Actrix Newsletter February 2004

This newsletter has been produced to help you get the most out of the Internet,
and to keep you, as an Actrix customer, informed of developments and services within the company.
Past newsletters may be viewed at http://editor.actrix.co.nz/
Newsletters are now archived by article at http://editor.actrix.co.nz/byarticle/
Questions and comments about the newsletter can be e-mailed to editor@actrix.co.nz
Other inquiries should be e-mailed to support@actrix.co.nz

New Worm/Virus: Bagle

Bagle is a new mass-mailing worm that has been coming on strong since last weekend. Upon infection the worm opens an unassigned port, where it tries to listen for commands from the original writer.

The worm is also called "Bagel" and "Beagle" as the writer has included the word "beagle" throughout the code. It is a very basic worm in terms of functionality and social engineering; so much so that, initially, antivirus researchers expected little from it. However, people seem to be clicking on it nevertheless, and its spread has therefore been rapid.

Bagle arrives via a false sending address and the message uses the subject line "Hi," and contains randomly generated gibberish such as the example below:

Test =)
rjptxjqstsqgtrployrq
--
Test, yep.

The worm attached to the message looks like the Windows calculator icon. The worm uses a random name for the attached copy, which is probably designed to prevent administrators from blocking a specific file name.

If the attachment is run, the worm verifies that the computer's internal calendar reads a date earlier than 28 January 2004. The program will terminate itself if it reads a later date. If the date is earlier than 28 January, the worm executes the Windows calculator (calc.exe) as a smokescreen while it copies itself to the Windows system directory as "bbeagle.exe." It also creates a registry key so it will run at start-up.

The worm then searches the infected system's various files, including the Windows address book, as well as Web pages for e-mail addresses. It then sends copies of itself to those addresses using its built in e-mail engine.

The fact that Bagle (possibly from Germany or Russia) tries listening for what are presumably commands from its maker, and that it de-activates after 28 January is a concern. It is likely that this is part of some update functionality in preparation of a more severe attack later. But it appears a bug in the worm may be preventing this functionality from working.

Customers are encouraged to update their virus definitions and to avoid clicking attachments they are unsure of. Those subscribed to the Actrix CyberScan anti-virus service can be assured that it is picking up and removing the virus.

Help desk picks up widow's plight

by Regan Horrell
Reprinted with permission from Hawkes Bay Today 7 January 2004

  A computer "help desk" phone line has taken on a whole new meaning for a Napier widow.
  Muriel Cavallaro was making a call for computer help to Wellington-based Internet provider Actrix Networks Ltd about 1pm on Monday when she fell from a chair.
  "I was on the floor and I couldn't move," Mrs Cavallaro said.
  "I kept yelling out that I've had a fall."
  Mrs Cavallaro's plea for help was answered when an Actrix staff member called an ambulance. Another staff member kept her calm until help arrived about 20 minutes later.
  She said she had a tender back from the fall and was taken to a Napier health centre and later discharged.
  Mrs Cavallaro, an epilepsy sufferer, had since returned to the chair to send an e-mail to acknowledge her on-line helpers.
  "I could have been (on the floor) for days. I've got no end of praise for those guys."
  Actrix sales and marketing manager Dave Harding-Shaw said Mrs Cavallaro had been unable to reach the handset of her phone and was pleased staff had acted beyond the call of duty - "We like to pride ourselves on our service."
  Mrs Cavallaro described the computer as her "lifeline" after her husband's death 2½ years ago and had no intention of letting the fall put her off.
  "It won't stop my Internet work," she grinned.

Readers' Forum

If you'd like to ask a question or request some help on any Actrix or Internet-related matter. Simply send me an e-mail with the word "forum" in the subject line. I'll try and answer your question by return e-mail, and will also post the answer here for the benefit of others who may have a similar question or problem. By the same token, if you read something here and think you may have something to suggest, please feel more than free. Please also note that questions and answers may turn up under the Helpful Tips section on the Actrix home page (www.actrix.co.nz).

I'm really grateful to the Actrix Support Team, too, for their input here when some of the questions also have me a little stumped.

In response to the question and answer last month about using credit cards safely online (the question was from Geoff B), Charles wrote in with the following good idea:

Thanks for the newsletter. One solution to security on the Internet is to have two credit cards. I have my usual credit card plus another savings account with another bank from which I have a credit card with a limit of $500. This is the one I use on the net with the thought that if someone does get into it the maximum will be $500 less anything I may have already purchased.

Rob, I have a Windows 98; Outlook Express. I have received an e mail message with a coloured photo at the end of the message. I wish to take a copy of the coloured photo, can you please tell me the process to follow. Many thanks, Cath.

Hi Cath, This is reasonably straightforward, though the answer would depend a lot on what you wanted to do with the copy you took. If you just want to save the image as a file on your computer somewhere, you can do this by right-clicking on it and then left-clicking on Save Picture As... This will then allow you to browse to a location on your computer in which to save the file. It's usually easiest to select your desk top, though this can become crowded after a while. So, if you feel confident you should probably make another folder for the pictures you want to save, or use the My Pictures folder which should be inside your My Documents Folder.

During this process, you will also be able to change the name of the file if you need to in order for you to be better able to identify it later. Make sure though, that you don't change the file extension. The file extension is the three or four letters in the file name that come after the dot. Most images that come as e-mail attachments end in .jpg, .jpeg or .gif. Your computer needs to know what the file extension is in order to know how to interpret and display the photo for you.

Now, if you mean you want to have a physical photo made that could be put in a frame and displayed on your wall or mantelpiece, you will need to get some professional help, but it is easy to do and doesn't cost a lot. Most good photo developing outlets can make a paper photo from a jpg or gif image. All you need to do is select your floppy drive (usually your A: drive) when you are saving the image. Of course you need to make sure you have a clean floppy disc inserted at the time. Once you've saved the image onto a floppy, ring around a few of the photo developing outlets and find one that can do it for you. You'll find it won't cost a whole lot more than getting a normal negative developed.

Lastly, you could just try printing the photo yourself, but unless you buy photo-quality paper and are prepared to play about with your colour settings a fair bit, you are not likely to get anywhere near the result that a professional developing house would produce for you. I hope that helps.

Warren asks: When using CyberFilter [the Actrix Anti- Spam product] why is it sometimes I get an incorrect date on some of my e-mails in my Pending E-mails folder? Some are at least a day ahead and some are dated January 1970!

The only reason we can suggest as to why the first thing might be happening is that some spammers send e-mails with the date set a few days in advance. This is so their emails always sit at the "top" of your inbox.

The reason for the 1970 dated emails would be that the date header in the spam email is not formatted correctly. So CyberFilter displays 1970 which is the Unix Epoch (January 1 1970 00:00:00 GMT). Basically all Unix/Linux times are worked out in seconds since that Unix epoch time (1970), and that is the default time. Unix is the base operating system of the server upon which CyberFilter resides.

However we are looking into this to be fixed in version 3, so that CyberFilter's backend code tries to work around the messed up date headers in order to display something a little more realistic than 1970. I hope that makes some sense.

The most likely first cause is that they're often very big. Each new release of an operating system from Microsoft (98, ME, XP) is bigger (often much bigger) than the previous one. The patches and updates also seem to be bigger as time goes by. If you have more than one to download, the combined amount of megabytes can reach a very large level and tie your 56K modem up for an hour or more. The larger the download, too, the greater the chance that something will go wrong and it will stall. Most of the time you can resume the download from where it stalled by disconnecting and re-connecting, but this doesn't always work.

One thing that might help here would be to select only one update to download and install at a time.

A second problem could be server load. The Microsoft server at the other end may be experiencing thousands and thousands of requests for updates at the same time you're asking for them. This may slow down its ability to pump them down to you at a reasonable speed. You could try attempting to get the updates at a different time of day; perhaps at a time when the rest of the world (or the rest of New Zealand) is asleep.

Lastly, it could be possible to tweak some of the settings on your modem to make it behave a little better and worker faster for you. This is usually an easy, quick and painless process. Our free help desk may be able to help you (0800-228749 8am - midnight).

Actrix Security Suite Developments

Free Security for some rate types and CyberFilter 3!

The Actrix Security Suite consisting of our virus protection product (CyberScan) and our Spam protection product (CyberFilter) was released in March 2003. It has proved to be a successful addition to our services with widespread customer take-up.

CyberFilter is an effective and radical approach to Spam control developed right here by the Actrix Networks web technicians.

CyberScan is an up-to-date anti-Virus service that stops known viruses before they get to your computer.

The first lot of improvements to CyberFilter (CyberFilter 2) was released in July 2003. After continued valuable feedback from customers we're now on the verge of releasing CyberFilter 3. Improvements CyberFilter customers can expect some time in January include:

To read about the Actrix Security Suite (CyberFilter and CyberScan) click Domestic/Security Suite on the Actrix home page (www.actrix.co.nz ) or simply click here: http://www.actrix.co.nz/domestic/security/index.php.

There you can sign up for either or both products and try them free for a month. If you don't want to continue with either product, simply unsubscribe before your free month is up and you will not be billed. If you decide to continue with the products, your trial month will still be free. You can unsubscribe by clicking the Subscription Options link to the left of the Security Suite information pages.

The especially good news is that the Security Suite will soon be free for customers on some Actrix rate types. Expect an announcement soon!

Interesting Sites (Click the picture links to access the sites)

Please note: Actrix supplies links to these sites for your interest and possible use. We cannot endorse or take any responsibility for their contents.

Got a site you think would be neat to share with other readers? Let me know and receive a free Norrie the Nerd chocolate bar courtesy of Actrix!

Subliminal Advertising
www.poleshift.org/sublim/ - This poorly designed, slightly higgledy-piggledy web site still has some fascinating examples of hidden messages and disguised images in advertisements we see every day, intent upon tricking us into feeling something we otherwise wouldn't. There are some good theories as to why and how advertisers do the things they do. It may change the way you look at magazine ads in future!

2003 Year-End Google Zeitgeist
www.wbglinks.net/pages/history/ - "The 2003 Year-End Zeitgeist offers a unique perspective on the year's major events and hottest trends based on more than 55 billion searches conducted over the past year by Google users from around the world. Whether you are tracking the global progression of the latest news or learning about healthy searches in Japan, the 2003 Year-End Zeitgeist enables you to look at the past year through the collective eyes of the world on the Internet." There's something similar over at Yahoo - http://search.yahoo.com/top2003.

Hundreds of Stupid Videos
www.humormatters.com/newspaper.htm - I guess it all started when someone first slipped on a banana peel and someone else laughed. Here is a collection of hundreds of videos of people doing stupid things. They are small and reasonably low-quality by default which means they shouldn't take too long to download. Select from the highly organised menu system on the left. If the WMV format doesn't work so well for you, try selecting Quicktime (QT).

Vitamin Q
http://vitaminq.blogspot.com/ - Now this is a blog (web log) with a difference! Unlike most blogs, it has a point. Roddy Lumsden, a puzzle writer and poet from Scotland created this place where he can "post lists, curiosities, and fragments." What you won't find here is trivia lite. Instead, you'll learn things such as U.S. Secret Service presidential code names or 10 toy catastrophes of the 1970s. How about 20 songs about pickles, 25 cheeses beginning with the letter L or 20 foods Roddy hopes never to taste?

How To By You
www.htby.org/ - This how-to site invites surfers to answer a variety of questions, with the assurance that no answer is a wrong answer. It doesn't purport to be an authoritative guide on all things. Instead it instead seeks to provide a sociological window into how the other half lives. For example, everyone has an opinion on how to teach a cat to do tricks, how to cook Brussels sprouts, or how to wash a hamster, right? So here's your chance to chime in and learn a thing or two from other folks. There's a good mix of really helpful advice and tongue-in-cheek fun. You should be able to spot the difference.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire? - Online
www.millionairetv.com - Fancy yourself as being capable of winning big on Who Wants to be a Millionaire but, like me, you just never got around to applying? Well, here's your chance to see how well we really would have done had we gotten off our chuffs. It's the online version of the game (complete with set images and theme music) from the official web site for the American version of the game. Be prepared for a few questions about America as a result.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/ - Fan's of the wonderful Douglas Adams books The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will be thrilled to see that there is now an attempt at creating a real copy of the Guide online. The entries are rendered very much in the style of Douglas Adams and more are needed, so you will be welcome to contribute. There are already some informative and amusing parts for New Zealand, and yes, the entry for The Earth simply reads: "Mostly harmless."

Child Safety Online
www.safekids.com/ - This page is dedicated to issues of child safety online. "You'll find tips, advice and suggestions to make your family's online experience fun and productive." There are links to various articles about privacy and safety software. The online safety quiz looks like it might be a good way to highlight issues, especially for children new to the Net.

Free Virus Scans
www.toothpasteworld.com/ - If you're not running an anti-Virus program on your PC and you're not subscribed the the Actrix anti-Virus product CyberScan, then you probably should have a think about your safety when it comes to virus infection. However, if you want to just check one time as to whether or not you may have picked up a virus, most retailers of anti-virus software will let you download and run a free one-time checking program. Here are links to a few:
McAfee - http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?cid=9059;
Trend Micro - http://housecall.trendmicro.com/;
Panda ActiveScan - http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm;
RAV - http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/.

LSD Art Progression
www.cowboybooks.com.au/html/acidtrip1.html - "These [nine] drawings were done by an artist under the influence of LSD -- part of a test conducted by the US government during it's dalliance with psychotomimetic drugs in the late 1950's. The artist was given a dose of LSD 25 and free access to an activity box full of crayons and pencils. His subject is the medico that jabbed him."

Bozo Criminal of the Day
http://www.kooi.com/bozo/previous.htm - Just like with the Darwin Awards, where fools who kill themselves in stupid ways are given an award for removing themselves from the human gene pool, idiot criminals are always good for a laugh. At this site, Dave Morland tries to find one snippet about just such a moron felon every day.

You Never Forget a Face? Game
www.pages2send.com/face/facemem.htm - See how well you can do in trying to remember a random face. Click to start this addictive game and then try to rebuild the random face that you're left with. It's harder than you think. Don't try this one at work or you'll never get anything done.

Cyberspace News Snippets

New Zealand

Regulator chooses softer option to boost broadband: The Commerce Commission today turned its back on local loop unbundling (LLU) as a means to encourage the take up of broadband Internet in favour of a less intrusive, "more targeted" approach. Click here for more.

Russians hit Westpac in internet bank scam: The Commerce Internet con artists scammed an Auckland Westpac banking customer of $3000 and unsuccessfully targeted four more in New Zealand in the past two weeks. Click here for more.

Man jailed for net porn was moderator : A man who has been jailed for trading some of the most disturbing child pornography ever seen in New Zealand, was supposed to be cleaning up the internet. Click here for more.

General

Britney is world No. 1 hit: She may be raising more questions than she has answered right now over her Las Vegas wedding -- but Britney Spears is officially the most sought after name in the world at the moment. Click here for more.

How e-mail almost ruined Christmas: Booking airline seats online has big advantages but there are unforeseen pitfalls, especially when the airline relies entirely on automation. You've been warned. Click here for more.

Beyond Google: Narrow the Search: Search engines often deliver too much information, and a lot of it isn't quite what we're looking for. Who really bothers to read the dozens of pages of results that Google generates? Some intriguing technologies are getting better at bringing order to all that chaos, and could revolutionize how people mine the Internet for information. Click here for more.

Knighthood for 'father of the Web': The computer wizard dubbed the "father of the World Wide Web" is to receive a knighthood for services to the Internet. Click here for more.

Prince Charles tops UK Google 2003 top ten: Prince Charles, tree-hugging heir to the British throne, has topped the Google most wanted list for 2003, according to the search engine. Click here for more.

Will your password die with you?: As an ambulance whisked Jon Hansen to the hospital last year, he held tightly to his wife's hand and told her things she needed to know if he were to die. Click here for more.

What the net did next: The internet is set to become the basis for just about every form of communication, according to net pioneer Vint Cerf, and he should know what he is talking about. Click here for more.

'Aggressive' e-mail health threat: The health effects of "threatening" e-mails sent by bosses to their workers has been revealed by researchers. Click here for more.

LOTR cybersquatting case won: Alberta Hot Rods, a Canadian-based operator which registered jrrtolkien.com and linked it to its commercial celebrity website, was found to have no legitimate rights, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) said in a ruling. Click here for more.

New study shatters Internet 'geek' image: The typical Internet user - far from being a geek - shuns television and actively socializes with friends, a study on surfing habits said on Wednesday. Click here for more.

Nigerian 419ers run dry: There are clear signs that easy life has turned tough on Nigeria's con men and that 419 scammers – after the Nigerian Penal code fraud section - are struggling to make money. Some reports out of Africa seem to confirm that the bogus appeals are falling on stony ground. Click here for more.

Mainly Microsoft

Microsoft ad push cranks up the 'get Linux' volume: Microsoft has begun the new year with a Linux knocking publicity campaign under the slogan "Get the Facts." A series of advertisements is due to run for six months in major IT publications... Click here for more.

2004 - the year Microsoft's prices bend, buckle or break?: The Israeli government's decision to suspend Microsoft purchases will be old news to Register readers - we broke the story back in October. But it's the subsequent developments of sweet Thai deals, first reported by YNet, that have implications far beyond the Middle East. Click here for more.

Gates wraps Brave New World with hefty fees: There are many out there who would characterize Bill Gates as coming from the wimp mould made so popular by the first President Bush. Such a description, however, is far off the mark as the Microsoft Chief proved today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Click here for more.

The world shudders as Win98 gets support reprieve: Microsoft has issued a stay of execution for Windows 98, 98 SE and Windows ME, extending support for the geriatric trio until the end of June 2006, and tidying up their status a little, while it's about it. Click here for more.

Microsoft lightens up on teen's Mikerowesoft site: Microsoft said yesterday it might have overreacted to the website of Canadian teenager Mike Rowe who had added the word "soft" to his name and registered the address mikerowesoft.com. Click here for more.

Unix/Linux Line

Aust Linux advocates push national body as MS attacks: As Australia's Linux community prepares to gather in Adelaide next week for a heavyweight conference, a leading state industry cluster has detailed plans to establish a national open source "evangelism" and policy group. Click here for more.

Linux kernel security vuln fixed: Linux users are urged to patch their systems following yesterday's disclosure of a serious security vulnerability in Linux kernel software. Click here for more.

Cash fund for Linux legal defence: Software giant Novell has become the latest firm to provide cash support for its Linux customers against legal claims of copyright infringements. Click here for more.

Linux users face licence cash call: European firms are being urged to buy a licence for Linux to avoid legal action by SCO which claims the operating system unlawfully includes some of its computer code. Click here for more.

Mac News

Apple users threaten to sue over iBook, iPod: Can a few bad apples - like product quality complaints and potential lawsuits - spoil the bunch for loyal fans of Apple Computer Inc. ahead of their biggest party of the year? Click here for more.

If He's So Smart...Steve Jobs, Apple, and the Limits of Innovation: The battle over digital music is just another verse in Apple's sad song: This astonishingly imaginative company keeps getting muscled out of markets it creates. So what does Apple have to tell us about innovation? Click here for more.

Spam, Wonderful Spam

War on Spam Reaches Global Proportions: Anti-spam sites, especially watchdog sites run outside the United States, have been slamming the CAN-SPAM act with ferocity. The Spamhaus Project, which tracks the Internet's worst spammers and provides anti-spam protection for networks, reported on the law's passage with the headline "United States set to legalize spamming." Click here for more.

New law doesn't cut spam: Computer users hoping that a new federal law would help cut the spam flowing to their in-boxes so far have been disappointed. Click here for more.

Aussie spam watchdog investigates itself: An Australia anti-spam watchdog is investigating its own workers following complaints about the alleged distribution of pornographic and racist emails within the organisation. Click here for more.

War against spam: Michael Herman predicts 2004 will be the year computer users start acting against internet marauders. Click here for more.

Reliving Spam's Glorious Past: Suitcases packed with pornography, bottles of penis-enlargement pills, bank statements detailing the failures of work-at-home schemes, pseudo love letters and dioramas of deposed dictators -- this is just some of the art on display at Reimagining the Ordovician Gothic: Fossils From the Golden Age of Spam. Click here for more.

Spam targets male insecurities: For many American office workers, the day begins with deleting spam. These days, a lot of electronic junk mail hits below the belt by seeking to profit from many men's deepest fear - that their penises are too small. Click here for more.

Spam Filters Grab Good With Bad: Do not use profanity. Be very careful when discussing financial or business affairs. Avoid any mention of your private parts. Do not offer any guarantees, or refer to checks that may or may not be in the mail. Click here for more.

Security and Safety

Invoking the FBI to spread malware: A Windows executable file, attached to an email that purports to come from the FBI, is the latest social engineering trick being used in an attempt to spread malware. Malware is a shortened form of malicious software - programs designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system. Click here for more.

Blackmailers target the net: Crime gangs have turned extortion via the internet into a tidy business in recent years, writes Glynn Hardy. Click here for more.

Xombe Trojan poses as Microsoft warning: An e-mail disguised as a message from Microsoft's security team contains a dangerous Trojan horse called Xombe. Click here for more.

Alert admin gets bank scam site shut down: An alert systems integration manager in Melbourne got a fake banking site targeting Westpac last week shut down. The site was being hosted on an internet-connected computer without the knowledge of the owner. Click here for more.

Last Year's Security Problems May Balloon in 2004: If 2003 was the worst year in the history of the computer industry for viruses and spam, hold onto your hat. This year, according to security experts, is setting up to see the malicious problems that appeared last year grow and fester into major security problems for 2004. Click here for more.

New worm draws Sobig comparisons: Computer security experts fear a new worm that began spreading rapidly across Australian e-mail networks on Sunday could be a rehearsal for a more concerted attack in coming weeks. Click here for more.

The Weird, Weird Web

Online addicts abandon the real world: Gabriele Farke celebrated her 40th birthday in a chat room. Her real-life friends had long since given up on her. For two and a half years, she spent every extra minute logging on under the screen name "HexenKuss" (witches' kiss). Her compulsive internet surfing cost her job. Her online addiction left her no time or energy for other activities. Click here for more.

Sp@m: the myst.eries xp1ained!!! (Humour): Verity Stob has travelled deep into Essex to meet Sam ‘The Spam’ Osborne, England’s first spamillionaire.) Inside the house, I expected a typical wealthy Essex businessman’s abode... Click here for more.

Web cam watchers help woman kicked by horse: People around the world watching live on a Web cam as a horse gave birth called for help when the mare -- in pain and confused -- kicked her owner after delivering her foal. Click here for more.

A Little Levity

Murphy's Laws of Technology

Bringing It All Back Home

Thanks again for reading the Actrix newsletter. Feedback can be sent to me via the e-mail address listed below. Please limit this to comments/suggestions regarding the newsletter. Requests for support should go to the Actrix Help Desk (support@actrix.co.nz) or to the Accounts Department (accounts@actrix.co.nz).

Take care through February,

Rob Zorn
editor@actrix.co.nz
http://editor.actrix.co.nz