E-Mail Virus
The 32.Netsky.B@mm Worm Spreads Across The Web

Protect Yourself AND Your Kids
From Chatroom Predators

Ask The Help Desk
How Do You "Drag and Drop?"

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In March!

Short Tutorial
Shortcuts When Managing Your Favorites/Bookmarks

Greetings from Polar's E-Connections Team

The month of March is the beginning of many exciting things ... a new season, the NCAA basketball tournament, the PBA World Championships ... and spring-cleaning? Whatever your interest, we hope that we can help you to enjoy it all the more through the World Wide Web and the tips and information presented in our newsletter.

The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to:

Warnings on a recent virus or e-mail hoax that may affect you
An update on new services and other local interests
An answer to a frequently asked Internet related question
Some fun, seasonal websites to check out
A short, step-by-step tutorial on an e-mail or browser related task

We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading!

- The E-Connections Team

E-Mail Virus - The 32.Netsky.B@mm Worm Spreads Across The Web

The most recent worm to cause a major stir around the Internet is the "32.Netsky.B@mm Worm" which was first discovered on February 18, 2004. The 32.Netsky.B@mm Worm is a mass-mailing worm that sends itself as an attachment to e-mail addresses found within an infected machine. (The worm only infects Windows-based systems – not Macintosh, Unix or Linux systems.) Once launched on the infected computer, an error dialog box appears that states that "The file could not be opened!" The worm also copies itself onto computer subdirectories that contain "share" or "sharing" in the directory name. This could allow copies of the worm to be spread through Instant Messaging clients, file-sharing networks, or via any folders that contain the words "share" or "sharing."

Like most worms circulating around the Web, the 32.Netsky.B@mm Worm has a "spoofing" feature that disguises the actual source of the e-mail by randomly selecting e-mail addresses from the infected computer's system to be shown as the "sender" of the e-mail. So, if a person receives this e-mail worm from a co-worker or relative, chances are the person it shows being sent from was probably not the person who actually sent it.

An e-mail message that contains the 32.Netsky.B@mm Worm as an attachment will have one of the following text messages within its subject line:

hi
HI
hello
read it immediately
something for you
warning
information
stolen
fake
unknown

The message body will randomly contain any one of about four dozen short phrases. The attachment will also appear as one of dozens of randomly selected names.

Remember, receiving an e-mail attachment from a trusted friend or a reliable source may not necessarily mean they were the actual senders of the message and attachment. Also, the ultimate responsibility of protecting your computer against worms and viruses lies with you. Many viruses and worms not only spread via e-mail, but also through the sharing of files when using floppy disks, zip disks, CDs and networks, as well as when downloading software from the Internet. We encourage each of our users to install and utilize virus scanning software, to update this software on a regular basis, and to scan all incoming attachments before opening them, even if the attachment shows coming from a reliable source.

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Protect Yourself AND Your Kids - From Chatroom Predators

ND Teen Abducted by Man She Met On the Internet

An Amber Alert was issued recently for a 14-year-old Rolette County girl who was missing from her home. She was later found near Jamestown, ND saying she went willingly with a Jamestown man she met in an Internet Chatroom. She made the mistake of telling the man where she lived and he later showed up at her residence. Once she saw the news on television that she was considered missing, she realized she had done the wrong thing.

"I learned a lesson," said the young girl, choking back tears. "I'm never going in a chat room again."

Top 10 Tips for Chat Room Safety
Advice on how to keep your family safe online.

TOP TIPS FOR KIDS:

Report suspicious activity
Tell your parents to contact law enforcement immediately if you witness or suspect illegal activity, especially the following.

Requests for you to travel and meet someone or suggestions that they can travel to meet you
Transmission of child pornography
"Stalking" activity
Threats of violence

Don't give away too much info in your Internet profile
Never put personal information in your Internet profile. Don't include your address, telephone number, parents' work addresses, or parents' phone numbers at work.
Don't reveal your whereabouts
Never tell anyone specifically where you live. If they ask, use a general geographic location: "I am in the Los Angeles area."
Tell a guardian if you feel uncomfortable
Always inform an adult if you receive anything that makes you uncomfortable, and never respond to those items.
Don't share passwords
Never give your Internet passwords to anyone, even friends. Other than telling your parents, keep that information private.

TOP TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Limit what your kids can access Use appropriate parental controls for children's Internet access. Set appropriate times, durations, and areas they can access.
Keep your Web access in full view Your Internet connection should be set up in a common family area, such as the family room or den. Don't put the family PC in a secluded area of the house, such as a child's bedroom.
Know your child's online identity Parents should know children's user IDs, screen names, and passwords.
Monitor your child's Web use Use of Internet-monitoring software is highly recommended.
Make surfing a family affair Internet access should be a valuable educational tool. Spend time with your family learning what it has to offer, and enjoy!

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Ask The Help Desk - How Do You "Drag and Drop?"

Question: People often refer to "dragging and dropping" files, text, etc. What does this mean?

Answer: Dragging and dropping is the simple procedure of "picking up" something (a selected file, text, picture, etc.), "dragging" or moving it to a new location on your computer, and then "dropping" or placing it at the new location.

To drag and drop an item, click on the file that you want to move to a new location with your left mouse button (if you have one). Now, keeping that mouse button pressed down, move the item by "dragging" it with your mouse to the desired destination. Once you have the item hovering over its new home, release the left mouse button and the file will be automatically "dropped" into place. You've just "dragged and dropped!"

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Great Sites To Check Out This Month

It's Spring-Cleaning Time
http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons.asp - Do you have CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) in your house? Or would say that you are BO (Born Organized)? Marla Cilley, better known as the FlyLady, has coined these "buzzzz words" and developed methods and routines to help you de-clutter and clean your house and keep it that way. A free subscription to her newsletter is offered to provide encouragement but all of her housecleaning tips and organizational advice can be found on this website.

Puzzles, Riddles, And Quizzes
http://rec-puzzles.org/ - Test your wits at this site full of quizzes, riddles, and puzzles. Sample Trivia Question: Can you name ten body parts that are spelled with three letters? (No slang words.) Sample Riddle: I build up castles. I tear down mountains. I make some men blind. I help others to see. What am I? You'll need to go to the site to find out the answers.

Ratings That Allow You To Accurately Prescreen Movies
http://kids-in-mind.com/ - It's fun to take in a movie with friends or the family but sometimes the content can be a little shocking. Here's a website that allows you to screen movies to determine if they would be suitable for your children and/or enjoyable for you. The movies are assigned a rating for sex and nudity, violence and gore, and profanity. Descriptions of each instance are listed so that you can decide if the movie is one that you should see by yourself, with the family, or skip altogether.

The Oprah Winfrey Show - Seventeen Years of Success
http://Oprah.com - Oprah Winfrey has hosted the most popular daytime talk show for years. She's also one of the richest and most famous women in North America. The Oprah Winfrey Show's site provides previews of upcoming shows, details and snapshots of past shows (including an archive of every show since 1999), as well as links to information on how to become a guest on the show or make studio audience reservations.

Professional Bowlers Association's World Championships
http://pba.com - The best bowlers in the world will compete in the Professional Bowlers Association's World Championships March 15th-21st in Taylor, Michigan. Get updates from regional tournaments, current world rankings for both the regular and senior tours, schedules for upcoming tournaments, as well as ticket information, player profiles, and more. If you love bowling, this is your site!

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Short Tutorial - Shortcuts When Managing Your Favorites/Bookmarks

Using the "Favorites" (on Internet Explorer) or "Bookmarks" (on Netscape and Safari) feature on your browser is a great tool for storing links to the fun and useful Web pages that you frequent. The contents of your current Favorites list can be found in a variety of places, depending somewhat on the browser that you are using. The most obvious place is the Favorites or Bookmarks menu at the top of your browser window. Internet Explorer also has a Favorites side bar on the PC and a tab in its sidebar on a Macintosh. In Netscape, you can see your Bookmarks in the Netscape menu and on the Netscape tool bar.

When clicking your cursor arrow on bookmarked favorites at any of the locations listed above, your bookmarked sites will appear. (If you have yet to place a Web page into your browser's favorites list, most browsers have a few already placed there to get you started.) The Favorites feature allows you to add Web pages to your list, delete Web pages from your list, as well as categorize sites into folders by subject within your Favorites list. For short/easy tutorials on each of these functions, click your cursor arrow on your browser's Help menu located at the top of your computer screen.

Shortcuts For Managing Favorite Pages With Internet Explorer Via Windows:

To add the current Web page to your Favorites list	CTRL+D
To open the Organize Favorites dialog box	CTRL+B
To move selected item up in the Favorites list in the Organize Favorites dialog box	ALT+UP ARROW
To move selected item down in the Favorites list in the Organize Favorites dialog box	ALT+DOWN ARROW

Shortcuts For Managing Favorite Pages With Internet Explorer Via Macintosh:

To add the current Web page to your Favorites list	CMD+D
To add a Web page to your Favorites list by entering the page's address	CMD+K
To update subscriptions	CMD+U
To open the Favorites window	CMD+J or CMD+2
To expand the selected folder in the Favorites window	CMD+RIGHT ARROW
To collapse the selected folder in the Favorites window	CMD+LEFT ARROW

Shortcuts For Managing Bookmarks With Netscape Via Windows and Macintosh:

*Command*	*Windows*	*Macintosh*
To open and manage the Bookmarks window	CTRL+B	CMD+B
To add the current Web page to your Bookmarks list	CTRL+D	CMD+D
To file a Bookmark (to customize and file a page you are bookmarking)	CTRL+SHIFT+D	CMD+SHIFT+D
Bookmark Properties (for a selected bookmark in Manage Bookmarks window)	CTRL+I	CMD+I

Shortcuts For Managing Bookmarks With Safari Via Macintosh:

To add a bookmark to the Bookmarks menu	CMD+SHIFT+D
To add a bookmark to the Bookmarks bar	Drag the page icon from the address box to the bar.
To move a bookmark on the Bookmarks bar	Drag the bookmark left or right.
To remove a bookmark from the Bookmarks bar	Drag the bookmark off the top of the Bookmarks bar.
To change the name or address of a bookmark in the Bookmarks Library.	Click to select the bookmark and type your changes
To select the next bookmark name when editing bookmarks in the Bookmarks Library	Press the TAB key
When finished editing the text of a bookmark in the Bookmarks Library	Press the RETURN key
To delete a bookmark in the Bookmarks Library	Click on it to select it and press DELETE
To open in tabs all bookmarks in a folder in the Bookmarks bar	CMD + click the folder in the bookmarks bar.

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We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings at our shop. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

The E-Connections Team

Polar E-Connections

(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 Publishing Group Inc.

Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.