Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - September 2008
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
Trojan-Dropper:W32/Agent.FBB
Trojan-Dropper:W32/Agent.FBB contains one or more malicious programs, which it will secretly install and execute. On execution, a process IEXPLORE.EXE is created and two DLL files, devecl.dll and deveio.dll, are injected into IEXPLORE.EXE. It will aslo edit the registry . The winlogon registry keys enables the malware to start automatically whenever the system is restarted. The changes also hide devenum.dll, which is a Windows system file used to enumerate the available devices which receive DirectX data.
Trojan-Dropper:W32/Agent.FBB drops a couple of malicious files into the infected system, to create a backdoor which an unauthorized party could use to access the system.
The files dropped include one containing a rootkit, which uses stealth techniques to hide itself and the other malicious files; and another file containing a keylogger program, which records all keystrokes entered into the machine. Be sure to keep your virus software up to date and do regular virus and spyware scans.
August's Poll Results:
Do you have an Intel or AMD processor in your computer?
Intel
- 82%
AMD
Tip of the Month:
Logmein Remote Access Software
Logmein is a web based way to control a computer remotely over the internet. It is similar to Windows Remote Desktop and PC Anywhere. It allows you to use a remote computer as if you were sitting right at that computer. For example you can use your home computer from your work computer assuming you have an internet connection on both ends. Its recommended that you use a broadband connection otherwise it may be too slow to work properly.
You don’t need to setup any special hardware or do any network configuration to use Logmein since its web based and uses your web browser. You simply install the software on the computer that you want to control and then install a browser plug-in on the computer that you will be using to connect to the computer with. The software runs as a service and can be disabled if you don’t need to use it or are concerned about security. You will need to have an account on the Logmein website and also have a login password on your remote computer. This way it provides 2 methods of security to keep others out of your computer.
There are several versions of Logmein that have different features. There is also a free version that lets you do basic remote control to a number of remote computers as long as they have the software installed on them. It’s easy to use, setup and works great. Click here for more information.
Microsoft Office Service Pack 1 delivers important customer-requested stability and performance improvements, while incorporating further enhancements to user security. This service pack also includes all of the updates released for the 2007 Office suite prior to December of 2007.
For more information and to download the Office 2007 Service Pack 1 software click here.
Learn about virus hoaxes from McAfee so you can be aware of which virus warnings are real and which you can safely ignore.
Readers Question of the Month:
Can't open newer Office files
Jackson writes in with an Office question
Q. I have office 2003 on my Dell laptop. I have a couple of clients that send me files done in Word and Excel 2007. When I try and open these files it wont open them. Then I have to tell them to save them in 2003 format. I dont like having to do this each time but dont want to upgrade to 2007 yet. Is there a way around this?
A. You can download and install the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack. It will let you open Office 2007 files in your Office 2003 programs. It works for Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Its a free download from Microsoft.
Google's new chrome web browser had a very strong reception since its launch this week, with several million downloads, said Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt.
Chrome is Google's head-on challenge to market leader Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Google says Chrome lets users run many applications that once worked only when installed on a local personal computer.
"We did not build it with a market share goal. We built it to try to move the industry forward with some new concepts around browsers and security and powerful platforms," Schmidt said. "So we hope that it will influence the design of other browsers to make them more modern."
Chrome has been designed to download software and Web pages faster than existing browsers and even lets users keep working when one of its windows crashes.
