This week we learned how to install and configure OpenVPN on a DD-WRT router, receive Android Phone alerts on a desktop computer, how you manage and organize your photos, got to download the wallet-sized HTG photography cheat sheet, save money with the latest set of Geek Deals, and more.

Photo by leg0fenris.

Weekly News Links

• LinkedIn is careless with access cookies – Update
  Security specialist Rishi Narang warns that LinkedIn has been careless with its users’ access credentials and that third-parties could, therefore, easily obtain unauthorised access to other users’ accounts.
• Updated rogue AV installs on Macs without password
  A new version of rogue antivirus malware that targets the Macintosh operating system does not need victims to type in their administrator passwords to install and infect the machine, a security company said this past Wednesday.
• Scam targets Apple App Store customers
  One of the latest scams floating around cyberspace is aimed at people who recently bought items at Apple’s App Store. As described yesterday by security vendor F-Secure, scammers are sending out phony messages to users claiming that a recent order at Apple’s App Store has been canceled.
• Security researcher finds ‘cookiejacking’ risk in IE
  A security researcher in Italy has discovered a flaw in Internet Explorer that he says could enable hackers to steal cookies from a PC and then log onto password-protected Web sites.
• 64-bit rootkit spies on online banking customers
  Security specialist Kaspersky has discovered another rootkit with 64-bit Windows support: a variant of the Banker rootkit is targeting the access credentials of online banking customers in Brazil.
• Report: Major weapons makers see networks breached by hackers
  Hackers have broken into the computer systems of Lockheed Martin and other major U.S. weapons manufacturers, potentially gaining access to information about future weapons programs as well as military technology currently in use, according to a Reuters report.
• Professional exploit packs freely available online
  Two weeks after the source code for the ZeuS bot found its way onto the web, the barrier to entry for cyber-crime has been lowered further.
• Microsoft fingers Russians over Rustock spam botnet
  The Rustock botnet, taken down earlier this year in a Microsoft-led action, appears to have been operated by Russians according to evidence collected by the company.
• Russian payment firm could be behind Mac Defender scam
  Evidence is mounting that a Russian payment processing firm may be behind the Mac Defender malware scam that has suddenly brought the issue of Mac viruses into the limelight.
• ‘Bad guys winning’ in security
  Cybercrooks are winning the fight to keep the Internet a safer environment for enterprise IT systems but these “parasites” can never completely corrupt their hosts, giving the “good guys” a way to reverse the situation.
• Kaspersky: Android is the new Windows
  The security situation on Android looks more and more like the security situation in Windows. This is the opinion of the security experts at Kaspersky in their Malware report for the first quarter of 2011.
• Student collects 15 million Gmail addresses
  In his blog, a student from the University of Amsterdam reports that he gathered around 15 million Gmail addresses from Google user profiles within a month. Koot says he used the same IP address for all of the 35 million queries, but Google didn’t attempt to stop the mass download.
• How secure is your wallet in Google’s hands? (FAQ)
  Google unveiled its Google Wallet mobile payment plans this past week, with private field trials starting in San Francisco and New York followed by a public launch sometime during the summer on the Nexus S. This FAQ can help you decide if you feel comfortable trusting Google Wallet with your financial data.
• Mozilla rejects WebP image format, Google adds it to Picasa
  Google conducted a large-scale study demonstrating that WebP offers an average file size savings of 39 percent. Despite the seemingly impressive results, not everybody is convinced by Google’s findings. Mozilla, which has officially refused to support the format in Firefox, has emerged as one of WebP’s most prominent opponents.
• W3C officially opens HTML5 to scrutiny
  HTML5 officially reached “last call” status this week, which means the W3C believes it’s got a version of the specification mature enough for organizations to decide whether to express support.

Random TinyHacker Links

• Unique Password Generator
  This unique password generator asks you to put one master password and uses that to quickly generate passwords that you could use on a number of popular sites.
• Switchr Converts Your Audio Files Easily
  Nice online audio converter. Huge number of formats supported.
• Comprehensive Guide to Windows 7 Libraries
  A detailed guide to what Windows 7 libraries are and how you can make the most of them.
• Awesome Free eBook – Killer Web Apps
  The Guiding Tech blog, whose articles we frequently link to here on Tiny Hacker, launched their newsletter last week. And they are giving away a cool free ebook as a bonus for subscribing to their newsletter. Don’t miss it!
• CA Internet Security Suite Plus 7 – Is it Good for the Average User?
  CA Technologies is famous mostly for their business solutions. However, they do have products aimed at the average home user. Are they any good? Check out this thorough review to find out.

Super User Questions

See the great answers to these questions from Super User’s weekly most popular thread.

• How does one go about backing up older CD-ROM games from the 90′s?
• How to back up all my (custom) fonts?
• Is my host machine fully isolated from a virus-infected virtual machine?
• My webcam just came on “out of the blue”
• Is it bad to leave your computer on during a thunderstorm?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Had a busy week? Then get caught up on your reading with our hottest articles of the week from HTG Main.

• Soluto Solves PC Crashes and Speeds Up Boot Time. Download It Now!
• Beginner Geek : Simple Tips to Reduce Disk Usage in Windows 7
• HTG Explains: What is HDR Photography, And How Can I Use It?
• From the Tips Box: Keyboard Cleaning, Cheap Gadget Charging, Uncurling Cords
• How To Remotely Backup Your Data for Free with CrashPlan

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

Add some fun to your weekend reading with our most popular ETC posts of the week.

• How to Deal with Your Impending Doom [Humorous Flowchart]
• How Netflix Destroyed Blockbuster [Infographic]
• The Physics of Angry Birds
• Mod an IKEA Filing Cabinet into an Inexpensive Standing Desk
• Late Afternoon in the River Valley [Wallpaper]
• Great Linux World Map Surveys the State of the Linux Empire
• Researchers Showcase Pixel-to-Vector Conversion Tool
• Watching a Falling Star [Wallpaper]
• Blue and Steel Colored Tech Screens [Double Wallpaper]
• Troopers – Secret Message [Video]

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

Work on a weekend project with these great geeky articles from one year ago.

• Set a Video as Your Desktop Wallpaper with VLC
• Take Snapshots of Your Favorite Movie Scenes in VLC
• How To Customize Wallpaper in Windows 7 Starter Edition
• Use Your Favorite Wallpapers in Windows 7 Starter Edition
• Zen and the Art of File and Folder Organization

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• Online Dating
• Picking a Job
• Photoshop
• App Store
• Severance