This week we learned how to make free Android or iPhone ringtones from any YouTube video, “halt Windows automatic rebooting, enable Unity Menus in Chrome, & set up tabbed PuTTY windows”, enjoyed a great new set of Geek Deals, “fix phantom HDMI sound problems, change HTC keyboards to the default Android keyboard, & log every URL visited on your network”, had fun customizing our desktops with a seaside vacation theme, and more.

Photo by levork.

Weekly News Links

Chart courtesy of Imperva.

• Web apps attacked every two minutes, study finds
  The average Web-based application is hit by a cyberattack once every two minutes, says a report out this past Tuesday by security firm Imperva. Detailing its findings in its “Web Application Attack Report” for July, Imperva found that Web applications are attacked around 27 times per hour.
• Report: Breach exposes data of 35 million S. Koreans
  Personal information of 35 million South Koreans has been compromised as a result of a hacking attack on the company that runs the country’s biggest social network and a major Web search engine, according to reports.
• Skype update enables account theft – Update
  The recent update to Skype 5.5 for Windows contains a severe security vulnerability that allows attackers to get control of your Skype account, according to security expert David Vieira-Kurz.
• ICQ vulnerable to account theft – Update
  In security advisories for ICQ and the ICQ web site, security researcher Levent Kayan warns that both the ICQ instant messenger for Windows and the ICQ web site contain vulnerabilities that potentially allow attackers to take control of a user’s ICQ account.
• phpMyAdmin updates close critical security holes
  Versions 3.4.3.2 and 3.3.10.3 of phpMyAdmin close a total of four security holes in the open source database administration tool. According to the phpMyAdmin developers, the security releases address two “critical” vulnerabilities that could lead to possible session manipulation in swekey authentication or remote code execution.
• US government warns of potential Stuxnet variants
  Security experts at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fear that variants of the Stuxnet worm could threaten important US infrastructures.
• How a security researcher discovered the Apple battery “hack”
  A security “noob” mistake has left the batteries in Apple’s laptops open to hacking, which could result in a bricked battery or, in a worst case scenario, fire or explosion.
• Expert hacks car system, says problems reach to SCADA systems
  Researcher Don A. Bailey will be showing at the Black Hat security conference next week how easy it is to open and even start a car remotely by hacking the cellular network-based security system. Even more disturbing is the message that demonstration brings, that cars aren’t the only things at risk.
• Automated stock trading poses fraud risk, researcher says
  An emphasis on speed and a lack of security makes automated trading in financial markets ripe for exploitation and fraud, a security researcher warned this past Wednesday.
• Street View cars grabbed locations of phones, PCs
  Google’s Street View cars collected the locations of millions of laptops, cell phones, and other Wi-Fi devices around the world, a practice that raises novel privacy concerns, CNET has confirmed.
• 10 dangerous things users still do online
  Despite knowing better, users still engage in dangerous behavior while on the Internet, IT security experts said.
• Oracle releases ‘buggy’ Java SE7
  Oracle released its first full version of Java this past Thursday, but developers have reported bugs that can crash virtual machines, corrupt data and cause errors in applications.
• Mozilla eyes mobile OS landscape with new Boot to Gecko project
  Mozilla has announced a new experimental project called Boot to Gecko (B2G) with the aim of developing an operating system that emphasizes standards-based Web technologies. The initial focus will be on delivering a software environment for handheld devices such as smartphones.
• Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers
  A striking number of Google+ accounts have been deleted as the new social network struggles with its community standards policy around real names – alienating and frightening the people it aims to serve.
• Why I was banned on Google+ (and how I redeemed myself)
  A tale of Google’s creepy privacy behavior and how the search giant may be blowing it on its best social networking success to date.

Random TinyHacker Links

• Hide Files in Windows With Secret Disk
  Learn how to create a hidden partition in Windows and hide files.
• Personalizing Windows Themes Beyond the Basics
  Do you want to know how to customize more advanced settings for your Windows themes? Stuff like the size of the scrollbar, the background of application windows, the font used by the operating system, etc. Check out this thorough tutorial.
• Microsoft Security Essential Update
  Microsoft has released an update for Microsoft Security Essentials on July 26, 2011, which offers performance enhancements and some new functionality within the program.
• Find a Missing Laptop With Prey
  A neat tool to track missing laptops.
• A Nice Site for Listening to the Sounds of Nature
  Yearning for the sound of the sea waves? Want to listen to chirping birds? Try out this site.

Super User Questions

If you have questions, then Super User has the answers you need.

• What can I do to retrieve windows that have gone off screen?
• What is Internet Relay Chat?
• Windows 7 Recovery
• My harddrive failed SMART check and short drive self test. What should I do?
• Has anyone ever gotten a response to the, “check for solution and close” dialog in Windows?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Get caught up on your weekly reading with our hottest HTG Main articles of the week.

• How to Make Photos Look Like Pencil Drawings in About One Minute
• How to Configure Your Router for Network Wide URL Logging
• How To Download/Backup Your Gmail, Google+, Calendar, and Docs Data
• Ask the Readers: How Fast Do You Type?
• Upgrade your Windows Home Server with Amahi

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

Relax and have fun this weekend with our most popular ETC posts of the week.

• The Real Truth about Unlimited Bandwidth [Comic]
• Problems Blamed on Viruses versus Knowledge of Computers [Chart]
• Marvel Comics: An Infographic History
• Create a Wallet from a Single Sheet of Paper [Paper Craft]
• Storm Clouds Rolling In [Wallpaper]
• The History of Ethernet: 3Mbps to 100Gbps [Geek History]
• Gamma Burst [Wallpaper]
• Why Driving and Social Media do not Mix Well [Funny Image]
• Neon Cube City [Wallpaper]
• Download Mechwarrior 4 for Free [Gaming]

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

Dig into some quick weekend projects with these terrific articles from one year ago.

• How to Enable or Disable the Libraries Feature in Windows 7
• Beginner Geek: Make Windows 7 Update Find Updates for More Than Just the OS
• Find Your Missing USB Drive in Windows 7 & Vista
• Add Dropbox to the Send To Menu in Windows 7, XP, and Vista
• Desktop Customization: Introduction to GeekTool for OS X

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• Encryption
• Fibber Optics
• Toolbars