Friendster users have been getting a lot of invitations about viewing a fake video. This video is supposedly from their contacts. The article at F-Secure includes a screen shot of what the invite looks like.

Users will be redirected to a fake file if they decide to click on the link in the invitation page. The site will prompt the user to update their video player. The explanation is that so they will be able to view the video. The update is named setup.exe and it is detected as net.worm.win32.koobface.dd. This specific worm spreads on social networking sites according to the post at F-Secure.

The author of the article reminds that users should change their passwords regulary.

Source: F-Secure

Sophos posted a blog entry today about a spam which contains a Christmas Monkeys application. The article notes that the email contains a file, Christmas Monkeys.exe. The file extracts two files which are named a.exe and b.exe. The a.exe file launches a Flash cartoon which is harmless but the b.exe is a backdoor trojan which is silently executed.

Another topic that is located in the same blog entry is a greeting card worm. When users click the link in the greeting card email, it would take the user to a malicious drop site. Sophos mentioned that a variety of domains is involved.

Source: Sophos

In this video podcast I’ll show you my process for removing a virus without using an antivirus scanner. Im make use of Process Explorer, Hijack This and Autoruns and give you some tips on spotting viruses. The purpose of this video is for experienced technicians to see someone elses process and for beginners to learn how its done.

You can stream it using the video below, or you can download the high quality version Here (24mb, right click and save as)

Press the arrows in the bottom right of the player for high def fullscreen:

Show Links:
Computer Repair Utility Kit

The HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 now supports new functions on a Mac operating system. This includes backup and the ability to stream iTunes files.

The ex485 retails for $599 while the ex487 costs $749 which has 1.5 terabytes of storage, twice as much as the ex485 model.

“A growing number of digital-savvy households have both Windows and Mac computers, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of media files and documents scattered across these devices,” said Jason Zajac of HP.

“The HP MediaSmart Server protects, stores and organizes this content from anywhere on a network so consumers can access and share it any place they are connected,” he added.

Source: PCMAG.com

Laurent Gaffi, a researcher, reported on December 24 that Windows Media Player versions 9, 10, and 11 have a security vulnerability. Today, Microsoft dismissed the report and their researchers said that it is “reliability issue with no security risk to customers.”

“We’ve found no possibility for code execution in this issue,” said Christopher Budd who is the spokesman for the Microsoft Security Response Center.

He acknowledged that the flaw could crash Windows Media Player but the application can be restarted and would not affect the rest of the other softwares in a computer.

“This bug cannot be leveraged for arbitrary code execution,” say Jonathan Ness and Fermin Serna who are both with the Microsoft Security Vulnerability Research and Defense group.

Source: COMPUTERWORLD

Ars Technica posted an article yesterday about three possible upgrade editions for users who are using Windows Vista and want to upgrade to Windows 7 later on.

Those who are using the Home Premium Edition can upgrade to the Home Premium Edition of Windows 7. The users of the Ultimate Edition can upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate Edition. Lastly, if the user has a Business Edition, then he or she can buy the Professional Edition to upgrade his or her operating system.

Although these options are not confirmed, the author of the article notes that he is told that this is what Microsoft is considering at the moment.

Source: Ars Technica

There are now pirated copies available for the next Windows operating system according to reports by various websites.

Computerworld notes that on the Pirate Bay BitTorrent site, there are two listings of the Windows 7 Build 7000. They were both posted on Friday.

The article also mentions that there were 8,500 “leechers” and 1,800 “seeders” this afternoon. The pirated copy is a 32-bit version and the download size is 2.44GB. The alpha version of Windows 7 hit Bitorrent late October.

Commentators and bloggers think that the beta version will be released as early as January 7, 2009.

Source: COMPUTERWORLD

The year 2008 has nearly come to an end and it has been an interesting year for Technibble. The site has grown in both readers on the main pages and activity in the forums. We’ve raised our profile having been interviewed in a handful of podcasts and mentioned in countless ones. I have heard stories of many young computer enthusiasts starting their own businesses after reading Technibble which is really rewarding for me personally.

I have compiled a list of some of Technibbles articles this year including a list of the most discussed, useful business articles and useful technicial articles in case you missed a few:
Read the rest of this entry »

PCWorld.com reported on their website that the next Windows operating system may be featured at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month. The event lasts for four days, from January 8 to 11.

This is based on the fact that Microsoft said that the beta version will be released in early 2009. Beta testers are expecting Windows 7 any day now according to a U.K. Microsoft public relations team member.

Windows 7 is planned to be released in 2010 but it could be out by the end of 2009.

Source: PCWorld

Sophos.com posted a non-malicous spam today about a Christmas spam which contains an application from a zip file.

The program creates a Christmas tree on the user’s desktop and it could link to an external non-malicious URI to an atomic clcok. The clock counts down the number of days before Christmas.

It could also create multiple instances and the user could set the transparency of each tree.

It is a PUA which stands for Potentially Unwanted Application according to the article.

Source: Sophos