Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – January 26, 2010

Google Toolbar Tracks Some Browsing Even When It’s Not Supposed To – A bug in Google Toolbar has resulted in the search giant receiving information about users’ Web surfing in violation of the product’s privacy policy, according to an anti-spyware and privacy researcher.

How To Easily Install Ubuntu Linux On Any PC – A step-by-step guide to installing Ubuntu, the most popular Linux distribution.

TechCrunch Hacked – The immensely popular blog TechCrunch has been compromised by hackers who posted an offensive message on its home page.

Bredolab, Spam and the CAPTCHA-Cracking Biz: – Bredolab represents what Fortinet calls a simplified botnet – Here is a look at Webwail and Bredolab, and shows what could be a new security threat: loaders sold as services to buyers looking to distribute malware.

A Peek Inside the ‘Eleonore’ Browser Exploit Kit – If you happen to stumble upon a Web site that freaks out your anti-virus program, chances are good that the page you’ve visited is part of a malicious or hacked site that has been outfitted with what’s known as an “exploit pack.” These are pre-packaged kits designed to probe the visitor’s browser for known security vulnerabilities, and then use the first one found as a vehicle to silently install malicious software. (submitted by Dar).

New Worm Overwrites Master Boot Records – Win32/Zimuse could make it difficult for users to access or restore their data, researchers say.

Call To Banish Virus-Hit Computers From Internet – Australian efforts to control bot-infected machines could expel virus-infected machines from the Internet.

Video: Explain computer concepts to non-technical people with analogies – Bill Detwiler shares field-tested, IT analogies that answer common computer questions, like the difference between RAM and disk space.

USB 3.0: Changing the Storage Game – Did you hear about the new USB 3.0 hardware that was announced at CES 21010? No? Not surprising. Most people seemed to ignore this not-very-flashy development. Most people, that is, except, forward Thinker Michael J. Miller. He says the impact of this super-fast port will change the storage game at home and in business. His post on ExtremeTech lays it all out for you.

Off Topic:

Diddy eight-fives Ochocino birthday present – Sean “Diddy” Combs eighty-fived bi-lingual NFL star Chad Ochocinco this weekend by giving his 16-year old son, Justin Dior Combs, a $360,000 luxury car.

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED – Tibetian Burial. Not for the weak of heart. (submitted by Dar).

The Snowman Killer of Crawley – It has all the makings of an Agatha Christie novel. A sleepy English town gripped by unexplained attacks. Innocent victims brutally savaged in the night. No clues lead to the culprit but it is obvious from the abominable crimes that this is no ordinary murderer. (submitted by Dar).

Today’s Quote:

“Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else’s can shorten it”.

–     Cullen Hightower

Today’s Free Downloads:

PDF to Word Converter 2.5.0 is the first PDF to Word Converter supports Microsoft Office 2010 and Windows 7 – Unused to the complicated operating interface of Adobe Acrobat? Is there any easier way to make PDF files editable? Here AnyBizSoft PDF to Word Converter.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware – Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a surprisingly effective freeware antimalware tool. It’s a relatively speedy malware remover, with the quick scan taking about 8 minutes even with other high-resource programs running. The heuristics engine proved on multiple computers during empirical testing that it was capable of determining the difference between false positives and dangerous apps.

JumpTo – JumpTo provides a fast way to launch programs and open files without using much in the way of system resources. If you’re after a no-frills customizable launcher, JumpTo may be the tool for you.

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