This week we learned how to setup Rsync backups on Linux the easy way, “always keep app windows on top, pin a custom library to the Windows 7 start menu, & fixing the IE user agent”, learned what a Virtual Machine Hypervisor is, found out your thoughts on monitoring bandwidth usage, got our hands on some great Geek Deals, and more.
Photo by Johnson Cameraface.
Weekly News Links
- Anonymous vows revenge after 15 arrested; AntiSec hacks continue
After 32 raids across Italy (and one in Switzerland), 15 alleged members of Anonymous have been arrested. The detainees, aged between 15 and 28 with five under 18, have been accused of performing denial of service attacks on Italian Web sites belonging to the government, and on both state and private broadcasters. - Anonymous, LulzSec spawn ‘one of worst’ quarters
Cyberattacks from Anonymous and LulzSec and breaches against everyone from Sony to Lockheed Martin turned the second quarter into “one of the worst on record,” according to a new report from Panda Security. - Kevin Mitnick shows how easy it is to hack a phone
British tabloid News of the World is closing down over a phone hacking scandal in which workers for the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper allegedly snooped on voice mail messages left on the mobile phones of murder victims, as well as celebrities, politicians, and the British royal family. If unethical journalists can do it chances are anyone can, right? - Many PCs still infected after Rustock botnet shutdown
According to Microsoft’s latest analysis, based on “sinkholes”, only just over half of the 1.6 million PCs once infected with the Rustock bot are now clean. - Search engine most popular malware vector
“Shnakule” has been identified as the top malware delivery network for the first half of this year, which also saw 40 percent of malware incidents being introduced by search engines, according to a new report released this past Wednesday by Blue Coat. - Free Apple iTunes Giftcard scam spreads on Facebook
Facebook users are being tricked into helping scammers earn money, in the mistaken belief that they will receive a free $25 Apple iTunes Giftcard. - New Facebook scam takes advantage of video calling
Facebook scams and viruses grow by the day, so it’s no surprise that scammers are taking advantage of the new video calling feature. - Public exploit puts iPhone users at risk
This past Wednesday, the Jailbreakme.com web site once again made it possible to jailbreak iOS devices. But what seems to be a convenient way of getting around Apple’s strict control turns out to be a definite security problem and one that is yet to be properly addressed. - Even more Siemens industry control systems vulnerable
The US ICS-CERT has issued a warning explaining that the recently reported replay attacks on control systems (Programmable Logic Controllers or PLCs) sold by Siemens affect more models than previously believed. - Cracking DES faster with John the Ripper
Version 1.7.8 of John the Ripper, a free password cracker, promises to be up to 20 per cent faster when cracking the Data Encryption Standard (DES) algorithm. - No more Googling for .co.cc domains
Google has followed through on a previously announced plan to block “bulk subdomain services”; the entire .co.cc subdomain has been removed from Google’s search index. - Firefox PDF reader passes ‘pixel-perfect’ test
Mozilla programmers have achieved a goal to build a PDF reader out of Web programming technology, the “pixel-perfect” rendering of a particular file. - Oracle and Microsoft could cash in big on Android
With allegations that Google infringed on several patents in its Android operating system, two of the biggest beneficiaries of sales of mobile devices that use the technology could well be Oracle and Microsoft. - More switching on IPv6
More content providers have switched to IPv6 following the success of the World IPv6 Day test flight which went by smoothly and affected but a small number of users, said participants. - British tabloid to shutter in wake of phone hacking scandal
British tabloid News of the World is shutting down as a result of allegations that representatives of the newspaper hacked into phone accounts of news subjects, including celebrities, politicians, and a murder victim, and made payments to police.
Random TinyHacker Links
- YouTube Edu: Educational Videos On YouTube
Video lectures from various online colleges gathered together in one place. - Learning Microsoft Office 2010 from a book
Want to learn Microsoft Office 2010? Check out this review to see if the book is a worthwhile purchase. - BullGuard Internet Security 10 – User friendly or die!
The folks at 7 Tutorials tested the latest version of Internet Security from BullGuard. It turns out that it is the most user friendly security suite they have tested so far. For more details, check out the review. - Having Difficulty Sleeping? The NY Times Reviews Noise Canceling Devices
Your spouse snores, the neighbor’s dog barks, the neighbor’s music is too loud. We have all been there and suffered many a lost night’s sleep. Farhad Manjoo from the New York Times reviews a few devices and apps that may help you get a better night’s sleep. - Plan Your Trip Effectively With Plnnr
A neat travel itinerary planner.
Super User Questions
Need help with a computer problem? Then Super User is the place to go for answers.
- Should I run Windows Virtual Machines on a Windows or Linux host?
- Why did defragmenting C drive increase disk space by 10GB?
- My hosts file is broken (Windows won’t read it)
- Magical moving desktop icons
- Adding more than three recipients to an email in Thunderbird
How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap
Start your weekend reading off right with our hottest HTG Main articles of the week.
- How To Diagnose and Fix an Overheating Laptop
- The Beginner’s Guide to Shell Scripting: The Basics
- Ask the Readers: How Do You Monitor Your Bandwidth Usage?
- How To (Un)Lock Your PC By Being Nearby (With a Bluetooth Phone)
- How To Skin Your XBMC for Fame, Glory, and Best Looking Media Browsing Around
Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side
Want to add a bit of fun reading to your weekend? Then check out our most popular ETC posts of the week.
- Awesome Paper Planes to Make for Fun at Home or Work [Geek Fun]
- EFF Releases 2011 Guide for Protecting Your Computer and Phone from Illegal Police Searches
- Error [Wallpaper]
- What if Classic Video Games had Downloadable Content [Video]
- NYPD Disposes of 5,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks [Video]
- Bottle Rocket Cam Captures Wild Ride [Video]
- Monsters of the Programming World [Humorous Image]
- DIY Wi-Fi Radio Brings Wireless Tunes Anywhere in Your House
- Keeping a Watch on Dangerous Skies [Wallpaper]
- Sunset on Arcturus V [Wallpaper]
One Year Ago on How-To Geek
Tweak and customize your Windows systems with these terrific articles from one year ago.
Note: For those who may be interested, the Perfect Dark font shown above can be found in our Desktop Fun: Video Game Fonts post.
- How to Install, Manage, and Delete Fonts on Your PC
- Show the Classic “All Programs” Menu in the Start Menu in Windows 7
- Change the Windows 7 Taskbar Color With No Extra Software (Stupid Geek Tricks)
- Add Some Visual Flair to the Task Manager Display in Windows 7
- Dock Windows on the Sides of Your Desktop and More With Preme for Windows 7