Yahoo Messenger is just ... Evil

I've long suspected that Yahoo IM was bad, this article confirms it - Yahoo IM users get more than they bargained for.

Here's a quote from the article: "By accepting Yahoo's 'typical' installation of YIM with Voice, it will also download Yahoo's Search Toolbar with anti-spyware and anti-pop-up software, desktop and system tray shortcuts, as well as Yahoo Extras, which will insert Yahoo links into the Internet Explorer browser. The IM client also contains "live words," which will automatically show an icon when the user highlights words online and then hyperlink to Yahoo search results, definitions or translation tools. Finally, the installation will alter the users' home page and auto-search functions to point to Yahoo by default."

Ok, how is this different than any other Spyware? Including "anti-spyware and anti-pop-up software" is just a way to kill off the competition!

To me, YIM is just another trojan-horse spyware program. End of story.

Got Spyware? Part 2

I had mentioned this in a previous blog entry, but several so-called anti-spyware products advertised on Google are very suspicious. On this list of known "rogue" products, my suspicions are confirmed: Spyware Warrior: Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites.

This list is a good resource for those still struggling with spyware and trojan-horse infections.

New stuff

Ok, so I jumped into the iPod scene a little late in the game, but with the recent purchase of my Shuffle and upgrading to the new version of iTunes, I just discovered the wonderful world of "podcasting" - audio (sometimes video) feeds that you can get via RSS, and of course, on iTunes. Here's my favorite so far: The Dawn and Drew Show! - Podcasting from Wisconsin.

I'm now considering getting a better iPod so I can store more of these great indie broadcasts to listen to.

Blogging takes a strange turn...
This is just too creepy for words. I remember hearing something about this case on the evening news. Just one of those stories you listen to in the background while eating dinner.

Then I read this story online about how law enforcement had been monitoring this person through his blog. Check out the link in the story, Blogger is still hosting it:
Wired News: Cops Watched Sex Offender's Blog. Go back a few months and you can read all about his dementia.

I spent a few years working in forensics back in the 1980's. I had the bone-chilling job of reading through the journals found in a couple of cases, which had been entered as evidence. My skin crawled as I noticed some similar patterns to this guy's blog.

Access your data
So you've got a database and you need to get it out on the web. Well here's a good place to start:
ASP SQL Tutorials.

Then once you realize it's not working, try here: Why do I get database-related 80004005 errors?

That should keep you busy for a little while, at least. Later on, I'll be exploring the same techniques with .NET and ADO.NET - so stay tuned.

Free Software

These guys were always my favorite HTML Editor, now CoffeeCup is giving away free SiteMapper Software for a quick way to create a site map. These pages are a nice addition, especially for large web sites.

Knock, knock - anyone home?

As proof that nobody reads this blog, I had a really bad typo in the last post and nobody commented.

Where did your OS come from?

In the process of researching my spyware problem, I also came across this little tidbit - Microsoft is now requiring users to authenticate their version of Windows before allowing any security patches to be downloaded from windowsupdate.com. So, if your Windows 98 is a copy from the bargain bin at your local computer show, you may be out of luck.

Microsoft: Legit Windows or no updates

Got Spyware?

Ok, maybe I'm a bit obsessed with this topic. But, quite ironically, after my last post in December, my laptop was invaded by some very malicious Spy/Adware. I put up with the endless popup ads for a couple of weeks, but then my virus scanner kept catching backdoor trojans and keyloggers that were being installed on my system. Obviously, the Adware was going beyond just being an annoyance, but rather was an attempt at owning my computer.

The first bit of advice that I found was to download and use the latest tool from LavaSoft, Adaware SE. I had been using a previous version, but several sites recommended upgrading to the new version. Another trustworthy removal tool is Spybot Search and Destroy. A new Microsoft program, that they acquired by purchasing Giant Software, is Windows AntiSpyWare (Beta).

But, beware of other advertised Spyware tools as they themselves may be trojans.

Update: From my experience, I'd recommend using both Adaware SE and Spybot S&D. Spybot found 6 additional items that Adaware missed, including a Data Source (DSO) exploit that was reported back in 2002. I'm astonished that Internet Explorer is still subject to an exploit reported three years ago! So, I'm relatively sure that my laptop is now spy/adware free, but I'm still going to switch to Firefox as my default web browser.

Have you checked for Spyware today?

This past year seems to have been a banner year for Spyware and other web browser hijacking schemes. I've seen a couple of friend's computers completely taken over by these little nasties.

Anti-Spyware Test Guide is a very comprehensive list of both good and bad anti-spyware software packages that are out there.

Another thing that I've thought was suspicious, is that most of the anti-spyware sites advertised on Google are themselves suspect. It just goes to show that you can't always trust what you see on the 'Net.

Upgrade...or else

This article is actually dated before the discovery of the iFrame exploit, which makes it rather ironic. Microsoft's position has been that if you want the latest security patches, you have to upgrade to WinXP. So, all those WinME, Win2k (any Win98 and NNT users out there?) are out of luck.

The other side of the coin is you have to have fairly new hardware to run WinXP, which is my main problem. I don't have the extra cash to buy a new laptop. I'm guessing a lot of other folks don't either.
Want secure IE? Then upgrade to XP... - ZDNet UK News

Scary stuff
Once again, it's not safe to browse the web using Internet Explorer (was it ever?). As they state in this article, vulnerabilities in IE 6 allows a malicious web page to install and run code:
Secunia - Advisories - Internet Explorer HTML Elements Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

What's new?
A new layout, new host, new ads - just about new everything. Why, do you ask? Well, thanks to a recent hack-attack, my trusty old web server is now history. It had a good run - over 6 years of serving up my personal blogs and a few other sites for friends. It all started out as a small computer lab experiment back when I was taking classes at UVa. Then it became a form of entertainment - watching the server logs - seeing what kind of attacks were launched upon it. I guess someone finally decided it was time to trash it and take it down.

But from that arises a phoenix, the new randompsycho.

Ok, yeah, I'm pretty much full of it. LOL

I told you so...
I just knew that eventually someone was going to find a way to infect/hack your computer with a Jpeg graphic (theoretically, the idea has been out there for awhile).

Well, now Microsoft has issued a "critical" update: September 2004 Security Update for JPEG Processing (GDI )

The next big thing...
I haven't even upgraded to XP yet but there's a new client OS coming down the road.
Microsoft: Longhorn Coming in 2006

When you are looking from some good internet statistics The Pew Internet & American Life Project can help. Anything from who is online to which ones are using VoIP.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project is headed by Madeleine Korbel Albright, former Secretary of State... ok maybe that should be left well enough alone. In any event, it is a great site aside from it's new CSS which sucks and is a good example of how CSS is difficult to use across multiple platforms and browsers. Site looks great in NS6+ and Firefox but is quite lame in IE. I am very taken back that an organization that has the statistics of more than 85% of Internet users are on IE broswers and why they would disenfranchise those users for design :(

Check out their reports. I have not found one that they are charging for yet and they are good ammo for any statistical battle you might get yourself into.

Just when you thought it was safe to open your e-mail, along comes the InformationWeek > Lovegate Worm - which propagates by replying to any unread messages in your Outlook or Outlook Express inbox. Joy.

When I get a round-tuit

I've been wanting to redo the layout of this site for months now. Nowadays, page layouts done in HTML tables is so 90's and something just had to be done. So, thanks to a CSS layout from glish.com there's now something a little more modern in place until I find time to hammer out a new style sheet of my own. The layout looks great on my iMac and Safari and fairly decent in Internet Explorer 5 and 6 (sorry folks, haven't tested it in anything else).

Other things yet to be done: redesign the archives section to match the home page and Blogger has a new comments system I want to integrate into the site (although, nobody ever leaves comments around here, ahem).

More .NET tips

Now that Windows 2003 Server is out, there are a few tricks to getting your web site up and running: Running ASP.NET 1.1 with IIS 6.0

I don't think this has been mentioned on here before... I'm really digging the CSS Zen Garden (www.csszengarden.com). I've learned lots of neat tricks over the past few months looking at the CSS code that's up there.