Is your computer acting funny? Are you worried that you may have visited a malicious Web site or opened an e-mail attachment with malware ?

Instead of worrying about it you can now go to a new Web site McAfee is launching on Tuesday that is designed to help computer users figure out if they have legitimate reason to be concerned.

The new Cybercrime Response Unit offers a forensic scanning tool that checks for malware on the computer and cookies left by suspicious Web sites to help determine if the machine has been compromised. A toll-free number is available for people whose scan results are worrisome.

I gave it a test run and decided to have my mother try it out too. The home page is full of information and links related to McAfee’s cybercrime strategy and it’s not immediately clear where to go. There is a link to “Cybercrime Response Unit” at the top, along with other links and at the bottom, but if you don’t know the name of the help center it wouldn’t be readily apparent that that is what you are looking for. It would be nice to have a special box prominently placed that says something like “To find out if your machine is at risk, click here.”

The prompts thereafter are straightforward. The main Cybercrime Response Unit page explains that the site will help determine the likelihood that the computer or a user’s habits may be linked to fraudulent activities, guide victims to the financial institutions and creditors to clear up any fraudulent activity, and report any crime to law enforcement. There’s also a five-minute video explaining what the site is about.

If visitors feel they may have been victimized by cybercrime, they can click through to a page that contains a series of questions that will be used to determine the level of risk. They are asked whether there are unexplained charges or suspicious activity on any financial accounts or other indications of identity fraud and whether the computer is running more slowly than usual, displaying pop ads, or having difficulty shutting down or starting up.

There are also questions about user behavior, including whether the visitor responded to an e-mail or Web site request for personal information that may have been a scam, whether an e-mail attachment was opened that could have been malicious, and whether the computer was lost or stolen.

The visitor is then prompted to run the McAfee Cybercrime Scanner. However, the tool does not run on Firefox so my mother and I both had to open Internet Explorer and start the process over. (McAfee says the Firefox version is coming but could not provide a time frame.) The scanner looks for unwanted processes or unauthorized programs running on the computer, visits to known malicious Web sites, unauthorized connections to the computer, unauthorized modifications to the computer protections, security sessions or browser and other unauthorized activity.

It took less than five minutes to scan my mother’s home PC and close to 15 minutes to scan my office PC. The outcomes were similar. My machine was found to have cookies from one suspicious domain, which it listed and recognized as high risk. I did not recognize the site and couldn’t find it in Google either. My mother’s machine had cookies from two other suspicious domains, one of which was deemed high risk and the other medium risk.

The site said we were both at high risk of being victims of cybercrime or fraud and recommended that we place fraud alerts with credit reporting agencies and report signs of potential fraud. It also suggested that we install McAfee’s SiteAdvisor, a free antiphishing toolbar.

That is all good advice, although I wasn’t ready to place a fraud alert based just on the fact that I had visited one potentially malicious site when my machine is loaded with up-to-date antivirus and other security software.

“Many of these sites that trigger red flags host malicious software and you could have downloaded a keylogger or other malicious software on the PC,” McAfee cybercrime strategist Pamela Warren said in an interview.

“If you have the latest virus definitions, 9 times out of 10 you’re going to be safe,” she said. “I’d rather be proactive in terms of seeking a fraud alert now versus rebuilding six month of my life and getting my credit history back in check.”

I called the toll-free number to see what they would say. A gentleman with a Spanish name but speaking excellent English answered and asked for my session ID so he could see the results of my scan. Then he explained that I may have been exposed to a malicious Web site from surfing. He said the results don’t mean my machine is infected or has been compromised, but said I should use SiteAdvisor to help protect the computer from malicious sites in the future.

Neither my mother nor I were alarmed but I urged her to go ahead and install SiteAdvisor and place a fraud alert, just in case.

Given how many people still get hit with worms and other malware and tricked into providing sensitive information on phishing site, it’s clear that the best way to change this is through education. The McAfee Cybercrime Response Unit provides the electronic equivalent of hand holding for consumers as they try to figure out whether they have been victimized and what to do if they have been.

After using the site, my mother has a better handle on the different types of risky behavior. As for the site design, she said she liked the fact that there were no ads or blatant marketing on the site and that it had a lot of useful information, such as links to other resources and detailed steps to take to report financial fraud or a crime and tips on best practices for things like protecting your computer and using social networking sites.

Google announced (on May 15,2008) a safe browsing option to check, whether the site you like to visit is safe or unsafe. Google constantly updates the Blacklists of Phishing and Malware spreading webpages. If you installed Google Toolbar in your browser then it automatically shows the Phishing Pages, Malware or Adware Infected pages.

The Google Safebrowsing  enables us to see whether the site is recently visited by Google, Found as Phishing or Found as a site spreading any malware or adware.

Engineering seems to be a hot subject this year over 3.98 lakh students will take the IIT-JEE across the country as compared to 3.2lakh in 2008. The exams are scheduled for April 21

And two weeks later, on April 26, will be All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), which will witness even a bigger number 10 lakh students will take the exams from 1,460 centres in India and abroad.

According to Central Board of Secondary Education officials, the AIEEE, which is the largest competitive examination for a single day in the world, is conducted for admission in various national-level institutes like NITs, IIITs, deemed universities and government-funded institutions.

AIEEE, question papers of which will be in Hindi and English, has also witnessed an increase in the number of candidates by 1.38 lakh compared to last year.

Though there is an increase of 10-15% in the number of JEE aspirants every year, about 80,000 more people will be taking IIT-JEE this year. According to JEE officials, the increase in number number of IITs has attracted more and more students. Two new IITs at Indore and Shimla will start their academic sessions this year. With 120 seats in each IIT, the institutes will be mentored by IIT Bombay and IIT Roorkee respectively.

A JEE official said: “There were just seven IITs till two years ago and now we have 13. So, obviously the number of applicants was supposed to increase.”

Although there is no time left for studying any new concept for IIT-JEE, constant revision and mock test is a must. Saurabh Kumar, faculty of a coaching institute, said: “Focus on revision of important formula steps, decide your strategy for the papers based on your strength and weakness, choose your strong subject and make an estimate of how many questions to attempt to get the desired rank.”

people are really enjoying new technologies in their style. Blue tooth is the technology which was intriduced early but here is the new bluetooth device introduced by COBRA. Aries Manufacturing releases two new Bluetooth headsets through its licensee Cobra Electronics. Dubbed as the Deluxe Bluetooth Headset and the Premium Bluetooth Headset, the new devices are ideal for handsfree communication.

The Deluxe Bluetooth Headset

The Deluxe Bluetooth headset incorporates T5 Sonance Noise Cancellation Technology which keeps out all the outside noise giving superior sound quality. They can be worn on either ear and fit over the head. The headsets are comfortable to use as they are equipped with a boom arm which allows the user to adjust the microphone to his/her level. Located on the Deluxe Bluetooth headset are volume controls and an on/off button. Ideal for traveling, this hands-free headset has 8 hours of talk time and a standby time of 250 hours.

The Premium Bluetooth Headset

The Premium Bluetooth headset is light in weight and offers a soft adjustable ear hook. The headset is convenient for both right-handed people as well as left-handed as it can be worn over either ear. Although sleek in size, the Premium doesn’t compromise on sound quality. There is a one-touch button for answering /disconnecting calls and to adjust the volume. This gives quick and easy accessibility especially while driving. The headset boasts of 7 hours of talk time and 150 hours standby time.

President of Aries Manufacturing Tom Novak explained, “Consumers are tired of expensive Bluetooth wireless technology devices that do not provide clear sound. Our new handsfree headset line eliminates these common issues, providing unmatched sound in the industry.”

He further stated, “With legislations being passed nationwide banning the use of cell phones while driving, it is a necessity to have a handsfree unit that provides clear sound. Cobra has stepped up to meet these regulations, presenting consumers with an outstanding alternative that produces sound at the highest quality and sounds as though you are talking in a quiet room.”

Three chargers are provided with both, the Deluxe Bluetooth headset and The Premium Bluetooth headset. The different chargers enable the user to charge the devices at home, in the vehicle as well as through a USB. The home charger is programmed to automatically power off once the device is fully charged. This enables consumers to save energy too. It also has an LED status indicator and a charge time of less than 3 hours.

The Deluxe Bluetooth headset is available for $99.95 and the Premium Bluetooth headset for $59.95

Review ur comments about our technology

In olden days computer was a specimen to people, then it became a new product and now it is one of our family. Microsoft enhance the relation between the machine and human being.

it is implemented mostly in restaurants and casino resorts. Picture a surface that can recognize physical objects from a paintbrush to a cell phone and allows hands-on, direct control of content such as photos, music and maps. Today at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer will unveil Microsoft Surface the first in a new category of surface computing products from Microsoft that breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology. Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, dynamic surface that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. Beginning at the end of this year, consumers will be able to interact with Surface in hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment venues.

The intuitive user interface works without a traditional mouse or keyboard, allowing people to interact with content and information on their own or collaboratively with their friends and families, just like in the real world. Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time. From digital finger painting to a virtual concierge, Surface brings natural interaction to the digital world in a new and exciting way.

The Human Touch

Microsoft Surface puts people in control of their experiences with technology, making everyday tasks entertaining, enjoyable and efficient. Imagine ordering a beverage during a meal with just the tap of a finger. Imagine quickly browsing through music and dragging favorite songs onto a personal playlist by moving a finger across the screen. Imagine creating and sending a personal postcard of vacation pictures instantly to friends and family, while still wearing flip-flops.

Surface also features the ability to recognize physical objects that have identification tags similar to bar codes. This means that when a customer simply sets a wine glass on the surface of a table, a restaurant could provide them with information about the wine they’re ordering, pictures of the vineyard it came from and suggested food pairings tailored to that evening’s menu. The experience could become completely immersive, letting users access information on the wine-growing region and even look at recommended hotels and plan a trip without leaving the table.

Surface computing at Microsoft is an outgrowth of a collaborative effort between the Microsoft Hardware and Microsoft Research teams, which were struck by the opportunity to create technology that would bridge the physical and virtual worlds. What started as a high-level concept grew into a prototype and evolved to today’s market-ready product that will transform the way people shop, dine, entertain and live. It’s a major advancement that moves beyond the traditional user interface to a more natural way of interacting with information. Surface computing, which Microsoft has been working on for a number of years, features four key attributes:

Direct interaction. Users can actually “grab” digital information with their hands, interacting with content by touch and gesture, without the use of a mouse or keyboard.

Multi-touch. Surface computing recognizes many points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger like a typical touch-screen, but up to dozens of items at once.

Multi-user. The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.

Object recognition. Users can place physical objects on the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content.

About Microsoft Surface Computing

Microsoft Surface Computing brings to life a whole new way to interact with information that engages the senses, improves collaboration and empowers consumers. By utilizing the best combination of connected software, services and hardware, Microsoft is at the forefront of developing surface computing products that push computing boundaries, deliver new experiences that break down barriers between users and technology, and provide new opportunities for companies to engage with people. More information can be found at

http://www.surface.com.

We know that “Every thing is imperfect in world”. Even though wireless communication gave us simplicity to work, it has many drawbacks. hackers took  look in different way. simply to say “wireless hacking “.  This is the case here also. It is a new trend in wireless hacking.

As i said early, Hacker view on a product is different with  our view. We saw potato chips alone in a “pringles can”, but Hackers saw “wireless hacking” in that.

Empty cans of Pringles crisps could be helping malicious hackers spot wireless networks that are open to attack.

Security company i-sec has demonstrated that a directional antenna made with a Pringles can significantly improves the chances of finding the wireless computer networks being used in London’s financial district.

An informal survey carried out by i-sec using the homemade antenna has found that over two-thirds of networks were doing nothing to protect themselves.

The security firm said all the companies at risk could easily thwart anyone that wanted to find and penetrate their network by making a few simple changes to the hardware used to build the wireless networks.

Hacking with this :

In November last year BBC News Online was shown just how easy it is to find and gain information about wireless networks

These networks are rapidly becoming popular because they are cheap, easy to set up and replace the unsightly cables that many companies have used to link PCs together into networks

But the convenience of using radio waves to transfer data between machines is not without its risks.

Many curious hackers have started carrying out so-called war-driving expeditions.

US security expert Peter Shipley invented the practice. It involves driving around an area using a laptop fitted with a wireless network card to find and map out the networks.

Crisp signal

Wireless, or WiFi, networks have an encryption system built in, but it is not turned on when the basic hardware of the network is set up

“Many companies are going out and buying a wireless access point to see what it can do,” said Mr Davies. “The problem is that they have opened a great big back door into their network.”

He said that i-sec had boosted the chance of spotting networks by converting an empty can of Pringles into a directional, or Yagi, antenna. Plans to make such an antenna first appeared on the net last year.

Properly made, such an antenna can boost signal strengths by up to 15 decibels, vastly aiding the discovery of wireless networks.

Posted in hacking Tagged: pringles hack, wireless hacking ]]> http://techdollar.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/pringle-tube/feed/ 1 prajeeshc antenna pringles-potato-chip http://techdollar.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/strom-worm/ http://techdollar.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/strom-worm/#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:07:15 +0000 prajeeshc http://techdollar.wordpress.com/?p=164 ]]> last thursday and friday huge malware was spread through out the world through teasing email. when the mail is opened the message may about the European wind strom.The attackers use of the subject line “230 dead as storm batters Europe” was an effective way to lure careless computer users into opening mail infected with the “Storm Worm” virus.

Storm Worm is the name of that virus. By seing the subject like “230 dead as storm batters Europe” normally any user may open that mail. DAM Trojan Fierce winds were battering Europe simultaneously with the release of the messages.

The Trojan was launched when users clicked on attachments to the messages that said “Full Clip.exe,” “Full Story.exe,” “Read More.exe” and “Video.exe.”

Variation from others:

However, the perpetrators also sent similarly infected, but differently titled, messages to thousands of other inboxes. These messages titillated readers into clicking the attachments by suggesting they would see videos of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice kicking German Chancellor Angela Merkel which, unlike the storm, did not actually happen.

Other emails which might be a spam have the subject like  “British Muslims Genocide,” “Naked teens attack home director” and “A killer at 11, he’s free at 21 and kill again!”. We can find these kind of subjects as virus.

But here is the new way to post their virus easily to the beginners

The interesting part of the attack was the creativity and timing, according to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos  “Everyone is concentrating on the storm angle of it, which is only one headline of course,” he said. “That was topical in Europe, where we’ve had some very, very bad weather. But another worthwhile thing to consider is the way they were trying to use humor to get people to open the mail as well.”

Many people enjoy reading jokes or weird news tidbits sent by e-mail, Cluley noted. “People who receive that and think they got a video attached to the e-mail might think, ‘That sounds funny. I might just click on it to have a look.’ This is taking advantage of the way people share jokes and videos. It’s not just the news aspect of it. There is all sorts of social engineering going on here.”

Naming to virus :

Hackers very much do their concentration on naming to a virus. Because based on that only they are gonna to sniff everything.The attack shows that hackers are staying abreast of world news. The European storm message was “created and launched literally as the storm raged,” according to Helsinki, Finland-based security company F-Secure.

The attack was powerful and widespread but, apparently, short-lived, F-Secure’s Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen told TechNewsWorld.

“This is over,” he added. “They stopped the attack. Whoever sent this isn’t doing it anymore. Looking at the rate of e-mails being sent, we believe they were targeting European users and it was a nine-hour window starting [Thursday] night and finishing at about 10 a.m. [Friday morning].”

The storm-related message was apparently meant to be awaiting users in the morning, according to Hypponen.

“The people woke up and saw news about a massive storm,” he explained. “They went to work and found an e-mail about the storm in their inboxes. Of course it’s going to work much better than the usual attack. They gained access to probably tens of thousands of computers in Europe.”

please be conscious with these kind of attacks and be ready to face those attacks. learn some basic security tips to make safe your computer and email.

There’s even an old school ascii theme (Terminal) which was the result of a bet between two engineers — it’s not exactly practical, but it’s great for testing out your geek cred. We’ve also done a minor facelift to Gmail’s default look to make it crisper and cleaner — you might notice a few colors and pixels shifted around here and there.

To customize your inbox, go to the Themes tab under Settings. We’ll be rolling out themes to everyone over the next couple of days, so if you don’t see them yet, check back soon. Visit Google Blog for updates on this.

via EthicalHackers

Senior vice president of Microsoft said while designing Microsoft 7  operating system engineers were keenly concentrate on the failure points of vista operating system which was posted by the end users. The Microsoft operating system, which succeeded Windows XP, included several major architectural changes, many designed to improve security, that raised compatibility problems with existing hardware and software, often causing computers to run slowly or crash.

Despite efforts by Microsoft to fix the problems, the product has struggled to overcome its poor reputation, a situation exploited by arch rival Apple in a series of adverts relentlessly bashing Vista.

Linux may get less importance:

why Windows 7 will kill Linux sales on lightweight notebooks called netbooks. ASUS CEO Jerry Shen says he plans to release versions of the Eee PC powered by Windows 7 in mid 2009, including touchscreen models. With sales figures showing that Windows netbooks already far outsell their Linux counterparts. Actually netbooks are not works in the vista operating system. so windows 7 is added with this new operation.

Some of the features previewed include:

1)  A streamlined taskbar that users can customize easily which shows all the windows open from a single application by hovering over the programmer’s icon. Thumbnails are larger and finding and switching between applications and files is easier jump lists provide updated lists of recent documents, files or websites without having to open Microsoft Word or an internet browse.

2)  More control over annoying security alerts and pop-up windows.

3) Automatic syncing of computers and other internet devices into home networks so content can be shared and accessed by all devices on the network.

4)  Easier searching and organizing of files with Windows “libraries”, which provides automatic and streamlined views of similar files contained on various locations such as hard drives or other PCs on the same network.

5)  A touch screen interface enabling users to control their computers using fingertips and hand gestures rather than a mouse similar to those used on Apple’s iPhone.

Microsoft also previewed new “lightweight” versions of its Office software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and One Note that will run in a web browser so documents or files can be accessed from any computer, regardless of whether it has the software on it. The programmers run “in the cloud” on Microsoft’s new Windows Azure system unveiled on Monday. PC users will be able to start experimenting with a test version of Windows 7 next year with the system set to go on sale in early 2010.

The desktop operating system, which is expected to come out by early 2010, will appear very similar to those used to using Vista but have some important upgrades, the company said. It is designed to make common tasks faster and easier to do, include some “innovative new features” and connect across computers, other wired devices and the web.

Use what ever the operating system we get with security and privacy. It is the most important fact while using the operating system.

Posted in Tech News Tagged: microsoft, vienna, Vista and vienna, windows 7 ]]> http://techdollar.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/microsofts-new-product-windows-7/feed/ 1 prajeeshc http://techdollar.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/chandrayaan-1-2/ http://techdollar.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/chandrayaan-1-2/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:58:41 +0000 prajeeshc http://techdollar.wordpress.com/?p=141 ]]>

ISRO(Indian Space Research Organisation) done a historical event, nothing but the chandrayaan-1which was launched yesterday morning 6.20 a.m. This was great a achievement of India. The actual motion of this chandrayaan-1 is first revolve the earth once in the desired  path and take diversion to moon.

Specification:

length: 44 meters

weight: 316-tonne

Vehicle: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C11)

India was Tuesday set to launch its historic unmanned flight to the moon, the sixth to do so after the US, former Soviet Union, European Space Agency, China and Japan. The skies cleared Tuesday evening after a heavy downpour, cheering scientists counting down to the early Wednesday morning launch.

As the fully-loaded 44-meter-tall 316-tonne rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C11) stood at the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota, off the Andhra Pradesh coast, 80 km north of Chennai, a meteorological officer at the spot told IANS: “Though rain is likely at the launch, there is no cyclone threat forecast”.

As the PSLV holds aloft the 1,380-kg lunar orbiter Chandrayaan, waiting for the ignition command at 6.20 a.m. Wednesday, the top brass of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) decided that “two or three hours before liftoff, met experts will analyse the weather data once again to ascertain possibility of lightning striking the rocket or the spacecraft”, the official added.

Still very much within the earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft was sitting protected by the rocket’s 3.2-metre bulbous heat shield Tuesday evening as the weather office in Chennai also told IANS that the chances of a cyclone affecting the launch were slim.”The low pressure trough is in southern Tamil Nadu, south of Pudukotai,” the Chennai weather bureau said. “It is unlikely to move north in time to affect the Chandrayaan launch.”

A confident S. Satish, director, Publications & Press Relations of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told IANS: “Eighteen minutes into the flight the rocket will sling the spacecraft into the 255-km perigee (nearest point to earth) and 23,000 km apogee (farthest point from earth) path to script a new history in the annals of India’s space odyssey,”From there the spacecraft will be taken into more elliptical orbits, firing its onboard motor – technically called Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) – towards the moon, 387,000 km from the earth.Once the spacecraft nears the moon, the LAM will be fired in reverse to slow it down to enable the moon’s gravity to capture Chandrayaan into an elliptical orbit around the lunar poles.

Thereafter the spacecraft’s orbit will be gradually lowered till it is 100 km above the moon’s surface. That is expected to happen around Nov 8.

On Nov 14 the spacecraft will eject an important piece of luggage on to the moon’s surface – the Moon Impact Probe (MIP).The spacecraft cameras and other instruments that would do the intended tests for the next two years will be activated after that.The 11 experimental instruments carried by the spacecraft are from different sources – five Indian, two from the US, three from the European Space Agency and one from Bulgaria – and each has a different purpose.”Designing the spacecraft that would fit these pre-built instruments was a challenge which was overcome with Indian ingenuity,” Mylswamy Annadurai, project director, Chandrayaan, told IANS.

Indian space scientists may not face such problems in Chandrayaan-2 as they can stipulate the payload specifications

Chandrayaan-1 completes four orbits around Earth:

The operation was done some 26 hours after the 1,300 kg spacecraft was successfully put into its intended orbit by the Polar satellite Launch Vehicle–PSLV-C11.

With this engine firing, Chandrayaan-1′s apogee (farthest point to earth) has been raised to 37,900 km, while its perigee (closest point to earth) has been raised a little, to 305 km,” the space agency said in a statement. In this orbit, Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft takes about 11 hours to go round the earth once.

Be Proud To be an INDIAN