Fake 'Dislike' button spreads across Facebook

Social networking website Facebook, which offers its subscribers a "like" button for anyone's updates, is now faced with a fake "dislike" button, which is spreading like a virus across the site.

The fake dislike button is followed with a link that takes people to a fake application. Instead of installing a dislike button, the application uses the person's network to continue spreading the fake program.

Graham Cluley of the British security firm Sophos wrote in a blog that the fake dislike buttons "are going viral" on Facebook.

"Watch out for posts that look like this: I just got the Dislike button, so now I can dislike all of your dumb posts!" CNN quoted Cluley as writing in the blog.

"If you do give the application permission to run, it silently updates your Facebook status to promote the link that tricked you in the first place, thus spreading the message virally to your Facebook friends and online contacts," he wrote.

A message on technology blog Mashable said: "As usual, we advise you not to click on suspicious links on Facebook, especially if they promise something that sounds impossible or unlikely. Do not give away your personal information, unless you're absolutely sure why and who you're giving it to."

Cluley said the fake dislike button is part of a recent trend of Facebook scams. "It's the latest survey scam spreading virally across Facebook, using the tried-and-tested formula used in the past by other viral scams."

Such schemes are designed to steal information from internet users. That information then can be sold to other parties. The scams are also used to affect an internet user's social network contacts.

The experts give the following advice to avoid the fake button: "If you accidentally installed the fake application, click on the 'account' button at the top right of the Facebook home screen. Navigate to the option that says 'application settings' and disable the fake 'dislike' application."

"If the application is posted to your Facebook wall, go to your profile page and delete those posts to stop the scam from spreading further."

Facebook has said it is trying to block the "dislike" button.

"We're working hard to block and remove malicious applications that claim to provide dislike functionality and inadvertently update people's statuses," a Facebook spokesman said.

"There is no official dislike button. Also, don't click on strange links, even if they are from friends, and notify the person and report the link if you see something suspicious," the statement said.

Facebook Bug: Decreases the Fan Counts!

Over the past few days many Facebook Page administrators have noticed their fan counts decreasing. If you’ve seen this happen, you are not alone. Facebook does not response on the issue, which means there is probably a bug which needs to be fixed. Unfortunately there hasn’t been any clarifications from Facebook, but don’t worry as many other people have noticed similar issues.

We watched our Facebook Page increasing in popularity earlier this week, however starting three days ago, the number of fans we have has decreased by over 400. Initially I thought that there had been a temporary surge in fans which was followed by a random mass “unfanning”, something that has never happen before. Even the top Facebook Pages, like Michael Jackson, have seen their fans decreasing.

So what on earth is going on? We have no idea to be honest but rather than not posting about the issue, we’ve decided to make it known that this issue appears to be happening to the vast majority of Facebook Pages. Don’t worry though, your fans should all be intact. We’ll definitely be sure to update this Page once we receive any information from Facebook, who has so far been quiet about the problem.

Facebook addresses this issue with the following statement: “There was a bug that caused an accounting error for the number of people who like a Page. We are working hard to fix this bug and restore the counts as quickly as possible. No fans or data was lost, and news feed distribution has not been affected.”

Gmail down for an hour!!!

A majority of Google mail users were unable to access the service on Tuesday afternoon, in a rare widespread outage of the popular Gmail service.

Google said at 5:37 pm ET that it fixed the problem but was still investigating the cause of the outage, which lasted for over an hour.

Users around the world appeared to be affected, with people from England, Italy, Singapore and South Africa reporting problems on the company's support site.

The outage comes as Google attempts to compete with Microsoft Corp. and IBM to expand its service among business users, who are likely to be less tolerant of long outages. Gmail already competes with Microsoft's Hotmail and Yahoo's Web-based e-mail.

"Anyone thinking of migrating over to Google mail for business might want to think again! It's so annoying - free or otherwise!" one user wrote on the support site Tuesday.

Google offers its email service for free and also sells a version to businesses with extra features and technical support for $50 per user per year.

The fear of outages, in addition to security concerns, has been a reason many businesses are wary of adopting "cloud computing" technologies being offered by Google as well as Salesforce.com and Amazon.com, which help deliver data and services over the Internet

Microsoft confirmed another zero-day vulnerability!!!

Microsoft confirmed another zero-day vulnerability on Monday in a set of software components that ship in a wide variety of the company's products.

The vulnerability resides in Microsoft's Office Web Components, which are used for publishing spreadsheets, charts and databases to the Web, among other functions. The company is working on a patch but did not indicate when it would be released, according to an advisory.
"Specifically, the vulnerability exists in the Spreadsheet ActiveX control and while we've only seen limited attacks, if exploited successfully, an attacker could gain the same user rights as the local user," wrote Dave Forstrom, a group manager who is part of Microsoft's Security Response Center, in a blog post.

An ActiveX control is a small add-on program that works in a Web browser to facilitate functions such as downloading programs or security updates. Over the years, however, the controls have been prone to vulnerabilities.
The new flaw comes just a day before the company is set to release its monthly patches, including one for another zero-day vulnerability revealed earlier this month. That problem lies with the Video ActiveX control within Internet Explorer and is currently being used by hackers in drive-by download attempts.

In cases of especially dangerous vulnerabilities, Microsoft has deviated from its patching schedule and issued one out of cycle.

Microsoft said that the flaw could allow an attacker to execute code remotely on a machine if someone using Internet Explorer visits a malicious Web site, a hacking technique known as a drive-by download. Web sites that host user-provided content or advertisements could be rigged to take advantage of the vulnerability.

"In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites," the advisory said. "Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site."

Microsoft issued a list of affected software, which includes Office XP Service Pack 3, 2003 Service Pack 3, several versions of Internet Security and Acceleration Server and Office Small Business Accounting 2006, among others.

Until a patch is ready, Microsoft said one option for administrators is to disable Office Web Components from running in Internet Explorer and has provided instructions.

Why do people write viruses???

Every time when reports of a big new virus or other malware attack hits media, my mind will be out for an answer for the question: Why do people write viruses?

I answer as succinctly as I can, but the question is a deep and complex one. Why do people burglarize homes? Why do people tag buildings with graffiti? Why do they post anonymous hatred on online message boards? Why do they play video games? These questions may sound like they have nothing to do with one another, but you might be surprised how their answers are all related to the topic at hand.

TechRepublic offered an interesting analysis of this issue a month ago but it slipped by me. Fortunately I stumbled upon it this weekend and hope you'll give it a read in order to help shed a little light on a surprisingly complex issue.

So why do people write viruses (and I'll use that term loosely throughout this post as a descriptive for any kind of malware)?

TechRepublic plays it down a bit, but my #1 answer to the question is always the obvious one: For the money. In the old days, a virus designed to erase your hard drive or fill your computer screen with garbage was just a prank (more on that later) but those viruses are quite rare these days. Nowadays, the vast majority of viruses have far more practical ends: They make your PC send spam, they harvest financial information, turn computers into zombies, and extort money out of you directly if you want it deleted. All of these have direct and quantifiable financial goals: Spam is paid for by the message (or the millions of messages) sent. Personal data can be sold on the black market for use in identity theft. It's business, pure and simple -- bad business, to be sure, but all about the cash at the end of the day.

Several of the items on the TechRepublic list get at a secondary reason for virus-writing: They do it because they can. It's the same reason people jump out of planes or drive at insane speeds: It's a thrill, and for a certain subset of programmers, there's a thrill, a laugh, or a power-trip to be had from causing as much damage as possible -- and getting away with it. While most virus writers don't want attention (which can bring serious prison time in the end), a few do, and some underground hackers get off on the notoriety.

Sabotage -- whatever the motivation -- is another common theme in malware creation. Any political issue -- whether it's a presidential election or a Microsoft vs. open source legal spat -- tends to be ground zero for hacker attacks. Denial of service attacks are commonly launched against websites owned by those with opinions unpopular in the hacker community. And that's where your machine comes in: Hackers compromise it with malware to turn it into a DoS zombie.

So, getting the picture? Viruses and other malware are going to be with us forever because they're a digital version of human nature.

Hackers: We can now steal data via electrical outlet!!

A few years ago, the idea of using nothing more than a standard electrical outlet to hack into sensitive computer systems would be the stuff of Hollywood - and far-fetched, eye-rolling Hollywood at that.

I can almost picture the scene: A wily Justin Long taps a few keys on his laptop and we watch the signal race through the power grid to his target, where a hapless government employee types his password into the ultra-secure computer at headquarters. Back with Long, we watch the password show up on his computer screen, as if by magic, thanks to his nifty hacking skills.

It sounds ridiculous.

But it turns out, well, it's basically a reality.

At the Black Hat USA conference later this month, hackers are preparing to unveil their methodology to steal information typed on a computer keyboard using nothing more than the power outlet to which the computer is connected.

The technique behind the exploit isn't as wildly high-tech as you might think, though. Old-fashioned electrical properties are the key to the trick. Here's how it works (in simple terms): When you type on a standard computer keyboard, electrical signals run through the cable to the PC. Those cables aren't shielded, so the signal leaks via the ground wire in the cable and into the ground wire on the computer's power supply.

The attacker connects a probe to a nearby power socket (perhaps in the vacant office next door or a hotel room across the hall), detects the ground leakage, and converts the signal back into alphanumeric characters. So far, the attack has proven successful using outlets up to about 15 meters away.

If you've got a wireless keyboard or are working on a laptop unplugged from the wall, which would make this attack useless, fret not: The hackers have a method for eavesdropping on you too. A simple laser beam -- better than a laser pointer, but not by much -- can be pointed a shiny object on the table where the computer sits, and the beam's reflection is captured by a receiving system. The vibration of that reflection caused by the striking of keys can be analyzed and, as with the electrical outlet system described above, reconstructed into words, since every key produces a unique vibration pattern. All this technique requires is a direct line of sight to the PC and a few hundred dollars worth of equipment.

Be safe out there, folks than be sorry...

Do I need to back up my computer?

Even if you've taken precautions to protect your computer from malicious software, other potential dangers could destroy the information it holds. A power surge, lightning strike, hardware failure, or natural disaster could leave you without your important data or the use of your computer.

Backing up your files can help you avert disaster. Backing up is simply making an electronic copy of files and storing that copy in a safe place. If you back up your files regularly, you can retrieve some, if not all, of your information if something happens to the originals on your computer.

Here are some tips for backing up your computer:

* Use an external hard disk, CDs, DVDs, or other storage medium for your backup copies. Or upload data to an Internet-based file storage service. Whatever you do, don't just copy files to another location on your hard disk.

* Label the medium with the date and time of the backup. Don't erase the previous backup until you have made a new one.

* Back up anything you can't replace easily such as financial information, digital photos, music or programs you bought and downloaded from the Web, and school projects. For these types of files, you can simply copy and paste the file into the backup medium.

* If you use an email program that is installed on your computer (such as Microsoft Outlook), back up important email messages and your email address book. Some email programs include an export feature for backing up important data.

* If you're trying to save time or space when backing up your computer, consider backing up only your personal data. Don't copy programs like Microsoft Outlook or your operating system. They can be reinstalled from the original CDs you purchased or the System Restore CDs that came with your computer.

* If you use your computer occasionally, back up your data once a week. If you use your computer every day, a daily backup of the files you use most often or modified that day is a good idea.

* To be sure you've backed up every file, use backup software. You can find a list of backup products in the website. Your operating system may also include backup features.

* Make sure you have a copy of your operating system on a CD for re installation in case your computer's hard drive fails. If your computer shipped without a copy of the operating system, contact the manufacturer for a copy.

Protecting your computer makes good sense!!!

It can delete important data or programs from your hard disk. It can constantly display annoying pop-up ads. It can slow your computer to a crawl or stop it from functioning. It can even help computer thieves steal your sensitive information and your identity.

It's malware — malicious software. And unless you take steps to prevent it from attacking your computer, you can be a victim of viruses, spyware, and adware. What's even more frustrating is that these programs can be so well-hidden on your computer that you can't find and remove them without the help of an anti-malware program. And in extreme cases, you may have to completely clean your hard disk and reinstall your operating system to rid yourself of these pests.

• Viruses can infect your computer and spread to your friends

A virus is a program that inserts itself into other programs, documents, or email attachments. If you open a document or click a link or attachment in an email, you may download a virus. Once a computer is infected, a virus can do intentional damage, from slowing down a computer by overloading its memory, to destroying important data or programs. The virus may attempt to infect other computers by emailing or instant messaging itself to everyone in your address book.

• Spyware can lurk in other software

Spyware is software that gathers information about you without your knowledge or consent. It "records" what you do with your computer (such as the web sites you visit) by tracking everything you type on your keyboard. Some spyware can even gather email addresses, passwords, and credit card information and transmit it to the company or persons that produced the spyware. The data may then be sold to other companies that use it to display their ads to you, or used by criminals to steal your identity. Spyware is often hidden in other software that is downloaded from the Internet.

• Adware is more than annoying

Adware is software that displays advertising, such as pop-up ads, as you surf the Web. Some adware double as spyware and also collect your personal information without your consent. Like spyware, adware can be installed when you download a program from the Internet or install software from disks. Adware may not disclose its behavior before you install it or may not clearly identify itself as the source of ads.

How do I get rid of viruses, adware, or spyware?

If you suspect that your computer is infected with a virus or other malicious software, remove it as soon as possible.

Unlike other software, malware can't be completely removed using your operating system's Add/Remove Programs feature. Some bits of malware may still be hiding on your hard drive, doing its damage behind the scenes. To get rid of malware, use software specifically designed to find and delete it.

Many solutions are available for ridding your computer of malicious software. You can find these programs by searching the Web for virus protection. I would advice Symantec Endpoint Protection as a good anti virus. Whatever software you choose, be sure to keep it up-to-date.

In some extreme cases, anti-virus programs may not be able to remove all malware. It may be necessary to reformat your hard drive and reinstall its operating system. If you're using a laptop computer, installing the operating system from the partition backup may not completely remove malware. Instead, be sure to get installation disks for your operating system from your hardware vendor and use those to reinstall your operating system.

Tips and Tricks to To Speed Up Your Computer Performance

Over time all the computers tends to slow down and this leads us to buy new hardware equipments to maintain the current speed flow and performance of the machine. These upgrades over time can turn to be very expensive and this is why I want to share with you guys some of ways that you can speed up your computer performance with a fractions of the price.

So are you ready?

First of all let me tell you why your computer is slowing down, I think this very important to know the reason behind the slow downs. You see over time your machine gets saturated with useless data, what I mean is that your computer is getting cluttered with garbage.

What do I mean by garbage?

Well, every time you install and uninstall any programs there will be always files left behind, mainly registry files. And these files will get cluttered over time. This is the main cause of the problem so to fix it you must remove the entire "garbage" registry left over files.

To do that you must use a Registry Cleaner software program, these kinds of programs will search and remove all the invalid, corrupted and left over registry files.

For more information about registry cleaners I strongly suggest visiting the link below.

Another way to speed up your machine is to remove the startup programs that you do not use often. To do this just go to home -> run and type "msconfig" and under the start up tab uncheck start up programs that you do not use often (restarting system may be required). By removing these start up programs you can free your computers memory by 30%. all the

A good way to use computer memory is to perform a disk de-fragmenter, this will organize your computer files and folder making it very easy to the machine to find the proper information. By doing this you will increase your computer speed by 20%.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com By Smit Chacha

Smit Chacha is a computer expert with over 8 years in the industry. He has an intimate knowledge of the windows registry and various register repair software.

Fix Registry in Just Three Steps!!!

Have you just began the journey of having to fix registry errors and are trying to figure out the best way to accomplish this goal? There are so many product choices, registry reviews on the net, and no guarantees that the registry is even your problem to start with. The following three steps will guide you to fix registry problems in a few short minutes.

Step One: Ensure that the Registry is Actually Your Problem If you have already run a virus and spyware scan (as well as malware and adware) and your problem still exists, there is a good chance that the issue can be your registry. The following symptoms are common to the need for registry repair: Your computer freezes (or crashes and is slow), programs are slow to load (if they can be loaded at all), you cannot add or remove programs from your PC, there is a delay in response time, you are having to constantly reboot your computer, or you are getting the Blue Screen of Death (which is blue with white letters). If you are experiencing a good portion of the problems outlined above, the chances are good that you will need to fix registry problems to be running smooth again.

Step Two: Find a Quality Registry Product and Conduct a Free Scan The next step is to locate a product that can repair the issue for you on the first attempt and that contains as many features as you can get for your money. Quality products offer a free scan feature before you have to pay for the repair function imbedded in the software. You can then make sure that your challenges are in the registry before spending your hard-earned money on software that will not help you.

If you are a person who just likes the problem fixed without tons of research and want a product that will give you a good amount of repair and optimization features for the price, Registry Easy was our pick of the top six registry products we reviewed. For information or a free scan of Registry Easy, see www.registry-easyinfo.com. Read further if you would like further steps to assist you.

When you are researching reviews, make sure that the sites you visit have multiple products reviewed and use the same criteria to judge all products on the site. Also make sure that the registry reviews are extremely detailed and offer screen shots of each stage of the review process. This way you can determine how easy the software will be for you to understand and use. Screen shots also prove that the reviewer has actually used the products that he or she is reviewing.

Most products out there are designed to remove critical errors, so the majority will do a decent job. The difference is in the number of optimization, scan, and repair choices for the money. There are some products that are better than others when it comes to this.Step Three: If Errors Exist, Proceed with Paying for the Repair Function of the Software The software that you used for the free scan should have a detailed list of errors and what category of the registry the errors exist in.

Three: If you have discovered errors from the scan, you will want to go ahead and fix the problem. The good news is that the repair portion of the process takes only seconds. The download and free scan take the longest. If the software does it job, the repair should kill all corrupt files on the first try. After the repair is complete, be sure to restart your computer to ensure that the repair worked and that the system saved the changes. Your computer should be running efficiently again and you should see drastic improvements in just minutes. If you are unclear about which product you should use to fix registry problems, see www.registry-repair-source.com/best-registry-cleaner.htm for complete reviews on six best registry cleaner products. For our top choice of the software products reviewed, see www.registry-easy-info.com