Patch released for Microsoft Networking Flaw
Here is a very critical patch. A common problem amongst Microsoft software is buffer overflows. When a programming variable is fed more information than it can handle - memory problems can occur. Buffer overflows could be used in a denial of service attack. If this overflow happened to a security feature, that security might shut down and allow somebody to walk into the system.

Microsoft Releases Fix for URL Fraud
To stop people from being sent to fake addresses with URLs that look like the real ones, Microsoft has released a fix ahead of schedule. The fix also stops people from using addresses that pass the username and password in the URL (i.e. "http://username:password@website.com") since that too can be used to obscure the true website address. This has some people upset because of the convenience it offers, but it may be a small sacrifice to pay for a little bit of security.

Who Writes the Viruses?
A good investigative report on who they are and their reasoning for writing the programs that cause so much consternation. It's actually a combination of an intelligently curious programmer and a gullible "script kiddies" who unleash the code out on the world. The New York Times requires a login to access this article.

What's Your Personal Information Worth?
Your personal information can be sold to marketing companies looking to who want to know more about who they're selling to. It's also something that is probably worth something to you. But how much is it worth? Use this handy calculator to whip up a quick estimate.

DoomJuice Virus Kicks MyDoom Victims While They are Down
A counterpart to the original MyDoom virus, DoomJuice finds computers that are still infected and gets in through a backdoor that MyDoom holds open. Once there it propagates and continues to attack the website for SCO. Besides inoculation, blocking port 3127 in your firewall software can stop the viruses.

Overseas Voting Cancelled Amid Security Concerns
Amongst all the security problems over computer voting, online voting had just about as many issues. It wasn't until enough people spoke out about it that an inquiry was made. Now a final decision has been made to postpone the service until a complete overhaul is done.

Osama Worm Passes Through Instant Messenger Chats
It will open up a new chat windows in your instant messenger client from someone you know saying something like "Osama bin Laden has been caught. Go here to see the video." If you do click on the link, it will look like you are downloading a video, but instead it's another copy of the worm that will take over your computer and do the same thing to other people on your buddy list.

To avoid it, install the new Microsoft patch that disallows fraudulent URLs and be careful of what file-types you download from a website.

Internet Telephony With Chat Applications
Now VoIP services are beginning to grow and offer all of the telephony services of a large-scale phone system (voicemail, conferencing, three-way calling), there must be some way to do these things without the VoIP system. That is, how do you get all of those telephony options with internet phone calls?

Well for OS X users, teleconferencing can be done with the iChat program just by starting a new audio chat with multiple users - same thing for Skype users on either platform.

Although most people would just as easily use email instead of voicemail, if you did want to set up voicemail for and internet call it will take some effort. OS X users would have to install a program like Asterix, which is a voicemail program for VoIP that would work on the Unix portion of OS X. It can be combined with another program to do things like automatically go to voicemail when your chat status is "away". Options for Windows users are not as prevalent although a few are in production.

Using Airport IDs For Network Security
One way to really make sure a wireless network is really secure, is to limit who can use the network by network ID. It may not know who is using the computer, but it will definitely keep out any passerby who happens to crack your password.

To do this in OS X with an Airport hub, first find the Airport ID (sometimes called the Mac Address) of the computers you're using to connect. This can be found under Network Preferences in Network. Under Show, choose Airport and it will list the Airport ID.

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If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding this newsletter, email suzanne@surfsecret.com.