Half the people in the world would say –“Finally!”. And half
of them will say –“So what!”. This growing sub-divided world will even be more divided once Microsoft launch their
latest operating system, the Windows 7,
according to online reviews , is both windows XP and Vista rolled into one.
Fast, reliable and easy to learn, as they claim it will be.
Keeping the number of “clicks” to be as few as possible is
the main aim of this Operating System. It is like chicken soup in a hot crank
pot, it takes a sip to get into the good stuff. I think the one feature that
stands-out is its Multi-Touch Screen Capability
wherein you can use not only one but two of your fingers to “play” at the touch
screen monitor. Bringing to life one of Tom Cruise’ famous movies (I forgot the
title). Where he operates a computer without using a mouse and a keyboard (Just
using his fingers throughout a huge transparent monitor).
But there is one question still left unanswered… Is Windows 7 a whole new package or just
an updated one of Vista? You might unknowingly ask this to yourself as you dig
deeper into this topic. And the gap between true computer professionals and
plain-old PC maniacs will come into its final conclusion…
You are planning for your next summer vacation. Let’s say you are going to the United States. And you still don’t know what particular place you’re going to visit. What state? What county? And what hotel? You decided to go online to see some great find. In there, you saw a map. You tick a few clicks for you to zoom-in. still unsatisfied at what you saw, you are thinking of finding new alternatives. Hold your horses buddy..! Imagine this… Being in an environment where-in you could see a full view of a place 500-miles away in a bystander’s point of view.
It is like standing at the city sidewalks of New York City while in reality you are sitting in a room here in Manila. Better yet, you can move your camera in full 360 degrees. Creating an illusion of actually being there.
Google Maps Street View is a whole new way of mapping the world. If Christopher Columbus or Ferdinand Magellan get their hands in this technology… whoa! They will be scratching their necks behind their backs.
Conficker (or Downadup/Downup/Kido) Virus is
one of the most feared virus today. It has infected millions of PCs all over
the globe and it continues to spread damaging most network infrastructures. Various
government and non-government institutions have been affected by this attack. It
has damaged military facilities and even a hospital. Recent developments have
shown that it is the most widespread virus since SQL Slammer in 2003.
A quick scan through the
Microsoft.com gives you an idea how the virus infects your system. One variant
called win32/Conficker.B spreads through file sharing and via removable drives
(ex. USB Drives). Once the driver is used it opens a dialog box that shows an
additional option. “Open Folder to View Files –Publisher Not Specified” is the
folder generated by the virus. Once opened it will prompt the malicious program
to install itself. The legitimate option and the option that you should use is
“Open Folder to View Files –Using Windows Explorer”. Conficker disables most
important services on your computer like Windows Update, Windows Defender and
the like.
Being vigilant by having the
right kind of knowledge on how to maintain your computer is still the best
defense against this new threat. The following are the guidelines or reminders
that you could use.
Your computer may get infected
if:
1.You
are using a shared computer with a weak password.
2.You
are using removable devices such as removable drives and USB sticks.
3.Your
computer has Open Sharing (example local networks, computer-to-computer
connections)
4.Your
computer is not updated with the latest security updates
Computers with a strong and
proper password policy, with the latest security updates, anti-virus and security
software, and secured sharing are protected from this worm.
Like anti-virus software that
regularly updates itself to keep doing its job, the Conficker Virus also has
the capability to update itself.
As an added note… only Genuine
Microsoft Operating Systems can only receive Updates from Microsoft. And it is
not surprising to know that countries with Software Piracy Problems are among
the Top Ten regions infected by Conficker. Two of them are China and Russia. According
to Searchsecurity.com, Microsoft issued a $ 250,000 bounty that leads to the
arrest of the malware authors. Only few clues exist but authorities are
focusing their sights on Ukraine.
We may post further information
about this virus after getting new updates. Keep in Touch!
