Serious security flaw found in IE

 

From BBC News-

Users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer are being urged by experts to switch to a rival until a serious security flaw has been fixed.

The flaw in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer could allow criminals to take control of people’s computers and steal their passwords, internet experts say.

Microsoft urged people to be vigilant while it investigated and prepared an emergency patch to resolve it.

Internet Explorer is used by the vast majority of the world’s computer users.

 

It’s a shame Microsoft have not been able to fix this more quickly  Darien Graham-Smith PC Pro magazine Q&A: Stay safe online

“Microsoft is continuing its investigation of public reports of attacks against a new vulnerability in Internet Explorer,” said the firm in a security advisory alert about the flaw.

Microsoft says it has detected attacks against IE 7.0 but said the “underlying vulnerability” was present in all versions of the browser.

Other browsers, such as Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Safari, are not vulnerable to the flaw Microsoft has identified.

Browser bait

“In this case, hackers found the hole before Microsoft did,” said Rick Ferguson, senior security advisor at Trend Micro. “This is never a good thing.”

As many as 10,000 websites have been compromised since the vulnerability was discovered, he said.

“What we’ve seen from the exploit so far is it stealing game passwords, but it’s inevitable that it will be adapted by criminals,” he said. “It’s just a question of modifying the payload the trojan installs.”

 

MICROSOFT SECURITY ADVICE Change IE security settings to high (Look under Tools/Internet Options) Switch to a Windows user account with limited rights to change a PC’s settings With IE7 or 8 on Vista turn on Protected Mode Ensure your PC is updated Keep anti-virus and anti-spyware software up to date

Said Mr Ferguson: “If users can find an alternative browser, then that’s good mitigation against the threat.”

But Microsoft counselled against taking such action.

“I cannot recommend people switch due to this one flaw,” said John Curran, head of Microsoft UK’s Windows group.

He added: “We’re trying to get this resolved as soon as possible.

“At present, this exploit only seems to affect 0.02% of internet sites,” said Mr Curran. “In terms of vulnerability, it only seems to be affecting IE7 users at the moment, but could well encompass other versions in time.”

Richard Cox, chief information officer of anti-spam body The Spamhaus Project and an expert on privacy and cyber security, echoed Trend Micro’s warning.

“It won’t be long before someone reverse engineers this exploit for more fraudulent purposes. Trend Mico’s advice [of switching to an alternative web browser] is very sensible,” he said.

 

This could be the moment when the minnows in the browser wars finally score a significant victory  Rory Cellan-Jones BBC technology editor Read the dot.life blog in full

PC Pro magazine’s security editor, Darien Graham-Smith, said that there was a virtual arms race going on, with hackers always on the look out for new vulnerabilities.

“The message needs to get out that this malicious code can be planted on any web site, so simple careful browsing isn’t enough.”

“It’s a shame Microsoft have not been able to fix this more quickly, but letting people know about this flaw was the right thing to do. If you keep flaws like this quiet, people are put at risk without knowing it.”

“Every browser is susceptible to vulnerabilities from time to time. It’s fine to say ‘don’t use Internet Explorer’ for now, but other browsers may well find themselves in a similar situation,” he added.

Internet Explorer is used by the vast

 majority of the world’s computer users

Fast and Furious (4)

Hear that, “Fast and Furious” lovers? Your car porn is coming sooner than you expected. Get the lubes ready, boys! Fast and Furious is restarting its engines and putting something extra under the hood. The fourth installment of the street-racing saga will enjoy a rarity among franchises: the return of original stars. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reprise their roles as outlaw and cop.

 

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed — “Fast and Furious.” Heading back to the streets where it all began, they rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller. When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel. As i am an avid fan – I can’t wait for it to be released!

Show your name in the System Clock

This will put your name or any text up to 12 characters long in the system clock. Show off to your friends that you are elite!

Here is how to do it.

1. Go to Control Panel and then on to Regional and Language Options.

2. Click on Customize and go to Time tab.

3. To put your name, just click on the scroll down text and rename it with anything you want. Like you see in the above image, I put “Scienide” beside the AM and PM.

4. Finally,  accept the changes.

P.S =- Work in Vista too, and it also changes system time in any other application you are using.

EarthView

I was surving the net, while Battrick was down, and came accross this really interesting background application. I always enjoy watching the sky and the clouds formation and how they fly by. Now i have found a differnet angel

EarthView is a dynamic desktop wallpaper and screen saver, which displays beautiful views of the earth with daylight and night shadows. It produces colorful, high quality, high resolution images.

So download and play around and tel me what you think.

Download

Nativity Scene is INACCURATE, Claims Expert

The classic scene of the baby Jesus, born in a stable and surrounded by Mary and Joseph, loving visitors and farmyard animals is inaccurate, according to a leading Christian Scholar.

Reverend Dan Browne has put forward his alternative, refined nativity scene, which is based on recently unearthed primary sources and records, to coincide with this years festival celebrations and hopes to change the way people conceptualise the coming of the lord.

Dan Brown: “Scene incorrectly portrayed by the Bible

“I want to de construct the current myth of Christmas” said Browne, in an exclusive interview. “Firstly, the heroism of the ‘little donkey’, who ‘carried Mary, safely on her way’ is a popular part of the nativity story. However, for a little donkey to carry a heavily pregnant woman from Nazareth to Bethlehem (approximately 70 miles) is obviously absurd; realistically, within a few hours, little donkey would have become a little dead.

“Secondly”, claims Browne, “there were no three wise men following yonder star, but it likely that their were three drunk vagabonds, attracted by the sparkly lights of the stable and the screaming due to Mary’s birth pains. They most likely wanted to touch the baby for good luck and possibly because, like many homeless and scary people, they like the smell of newborn babies”.

Browne also reveals that the shepherds, who were told to go to see the baby Jesus by the Angel Gabriel, were most likely just cattle-rustlers, who were alarmed after breaking into yet another Bethlehem barn, to find not cattle but the Messiah.

“It’s surprising, if not shocking stuff I know” concludes Browne. “But hey, the whole thing centres around a virgin giving birth to the son of God, so good luck calling bullshit on it”.

http://commonsmith.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/nativity-scene-is-inaccurate-claims-expert/

HD PVR – channel numbers mixed or not working?

If you are finding that your channel numbers are all mixed up (e.g. M-Net HD on 1010), please try the following procedure:

1. While on a video channel, press and hold in (for at least 5 seconds) the GUIDE button on the front panel of the decoder.
2. Immediately thereafter press EXIT and then OK on the front panel, in quick succession.
3. A green banner will appear asking for a PIN.
4. Enter 1649 via the remote control and accept.
5. Scroll to ‘Factory Settings’ and press OK.
6. Press OK on ‘Restore Factory Settings’.
7. Press OK on ‘Accept’ to confirm.

Australia vs Barbarians

 

McCaw and Burger finally get to play on the same team

Tonight we are in for a treat! Jake White former Springbok and RWC winning coach has selected a Barbarian team to take on the Wallabies. The Barbarians have a line up that would make the Rugby Gods druel, with 4 of the last 5 IRB player of the year in their squad of 22 players. 

Jake White selected his old skipper from the Rugby World Cup to lead the Baba’s into battel against the Wallabies. George Gregan makes an apperance on the bench and will hopefully get a run against his old team mates. 

Here are the line ups for tonights Australia vs Barbarians game. 

Barbarians team: 
Percy Montgomery (SA); 
Joe Rokocoko (NZ), 
Rico Gear (NZ), 
Jean de Villiers (SA), 
Bryan Habana (SA); 
Francois Steyn (SA), 
Fourie du Preez (SA); 
Federico Pucciariello (Ita), 
John Smit (SA, capt), 
Census Johnson (Samoa), 
Bakkies Botha (SA), 
Johann Muller (SA), 
Jerry Collins (NZ), 
Richie McCaw (NZ), 
Schalk Burger (SA). 

Replacements: Mark Regan (Eng), Rodney Blake (Aus), Chris Jack (NZ), Nick Koster (SA, uncapped), George Gregan (Aus), Ollie Smith (Eng), Shane Williams (Wal). 

Australia team: 
James O’Connor; 
Lote Tuqiri, Ryan Cross, 
Adam Ashley-Cooper, 
Digby Ioane; 
Quade Cooper, 
Brett Sheehan; 
Sekope Kepu, 
Tatafu Polota-Nau, 
Matt Dunning, 
Mark Chisholm, 
Hugh McMeniman, 
Dean Mumm, 
George Smith (capt), 
Richard Brown. 

Replacements: Adam Freier, Ben Alexander, Peter Kimlin, David Pocock, Luke Burgess, Lachie Turner, Drew Mitchell.

 

by: http://www.rugbyworldcupblog.com