$250,000 Reward for Conficker Author

$250,000 Reward for Conficker Author

Author JoeDigital | 15.02.2009 | Category IT Security, Windows, world news

Microsoft has pulled out the big bucks and announced a 250 thousand dollar reward for the person or persons who can lead international authorities to the arrest and conviction of the authors of the infamous Conficker (Downadaup) worm. The worm which is known to affect all versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system has even migrated over to the new Windows 7, as well as infiltrating Windows Vista Service Pak 1 and WIndows XP Service Pack 3.

Conficker was initially spread by exploiting a Critical vulnerability in Windows Server Service. Since that was patched in October 2008, the malicious code has continued to evolve, with two current versions, Conficker.A and Conficker.B, which use additional attack vectors including unprotected network shares and portable media’s AutoPlay feature.

“As part of Microsoft’s ongoing security efforts, we constantly look for ways to use a diverse set of tools and develop methodologies to protect our customers,” explained George Stathakopoulos, general manager of the Trustworthy Computing Group at Microsoft. “By combining our expertise with that of the broader community we can expand the boundaries of defense to better protect people worldwide.”

Currently, the best clue to origin of the Confiker worm is that the virus does not affect computers using the Ukranian keyboard layout, which has led many investigators to conclude that its author may have ties to the Ukraine. Microsoft, which considers the virus to be a crimminal attack, has guarantted to pay the reward in any country where it can be accepted, but stipulates that an arrest and conviction must be obtained for the reward to be payable.
Microsoft is not alone in this quest, either. It is but one of a consortium of companies which include ICANN, NeuStar, VeriSign, CNNIC, Afilias, Public Internet Registry, Global Domains International Inc., M1D Global, AOL, Symantec, F-Secure, ISC, researchers from Georgia Tech, the Shadowserver Foundation, Arbor Networks and Support Intelligence.

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Microsoft: No Beta 2 For Windows 7

Author JoeDigital | 02.02.2009 | Category Windows

Microsoft Corporation announced on Friday that there will not be a Beta 2 release for the new Windows 7 operating system. For many in the industry, this did not come as a big surprise, given the expected Release of the OS late this summer. Instead of a Beta 2, Windows 7 will be moving directly to a Release Candidate (RC), and the final round of testing and feedback before the final.

One advantage for this OS is that it is not really a totally new creation. While Windows 7 is the replacement for the highly criticized Vista, which replaced the highly criticized XP, this version still uses a great deal of Windows Vista code, and is really more of a streamlined version than a new OS in its own right. Because of a reluctance of computer users to switch from XP to Vista, Microsoft hopes this version will have more appeal, and draw less critical fire.

A final release date has not yet been announced, but the latest announcement included a schedule of testing leading up to the big event:

• Pre-Beta – Developer testing and awareness. Already complete.
• Beta - General user testing and feedback. Currently in progress.
• Release Candidate - Final testing and modifications at the industry level.
• Release To Manufacturing - Final release to the computer industry.
• General Release – Public Release. Expected to be between August and October.

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Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8 RC

Author JoeDigital | 28.01.2009 | Category Windows, World Wide Web

Microsoft has released the latest update for IE 8, the latest version of Microsoft’s well known web browser. This version is Internet Explorer 8 RC or Release Candidate 1, and is reputedly getting close to a final release for the new browser.

Rumors have it that this version was delayed to provide more security, but our examination seems to point to Google Chrome as being a possible for the delay, as IE8 has incorporated many of the most popular Chrome features.

According to Microsoft, one of the primary delays has been greater scrutiny, especially in the UK, for compliance with antitrust regulations. We probably all remember the Netscape vs Microsoft debacle, and a similar battle is beginning to gain steam in Europe.

IE8 is intended to be a primary competitor for Mozilla Firefox, which has steadily gained marketshare in the past few years, and is today used by almost as many people as use the Internet Explorer Browser. But there is other competition in the field as well, with Google’s Chrome, Apple Safari, and even other Mozilla offerings, including SeaMonkey.

According to initial reviews, IE8 is more compliant with HTML 4.01, CSS 2.1, and other web standards. In itself this is a major improvement for Microsoft, which has long striven to influence the direction of development by promoting similar but different variations of web standards. Perhaps the fact is starting to sink that Microsoft doesn’t rule the software industry alone anymore, and that’s something that will be good for the industry as a whole.

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Security for Windows 7

Author JoeDigital | 21.01.2009 | Category Windows

Even as the Beta version is being downloaded, Microsoft is already following through, enlisting a collaborative effort with several security vendors to get ahead of the game for antivirus solutions. So far, there are four choices available, Symantec Norton 360 3.0 Beta, AVG Internet Security, AVG Anti-Virus and Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows 7.

Remember, too, that Windows 7 is based on the Vista design, so there is little development required for compatibility issues.

“It’s really going to be a similar situation to Vista. It’s a pretty similar technology,” said Nathan Ware, CTO of Rain Networks, based in Bothell, Wash. “The software packages that were successful in running on Vista, I would expect those same ones to run on Windows 7.”

And before you get too concerned about security products, remember that Windows 7 is currently a beta version, an is very likely to undergo major change before the final release. Many companies will wait until a final release has been planned before becoming too involved. Remember, after all, that when it comes to operating systems, a new release can be delayed between unveiling and an official release. Since the beta copies don’t expire until August, it’s a safe bet to say security options will begin to increase around May or June.

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Windows 7: Netbook Challenge

Author JoeDigital | 20.01.2009 | Category Windows

Windows 7, if it hopes to be a competing force in the emerging mobile market, will have to operate effectively on netbooks and other UMPCs, many of which have minimum resources available for the operating system to squander.

And the competition is going to be fierce, with Google Android already being ported to various netbooks, and a couple of Linux builds gaining ground. In fact, the battle for marketshare on netbooks and cloud computing devices may be one of playing catch-up for Microsoft, which has spent so long manipulating the development of machines. In cloud computing, they are left with examining what is working for others, and modeling it into a new environment.

Windows 7 installs quickly, and operates more efficiently than Vista, that much can be stated forthright. How well t will do as the preferred operating system for that market is yet to be seen, but at least it’s off to an eye-opening start.

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Windows 7: The New Taskbar

Author JoeDigital | 19.01.2009 | Category Computers, Windows

By and large, Windows 7, understandably, looks a lot like Vista. Yes, it’s got a cool new front-end theme, but anyone can change the theme these days, so that’s not exactly a major change. But then you eye catches the taskbar, and that’s when differences become noticeable.

The quick launch bar is now one and the same with the taskbar, for starters, and that taskbar acts more like a launch bar, providing customized access to files and folders that are frequently used, as well as managing open applications.

Another nice feature is that if you have multiple instances of a program open, Firefox, for example, and one of them crashes, the crash is now managed so that it will not affect the other instance(s) running. This is very similar to the the way Google Chrome isolates tabs, treating each one as a separate instance, which creates more stability, and greatly enhances security.

We’ve already mentioned the changes that have been made to the notification area (commonly misrepresented as the system tray), but those changes merge well with other modification to the taskbar, and add a lot of usability to what has always been a rather stagnant portion of the desktop.

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NetBooks: Windows 7 Vs Linux

Author JoeDigital | 18.01.2009 | Category Computers, Windows

Linux has spent the past year looking forward to dominating the mobile OS market. Conventional OS’s, such as Windows Vista, were too big and resource hungry for small NetBooks and UMPCs. But some would say that Windows 7 is being released to compete with Linux, before the battle is even well under way.

Microsoft has not made it a secret, they ar targeting portable computers for Windows 7. On the other hand, Linux hasn’t been quiet either, and has made considerable inroads into the mobile computing market. For Linux this is not a good sign. Linux developers had hoped for a few more months to build a following among tech-savvy laptop and netbok users, but the release of a beta version of Windows 7 has them concerned about the competition again.

While some of the leading makers of netbooks, including Asus and Acer, are already supplying Linux on approximately 30% of their machines, and that is a market share Microsoft wants a part of, with ts new OS.

Product Managing Director Parri Munsell, “Windows 7 has been optimized
and engineered to run on anything, from the smallest notebook to the
most loaded laptop or desktop.” This is a major step for Microsoft, that was caught almost completely off guard when netbooks and ultraminiature personal computers began to emerge as major growth areas in 2007. Vista, known for its resource greedy operation, was not an option for many users of netbooks, because ti simply wouldn’t operate as well as other OSs that have a smaller resource footprint.

Originally, Linux was the only choice for netbooks, which allowed the Linux market to take root. But recently, new competition has shown its face, first with Google’s Android OS, and now with the latest from microsoft.

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Install WIndows 7 Without LiveDVD

Author JoeDigital | 17.01.2009 | Category Computers, Windows

In a simple manner, (in less than 30 minutes), Windows 7 can be installed directly from your current desktop alongside an existing Windows XP operating system (but on a different partition) without burning a DVD. Even more, all applications that are currently installed on the Windows XP will work on Windows 7 without the need to reinstall them (you will just have to create shortcuts to the executable file). At the boot phase, you will be able to select the desired operating system: Windows 7 or Windows XP.

First, you will need to download the Windows 7 DVD ISO file corresponding to your computer architecture: 32bit or 64bit, as well as a virtual CD drive manager like MagicISO. (related article: Unlimited Downloads And Evaluation Times For Windows 7 Beta). An available partition of your hard drive with enough disk space for Windows 7 installation (about 7 GB for the default options) is also required.

After you run the installer and finish the setup for the MagicISO application, right click its corresponding icon, mount the Windows 7 DVD ISO image and then click the Browse CD option from the same context menu. By double clicking the installer icon (it has a green color), the Windows 7 installation process will begin directly from the Windows XP (the computer reboot is not required in this phase).

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Windows 7 Begins The Patch Process

Author JoeDigital | 16.01.2009 | Category Computers, Windows

Microsoft, the Champion of OS patches, released the first patch for Windows 7 on Thursday, correcting a problem with editing a music file’s meta data resulting in the deletion of a portion of the file itself, among other things.

The patch, titled “KB961367,” fixes quite a few problems with the newly devised Media Center, and expansion of Microsoft’s tried and true Windows MediaPlayer, which is still a working component of the new OS.

The corruption flaw occurs every time when metadata is edited in an MP3 file, triggering to permanent loss of several seconds at the beginning of an MP3 track; however, the deletion is more prominent when the header size exceeds 16KB.

In addition, Microsoft also addresses some of the other issues with this patch, including improper functioning protected tuning sources, inadequate working of MHEG (iTV) in Europe, problems in performing recording operations by Windows Media Center, etc.

Furthermore, the patch also addresses recording issues for the systems that have been upgraded from Windows Vista, and problems in Windows Vista DVR-MS recordings that don’t play back in Windows Media Center or Windows Media Player.

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Windows 7 Problem Steps Recorder

Author JoeDigital | 15.01.2009 | Category Computers, Windows

 

One of the more helpful features of Windows 7 is the PSR (Problem Steps Recorder), which makes it possible to exactly see what process was involved in creating a problem on the system. For people who spend their time troubleshooting behind others, the PSR is a time-saving blessing come to your resuce.

The quick summary of
PSR is that it’s a recording app you activate to record any changes you
make to your Windows 7 machine, including mouse and keyboard use, along
with screenshots of every step. When done, PSR generates one big HTML
slideshow of all your actions complete with an English language
description of what you did.

This is great for developers and
tech support so they can see what an end-user is doing without actually
standing over their shoulder or remote access into someone’s machine. There are thousands of us out there who have dreamed of being able to say “what were your exact steps to get to that?” and get a complete answer, including visual aids.

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