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LangaList 2006-01-16 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
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1) Five Essential Steps To PC SecurityYou see it in the news again and again: Identity theft, corporate data stolen,
private information falling into the wrong hands... Plus, the article contains *dozens* of live links for you, giving you nearly instant access to the many tools and informational resources we discuss. See something you want in the text? It's just a click away! Let's get started! With the information in this article, you'll be on your
way to 365 days of safe computing! Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 2) Symantec "Rootkit"We first discussed "Rootkits" about a year ago.
Although there are limited, valid uses for rootkits, some software vendors jumped on the technology for their own reasons. Sony, for example, started installing rootkits as part of their copy-protection scheme. In effect, they were covertly installing software at the deepest possible level in users PC solely for Sony's own benefit: "We're taking over your PC so we can protect our profits." That was bad enough, but the Sony rootkit also opened an avenue for malicious hackers to get into the deepest levels of your PC, too. People were rightly incensed, and Sony had to backpedal. http://www.google.com/search?q=rootkit+sony A week or so ago, it was widely reported that "Symantec Security Check" also installs a rootkit. In itself, as long as the user is notified what's going on, that wouldn't be a horrible thing because low-level security actually makes sense at the rootkit level. A rootkit-based security module would run early in the boot process, and be very hard to detect, remove or deactivate. Those are positive attributes for a security tool. But, the early reports said, the Symantec tool contained a "buffer overflow" weakness that meant it could be used by malicious hackers to inject hostile code deep into a PC--- at the level of the rootkit itself. Yikes! If it all were true, it might have been something. But as far as I can tell, the reports were a puree of fact, fiction, and old information. First, the reports of a "rootkit" actually appear to be a somewhat hysterical overreaction to what was the normal action of the "Norton Protected Recycle Bin," which hides the files it contains from the OS. These files are not processed by the OS, and are not seen by normal software. This makes the Norton Recycle Bin a potentially attractive place to store malware, where it will be out of sight, hidden, and mostly inaccessible--- not a true rootkit, but something *like* a rootkit. In response, Symantec released a patch, which makes their Recycle Bin less useful as a place to try to hide malware. Quite separately, there apparently *is* a buffer-overflow problem in parts of the Norton suite. Some are apparently relatively newly-discovered: http://www.us-cert.gov/current/#symhpbuff . Others, especially the buffer-overflow vulnerability reported as part of "Symantec Security Check" rootkit thing, actually dates back a couple *years.* Those problems were resolved long ago, in 2003, when Symantec released a patch and a removal tool: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/security/Content/2003.06.25.html So, as far as I can tell, the story of the "Symantec Rootkit" contains a little bit of truth, a little bit of new news, some quite old "news," and a dollop of hysteria. If you're running Symantec security tools, make sure you keep them updated--- run LiveUpdate manually, and/or visit the Symantec site yourself, if you have to--- and check this link for information that may supersede what's available to me as I write this: http://www.google.com/search?q=symantec+rootkit (See also next item.) Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Microsoft Completes XP "Lifecycle" UpdateThe careful language in the above item is to try to prevent a problem among some readers such as occurred in our discussions of Microsoft's changing XP's "Support Lifecycle" in anticipation of the arrival of Vista. I'd said in the text:
and:
and that proved true: In the 24 hours between when I wrote the last issue and when Plus! subscribers received it (Plus! issues are emailed sooner than other issues), Microsoft finally finished updating the Lifecycle pages, so they now all say the same thing: The Dec 31 2006 dates have been erased from the support timelines for XP; and the site now consistently states: "Mainstream support will end two years after the next version of this product is released." Microsoft still has not changed its base policy (and I don't think it will): "Consumer" products will normally have a 5-year life; "professional" or "business" products will normally have a 10-year life. But MS *is* allowing for at least a two-year transition period when a new product comes out. That's a good thing--- the old days of trying to "churn" the userbase into buying a new version every year or so seem well and truly dead.
Thanks, Shawn, and everyone who wrote in. Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Dear Fred, Just wanted to let you know why
I (finally) subscribed to --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 4) That Pesky Vendor StartUp Logo
I think you have two separate issues, here, Bob. First: The startup logo, which can be either from the motherboard vendor, the system vendor, or the BIOS vendor, is usually inside the actual BIOS: It has nothing to do with the software on the hard drive. It's there to hide all the startup messages you otherwise see as various bits and pieces of the system wake up and come alive. Those startup messages and (usually) an audible beep are part of the "power-on self test" or POST process. (See http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=%22power%2Don+self+test%22+POST&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) But some of us actually like to see the startup messages--- OK, I'm a geek!--- as they provide the lowest-level feedback on a PC's hardware health: Any unexpected changes in the startup messages are usually worth exploring to see what changed, and why. And the startup messages are also useful in after-the-fact diagnosis of low-level system trouble. Some systems let you temporarily disable the logo when you want to see the power-on messages. For example, some BIOSes let you hit the Tab or Esc key during boot to temporarily disable the on-screen logo, revealing the POST messages. Other BIOSes let you toggle the logo on or off permanently. A common Intel BIOS, for example, offers a "Silent Boot" option. When enabled (the default setting), the OEM logo is displayed. When DISabled (that's my preferred setting), you see the POST messages. So: Reboot your PC, and enter the BIOS setup program by hitting the appropriate key after the first POST beep. (The key is often Del or F2, although it could be any key; and you may have to hit it repeatedly. Check your owner's manual or vendor web site, or these pages http://www.google.com/search?q=enter+access+bios for exact info on how to get at the BIOS settings for your PC.) Check under "Boot options" or any similar heading in the BIOS settings; and look for "Silent Boot" or any similar wording that might relate to what you see on screen as the PC wakes up. Not all BIOSes have the option to turn off the logo, but if yours does, the switch will be in there somewhere! The second issue is the length of the boot process itself, which--- alas!--- will probably be the same whether or not the logo is displayed. You may be able to see where the PC is spending time in the boot process by seeing which POST messages take the longest, but you may have to dig deeper, once you can see what's going on:
http://www.google.com/search?as_q=slow+boot&as_sitesearch=langa.com Click to email this item to a
friend 5) "Mystery Program from MS"That was the heading of this short note from reader DF Brown:
This started as a one-shot download from Microsoft, partly in response to the virulent "Sasser" worm; the rapid spread of which (like most worms and viruses) was caused by people running their PCs without even the most rudimentary forms of anti-malware protection. The "Malicious Software Removal Tool" is actually just such a rudimentary anti-malware tool, designed to ensure that everyone has at least minimal protection. It showed up early last year. ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-04-21.htm#3 ) It only targets a small number of the very worst and most common worms/trojans/viruses going around. But because these malware nasties evolve, so does the tool: Now, a new version is released about once a month, and is included as a routine part of WindowsUpdate downloads. You can read more about the tool, or download the current version manually, at http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx Click to email this item to a
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friend 7) More CPU-Hungry SoftwareOur recent discussion of software that eats more than its share of your CPU time (eg "What's Eating His CPU Cycles?" http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-01-12.htm#3 ) brought this query:
We have to be a little careful with this one because the "sasser" worm (mentioned in #5, above) masquerades as the legitimate lsass component of the operating system: the Local Security Authority Service. If your PC is up to date with all current security
patches, including the "Malicious Software Removal Tool" (see #5, above), you
shouldn't have the sasser worm; the security hole it used was patched a long
time ago. But you can check by running any of the free sasser-removal tools
available online, including: Once your PC is known to be sasser-free, and if LSASS
still seems to be too hungry, this information should help, as it's actually a
fairly common problem: Click to email this item to a
friend 8) They Loaded The CodeDo you have a home page or website? (It doesn't matter what size.) Please
click over to http://langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join the
hundreds and hundreds of LangaList readers who have "Loaded the Code!"
(If you've already "Loaded The Code" and are wondering if your site will
appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please see
http://langa.com/link.txt ) Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Doug's Rambling Blog Jimmy Bayless Blog Airshow and Aviation video Jerseyville Pain Management Christmas Pupper sandr gifts "In My own Way" zimagirl79 "Dave's Blog O'Stuff" photo restoration Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 9) CD/DVD/Flash Shelf Life?
We touched on this before when discussing USB thumb drives, which also are based on Flash-memory: Most vendors claim up to about a 10-year life for data stored in a flash device. (See "Life Expectancy Of Flash Drives?" http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-12-08.htm#4 ) But I think it'd be dangerous to trust that--- it's called "flash" memory, not "freeze" memory. <g> It's simply not designed for archival storage. (And it's actually fairly expensive storage, too, compared to magnetic or optical storage. The only way to amortize the cost is to keep the flash device in use, not sitting in a drawer.) So: I suggest that data be pulled out of flash memory and stored in a different form--- on a hard drive for medium-range storage, for example, or on a CD or DVD for long-range storage. If the CDs or DVDs are stored casually, in ordinary room conditions and without special care, then Mr. Gerecke's estimate of 5 years, max, might be reasonable. But with a little care in preparation and handling (eg how the discs are labeled and stored), I think 10+ years should be achievable. Consensus Emerging On CD/DVD Life Further Authoritative Info On CD/DVD Life The latter item includes this:
Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 14) Just For Grins
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