June 12 2009 COOLSITES Newsletter #221 Mark Donaldson

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This is what the COOLSITES Toolbar looks like. Click here for more info: http://luem42.com/toolbar.html Click here to get it: http://luem42.OurToolbar.com


I have published the June 12 2009 COOLSITES Newsletter #221 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.


June 12 2009 COOLSITES Newsletter #221 Mark Donaldson

JUNE 12th DTV DAY
ARE YOU READY

Get a free cup or cone of ice cream for
Dad on Father's Day at TCBY. Simply, take your Dad to their store on June
21, 2009 for a free treat

Just another good reason to subscribe and get this info before it expires



Subscribers who don't receive the newsletter, due to stupid filters, 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 9am ET, 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 for the newsletter.

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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
May 31, 2009

Thanks to eveyone who's written to ask where I've been since April. I've simply been very busy. I'm back now with more for freebies for you to try out

Topics in this week's letter

REVIEWS
Appetizer - portable and slick looking app launcher
Muziic Player - a YouTube music video player
Play Doom, Hexen and Heretic in your web browser
Learn Out Loud - download MP3 audio books
PhoneTray - block sales calls
Firefox plugin: Drag & Drop.io
Free OCR - online service
PhyreFile - free image hosting is simple
Monkey Puppet sings Michael Jackson tunes
Old Newsletter
TIPS AND FEEDBACK
What free software do you need?
Comments from the last newsletter
Internet Fixes Weekend Windup
CoolSites Newsletter this week
NEW NEWS
A view from CyberNirvana
OTHER STUFF
Frapper - you people live all over the world!
Get Gmail! and Get Firefox!
Chatting at FreewareWiki
Write your own review
Have fun and surf safely.

Latest newsletter http://freewarewiki.com/ClifNotesNewsletter090531

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Security News and Links

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


"Websense® Security Labs(TM) ThreatSeeker(TM) Network has discovered that the home page of Popular Bookstore in Singapore has been compromised, and is infecting site visitors with malicious code.

The homepage at www.popular.com.sg has been injected with malicious code. Normally this page would just redirect users to https://www.popular.com.sg/jsp/index.jsp (where the main site operates), but malicious obfuscated code has been injected into that page.

Popular Bookstore is an integrated business company comprising publishing, distribution, bookstore operations, and franchising. The Web site is very reputable and popular in Singapore.

We have been monitoring this attack because earlier, the obfuscated code resulted in an Iframe leading to the exploit site at karlast.com. Currently, the Iframe has changed and redirects users to the exploit site at suptullog.com.

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/3413.aspx "



"Websense Security Labs(TM) has discovered that the Canadian MSN Sympatico web site has been compromised with malicious code. The site's home page, index.php, was compromised and infected with an obfuscated JavaScript iframe redirect to a known server of malware with an explicit domain name.

To view the details of this alert http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Alerts/3416.aspx "




"National Cyber Alert System Cyber Security Alert SA09-160A Microsoft Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities Original release date: June 09, 2009 Source: US-CERT Systems Affected * Microsoft Windows * Microsoft Office * Microsoft Internet Explorer Overview: Microsoft has released updates that address vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer. Solution: Install updates The updates to address these vulnerabilities are available on the Microsoft Update site (requires Internet Explorer). We recommend enabling Automatic Updates. Description: As part of the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for June 2009, Microsoft released updates to address vulnerabilities that affect Microsoft Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer. These vulnerabilities could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code, gain elevated privileges, or cause a vulnerable application to crash. References * US-CERT Vulnerability Notes for Microsoft June 2009 updates http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/byid?searchview&query=ms09-jun "




"National Cyber Alert System Cyber Security Alert SA09-161A Adobe Acrobat and Reader Vulnerabilities Original release date: June 10, 2009 Source: US-CERT Systems Affected * Adobe Reader versions 9.1.1 and earlier * Adobe Acrobat (Standard, Professional, and 3D) versions 9.1.1 and earlier. Overview: Vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Acrobat may allow an attacker to take control of your computer. Adobe has released Security Bulletin APSB09-07, which describes the issues. Solution: Update Adobe has released updates to address this issue. Users are encouraged to read Adobe Security Bulletin APSB09-07 and update vulnerable versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat. Disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader and Acrobat Disabling Javascript may prevent some exploits from resulting in code execution. Acrobat JavaScript can be disabled using the Preferences menu: * Open the Edit menu. * Select Preferences. * Choose JavaScript. * Un-check Enable Acrobat JavaScript. Disable the display of PDF documents in the web browser Preventing PDF documents from opening inside a web browser will partially mitigate this vulnerability. This workaround may also mitigate future vulnerabilities. To prevent PDF documents from automatically being opened in a web browser, do the following: * Open Adobe Acrobat Reader. * Open the Edit menu. * Choose the Preferences option. * Choose the Internet section. * Un-check the Display PDF in browser check box. Do not access PDF documents from untrusted sources Do not open unfamiliar or unexpected PDF documents, particularly those hosted on websites or delivered as email attachments. See Cyber Security Tip ST04-010. Description: In Security Bulletin APSB09-07, Adobe describes issues that affect some versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat. By convincing a user to visit a website and opening a malicious PDF file in the user's browser, an attacker could execute code or cause a computer to crash. Note that web browsers may be configured to open PDF files automatically. More technical information is available in US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alert TA09-161A. References * US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alert TA09-161A http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-161A.html "


"Websense Security Labs(TM) ThreatSeeker(TM) Network has detected a new malicious spam campaign pretending to deliver legitimate news updates about the Air France plane crash. The spam campaign is in Portuguese, and includes a link to view the first videos from the crash site. The link to the video leads to a Trojan Downloader file named: Video_AirFrance_447.com. If a user runs the file, it downloads a malicious executable file masquerading as an image from [removed].org/imgs/like2.jpg. The malware registers a password-stealing BHO component on the system masquerading as a McAfee SiteAdvisor component with this GUID:{9387b8b2-5508-11de-8729-c56f55d89593}.

The GUID is linked to the malicious installed DLL file named mcieplg.dll under the system32 directory (%windir%\system32\mcieplg.dll). AV detection rates on this file are very low.

To view the details of this alert http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Alerts/3417.aspx "



"Websense Security Labs(TM) ThreatSeeker(TM) Network has detected a consistent decrease of sites infected with malicious code inserted by the Beladen massive injection.

The decrease in infections is highly suspicious, and we believe that the infected hosts are still under the control of the attackers. We suspect that those behind the infections may be automatically removing the injected scripts, getting ready to launch a new injection campaign soon.

To view the details of this alert http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Alerts/3420.aspx "





They Tried To Scam Me

I got 1 new scam email this week. You can see them online today at http://luem42.googlepages.com/sub.html or tommorrow at http://luem42.googlepages.com/coolsites.html . Mark



10 New Travel Scam Alerts for the Upcoming Vacation Season. Scambusters.org: http://www.scambusters.org/travelscam.html

Adobe fixes security bugs in Reader, Acrobat: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBas...amp;tax

ATM malware lets criminals steal data and cash: http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=235364623-be56918137808c8d29d6177...a633af-

Beware Of Your ATM. ATM machines all over the world are being exploited with malware. Boy, so much for those being secure as we have been told in the past: http://www.lockergnome.com/it/2009/06/05/beware-of-your-atm/

BlackBerry maker warns of security vulnerability: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55269N20090603

Don't get taken in by work-from-home scams: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kimkomando/2009-06-04-work-scams_N.htm

Microsoft issues patches, including one for IE exploit: http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=240243729-be56918137808c8d29d6177...a633af-

Microsoft takes aim at fake antivirus program and adds a fake antivirus program to items targeted by its Malicious Software Removal Tool: http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=240243723-be56918137808c8d29d6177...a633af-

Microsoft to plug holes in Windows, IE, Word, Office, and Excel as part of next week's Patch Tuesday: http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=235364621-be56918137808c8d29d6177...a633af-

Microsoft will soon unveil free anti-virus software: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1044924620090610

RIM Admits BlackBerry Security Hole, Patch Available: http://go.infopackets.com/e20090608-11

Update. CryptoExpert 2009 Lite 7.9.4 Free on the fly hard drives encryption software with Password authentication.: http://www.secureaction.com/cryptoexpert/lite/

Update. GSA Security (formerly Cobra Security) 2010 v10.9.5: http://www.gsasecurity.ucoz.com/

Update. Norman Malware Cleaner 2009.06.09: http://www.norman.com/support/support_tools/58732/en

Updated May-11-2009 Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
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Consumer News and Links


From http://www.consumerworld.org/



What are Those New Barcodes on Coupons?
4 Savings Mistakes that Cost More in the Long Run
Be a Smart Sunscreen Label Reader
Senator Investigates Mysterious Credit Card Charges
Because 1 in 5 Do #1 in the Pool...
Sellers Rush to Offer Cheaper Designer Fashions
What the GM Bankruptcy Will Mean for You
Credit Card Offers Drop; Fee-Based Offers Up
Some Big Brokerages Waive Fees to Retain Clients
Dog Can Sniff Out Bootlegged DVDs
These 9 Dishes Pile on the Calories pdf
Mortgage Help Programs Don't Always Help
Tips on Picking a Roofing Contractor
How Secure are AOL Passwords?
Analysis of Consumer Complaints about Privacy
Airline Seats Inch Closer to One Another
Walt Mossberg Reviews the Palm Pre
New Charges and Caps May Surprise Health Policy Owners
Chase Tinkers with Rewards Programs, Adds Fee
Court Finds that Crunchberries are Not Fruit
UK Court Says Pringles are Potato Chips, Thus Taxed
Tasters Choice Man on Label Sues Company for Using His Image
Study: Forced Arbitration Disadvantages Consumers pdf
5 Summer Travel Deals (Mostly Overseas)
Sears Settles with FTC Over Secret Tracking
Best Buy to Offer Free Windows 7 Upgrades 6/26+
Millions of TVs Will Go Dark on June 12




From: The TopSavings.com Team http://www.TopSavings.com

Eat Free @ Arby's on Wednesdays w/ Purchase (US) -

You can go to Arby's every Wednesday and get free food. Here is the
schedule:

June 17th - Free Regular Sidekicker with any sandwich purchase
June 24th -Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase
July 1st - Free Regular Beef 'n Cheddar with any soft drink purchase
July 8th - Free Orange Cream Swirl shake with any sandwich purchase
July 15th - Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase
July 22nd - Free Roastburger with any soft drink purchase
July 29th - Free FruiTea with any sandwich purchase
August 5th - Free Regular Roast Beef with any soft drink purchase
August 12th - Free Roast Chicken Club with any soft drink purchase
August 19th - Free FruiTea with any sandwich purchase
August 26th - Free Regular Beef 'n Cheddar with any soft drink purchase


10 Things Your Home Insurer Won't Tell You. dirty little secrets: http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/insurance/10-things-your-ho...insurer

2 Free Rings (S&H) at Top Savings: http://www.topsavings.com/index.asp?ID=19505&tfsnews=yes

Apple drops entry iPhone to $99, unveils new model: http://apnews.myway.com//article/20090609/D98MQGCO0.html

Chrysler dealers scramble to unload vehicles: http://apnews.myway.com//article/20090608/D98M65U05.html

Consumer Reports. Which Detergents Clean Best: http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STO.../www/st

Free Flea Killers Coupons: http://www.petsincredible.com/Coupons_main_bayer.php

Freebies UK Free Samples: http://www.freebietown.co.uk/

FreeSamplesDirect - Free Product Samples: http://freesamplesdirect.com/blog/

Home Swaps. Stay Free Next Vacation. set up a home exchange: http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/stay-for-free-on-your-next-vacation/

Mouse Print. Ally Bank -- We Hide Nothing: http://www.mouseprint.org/

Pay-As-You-Go Wireless Broadband from Virgin Mobile ~ IT Professionals: http://www.lockergnome.com/it/2009/06/10/pay-as-you-go-wireless-broadband/
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Windows Secrets Newsletter

Free content posted on June 11, 2009:


TOP STORY
By Susan Bradley
Big-name sites spread latest malware infections
The rise of a new form of Web-based threat
Boost XP's defenses against Gumblar-like attacks

KNOWN ISSUES
By Dennis O'Reilly
IE 8 causes big problems on some PCs

WACKY WEB WEEK
By Katy Abby
"Dude, I totally meant to do that ..."

http://WindowsSecrets.com/comp/090611
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Make My Start Page Your Home Page I have updated it on 10-3-8

Try my start page and make it your home page by clicking "Click here to make my start page your default homepage".

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, Scambusters, 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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COOLSITES 155 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.