Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.1 (for IT Professionals)

Security Analyzer

Verify your security configuration for Windows XP

In response to direct customer need for a streamlined method to identify common security misconfigurations, Microsoft offers the free Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) scan tool. It includes a graphical and command line interface that can perform local or remote scans of Microsoft Windows systems.

Read more: Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.1 (for IT Professionals)

Windows Update Website Errors: "0x800704DD," "0x80240020," or both

Error message when you try to download and install Windows Updates from the Microsoft

From WSUS server: "0x800704DD," "0x80240020," or both

To resolve this problem on a computer that is running Windows Server 2000 or Windows XP

Step 1:

1. Log on as a user who is a member of the local Administrators group.
2. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon, click Run as, and then run the program as a user who is a member of the local Administrators group.
3. Visit the Windows Update Web Site or visit the Microsoft Update Website

Step 2: verify your registry entries for this registry subkey

1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\SensLogn

View Registry Keys from Microsoft Support Website:: >> Windows Update Error 800704DD

Note: Edit your registry at your own risk

Phishing emails pointing to fake Classmates.com website featuring malware | Malware Database

With my 20th year reunion coming up this summer it is pretty pertinent that I pass this information along to my friends, enemies and classmates that are of the same age and possibly using classmates or other large network that is being targeted.

In the past couple months there has been phishing campaigns against Classmates.com and many others.  Emails are being received with information about class reunions containing links to fake Classmates.com websites across the Internet.  The imposter web sites have video malware (EXE file) designed to HiJack your computer using Trojans and key loggers.

It is reported that these video exploit files will automatically try to download onto your PC without you clicking them. Make sure you have virus scanner and other tools running. Most of what I have read involves a resident scanner [runtime / fulltime] and then an on demand one for attacks, on the spot email scans and deep registry scans. Before you go and buy and products talk to me and I can give you recommendations that lead to combinations that are all free and work very well. You will find that most of the high end tech personal in security use all free products. There is a huge world of anti-malware out there too incase you are already infected.

WARNING: Fake Classmates Websites hosting malicious content listed here:

List of: Phishing emails pointing to fake Classmates.com website featuring malware | Malware Database

 

Additional concepts that are vital to protecting yourself from email nastiness:

http://www.templejc.edu/student_info/CompResource/Helpdesk/email_safety.html 

del.icio.us Tags: Database Update,Malicious Domains,Malware and Phishing

Adobe Shockwave Player Update? Do NOT!!

 

If you happen to see this dialog box close it and do not install. It turns out that the community has exposed Adobe for snooping on CS3 users by sending data to Omniture using a bogus IP address fashion to look like 192.168 which is always a local IP of your network or computers router, etc

When I ran anti-virus software I almost didn't remove the registry value due to the long standing trusted name of Macromedia. Once it was removed and I restarted this dialog box came up to reinstall their spyware. NOT A CHANCE> I hope that my Dreamweaver CS3 will work better now as it is I am reminded of the days when I was using Adobe GoLive – Total Junk.

Unfortunately for me I missed this little ditty as it is over a year old now. here is the original “Lies, Lies and Adobe Spies”

 

del.icio.us Tags: software,security,spyware,privacy,adobe,CS3

Tips from Google's Matt Cutts - TOTALLY EMPTY your GMAIL INBOX

Start the Year with an Empty Inbox

by Matt Cutts

Here’s a nice Gmail tip that will make you feel like a million bucks: empty out your crufty email inbox. There’s nothing like an empty inbox to motivate you and give you a fresh start for the year.“But Matt,” you say, “my inbox is my to-do list!” I know, me too. So here’s how to do it without losing that to-do list. Add a label like “oldinbox” to everything currently in your inbox and then archive all the email in your inbox. Presto! Your inbox is clean and empty, but you can still visit the “oldinbox” label when you’re ready to whittle down those older emails. I know it sounds scary, but there’s only two simple steps, and both can be undone."

//--

Personally I ponder what something like this would do to the Google Network? Would it speed everything up? If everyone did this over the next day or so would it test the durability of the infrastructure? Or is it easier to scrape our contents when totally archived - especially if the majority of people tag their inboxes with the same tag as Matt suggests.