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E-mail
Worm Alerts |
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Greetings from
Polar's E-Connections Team
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. |
E-mail Worm Alerts - Swen And Dumaru Spread Across The Web!
You may have heard about
the recent spread of both the W32/Swen@MM E-mail Worm/Trojan Horse and the
W32.Dumaru@mm E-mail Worm/Trojan Horse that have been making their way around
the Web. That's right. Not only are they worms (they replicate themselves and
send copies of themselves to other computers), but they are also Trojan horses.
A Trojan horse is a malicious program that pretends to be a benign application
but then does something the user does not expect. Here's how they work.
Computers are infected by either the W32/Swen@MM Worm/Trojan Horse or the
W32.Dumaru@mm Worm/Trojan Horse when users open an accompanying attachment of
an "official looking" e-mail supposedly from Microsoft. The subject
of the e-mail usually says something like "Latest Microsoft Critical
Patch," "Use This Patch Immediately!" or "New Microsoft
Upgrade." The text of the e-mail encourages the recipient to open the
attachment to apply a security patch for their Windows operating system.
(That's the Trojan horse part of this malicious e-mail.) However, when the
attachment is opened, the worm replicates itself on the infected computer,
harvests e-mail addresses from the victim's machine and then automatically
sends itself to e-mail addresses that it has found on the machine.
If a friend forwards an e-mail to you (or the e-mail appears to come directly
from Microsoft) which discusses a patch remedy and has an accompanying
attachment, do NOT open the attachment. Microsoft NEVER includes
attachments with its e-mail security bulletins. Instead, Microsoft provides
security bulletins on its website which then include steps to install security
updates. (For a list of Microsoft's latest security bulletins, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/.)
For more information on how to determine whether a Microsoft security-related
e-mail message is genuine, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/authenticate_mail.asp.
For additional information on how to protect your computer against viruses and
worms, Microsoft encourages its customers (as do we) to go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/.
This is especially important in protecting yourself from the W32/Swen@MM E-mail
Worm/Trojan Horse as this worm also has the ability to infect machines when a
recipient simply views the e-mail message via the preview pane — without even
opening the accompanying attachment!
Remember, receiving an e-mail attachment from a trusted friend or a reliable
source may not necessarily mean that 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.
FREE High Speed Internet - From Polar!
Sign up for High Speed
Internet Services from Polar by November 26th, 2003 and receive your first 3
months absolutely FREE! Some restrictions apply. Visit our website for
details at http://www.thinkpolar.com or
call our office at 1-800-284-7222 today!
Ask The Help Desk - How To Read Web Pages With Dark
Backgrounds
Question: I find it quite difficult to
read web pages that have dark text on a dark background. Is there an easy way
to make these readable?
Answer: Sometimes a background doesn't load correctly which makes
the text difficult to read. Other times, honestly, web pages with dark text on
a dark background are simply due to poor website design. Either way, some pages
are just plain hard to read.
Give this simple trick a try next time you come to a web page that is difficult
to read due to a dark background—simultaneously hit the "CTRL" key
and the "A" key on your keyboard (the "Command" key and
"A" key when using a Macintosh). This will highlight (select) the
entire page. The background color will most likely then turn a light shade of
blue and the text will be white. The result is still not ideal but it's easier
reading than trying to decipher dark text on a black background.
Great Sites To Check Out
This Month
Finding Correct Zip
Codes
http://www.usps.com/zip4/ -
So you're getting ready to send out your holiday greeting cards but you don't
have the zip code for some of your friends and relatives. Not to worry. The US
Postal Service provides a web page to assist you. Simply type in the street
address, town and state of the address in question and the website provides you
with the correct zip code. Now if they'd just lick the stamps for you...
Home Decorating For The Holidays
http://www.ivillage.com/home/holiday/pages/0,,195740_544130,00.html -
It's time to get your home ready for the holidays and this site can get you off
to a head start. It provides great ideas for outdoor lighting, easy-to-make
wreaths, handmade gifts, craft projects for the kids, quick and cheap holiday
table settings, decorative holiday centerpieces and much more. There's also a
helpful link entitled "Emergency Clean Up—Getting Ready For Guests In 30
Minutes" which may come in handy!
Looney Tunes: Back In Action - The Movie
http://www2.warnerbros.com/looneytunesbackinaction/index.html -
"Looney Tunes: Back In Action" is the first Looney Tunes film since
the 1996 release of "Space Jam." It combines live action with
animation and includes Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote,
Sylvester and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang. The movie also stars Brendan
Fraser, Steve Martin, Heather Locklear and Jenna Elfman. The official site
includes a variety of movie posters as well as a funny trailer for viewing.
"Looney Tunes: Back In Action" is rated PG for some mild language and
innuendo.
"Trading Spaces" - The TV Show
http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/tradingspaces/tradingspaces.html -
If you're hooked on the "Trading Spaces" television show, now you can
find out how to get on the show, watch outtakes and bloopers from previous
shows, check out photo galleries and biographies of your favorite designers,
hosts and carpenters, and most importantly, find out why the hosts wear the
same clothes on both the first day and second day of each episode! There's also
an archive of room pictures (before and after shots) from each show.
All About Tiddlywinks
http://www.tiddlywinks.org/ -
November is a great month for sitting around and playing a rousing game of
tiddlywinks. Remember playing tiddlywinks as a kid? Well, there's a good chance
you played this game because according to the North American Tiddlywink
Association, there have been over 1,000 different varieties of tiddlywinks
games produced by over 160 publishers since 1888. This site provides the
history of tiddlywinks as well as an in-depth index of tiddlywinks terminology.
Maybe it's time to get out the old "squidger" (shooter) and shoot
some "winks" (flat round disks) into the "pot" (cup) for
some points.
Short Tutorial - Correct Your Password When Using
Autocomplete
Have you ever typed in a
password on a website and then chose the option to save the password so that
you wouldn't have to remember and retype it each time? This is a convenient shortcut
but it can be a frustration if you accidentally typed in the wrong password
when you initially saved the information. Now every time you start typing the
password in, the field is automatically completed with the incorrect password.
Internet Explorer has a function called "Forms Autocomplete" that
stores basic information that you frequently type into forms on websites. It
stores information such as your name, address and even site passwords. It can
save you time when filling out online forms.
If you've accidentally typed and saved a password incorrectly when first
filling out an online form, you can go into the Autocomplete settings and
revise the password. (See the instructions below.) However, be certain you want
to remove/change this password because by clearing the incorrect password when
using a Windows operating system, you actually clear ALL the passwords saved
via the Autocomplete function.
To change your Autocomplete settings when using a Windows operating system and
utilizing an Internet Explorer browser, follow these steps.
- Click your cursor arrow on "Tools" in the
Internet Explorer menu bar.
- Drop down to "Internet Options" from the
resulting drop-down menu. The "Internet Options" window will
appear.
- Click on the "Content" Tab.
- In the Personal Information area click on the
"Autocomplete" button.
- Click on the "Clear Passwords" button. This
will get rid of your incorrect password but it will also clear all of your
passwords so be sure that's what you want to do.
If you are
a Macintosh user, you also have the ability to change Autocomplete settings;
however, you can delete or modify individual site passwords without it
affecting the settings for other sites. To change your Autocomplete settings on
a Macintosh when using Internet Explorer, follow the steps below.
- Click your cursor arrow on the "Edit" menu
(if using OS 9) or the "Explorer" menu (if using OS X).
- Drop down to and select "Preferences."
- Scroll down the Preference Pane on the left side of
the Internet Explorer Preferences window past the Forms Autofill heading
until you see the heading "Network."
- Click on the arrow to the left of the word
"Network" and you will see the bullet point "Site
Passwords."
- Click on "Site Passwords." You will see a
list of all of your passwords in the Password Setting pane.
- Select a password on the list and you can change or
delete it by using the buttons at the bottom of the window.
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
©2003 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.