Am I infected?
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), CERT Australia http://www.dns-ok.gov.au and the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) have established a diagnostic website at dns-ok.gov.au that, in most cases, can be used to confirm whether your computer has been infected with DNSChanger. This website also provides links to tools, provided by anti-malware companies, that can be used to remove the infection and gives advice about the steps to follow to remove the infection.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Avoid CNET Download.com’s ad-supported installer by using the Direct Download Link
Last year CNET started bundling an "ad-supported stub installer" with downloads on Download.com. This installer was CNET's way to bring Ask Toolbar-like crapware bundles to CNET downloads. The installer wasn't added to all downloads on Download.com but was added to enough downloads for people to take notice and come up in arms. Back then the only ways to avoid installing crapware courtesy CNET was to either
•Be very careful when downloading files from CNET, making sure to avoid installing crapware offered by the CNET installer;
•Create a CNET account, login to that account whenever downloading something, and using a direct download link;
•Or not using Download.com altogether.
While I'm sure many people opted for option number three, there are still times some people download from Download.com (sometimes we have no option except to use Download.com because some developers only put their files on Download.com). For those of us that still use Download.com, you will be relieved to know Download.com now clearly marks downloads that have the CNET ad-supported stub installer as "CNET Installer Enabled"; and Download.com now allows everyone to download via a Direct Download Link that bypasses the CNET installer -- you no longer need a CNET account for a direct download. So the next time you venture to Download.com, keep your eyes open for a direct download link when downloading software that come with CNET installer.
Stay safe everyone.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
calibre 0.8.35
Is your e-book collection is a disorganised mess of different formats and competing viewers? It doesn't have to be that way. Calibre is an e-book management tool that will quickly bring order to the situation, and help you get more from the format, and (if you have one) your portable e-book reader.
The process starts by letting the program organise your e-books library. Point calibre at your files and it'll quickly (and almost automatically) build a database around your collection, downloading metadata like covers for extra visual appeal. You can then sort and search your books by title, author, date published, rating, custom tags and more, making it quick and easy to find whatever you need.
Calibre can then display your book, too (as long as it's not DRM-protected), with an integrated viewer that handles all the main formats and supports features like table of contents, CSS, printing, searching, embedded fonts and more.
http://downloads.pcauthority.com.au/article/4386-calibre
The process starts by letting the program organise your e-books library. Point calibre at your files and it'll quickly (and almost automatically) build a database around your collection, downloading metadata like covers for extra visual appeal. You can then sort and search your books by title, author, date published, rating, custom tags and more, making it quick and easy to find whatever you need.
Calibre can then display your book, too (as long as it's not DRM-protected), with an integrated viewer that handles all the main formats and supports features like table of contents, CSS, printing, searching, embedded fonts and more.
http://downloads.pcauthority.com.au/article/4386-calibre
Thursday, January 26, 2012
AirDroid for your Android Phone.
AirDroid is a fast, free app that lets you wirelessly manage & control your Android device from a web browser Over-The-Air.
This is the best wifi phone management software that exists on the market. I'll definitely be using this application for quite some time to come - being able to use a keyboard to send texts to people is going to be nice. Best part is it's FREE.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.sand.airdroid&hl=en
This is the best wifi phone management software that exists on the market. I'll definitely be using this application for quite some time to come - being able to use a keyboard to send texts to people is going to be nice. Best part is it's FREE.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.sand.airdroid&hl=en
Friday, December 30, 2011
Lookout Mobile Security for Android phones.
Antivirus prevention isn't anywhere near as necessary for Android devices as it is for Windows computers just yet. As Android's market share grows, though, so will the attacks. More importantly for the here and now, Lookout Mobile Security provides key security options that are unique to the mobile market. Along with the antivirus and anti-malware tech, there's a lost and stolen phone locator service, an application privacy adviser, and a backup service.
Lookout's broad range of effective mobile device-specific security features are coupled with a minimal performance hit, making it a must-have app.
Download from:
https://www.mylookout.com/ or
http://download.cnet.com/Lookout-Mobile-Security-for-Android/3000-2239_4-75157534.html
Lookout's broad range of effective mobile device-specific security features are coupled with a minimal performance hit, making it a must-have app.
Download from:
https://www.mylookout.com/ or
http://download.cnet.com/Lookout-Mobile-Security-for-Android/3000-2239_4-75157534.html
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Ancestral Quest is genealogical research freeware
Ancestral Quest is genealogical research freeware that can search over 1 billion entries freely at FamilySearch as well as 500 million names, though that feature requires a free log-in ID. You can also upgrade to the paid version for access to more search options. However, the free tool offers a lot.
Ancestral Quest's installer let us opt for free or paid searches, something that happened frequently while using the freeware version, though that's why it's free. The setup also gave us the option to search Ancestry.com (though a subscription may be required) and make other choices. AQ's interface, charts, diagrams, and data fields all use nice, large fonts by default, which makes the data easy to see, but the look and behavior are just a few of the many options we could change. To start using the program, we could choose to create a new database, import an existing AQ database, import GEDCOM data, set up collaborations, and much more. AQ lets users open multiple database instances. We started a new family database, which involves entering a name in the family tree template on the Pedigree tab. This called up an extensive wizard for entering and saving biographical data like birth and death dates. The program suggests adding yourself as the first person (skip the death date for now) though you can use an ancestor. Our saved data appeared in the Family tab, where we could add Spouse, Children, Mother, Father, Other Relatives, and more. The Names List tab resembles a spreadsheet. The Individual tab is inactive in the freeware; it requires an upgrade to the premium product to access the dathttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifa. The free search options are extensive, though. We could access the Search Center as well as perform Individual, Relationship, and Marriage searches on the Search menu. The Tools menu includes a Research Manager, Relationship Examiner, Calculators, and more. The help menu is one of the most extensive we've seen, which is just as well because there's a lot to this free application.
Despite the freeware's limitations and the need to access online accounts to search some databases, Ancestral Quest offers an excellent introduction to Internet-based genealogical research, and a great way to learn how to use the tools and resources efficiently, if you do decide to take your research to the next level.
http://www.ancquest.com/index.htm
Ancestral Quest's installer let us opt for free or paid searches, something that happened frequently while using the freeware version, though that's why it's free. The setup also gave us the option to search Ancestry.com (though a subscription may be required) and make other choices. AQ's interface, charts, diagrams, and data fields all use nice, large fonts by default, which makes the data easy to see, but the look and behavior are just a few of the many options we could change. To start using the program, we could choose to create a new database, import an existing AQ database, import GEDCOM data, set up collaborations, and much more. AQ lets users open multiple database instances. We started a new family database, which involves entering a name in the family tree template on the Pedigree tab. This called up an extensive wizard for entering and saving biographical data like birth and death dates. The program suggests adding yourself as the first person (skip the death date for now) though you can use an ancestor. Our saved data appeared in the Family tab, where we could add Spouse, Children, Mother, Father, Other Relatives, and more. The Names List tab resembles a spreadsheet. The Individual tab is inactive in the freeware; it requires an upgrade to the premium product to access the dathttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifa. The free search options are extensive, though. We could access the Search Center as well as perform Individual, Relationship, and Marriage searches on the Search menu. The Tools menu includes a Research Manager, Relationship Examiner, Calculators, and more. The help menu is one of the most extensive we've seen, which is just as well because there's a lot to this free application.
Despite the freeware's limitations and the need to access online accounts to search some databases, Ancestral Quest offers an excellent introduction to Internet-based genealogical research, and a great way to learn how to use the tools and resources efficiently, if you do decide to take your research to the next level.
http://www.ancquest.com/index.htm
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Thousands fleeced in 'Microsoft' scam
Thousands of Australians have been taken for hundreds of dollars each by cold call scammers pretending to be Microsoft but police, regulators and the software company are powerless to fight the growing problem.
The scammers, typically based in Indian call centres, cold call people claiming to be Microsoft staff informing them that their computer has a virus on it. They provide bogus evidence of a virus infection and after winning over the victim, convince them to allow the scammer remote access to their computer through an internet website.
The scammers then pretend to fix the machine and ask for a fee that is up to $400. They use a combination of high pressure sales tactics and social engineering to scare the victim into paying the fee and because victims willingly hand over their credit card details, there is little legal recourse.
But the head of the NSW Police fraud squad, Detective Superintendent Col Dyson, said in a phone interview that in addition to taking payment the scammers also stole money and planted viruses on the victims' computers.
"We've had quite a few people report this to us and it's increasing all the time ... you're basically opening the door to your bank accounts to a criminal," he said.
"We have strong indications that they're looking at activity logs so they can pick up things like passwords and bank account details; some people's computers have also been infected with viruses and keyloggers.
The easiest way to get rid of them was to tell them that you do not have a computer.
The scammers, typically based in Indian call centres, cold call people claiming to be Microsoft staff informing them that their computer has a virus on it. They provide bogus evidence of a virus infection and after winning over the victim, convince them to allow the scammer remote access to their computer through an internet website.
The scammers then pretend to fix the machine and ask for a fee that is up to $400. They use a combination of high pressure sales tactics and social engineering to scare the victim into paying the fee and because victims willingly hand over their credit card details, there is little legal recourse.
But the head of the NSW Police fraud squad, Detective Superintendent Col Dyson, said in a phone interview that in addition to taking payment the scammers also stole money and planted viruses on the victims' computers.
"We've had quite a few people report this to us and it's increasing all the time ... you're basically opening the door to your bank accounts to a criminal," he said.
"We have strong indications that they're looking at activity logs so they can pick up things like passwords and bank account details; some people's computers have also been infected with viruses and keyloggers.
The easiest way to get rid of them was to tell them that you do not have a computer.
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