This week we learned how e-mail works, to “fix the Windows Boot Record after a GRUB Loader meltdown, share Mac Folders with a Windows PC, & reinstate the Outlook Reminder Bell”, to use two Android tools to help cut down on phone bills, the first things that our readers recommend doing after installing a new OS, had fun setting up unique desktops with a Terran Solar System Customization set, and more.

Photo by Bill Ward’s Brickpile.

Weekly News Links

Photo by Microsoft (via Softpedia).

• Microsoft Prescribes Lethal Dosage of “Offline” to the Rustock Botnet
  When Microsoft took down Waledac in 2010, the company was just warming up for upcoming fights with the heavyweights of the botnet universe. As was the case with Waledac, shuttering Rustock involved an industry-wide collaboration, and a combination of legal and technical measures.
• Google users targeted by hackers
  Google has warned of politically motivated and targeted attacks against users of its services. According to the company, the attackers are also targeting the users of another undisclosed social network.
• Adobe warns of zero day vulnerability in Flash and Reader
  Adobe has reported that an unpatched vulnerability in its Adobe Flash Player can be exploited to inject and execute malicious code. The vulnerability has reportedly been used for targeted attacks in which victims, rather than being lured to a crafted webpage, were sent infected Excel files via email.
• Click-jacking is spreading on Facebook
  If your Facebook friends are recommending strange videos to you, they may have become the victims of a new scam. On Facebook, a scamming technique called “like-jacking” is currently spreading like the plague.
• Phishers use HTML attachments to evade browser blacklists
  To get around phishing blacklists in browsers, scammers are luring people by using HTML attachments instead of URLs, a security firm is warning.
• Open sesame: Smartphone hack for electronic entry systems
  Security specialist Michael Gough appears to have discovered a vulnerability in LAN-attached access control systems. The vulnerability apparently allows electronic locking systems to be opened without authorisation over a network.
• CanSecWest: game consoles spread viruses within LANs
  At the CanSecWest security conference that opened on 9 March, Korean security researchers DongJoo Ha and KiChan Ahn showed how home-brew applications can be exploited to distribute malware.
• RSA: Cyberattack could put customers at risk
  Information about RSA’s SecurID authentication tokens used by millions of people, including government and bank employees, was stolen during an “extremely sophisticated cyberattack,” putting customers relying on them to secure their networks at risk. See additional FAQ here.
• Huge global pedophile ring busted, officials say
  Police have arrested 184 people accused of participating in what authorities are calling the largest global pedophile network ever uncovered–and more arrests are expected, Europol said this past Wednesday.
• Reports: China tightens grip on VPNs, Gmail
  China has reportedly stepped up efforts to block virtual private network (VPN) services, with Gmail users in the country said to be experiencing slow and limited access.
• Hardware-assisted security kills drive to create malware
  Despite criticisms from the industry, the Intel-McAfee merger will result in “faster and better” security by riding on hardware to complement, not eliminate, software-based security, according to a McAfee executive.
• Feds: IBM bribed South Korea, China officials
  IBM has agreed to pay a settlement of $10 million to settle civil charges that it had an ongoing practice of trading bribes for computer equipment contracts, according to court documents filed this past Friday.
• White House pushes for online privacy bill of rights
  The White House is urging Congress to enact a new “privacy bill of rights” that would provide clearer guidelines to online users and businesses about the collecting of personal information over the Internet.
• White House wants new copyright law crackdown
  The White House has proposed sweeping revisions to U.S. copyright law, including making “illegal streaming” of audio or video a federal felony and allowing FBI agents to wiretap suspected infringers.
• Former Microsoft execs launch IE 6 migration product
  A handful of former Softies who worked on the Microsoft Internet Explorer team have launched a company that is tackling the IE 6 migration problem faced by many businesses.

Random TinyHacker Links

• Robot Girlfriend
  Another cartoon we really like.
• The language for non-Unicode programs – demystified
  Do you know what Unicode means? Do you know what impact the language set by Windows for non-Unicode programs has? Do you know when this setting can help you solve small annoyances? If you have answered “No!” to any of these questions, check out this very useful tutorial.
• How to View any RSS Feed in Full-Text
  The title says it all. Very useful tutorial about a web app called Full Text RSS Feed Builder.
• Windows 7 Annoyances – A book for the annoyed user
  For those of us having problems with Windows 7 – there’s a book which can help find solutions to some of the most common annoyances. The book is called Windows 7 Annoyances, by David A. Karp and published by O’Reilly. Check out this review to find out more about it.
• Connect Your PC or Laptop To Your TV
  This article goes through all the solutions available for connecting your PC or laptop to your TV. Might be useful to many of you.

Super User Questions

See the great answers to these questions from Super User.

• Compress and then encrypt, or vice-versa?
• How do I uninstall IE9 if it is half-installed and not on the uninstall programs list?
• What technical reason did Microsoft give for no Internet Explorer 9 on Windows XP?
• How can I find out which process is listening on a port on linux?
• What’s the best way to get ants out of laptop keyboards?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Read through our hottest articles for this past week.

• How To Remove Vocals From Music Tracks Using Audacity
• Internet Explorer 9 Released: Here’s What You Need To Know
• How to Enable Google Chrome’s Secret Gold Icon
• HTG Explains: What’s the Difference Between the Windows 7 HomeGroups and XP-style Networking?
• How To Make a YouTube Video Into an Animated GIF

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

Catch up on the fun with our top ten ETC posts from this past week.

• Don’t Panic! Hides Applications, Erases Browser History, and More
• Skynet Dreams: When the Kinect Became Self-Aware [Humorous Video]
• 50 Years of Space Exploration [Infographic]
• Add Firefox’s Awesome Bar Bookmark Search Function to Chrome and Iron
• Cutting the Cable: The State of Internet-based TV [Infographic]
• Do Not Track Plus Stops Web Sites from Tracking You
• A Moody Walk Under an Autumn Moon [Wallpaper]
• Bring the Beauty of the Emerald Isle to Your Desktop with the Ireland Theme for Windows 7
• Cool Cleaner for Android Makes Cache and History Wiping a Snap
• The Ultimate Claymation Chess Game [Video]

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

We have more geeky article goodness from one year ago to round out your weekend reading.

• Move Window Buttons Back to the Right in Ubuntu 10.04 / 10.10
• Create a Bootable Ubuntu 9.10 USB Flash Drive
• Install GIMP 2.7.1 on Lucid Lynx using PPA
• Hack Extension Files to Make Them Version-Compatible for Firefox
• Use Autoruns to Manually Clean an Infected PC

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• The Windows to Heaven
• Some People Shouldn’t Repair PCs
• Have You Backed Up Recently?