January 23, 2007 REPORT FROM SYMANTEC INDICATES STORM TROJAN WORST OUTBREAK SINCE 2005
An article at InformationWeek stated that the Symantec virus detection sensor system received 1.6 million detection reports over the past seven days. The Trojan arrives in an email with a subject line that is supposed to be a recent or breaking news event. The body of the email is blank but there is an attachment in the form of an .exe file that is supposed to be video of the news event.
The report at InfoWorld indicates "The so called 'Storm Worm' e-mail messages first started appearing last Wednesday, advertising attached news reports on topics like '230 Dead as storm batters Europe,' or 'U.S. Secretary of Sate Condoleeza Rice has kicked German Chancellor.'
The attachments have names such as "Full Story.exe" or "Full Video.exe." Once they are launched, these files install malicious software that then waits to receive further instructions over the Internet."
Symantec cautions users about emails "that contains attachments that claim to be legitimate or interesting."
Click the arrow to play important public service announcement from the Broward County Sheriff Office.
Click the arrow to play important public service announcement from the Broward County Sheriff Office.
Memory and Hard Drive - An Explanation
One term many people confuse is memory (also known as RAM), and hard drive storage space.
RAM stands for Random Access Memory (don't worry, you don't need to remember that!). It is a temporary working space the computer uses to get work done, which gets emptied when the computer is turned off. Think of it like a work bench or table. You have a project you're working on and you do your project on the bench and when you're done, you clear it off.
The hard drive is the main place your computer uses to store information. It looks like a rectangular metal box about 3.5" wide, which contains a non-removable disk. It is the disk inside the drive which stores everything.
Think of it as a set of shelves where you store the tools or materials for your project -- when you want to work on something you choose the things you need from the shelves...read more »
Search Engine Friendly Websites
Frames are becoming a way of the past what with the use of DIV layers and the slow onset of incredibly flexible AJAX coding. The long and the short of it is that if you have Frames on your website then you are starting off at a disadvantaged position that cannot be truly search engine friendly no matter what you do. There are, however, some remedial fixes that will tie you over until you can redesign your site; yes I said redesign. The fix that I recommend is to use a noframes tag whereby you place another version of your web page inside of your framed page. This 'backup' page is what the search engines will view; here you can place relevant content and navigational elements so that the search engines can at least navigate portions of your site that are (hopefully) not framed.
There was a big brouhaha that Flash had become search engine indexable and you no longer had to worry about its search engine issues. Frankly, I have not seen the fruits of this 'improvement' to a respectable degree yet so I still consider it a kiss of death for websites designed solely in Flash. If you have a Flash-only website then I recommend one of these two options; one is to design an html version of your website and make the home page of your website html rather than Flash where you can then allow users to choose between html or Flash. The second option is to redesign the site so that it mixes both html and flash together. For example, this might mean implementing Flash amidst content on an HTML page as you would an image. I realize there are certain limitations to this option but if you can create a slick site in this manner then you will have the best of both worlds; clean search engine friendly content along with an interactive, multimedia feel. Just remember that the majority of relevant text should be in HTML format for the search engines to index....read more »
Antivirus Software
Kaspersky® Personal Security Suite is a program package specifically developed to provide comprehensive protection from all types of malicious programs for personal computers running under the Windows operating system. This solution prevents the infiltration of viruses, worms, spyware, adware and other malicious programs via potential penetration paths, provides protection against unauthorized access attempts, and includes anti-spam components.
Protection against viruses
Kaspersky Personal Security Suite offers continuous control over all sources of virus penetration into a computer, including email, the Internet, removable devices, etc. This application protects in real-time by scanning all files as they are executed, created or copied. It also offers multi-tier antivirus protection of email, including scanning all incoming and outgoing messages and email databases. The solution can scan over 1200 formats of archived and compressed files and disinfect files in ZIP, CAB, RAR and ARJ formats.
This program is extremely easy to configure and allows users to select one of the three predefined levels of protection. The convenient interface enables users to control all antivirus components and to configure the computer's security system depending upon the user's needs. read more
Spotting Phishing
Phishing? What on earth is that! Was that a misspelling? Well, actually, no. Phishing is one of the latest internet phenomenon in which some criminal out there in cyper- space creates a "photocopy" website of a genuine one and lures his victim into volunteering sensitive personal info, convinced he is actually on the legitimate website.
Let's look at a classic example. I repeatedly see emails popping up in my bulk folder claiming that Paypal has identified an attempted fraud on my account. It then goes on to say that it is critical that I log into my account via link provided and change my personal details, making sure to stress that urgency of the change to avert further compromise.
Now here's the catch. After you unsuspectingly enter your password and other sensitive data, the phishing website then captures your password and all your personal particulars and what do you know: you just got hooked! You are suddenly no longer the only "authorized" person who has access to your account.
There is also the "telephone phisher" who calls and claims to be a customer service agent of Visacard or Mastercard. He will claim that there has been some fraudulent activity on your credit card, already having, in this scenario, your card number, but trying to phish your CVC (card verification code-last three numbers on the reverse of your card)....read more
Backup Outlook Express Email
Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express is the most popular Email client, but viruses, software failures, or power outages can destroy your Outlook Express and all your email. Outlook Express Backup Programs can help you secure your Outlook Express: in the event of a crash, the wizard will bring it back to life in no time!....read more about Outlook Express Backup
Guide to Webcams
Before you make a choice about any webcam equipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of camera you use, and how you use it.
A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the software involved and your Internet connection. Of course, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.
The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of workplace security, which are different again from the requirements of sharing a family event. read more »Merchant Accounts
A Merchant account is an account at a bank or financial institution that permits you to accept credit card payments. You can acquire a merchant account from a merchant account provider or your bank.
A merchant account helps in boosting your business as when your account can accept credit cards you get instant payments. The whole process of receiving a payment is simplified and speedy, as it takes a lot less time then the conventional method of receiving payments. The whole processing time of credit card payment through the credit card machine or online account is lot shorter than the conventional methods.
......read more»
Keyword Tools
Wordtracker.com compiles a database of terms that people search for. Enter some keywords that describe your site, and Wordtracker gives you a list of related keywords, how often people search for them, and how many competing sites use those keywords. Based on these factors, Wordtracker assign a Keyword Effective Index (KEI) to each keyword. The highest rated keywords are ones that a lot of people are searching on but few other sites are targeting.
Wordtracker has both Trial and Paid versions. Among other limitations, the trial version lets you check for competing sites on only AltaVista, which is still very useful for quick keyword research. If you’re into serious keyword research, I highly recommend their paid version, which can subcribed to on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis.
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Jaw Dropping Search Data - Dec. 18, 2006
Our natural inclination when presented with terms such as “keywords,” “trend research” and “data mining,” is to associate them with SEO… to imagine “How can I utilize this information to drive traffic toward my site? Ken Jurina and Curtis Dueck of Epiar march to a slightly different beat. Mining data and conducting keyword research, they’ve discovered that we’re able to do far more with this information than choose the proper keywords for a title tag...view the video for complete story...
Bluetooth Technology
The recently discovered technology that Bluetooth offers uses short range radio signals in order to replace wires and cables that were once required to transfer information from one device to another. The most hallowed capabilities of this technology is its use friendly lack of complexity, its ability to hold a true connection without constant interruptions, its lower power consumption, and its affordability. Bluetooth was made to operate in areas where 'noisy' frequencies often prevent other wireless connections to flourish. Bluetooth uses a fast acknowledgement and 'frequency hopping' application in order to maintain a smooth connection.
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Bluetooth Features
Some of the most notable features of Bluetooth technology are the facts that it is relatively inexpensive (this is first and foremost for many potential consumers); it is not extremely fragile, it is very user friendly, and has low power consumption. Bluetooth can be used to create wireless Personal Access Networks (PANs) while offering fast and reliable transmission of both voice and data. Bluetooth offers wireless access to the Internet (for home access as well as laptops, PDAs, and other hand held devices), cell phone services, and local access networks.
A complete Bluetooth system requires an RF portion in order to send or receive data; a module for processing, a memory module, and an interface to the electronic device it is to communicate with (such as a phone, Palm, or camera).
....read moreArticles and Internet Marketing
Articles are becoming more and more prevalent in most Internet Marketers strategies for boosting their search engine rankings. The theory is that you write an article, submit it to several major article sites, include a link back to your site in it and then sit back and watch as the article gets picked up and published in other people’s websites, newsletters and sometimes even products.
However just doing this one this is not really enough for your article. Get it out there doing much, much more for you. Here are a few more things you could be doing with your articles. ..read more »ci-Interactive accepts article submissions for publication on our travel and leisure portals - Authors and travel writers interested in submitting articles should email patti@cyberisle.com - Currently our portals include New England, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Islands (worldwide), California, Chicago, Orlando, Miami, Key West, South Beach, Washington DC, Michigan and New York - Florida Fishing, Florida Golf and Florida Outdoors, and Tropical Island Weddings or Unique Destination Weddings. Sites that will be launched in 2007 are Wisconsin, Tropical Island Spas, Georgia Golf, a series of USA and America Visitor.Info sites and Florida Artist's Gallery. Please check our submission guidelines - click here.
What is a Blog?
Simply put, the Definition of a Blog or a Weblog is a website that provides commentary on a specific subject or variety of topics. The term "blog" is a contraction of "Web log." "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
According to Wikipedia, one of the Internet's best sources of information, a Weblog is blog is a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most blogs are primarily textual although some focus on photographs (photoblog), videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media......read more»
Clearing your Cache - What is cache? Plus, step by step instructions and screen shots for CLEARING your cache. Reciprocal Linking...Dead?
When the Internet was young, ten years ago, one of my most pleasurable online activities was to go to a site’s link page and follow the links to some cool sites. Equally fascinating was the prospect of having my site listed on some of those links pages, which prompted me to get into the activity now known as reciprocal linking, or trading links with other sites.
My, how times have changed! Now whenever a reciprocal link request lands in my "in box" I delete it immediately just like other pieces of obvious spam. How did this come to pass? As soon as it became known that Google’s PageRank system rewarded sites for incoming links, the trading of links, and even the buying and selling of links, heated up and most webmasters got into the act.
To make matters even worse the flood of reciprocal requests became a tidal wave in the past year as people sought to cash in on Adsense, Google’s contextual advertising system. Many sites have been constructed whose sole purpose is to get people to click on ads. The owners of these sites, in a concerted effort to get high rankings, have built complex link directories on their sites and are soliciting link exchanges.
The net result of these developments is that most requests that one receives these days are automated and will provide you with links on directory pages that have no PageRank and will hardly ever be seen by any human visitor. Another consequence is that when you, in good faith, send an email to someone requesting a legitimate exchange of links you may never get a reply because your email will be deleted by a webmaster, sick and tired of all the requests.
So is reciprocal linking a dead duck?...read more »
Creating an RSS Feed for Your Website -- Step-by-Step
Syndicating your own website content is a great way to provide information to your readers with little or no effort. Using RSS, your updated content is delivered to individuals who have subscribed to your feed automatically. In this article, I'll briefly explain RSS and show you how to syndicate your own website content - even if you know very little about RSS feeds.
RSS Defined
According to Wikipedia, RSS is a simple XML-based system that allows users to subscribe to their favorite websites. Using RSS, webmasters can put their content into a standardized format, which can be viewed and organized through RSS-aware software or automatically conveyed as new content on another website.
A program known as a feed reader or aggregator can check a list of feeds on behalf of a user and display any updated articles that it finds. It is common to find web feeds on major websites and many smaller ones. Some websites let people choose between RSS or Atom formatted web feeds. ...read more Creating an RSS Feed
Sitemaps Hurt SEO Work? -- Monday, February 26th, 2007
SEOmoz.org’s Rand Fishkin recently blogged about sitemaps. Sitemaps sit on your server and assist search engine spiders to crawl and index your site. Fishkin believes sitemaps may hurt your SEO efforts. SEO personalities RustyBrick and David Naylor support Fishkin on this concern. Google’s Central Product Manager Vanessa Fox does not consider sitemaps to be a hinderance...for full story watch the video...
Marketing Results
So, how was your 2006? Meet your sales projections? How about profits? Did you hit your target, blow it away, or fall a little short? Regardless of how you did, and I hope you did well, '06 is history. But '07 is just getting started and there's still time to work in a few more resolutions. So, with that thought in mind, today I present you with...5 New Year's Marketing Resolutions.
Resolve to make all your advertising, marketing and sales collateral, including your web site, more effective - Give your copy a thorough, customer-centric, prospect-centric review. Read it with the same mindset, attitude and prejudices of your top customers and prospects. Is your copy 100% focused on how your product or service satisfies their wants, needs and desires? Do you offer specific and meaningful benefit-oriented details about your company, product, service? Does your copy speak to the differentiating advantages offered by your company and its products and services? Have you included testimonials and other forms of proof? Are your materials pleasing to look at and easy to read?...read more »Quality Backlinks
Quality backlinks are links from websites that have a higher page rank than your site, links from websites that have content or purpose related to your site (also known as relevance), links that include anchored text, and links that are built naturally over time, not a sudden increase in links just for the sake of having a high number of links...read more »Percentage of Searches by Search Engine
The data encompasses the surfing activities of 25 million people, worldwide - Provided by Hitwise August 2006. Searches include those done on 57 search engines measured by Hitwise.
Share
of Online Searches by Engine November
2006 - December 2006 Total U.S. Home, Work and University Internet Users
Source:
comScore qSearch
Nov-06
Dec-06
Pt Chg
vs. Previous Month
Total
Internet Population
100%
100%
N/A
Google
Sites
46.9
47.3
0.4
Yahoo!
Sites
28.2
28.5
0.3
Microsoft
Sites
11.0
10.5
-0.5
Ask
Network
5.5
5.4
-0.1
Time
Warner Network
5.1
4.9
-0.2
FREE Information Calls from Home or Mobile Phones
That's right - FREE - instead of dialing 411 and paying - try 1-800-FREE411 or 1-800-373-3411 without incurring a charge. You will listen to a targeted 8-10 second advertisement, but there is no fee for using this new information number.
Gearing Up For Mobile Search -- Thursday, January 25th, 2007
When talking about search engine optimization, one immediately associates the practices are leveraged toward the traditional realms of web search. Many are predicting, however, that the “next big thing” in search may be the acknowledgment that users are spending less time in front of PCs, and are instead utilizing mobile devices to search and surf the web...for the full story, watch the video...
Previous ci-Insider News
November 2006
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
No Hyphen in Email
Email Phishing
Getting Good Page Rank
Click Fraud
Podcasts
Content for SEO
Blackberry 8100
August 2006
Link Popularity
Google Says
Hotel Websites - the missing link
SEO - Do You Get It?
Big Daddy
June 2006
Microsoft Security Updates
Website Image Resizing
Email Open & Click Rates
SEO
Email Newsletters
How to Send Images in Email
May 2006
Internet Fax Service
PR Techniques
Online Safety
Blogging Software
Podcasting
Google Guidelines
March 2006
Adware Suite Settlement
Quality Links
Advertising Terminology
SEO Myths
DMOZ
Analyze a Competitor's Website
Top Sypware Threats
January 2006
Computer Virus Protection
RSS Advantages
Screen Resolution
Web Traffic Analysis
fishing-florida.com From season and species charts to suggested charter guides - information for the fishing enthusiast!
Downtown Naples Florida - shopping, dining, photos, and maps for Fifth Avenue, 3rd Street South, Crayton Cove and Tin City!
Islands Info is a searchable directory of islands information - worldwide. General travel and tourist information - sections on hotels, attractions, dining and travel tips.
