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While email is a wonderful invention, it allows us to keep in touch with family and friends for easily, quickly, and cheaply, it has one annoying feature – spam!  How many times have you had to weed through messages from a Nigerian prince wanted to give you money for helping him or emails about free $500 Best Buy gift certificates to get to the emails you really want to read?  Spam emails not only clog up the Internet airways, but may also cause you to miss an important email.  There are companies that provide spam filters, but most people find that that helps little, if at all.  What is the solution to getting rid of spam email?  SpamArrest!

SpamArrest allows you to take control of your inbox, deciding the mail that makes it to your inbox and the mail that doesn’t.  How does SpamArrest work?  First, when you sign up, you will receive a new email address that ends in spamarrest.com.  But do not worry; you do not have to give your family and friends a new email address.  You can simply forward your existing email accounts to the new SpamArrest account or have SpamArrest check them every so often for mail.  Anything that is not spam is placed in the SpamArrest inbox, which you can access using any POP3 or IMAP client, such as Outlook or Eudora. You can even use a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox to access your SpamArrest email account through their webmail system.

To keep the spam out of this new inbox, you tell SpamArrest what email to place in your inbox.  It can be a specific email address, a domain, or a mailing list if you subscribe to a forum.  You have access to a disposable email sub-address, which means you can receive messages from people you do not know without them having access to see your real email address.

When an unknown email comes into the SpamArrest system, it uses Challenge/Response technology to remove any spam.  If an email is received from someone not on your list, SpamArrest sends out an auto-reply message.  The person who sent the unknown email is then asked to click on a link, which takes them to a webpage where they are “challenged” to type in a word that is hidden within a graphic.  If this user successfully types in the hidden word, their message is sent to your inbox.  While this type of Challenge/Response technology is easy for people to do, it is almost impossible for spambots, the automated systems that send out spam at alarming rates, to complete.

If the person who sent the email does not verify it, it sits in your unverified folder for seven days.  You can log in and approve anyone you wish at any time during that seven-day period.  This means even if you have technologically challenged friends, you can still approve for their emails to enter your inbox.

Click here to see it in action.

SpamArrest is a quick and easy way to filter out unwanted spam email.  You can try it for free for 30 days.  If you decide to subscribe, rates start as low as $3.12 a month – a small price to pay for something that saves you time by deleting all the spam for you.  I stand by what is said here because I use it and would never go back.

If you recently bought an Xbox 360, you may be interested to know many users are complaining of various problems due to defective design.  In fact, one user was so unhappy; he has brought a $5,000,000 class action lawsuit against Microsoft this week.

The lawsuit against Microsoft claims the company’s Xbox 360 was “negligently designed and manufactured.”  Many users believe the Xbox 360 has a problem with scratched optical discs.  Some blame this on users shifting the position of the Xbox while it is in use, but others say that the optical disc is scratched even when it is just sitting there.  Others have had game discs so scratched that they can no longer use them.  This is especially unacceptable for a gaming system in which the game discs can cost as much as $50 or more.  Microsoft has replaced some game discs made by them at $20 each, but make no compensation for game discs made by third parties.

In addition to the optical disc problem, many users have issues with a software update causing problems.  This update, issued October 31, 2006 was supposed to fix a defect.  What it actually does, says many users, is causes the game to freeze up after installation and while playing games on the Xbox 360.  This freezing action has caused some Xboxes to no longer function after installing the update.  It is not merely a matter of not installing the download, as some users say that when they connect to Microsoft’s “Xbox Live,” they automatically receive the update.

This latest lawsuit adds to the woes experience by Microsoft over the Xbox 360.  Last December, Microsoft was sued by an Illinois family. The family claimed their Xbox 360 overheated and caused a fire, killing an infant in the home.  The lawsuit claims the fire was “was a direct and proximate result of the overheating of the game’s power supply and wiring.”  However, the lawsuit claims the fire occurred in December 2004, five months before the official launch of the Xbox 360 in May 2005, so the console may have been a first generation Xbox.

Microsoft went from denying there was a problem with the Xbox 360 to admitting that there was a problem that could affect up the almost 12 million consoles sold so far.  So what does Microsoft plan to do about the problem?  They have announced a plan to set aside between $1.05 and $1.15 billion to extend the warranty of all Xbox 360s from one year to three years.  In their plans, they also promise to fix all Xbox 360s that display the dreaded “red ring of death.”  This occurs when the three front panel lights light up, indicating a general hardware failure has occurred.  This works out to Microsoft setting aside almost $100 for each console sold.

What may hurt Microsoft more than any monetary amount they will lose is the loss in faith and confident in their gaming consoles.  They originally insisted that the failure rate – between 3% and 5% - was average for a gaming console.  It turns out that the failure rate may actually be five times that.  If they plan to save face, they may need to make some drastic changes in the design of the Xbox 360 to prevent future problems and lawsuits.

The Seekmo Search Assistant is the replacement to the 180 Search Assistant from 180 Solutions.  180 Solutions created this program to help prevent affiliates from pushing the software without a users knowledge.  The program does seem to conform to the AntiSpyware Coalition Best practices.  Because the program delivers advertisements based on a users search activity, it still has been classified as adware by Webroot.

A users who has this installed on their machine may find the following files:

seekmosetup.exe
seekmo.exe
seekmohook.dll
asn.exe
saix.dll
efml.exe
utufctex.exe
saisetup.exe
saix.dll
seekmohook.dll
seekmoinstaller.exe
seekmotbinstaller.exe
sudokusetup.exe

Download Webroot Spy Sweeper to protection you while you surf on the internet.  One of the nice features about their software it they will even alert you that you are installing a malicious program on your computer.  You don’t have to worry if you are installing something bad.   

Virus Burst is identified as an Adware program by Webroot Spy Sweeper.  The program is actually marketed as a Spyware Removal tool.  The program issues fake alerts to the user telling them they have spyware installed on their computer which is why this program is also considered as a rogue anti spyware program.  Clicking on the alert brings you to their website where you can purchase their commerical version of the software.  Virus Burst also seems to be also marketed in other software called “VirusRescue” and “Spyware Quake”.

The best advice for removing Virus Burst is to download Webroot Spy Sweeper and have it remove the software.  You can be assured that Webroot and many of the other reputable companies do not knowingly issue fake alerts to scare you into using their software. 

For those who are interested in manually removing this software, you can visit Bleeping Computer.  We just always like to point out that their are lots of new spyware and adware threats appearing everyday.  An automatic solution that prevents the threat from even getting on your computer is always your safest option.

If you own a personal computer that connects to either a private network or the Internet, a personal firewall can provide you with a certain amount of protection from hackers.  Often home computers on a network share files or use common resources like a printer.  If this is the case, a firewall will allow more access than when connecting to the Internet.

Accessing the Internet is a riskier venture, so the firewall controls for it should be much stricter.  Incoming and outgoing data should be restricted and any unnecessary ports, standardized number used to route traffic, should be closed. Read the rest of this entry »

The use of computers at home has turned many novice users into computer geeks.  In order to protect yourself from hackers, you need to know computer geek terms like routers, hubs, switches, Ethernet cards, firewalls and a host of other terms that you probably never thought you would know.

Part of the reason home users are more familiar with these terms is the vendors have made the devices more affordable and much easier to use.  This benefits both the vendors (by seeing more sales) and the home user (by being provided with more protection).  An entire family can now use wireless technology to connect to the Internet whereas they once had to run wires all over the house.  Home networking is easier and cheaper than ever before!

However, home users may not appreciate the need for securing their network from hackers until it is too late.  Hackers look for unprotected networks, even home networks.  The hardware and software sold by vendors have good default settings, but there is more you can do to protect yourself.

Most of us want to skip over the manual and just get the hardware or software installed, but the manual can provide important user settings and configuration information you may need.  If you have skipped it, you may want to dig it out and read it to learn more about securing some of the following areas:

• Router (Wired) - This is the device that sits between your broadband modem and your computer.  The broadband modem connects to the router which then has a couple of ports that hook up your computers to.  The first thing you should do is change the password on the router.  Almost anyone who works with home based routers will know the default passwords that are set by the company.  Even better this information is freely available from their company support sites. 
• Router (Wireless) - Like the wired router, this to sits between your modem and your computer.  Besides having some ports on the back of it for wires, this device can also accept computer connections using wireless cards.  In addition to changing the admin password, you will also need to configure your wireless options so you are not sharing your connection with people that you don’t want to use it.  Under your wireless router settings for security, we recommend that you set the security to use WEP - 128 bit encryption.  What this means is that once your set a secure password for the wireless, a user would have to know this 26 character length key before they are able to use your internet.

Making your home network more secure just takes a little reading and a little time.  But, it is much easier to learn to secure your network than it is to try to clean up a mess a hacker can make if they are allowed into your network.

Prudential Financial is notifying both current and former employees of Prudential that laptop computers containing personal information about their employees including social security numbers and names were stolen on December 1, 2006 from within the Towers Perrin company who provides some actuarial consulting services to Prudential.  At the request of the New York law inforcement authorities, Towers Perrin delayed notification to Prudential so their investigation would not be compromised.  Interestingly enough under Press Releases at Towers Perrin, you will find no such notification of this incident as of this writing.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes not only in the United States, but the whole World.  According to research by Star Systems 1 in 20 Americans have been become a victim of identity theft.  Identity theft thieves can use your private information to obtain credit, make purchases or even use your identity to get a job.  Cleaning up this mess can cost you hundreds of dollars and many hours of your personal time.

It is prudent in this day and age to help limit your exposure to identity theft.  Below are just a small fraction of the practices that you should follow:

• Shred all mail and personal documents before putting them in the garbage.  How many courtesy checks to you get from your credit card company?  An identity theft thief can have a field day with these.
• Don’t just look at how much your bill is for.  Verify all charges before you write that check.
• Try and limit the amount of credit cards that you have.  Even better, get a credit card with a limited credit amount that you only use for online purchases or even get a credit card where you can create temporary credit card numbers for one time purchases (If the number is stolen, it won’t work anyway).
• When I get a new credit card, I will put a copy of the first statement in a safe deposit box down at the bank.  This way if my card gets stolen, I can almost easily get all of the contact numbers to cancel my cards.
• Under Federal Law and laws of different states you are eligable every twelve months to obtain a free credit report from the big three reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  Use this to your advantage.  Even better space out requesting your credit report by getting first from Equifax and then a couple of months later Experian and so on.  This way you are only going a couple of months at a time until you get an update on your credit history.
• Prevent unsolicited credit offers by calling 1-888-567-8688 to remove your name from these types of request.
• Don’t keep your social security card in your wallet. 

If you are a victim of Identity Theft there are some steps that you need to follow:

• Notify your local policy of the crime.
• Nofity your credit card companies.
• If your checks are stolen, notify the banks to have them close out your account and ask them to put a watch on all checking account transactions.
• If you suspect that your social securty number has been stolen, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.
• Notify Equifax, Experian and TransUnion of the theft so they can put a watch on your credit reports.

It’s amazing what’s in store for people who are victims of the Prudential situation.

At some point in your education, a teacher probably spoke about the legend of the Trojan horse.  The Greeks left a large wooden horse outside the gates during the siege on Troy.  It was meant to be a peace offering, but actually, once the horse was brought into the city walls, it was found to be filled with Greek soldiers who quickly took over the city.

From that legend, Trojan horse viruses got their name.   While a program or file may look innocent enough, it actually contains a virus just waiting to attack your computer.  It either destroys information or installs spyware to track your movement or personal information.

While most computer professional refer to the Trojan horse as a computer virus, it is not a virus in the true sense that it does not replicate itself.  However, it is designed to take control on your computer system, just as the Greek soldiers took control of the city.

Many Trojan horses are designed to monitor your computer usage and steal, without your knowledge, any information it can from what you do which is also known as Identity Theft.  Because of this, it is considered a form of spyware.

This can be used to deliver unwanted pop-ups to your computer, based on the web sites you visit as well as collect your personal information, such as credit card numbers and password.  It may even change your web home page to a site they want you to see.  In fact, many web site owners pay spyware creators to do that so they get traffic on their site.

Trojans are also used to install what is called a backdoor.  A backdoor gives a hacker an access point to your computer.  Once they have gained control, they can then send spam or do damage to your computer – all unbeknownst to you.

Trojan horses are hidden in programs that seem useful.  You may find a free utility that seems like something you need, download it, and then run it and it actually infects your computer.  Trojans can also be spread through email attachments.  If you receive an email attachment that contains an executable file and download it, the Trojan horse will infect your computer when you run the file.  How do you know if it is an executable file attachment?  Executable files have an extension of .exe.  Don’t mistake these for text files – they are actually programs.

Newer Trojan horses can be embedded in image files.  A good rule of thumb is to never open a file from someone you don’t know, whether it is text, an image, or an executable file.  Even if it is from someone you know, but nothing you expected to receive from them,, don’t download it.  It may be a hacker sending things from their computer or they may unknowingly be sending you an infected file.

One of the better known Trojan horses is Sub7.  It claims to be a legitimate piece of software used to remotely control your person computer, but it can also be used to steal personal information such as credit card numbers.