This week we learned how to backup and copy data between iOS devices, use Linux commands in Windows with Cygwin, boost email writing productivity with Microsoft Word Mail Merge, be more productive in Ubuntu using keyboard shortcuts, “restore the FTP service in XBMC, rename downloaded TV shows, access the Android Market in emulation”, and more.

Photo by fallentomato.

Weekly News Links

Photo by AV-Test GmbH. You can see an enlarged version of the chart here.

• 50 million viruses and rising
  IT security lab AV-Test registered the 50 millionth new entry into its malware repository this past Thursday morning at 5:06 GMT.
• Windows 0-Day Vulnerability Allows Attackers to Steal Info
  Microsoft has confirmed reports of a newly discovered Windows security hole, as well as the fact that both published information and proof-of-concept code made their way into the wild. *The article contains a link to Microsoft’s Security Advisory which details the problem and provides temporary workarounds.
• Kaspersky finds fake antivirus program in ads on ICQ
  A Kaspersky researcher has discovered a fake antivirus warning linked to ads on ICQ, which is popular in Russia and Eastern Europe.
• Report: Conficker worm beaten but not gone
  The Conficker worm may have been squashed, but this nasty piece of malware is still squirming around millions of computers around the world.
• SourceForge disables servers after break-in
  Open source hosting service SourceForge.net is having to deal with a break-in: last Wednesday, the SourceForge staff disabled various source code management services, among them the CVS server that much project development depends on.
• Fedora infrastructure hacked – no damage done
  The Fedora Project has confirmed that there was an intrusion into its infrastructure on the 22nd, but investigations have shown “no impact on product integrity”.
• Site of AT&T-iPad hackers is hacked
  The Web site of the hacker group whose members were charged with computer crimes after they exposed a hole in AT&T’s site for iPad customers last year has been hacked.
• Cracker offers access to government servers for a fee
  According to blogger Brian Krebs anyone seeking root rights to military R&D servers can apparently purchase access for only $499.
• Attacks on Lush website expose credit-card details
  Cosmetics company Lush has warned customers that its UK website has been hacked repeatedly over the past three months, exposing credit-card details to fraudulent use.
• Russia claims Stuxnet could have triggered second Chernobyl
  Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian ambassador to NATO, has warned that Stuxnet could have triggered a catastrophe comparable to the core meltdown at Chernobyl in 1986.
• RIM says it can’t give India keys to secure e-mails
  RIM has reiterated that it’s unable to provide the Indian government with the means to access secure e-mails on its enterprise network, despite a looming deadline.
• Facebook selling user content to advertisers
  Facebook has unveiled details about a new advertising initiative called Sponsored Stories. The effort allows advertisers to find mentions of their brands–either through Places check-ins, recommendations in a news feed, likes, or actions in a Facebook application–and repurpose them as advertisements on the site.
• Here’s what a display ad in your Gmail looks like
  Google has acknowledged that it is indeed playing around with conventional-looking Web ads in its mail service.
• Vint Cerf takes rap for running out of IP addresses
  Internet pioneer Vint Cerf has sounded the alarm bell once again by warning that the world is about to run out of IP addresses. Cerf pinned the blame on himself for the lack of sufficient addresses in a recent interview.
• Schmidt refutes rumors over Google shakeup
  The decision to hand Google’s CEO reins from Eric Schmidt to Larry Page was born not out of internal dissent or competitive fears over Facebook but rather out of the need to tighten up management.

Sysadmin Geek Tips

• How to Easily Automate Your Firefox Profile Backup with Batch Files
  Your Firefox profile houses some pretty important stuff such as bookmarks, saved passwords and preferences which would be quite inconvenient to lose. As with any valuable data, your Firefox profile should be backed up regularly.
• How to Quickly Add Multiple IP Addresses to Windows Servers
  If you have ever added multiple IP addresses to a single Windows server, going through the graphical interface is an incredible pain as each IP must be added manually, each in a new dialog box. Here’s a simple solution.
• Hard Drive Monitor Script for Headless Linux Servers
  Modern Hard drives have an internal mechanism called S.M.A.R.T. through which it is possible to know when a hard disk is about to fail. Wouldn’t it be nice of the server to Email you before such a failure?
• Use BGInfo to Build a Database of System Information of Your Network Computers
  One of the more popular tools of the Sysinternals suite among system administrators is BGInfo which tacks real-time system information to your desktop wallpaper when you first login. But a little known feature about this handy utility is the ability to have system information automatically saved to a SQL database or some other data file.

Random TinyHacker Links

• Nice IKEA Hacks
  A nice collection of hacks related to IKEA furniture.
• Launch Apps On Android Quickly With GoLauncher
  If you own an Android phone, try out this cool app launcher to save time while dealing with numerous apps.
• Loan or Borrow Kindle/Nook Books With LendInk
  A new service that lets you loan or borrow books on Kindle or Nook reader.
• Pollution Around the World
  An interesting infographic showing the most polluted places in the world.

Super User Questions

Here are some of this past week’s most popular questions from Super User.

• Linux Bitlocker equivalent.
• Are there any other Linux distros (apart from Ubuntu) which allow you to install ‘on’ Windows?
• Best way to get data off a computer with no support for USB or Ethernet?
• Why is my laptop favoring the wireless connection over my LAN connection?
• How to discharge static electricity before opening a computer?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Enjoy looking through our five hottest articles from this past week.

• How To Process Camera Raw Without Paying for Adobe Photoshop
• How To Create Your Own Custom ASCII Art from Any Image
• How to Print from Gmail on Your Android or iPhone Using Cloud Print
• The How-To Geek Video Guide to Using Windows 7 Speech Recognition
• How to Customize Your Mac OS X Boot Logo

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

We have more retro geeky goodness to share with you this week to help fill out your reading for the weekend.

• Learning Windows 7: Manage Power Settings
• Make Aero Enabled Windows Run More Smoothly in Vista and Windows 7
• Disable the Annoying “This device can perform faster” Balloon Message in Windows 7
• Add or Remove Apps from the Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010 Suite
• Make Backspace in Windows 7 or Vista Explorer Go Up like XP Did

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• Dealing With Computers Should Require Anger Management
• The Most Important Person Is the One that Keeps Your PC Running
• Here’s What Would Happen if Computers Made Our Food

The Geek Note

That is all we have for you in this week’s post. We hope that you enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a good week at work! Remember to keep those great tips coming in to us at tips@howtogeek.com.

Photo by Cali2Okie (April).