FROM: Beau Smith "silly_willy_walnut_head"
TO: Mom
SUBJECT: I'm not typing a subject in this thing
--
Hey, Mom,
Earlier this week you asked if there was any kind of virus out there that could be the next Conficker. I'm glad you asked because I found something pretty serious. It's not on the level of Conficker, but Microsoft thinks it's enough to give it a high alert level.
Every Tuesday, Microsoft sends out patches to update the system, and one of them had been causing systems to crash. They researched it, and they found out that it's actually a virus called Alureon that's causing the problem. Alureon is a type of virus that controls a person's system; it's very hard to detect, and many people don't know they have it. It's able to monitor a user's Internet traffic and look for passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information. What's even more alarming is that it doesn't show itself on a system until it causes it to crash.
We're both probably wondering the same thing: why didn't Microsoft detect this before it sent out the patch? From what I've seen, the patch shouldn't cause problems unless the system has the virus. The patch is just a way of discovering the problem. Plus, a virus like Alureon is written to keep itself hidden. When it's installed on a system, it deletes its own installation files, which goes a long way toward covering its tracks.
It's pretty overwhelming to think about all this, but preventing it is pretty straightforward. I definitely recommend buying Norton AntiVirus or Symantec AntiVirus. You can set them to scan all the files on your computer; this makes sure if there's anything in the system. They're good at isolating and removing viruses (including ones like this). One thing is to take extra caution when on the Internet; go to sites and accept emails from people you trust, and install a pop-up blocker on Firefox. Norton has a feature which I love: when you surf the Internet, it detects whether or not sites can be trusted. If a site doesn't look safe, the program gives you a warning screen.
Also, be sure to turn on your firewall and have the system check for updates every day. These keep your computer current and more secure. Plus, since Alureon looks for password data, be sure to change your computer's password and your online passwords. You can make them longer, add in a '$' or '&' character, and scramble letters so that they don't form words or phrases.
Hope that helps! I added the sites I found; they'll show you a lot about what's going on.
Love,
Beau
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1. "Win32/Alureon"
2. "MS10-015 Restart Issues"
3. "Backdoor.Tidserv|Symantec"
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Jim Gibbons and technology
As shown in the polls and overall public opinion, Jim Gibbons has become substantially disliked as governor of Nevada. Yet much of his voting record shows a substantial bent toward technology and progress. But does it do any good?
Before and after assuming the office of governor in 2007, technology has been at the center of some of his votes. In his first State of the State address, he announced that he would allocate $170 million to improve the traffic flow and safety of several of Nevada's highways. He supported the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005, which determined the guidelines for posting illicit content and the penalties therein. A year earlier, he voted in favor of investigating commercial space travel.
As a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus, some of Gibbons's recent work promoting awareness of and solving problems related to the Web. In early 2001, he supported the enforcement of criminal laws aimed at reducing the number of spam messages. In 2002, he voted in favor of a bill that allowed telephone giants to add high-speed Internet to their marketing. The next year, he voted to ban credit card payments to online gambling companies.1
Recently, Gibbons called for technology to be updated in the fight against illegal immigration. On April 26 of this year, he called on Barack Obama to take a stand against the problems at the border; part of his solution included updated technologies such as facial recognition software2. His stance is that since we have greater capabilities with which we can protect ourselves, it makes sense to use them.3
In his most recent State of the State address, he elaborated on the substantial problems facing the state. With the economy and housing market high on the list, technology isn't the highest place. In fact, his main mention of technology discussed a project to recycle waste and make landfills a thing of the past.4
Progress in Nevada is the same as in any state: it needs technology, but that's not all there is to it. Technology depends on money and ingenuity of the public, and his measures show a bent toward using it for the public's benefit.
--
Works cited:
1. http://www.issues2000.org/governor/Jim_Gibbons_Technology.htm
2. http://gov.state.nv.us/PressReleases/2010/2010-04-26_Immigration.htm
3. http://www.gibbonsforcongress.com/category/news/
4. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/08/full-text-gov-jim-gibbons-state-state-address/
Before and after assuming the office of governor in 2007, technology has been at the center of some of his votes. In his first State of the State address, he announced that he would allocate $170 million to improve the traffic flow and safety of several of Nevada's highways. He supported the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005, which determined the guidelines for posting illicit content and the penalties therein. A year earlier, he voted in favor of investigating commercial space travel.
As a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus, some of Gibbons's recent work promoting awareness of and solving problems related to the Web. In early 2001, he supported the enforcement of criminal laws aimed at reducing the number of spam messages. In 2002, he voted in favor of a bill that allowed telephone giants to add high-speed Internet to their marketing. The next year, he voted to ban credit card payments to online gambling companies.1
Recently, Gibbons called for technology to be updated in the fight against illegal immigration. On April 26 of this year, he called on Barack Obama to take a stand against the problems at the border; part of his solution included updated technologies such as facial recognition software2. His stance is that since we have greater capabilities with which we can protect ourselves, it makes sense to use them.3
In his most recent State of the State address, he elaborated on the substantial problems facing the state. With the economy and housing market high on the list, technology isn't the highest place. In fact, his main mention of technology discussed a project to recycle waste and make landfills a thing of the past.4
Progress in Nevada is the same as in any state: it needs technology, but that's not all there is to it. Technology depends on money and ingenuity of the public, and his measures show a bent toward using it for the public's benefit.
--
Works cited:
1. http://www.issues2000.org/governor/Jim_Gibbons_Technology.htm
2. http://gov.state.nv.us/PressReleases/2010/2010-04-26_Immigration.htm
3. http://www.gibbonsforcongress.com/category/news/
4. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/08/full-text-gov-jim-gibbons-state-state-address/
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