What's New on this Web Site
Viruses and You
Windows Operating Systems
Spyware
Spam
 

WHAT'S NEW

The Virus Information page has been updated to include a selection of repair tools, more on this later.  While not up and running yet, I am working on a For Sale or Trade page where you can advertise items for sale.  There will be NO CHARGE for this service if you are a customer of Bits & Bytes others may be asked to pay a small fee.  I am working out the details and the programming required.  Ideally I want to set it up so that you can place the Ad directly on the screen.  Alternatively I may have to do that depending on the approach that works best.  Giving the public the ability to write to a web site is risky given all the hackers out there.

VIRUSES AND YOU

Virus continue to be a major threat and Klez is a particularly nasty one that has hit in a couple of variations.  One danger with Klez is that it will attempt to disable your Anti-Virus software!!!  Make sure that you have the latest DAT files downloaded and installed, and make sure the software is configured to intercept your mail.  Norton 2002 will also check your outbound mail so that you can be sure that you are not responsible for passing viruses on to someone else.

In the last newsletter I advised customers that it was now possible for messages and other information to be hidden inside graphics and sound files.  This process is called steganography and has been around for centuries because it is the ability to hide a message in another less obvious message. Now steganography is digital!! McAfee has already published a warning that hiding and transporting viruses in graphics files etc. is a very real threat. This warning was ridiculed by some as being premature and fear mongering.  I applaud McAfee for bringing this possibility to the attention of consumers.  Customers have already suffered enough at the hands of virus writers. I will tell you that at the present time there is no known occasion of viruses being successfully distributed in this fashion.  I will keep you advised.

Also in my last newsletter I reported that there were growing instances of infected files being downloaded from file sharing services such as Morpheus and Kazaa etc.  Well it appears that some idiots that use file sharing services have raised the ante and not only are they deliberately putting up virus infected files for download I have found instances of gags and hoaxes disguised as legitimate files causing panic to the users.  Be careful what you download from file sharing sites.

Keep checking my site weekly for updates and virus warnings or better still make my web-site your home page.

WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEMS

I continue to give a thumbs up to Windows XP.  It is definitely the most stable version of Microsoft's popular operating system yet.  I have completely migrated my system over to XP and a lot of little nuisances have completely disappeared.  I still have not yet tested "Remote Assistance" yet.  This is a feature whereby I can attempt a repair on your system without me having to come to your house.  I have encountered a couple of problems that are advanced in nature but the average user would not be doing those things that caused the problem.  e.g. I am having trouble migrating a system completely from one hard drive to another. 

One problem that I have come across a couple of times can be attributed to user error.  They have downloaded updated video drivers without verifying the exact model of their graphics card and ensuring the drivers are XP compatible.  My advice is if it ain't broke don't fix it.  This applies also to automatic updates.  Some people always download the latest update to windows in the belief that it is a better version.  That is not always the case.  Some fixes are for very specific and unique behaviours.  If you do not have the symptoms then you do not need the cure.

SPYWARE

Yes! That's right I said spyware.  There are growing incidents of manufacturers distributing software that includes other software that they may or may not tell you about.  This secondary software has the capability of transmitting information about your web and computer habits to a third party who uses the information for marketing purposes.  Of course there are even worse scenarios and that is where a third party obtains critical and confidential information about you for nefarious means such as credit card numbers etc.  Ever wonder where a company got your e-mail address from?  The odds are increasing that you sent it to them without your knowledge. For more information check out these links: http://www.spyware.co.uk/ , http://www.anti-spy.com/ ,   http://grc.com/optout.htm .

You can protect yourself however with programs for sale or free download that are designed to alert you to spyware and ads on your computer.  One company I recommend is Lavasoft who produce Ad-Aware. You can download a free trial from http://www.lavasoftUSA.com .

SPAM

Does your child have a Hotmail account or other free e-mail account?  Well recently I decided to conduct a little experiment.  I signed up for a Hotmail account which is free.  I did not do anything with that account, I did not give it out to anybody (I have no reason to as I already have several legitimate e-mail addresses which I use for a variety of purposes), I did not record it anywhere, I simply signed up.  Well the first 5 or 6 weeks nothing happened and most days there was no mail whatsoever.  I probably got less that 6 pieces of mail in those first few weeks. Now the account is about 3 months old and I get anywhere from 20 to 50 pieces of junk mail a day.  The break down is as follows:  35% of the mail was directing me to pornographic sites and contained explicit sexual material in the e-mail message itself and sometimes even pictures. Another 30% was trying to sell me products designed to improve my anatomy, performance or my wife's anatomy or performance.  Another 25% was trying to loan me money and the remainder were get rich quick schemes.  I HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED A LEGITIMATE PIECE OF MAIL.  Of course I shouldn't get legitimate mail as I have never given the address out. 

Why am I telling you this?  Simply because your child may be exposed to this type of communication WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE.  Talk to child and check when they are downloading their mail to see what kind of messages they are getting.  Consider giving them their e-mail address through your internet service provider.  Many ISP's allow you up to 5 unique e-mail addresses as part of the basic service others may charge a modest fee.  These e-mail addresses are not as prone to SPAM as the free ones found on the internet although over time as you give the address to more and more people you will unavoidably get some SPAM.  Another nifty trick is when you are downloading files from the internet.  Many software sites want your e-mail address before allowing you to download their software.  The answer - put in a fake address such amistupid@amistupid.com. As long as the format is correct most sites will accept the address and allow you to proceed to the download page.  Same with mailing addresses - create a false one if the site insists on having one.  These tricks will help minimise your real e-mail or home address getting on a mailing list.

HAVE A QUESTION?

Do you have a question you would like to see answered here or another feature?  Simply send me an e-mail by clicking on the e-mail button on the left.

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