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Help Reduce Viruses And Worms |
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Dear Netlink Customer,
We think you'll find the information contained in this
newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If,
however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis,
click HERE. |
Help
Reduce Viruses And
Beginning
in October 2003, Microsoft Corp. initiated a new systematic program of posting
security bulletin updates on its website on the second calendar Tuesday of each
month. You can see this page by going to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/alerts2.asp.
Prior to October 2003, security notices advising users to download updated
security patches, service packs, etc., were posted on a random basis within the
security section of the Microsoft.com site.
If you run any of Microsoft Corp.'s software programs on your computer, i.e.
Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, MSN Messenger, etc., be sure to go to link
listed above either on or shortly after the first Tuesday of each month for the
latest Microsoft Security Bulletin.
An even better idea is to sign-up to have a "Microsoft Security Updates
Alert" e-mailed to you each month by Microsoft Corp. Simply go to THIS
LINK and you'll have the choice of signing up for either the "Simple
Terms" monthly e-mail notice, which is geared toward home users and small
businesses, or for the more technical version. In either case, the Microsoft
Security Updates Alert e-mail is sent to subscribers on the first calendar
Tuesday of each month.
As a reminder, authentic Microsoft Security
Bulletins NEVER INCLUDE SOFTWARE UPDATES OR PATCHES AS ATTACHMENTS.
Malicious individuals have been known to send spoof e-mails that appear to be
coming from Microsoft Corp. The message of the bogus e-mail encourages the
recipient to download the accompanying attachment to prevent the possible
infection of a virus or worm. When the recipient opens the attachment, his/her
computer is infected. Resist the temptation to open the attachment! Always go
to the Microsoft.com website to download any Microsoft-related patch or service
pack.
Ask
The Help Desk - What Is FTP And How Does It Work?
Question: I've heard that the spread of
the Sasser Worm back in early May was unique in that it spread to other
computers via FTP instead of by e-mail. What is "FTP" and how does it
work?
Answer: FTP is the acronym
for File Transfer Protocol. It's a communication language that allows computers
to easily transfer files from one to another either over a local network (a
group of connected computers --like within a company) or a wide area network
(like the Internet). FTP is used quite often, especially by companies, when
transferring large files that would be too large to send as e-mail attachments.
Other common communication protocols that you may have heard of are the
"HTTP" protocol (HyperText Transfer Protocol) used to transmit web
pages and "MAILTO" protocol used for sending e-mail messages.
In the case of the Sasser worm, the infected computer took advantage of a
vulnerability in Windows to FTP itself (rather than sending itself via e-mail
as most worms have previously done) to computers whose owners had not patched
their PCs to fix that vulnerability. (See the first article above for more
information on "patching" your computer.)
Great
Sites To Check Out This Month
Cooking By Numbers This Summer
http://cookingbynumbers.com/frames.html -
This is the perfect recipe site for families on the go this summer. You simply
put a check mark next to the ingredients you have available both in your fridge
and in your cupboard and then click on the "Find Recipes" button.
Dozens of simple recipes then appear based on the ingredients you have
available. It really is "cooking by numbers!" The site also has a fun
"Tomato Attack" game you can play while your meat is defrosting in
the microwave.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
http://cfdrodeo.com - Looking to
take an "old west" trip this summer? Why not head out to
Great Abbott And Costello Site
http://abbottandcostello.net/ -
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were one of the most entertaining comedy teams in
show business history. First partnering in 1936, the straightman/clown act was
successful in radio, on the broadway stage, in film, and later on television.
They were the first non-baseball-playing celebrities to be inducted into the
Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. in great part due to their infamous
"Who's On First" routine. This site includes downloadable radio
shows, humorous e-cards, scripts of popular routines, whimsical audio clips,
and more. It's a very fun site.
License Plates From Around The World
http://worldlicenseplates.com -
This site isn't the most aesthetic, but it sure is comprehensive. Just like its
domain name implies, this website provides images of license plates from most
every country in the world. The site also includes plates from all
Lance Armstrong Goes For Record Six Straight
Tour de France Wins
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2004/tour04/index.php?id=default -
Are you looking for a fast way to drop a few pounds this summer? Why not race
in this year's Tour de France? These guys will burn up to 9,000 calories a day,
make well over 320,000 peddle strokes, and go through over 40,000 water bottles
during this month's 2,109 mile (3,395 km) event. Over fifteen million
spectators will line the roads to watch 198 cyclists compete -- making this the
biggest bicycling event of the year. Adding more excitement and drama to this
year's event is the U.S. Postal Service Team's Lance Armstrong's quest for his
sixth consecutive win. Visit this site often to catch minute-by-minute reports,
see action photos, read daily tour diaries, and catch live coverage.
Short
Tutorial - Reducing The Clutter On Your Bookmarked
Favorites List
If
you've been surfing the Web for a while, you've probably accumulated a large
number of bookmarked Favorites on your browser. The list can become almost
unmanageable over time. Wouldn't it be nice if your browser sort of kept things
neat for you? Internet Explorer 6 in Windows XP has a hidden feature that will
do just that -- reduce the clutter of bookmarks you have collected. (This
feature is not available for Netscape or Mac users.) You can make setting
changes so your Favorites list only shows the favorite sites you visit most
often. It doesn't eliminate your less frequently visited bookmarked pages, it
just stores them out of the way for you. Here's how to set this up:
- Open Internet Explorer 6 (using Windows XP
only).
- Click your cursor arrow on the "Tools"
menu.
- Drop down to and select "Internet
Options."
- When the "Internet Options" window
appears, click on the "Advanced" tab.
- Look for "Enable Personalized Favorites
Menu" and click on its check box. This will limit the number of
visible favorites.
- Click on the "Apply" button.
- Click "OK" to close the "Internet
Options" window.
- Enjoy your simplified "Favorites"
menu.
To reverse this option, open the "Tools" menu and
select "Internet Options" again. Then, when the window appears, click
on the "Advanced" tab. Now uncheck "Enable Personalized
Favorites Menu" by clicking on its check box. Next, click
"Apply" and then "OK". Your bookmarked Favorites should all
appear as before.
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
(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information
published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all
liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such
errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.)
©2004 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.
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