This week’s edition of WIG is filled with news link goodness covering topics such as the botnet apps found in the official Google Android Market, Mozilla’s plans to add a reset button to Firefox, the operator of the Kelihos botnet was a former anti-virus firm employee, and more.
Photo by phillip torrone.
Weekly News Links
- FBI to step up monitoring of social media sites amid privacy concerns
The FBI plans to step up the monitoring of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and has asked for help building an app to constantly monitor the sites. - Twitter to censor content in some countries
Twitter says it will block tweets, if and when required, from users in specific countries rather than implement a worldwide filter. The move signals a marked change for the microblogging service deemed pivotal in the uprisings which swept the Middle East region. - North Korean government labels cell phone users as war criminals
In North Korea, using a cell phone could come with the accusation and punishment of being a war criminal. - Security experts put pressure on industrial control system makers
According to a report on Wired’s Threat Level blog, a group of security service providers have published exploits for security vulnerabilities in components used in industrial control systems that could be used to compromise or disrupt these systems. - DHS disputes memo on purported railway computer breach
The Department of Homeland Security is disputing a government memo obtained by Nextgov.com that said a targeted attack on the computer network of a railway company in the Northwest disrupted train service in early December. - O2 fixes phone number leak, explains muck-up
O2 has fixed the issue that causes customers’ mobile numbers to be shared with websites they visit from their phones. In a post on its own site, the network admitted that between 10 January and 2pm today, customers’ phone numbers could have been accessed by sites that don’t belong to the network’s roster of ‘trusted partners’. - Video conferencing systems as spying tools
During an investigation conducted over the course of three months, security expert HD Moore found that many video conferencing systems can be easily accessed over the internet. - ‘Citadel’ Trojan Touts Trouble-Ticket System
The proprietors of a new ZeuS Trojan variant are marketing their malware as a social network that lets customers file bug reports, suggest and vote on new features in upcoming versions, and track trouble tickets that can be worked on by the developers and fellow users alike. - Microsoft: Worm Operator Worked at Antivirus Firm
In a surprise filing made late Monday, Microsoft said a former technical expert at a Russian antivirus firm was the person responsible for operating the Kelihos botnet, a global spam machine that Microsoft dismantled in a coordinated takedown last year. - Symantec tells customers to disable PCAnywhere
Symantec is urging customers to disable PCAnywhere until it issues a software update to protect them against attacks that could result from the theft of the product’s source code. - Trojan downloader is a problem for virus scanners
The Microsoft Malware Protection Center has found a trojan downloader that does not have any suspicious routines in its initial state and is therefore difficult for virus scanners to detect. - Millions caught up in Android botnet
Security firm Symantec has uncovered a massive botnet that may have lured millions of unwitting Android users into downloading malware infected apps from the official Google Android Market. Includes list of affected apps. - Google wants ability to ‘combine’ your user data
Google is planning to rewrite its privacy policy to grant it explicit rights to “combine personal information” across multiple products and services, the company said this past Tuesday. Previously, it had only implicit rights to do so. - No Picnik: Photo-editing site’s users blast Google
Ever since Google CEO Larry Page announced plans to put “more wood behind fewer arrows” last June, the Web giant has cleaved a few dozen services from its portfolio, everything from Google Health to Google Labs. But none of the cuts has caused as much outcry and as many allegations of Google underhandedness as the closing of its Picnik photo-editing service. - Firefox to Get a ‘Reset’ Button
Mozilla is planning to add a ‘reset’ button to Firefox. The idea is to enable users to repair their Firefox install or revert to a default state, while also retaining their data, bookmarks, history and so on. Work is underway on implementing the feature, which will be accessible in several ways. - Mozilla’s BrowserID moves forward
Mozilla’s BrowserID project, which aims to provide a simpler, more portable decentralised login and identity management platform, has moved forward with its first deployment within the non-profit organisation. - Open WebOS committed to fall 2012
Hewlett-Packard kicked the first open source component to WebOS out the door this past Wednesday, along with a calendar for when its source code will be completely open. - Fedora relocates operating system under /usr/
The Fedora developers are currently working on implementing the plan to move all files stored in the Linux distribution’s /bin/, /sbin/, /lib/ and /lib64/ directories to equivalent sub-directories in /usr/. - Google’s SPDY Incorporated Into Next-Gen HTML, Offers TCP Enhancements
Google’s efforts to improve Internet efficiency through the development of the SPDY (pronounced “speedy”) protocol got a major boost this past Tuesday when the chairman of the HTTP Working Group (HTTPbis), Mark Nottingham, called for it to be included in the HTTP 2.0 standard. - Next Xbox to prevent you from playing used games?
Will the next Xbox restrict you from playing your favorite used games?
Random TinyHacker Links
- When is the last time you’ve used Windows Help?
Considering how awful the Help documentation used to be, people no longer have the habit of using it. According to this article, Windows 7 manages to have a very up-to-date and relevant Help and Support system. Here’s how it works. - When was a partition created?
Interesting tip for Windows users who need an answer to this question. - Using Windows Movie Maker to Cut Out Sections From Videos
Learn how to use Windows Movie maker to cut out clips from videos. - Creating Cool Music Beats Made Easy
Use these online tools to effectively make music beats. - Your Kids Would Love These Chrome Apps
A list of cool Chrome apps for kids. - Beat the Boot is a Cool Chrome Game
Check out this really cool game developed by Google (works as a Chrome app). - Send to Kindle From Amazon
Easy way to send personal documents from PC to your Kindle. - Looking for the Ultimate Windows 7 Book?
According to this review, there is nothing more “ultimate” than this book. - Stock Photo Search Made Easy
Simple and effective stock photo search online. - Castle.so Enables Easy File Sharing
A quick and easy web based file sharing tool. Just drag and drop! - Send Group Texts For Free
A tool to send group SMSes for free.
Super User Questions
- Fastest method to determine my PC’s IP address (Windows)?
- What are these “online installers” for?
- Make Windows always copy files when dragging and dropping them
- Windows folder with millions of files not responding
- How to take a screenshot of Window’s secure desktop?
- How can I be totally invisible to Facebook?
- Easiest setup for someone new to Virtual Machines?
- How Can I Connect Two Sets of Computers Within My Home Office So There’s No Cables On the Floor?
- Why are there no motherboards that are designed for both Intel and AMD CPU chips?
- Can I mix different RAM modules in PC?
How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap
- The Best Password Tips to Keep Your Accounts Secure
- Stupid Geek Tricks: Change Your IP Address From the Command Prompt
- How To Extend Your Wireless Network with Tomato-Powered Routers
- How To Get Your Free Yearly Credit Reports Without Getting Scammed
- How-To Decrypt DVDs with HandBrake (So You Can Rip Them)
- Quick Digital Makeup Tips To Make Yourself Look Ten Years Younger
- Install Linux Mint’s New Cinnamon Desktop on Ubuntu
- Desktop Fun: Video Game Remakes by Orioto Wallpaper Collection Series 1
- Ask The Readers: How Do You Maximize Your Battery Life?
- What You Said: Your Battery Life Maximizing Tips
Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side
- Where did Google Make Their Money in 2011? [Infographic]
- The Family Browser Wars [Humorous Comic]
- The Cost of Technology Over the Decades [Infographic]
- Satellite Image Captures North America in 8,000 Pixels [Astronomy]
- The Best Tools to Check for Windows Software Updates – Analysis Report
- Hide a Stealth Wi-Fi Repeater In an Old Radio
- Adaptception [Humorous Image]
- 1Weather Is a Detailed and Free Weather App for Android
- The Night the Sky Crashed [Humorous Image]
- Simple Standing Desk Hides Cables Behind Removable Panel
One Year Ago on How-To Geek
- HTG Projects: Create a Pop Art Sci-Fi Poster with an Inkjet Printer
- How To Create Your Own Custom ASCII Art from Any Image
- How To Colorize Black and White Vintage Photographs in Photoshop
- How To Use Layer Masks and Vector Masks to Remove Complex Backgrounds in Photoshop
- How To Process Camera Raw Without Paying for Adobe Photoshop
How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup
- Bad Screen Glare
- CSS Redundancy Checkers
- An Awesome New Enhancement
- Effective Remote Disabling
- Special Game Enhancer
- Extra Fast Road-Runner
- Horrible Two-Factor Authentication
How-To Geek Weekly Trivia Roundup
- What Is The Longest Running Sci-Fi TV Series?
- Who Created The Ubiquitous :-) Emoticon?
- What Is The Oldest Manmade Object In Earth Orbit?
- Which Operating System Bestows Animal Code Names On All Releases?
- What Popular 1980s Computer Game Blatantly Ripped Off Super Mario Bros?