Internet Internet http://www.sfetcu.com/taxonomy/term/507/atom/feed 2008-07-07T16:28:40-06:00 Mass-media: Election, the final countdown http://www.sfetcu.com/content/Mass-media-Election-final-countdown 2008-11-03T06:35:38-07:00 2008-11-03T06:35:38-07:00 nicolae Barack Obama - John McCain

The United States presidential election of 2008, scheduled for Tuesday November 4, 2008, will be the 56th consecutive quadrennial United States presidential election and will select the President and the Vice President of the United States. (Wikipedia)

]]> Barack Obama - John McCain

The United States presidential election of 2008, scheduled for Tuesday November 4, 2008, will be the 56th consecutive quadrennial United States presidential election and will select the President and the Vice President of the United States. (Wikipedia)

Presidential Candidates Make Appeals in Key States
Voice of America
By Mike O'Sullivan The major US presidential candidates are making last-minute appeals in hotly contested states in advance of Tuesday's election.

Senator John McCain on Saturday Night Live (NBC Photo / November 2 ...
Newsday
At this stage of the 2008 race for the White House, there had better be only one answer for a candidate this far behind in various state polls - battleground state polls included.

Fact Check: The myths that wouldn't go away
Newsweek
By CALVIN WOODWARD AP Writer | AP Each in his own way, John McCain and Barack Obama have produced enduring myths, amplified by their running mates and supporters.

BPD optimistic for peaceful Election Day
Boston Herald
By Jessica Van Sack / The Beat The most emotionally charged election in four decades has police departments in major cities across the country - Chicago, Detriot, Philadelphia and Oakland, Ca.

The Boss gives Obama a boost
Chicago Sun-Times
CLEVELAND -- Barack Obama, whose skills as a charismatic orator launched him on a path likely to make him president-elect Tuesday night, wound up Sunday with serial stemwinders in the battleground state of Ohio.

WSJ Poll: Obama's Lead Narrows; McCain Sees Hope Among Undecideds
FOXNews
Latest WSJ/NBC poll gives Obama a narrower 8-point lead over McCain heading into Election Day. By Laura Meckler and Jonathan Weisman, The Wall Street Journal Sen. Barack Obama enters Election Day with a solid, though narrowing, lead over Sen.

Voter 101: What You Need to Know on Election Day
ABC News
With the election just hours away, voters want to make sure they have everything in order so that their votes will count. Check out "Good Morning America's" voter guide, which answers several common voter questions.

Latest newspaper endorsements in presidential race
The Associated Press
Excerpts from recent newspaper endorsements of presidential candidates John McCain, a Republican, and Barack Obama, a Democrat. ___ The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette, for Republican John McCain: The United States and the world are on the brink of a major ...

McCain makes bid for big comeback
USA Today
By Carolyn Kaster, AP By Mark Stahl, AP By David Jackson, USA TODAY SCRANTON, Pa. - John McCain is sprinting to the Election Day finish line, telling supporters in "blue" Democratic states Sunday that he is the better bet to revive the economy and ...

Pennsylvania Republicans highlight Wright in last-minute ad
CNN International
Sen. John McCain: "We need a new direction, and we have to fight for it" (CNN) -- The Republican Party of Pennsylvania launched a last-minute television ad that calls attention to Barack Obama's relationship with the Rev.

Blogosphere:

Davis: Holdouts could tilt election - Jonathan Martin - Politico.com
Campaign manager seeks to put the best face on campaign's underdog position.

What To Do About Election-Day Mishaps
Tomorrow is Election Day: The campaign is over, and it is time to cast your ballot at last. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty. A poll worker may say you aren't registered. Your voting machine coul. ...

Keith Thomson: The Most Accurate Election Forecast? Hardcore Gamblers
Michael Robb, political expert for the British bookmaking site Betfair.com, lets the record speak for itself: Halfway through Election Day in 2004, when a CNN poll showed Kerry taking the lead, Betfair had Bush with a 91% chance to win. ...

WKSU News: Chinese students observe U.S. election in Ohio
The U.S. has sent observers to monitor elections in foreign countries for years. This year, thousands of international observers are in the U.S. to watch the presidential election. One is a group of Chinese journalism students from ...

HorsesAss.Org » Blog Archive » Election Scorecard
Now, after 100000 simulated elections, Obama wins ‘em all. Obama receives (on average) 366 to McCain’s 172 electoral votes—a gain of three votes for McCain since yesterday. The simulation results still suggest that Obama would win an ...

Election '08 – Could Dems sweep?
The reeling economy and Barack Obama’s lead in the polls for the presidency could be setting the stage for Democrats to take control at both the national and state levels for the first time in 16 years.

TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo | Election Central ...
After contemplating this for some time, I'd wager less than 1% of undecideds will tough out the long lines on election day and make it to the ballot box. There's no scientific basis for my assumption, however. ...

Election, Upcoming Economic Data Could Affect Dow's Wild Ride
Tuesday's presidential election could help erase some unknowns over how the power structure in Washington will affect investors, but pressing economic questions could ultimately shape the week. Reports due on manufacturing, ...

Hot Air » Blog Archive » How soon will we know on election night?
As I say, he can technically afford to lose one or two states early (depending upon which ones they are), but the bellwether omens will be grim if he’s dropped any battlegrounds before 8 p.m. And again, to win the election he’d almost ...

The Raw Story | McCain camp will use 'legal remedies' if election ...
Alluding to past election fraud, Wallace asked Davis if allegations of Republicans suppressing voters could create a "blizzard of lawsuits" that would prevent a decisive tally for weeks after Tuesday. ...

Video: Bill Clinton On Vice Presidential Debate 2008 HQ

]]> Browser exploit http://www.sfetcu.com/content/Browser-exploit 2008-10-18T04:40:44-06:00 2008-10-18T04:40:44-06:00 nicolae Internet Explorer 8

A browser exploit is a short piece of code that exploits a software bug in a web browser such that the code makes the browser do something unexpected, including crash, read or write local files, propagate a virus or install spyware. Malicious code may exploit HTML, JavaScript, Images, ActiveX, Java and other internet technologies. HTML alone is harmless (can only crash browser in some cases on vulnerable web browsers), however, in conjunction with malicious ActiveX or Java code, it can potentially freeze or crash a browser, or even crash the computer running that browser.

]]> Internet Explorer 8

A browser exploit is a short piece of code that exploits a software bug in a web browser such that the code makes the browser do something unexpected, including crash, read or write local files, propagate a virus or install spyware. Malicious code may exploit HTML, JavaScript, Images, ActiveX, Java and other internet technologies. HTML alone is harmless (can only crash browser in some cases on vulnerable web browsers), however, in conjunction with malicious ActiveX or Java code, it can potentially freeze or crash a browser, or even crash the computer running that browser.

The term "browser exploit" can also refer to the actual bug in the browser code.

Browser exploits families

Cross Zone Scripting exploits vulnerabilities related to the "zone" concept in some browsers; i.e. a page in "Internet zone" is able to initate execution with "Local Computer", "Local Intranet" or "Trusted Sites" zone privileges.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Video: Google Chrome exploit et DOS 0 day

]]> Web security exploits http://www.sfetcu.com/content/Web-security-exploits 2008-10-18T04:01:26-06:00 2008-10-18T04:01:26-06:00 nicolae Web security exploits

]]> Web security exploits

]]> Spyware http://www.sfetcu.com/content/Spyware 2008-09-25T03:54:23-06:00 2008-09-25T03:54:23-06:00 nicolae Benedelman spyware on blogspot Malicious websites may attempt to install spyware on readers' computers. In this screenshot a spamblog has triggered a pop-up that offers spyware in the guise of a security upgrade.

]]> Benedelman spyware on blogspot Malicious websites may attempt to install spyware on readers' computers. In this screenshot a spamblog has triggered a pop-up that offers spyware in the guise of a security upgrade.

In the field of computing, the term spyware refers to a broad category of malicious software designed to intercept or take partial control of a computer's operation without the informed consent of that machine's owner or legitimate user. While the term taken literally suggests software that surreptitiously monitors the user, it has come to refer more broadly to software that subverts the computer's operation for the benefit of a third party.

Spyware differs from viruses and worms in that it does not usually self-replicate. Like many recent viruses, however, spyware – by design – exploits infected computers for commercial gain. Typical tactics furthering this goal include delivery of unsolicited pop-up advertisements; theft of personal information (including financial information such as credit card numbers); monitoring of Web-browsing activity for marketing purposes; or routing of HTTP requests to advertising sites.

As of 2005, spyware has become one of the pre-eminent security threats to computer-systems running Microsoft Windows operating-systems (and especially to users of Internet Explorer because of that browser's collaboration with the Windows operating system). Some malware on the Linux and Mac OS X platforms has behavior similar to Windows spyware, but to date has not become anywhere near as widespread.

Notable programs distributed with spyware

  • Bearshare
  • Bonzi Buddy
  • DAEMON Tools (only if you agree to install their "sponsor" program)
  • DivX (except for the paid version, and the "standard" version without the encoder). DivX announced removal of GAIN software from version 5.2. 
  • Dope Wars 
  • ErrorGuard 
  • FlashGet (free version) 
  • Grokster 
  • Kazaa 
  • Morpheus 
  • RadLight 
  • WeatherBug 

Sony's Extended Copy Protection involved the installation of spyware from audio compact discs through autorun. This practice sparked considerable controversy when it was discovered.

Notable programs formerly distributed with spyware

  • AOL Instant Messenger  (AOL Instant Messenger still packages Viewpoint Media Player)
  • EDonkey2000 
  • LimeWire (all free Windows versions up to 3.9.3) 
  • WildTangent 

References

  1. Wienbar, Sharon. "The Spyware Inferno". News.com. August 13, 2004.
  2. "Spyware Certification". International Charter. Retrieved July 10, 2005.
  3. "AOL/NCSA Online Safety Study". America Online & The National Cyber Security Alliance. October 2004.
  4. Bonzi.com. http://www.bonzi.com/bonzibuddy/bonzimail.asp. Retrieved July 10, 2005.
  5. Edelman, Ben (2005). "WhenU Violates Own Privacy Policy", Retrieved July 14, 2005.
  6. "Security Response: W32.Spybot.Worm". Symantec.com. Retrieved July 10, 2005.
  7. Ecker, Clint (2005). Massive spyware-based identity theft ring uncovered. August 5, 2005.
  8. "Parasite information database". Doxdesk.com. Retrieved July 10, 2005.
  9. "State Sues Major "Spyware" Distributor". Office of New York State Attorney General. April 28, 2005.
  10. Gormley, Michael. "Intermix Media Inc. says it is settling spyware lawsuit with N.Y. attorney general". Yahoo! News. June 15, 2005.
  11. Gormley, Michael. "Major advertisers caught in spyware net". Business Week. June 24, 2005.
  12. Festa, Paul. "See you later, anti-Gators?". News.com. October 22, 2003.
  13. Roberts, Paul F. "Spyware-Removal Program Tagged as a Trap". eWeek. May 26, 2005.
  14. Howes, Eric L. "The Spyware Warrior List of Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites". Retrieved July 10, 2005.
  15. Schuster, Steve. "Blocking Marketscore: Why Cornell Did It". Cornell University, Office of Information Technologies. March 31, 2005.
  16. "WhenU Awareness, One Year Later". PC Pitstop. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
  17. "Symantec Security Response - Adware.Bonzi". Symantec. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
  18. "WhenU Daemon Tools SearchBar License Agreement". WhenU.com, Inc. Retrieved February 27, 2006.
  19. "How Did I Get Gator?". PC Pitstop. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
  20. Edelman, Ben (2005). "Claria's Misleading Installation Methods - Dope Wars". Retrieved July 27, 2005
  21. "eTrust Spyware Encyclopedia - ErrorGuard". Computer Associates. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
  22. "eTrust Spyware Encyclopedia - FlashGet". Computer Associates. Retrieved July 27, 2005
  23. Edelman, Ben (2004). "Grokster and Claria Take Licenses to New Lows, and Congress Lets Them Do It". Retrieved July 27, 2005
  24. Edelman, Ben (2004). "Claria License Agreement Is Fifty Six Pages Long". Retrieved July 27, 2005.
  25. Edelman, Ben (2005). "Comparison of Unwanted Software Installed by P2P Programs". Retrieved July 27, 2005.
  26. "eTrust Spyware Encyclopedia - Radlight 3 PRO". Computer Associates. Retrieved July 27, 2005
  27. "doxdesk.com: database: WeatherBug". Doxdesk.com. Retrieved July 27, 2005.
  28. "WildTangent". Sunbelt Software. Retrieved July 27, 2005.

Links

Guides

Prevention

Organizations

  • Anti-Spyware Coalition — A group developing formal definitions and best-practices
  • StopBadware.org - A non-profit group (sponsored by Google, Lenovo, and Sun) that aims to provide "reliable, objective information about downloadable applications".

Software

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Video: Spyware attack

]]> Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 and the Developer Tools http://www.sfetcu.com/content/Microsoft-Internet-Explorer-8-Beta-2-and-Developer-Tools 2008-09-04T23:41:42-06:00 2008-09-04T23:41:42-06:00 nicolae MS Internet Explorer beta 2 on Windows Vista

Microdoft made available  the newest beta test version (2) for Internet Explorer 8. The most claimed new feature is the InPrivateBrowsing mode that lets users surf without having a list of sites they visit get stored on their computers, as well as temporary Internet files and cookies.

]]> MS Internet Explorer beta 2 on Windows Vista

Microdoft made available  the newest beta test version (2) for Internet Explorer 8. The most claimed new feature is the InPrivateBrowsing mode that lets users surf without having a list of sites they visit get stored on their computers, as well as temporary Internet files and cookies.

InPrivateBlocking can block third-party content from appearing on Web sites keep some types of ads from appearing.

The marketers consider that the IE 8 feature to block the ads delivered by the advertisers to the publishers web sites will crash the service market of the small publishers. Especially that the IE8 has the option to block programs that track how many times an ad is seen, so there will be no more possible to calculate the payments to advertisers and publishers.

IE8 will also have an improved search box to provide more content alongside suggested results.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 contains some integrated and simple-to-use developer tools that will provide a visual interface to the platform, and will enable fast experimentation.

The Microsoft blog says that the Developer Tools will improve the existing features and new functionality meant to make the user more productive.

Some of the new tools:

  • Profiling and Debugging JScript
  • Working with HTML and CSS
  • Testing Compatibility

Microsoft included all the familiar features from the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar, including the ‘Attributes’ list view and ‘Resize window’ functionality.

]]> Wordpress.com and Akismet to be avoided for a long term strategy http://www.sfetcu.com/content/Wordpresscom-and-Akismet-be-avoided-long-term-strategy 2008-08-31T14:44:05-06:00 2008-08-31T14:44:05-06:00 nicolae Eagle and the prey

Firstly, I tried the blogs hosted by Wordpress.com. After a while, the account was suspended. I guess because of some links to my web sites, because I was not able to contact them to find out why.

But I wanted to use Akismet, as a good antispam script, so I set up a new account. This time I used the account for Akismet only, no article posted in the corresponding blog.

]]> Eagle and the prey

Firstly, I tried the blogs hosted by Wordpress.com. After a while, the account was suspended. I guess because of some links to my web sites, because I was not able to contact them to find out why.

But I wanted to use Akismet, as a good antispam script, so I set up a new account. This time I used the account for Akismet only, no article posted in the corresponding blog.

No matter. Today, they suspended this account too. As usual, no possibility to contact them to ask why, because their online form can be used if you have an email address registered with it only, and they deleted your email address from their database when they suspended the account.

So, good by Akismet too, because it can be used if you have an account with Wordpress.com only.

This is not about policy or strategy, it is about a profound scorn for their members. It seems that they have an enemy within their own staff. Or is it a general attitude for the small clients?

]]> iPhone 3G mania http://www.sfetcu.com/content/iPhone-3G-mania 2008-07-11T06:29:45-06:00 2008-07-11T06:29:45-06:00 nicolae iPhone 3G

Low-priced International Calling Comes to the iPhone(TM), Thanks ...
MarketWatch
LONDON, Jul 11, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Designed to provide low-priced international calls for Apple(R) iPhone users, Truphone for the iPhone hit Apple's ...

]]> iPhone 3G

Low-priced International Calling Comes to the iPhone(TM), Thanks ...
MarketWatch
LONDON, Jul 11, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Designed to provide low-priced international calls for Apple(R) iPhone users, Truphone for the iPhone hit Apple's ...

Sure the new iPhone is cool, but those apps...
Boston Globe, United States
I haven't laid hands on the new Apple Inc. iPhone yet, and I don't much care. That's because I've already spent hours with Apple's most important innovation ...

iPhone v2, G3 Launches Today
CRN, NY
For business users looking to buy a 3G iPhone and use it with service under a corporate account, Apple said they'll need to contact AT&T directly. ...

Apple's New IPhone Debut Draws Crowds, Helicopters, Across Asia
Bloomberg
By Connie Guglielmo and Pavel Alpeyev July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc.'s debut of its iPhone 3G today drew thousands across Asia, ...

Current iPhone Owners Should Think Twice Before Upgrading To The ...
InformationWeek, NY
Early reviews on the iPhone 3G are trickling in, and it looks sweet. It's a little bit faster and a little bit better than the first-generation iPhone. ...

Don't Run Out To Buy An iPhone Today
Washington Post, United States
Whether you love, like or are just curious about the iPhone 3G, I'll recycle my modest suggestion from a year ago: Don't line up at a store to buy one today ...

The iPhone 3G rollout: Assessing the wild cards
ZDNet 
Apple’s 3G iPhone is coming today and there are folks flying to New Zealand, people waiting in line, some conflict in Canada courtesy of Rogers ...

Apple releases iPhone Configuration Utility for corporate environments
Macworld, CA
by Dan Moren, Macworld.com Apple has posted a new application that helps you manage your iPhones in a corporate environment: the iPhone Configuration ...

From the Wire
AlterNet, CA
The new iPhone 3G will be released Friday at 8am, and the lines at Apples stores everywhere are around the block. The new iPhone applications store is ...

Aping the iPhone App Store
BusinessWeek
The long-awaited iPhone upgrade boasts touchscreen tech, navigation tools, and faster Internet downloads than its first iteration. ...

iPhone 1.0: Sell It While It's Hot
PC World 
At this moment, on the eve of the 3G iPhone's launch, original iPhones are commanding upward of $350 on eBay. But some observers believe that those prices ...

Rough estimate: 75% of NY iPhone line will buy 16GB phone
CNET News, CA 
NEW YORK--In an informal poll of random people waiting in line for the iPhone 3G outside the Fifth Avenue flagship store, it looks like roughly 75% of these ...

Apple's new iPhone snapped up in Asia and Europe
Reuters India, India
By Matt Cowan and Adrian Bathgate LONDON/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Apple's new iPhone made its hotly awaited debut on Friday, with buyers storming stores in ...

comScore M:Metrics: 80 percent of iPhone Users in France, Germany ...
FOXBusiness
RESTON, Virginia, Jul 11, 2008 (PR Newswire Europe via COMTEX) ----The iPhone is already among the top phones used for mobile browsing. ...

Blogosphere:

iPhone 3G international launch lineblog
Ryan Block  
We know there are people lined up all over the world for the iPhone 3G -- so if you're among the intrepid souls out there waiting to get yours, send in your photos (and stories) for our international launch lineblog. ...

NetNewsWire for iPhone
John Gruber  
The iPhone version is one of the apps I’ve been most anticipating, ever since the iPhone shipped a year ago. It doesn’t disappoint, but it’s far from perfect. On the plus side, I’ve found it to be far superior to any web-based feed ...

Searching on an iPhone can be fun
Ryan Pollock  
Today, we're showing off our first native app for the iPhone and iPod touch -- Google Mobile App. It combines powerful Google services with a slick interface, so you can find what you're looking for faster and more easily. ...

Facebook for iPhone
Joe Hewitt  
Last August we launched our Facebook iPhone website, and almost a year later it has over 1.5 million people using it regularly. We are thrilled to see so many enjoying Facebook on their iPhones, so we've been working on ways to take our ...

Circulator: iPhone loan tracking
Brett Terpstra  
When we talked to TheCodingMonkeys at WWDC, they made a cryptic reference to an iPhone application they had in the works. They've finally revealed what they've been diligently preparing: Circulator, an iPhone application to help you ...

iPhone-native WordPress Client
Matt  
We’re doing an iPhone-native WordPress client, check out the screencast here. It will work for both .com and .org, be available FREE from the App Store, and best of all it’s going to be completely Open Source, which ...

iPhone line
sam  
People started lining up learly last night for today's Canadian iPhone launch on Yonge street, north of Dundas. I'm guessing that people in the line are not part of the group that signed this petition.

Mobile SocNet Limbo Launches iPhone App
Paul Glazowski  
News of Apple’s soft launch of the App Store for the iPhone/iPod touch has hit the streets, and we’re already seeing reports of backdoor downloads of the iPhone 2.0 software update. Adventurous fans are lapping the stuff up. ...

Yahoo Maps on the iPhone
iPhone is creating a craze in Romania, as it's done all over the world. Since Yahoo is very popular in Romania and, moreover, Yahoo! Maps is considered the API to choose for the detailed view of Bucharest, Mobi One and MB Dragan thought ...

Bonjour, iPhone
Fred  
I recently saw this on the local network at the unversity:. Well, at least the user was honest If he was aware that his iPhone would tell everybody of its existence through Bonjour? That, I don’t know.

]]> How Internet works http://www.sfetcu.com/content/How-Internet-works 2008-07-07T16:28:40-06:00 2008-07-07T16:28:40-06:00 nicolae