Tech News on ZDNet By Joris Evers, CNET News.com
March 23, 2007. Miscreants have again adapted the Warezov Trojan horse to target Skype users, Websense Security Labs warned on Thursday.
The attack is similar to threats that target instant-messaging applications. A targeted Skype user will receive a chat message with the text "Check up this" and a link to a malicious executable called "file_01.exe" on a Web site, Websense said in an alert. If the user runs the file, several other files are downloaded and run, it said.
Once infected, a computer will be at the beck and call of the attacker and the Trojan horse will start sending messages to the victim's Skype contacts to propagate, Websense said. The attack is similar to one reported in February, but it has been adapted with files hosted at different locations and a new version of the malicious code, the security company said.
Skype has acknowledged in the past that its instant-messaging feature could be used for nefarious purposes just like any other IM service. The company has said that it is looking at partnerships with security firms to offer a capability for the Skype client that filters out malicious links.
"Harmful viruses and Trojan horses may damage a user's computer and collect private data, regardless of whether a person is using Skype, e-mail or IM clients," Kurt Sauer, Skype chief security officer, said Friday. Skype warned users against opening the malicious file and said they should take caution in general when opening attachments. The company also recommends using antivirus software to check incoming files, Sauer said.
Warezov, also known as Stration, has been around since at least September. Several variants of the malicious code have appeared. Miscreants have spread it via spam e-mail, as well as Skype.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Moslims gaan eigen scholen aanpakken...
Trouw, de toonaangevende Nedrelands Krant Bij: Harriët Salm, redactie onderwijs.
21 Maart 2007. Falende bestuursleden moeten van het toneel verdwijnen. Dat vindt Yassir Hartog van de koepelorganisatie van islamitische scholen.
De koepelorganisatie van islamitische scholen Isbo wil haar eigen macht uitbreiden om falende bestuursleden voortaan zelf te kunnen afzetten.
Als de inspectie voor het onderwijs een school zeer zwak vindt en financieel onhelder, dan moet de Isbo kunnen ingrijpen. „We moeten tegen zo’n bestuur kunnen zeggen: treed terug. En zelf anderen voordragen, die wel goede bestuurders zijn”, stelt Yassin Hartog, interim-directeur van de Isbo.
Het bestuur legt dit voorstel eind deze maand aan de algemene ledenvergadering voor. Hartog: „Het wordt oorlog op die vergadering. Mensen die niet capabel zijn, voelen de bui hangen, ze moeten van het toneel verdwijnen.”
Staatssecretaris Dijksma (onderwijs) maakte onlangs bekend sneller te willen ingrijpen op slecht functionerende scholen. Dit naar aanleiding van een aantal schandalen in het islamitisch onderwijs, waar besturen fraudeerden met overheidsgeld of waar de inspectie de onderwijskwaliteit ver onder de maat noemde. De Isbo, waarbij de 22 schoolbesturen van in totaal 46 islamitische scholen aangesloten zijn, wil dit overheidsingrijpen voor kunnen zijn.
Nu nog moet het Isbo-bestuur „praten als Brugman om een falend schoolbestuur te overreden op te stappen,” vervolgt Hartog. „Die bestuurders ontlenen toch maatschappelijke status aan hun bestuursfunctie. Dat geven ze niet zomaar op. Het zijn gevaarlijke mensen, want kinderen worden van hun houding wel de dupe. Vandaar ons voorstel.”
Mustafa Derin, Isbo-bestuurslid, denkt dat het voorstel zelfs de enige oplossing is om het islamitische onderwijs uit de huidige crisis te halen. Hij vermoedt dat een meerderheid voor zal stemmen. „Als dat niet gebeurt, zie ik de zwarte wolk boven het islamitisch onderwijs alleen maar groter worden.”
Het imago van alle islamitische scholen, ook de goede, lijdt onder de problemen, stelt hij. Ouders sturen daardoor hun kinderen liever naar een ander schooltype. Daarmee wordt de toekomst van het islamitische onderwijs in Nederland steeds onzekerder.
Derin: „De Isbo is de laatste drie jaar alleen maar bezig met brandjes blussen op scholen waar het bestuur niet goed functioneert. Terwijl wij liever onze tijd en energie steken in ondersteuning van de kwaliteit van het onderwijs.”
21 Maart 2007. Falende bestuursleden moeten van het toneel verdwijnen. Dat vindt Yassir Hartog van de koepelorganisatie van islamitische scholen.
De koepelorganisatie van islamitische scholen Isbo wil haar eigen macht uitbreiden om falende bestuursleden voortaan zelf te kunnen afzetten.
Als de inspectie voor het onderwijs een school zeer zwak vindt en financieel onhelder, dan moet de Isbo kunnen ingrijpen. „We moeten tegen zo’n bestuur kunnen zeggen: treed terug. En zelf anderen voordragen, die wel goede bestuurders zijn”, stelt Yassin Hartog, interim-directeur van de Isbo.
Het bestuur legt dit voorstel eind deze maand aan de algemene ledenvergadering voor. Hartog: „Het wordt oorlog op die vergadering. Mensen die niet capabel zijn, voelen de bui hangen, ze moeten van het toneel verdwijnen.”
Staatssecretaris Dijksma (onderwijs) maakte onlangs bekend sneller te willen ingrijpen op slecht functionerende scholen. Dit naar aanleiding van een aantal schandalen in het islamitisch onderwijs, waar besturen fraudeerden met overheidsgeld of waar de inspectie de onderwijskwaliteit ver onder de maat noemde. De Isbo, waarbij de 22 schoolbesturen van in totaal 46 islamitische scholen aangesloten zijn, wil dit overheidsingrijpen voor kunnen zijn.
Nu nog moet het Isbo-bestuur „praten als Brugman om een falend schoolbestuur te overreden op te stappen,” vervolgt Hartog. „Die bestuurders ontlenen toch maatschappelijke status aan hun bestuursfunctie. Dat geven ze niet zomaar op. Het zijn gevaarlijke mensen, want kinderen worden van hun houding wel de dupe. Vandaar ons voorstel.”
Mustafa Derin, Isbo-bestuurslid, denkt dat het voorstel zelfs de enige oplossing is om het islamitische onderwijs uit de huidige crisis te halen. Hij vermoedt dat een meerderheid voor zal stemmen. „Als dat niet gebeurt, zie ik de zwarte wolk boven het islamitisch onderwijs alleen maar groter worden.”
Het imago van alle islamitische scholen, ook de goede, lijdt onder de problemen, stelt hij. Ouders sturen daardoor hun kinderen liever naar een ander schooltype. Daarmee wordt de toekomst van het islamitische onderwijs in Nederland steeds onzekerder.
Derin: „De Isbo is de laatste drie jaar alleen maar bezig met brandjes blussen op scholen waar het bestuur niet goed functioneert. Terwijl wij liever onze tijd en energie steken in ondersteuning van de kwaliteit van het onderwijs.”
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Cop's Internet breasts prompt investigation...
Reuters.com
Mon Mar 19, 2007. SYDNEY (Reuters) - A photograph of a young Australian policewoman's breasts, sent to her boyfriend as a get well message on her mobile phone, has sparked an investigation after it was circulated on internal police e-mail.
The Victoria state police constable was in her police uniform with her name badge visible, her shirt undone and her breasts exposed when she was photographed, Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported Monday.
The image was circulated widely through the force's internal e-mail, landing in the inboxes of top-ranking officers and ethical standards department detectives.
"She has sent an image to her boyfriend and obviously he has done the wrong thing and forwarded it on," a Victoria Police spokeswoman told AAP.
"The ethical standards department has been notified. They are aware of the incident, which involved the circulation of a photograph, and they are examining it to see if an offence has been committed."
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Mar 19, 2007. SYDNEY (Reuters) - A photograph of a young Australian policewoman's breasts, sent to her boyfriend as a get well message on her mobile phone, has sparked an investigation after it was circulated on internal police e-mail.The Victoria state police constable was in her police uniform with her name badge visible, her shirt undone and her breasts exposed when she was photographed, Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported Monday.
The image was circulated widely through the force's internal e-mail, landing in the inboxes of top-ranking officers and ethical standards department detectives.
"She has sent an image to her boyfriend and obviously he has done the wrong thing and forwarded it on," a Victoria Police spokeswoman told AAP.
"The ethical standards department has been notified. They are aware of the incident, which involved the circulation of a photograph, and they are examining it to see if an offence has been committed."
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Binge drinking and drug abuse a problem on campuses...
Health Reuters.com By Will Dunham
Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:09am WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About half of U.S. college students binge drink or abuse drugs, and the number who abuse prescription medication such as painkillers is up sharply, a report released on Thursday found.
The study, issued by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York, provides a detailed look at substance abuse among America's college students based on surveys, interviews and other research.
"I think we have, by almost any standard, a serious public health problem on the college campuses. And it's deteriorating," Joseph Califano, who heads the center and served as U.S. health secretary from 1977 to 1979, said in a telephone interview.
The report found that 49 percent of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 binge drink (consuming five or more drinks at a time), or abuse prescription drugs such as painkillers or illegal drugs like cocaine and marijuana. That translates to 3.8 million students.
In 2005, 23 percent of them met the medical criteria for substance abuse or dependence, it said.
From 1993 to 2005, the proportion of students who abuse prescription painkillers such as Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin rose more than 300 percent to 3.1 percent (about 240,000 students), the report said.
Abuse of prescription stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall doubled to 2.9 percent (225,000 students), and abuse of tranquilizers also rose, the report said.
During the same period, daily marijuana use more than doubled to 4 percent (310,000 students). Overall use of other illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin rose by half to 8.2 percent (636,000 students).
'THE EXCESSIVENESS OF IT'
"Basically the proportion of college students who drink and binge drink has stayed constant. But what's troubling is the tremendous increase in the intensity of their drinking and drug use and the excessiveness of it," Califano said.
The percentage of students who drink remained about even with a similar 1993 report -- 70 percent then and 68 percent in 2005. Binge drinking stayed at 40 percent of students.
But the proportion who binge drink frequently, defined as three or more times over two weeks, rose by 16 percent from 1993 to 2005. Drinking 10 or more times per month rose 25 percent, and drinking three or more times per month rose 26 percent.
Daily smoking among college students fell from 15 percent in 1993 to 12 percent in 2005.
The substance abuse has contributed to alcohol-related deaths and injuries, and sexual assaults against female students, the report said.
Califano called the report the most exhaustive ever done on substance abuse on U.S. college campuses.
"College presidents, deans and trustees have facilitated a college culture of alcohol and drug abuse that is linked to poor student academic performance, depression, anxiety, suicide, property damage, vandalism, fights and a host of medical problems," the report said.
The report was based on results of a nationally representative telephone survey of 2,000 students, surveys of approximately 400 college and university administrators, interviews with researchers in the field and other data.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:09am WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About half of U.S. college students binge drink or abuse drugs, and the number who abuse prescription medication such as painkillers is up sharply, a report released on Thursday found.
The study, issued by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York, provides a detailed look at substance abuse among America's college students based on surveys, interviews and other research.
"I think we have, by almost any standard, a serious public health problem on the college campuses. And it's deteriorating," Joseph Califano, who heads the center and served as U.S. health secretary from 1977 to 1979, said in a telephone interview.
The report found that 49 percent of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 binge drink (consuming five or more drinks at a time), or abuse prescription drugs such as painkillers or illegal drugs like cocaine and marijuana. That translates to 3.8 million students.
In 2005, 23 percent of them met the medical criteria for substance abuse or dependence, it said.
From 1993 to 2005, the proportion of students who abuse prescription painkillers such as Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin rose more than 300 percent to 3.1 percent (about 240,000 students), the report said.
Abuse of prescription stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall doubled to 2.9 percent (225,000 students), and abuse of tranquilizers also rose, the report said.
During the same period, daily marijuana use more than doubled to 4 percent (310,000 students). Overall use of other illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin rose by half to 8.2 percent (636,000 students).
'THE EXCESSIVENESS OF IT'
"Basically the proportion of college students who drink and binge drink has stayed constant. But what's troubling is the tremendous increase in the intensity of their drinking and drug use and the excessiveness of it," Califano said.
The percentage of students who drink remained about even with a similar 1993 report -- 70 percent then and 68 percent in 2005. Binge drinking stayed at 40 percent of students.
But the proportion who binge drink frequently, defined as three or more times over two weeks, rose by 16 percent from 1993 to 2005. Drinking 10 or more times per month rose 25 percent, and drinking three or more times per month rose 26 percent.
Daily smoking among college students fell from 15 percent in 1993 to 12 percent in 2005.
The substance abuse has contributed to alcohol-related deaths and injuries, and sexual assaults against female students, the report said.
Califano called the report the most exhaustive ever done on substance abuse on U.S. college campuses.
"College presidents, deans and trustees have facilitated a college culture of alcohol and drug abuse that is linked to poor student academic performance, depression, anxiety, suicide, property damage, vandalism, fights and a host of medical problems," the report said.
The report was based on results of a nationally representative telephone survey of 2,000 students, surveys of approximately 400 college and university administrators, interviews with researchers in the field and other data.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Blu-ray aims to oust DVDs within three years...
Technology Reuters.com
By: Lucas van Grinsven, European Technology Correspondent
Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:31pm HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - The Blu-ray disc association said on Thursday it aimed to replace the DVD storage format within three years.
"Within three years it will just be Blu-ray," Frank Simonis, the Blu-ray Disc Association's European chairman, said at the CeBIT technology trade show.
Blu-ray, which offers five times more storage capacity than DVDs for storing high definition films and other content, will first have to beat the rival HD-DVD format which offers somewhat lower storage capacity but claims cheaper production of players, burners and discs.
Measured in the number of players, Blu-ray is already well ahead of HD DVD because Sony's (6758.T: Quote, NEWS , Research) PlayStation 3 (PS3) video games console comes with a built-in Blu-ray player.
Sony Computer Entertainment said it had sold 1.84 million PS3s by the end of December in Japan and North America and that one million PS3s are ready for launch next week in Europe.
The HD DVD camp conceded it is being outsold by Blu-ray because of PS3 by at least five to one, but it claims that sales of movie titles are still level. Film studio 20th Century Fox, which supports Blu-ray, said weekly Blu-ray film sales are actually three times higher than HD DVD.
A total of 5.2 million Blu-ray discs have already been sold, said Nick Sharples at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Hundreds of thousands of titles have been given away to consumers buying a PS3.
EUROPE IS BEHIND
Any difference between regional sales may be explained by the fact that European consumers cannot yet buy PS3s and there are only two Blu-ray players available, Simonis said.
"It's the launch of the hardware, pulling the software. That has yet to play out in Europe," said David Walstra, director of AV technology at Sony.
Sony reiterated its target to have sold six million PS3 game consoles by the end of the year.
Five out of eight major Hollywood studios support only Blu-ray. One studio, Universal, supports only HD DVD.
The HD DVD promotional group, in a separate presentation, said consumers should not only focus on the big blockbuster titles from Hollywood, but also those from regional film houses in Europe and Asia which would bring many titles to HD DVD because it was cheaper and simpler.
Toshiba (6502.T: Quote, NEWS , Research) and Microsoft (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile , Research), as the two main backers of HD DVD, support film studios and production houses to bring out their films on HD DVD, several studios said on Thursday.
Hollywood and electronics manufacturers hope new high-definition DVDs, with better picture quality and more capacity, will rejuvenate the slowing $24 billion home DVD market.
But the war between HD DVD and Blu-ray -- also supported by companies like Samsung (005930.KS: Quote, Profile , Research), Philips (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile , Research), Matsushita (6752.T: Quote, NEWS , Research), Apple (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile , Research), and Dell (DELL.O: Quote, Profile , Research) -- has curbed adoption.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
By: Lucas van Grinsven, European Technology Correspondent
Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:31pm HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - The Blu-ray disc association said on Thursday it aimed to replace the DVD storage format within three years."Within three years it will just be Blu-ray," Frank Simonis, the Blu-ray Disc Association's European chairman, said at the CeBIT technology trade show.
Blu-ray, which offers five times more storage capacity than DVDs for storing high definition films and other content, will first have to beat the rival HD-DVD format which offers somewhat lower storage capacity but claims cheaper production of players, burners and discs.
Measured in the number of players, Blu-ray is already well ahead of HD DVD because Sony's (6758.T: Quote, NEWS , Research) PlayStation 3 (PS3) video games console comes with a built-in Blu-ray player.
Sony Computer Entertainment said it had sold 1.84 million PS3s by the end of December in Japan and North America and that one million PS3s are ready for launch next week in Europe.
The HD DVD camp conceded it is being outsold by Blu-ray because of PS3 by at least five to one, but it claims that sales of movie titles are still level. Film studio 20th Century Fox, which supports Blu-ray, said weekly Blu-ray film sales are actually three times higher than HD DVD.
A total of 5.2 million Blu-ray discs have already been sold, said Nick Sharples at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Hundreds of thousands of titles have been given away to consumers buying a PS3.
EUROPE IS BEHIND
Any difference between regional sales may be explained by the fact that European consumers cannot yet buy PS3s and there are only two Blu-ray players available, Simonis said.
"It's the launch of the hardware, pulling the software. That has yet to play out in Europe," said David Walstra, director of AV technology at Sony.
Sony reiterated its target to have sold six million PS3 game consoles by the end of the year.
Five out of eight major Hollywood studios support only Blu-ray. One studio, Universal, supports only HD DVD.
The HD DVD promotional group, in a separate presentation, said consumers should not only focus on the big blockbuster titles from Hollywood, but also those from regional film houses in Europe and Asia which would bring many titles to HD DVD because it was cheaper and simpler.
Toshiba (6502.T: Quote, NEWS , Research) and Microsoft (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile , Research), as the two main backers of HD DVD, support film studios and production houses to bring out their films on HD DVD, several studios said on Thursday.
Hollywood and electronics manufacturers hope new high-definition DVDs, with better picture quality and more capacity, will rejuvenate the slowing $24 billion home DVD market.
But the war between HD DVD and Blu-ray -- also supported by companies like Samsung (005930.KS: Quote, Profile , Research), Philips (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile , Research), Matsushita (6752.T: Quote, NEWS , Research), Apple (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile , Research), and Dell (DELL.O: Quote, Profile , Research) -- has curbed adoption.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Serial lingerie thief arrested...
Reuters.com
Wed Mar 14, 2007. TOKYO (Reuters) - Police found more than 4,000 pieces of lingerie in the home of a Japanese construction worker who used climbing skills developed on his job to steal women's underwear.
<--- 4,400 pieces of women's underwear stolen by a construction worker are displayed by police in Hiroshima, western Japan, March 13, 2007. REUTERS/Kyodo
Police believe that Shigeo Kodama, 54, amassed the 3,977 panties, 355 bras and 10 pairs of stockings over a six-year period. He was arrested in February after he stole underwear from two houses, and police later raided his home.
"Since he was a construction worker, as long as he had a place to put his feet he was able to climb, so he had no trouble getting up to the second floor of apartment buildings," a police spokesman in the western Japanese city of Hiroshima said.
"He didn't steal any other kinds of clothing. But as long as it was underwear, apparently anything would do," the spokesman added.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Wed Mar 14, 2007. TOKYO (Reuters) - Police found more than 4,000 pieces of lingerie in the home of a Japanese construction worker who used climbing skills developed on his job to steal women's underwear.<--- 4,400 pieces of women's underwear stolen by a construction worker are displayed by police in Hiroshima, western Japan, March 13, 2007. REUTERS/Kyodo
Police believe that Shigeo Kodama, 54, amassed the 3,977 panties, 355 bras and 10 pairs of stockings over a six-year period. He was arrested in February after he stole underwear from two houses, and police later raided his home.
"Since he was a construction worker, as long as he had a place to put his feet he was able to climb, so he had no trouble getting up to the second floor of apartment buildings," a police spokesman in the western Japanese city of Hiroshima said.
"He didn't steal any other kinds of clothing. But as long as it was underwear, apparently anything would do," the spokesman added.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Microsoft: Sorry for OneCare fiasco...
ZDNet Australia: News: Software By Munir Kotadia, ZDNet Australia
13 March 2007. Microsoft Australia has apologised to users who have lost their entire Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail archives due to a flaw in Windows Live OneCare.
The product is Microsoft's antivirus and security application for consumers and small businesses which was released locally over a month ago and last June in the US. According to recent postings on Microsoft's OneCare forum, users were complaining that the security suite had been accidently deleting their e-mails.
Peter Watson, chief security advisor at Microsoft Australia, said today that an update to OneCare was automatically pushed out on Sunday, which is expected to fix the problem.
"Windows Live OneCare customers whose PCs are connected to the Internet will automatically get this fix. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused our customers," Watson told ZDNet Australia in an e-mail.
Microsoft has not yet revealed how many customers were affected by the issue or offered a way of recovering deleted files. However, the company did give instructions on recovering files that were put into quarantine.
Close Outlook or Outlook Express
Click Change OneCare Settings in the Main OneCare user interface
Click on the Viruses & Spyware Tab
And then click on the Quarantine button and then select the pst or dbx file and then click on Restore.
Cure worse than the disease?
Even before OneCare's local release users of the software giant's forums started complaining about a potential glitch that appeared to be deleting their entire e-mail archive.
Users claimed OneCare seemed to be responsible for either deleting or quarantining the .pst or .dbx files on their PC. These are used by Outlook and Outlook Express respectively to store e-mail archives. If they are deleted -- or moved somewhere Outlook can't find them -- then the user would not be able to access any e-mails stored in the old system.
Microsoft is facing a public relations disaster as customers affected by the OneCare debacle voice their experiences.
A ZDNet Australia reader said in an e-mail: "I opened my Outlook and it tells me there is no .pst file ... I had mine set to delete infected files not to quarantine them. Six years of e-mail gone -- by the very product that was supposed to protect my e-mail".
One contributor to the OneCare forum was told by the moderator that the experience was "helping make OneCare a better program for everyone".
The miffed contributor responded: "I switched from a competitor's product which, while it was a bit slow, did not irrevocably delete my most important data. I am not here to "make OneCare" a better program ... This is clearly a case of the cure being worse than the disease".
Are you a OneCare Live customer? Does the patch work? Please let us know by using the talkback feature below or e-mail us at edit@zdnet.com.au.
13 March 2007. Microsoft Australia has apologised to users who have lost their entire Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail archives due to a flaw in Windows Live OneCare.
The product is Microsoft's antivirus and security application for consumers and small businesses which was released locally over a month ago and last June in the US. According to recent postings on Microsoft's OneCare forum, users were complaining that the security suite had been accidently deleting their e-mails.
Peter Watson, chief security advisor at Microsoft Australia, said today that an update to OneCare was automatically pushed out on Sunday, which is expected to fix the problem.
"Windows Live OneCare customers whose PCs are connected to the Internet will automatically get this fix. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused our customers," Watson told ZDNet Australia in an e-mail.
Microsoft has not yet revealed how many customers were affected by the issue or offered a way of recovering deleted files. However, the company did give instructions on recovering files that were put into quarantine.
Close Outlook or Outlook Express
Click Change OneCare Settings in the Main OneCare user interface
Click on the Viruses & Spyware Tab
And then click on the Quarantine button and then select the pst or dbx file and then click on Restore.
Cure worse than the disease?
Even before OneCare's local release users of the software giant's forums started complaining about a potential glitch that appeared to be deleting their entire e-mail archive.
Users claimed OneCare seemed to be responsible for either deleting or quarantining the .pst or .dbx files on their PC. These are used by Outlook and Outlook Express respectively to store e-mail archives. If they are deleted -- or moved somewhere Outlook can't find them -- then the user would not be able to access any e-mails stored in the old system.
Microsoft is facing a public relations disaster as customers affected by the OneCare debacle voice their experiences.
A ZDNet Australia reader said in an e-mail: "I opened my Outlook and it tells me there is no .pst file ... I had mine set to delete infected files not to quarantine them. Six years of e-mail gone -- by the very product that was supposed to protect my e-mail".
One contributor to the OneCare forum was told by the moderator that the experience was "helping make OneCare a better program for everyone".
The miffed contributor responded: "I switched from a competitor's product which, while it was a bit slow, did not irrevocably delete my most important data. I am not here to "make OneCare" a better program ... This is clearly a case of the cure being worse than the disease".
Are you a OneCare Live customer? Does the patch work? Please let us know by using the talkback feature below or e-mail us at edit@zdnet.com.au.
Mystery around 'Winfixer' slowly unravels, lawyer says...
PC World By: Jeremy Kirk (IDG News Service)
9 March 2007. A California attorney claims he has unraveled part of the mystery behind a questionable software program and is prepared to go to court.
Attorney Joseph M. Bochner filed a class-action civil suit last September in California Superior Court in Santa Clara County against two men the suit alleges are behind Winfixer, a purported security software. The lawsuit names Marc J. Cohen of Florida, and was amended last week to add James Reno of Ohio as an additional defendant, Bochner said. It seeks compensation and a halt to the distribution of Winfixer, among other remedies.
The suit was filed on behalf of Beatrice Ochoa, a mother of two who paid US$39.95 for Winfixer after it badgered her with repeated pop-up warnings that her computer had security threats. The program eventually rendered her computer's hard drive unusable, Bochner said. The suit counts another 100 anonymous victims.
"All of these people are being defrauded and they're just ordinary folks," Bochner said. "They buy a computer, they surf the Internet, they're not doing anything unreasonable and suddenly they're defrauded."
Indecision over whether Winfixer is a legitimate product may be the reason it still pervades the Internet. Winfixer has been a moving target for security experts, at times going by the names ErrorSafe, WinAntiSpyware, WinAntiVirus, SystemDoctor and DriveCleaner.
Security software from vendors such as Sophos and Symantec will detect it, but give users the option of whether they want to remove it. Sophos calls it "adware" that hypes security threats and then implores users to buy the software.
Microsoft, however, pulled no punches last month when Winfixer ads began show up on its instant-messaging program, calling it "malware," a shorter term for "malicious software". Experts have also seen it install itself on computers via security vulnerabilities in browsers or OSes.
However, the lawsuit could face hurdles in court. Web sites are frequently registered under false names or under stolen identifies and the real owners can be difficult to trace, said Sandi Hardmeier, a computer security authority who writes about Winfixer on her blog "Spyware Sucks."
Proving the link to the alleged perpetrators, their connections to Winfixer all the way through to the effects on Ochoa's computer will be very difficult, she said.
"Forensics is everything," she said.
Bochner acknowledges it's hard work to track down fraudsters who use the Internet's anonymity to commit crimes, but the criminals are real people who can be located. Bochner said he has compelling documentation to link the defendants named in the suit to Winfixer.
By researching IP (Internet Protocol) addresses that hosted the versions of Winfixer and their owners, Bochner alleges he has uncovered a fraud based in the U.S. that has escaped law enforcement scrutiny.
Reno ran a Web hosting company called ByteHosting Internet Service with a postal address in Amelia, Ohio. Bochner said at one time, a support number for Winfixer support also rang through to ByteHosting, which led in part to Reno being added to the suit.
Reno, along with other co-defendants and ByteHosting, was sued by Symantec in 2004 for allegedly creating pop-up ads that told consumers their Symantec software was about to expire. The ads then directed users to fake software that looked similar to Symantec products. Court records show Reno and Symantec reached a confidential settlement in December 2004.
Cohen was named for his connections with vipfares.com, a now-defunct travel Web site, Bochner said. At one time, the Winfixer software would hijack the user's browser and suddenly show vipfares.com, he said.
Efforts to reach Cohen and Reno for comment were unsuccessful on Wednesday and Thursday. However, Cohen's attorney, Judy Silverstein, appeared on a San Francisco TV news program on Feb. 26 regarding Winfixer and her client.
Silverstein said, "His [Cohen's] position is he's done nothing wrong. He's done nothing improper or illegal, and he's had no ownership interested in those Web sites."
Bochner said he has turned over some of his research to law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Secret Service along with California authorities.
While researching IP addresses that linked to Winfixer, Bochner said he suddenly came upon a database detailing sales of Winfixer and the other versions of the programs.
The multi-gigabyte database -- apparently left unsecured and open to the Internet -- contained names, addresses, credit-card numbers, transaction amounts and the version of Winfixer that was sold, he said. For example, on Jan. 20, 2006, the data showed 2,351 sales to users worldwide, with an average transaction amount of $40, Bochner said.
The database covers transactions made from January 2005 through January 2006. One of the records shows a transaction made by someone who lives across the street from his law office, Bochner said. The data, while incomplete, allows a view of the fraud ring's broad reach and scope, he said.
"I think this is far larger than anyone has ever expected," Bochner said. "It's not inconceivable that these people have made $150 million or more over the last few years."
9 March 2007. A California attorney claims he has unraveled part of the mystery behind a questionable software program and is prepared to go to court.
Attorney Joseph M. Bochner filed a class-action civil suit last September in California Superior Court in Santa Clara County against two men the suit alleges are behind Winfixer, a purported security software. The lawsuit names Marc J. Cohen of Florida, and was amended last week to add James Reno of Ohio as an additional defendant, Bochner said. It seeks compensation and a halt to the distribution of Winfixer, among other remedies.
The suit was filed on behalf of Beatrice Ochoa, a mother of two who paid US$39.95 for Winfixer after it badgered her with repeated pop-up warnings that her computer had security threats. The program eventually rendered her computer's hard drive unusable, Bochner said. The suit counts another 100 anonymous victims.
"All of these people are being defrauded and they're just ordinary folks," Bochner said. "They buy a computer, they surf the Internet, they're not doing anything unreasonable and suddenly they're defrauded."
Indecision over whether Winfixer is a legitimate product may be the reason it still pervades the Internet. Winfixer has been a moving target for security experts, at times going by the names ErrorSafe, WinAntiSpyware, WinAntiVirus, SystemDoctor and DriveCleaner.
Security software from vendors such as Sophos and Symantec will detect it, but give users the option of whether they want to remove it. Sophos calls it "adware" that hypes security threats and then implores users to buy the software.
Microsoft, however, pulled no punches last month when Winfixer ads began show up on its instant-messaging program, calling it "malware," a shorter term for "malicious software". Experts have also seen it install itself on computers via security vulnerabilities in browsers or OSes.
However, the lawsuit could face hurdles in court. Web sites are frequently registered under false names or under stolen identifies and the real owners can be difficult to trace, said Sandi Hardmeier, a computer security authority who writes about Winfixer on her blog "Spyware Sucks."
Proving the link to the alleged perpetrators, their connections to Winfixer all the way through to the effects on Ochoa's computer will be very difficult, she said.
"Forensics is everything," she said.
Bochner acknowledges it's hard work to track down fraudsters who use the Internet's anonymity to commit crimes, but the criminals are real people who can be located. Bochner said he has compelling documentation to link the defendants named in the suit to Winfixer.
By researching IP (Internet Protocol) addresses that hosted the versions of Winfixer and their owners, Bochner alleges he has uncovered a fraud based in the U.S. that has escaped law enforcement scrutiny.
Reno ran a Web hosting company called ByteHosting Internet Service with a postal address in Amelia, Ohio. Bochner said at one time, a support number for Winfixer support also rang through to ByteHosting, which led in part to Reno being added to the suit.
Reno, along with other co-defendants and ByteHosting, was sued by Symantec in 2004 for allegedly creating pop-up ads that told consumers their Symantec software was about to expire. The ads then directed users to fake software that looked similar to Symantec products. Court records show Reno and Symantec reached a confidential settlement in December 2004.
Cohen was named for his connections with vipfares.com, a now-defunct travel Web site, Bochner said. At one time, the Winfixer software would hijack the user's browser and suddenly show vipfares.com, he said.
Efforts to reach Cohen and Reno for comment were unsuccessful on Wednesday and Thursday. However, Cohen's attorney, Judy Silverstein, appeared on a San Francisco TV news program on Feb. 26 regarding Winfixer and her client.
Silverstein said, "His [Cohen's] position is he's done nothing wrong. He's done nothing improper or illegal, and he's had no ownership interested in those Web sites."
Bochner said he has turned over some of his research to law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Secret Service along with California authorities.
While researching IP addresses that linked to Winfixer, Bochner said he suddenly came upon a database detailing sales of Winfixer and the other versions of the programs.
The multi-gigabyte database -- apparently left unsecured and open to the Internet -- contained names, addresses, credit-card numbers, transaction amounts and the version of Winfixer that was sold, he said. For example, on Jan. 20, 2006, the data showed 2,351 sales to users worldwide, with an average transaction amount of $40, Bochner said.
The database covers transactions made from January 2005 through January 2006. One of the records shows a transaction made by someone who lives across the street from his law office, Bochner said. The data, while incomplete, allows a view of the fraud ring's broad reach and scope, he said.
"I think this is far larger than anyone has ever expected," Bochner said. "It's not inconceivable that these people have made $150 million or more over the last few years."
Saturday, March 10, 2007
German man chainsaws house in two in divorce split...
Reuters.com
Fri Mar 9, 2007 BERLIN (Reuters Life!) - A 43-year-old German decided to settle his imminent divorce by chainsawing a family home in two and making off with his half in a forklift truck.
Police in the eastern town of Sonneberg said on Friday the trained mason measured the single-storey summer house -- which was some 8 meters (26 feet) long and 6 meters wide -- before chainsawing through the wooden roof and walls.
"The man said he was just taking his due," said a police spokesman. "But I don't think his wife was too pleased."
After finishing the job, the man picked up his half with the forklift truck and drove to his brother's house where he has since been staying.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Mar 9, 2007 BERLIN (Reuters Life!) - A 43-year-old German decided to settle his imminent divorce by chainsawing a family home in two and making off with his half in a forklift truck.
Police in the eastern town of Sonneberg said on Friday the trained mason measured the single-storey summer house -- which was some 8 meters (26 feet) long and 6 meters wide -- before chainsawing through the wooden roof and walls.
"The man said he was just taking his due," said a police spokesman. "But I don't think his wife was too pleased."
After finishing the job, the man picked up his half with the forklift truck and drove to his brother's house where he has since been staying.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Steamy e-mails from U.S. astronaut case released...
Reuters.com
Wed Mar 7, 2007. ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Astronaut Lisa Nowak carried copies of steamy e-mails that her NASA lover had written to his new girlfriend the night she raced cross-country in a diaper to confront her rival, according to documents released on Tuesday.
Florida prosecutors released copies of the e-mails, police statements and other evidence in the case against Nowak, 43.
Nowak has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary and battery after confronting her rival at the Orlando International Airport last month.
"Lots of love coming your way ... and kisses and a great big giant hug with my legs around you," Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman e-mailed to space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein on January 8.
Oefelein responded: "You must really have me around your finger that I can't even function without you here, and with you here, I am slightly smarter than a slug."
Nowak had copies of the e-mail when she was arrested, prosecutors said.
In his statement to police, Oefelein, 42, said that he had been involved in a "somewhat exclusive" romantic relationship with Nowak, who was married, for about three years until meeting Shipman in November. He said he told Nowak in mid-January that he was in love with Shipman and wanted to pursue an exclusive relationship with her.
"She seemed a little disappointed, um, but she seemed to be accepting of that," Oefelein said in the statement, referring to Nowak.
Shipman, who lives in Cape Canaveral, said in her police statement that while staying with Oefelein in his Houston apartment the weekend before the attack, Oefelein accidentally called her "Lisa" in bed one night.
Police said Nowak drove from her Houston home to the Orlando airport to meet Shipman's flight after the weekend tryst with Oefelein.
Nowak disguised herself in a wig and trench coat, and carried a bag that contained weapons, including a loaded BB gun, four-inch (10-cm) knife, rubber hose and pepper spray.
Shipman told police that Nowak chased her to her car, tried to open the door and sprayed pepper spray in the window.
Nowak told police she only wanted to talk to Shipman about Oefelein. Police reports said Nowak waited to confront Shipman in a deserted parking lot.
Nowak is free on bond but required to wear a global positioning device that will alert authorities if she returns to Florida.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Wed Mar 7, 2007. ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Astronaut Lisa Nowak carried copies of steamy e-mails that her NASA lover had written to his new girlfriend the night she raced cross-country in a diaper to confront her rival, according to documents released on Tuesday.
Florida prosecutors released copies of the e-mails, police statements and other evidence in the case against Nowak, 43.
Nowak has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary and battery after confronting her rival at the Orlando International Airport last month.
"Lots of love coming your way ... and kisses and a great big giant hug with my legs around you," Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman e-mailed to space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein on January 8.
Oefelein responded: "You must really have me around your finger that I can't even function without you here, and with you here, I am slightly smarter than a slug."
Nowak had copies of the e-mail when she was arrested, prosecutors said.
In his statement to police, Oefelein, 42, said that he had been involved in a "somewhat exclusive" romantic relationship with Nowak, who was married, for about three years until meeting Shipman in November. He said he told Nowak in mid-January that he was in love with Shipman and wanted to pursue an exclusive relationship with her.
"She seemed a little disappointed, um, but she seemed to be accepting of that," Oefelein said in the statement, referring to Nowak.
Shipman, who lives in Cape Canaveral, said in her police statement that while staying with Oefelein in his Houston apartment the weekend before the attack, Oefelein accidentally called her "Lisa" in bed one night.
Police said Nowak drove from her Houston home to the Orlando airport to meet Shipman's flight after the weekend tryst with Oefelein.
Nowak disguised herself in a wig and trench coat, and carried a bag that contained weapons, including a loaded BB gun, four-inch (10-cm) knife, rubber hose and pepper spray.
Shipman told police that Nowak chased her to her car, tried to open the door and sprayed pepper spray in the window.
Nowak told police she only wanted to talk to Shipman about Oefelein. Police reports said Nowak waited to confront Shipman in a deserted parking lot.
Nowak is free on bond but required to wear a global positioning device that will alert authorities if she returns to Florida.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Topless wife photo ends man's pole protest...
Reuters.com
Fri Mar 2, 2007.BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man who spent 10 days in a self-made box atop a 72-foot-tall pole to protest a looming jail term was lured off his perch by his wife -- who sent up a topless picture of herself in his lunch box.
Fred Gregor, 45, was bidding to have his 15-month conviction for fraud overturned by squatting in his tiny cubicle atop a converted television mast. He told Reuters in a telephone interview last week that he wanted a new trial.
His wife Susanne, 25, backed his protest until the former stripper and mother of their five children decided she had had enough.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Mar 2, 2007.BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man who spent 10 days in a self-made box atop a 72-foot-tall pole to protest a looming jail term was lured off his perch by his wife -- who sent up a topless picture of herself in his lunch box.
Fred Gregor, 45, was bidding to have his 15-month conviction for fraud overturned by squatting in his tiny cubicle atop a converted television mast. He told Reuters in a telephone interview last week that he wanted a new trial.
His wife Susanne, 25, backed his protest until the former stripper and mother of their five children decided she had had enough.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
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