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E-mail Worm Alerts |
Dear
Netlink Customer, |
E-mail Worm Alerts - Swen And Dumaru Spread
Across The Web!
You may have heard
about the recent spread of both the W32/Swen@MM E-mail Worm/Trojan Horse and the
W32.Dumaru@mm E-mail Worm/Trojan Horse that have been making their way around
the Web. That's right. Not only are they worms (they replicate themselves and
send copies of themselves to other computers), but they are also Trojan horses.
A Trojan horse is a malicious program that pretends to be a benign application
but then does something the user does not expect. Here's how they work.
Computers are infected by either the W32/Swen@MM Worm/Trojan Horse or
the W32.Dumaru@mm Worm/Trojan Horse when users open an accompanying attachment
of an "official looking" e-mail supposedly from Microsoft. The subject of the
e-mail usually says something like "Latest Microsoft Critical Patch," "Use This
Patch Immediately!" or "New Microsoft Upgrade." The text of the e-mail
encourages the recipient to open the attachment to apply a security patch for
their Windows operating system. (That's the Trojan horse part of this malicious
e-mail.) However, when the attachment is opened, the worm replicates itself on
the infected computer, harvests e-mail addresses from the victim's machine and
then automatically sends itself to e-mail addresses that it has found on the
machine.
If a friend forwards an e-mail to you (or the e-mail appears to
come directly from Microsoft) which discusses a patch remedy and has an
accompanying attachment, do NOT open the attachment. Microsoft NEVER
includes attachments with its e-mail security bulletins. Instead, Microsoft
provides security bulletins on its website which then include steps to install
security updates. (For a list of Microsoft's latest security bulletins, go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/.)
For more information on how to determine whether a Microsoft
security-related e-mail message is genuine, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/authenticate_mail.asp.
For additional information on how to protect your computer against
viruses and worms, Microsoft encourages its customers (as do we) to go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/.
This is especially important in protecting yourself from the W32/Swen@MM E-mail
Worm/Trojan Horse as this worm also has the ability infect machines when a
recipient simply views the e-mail message via the preview pane -- without even
opening the accompanying attachment!
Remember, receiving an e-mail
attachment from a trusted friend or a reliable source may not necessarily mean
that they were the actual senders of the message and attachment. Also, the
ultimate responsibility of protecting your computer against worms and viruses
lies with you. Many viruses and worms not only spread via e-mail, but also
through the sharing of files when using floppy disks, zip disks, CDs and
networks, as well as when downloading software from the Internet. We encourage
each of our users to install and utilize virus-scanning software, to update this
software on a regular basis and to scan all incoming attachments before opening
them, even if the attachment shows coming from a reliable source.
Ask The Help Desk - How To Read
Web Pages With Dark Backgrounds
Question: I find it quite difficult to read web pages that
have dark text on a dark background. Is there an easy way to make these
readable?
Answer: Sometimes a background doesn't load
correctly which makes the text difficult to read. Other times, honestly, web
pages with dark text on a dark background are simply due to poor website design.
Either way, some pages are just plain hard to read.
Give this simple
trick a try next time you come to a web page that is difficult to read due to a
dark background—simultaneously hit the "CTRL" key and the "A" key on your
keyboard (the "Command" key and "A" key when using a Macintosh). This will
highlight (select) the entire page. The background color will most likely then
turn a light shade of blue and the text will be white. The result is still not
ideal but it's easier reading than trying to decipher dark text on a black
background.
Great Sites To Check Out This Month
Finding Correct
Zip Codes
http://www.usps.com/zip4/ - So
you're getting ready to send out your holiday greeting cards but you don't have
the zip code for some of your friends and relatives. Not to worry. The US Postal
Service provides a web page to assist you. Simply type in the street address,
town and state of the address in question and the website provides you with the
correct zip code. Now if they'd just lick the stamps for you...
Home
Decorating For The Holidays
http://www.ivillage.com/home/holiday/pages/0,,195740_544130,00.html -
It's time to get your home ready for the holidays and this site can get you off
to a head start. It provides great ideas for outdoor lighting, easy-to-make
wreaths, handmade gifts, craft projects for the kids, quick and cheap holiday
table settings, decorative holiday centerpieces and much more. There's also a
helpful link entitled "Emergency Clean Up—Getting Ready For Guests In 30
Minutes" which may come in handy!
Looney Tunes: Back In Action - The
Movie
http://www2.warnerbros.com/looneytunesbackinaction/index.html -
"Looney Tunes: Back In Action" is the first Looney Tunes film since the 1996
release of "Space Jam." It combines live action with animation and includes Bugs
Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, Sylvester and the rest of the
Looney Tunes gang. The movie also stars Brendan Fraser, Steve Martin, Heather
Locklear and Jenna Elfman. The official site includes a variety of movie posters
as well as a funny trailer for viewing. "Looney Tunes: Back In Action" is rated
PG for some mild language and innuendo.
"Trading Spaces" - The TV Show
http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/tradingspaces/tradingspaces.html -
If you're hooked on the "Trading Spaces" television show, now you can find out
how to get on the show, watch outtakes and bloopers from previous shows, check
out photo galleries and biographies of your favorite designers, hosts and
carpenters, and most importantly, find out why the hosts wear the same clothes
on both the first day and second day of each episode! There's also an archive of
room pictures (before and after shots) from each show.
All About
Tiddlywinks
http://www.tiddlywinks.org/ -
November is a great month for sitting around and playing a rousing game of
tiddlywinks. Remember playing tiddlywinks as a kid? Well, there's a good chance
you played this game because according to the North American Tiddlywink
Association, there have been over 1,000 different varieties of tiddlywinks games
produced by over 160 publishers since 1888. This site provides the history of
tiddlywinks as well as an in-depth index of tiddlywinks terminology. Maybe it's
time to get out the old "squidger" (shooter) and shoot some "winks" (flat round
disks) into the "pot" (cup) for some points.
Short Tutorial - Correct Your
Password When Using Autocomplete
Have you ever typed
in a password on a website and then chose the option to save the password so
that you wouldn't have to remember and retype it each time? This is a convenient
shortcut but it can be a frustration if you accidentally typed in the wrong
password when you initially saved the information. Now every time you start
typing the password in, the field is automatically completed with the incorrect
password.
Internet Explorer has a function called "Forms Autocomplete"
that stores basic information that you frequently type into forms on websites.
It stores information such as your name, address and even site passwords. It can
save you time when filling out online forms.
If you've accidentally
typed and saved a password incorrectly when first filling out an online form,
you can go into the Autocomplete settings and revise the password. (See the
instructions below.) However, be certain you want to remove/change this password
because by clearing the incorrect password when using a Windows operating
system, you actually clear ALL the passwords saved via the Autocomplete
function.
To change your Autocomplete settings when using a Windows
operating system and utilizing an Internet Explorer browser, follow these steps.
If you are a Macintosh user, you also have the ability
to change Autocomplete settings; however, you can delete or modify individual
site passwords without it affecting the settings for other sites. To change your
Autocomplete settings on a Macintosh when using Internet Explorer, follow the
steps below.
We hope you found
this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the
happenings at our shop. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins
on a monthly basis, click HERE.
Thanks for
your business!
Best regards,
Mike
Huggenberger
Director
Great Plains Communications
Netlink
©2003
Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.
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