Help Support my Blog!

Virgin Mobile USA
Glasses USA
Amazon
Newegg
VPN4ALL
Netflix
Hulu
CafePress

 

Subscribe to Paul’s Tech Talk Affiliate Marketing Blog

Subscribe to Paul’s Tech Talk Science Fiction Blog

Subscribe to Paul’s Tech Talk Scams Blog

  • Acer 11.6
    Acer 11.6" Laptop 2GB 16GB | C710-2856
    Acer

    Currently  in process review this Acer Chrome book and boy is it nice!

Navigation
Sponsors

Entries in download (42)

Friday
Sep042009

List of Fake Antivirus Sites for Aug 5, 2009

Internet Antivirus Pro


Today has been really busy for the malware authors out there and I intend to update you on all the sites that are what I call scareware sites.


[intlink id="4217" type="post"]Internet Antivirus Pro Scareware[/intlink] sites: [ad]




  • alectr.info

  • cality.info

  • diffus.info

  • dictor.info

  • upwize.info


[intlink id="4403" type="post"]Personal Antivirus -- Download SUPERAntiSpyware[/intlink] (Database Version 4047 or later):

  • bestscanantispywarev3.com

  • best-virus-scanner6.com

  • clean-all-spyware07.com


[intlink id="1837" type="post"]Antivirus System Pro Scareware Sites[/intlink]:

(SuperAntiSpyware removes it with Database Version 4053 or later)

  • osawarepro.com


[intlink id="3977" type="post"]Rogue Antivirus scareware sites[/intlink]:

  • antivirus-xp.awardspace.us

  • vrenutredo.com

  • hustlerscanner.com (fake Scanner Page)

  • go-scansystem.com

  • ultrapc-scan.com (Fake Scanner page)

  • scanonline-protect.net

  • checkvirus-zone.net

  • scantoolsite.com

  • scan-secure.net





[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend]

[rating:4/5]

[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend1]

[ad#SUPERAntiSpyware]

Wednesday
Sep022009

List of Fake Antivirus Sites for Sept 3, 2009

personalantivirus3


Looks like they have been at it again here is the list for Thursday:

[intlink id="4403" type="post"]Personal Antivirus -- Download SUPERAntiSpyware[/intlink] (Database Version 4047):

  • worldbestonlinescanner.com

  • worldbestonlinescanner2.com

  • best-antivirus3.com

  • worldbestonlinescan9.com

  • worldbestonlinescanner2.com

  • antivirusonlinescan6.com

  • hqvirusscanner.com


[intlink id="3977" type="post"]Rogue Antivirus scareware sites[/intlink]: [ad]

  • securitytoolworld.com

  • searchpcguard.net

  • scansystem-online.net

  • search-protect.net

  • myprotected-zone.net

  • system-guard.com

  • antivirusfilter-zone.com

  • scan-virus.net


[intlink id="4217" type="post"]Internet Antivirus Pro Scareware[/intlink]:

  • droope.info

  • faites.info

  • tented.info

  • sallut.info

  • onclew.info

  • numben.info


[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend]

[rating:4/5]

[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend1]

[ad#SUPERAntiSpyware]
Thursday
Aug202009

List of Malware sites for Aug 21, 2009

personalantivirus3


It has been kinda busy today for the Antivirus scareware sites but here they are.


[intlink id="3607" type="post"]Personal Antivirus Scareware Site[/intlink]:




  • check-for-malwarev3.com

  • safeonlinescannerv4.com


[intlink id="4217" type="post"]Internet Antivirus Pro Scareware[/intlink]:

  • fatuus.info


[intlink id="3977" type="post"]Rogue Antivirus scareware sites[/intlink]:

  • antivirusplus2010.com

  • mybestantivirusplus.com

  • internetantivirusplus.com

  • antivirusplus09.com

  • antivirus-plus-now.com

  • yesantivirusplus.com

  • goodantivirusplus.com

  • i-antivirusplus.com

  • nextantivirusplus.com

  • antivirusplus-ok.com

  • getavplusnow.com

  • antivirusplusnow.com

  • getantivirusplusnow.com

  • realantivirusplus09.com

  • freeantivirusplus09.com

  • addedantivirusstore.com

  • addedantivirusonline.com

  • myplusantiviruspro.com

  • yourcountedantivirus.com

  • easyaddedantivirus.com

  • addedantiviruslive.com

  • addedantiviruspro.com



[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend]

[rating:4/5]

[ad#Scarewaresitesrecommend1]

[ad#SUPERAntiSpyware]

Tuesday
Aug042009

List of Rogue Antivirus sites August 4, 2009

personalantivirus3



Looks like they have more Fake Antivirus sites up and running so I thought I would pass them along:




  • basicsystemscanner.com ([intlink id="3607" type="post"]Personal Antivirus Scareware[/intlink])

  • checkmypcantivirus.com ([intlink id="3607" type="post"]Personal Antivirus Scareware[/intlink])

  • onlineproantivirusscanner.com ([intlink id="3607" type="post"]Personal Antivirus Scareware[/intlink])

  • online-pro-antivirus-scan.com ([intlink id="3607" type="post"]Personal Antivirus Scareware[/intlink])

  • secure-pro.cn (Fake Windows Security Messages)

  • bodyscanguide.com (Fake Windows Security Messages)

  • bestsecuredpcs.com (Fake Windows Security Messages)

  • somesecuritypc.com (Rogue Exploit Antivirus Scanner)

  • scanwebtech.com (Rogue Exploit Antivirus Scanner)

  • bisquva.cn (Rogue Antivirus)

  • pc-anti-spyware-20-10.com (Like [intlink id="3977" type="post"]Home Antivirus 2010[/intlink])

  • pcantispyware2010.com(Like [intlink id="3977" type="post"]Home Antivirus 2010[/intlink])

  • spywaredisplay.com (Rogue AntiSpyware)

  • spywaremonitoring.com (Rogue AntiSpyware)

  • spywareremovalhelp.net (Rogue AntiSpyware)

  • antispywarefile.com (Rogue AntiSpyware)


These sites try to get you to install software or get you to buy pay for some fake software.   If you keep getting popups from these guys then you have some kind Trojan acting like it is a real Antivirus or Antispyware.  I recommend getting rid of those annoying little warnings and redirects.   Some of these are actually Web Browser redirects, others try to scare you into downloading or buying their product.   You should never download or buy anything from a site you don't know anything about.

Some common tricks are Popups, warnings, Toolbar shield, and also a fake web page scanning screen.

Threat to System : Moderate



[rating:4/5]





Advice : Do a Complete system scan and make sure you don't have any more hidden malware.



I recommend :

[ad#SUPERAntiSpyware]
Monday
Jun292009

A-Squared Emergency USB Stick - Portable Antivirus Kit



[gallery link="file" order="DESC" columns="2"]

IT Security warfare is an interesting domain. It is a never ending race between the security software developers and malware writers. And since the security software always act after the development of the malware, they are always behind in this race.

But this fact poses a serious threat to the security of your system as a user. If you are not careful and regularly updating your antivirus applications, you might be late, and if the malware might get a chance to get the entry to your system, it can play havoc there.

Today’s Intelligent Malware…


Today’s malware are much more intelligent than their predecessors. They not only do the damage intended by their developers, but also make it difficult for security software to identify them. They try to disable your antivirus applications, they modify your system files so that you are not able to access the security software websites and forums, they hijack your browser homepages, they disable the update procedure of your security software and use all such tricks, which make their detection difficult.

What is the Solution?


In a such a situation, you need a security tool, which remains aloof from your system and can be used as and when required. A-Squared Emergency USB Stick is one such portable tool, which can be used in such a situation.
A-Squared Emergency USB Stick is a combination of two free security tools from the reputed security vendor EMSI. These tools are…

A-squared Free:


[ad]With a-squared Free you have got the powerful a-squared Scanner including graphical user interface. Search the infected PC for Trojans, Spyware, Adware, Worms, Dialers, Keyloggers and other malign programs.

a-squared Command line Scanner:


This scanner contains the same functionality as a-squared Free but without a graphical user interface. The command line tool is made for professional users and can be used perfectly for batch jobs

You can download this and save it in your USB Flash Drive. In some unfortunate instance, when the security software installed in your system is not able to detect any malware, and the malware damages your system files, then there are chances that this USB stick remains protected, because it may not have been inserted in your computer at the time when the malware has been doing its job.

Once you are aware about the presence of the malware, you can try to use this portable antivirus kit to clean your system. The command line tool coming with this portable antivirus toolkit is especially useful because many of the present day malware can potentially disable the GUI interface of the popular security software.

[Download A-Squared Emergency USB Stick]

[This is a Guest Post from Silki Garg, who enjoys writing about Internet and PC Security Issues. Check out her latest articles on ClamWin Portable Virus Remover and Windows Security Options Tool WinPatrol.]

Friday
Jun192009

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie Spreads Malware

It seems in anticipation of the release of Half Blood Prince the Malware authors are starting to send for the movie. For example:

harrypotterblogspotfake
As you can see they really try to fool you into think your are going to be able to watch it for free.    They even put it the movie poster to try to get you to click that link. It is on a blogspot page and has a few Google followers, which I am amazed at because what I have found it.   If you were to click that play link (usa-top-news.info) it will redirect your to (world-news-scandals.com) and then to the final destination (tubes-portal.com). Each site is surprisingly in the US and tries to look like it is a real site. It sends you a file called streamviewer.40018.exe, which I am surprised AVG hasn't picked this up so I went to see if this was a virus and Virustotal showed me this:harrypotterblogspotfake1

[ad]Very few actually detect this trojan downloader even [intlink id="2205" type="page"]AVG[/intlink] hasn't detected this as being malware.   So you best bet is not try to go watch it early because 9 times out of 10 it will be a virus.  You also should know that there are even some links in Digg.com and other popular websites that are promoting this. The top rated sites are what I call Google Juice to put the blog spot website onto the first page of Google. So you should install a good [intlink id="2205" type="page"]Anti-virus software and Firewall[/intlink]. I also believe this will be coming out on DVD in December according to my sources this movie has been ready for quite some time and they are anxious to have it ready for Christmas so you won't have to wait long to see it. Afterall they have had this movie ready since last Year.


This seems to be like the [intlink id="3448" type="post"]Fake Codecs[/intlink], I have talked about.   In order to see this you have to install this software to view this movie.   I don't even know if it is a true movie but I do expect in the coming weeks to days there will be even more Fake Sites like this trying to promote watching it for Free.  Thank goodness [intlink id="3385" type="post"]we don''t have to worry about Zango anymore[/intlink]. Nothing in life comes free, so be on your guard.  Only you can prevent virus infections on your system.

Sunday
Mar222009

Are You and Your Friends Fine -- Virus Spam

Logged into my Google Email and was checking my spam to see what I see and this one draws my attention:

virusspam

I think I know where this is leading me but I click the link and this website with the Reuters logo pops up:

fakesvideo

Now as you can tell this looks authentic but when I did go to this site, AVG detected some trojan.  It blocked it, but  the file that it is downloaded called "save.exe" and I have talked about [intlink id="2991" type="post" target="_blank"]flash player fake updates[/intlink].  I have seen other blogs talking about dirty bomb news report leads to malware.  I don't know about you but if I wanted to update my flash player, I go to the source and not use any links.  It is wise not to download any programs or files and run them without properly checking them out for viruses and Trojans.  You should have a fiewall and anti-virus running at all times and that will help but it is your actions that help your prevent from getting viruses or Trojans.
Saturday
Mar142009

Malicious Spammers target Bank of America

I've saw two different security firms talking about Bank of America and I wanted to share with you:

Fake Bank Of America SitePicture from F-secure


[ad#cricket-right-ez]The two sites are F-secure and Pandalabs who are talking about Bank of America and how they try to get you to install malware.  With Adobe having just sent out the new updates last month it looks like spammers are using this to get people to install Malware.


It is also been known to be floating around in Facebook this spam.  So if you get a link going to a site you don't know about to see a video and it says you need a codec or the Adobe update you should turn right around and leave site. You should always type in the url of Your Bank and not go there through links.


From what they are saying it monitors Network traffic and Steals ICQ, POP3, and IMAP passwords.  If you find network traffic going to Hong Kong IP, then it is time to check to make sure all your Virus definitions are up to date and you've installed an Anti-virus and Firewall.  I would encourage  users to report it to Phishtank so that any other unsuspecting user or person going to that site will be warned.

Monday
Mar092009

Fake Emails about Windows Support spam!

According to Trend Micro, Some malicious software is being sent to unsuspecting users about Windows SP1 andSP2 having a error that could damage software or even hardware.  See Trends blog with the photos of the fake spam.

[ad#ad2-right]Although from time to time Microsoft does send out security information to Technet subscribers people have also used this in the past to get people to install Viruses and Malware, like this one that installs TSPY_BANKER.MCL. TSPY_BANKER.MCL monitors the affected user’s online transactions and steals banking related information




Microsoft sends e-mail messages to subscribers of our security communications when we release information about a security software update or security incident. Unfortunately, malicious individuals can and have sent fake security communications that appear to be from Microsoft.


[Via Microsoft]



So if you get an email from Microsoft you'll probably want to delete it.  Any Microsoft communications will be sent from the Update center.  You should never install software that is from an untrusted website.    If you are concerned you should check the web and find out what people are saying about the situation and see if it is a scam or true!!  Remember only you can prevent a virus or Malware!

Thursday
Mar052009

I hate Snopes Spam

As you know Snopes is used to find out about urban Legend and Rumors:

I received a Virus alert from my RSS feed about Email virus warning.  It even adds a Snope URL.  The Author just copies and pasted the virus warning into the blog without even going to Snopes.
[ad#ad2-right]
According to Snopes and I'll quote:
Although the Postcard virus is real, it isn't a "BIG VIRUS COMING" (it's already been around in multiple forms for a long time now), it will not "burn the whole hard disc" of your computer, CNN didn't classify it as the "worst virus" ever, and it doesn't arrive in messages bearing a subject line of 'Invitation.'

[Via Snopes]

Now as you can tell the link described in the blog post was "http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp". If you went there, you'd have seen this as a not really true and some parts of this might be but that part about burning your Hard drive or even consider the Worst virus isn't true.

Some things you need to consider before forwarding anything is:

  • Is it completely True?

  • Is it Legitimate?  (True blown warning about something like a product recall  or something important like that)

  • Does it Say to Forward? (if so it is probably not wise)

  • is it from a Friend (If so you might want to remind the friend nicely that it isn't nice to send spam)


If you follow some of these suggestions you'll be making the Internet a far better place for everyone.  Remember if you don't know, it's time to learn.  if you do know, it is time to teach.  These are the fundamental aspects of using the internet the right way.  Also if it is a fake virus warning you should tell them to get a Free Anti-virus and Firewall to better protect them.  Also  remind them that if they keep their system updated then they shouldn't be too worried.  Remember only you can prevent a Computer Virus and it's up to you keep your system up to date.
Tuesday
Mar032009

Cracking and Warez sites are Host of Trouble!!

It is nothing to laugh at and should be understood that gamers have no freedom right now.   That said this new Variant to Virux Trojan is in regards to Win32/Vitro Trojan.  It seems tobe infecting .exe and .Scr files just like this.

According to Trend Micro:
[ad#ad2-right]
The downloaded malware include variants under the FAKEAV, TDSS, and VUNDO families. Infection chains, however, are notable for the presence of VIRUT and VIRUX malware. VIRUX and VIRUT attacks were initially about the volume of infected PCs. The numbers are massive enough to worry Web users and security researchers: around 20,000 PCs are infected per day
Read more: "Crack Sites Distribute VIRUX and FakeAV"

Now it seems to be more and more sites with getting computer infected. It also seems the Malware writers are using these servers for helping infect essentially gamers computers. So for the time being, if you have a favorite game and you want to:

  • No-CD Crack (This is good for those who want to play the game without the CD)

  • Key Gen Cracks (This is used for pirated version of a game)

  • Update Cracks (This is used to prevent CD checking or Also prevent Version Checking)

  • Game Cheats (This is usually a small program like a bot or some other way for the gamer to cheat)


And should not be Downloaded or USED!! I don't say that lightly, because Gamers feel they should be able to play any game they want. Although this post will probably make the Gamer developers happy, I do this to tell people that these virus writers are using the gamers to distribute the Virus.   I encourage all the gamers out there, that don't want to loose their games to not download any more of these types of cracks.  It seems the virus writers are wanting to infect systems and slow you down.  You don't want to slowed down do you?  Please consider getting a Firewall and a Free Anti-virus software to better protect your system.
Thursday
Feb192009

PolyMorphic Win32:Vitro Most Viraulent Virus

This seems to be an virus that is getting some people hit hard.   I wanted to blog about this because of the nature of Virus and Trojans.   I have read reports that this might be from Online Movies, and I have to say this is one reason why you must stay away from certain online movies.  I am going to take a guess that this virus requires a special CODEC, and you downloaded it and installed it.  It Could also be the update the Adobe Flash player idea to but still results in getting the Virus.

As I said before you take a risk when you go to sites you don't trust or know anything about.   You also should know that if you need a "SPECIAL" codec, you should just go on to another site.  These sites that claim they need this special codec means only one thing they want to install something without your Knowledge.

So what is this Virus:


The Virut family of viruses uses polymorphism to hide from all anti-virus protection, it infects executable files. File infection makes it very hard to repair a system that has been infected. W32/Vitro injects code in running processes and hooks the following functions in ntdll.dll which transfers control to the virus every time any of these function calls are made.

* NtCreateFile
* NtCreateProcess
* NtCreateProcessEx
* NtOpenFile
* NtQueryInformationProcess

[via Avast Forums]

After you get this very bad Virus you are done for.  You would need to install the Operating system from backups or even start a new.   This seems to be building this week and there isn't much you can do once your infected.  I do recommend a good Anti-virus and Firewall but that wouldn't fix the problem right now.  You will need to pull your backups out and start the process.  I suggest a complete wipe and then do the Restoring the backups.  This little virus likes to infect any .EXE it can so just restoring the Windows Directory will not help.  Remember only you can prevent from getting infected.
Tuesday
Feb172009

Zero Day For IE7 Being used in the wild.

It looks like IE7 patches are being used right now in the wild.  According to TrendMicro:
HTML_DLOADER.AS exploits the CVE-2009-0075 vulnerability, which is already addressed by the MS09-002 security patch released last week. On an unpatched system though, successful exploitation by HTML_DLOADER.AS downloads a backdoor detected as BKDR_AGENT.XZMS.


How the IE7 Exploits are being used


[Image from TrendMicro Blog]

[ad#ad2-right]As you can see this this can be very bad for the companies who wait a while.  Internet Explorer is still being used 1 out of 4 users and I see it it all the time on my stats.   The Good news is this isn't as hard to get rid as the Conflicker but should be taken serious because the writers might start to want to get even more malicious and make it even harder.

This is the next step to prevent yourself from getting caught with your pants down so to speak, you need to patch all systems that have internet access.  I still like the Autopatcher because it will do the job with very little input from the user.   It also makes it easier for people to patch big systems.  You should also consider installing some Free Anti-virus software to help protect the systems you do have.

From the looks of this virus, someone could easily make this into a botnet and you know how that can could affect your systems and your ISP.  So it is best to get this months patches on the floor of your company as soon as possible.

You should also consider telling your users to start using Firefox to prevent infection from even happening. Until you patch, you are vulnerable.
Monday
Feb092009

Internet Security Companies Warn about Patch Tuesday and Valentines Day.

With Tomorrow being released some very highly rated Remote Code Execution to become Zero day in very short time. Some researchers are speculating about more viruses will be released in conjunction to Valentines day. According to this one post it will be likely to be E-cards being sent to try to lure you into downloading Malware.
[ad#ad2-right]
Various security vendors, including CA Inc, MX Logic Inc., Trend Micro Inc., and Panda Security, have issued alerts about new Valentine’s Day-themed spam campaigns that try to dupe users into installing the Waledec bot.

Researchers note that many websites which are affiliated to Waledac e-card scam have been recently updated with content based on the Valentine's Day theme.

Web sites distribute Trojan files which are commonly named love.exe; onlyyou.exe; you.exe; youandme.exe; and meandyou.exe and the list is not exhaustive.
[Via Express Buzz]

So which ones will likely be the exploits they will use? I have a few theories on that and One of them is the INTERNET EXPLORER vulnerability that will be patched and will try to get you to launch the link and will most likely try to launch it in Internet explorer, That would be my guess.    It seems to be Internet Explorer 7 and Below which will be patched so if you want to try out the IE 8 Beta,  You should be safe on that.  Although the best bet is to prevent users from clicking links in emails and also warning them not to open any attachments they are not expecting.    I'd also have the AutoPatcher ready to install the lastest patches for this Tuesday and schedule a time this week to update all the possible systems involved with the Databases.  Although this isn't one that tries to steal your data it is however a chance the writers to look at what you have and you know how that can be call a data breach.   So if your the IT for the department I'd suggest sending out warnings so they can keep from being caught with their pants down.   I'd also suggest having Anti-Virus and free Firewall installed on all the major systems and it wouldn't hurt to have the installed on minor systems if at all possible.
Tuesday
Feb032009

Offline Update 5.0, Clone of Autopatcher to Some!!

Offline updater 5.0 has been released a couple months ago and I just realized it now.  This is an excellent tool for IT professionals who want to keep all your Systems up-to-date with the last patches from Microsoft.  The systems it supports are Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, And Windows Vista / Server 2008.(32 bit and 64 Bit updates).

ct-offline-update50


[ad#ad2-right]I find this a very useful program for people who have a multitude of problems, from not being able to get on the net to computer virus infections.  This is really good for big businesses that want to update a lot of systems in easy way without having to wait for downloads of updates to install.   You can take a DVD and update on the fly within Mins.   DVD being Cheap or buying them in bulk helps saves time and money for the company.   Less time spent downloading the updates and more time actually getting work done.  As with the Conflicker, Downadup, and to some the Conflickr Trojan, if you got infected with that little worm.  This would help install the updates that it prevented you from doing in the first place.  I also found that once you download do the update the files are kept on the hard drive so you no longer have to redownload them again.  You just update the updates every second Tuesday of the month and it downloads the newest patches and creates a whole new ISO for you to burn.
Q: How can I create the offline update CD images automate, for example via a "scheduled job"?
A: Create a new batch file in the "cmd", eg "DownloadUpdatesAndCreateISOImage.cmd". Add the desired calls of

"DownloadUpdates.cmd" and "CreateISOImage.cmd" with the necessary parameters in this new file. The file might for

example have the following contents:

@ echo off
call WXP download updates eng
call CreateISOImage WXP eng

Then set a "time-controlled contract" for the new script "DownloadUpdatesAndCreateISOImage.cmd" to your desired

time. For example, after each Microsoft Patchday create new images, select every second Wednesday of the month.

[Via The FAQ's Documentation (Translated Via Google)]

As you can see you can have it do a script and be ready for you in the morning.  You then just take it out of the drive and install where you need to install the day after the updates are issued. On another Note if you have clients who use Windows office Xp, 2000, 2003, 2007 then this will also help:

ct-offline-update50-1


This is nice if you have clients who use the Microsoft Office Suites also.  Some Malware will often try to infect people's systems through a office script or some other vector.   So this will also prevent infections or hackers from getting onto the system by updating this also.  You can have this added to each and every DVD ISO you make to include these as you update the patches also.

Download:
Thursday
Jan082009

Microsoft Keynote CES 2009



[ad#ad2-right]

Some Key topics talk about in this Keynotes are:


Windows 7 -- Lighter, Faster, and Reliability. Windows 7 Should boot quicker and faster, and enables cool new interface touch.

Windows 7 -- Beta will be available Worldwide on January 9, 2009 and will be available for download on MSDN and Technet.  Also it will be available at : http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7 For those who want to download it from Microsoft directly.

Windows Live Essentials -- Windows live Messenger, Mail, and Photo Gallery works with Windows XP, VISTA, and Windows 7. It is available for download worldwide. Dell will also be putting this on their consumer and small business computers.

Windows Mobile -- 11 Different Mobile phones.

Verizon Mobile --  Windows Live Search will be available through Verizon and it's a partnership with Microsoft.

Demo of Windows 7, Live, and Mobile:


Windows 7 will have Windows touch and be able to use net books with Windows 7.

Windows 7 has been designed with the Touch DNA in mind.

Windows Mobile demo with an Panoramic display.

Windows Live Demo --  Various things they discuss here including Photo's and Silver light.

Windows XBOX:

[ad#ad2-left]Halo Wars -- Strategy game and will Available February 28, 2009. The Bungie Will have a demo version February 5, 2009 and will be available for download.

Halo 3 ODST -- Will be available in the Fall of 2009. New Characters, new events and will be like Halo 3.

Various stuff about Xbox Live 360

These were just the main things that I thought was important to let people know what was mainly the important highlights of this keynote. I will recommend everyone to go and watch it for yourself, I am sure I've missed something that someone would consider very important and understand that. This however is a personal and will be different in everyone. I watched this and am excited and can't wait for windows 7 to be released so I can get my hands on this and see how it fairs with a Vista CPU and GPU. So only time will tell. I hope you enjoyed this little run down. Please feel free to leave a comment and talk about this or anything else in the Disqus community.
Monday
Dec292008

Panatech PX-500 PCMCIA Sprint EVDO BroadBand Card

[ad#tmi-right-1-1]The Pantech PX-500 wireless mobile broadband card for Sprint gives you data communication access for your PC laptop anywhere you roam on the Sprint network at faster speeds than ever before. EV-DO rev A compatibility gives you download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps and beefy upload speeds of up to 1.8 Mbps. Simple to use, the Pantech PX-500 wireless mobile broadband card lets you surf the Internet, send and receive email and text messages, and connect to corporate networks from just about anywhere.

Technical Specs:

  • Dimensions - 4.57 in x 2.13 in x 0.51 in

  • Weight - 1.8 oz

  • Data Download Speed - EV-DO rev A (Up to 3.1 Mbps Down/1.8 Mbps Up), EV-DO rev 0 (2.4 Mbps Down/153 Kbps Up), 1xRTT

  • Download Protocol - CDMA 850, 1900

  • Compatible Carrier - Sprint PCS

  • Network Compatibility - CDMA 850, 1900

  • 3G Data Speeds - Yes


Compatibility Features

  • Device Supports Data Plans - Yes

  • Available For Purchase Without Service Plan - Yes


Saw this card and did a little digging.  I looks like the newest updated software and drivers for this card can also make it Vista and Linux compatible.   Although with any card you will use up more battery life but it is a small price to pay to check email and surf the web. Also if you have an newer laptop or am about to upgrade I'd suggest Getting a Sierra Wireless Compass 597 USB Modem from Sprint! This is good for anyone who wants to surf the web and not have to buy the hardware to do it with.  Both are free to buy and ship with a two year contract. If in doubt please get the USB card that way you know you know you will be able to use it.
Monday
Dec222008

Understanding a Cellular Modems

So you bought a modem, and you're not getting the speed you expected.


Yep it is unavoidable to not get that broad band speed you expected from buying a Cellular Modem and you want to learn more about what can affect your upload/download speed on the modem.   Each carrier has there own specific speeds or usage.  We will go through each and everyone one them talking about the kinds of speeds:
    [ad#tmi-right-1]
  • EVDO -- is known as Evolution-Data Optimized and is most commonly around the major city areas. It is sometimes consider 3G and is considered the fastest in the industry. Although there are always going to be debates on who is the fastest, it really doesn't matter because of the limitations of the networks.

  • GPRS -- General Packet Radio Service and is also part of the 3G network but requires different frequency to acquire the signals from the tower. This is used in lower end of companies due to the fact it is easier to maintain than EVDO, but the speed is still comparable to all the other 3G family because of the interdependency of the connectivity.

  • WiMAX -- Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access and The technology provides up to 75 Mb/s symmetric broadband speed without the need for cables. The technology is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard (also called Broadband Wireless Access).


[ad#cricket-1-1]There are so many of them to talk but each of these can help you understand what the differences of these are and what do they mean.  My cellular modem is using EVDO from Cricket Wireless and have not had any major problems yet.   Others would use GPRS or WiMax or even the others, but it still is important in understanding each has its own speed and flaws.

So does it matter if I am I'm close to the tower?


In short yes but as long as you have a couple towers in the are it shouldn't really matter.  You should still get the speed you thought you were going to get when need it.

Is Cellular modems really Broad band?


In truthfulness the true broad band speed is actually FIOS and Cable right now because they can handle he download and upload speed.  Most companies consider broad band to be something faster than dial-up.

So How do you get better speeds?


Each network is different, it can vary from time to time due to network congestion or if they are having problems with the network.   Some things to consider when you are getting bad speeds are updating your modem in one way or another.   You might also consider checking out your area to find all the cellular towers are and to be able to direct the modem in the right way.  You can also try to purchase a cellular antenna to better get what speeds your looking for.  That might get you some better speeds than what you were getting.

These tips and tricks will better get your speeds up on your modem.   This should also help you understand the truth behind broad band.
Tuesday
Dec162008

Microsoft to Release KB961051 on the Dec 17, 2008

According to McAfee and I will quote:
December 16, 2008: Microsoft has announced an out-of-cycle patch release for a critical, remote-code-execution, vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer (CVE-2008-4844). The patch, to be released on December 17, will address the vulnerability across multiple versions on Internet Explorer running on supported Windows platforms.

[via McAfee Threat Center]

[ad#ad2-right]From what I am understanding it will be KB961051 and will be a critical update on all Windows platforms.  Microsoft issued a security advisory for this on there Technet support website.   This will probably be put online sometime tomorrow and will be available to download after 10am PST although this is just a rumor because when I go to that article they talk about the work around and how to fix it temporary until they release the patch.  This is releated to the IE Vulnerability that is in the wild and has been causing havok on the internet.
Monday
Dec152008

Tools for Virus Removal : The ones I like to use!

In this post I want to talk about virus removal tools that I like to use when I need to remove a virus.   Some thing to consider when using these tools are:

Each of these have to be dealt with differently because each requires something different.  Like rootkits if you have one installed and know that it is a rootkit you only options are to download some rootkit removers like:

  • Sopho's Anti-rootkit remover --  This is good for those more known viruses and can remove several types of rootkits.   This isn't the only one I use, but it is a part of group that does the rootkit removing for me.

  • Microsoft Rootkit Revealer --  This is good for proving there is a rootkit.  I've not seen it not detect a rootkit.  Most of the time when I find a rootkit from the other rootkit revealers this one actually dos better with information.

  • Panda Anti-Rootkit Remover -- This one is another one I use when the other ones can't remove it.  Each one does remove certain rootkit differently and works better than the other.

  • Aries Rootkit Remover from Lavasoft -- This is good for those really tough rootkits but have some great benefits for removing some of the really tough rootkits.


These are the ones that work well with me when it comes to removing the rootkits.  I've not had one of these to remove a rootkit but that depends on how you deal with the virus in the first place.  Now for Anti-spyware and Anti-Virus software here are some of the tools that I suggest:

  • Hijackthis -- Run it, and when you get the LOG file you will want to go to HijackThis Log Analysis Site 1 and HijackThis Log Analysis Site 2, and see what it says.  This is the best software because it will scan all of the registry and tells you like a wiki what might it be.

  • MSCONFIG -- Sometimes it is hidden but if you check through the MSCONFIG for any files that might not need to load. Also check the services tab and see if there is any services that may not be needed.

  • Pctools Antivirus Free Software -- This is a free software so what can I say.

  • AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5.503 -- This is another free one that can remove viruses really easily. Download this and you don't have to worry to much.

  • Avast Home Edition -- AVG does better than this one but people seem to like this so I have to add this for people who like this better than the others.

  • Clamwin Free Anti-virus -- This is a good one because this is open sourced and easily can help detect so many viruses. This is good for those people who like open sourced.


These are just  the ones that I like to recommend that does pretty good on removing the viruses but there are others that I recommend on my Malware Resources that people have recommend to me but I haven't tried them out yet.    Some of the Spyware and Adware removal and here are some of my favorites:

  • SuperAntispyware -- Easily remove pests such as WinFixer, SpyAxe, SpyFalcon, and thousands more! Repair broken Internet Connections, Desktops, Registry Editing and more with our unique Repair System.

  • Malwarebytes can provide the needed assistance to remove the infection and restore the machine back to optimum performance.

  • Ad-Aware — This is a very good tool to get rid of some of the most annoying little viruses that try to fool you that you have a virus.

  • Windows Security Trojan Scanner — a Free online scanner to let you see if you might have a Trojan.

  • SmitFraudFix — A great little program to get rid of those Desktop hijacks, those programs that take over your browser or other file system.


If your current antimalware software let an infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of SUPERAntiSpyware or Malwarebytes License to protect your computer in the future. SUPERAntiSpyware Professional or Malwarebytes License features highly advanced Real-Time Protection to ensure protection from installation or re-installation of potential threats as you surf the Internet (Both are trusted Vendors by CCSS Forums).

These are just a few that I like to use when it comes to fighting those virus programs and the people behind the virus programs.   If you consider how hard it is sometimes to recognize a virus, you can see the problem with some of the programs they can sometimes  say a file is a virus and delete it and the next thing you know it won't boot into Windows.  This is what needs to be considered whenever you see a warning on your system so you must be careful when you remove files.  You should always have backups that is what I always recommend because the likely hood of something terrible happening to your data.  You should come up with a way to back up your system every week like a sunday back or even a Monday while your at work backup.