ETC Blog, The Tech Resource
Ballmer’s breaking point: Is Windows 8 already too late? • The Register
Listen to the podcast either at the linked article or download the mp3 here. Rumor has it that Windows 8 – the first version of Windows for ARM as well as x86 and billed as Microsoft's answer for the PC to iOS and the iPad – will actually ship early: next April....
Windows 8 will run on all Windows 7 PCs and Vista PCs too | ZDNet
The Microsoft Partner Conference is always a good source of information. This makes things intriguing for Win8. If it truly runs on vista class machines then it'll run on my 5 year old notebook(which currently run win7) just fine. Worried that you’ll have to...
Be Cautious About Running Open Wifi
Unless you have a good product like Astaro protecting your edge i would highly suggest NOT running open wifi. However with the proper precautions in place it is possible to mitigate the possibility of getting tangled up in this. Under the new voluntary...
Europeans: All Your Data is Belong To US!
That's just the LEGAL way to get at it. There's very little stopping the illegal ones as well. Thanks to the Patriot Act, US spooks no longer have to waste their time having to crack into European company servers to steal their secrets. They can show up in...
NOt Only is Google’s Cloud Insecure….So Are All The Rest
It is going to come to pass that the best place to have your data is back on your own systems where you control the security. The cloud with it's high level of centralization is going to mean your data is just waiting to be stolen. Matt Johansen, a researcher...
Incorrectly Configured P2P Software Used in Third Arizona Breach
p2p software is a great thing but highly dangerous when not properly configured. By default p2p software shares files..sometimes everything on your hard drive depending on the program used. A good gateway firewall is your best bet if you don't have airtight file...
This is Why You Don’t Clean Infected Machines – A Lesson For Windows Admins
You can waste time creating a new MBR then trying to clean ALL the infected files from not just the rootkit but it's buddies as well. Save your clients time and money and their security. Backup/format/reload. An antivirus of its own Just like Sinowal, TDL-4 is a...
Alueron Rootkit Still Going Strong
I am seeing more and more infections on client computers using this rootkit. The common vector i see if either flash or IE ActiveX exploits. It is nearly time to just block flash at the firewall as well as ActiveX. 'Indestructible' rootkit enslaves 4.5m PCs...
Firefox Is NOT Business Friendly
I've seen this for many years but nobody at Mozilla came out and said it...until now. If you are a business entity use Either Google Chrome or...IE. I have not used Firefox in over a year. their underlying technology is over 3-5 years old and they have no plans to...
Hackers pierce network with jerry-rigged mouse • The Register
When hackers from penetration testing firm Netragard were hired to pierce the firewall of a customer, they knew they had their work cut out. The client specifically ruled out the use of social networks, telephones, and other social-engineering vectors, and gaining...
How is Linux Taking Over the World? By Ignoring the Desktop
The author forgets another huge market that Linux is behind. HDTV. I would say well north of 80% of all HDTV come with some form of Linux. The next time you purchase a HDTV check the packet for something about GNU license. If you see that..your tv is running...
My next upgrade(currently)
as technology and pricing changes this will change. Right now here is what i would reccomend for somebody like me...a light gamer with heavy multitasking single threaded programs: Qty. Image Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price Update Intel Core i3-2100...
One of a Few Certifications I’ll Persue
I just passed the Astaro Certified Administrator course. The next one is the Astaro Certified Engineer. These will help further my status and abilities as an Astaro partner. These courses I ahve found to be a good use of time and actually add to my knowledge...
YouTube – 27C3: Adventures in analyzing Stuxnet (Bruce Dang from Microsoft)
This is a Microsoft employee giving another examination of Stuxnet. It's over an hour..you can see a Ted video here as well. Microsoft Analyzes Stuxnet
U.S. used ‘unmitigated gall’ and B.C. court to jail exec
U.S. used 'unmitigated gall' and B.C. court to jail exec.
It’s Fixed
The issue was the licensing server is in Germany and therefore you have to create licenses according to German time..at least that is how it was. They have fixed that issue. The licenses now work as they should..:) There was quite a bit of debate about leaving a local...
Astaro License Issues Continue
The license itself is borked. I just re-applied my "home" license and it worked fine. I then created an eval license and installed that to "upgrade" the other "home" license...that worked. Installing my new license on top of the eval license borked things..the license...
My First Astaro Purchase…Gone Bad
I've gone a while before making a first purchase. Right now i'm not sure I'm going to be making another one. I purchased a license for my church recently. At a cost(even with my partner discount) equal to 25% of my entire annual IT budget. The key given to me was not...
Skype Installing Crapware
This is the exact reason Realplayer is now mostly non-existent anymore. Read the linked article below for how to remove the crapware. Jeff Duntemann's ContraPositive Diary - EasyBits GO, Skype, and The Crapware Problem.
I Had This One Right
I had some folks I know telling me MS wasn't going to release Win8 in 2012. Everything I have seen though form public to ms partner materials has strongly hinted at 2012 for the next windows stack..server 8 windows8. Most likely office 2012 as well. Right from the...
Stuxnet: A Forensic Examination
Ralph Langner: Cracking Stuxnet, a 21st-century cyber weapon | Video on TED.com.
How Facebook, Google and others are Filtering the Internet Instead of Presenting the Open Internet
Google and others now no longer show you everything. they try to guess what you are really looking for. This video shows how various online entities try to shape your Internet experience. A quote from Eric Schmidt of Google sums it up, "It will be very hard for...
DOE Lab Break-in May Be Tip of the Iceberg – Darkreading
DOE Lab Break-in May Be Tip of the Iceberg - Darkreading.
M and T Bank Breached in Epsilon Catastrophe
I just got this in my e-mail: Dear Valued Customer, At M&T Bank, your privacy is very important to us. We were recently notified by Epsilon, an email marketing service provider, that an unauthorized third party gained access to customer email addresses of a number...
Something About Epsilon Doesn’t Smell Right
I came to the same conclusion. it's also telling that it's Epsilon sending these notices on behalf of their clients...which is ironic since they are the ones with the compromised mailing system. The numbers dont add up. Epsilons footnote would lead you to...