Be Secure:No joke in April Fool's Day computer worm

Story Highlights
The Conficker C computer worm is expected to activate on April Fool's Day
The worm lets a master computer take over infected zombie PCs
It's unclear what the program's author plans to do with all the power
A group called the Conficker Cabal is trying to hunt down solutions

(CNN) -- A computer-science detective story is playing out on the Internet as security experts try to hunt down a worm called Conficker C and prevent it from damaging millions of computers on April Fool's Day.
The anti-worm researchers have banded together in a group they call the Conficker Cabal. Members are searching for the malicious software program's author and for ways to do damage control if he or she can't be stopped.
They're motivated in part by a $250,000 bounty from Microsoft and also by what seems to be a sort of Dick Tracy ethic.
"We love catching bad guys," said Alvin Estevez, CEO of Enigma Software Group, which is one of many companies trying to crack Conficker. "We're like former hackers who like to catch other hackers. To us, we get almost a feather in our cap to be able to knock out that worm. We slap each other five when we're killing those infections."
The malicious program already is thought to have infected between 5 million and 10 million computers.
Those infections haven't spawned many symptoms, but on April 1 a master computer is scheduled to gain control of these zombie machines, said Don DeBolt, director of threat research for CA, a New York-based IT and software company.
What happens on April Fool's Day is anyone's guess.
The program could delete all of the files on a person's computer, use zombie PCs -- those controlled by a master -- to overwhelm and shut down Web sites or monitor a person's keyboard strokes to collect private information like passwords or bank account information, experts said.
More likely, though, said DeBolt, the virus may try to get computer users to buy fake software or spend money on other phony products.
Experts said computer hackers largely have moved away from showboating and causing random trouble. They now usually try to make money off their viral programs.
DeBolt said Conficker C imbeds itself deep in the computer where it is difficult to track. The program, for instance, stops Windows from conducting automatic updates that could prevent the malware from causing damage.
The program's code is also written to evolve over time and its author appears to be making updates to thwart some of the Conficker Cabal's attempts to neuter the worm.
"It is very much a cat and mouse game," DeBolt said.
It's unclear who wrote the program, but members of the Cabal are looking for clues.
First, they know that some recent malware programs have come from Eastern European countries outside the jurisdiction of the European Union, said Patrick Morganelli, senior vice president of technology for Enigma Software.
Worm program authors often hide in those countries to stay out of sight from law enforcement, he said.
In a way, the Conficker Cabal is also looking for the program author's fingerprints. DeBolt said security researchers are looking through old malware programs to see if their programming styles are similar to that of Conficker C.
The prospects for catching the program's author are not good, Morganelli said.
"Unless they open their mouth, they'll never be found," he said.
So, the most effective counter-assault simply may be damage control.
One quick way to see if your computer has been infected is to see if you have gotten automatic updates from Windows in March. If so, your computer likely is fine, DeBolt said.
Microsoft released a statement saying the company "is actively working with the industry to mitigate the spread of the worm."
Users who haven't gotten the latest Windows updates should go to http://safety.live.com if they fear they're infected, the company's statement says.
DeBolt said people who use other antivirus software should check to make sure they've received the latest updates, which also could have been disabled by Conficker C.
The first version of Conficker -- strain A -- was released in late 2008.
That version used 250 Web addresses -- generated daily by the system -- as the means of communication between the master computer and its zombies.
The end goal of the first line was to sell computer users fake antivirus software, said Morganelli.
Computer security experts largely patched that problem by working with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to disable or buy the problematic URLs, he said.
That process-of-elimination approach isn't likely to be effective with Conficker strain C, Morganelli said. The new version will generate 50,000 URLs per day instead of just 250 when it becomes active, DeBolt said.
The first iteration of Conficker is thought to have grown out of a free function for security programs created by Dr. Ronald Rivest, a computer science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"Any technology can be used for good or evil, and this is just an example of that," Rivest said.
Many viruses have taken pieces of benevolent programs and used them for ill. But overall the "open source" environment online promotes computer security far more than it enables hackers, DeBolt said.
"I don't blame the open-source community at all" for virus attacks, he said.
CA said it recently found a piece of code in Conficker C that says the worm will become active on April 1. Previous versions of the malicious software launched on specific dates noted in the program code, so the April Fool's Day launch date is not likely to be a trick, DeBolt said.
"The best minds in the industry are working on this to protect customers," he said. "We're trying to reduce the impact of the April 1 date as best we can. But we know ... this malware will continue to evolve."
source:-http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/24/conficker.computer.worm/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

IBM in talks to buy Sun Microsystems

For more Details:-http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090318/bs_nm/us_sunmicro_takeover_ibm

Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 8

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft is set to publicly launch Internet Explorer 8 early on Thursday, the latest version of its market-dominating Web browser.

The application, an integral part of Microsoft's eagerly awaited Windows 7 operating system, can be downloaded from Microsoft's website from 9 a.m. Pacific time, free for people using licensed Microsoft operating systems.

IE8, as it is commonly referred to, has been in public beta testing for about a year, but Thursday's launch marks its full public rollout.

Microsoft, the world's largest software company, said IE8 will run with Windows Vista, its latest operating system, and also Windows XP, the previous version which some users still prefer over Vista.

The application replaces IE7, which has a lock on the browser market. According to a recent survey by IT consultants Janco Associates, Internet explorer has a 72.2 percent market share, ahead of the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser with 17.2 percent. Google's new Chrome browser has only 2.8 percent of the market, while Apple's Safari has less than 1 percent.

Microsoft has run afoul of U.S. and European antitrust regulators for bundling its browser with its operating system, which competitors say is an attempt to drive them out of the market.

Last month, Google joined Mozilla and Norway's Opera in protesting Microsoft's dominance in the browser market. In January, European regulators brought formal charges against Microsoft for abusing its dominant market position by bundling its Internet Explorer Web browser with its Windows operating system, which is used in 95 percent of the world's personal computers.

Microsoft has already announced that users of Windows 7 -- expected later this year or early next year -- will be able to turn key programs like Internet Explorer off, making it easier to use other browsers.

New features in IE8 include right-clicking on addresses or other Web features to go straight to a map or put into a blog or other website, which Microsoft calls an "accelerator". Users will also be able to put in keywords in the address bar to recall sites visited related to that word.

The new browser also has enhanced security protection, for example warning users if they are about to download something from a site known to be a source of malicious software, or "malware".

Source: - http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE52I5CD20090319

NECK EXERCISE!!!

Google Chrome: a new web browser for Windows

Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.

Search from the address bar

Type in the address bar and get suggestions for both search and web pages.

Thumbnails of your top sites

Access your favorite pages instantly with lightning speed from any new tab.

Private browsing

Open an incognito window when you don't want to save your browsing history.

For More details:-http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/features.html

Download:-http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?hl=en

Screenshot

Uses Of Google

Would you like to know if your mobile is original or not?!!

Type # 6 0 # *

After you enter the code you will see a new code contain 15 digits:

43 4 5 6 6 1 0 6 7 8 9 4 3 5

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 02 or 20 that mean it was Assembly on Emirates which is very Bad quality :(

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 08 or 80 that mean it¢ s manufactured in Germany which is not bad.

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 01 or 10 that mean it¢s manufactured in Finland which is Good.

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 00 that mean it was manufactured in original factory which is the best Mobile Quality ...

IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 13 that mean it was Assembly on Azerbaijan which is very Bad quality and very dangerous for health!!!

Get it now: the all-new Skype

Happy with the Skype you've got? You ain't seen nothing yet, baby. This brand new version will change the way you stay in touch.
What's changed

Best ever sound.
It's a big step up. It's super clear, with smart help that pops up the second we detect a problem.

Bigger video.
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So easy.
New one-click buttons and clean, simple layout make it wonderfully easy to use.

Keep conversations going.
With the new Conversations list, jump in and out of conversations
 you're having. Pick up where you left off in one click.

Once you start using it, you'll never want to go back to the old version ever again. You've really got to get this.

Skype 4.0 for Windows

Enjoy a whole new experience,The people from Skype