around your PC, your home network or your corporate network should now be much faster -- up to 50% faster in some scenarios (according to our internal tests). In addition, on many kinds of hardware, resuming a Windows Vista-based PC from sleep is faster on Service Pack 1.

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With this news, Vista should be good to purchase by April, as a guess... we'll see...