CyberCrime Groups Operate Like Mafia

I was just reading this interesting story of CyberCrime at ars Technica, and thought you might find it interesting as well, as much of our lives are connected to computers, and computing.

Cybercrime is evolving. The lone hacker who steals and resells credit card numbers is being replaced by a well-structured business model. The game is no longer simply about hacking for fame, but rather about creating a business where you have frequent customers who buy your stolen product. The latest research report from web security company Finjan gives a peek at what exactly is going on.

The company's second quarter 2008 report is based on data from its Malicious Code Research Center (MCRC), which specializes in the detection of dangerous vulnerabilities that could be exploited for malicious attacks. According to Finjan, "cybercrime activities on [the] Internet are booming as never before." The company's employees, masked as potential customers, did some digging while talking to cymbercrime affiliates, and their research showed how the market for pilfered data has evolved over the past couple of years.

In 2006, vulnerabilities were being sold online to the highest bidder. Last year, software packages that provided various ways of attacking websites and stealing valuable data were sold by professional hackers. These toolkits started to contain multiple exploits for new vulnerabilities and became more sophisticated, including update mechanisms for new software flaws and Trojans that adapt to the country of the victim. By the first quarter of this year, criminals began to log into their "data supplier" and could download any information need for their illegal activities.


link to full story

Computer Makers Race to Create $100 Laptop

With all of my recent computer problems this next story drew me in right away. It is on AlterNet, and was written by Gregory M. Lamb, of the Christian Science Monitor, titled~~Computer Makers Race to Create $100 Laptop, and was posted today:

New lines of tiny PCs are small enough to fit in your purse and affordable enough for students in around the world.

The laptop computers most people haul around are underutilized. They hardly break a sweat to read e-mail, stream video, view photos, browse the Web, or run word-processing or spreadsheet programs. Their powerful processors are rarely tested except by heavy-duty gamers, scientific researchers, or other specialized users.

So while some PCs continue to bulk up and tout their speed and raw power, others represent a new trend: slimming down. Way down. These smaller, simpler machines are aimed at a potentially lucrative market: the next 1 billion PC users around the planet.

The market segment is so new it doesn't have a name yet or even an agreed-upon set of specifications. Intel, the chipmaker, calls the category "netbooks," recognizing that much of what people do on their laptops involves going on the Net. The new machines are also being called ultra-low-cost PCs, mininotebooks, or even mobile Internet gadgets.


LINK TO FULL STORY ON ALTERNET

HOORAY MELISSA FOUND WINDOWS XP DISK

Since beginning blogging I Have waited for a number, which I have an affinity for and today I am posting my 666th post ;) ~~Hopefully, this will be a special/good omen, and the final update on my Computer Issues!!

Melissa looked for several hours last night and FOUND my New Windows XP disk, and brought it to me after midnight, and which I have just installed on the Acer, this afternoon. I am doing updates to get it to optimum performance, but it is working well~~Keeping My FINGERS CROSSED ;)

I have a "new" computer and I am currently adding my sites, etc., and shall be back with Regular Posts later !!

What A Great Day!!

For "Finding" My Windows XP Disk, Melissa Is My COOL Person of the Week/Month/Year/Eternity!! :)

Internet Full of 'Black Holes'

I found this story at LiveScience.com very interesting as I have these kinds of problems everyday, and lately they have been occurring more frequently. So I hope you find this informative, and we shall begin the 9/11 series of posts on Monday!!

You're pounding the keyboard, double-clicking away, sighing and grumbling, but to no avail: That devilish little hourglass icon refuses to give way to the Web site you're trying to reach. Most Internet users have encountered trouble reaching online destinations, but they often attribute the problem to their wireless network cutting out or a server momentarily going down.

Sometimes, though, the problem is more mysterious. At any given moment, messages throughout the world are lost to cyber black holes, according to new computer science research.

Ethan Katz-Bassett, a graduate student in computer science at the University of Washington, and his advisor, Arvind Krishnamurthy, designed a program to continuously search for these strange internet gaps, when a request to visit a Web site or an outgoing e-mail gets lost along a pathway that was known to be working before. To make sure the black holes they detect are not simply due to a problem with the end user or the host server, they look for computers that can be reached from some, but not all, of the Internet, meaning the issue must be occurring en route.

Have A Great Sunday!!

INTERNET FULL OF BLACK HOLES

Easy Computer Backups

I found this first story this morning, after I finally got a hook up with Panera, (had to wait two hours), and because I have had so many problems with computers, and losing data, files, etc., I thought this might be a good story to post first today.

It begins with a "reader" asking Mark with Yahoo Tech Support the following question:
Reader Mark asks: Should I make a complete backup of my hard drive to avoid the hassle and the time of reloading from OEM disks, in the event of a catastrophic failure? In addition to the obvious programs requiring reinstallation, how can I quickly reload the really technical stuff-like DSL settings and printer settings-that's been tweaked over the years to just how I like it? I am very interested to get your input as to what exactly to back up and the best way to back up that information. Thanks for your time.


In the beginning of your question, you ask if you should back up system files and programs. All that data you didn't create takes up a lot of space, and getting it reinstalled properly can be difficult.The easiest way to make a full backup is to "clone" your hard drive. Cloning gives you an identical copy of your drive as it exists right now. If your drive crashes, you can clone the backup drive onto a new drive, and it will be like nothing ever happened.

I hope this helps you with your computer back-ups, and I am going to follow his instructions as soon as I get home tomorrow evening! Have A Great Saturday, and for Midwestern readers, "May you enjoy your Saturday, before the Big Storm hits, beginning this evening!! Take Care!!


backups

She Did It AGAIN And Repost Of Back Up Everything

She Did It AGAIN..Repost And Update on Backing Up Everything!

Original: Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Back Up Everything
This is the first post in a few days and thankfully it is possible. This has been a terrible computer week, again!! (NEW)She was trying to get online and thought she needed previous settings and she PUFFED the computer. I am online only through the luck and tenuous internet signal from Panera, and I thank them. I am going to work on the home computer Sunday, but will rely on the laptop at work for today and tomorrow. Have A Great Weekend!!
Repost:

I got off work Sunday evening and went home where I found that my girlfriend had “some kind of problem” with the computer, and instead of waiting for me to get home, she did what she thought was a restore, but was instead a F10-destructive restore, and I lost everything that I had on the computer. It is now a computer that is pristine, just out of the box and I am distraught that four years of files and folders are GONE!!

My wisdom of TODAY, is to back up your work on a separate site or flash drive, because if you do not, you will end up like me, with loss of files that cannot be replaced, loss of photos, loss of everything............It is like a kick in the stomach to realize that everything that you have done and put on a computer can be gone in a matter of minutes.

I am trying to rebuild the computer, but truly this is a task that shall never be completed or resolved in a “good” way.

Take Care and BACK UP YOUR FILES!!RIGHT NOW!!!

Be Cool!!!

More Computer Problems

I just wanted everyone to know that my posts will be rare for awhile. I have a bent pin inside my wifi adapter port and had to have the Geek Sqaud send it away to their service center, so i will only be able to post from home, and that old computer is sporadic at best, and I am usually away 13 to 15 hours and 18 friday as I have to leave at 7a.m. and drive to Ankeny to pick up some Movie Poster Prints, before working the rest of the day.



Take care and I shall post as soon as possible. Thank You!!

How Did We Survive Without Laptops?

My Acer laptop totally biffed today, so I am forced to wait until I get home from work to post from my home computer.

It amazed me how long an 11 hour day is when there is nothing to do, but wait for people to come by. When I have the computer working I am able to write few paragraphs, talk to customers, sell them a print or two and then read stories on Yahoo or MSN, which gives me more things to write about. Today was the longest day I have experienced in a long time. I even had to stoop so low as to actually read a newspaper to get my news and information.

I have just ordered a recovery disk and it should arrive by next thursday, until then I shall try and post after work every evening.