August 15 2008 COOLSITES Newsletter #178 by Mark Donaldson

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I have published the August 15 2008 COOLSITES Newsletter #178 by Mark Donaldson.

The following is an excerpt from this weeks newsletter. To see the full newsletter with all of the COOLSITES links please click and bookmark this link: http://luem42.googlepages.com/coolsites.html and check it each week. Thank you. Mark.


August 15 2008 COOLSITES Newsletter #178 by Mark Donaldson

Almost everyone got last week's newsletter. Since I had 2 AOL news links that week I expected AOL to block it which is their habit. AOL didn't block it so I'm surprised.

I still may have problems from time to time so here is what I have done. Subscribers may use a private link to download the newsletter in the text ( .txt ), html (.html ) and the MS Word Doc ( .doc ) format in a zip file. I will upload the zip files to my archive site right after I send out the newsletter on Friday morning. If a subscriber doesn't receive the newsletter, by 8am EDT, they can quickly download it, unzip it and peruse it offline. You can also read it online from there.

If you are a subscriber and don't know the private link you can email me for it. These zip files are less than 40K which is smaller than the 100K or more newsletter email.

Here is your private link: http://sub.luem42.com . Just type sub.luem42.com into any browser.

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Semper Gratis (forever free) of cost

COOLSITES is a list of safe, fun, useful, informative and just plain cool websites and programs that are FREE, FREE and FREE. All of the programs and websites I list are free. If I list anything that is so good but isn't free I will list the price with it.

My website is Dialup Friendly. All pages except "Just The Links" and "Specialized Search Engines" load up in under 15 seconds.

Wherever you go if you see the user name LUEM42 that's me

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Pirillo's Picks for February 13 2007

"And if you think that's a lot of links, you should see how many http://luem42.com/ collects every day. It's enough to make you wanna never leave the house again as long as you live" Yours Digitally, Chris Pirillo http://chris.pirillo.com/


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Clif Notes Newsletter, Feb 2007 http://freewarewiki.com/ClifNotes

"The COOLSITES Newsletter - find the coolest links here. This fella named Mark Donaldson has been sending out his lists of cool sites since 2003. I'd never heard of him before last week. One day I was Googling myself to see who was posting links to my newsletter, and I found his website. I guess he's mentioned my newsletter at least 3 times. I like the COOLSITES website too, but I think it could use some reformatting to make it a bit easier to read. What I really like is the content there. Mark must really read a lot of stuff on the web and he takes the best links then tells you about them." http://freewarewiki.com/CoolSitesNewsletter


Welcome to Clif Notes Newsletter
August 10, 2008

Here are the headlines from this week's newsletter.

# There's always more to the story...
# REVIEWS
1. GParted - free open source partition manager
2. Zoundry Raven - portable blog post editor
3. Malware Bytes Anti-Malware - good anti-spyware and trojan scanner
4. Switch Audio File Converter
5. Old Newsletter

# TIPS AND FEEDBACK
1. What free software do you need?
2. Free Tools To Keep Your Software Up To Date
3. Internet Fixes Weekend Windup
4. Comments last week

# COOL WEBSITES
1. WriteToMyBlog.com - online blog post and HTML editor
2. Google Street View is very nice, now a marriage proposal?
3. England's Child Singing Star
4. CoolSites Newsletter this week

# NEW NEWS
1. SnapFiles.com - new and updated freeware
2. News from Sarah in Tampa
3. Security news from Malware Advisor
4. A view from CyberNirvana

Last Newsletter http://freewarewiki.com/ClifNotesNewsletter080810

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Security News

"National Cyber Alert System Cyber Security Alert SA08-225A Microsoft Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities Original release date: August 12, 2008 Source: US-CERT Systems Affected Microsoft Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, and Windows Messenger Overview: Vulnerabilities in a variety of Microsoft products could allow an attacker to gain control of your computer. Solution: Install updates Microsoft has released updates to remedy critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. Updates for Microsoft Windows are available on the Microsoft Update site. We recommend enabling Automatic Updates. Description: Microsoft has released updates to address vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, and Windows Messenger as part of the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for August 2008. These vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to access your computer, install and run malicious software on your computer, or cause your computer to crash. More technical information is available in US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-225A. References * Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for August 2008 - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-aug.mspx> * US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-225A - http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-225A.html * US-CERT Vulnerability Notes for Microsoft August 2008 updates - http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/byid?searchview&query=ms08-aug "




"Websense® Security LabsT ThreatSeekerT network has discovered replica CNN Custom Email Alerts being sent out via spam emails. These emails contain links to a legitimate news page, but have been designed to encourage users to download a malicious application posing as a video codec. Over the last few days, the ThreatSeeker Network has seen huge volumes of spam wrapped up in CNN-themed templates - most recently email alerts listing the Daily Top 10 Stories and Videos, which also encouraged users to download a video codec (again a malicious file).

The bogus CNN Custom Alerts spam we have been seeing today look convincing in their appearance. The malicious payload is only accessed when the user clicks on the 'FULL STORY' link - the first link behind the story title leads to a legitimate news page hosted on CNN. The news story is a recent article centered around the Beijing Olympics.

The 'FULL STORY' link takes users to a Web page by the name of cnn****.html. This issues a pop-up encouraging users to download a 'missing' video codec, a file called adobe_flash.exe. The source code of cnn****.html is obfuscated. Our Security Labs have also seen evidence of this campaign and recent others being distributed via blog spam to further increase the chance of success. Websense Messaging and Websense Web Security customers are protected against this attack. To view the details of this alert http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Alerts/3154.aspx "



"Websense® Security Labs(TM) ThreatSeeker(TM) Network has discovered a new replica wave of 'msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS' alerts that are being sent out via spam emails. Similar to previous attacks related to 'Bogus CNN Custom Alerts,' these emails contain links to a legitimate news page, but are designed to encourage users to download a malicious application posing as a video codec.

Over the last few days, the ThreatSeeker Network has seen huge volumes of spam wrapped up in CNN-themed templates - most recently email alerts listing the different popular events and news articles, which also encouraged users to download a video codec, which was actually a malicious file.
The malicious payload is only accessed when the user clicks on the 'breakingnews.msnbc.com' link, which takes users to a Web page named up.html. This page issues a pop-up encouraging users to download a 'missing' video codec, a file called adobe_flash.exe.
Here are a few examples of the varied subjects we have seen in this campaign:

msnbc.com BREAKING NEWS: Michael Phelps wins 10th career gold, making him the winningest Olympian in history
msnbc.com BREAKING NEWS: China beats out U.S. for gold in women's team gymnastics
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Dark Knight establishes dominance with 400 million mark
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: How to save money on gas
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Preliminary polls for the election
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: McDonald's found to breach FDA regulations, suspended from trading
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Jury duties for you
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Find out how to get top returns for your! money at minimum risk
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Abortion outlawed in California
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Buy gold at lowest prices and make immediate profits
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Anthrax case solved
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal buys Ronaldo from Man Utd
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Too much freedom will destroy America
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Copycat murderer beheads woman on Greyhound bus
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: NASDAQ index gains 720 points overnight upon war announcement
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Sony announces replacement to successful PSP gaming system
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Americans loves to sue people
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Please give your opinions for change
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Sandwich recall amid Salmonella outbreak

Websense Messaging and Websense Web Security customers are protected against this attack.
To view the details of this alert http://securitylabs.websense.com/c! ontent/Alerts/3159.aspx "





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Security Links

I get these links from good sources however I do not test the programs myself because I just don't have the time and most new programs won't work on my old 98 system. The definitive source of rogue info is Spyware Warrior- Rogue-Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm


Beware this 'Neighborly' Charity Fraud. Scambusters.org: http://www.scambusters.org/charityfraud.html

Computer Virus And Worm Prevention Part I: http://feed.lockergnome.com/~r/nexus/it/~3/363129216/

Computer Virus And Worm Prevention Part II: http://feed.lockergnome.com/~r/nexus/it/~3/364187192/

Computer Virus And Worm Prevention Part III: http://feed.lockergnome.com/~r/nexus/it/~3/365231098/

Confessions of an Auto Finance Manager. How not to get snookered: http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/125308/article.html

Criminal Searches - FREE criminal searches on anyone: http://criminalsearches.com/

New. F-Secure Blacklight Rootkit Eliminator: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,72632/description.html

Update. Crypt4Free 4.8.0 128 bit to 2048 bit strong aes encryption software.: http://www.secureaction.com/encryption_free/

Update. SUPERAntiSpyware Free 4.20.1028 Beta AntiAdware. AntiSpyware. AntiMalware.: http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispyware.html

VirusTotal - Free Online Virus and Malware Scan: http://www.virustotal.com/

Vista. Securing The Vista Desktop Through The Registry Part IV: http://feed.lockergnome.com/~r/nexus/it/~3/358606028/

Vista. Securing The Vista Desktop Through The Registry Part V: http://feed.lockergnome.com/~r/nexus/it/~3/359623375/

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Windows Secrets Newsletter • Issue 165 • 2008-08-14

The following topics appear in our free content

INTRODUCTION
By Brian Livingston
Time for a summer break — see you on Sept. 4
Where in the world is Gizmo Richards?

TOP STORY
By Scott Dunn
You'll get a new Windows Update, like it or not
When turning updates off really doesn't
Keep unwanted updates from bugging you
Tips for installing recalcitrant updates

KNOWN ISSUES
By Dennis O'Reilly
The true tech challenge: keeping it simple
Knowing when not to futz with Windows' innards
Where to find the Support Alert search plug-in

WACKY WEB WEEK
By Katy Chenoweth
Groove is in the history books


http://WindowsSecrets.com/comp/080814

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Make My Start Page Your Home Page

Try my start page and make it your home page. It has the following convenient logins and links such as: Google Mail Login, Yahoo Mail Login, Windows Live MSN HotMail Login, Froogle Price Search, Google Maps, MySpace Login, Lockergnome Cool Web Links, Weather Radar, BugMeNot, E! Online, Zap2it TV Guide, Snopes, YouTube, FaceBook, and links to my webpages. You can also google the web or my website. It also has a link for your suggestions so you can help me make it better.

The best thing about it is it's simple, small and loads up on dialup in less than one second. Check it out today at: http://luem42.googlepages.com/start.html

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They Tried to Scam Me

ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITORY CRIMES DIVISION.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION.
J. EDGAR. HOOVER BUILDING, WASHINGTON D.C
ATTN: BENEFICIARY.
This is to officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly completed an Investigated with the help of our Intelligence monitoring Network System that you are having an illegal transaction with impostors claiming to be Prof. Charles C. Soludo of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Aziza, none officials of Oceanic Bank, none officials of Zenith Bank and some impostors from other part of the world claiming to be the Federal Bureau Of Investigation agents. During our Investigation, it came to our notice that the reason why you have not received your payment is because you have not fulfilled your Financial Obligation given to you in respect of your Contract/Inheritance Payment.
So therefore, we have contacted the Federal Ministry of Finance on your behalf and they have brought a solution to your problem by coordinating your payment in the total amount of $5,000,000.00 USD which will be deposited into an ATM CARD which you will use to withdraw funds anywhere of the world. You now have the lawful right to claim your funds which have been deposited into the ATM CARD.
Since the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been involved in this transaction, you are now to be rest assured that this transaction is legitimate and completely risk-free as it is our duty to protect and Serve citizens of the United States of America. All you have to do is immediately contact the ATM CARD CENTER via E-mail for instructions on how to procure your Approval Slip which contains details on how to receive and activate your ATM CARD for immediate use to withdraw funds being paid to you. We have confirmed that the amount required to procure the Approval Slip will cost you a total of $490 USD which will be paid directly to the ATM CARD CENTER agent via western union money transfer / money gram Money Transfer. Below, you shall find contact details of the Agent whom will process your transaction from Federal Minister of Finance:
CONTACT INFORMATION
FEDERAL MINISTER OF FINANCE.
ATM CARD CENTRE
NAME: MR. JOHN SMITH
OFFICE LINE: +234-16661009
EMAIL: atmfederalministryfinanceeee.DeleteThis@gmail.com
Immediately contact Mr. Paul Smith of the ATM Card Centre with the following information:
FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
DIRECT PHONE NUMBER:
CURRENT OCCUPATION:
ANNUAL INCOME:
Once you have sent the required information to Mr. John Smith he will contact you with instructions on how to make the payment of $490 USD for the Approval Slip after which he will proceed towards delivery of the ATM CARD without any further delay. You have hereby been authorized/guaranteed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to commence towards completing this transaction, as there shall be NO delay once payment for the Approval Slip has been made to the authorized agent.
Once you have completed payment of $490 to the agent in charge of this transaction, immediately contact us back for more investigation for conformation of your ATM card.
Federal Bureau Investigation
Robert S. Mueller Director, FBI
Contact us at: usafbi2.DeleteThis@live.com

I reported this one to the FBI. Mark.

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COOLSITES 139 cool links

I harvest what I believe to be the best links from the best sources that are safe, fun, informative, useful and just plain cool. I categorize them and edit their descriptions for clarity. I may make comments about the links but you will know because I always sign them with "Mark".

To see the full newsletter with all of the COOLSITES links please click and bookmark this link: http://luem42.googlepages.com/coolsites.html and check it each week. Thank you. Mark.