Friday, December 31, 2004
Windows XP users Phelled by new Trojan | The Register
Windows XP users Phelled by new Trojan | The Register
By Ashlee Vance in Chicago
Published Thursday 30th December 2004 19:56 GMT
By Ashlee Vance in Chicago
Published Thursday 30th December 2004 19:56 GMT
A new Trojan horse - named Phel - that punishes users of Microsoft Windows XP operating system is in the wild.
Security software firm Symantec has issued a bulletin warning Windows XP users to be on the look out for the program, which is distributed as an .html file. The malicious code can attack systems running XP Service Pack 2. The vuln was first found in October, and Microsoft is busy trying to catch up to it.
"Microsoft is taking this vulnerability very seriously, and an update to correct the vulnerability is currently in development," the company told ComputerWorld. "We will release the security update when the development and testing process is complete, and the update is found to effectively correct the vulnerability."
Symantec warns that users will see two Internet Explorer windows pop up when an .html file with Trojan.Phel.A is opened. If the code does its worst, the Trojan will automatically be executed every time a Windows user turns on his machine.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Go-faster tweak for Firefox
Cory Doctorow: Here's a great go-faster tip for Firefox, the free, rock-solid, secure browser from the Mozilla Foundation:1.Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:Link (Thanks, daede!)network.http.pipelining network.http.proxy.pipelining network.http.pipelining.maxrequests
Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.
2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"
Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"
Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.
3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives.
If you're using a broadband connection you'll load pages MUCH faster now!
Update: Ole sez, "Enabling pipelining in Firefox can speed up complex page retrievals, as you note, but it can also break Flash. This is a Macromedia thing not a Firefox thing but that’s why the app defaults to pipelining disabled."
Update 2: Gav sez, "There are reasons why Firefox isn't configured like that out of the box. Asa at Mozilla.org explains why.
[Boing Boing]
Toilet night-light motion-sensor glows red if the seat is up
Cory Doctorow:The Arkon LavNav is a nightlight that clips onto your toilet seat. It senses your approach in the night and glows gently (no blinding 100w bulb at 2AM) -- green if the seat is down and red if the seat is up. Link (via Wired Test)
[Boing Boing]
World's largest solar power site goes live
Xeni Jardin: The 30-acre installation was installed in Germany recently by Powerlight, a company based in Berkeley, CA.PowerLight's three Bavarian solar parks, consisting of 57,600 silicon-and- aluminum panels, will generate 10 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 9,000 German homes. The amount of electricity produced is much less than power plants fueled by coal or natural gas, but with very low operating costs, the solar project is expected quickly to turn a profit while emitting zero pollution. Schroeder's left-of-center Social Democrat-Green coalition has turned Germany into the world leader in renewable energy since it took office in 1998. Billions of dollars have been spent on wind and solar projects, and Schroeder, in a politically risky move, has sharply increased taxes on petroleum products in an attempt to reduce consumption of conventional fuels.Link (Thanks, Wayne)
[Boing Boing]
Tsunami Death Toll Jumps Over 120,000
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 120,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and fresh water and thousands more fled in panic to high ground on rumors of new waves.
[Reuters: Top News]
Tsunami Death Toll Rockets To 114,000
Relief supplies clogged airports as officials struggled to get aid to tsunami survivors. The death count soared past 114,000, as Indonesia released new figures.Video: Michael Pomeranz reports.
Photo Album: Tsunami Damage.
[WCBS 880: Top Stories]
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