Week in Geek: The Malware Infested Cheap Hardware Edition
This week we learned how to create custom Windows 7 jumplists for apps that do not have them, generate a random password from the Command Line, wirelessly sync/share a music collection with any mobile phone, make upside down text, know what WLIDSVC.EXE & WLIDSVCM.EXE are and why they are running, and more.
Photo by LostCarPark.
Weekly Feature
Ubuntu 10.10 “Maverick Meerkat” is getting the new Ubuntu Font by default, but what if you are using 10.04.1 “Lucid Lynx”? This post gives a quick overview of the new font and provides a deb file download link for adding it to your “Lucid Lynx” install.
Photo by Ubuntu Vibes.
Ubuntu Font Officially Lands into Maverick, Final Installer Slideshow Revealed
Random Geek Links
Photo by Hikaru Kazushime.
- Cheap hardware infects Aussie govt agencies
Australian Shadow Defence Minister David Johnston will seek to introduce new cybersecurity auditing powers into the Trusted Information Sharing Network (TISN) after ministerial advisors reported that government agencies have bought cheap foreign IT hardware loaded with malware. - Stuxnet brings more new tricks to cyberwar
New means through which the Stuxnet worm, which is able to infect industrial facilities and take over their control systems, spreads have been identified. - Stuxnet strikes China
According to Chinese media reports, within just a few days, Stuxnet has infected millions of PCs and almost 1,000 industrial facilities. - Zeus banking Trojan targets mobile phones too
The Zeus banking Trojan, which targets Windows-based computers, is now being used to target victims’ mobile phones too, according to several researchers. - Fake LinkedIn e-mails lead to Zeus Trojan
Criminals are using bogus LinkedIn invite e-mails to trick people into clicking on links that lead to the Zeus data-stealing Trojan, warns a researcher. The malware targets Windows users. - Vulnerability allows ZeuS botnets to be taken over
A vulnerability in the PHP web interface for the ZeuS botnet command and control (C&C) server allows systems to be taken over. - Critical hole in Reader: Adobe accelerates patch day
Adobe has announced plans to bring the release of a patch to close the critical security hole in the current versions of Reader and Acrobat forward to Tuesday, October 5th. - McAfee: Businesses lose $2m through Web 2.0
Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are costing companies millions in mopping up after security incidents, according a new report. - Future Ubuntu Releases Will Ship with LibreOffice an OpenOffice Fork
Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu, has said that future versions of the operating system will ship with LibreOffice. He made the commitment at the launch of the Document Foundation and the announcement of the fork. - Google’s new VP8-based image format could replace JPEG
In an effort to speed up page loading, Google has introduced an experimental new image format called WebP.
Geek Video of the Week
Ed Ward adds a whole new level of motivation for people to vote in the upcoming Sim City elections. Vote or die. Literally.
Photo by CollegeHumor.
Productive Geek Tips
Photo by uniinnsbruck.
- How to Email Your Professor and Get a Quick Response
Professors are some of busiest people around. But even though they’re short on time, there are ways to communicate with them via email and get a timely response so you can continue doing your work with fewer setbacks.
Random TinyHacker Links
- Extraordinary Architecture, 20 Unique Homes
A collection of 20 of the most surreal, bizarre, odd and interesting houses on the planet. Perhaps they will provide inspiration for your next home. - 20 Essential Windows 7 Shortcuts
Here is a nice list of 20 useful shortcuts for Windows 7. - CleanHaven – easy text clean up and manipulation
If you work with lots of text which needs cleanup before publishing in a certain format, then CleanHaven is the tool to go to. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux. - An Amazing Little Tool for Creating Your Own Characters
It turns out Private Character Editor is a actually fun and useful. Check this article to learn more. - Tilt shift van Gogh
Some pretty neat photoshopping from the folks at lines and colors.
Super User Questions
More terrific questions with great answers for you from Super User.
- How do people type different languages into computer?
- Ctrl+Alt+Del in Linux
- How to run chkdsk if I can’t boot to Windows
- Remotely accessing a laptop whose monitor has just died
- What is a good way to sync email across computers?
Latest Reviews at How-To Geek
Look through our two newest software reviews.
- GoToAssist Express
GoToAssist Express is an extremely easy to use remote desktop solution for providing tech support to friends, family, and clients. - Things for Mac
Things for Mac is a To-Do List application that allows for simple organization and can allow for more flexibility and power with its integration with AppleScript.
How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap
Enjoy reading through our hottest articles from this past week.
- Remove Complex Backgrounds from Images in Photoshop
- How to Crack Your Forgotten Windows Password
- Temporarily Lock Your PC if Somebody Tries to Guess Your Password
- What Files Should You Backup On Your Windows PC?
- Xmarks Is Dead, So What Other Options Do You Have?
One Year Ago on How-To Geek
More geeky goodness for your reading enjoyment from one year ago.
- The 20 Best Windows Tweaks that Still Work in Windows 7
- Quick Tip: Disable Search History Display in Windows 7
- Fix for When Pinned Jump List Items Get Stuck in Windows 7
- Quick Tip: Disable Highlighting New Programs in Windows 7, Vista, and XP
- How to use Amarok to manage your iPod
The Geek Note
That has things wrapped up for this week. Remember to keep those great tips coming in to us at tips@howtogeek.com.
Photo by Stuck in Customs.
