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E-Mail Virus - The "Atak"
Mass-Mailing Worm Adds A New Twist
The recent discovery of
the "Atak" e-mail worm has some anti-virus companies on the alert
regarding the release of similar deviant malware, or malicious
software. The Atak worm, although not considered a high risk
mass-mailing worm at this time, does put a new wrinkle into the
virus/worm detection business of anti-virus software
companies.
Most developers of e-mail worms incorporate layers
of "armoring" or encryption within their worms' code. The intent is
to make it very complicated for anti-virus software companies to
write detection and repair software programs for computers which
have been infected. The Atak worm goes beyond the typical armoring
techniques. It actively attempts to detect whether anti-virus
software is scanning for its presence within an infected machine. In
fact, if the Atak worm determines that it is being analyzed by
anti-virus software, it stops running and automatically shuts itself
down. In other words, it attempts to go into a "stealth
mode."
Thankfully, all of the major anti-virus software
companies quickly discovered and developed remedies for the Atak
worm. However, anti-virus software is only as good as its most
recent updated version. If you have not purchased an anti-virus
software program, we highly recommend that you do so right away --
especially if your computer is Windows-based. Secondly, computer
users must be vigilant about downloading the most recent anti-virus
scanning updates. New variants of e-mail viruses and worms are
discovered daily. Regular anti-virus software updates (never go more
than a week without an update) are imperative for the protection of
your computer and its contents.
In addition to an anti-virus
program, an e-mail filtering program is essential to quarantining
computer viruses and unwanted bulk e-mail from infecting your
computer. We offer Postini, the leader in preemptive
e-mail security for all your e-mail accounts. It's included free
with any 200-hour or more dial-up account and all high-speed
accounts (an annual saving of $24.00). Visit our Web site
to learn more about Postini e-mail protection.
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Web Site
Subscription Service - Access the most
popular Web sites at up to 60% off their subscription rates!
 Our New Web Site
Subscription Service provides you with:
• Discounted
monthly subscription rates. Save as much as 60% off the monthly
subscription rates of the Internet's most popular Web
sites!
• The convenience of combining subscription fees to
various premium Web sites into one monthly charge on your existing
account with us.
• Flexibility to decide which premium Web
sites to include in your package.
• Full access to the
premium Web sites you include in your package. You have the same
access to the premium sites as consumers who have subscribed and
registered directly with the site.
See a partial list of participating
Web sites including Encyclopedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster
Collegiate.com, and Cooks Illustrated. Complete details are
available on our
Web site.
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Ask The Help Desk - What Is Desktop
Wallpaper?
Question: A friend of mine said something about
his desktop wallpaper. What is he talking
about?
Answer: Desktop wallpaper is the
image that appears on your computer screen behind all of your icons
and windows. Every computer comes with some choices built in, but
most any picture will work. Desktop wallpaper can be created by
using scanned pictures, downloading images from your digital camera,
or even using pictures you download from the Web.
Desktop
wallpaper is not the same thing as a screensaver. A screensaver
activates after a computer is left idle for a period of time. It
covers the entire desktop (including icons and menu bars) with
movable images or other screen effects. The moving images prevent
any stationary images located on your desktop display (like icons or
menu bars) from appearing on the screen too long and thus causing
"burn-in." Burn-in can be a problem on CRT and plasma monitor
displays. You know your screen has burn-in when you can still see
the menu bar or icons when your computer screen is black.
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Great Sites To Check Out This
Month
Origins Of Common Expressions
http://idiomsite.com/ - An idiom is
a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a
particular language or region. We use them all the time but most of
us don't know their origins. Some common idiom expressions include
"living high on the hog," "put a sock in it," "under the weather,"
"skin of your teeth," "mum's the word," and "sleep tight." Find out
the origins of these and many more idioms at this enlightening site.
So "go the extra mile," pour yourself a "cup of Joe" and have a
"field day" browsing this Web site "'til the cows come
home."
Please Pass Me The Pickles
http://ilovepickles.org -
Pickling is one of the oldest forms of food preservation. It was
first discovered thousands of years ago by the Mesopotamians. North
Americans now consume over 2.5 billion pounds of pickles each year!
Are you looking for some creative ways to add "pickling" to your
next salad, appetizer, bread, entree, or even dessert? (Sauerkraut
chocolate cake anyone?) This site, developed by a trade association
for the pickled vegetable industry (called Pickle Packers
International, Inc.), includes recipes, fun activities for kids,
and, of course, some pickle trivia that should come in pretty handy
at your next dinner party.
Name Your Baby
http://BabyNameGuide.com/ -
August has historically been the most popular month of the year for
babies to be born. If you or a friend or family member are expecting
soon, this could be a valuable site to check out. BabyNameGuide.com
is a great resource when it comes to naming children. If you are
looking to go with the masses when it comes to name selection,
"Jacob" has been the most popular name for boys since 1999. (Michael
held the top spot from 1964 - 1998.) "Emily" has been the most
popular girl's name since 1996 replacing "Jessica" which held the
top position the previous seven years. How about your own name? Did
it make the top 100 list?
Play Fun Dr. Seuss Games
http://seussville.com/ - Here's a
fun game site for the younger kids in your family. (You can play the
games too when the kids are out of the room and you get your turn on
the computer!) Click on the "Playground" link of the site for access
to five easy click-and-play games with a Dr. Seuss theme. (You'll
need the Flash program installed onto your computer to play the
games.) Also, the "Biography" section of this site provides an
interesting look into the eventful life and imaginative mind of
Theodor Geisel -- Dr. Seuss.
Major League Baseball Races Is
Heating Up
http://mlb.com - August
is a great time of the year to watch the boys of summer play some
ball as the pennant races really begin to heat up. Major League
Baseball's official Web site provides up-to-the-minute scores and
stats, links to every team's official club site, schedules, stadium
seating charts and online ticket sales, autographed auctions, photo
galleries, and a fun section for kids.
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Short Tutorial - Saving
Web Images As Your Desktop Wallpaper
Have you seen a Web image
you really like? Did you know there's a really nifty way you can
save it as your desktop wallpaper? For PC Internet Explorer users,
simply right-click on the image and choose "Set As Background." If
you are on a PC and using Netscape for your browser, right-click on
the message and choose "Set As Wallpaper." The background of your
computer screen will now be the new saved image.
If you get
tired of using this image, right-click on the desktop and choose
"Properties." With the "Desktop" tab selected, choose the wallpaper
you want from the list that appears. Click "Apply" and then click
"OK."
If you want your Web-based wallpaper back again,
right-click on the desktop, choose "Properties," and then click on
the "Desktop" tab. There will be a list of pictures for you to
choose from under a picture of the monitor with the current
background selection. Now choose "Internet Explorer Wallpaper" or
"Netscape 7.1 Wallpaper" from the list. You'll note that these
selections won't appear until you set a Web graphic as your
wallpaper. Windows stores just one image under this selection, so if
you choose a new wallpaper image from the Web, Windows deletes the
previous one. Make sure your selected image is big enough and
proportioned correctly. If it isn't, it will look blurry or
distorted.
If you are using a Macintosh running OS X,
right-click or option-click on the image and select "Download Image
To Disk." Then, under the Apple menu, drop down to and select
"System Preferences..." Click on the Desktop icon and then, where it
says "Collection," click on "Desktop." The picture you downloaded to
disk should be there. Click on it to select it and then close the
window.
Note: Many online images have copyrights associated
with them, so you'll need to first get permission from those site
owners to copy an image from their site. Not to worry....there are
many free images available online.
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We hope you
found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you
up-to-date on what's happening in the fascinating world of the
Internet. However, if you'd prefer not to receive these journals on
a monthly basis, click HERE to be removed.
Thanks for your business and best regards,
Cannon Communications -
Your Hometown Communications Provider
(We have used our best
efforts in collecting and preparing the information published
herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all
liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions,
whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident,
or other causes.)
©2004 Cornerstone Advertising Group Inc.
Trademarks:
All brand names and product names used in this e-Newsletter are
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