Computer Tips -Tech Info

Sunbelt has this warning about yet another fake security site. This one is laid out a bit different than the others we’ve seen in recent days. It’s not quite the same spoof of the Windows Security Center, but it makes use of Microsoft’s security logo. (And it does say Security Center at the top of […]

Beta news is reporting that Internet Explorer 7 will use the same Icon for RSS feeds that Firefox currently uses. What’s more they say they’ll continue to work with Mozilla on consistency between the browsers….. All right, I’m going to be watching for the pigs flying next. No, seriously it’s great to see Microsoft warming […]

I had someone call and start by saying she bet me a dollar I’d never heard of this before…. She said she was doing something (adjusting font size?) and all of a sudden everything on her screen went upside down and nothing will bring it back. I’ve actually heard this before, not too long ago […]

I’m writing this from the laptop. Having run Mandriva 2006 without any real significant bumps for a couple weeks I’ve come to a point where I’m ready to take the plunge on the desktop. The desktop is my primary workstation. The laptop get’s occasional light use and is the one I’m more likely to play […]

This is the first in a several part series documenting the cleaning of an infected PC. The only real noteworthy item is that it was a dial-up only connection and was rather infested for that. (On par with some of the broadband connected pc’s I’ve seen. It’s also an interesting counterpoint to the network security […]

Do I really need a hardware firewall? I’m running XP Service Pack 2 with the built in firewall? (or norton, or zonealarm?) Well, personal firewalls (the name that software firewalls go by) are good for a great many things that hardware firewalls AREN’T. They do have their limitations though and I’ll try to cover those […]

When I saw a story on incidents.org with the title PCI Compliance, I wondered what SANS was doing covering a hardware standard…. oops. PCI in this case means Payment Card Industry. It turns out that Sams Club has had a security breech that has exposed customers credit card information. The data seems to have been […]

I saw this earlier today, but had thought it was an issue already covered (just before Thanksgiving there was an opera security update I think.) Anyway… Secunia has an advisory on a security vulnerability in the Opera Web browser. Users are encouraged to upgrade to v. 8.51. The SecurityFix has the story. Download link here […]

For a long time I really disliked seeing USB network adapters. The main reason is the performance. USB 1 can only do ~ 12Mbps which compared to a 10/100 ethernet controller “significantly limits your ability to do more than 10…” Even USB 2 supports 480 Mbps which should give you the ability to get full […]

Sans has the tip that information on the critical Windows updates expected tomorrow from Microsoft has started to be released. MS 05-54: Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer This will hopefully patch the javascript issues… MS 05-55: Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege.    Send article as PDF