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WinAntiSpyware 2007 seems to be another malware program making it way.  This program appears to be a rogue spyware removal program.  Some folks who has installed it are not complaining of constant popups on their computer.  This is just another example of why you want to be sure you know the programs that you are installing on your computer.  For Spyware and Virus protection, we recommend that you install Webroot Spy Sweeper.  Spy Sweeper is a trusted spyware removal program that is even more powerful now with it’s anti-virus protection.

Get the protection you need from tools such as WinAntiSpyware 2007 and others just like it.   

We have been seeing a lot of computers infected with Trojan Looksky.  This malware seems to have the ability to download files to your computer and installs a rootkit.  We have been doing a little research and have noticed a lot of complaints about Trojan Looksky and it seems that people are complaining that they are getting a lot of pop-ups advertising an anti-virus program that is known to distribute malware.  People are also complaining that an Icon is being placed on their background telling them that their desktop needs to be restored, the add/remove programs seems to be also disabled by Trojan Looksky and clicking on web links doesn’t always bring them to where they expected. 

To project against trojan infection like the Trojan Looksky, we recommend that you always have an active malware protection program.  We typically recommend to our users that they install Webroot Spy Sweeper with anti-virus protection on their computer.  The software does a great job of shielding your computer from these malware threats.

If you would like to protect against malware like Trojan Looksky, then we recommend you get this program. 

This email spam made me chuckle this morning:

Dear Friend, I am Mr. Francis White.I have a lucrative 13 Million USD Business proposal foryou, indicate your interest by sending me the following: 1. YOUR NAME2. YOUR RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS3. YOUR OCCUPATION4. YOUR PHONE NUMBER5. DATE OF BIRTH6. COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE Your response with the requested information should be sent to reach me at my personal email address below: franciswhite2@yahoo.gr I shall then provide you with more details on thistransaction when I hear from you. Sincerely,Mr.Francis White.

*******

Very simple email but man before offering me such a great deal, you think this person would already have some of this information?

You might be looking at this and thinking to yourself; “How stupid are people”; and I’ll tell you that that I really belive that they are playing on people’s greed or even a situation they are in.  Let’s say your desperate and you are on the verge of bankcruptcy and have just received this email.  It looks very tempting because you see a solution to your problems.  Sending them all of the requested information will allow them to play on you.  They are even hoping that you slip and give out more information to allow them to scam you.

Wordpress is a very nice open source project that allows you to run a blog on your website.  The project has been around for a number of years now and it is a very active project.  Updates are consistantly being made to the program and security issues are addressed in a very timely manner. 

Setting up wordpress on your site is really a farily easy task for the person who is willing to give it a try.  I also understand that some people simply don’t have the time nor the desire to take on the task of installing wordpress.  I came across a website that offers to do wordpress installations for you for really a very reasonable cost.  I cannot tell you if the service is any good because I have not used them, but it can’t hurt to give them a try.  I would recommend that you create a special ftp account for them to use and once the installation is over and you are happy you can go ahead a delete the account.  It will also not hurt to take a look at the files that exist on your server so you can compare what was installed just to be sure that nothing bad was additionally installed on your server.

If anyone has used this service, please be sure to leave feedback of your experience.

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.