This week we learned how to change window transparency in Windows 7 with a hotkey, backup web-based email accounts using Thunderbird, “temporarily halt autorun, enable Android’s power control, & securely wipe CDs/DVDs”, “block text messages, prioritize Wi-Fi connections, & revitalize a Windows 6 phone”, learned what Bitcoin the virtual digital currency is, and more.

Photo by Jessica Lucia.

Weekly News Links

Photo by Sophos.

• Mac OS X Trojan catches Sophos’ eye
  A new Trojan has cropped up and it’s targeting Mac OS X users, one security firm says. According to Sophos, the Trojan, called “BlackHole RAT” by its author and “MusMinim” by the security firm, is a variant of the Remote Access Trojan on Windows. The author of the Trojan says the malware is not yet completed, but it already does some annoying things.
• First Patch for Windows 7 SP1 RTM Will Fix Critical Vulnerability
  In less than a month after the general availability deadline of Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Microsoft is preparing to release the first update designed to resolve a Critical security vulnerability in the upgraded copies of Windows Vista’s successor.
• Microsoft to fix four holes in Windows, Office
  Contrary to last month when Microsoft plugged 22 holes on Patch Tuesday, only four holes will be fixed in the company’s monthly security update roundup next week.
• Reports: Google yanks infected Android apps
  Google apparently has used a kill switch to remove 21 malware-infected apps from both its Android Market and from people’s Android devices.
• ‘Trojanised’ Steamy Window targets Android phones
  Symantec has identified a botnet-building Android Trojan that hackers can use to send out text messages from a compromised smartphone.
• Crackers destroy security mailing list for Linux distributors
  The infrastructure of the members-only security mailing list “Vendor-Sec” for open source vendors has been severely damaged according to a post published by Markus Meissner at the OSS Security mailing list.
• WordPress hit by massive DDoS attack
  On Thursday 3 March WordPress.com, the world’s largest blogging host, was subject to a massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, the largest that it has ever experienced.
• WordPress hit with second big attack in two days
  The popular blogging-site hoster WordPress was hit with another distributed denial-of-service attack Friday morning, the second in two days.
• Ubuntu Security: Holes Found, Holes Fixed
  Over 30 vulnerabilities which would allow remote and local exploits were reported and fixed in the Linux Ubuntu 10.04 Long Term Support (LTS) kernel.
• Google flags London Stock Exchange site for malware
  Google has temporarily flagged up the London Stock Exchange’s website as a malware danger, due to a third-party advertiser on that site hosting malicious software.
• Facebook plans to resume address, phone sharing
  Despite congressional criticism, Facebook is planning to resume the aborted rollout of a feature that allowed the optional sharing of addresses and mobile phone numbers.
• Justice Department investigates Web video group
  The corporate wrangling over Web video standards, already a technically and legally complex matter, is getting a lot more complicated with the arrival of a Justice Department antitrust investigation.
• Google and Microsoft team up to battle geotagging patent troll
  Though normally seen as rivals, Microsoft and Google have joined forces to sue a patent troll, Texas company GeoTag Inc., and have its patent invalidated. Since July last year, GeoTag has sued at least 397 different companies, including Boeing, Pizza Hut, and Rolex, claiming patent infringement.
• WebGL 1.0 is done. Where’s Microsoft?
  Brace yourself for the 3D Web. At least, if you use Firefox, Chrome, Opera, or Safari. Those are the browsers that support–though sometimes only in developer-preview editions–a technology called WebGL.
• Ubuntu Reinvents the Scrollbar
  One of the main overarching goals of Ubuntu, in the UI design department, is to simplify and remove, as much as possible, the interface to make room for the actual content, the stuff users care about. For the past few releases, several changes were implemented with this aim. The latest element to get a complete makeover is the venerable scrollbar.

Random TinyHacker Links

Photo by 7 Tutorials.

• Why You Should NOT Turn Off UAC in Windows 7/Vista
  A pretty old but great article about UAC (User Account Control). It explains how this feature of Windows 7 & Windows Vista really works, its benefits and why you should never turn it off.
• Want to Build Your Own Wireless Home Network?
  There’s a book on the market about building small wireless networks for your own home. Check out the review on it by 7 Tutorials.
• Get Chrome’s Pin Tab in Firefox
  Heart the pin tab feature in Chrome? Want it in Firefox too? This guide explains how to get that.
• 60 Years of Operating Systems via MUO
  An interesting infographic detailing 60 years of operating system history.
• Know When Your Facebook Friends Break Up
  An interesting service that lets you know when your Facebook friends break up.

Sysadmin Geek Tips

Photo by renjith krishnan.

• How to Setup Network Link aggregation (802.3ad) on Ubuntu
  Do you need to pump large amounts of data to a multitude of clients simultaneously, while only using a single IP address? By using “link aggregation” we can join several separate network cards on the system into one humongous NIC.

Super User Questions

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

• gzip without tar? Why are they used together?
• DreamSpark is really giving me free software?
• How to change Windows 7 Edition from Ultimate to Ultimate N?
• Internet addicted, need software to control my usage and block access
• How can I read a reel-to-reel tape from the 1970s?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

Get caught up on your HTG reading with our most popular posts from this past week.

• Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name?
• Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET
• What You Said: Malware Fighting Tips and Tricks
• Ask The Readers: What Are Your Best Malware Fighting Tricks?
• How to Clean Up and Fix Your Music Library with the MusicBrainz Database

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

In case you missed them earlier here are our ten hottest ETC posts from this past week.

• Hack Apart a Highlighter to Create UV-Reactive Flowers [Science]
• Watch a Machine Get Upgraded from MS-DOS to Windows 7 [Video]
• The Likability of Angry Birds [Infographic]
• Don’t Sleep Keeps Your Windows Machine Awake
• The History Of Operating Systems [Infographic]
• TV Antenna Helper Makes HDTV Antenna Calibration a Snap
• Super-Charge GIMP’s Image Editing Capabilities with G’MIC [Cross-Platform]
• Early Morning Sunrise at the Beach Wallpaper
• Field of Poppies Wallpaper
• The Open Road Awaits [Wallpaper]

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

Enjoy looking through these great articles from one year ago.

• Play Your Favorite DOS Games in XP, Vista, and Windows 7
• Keep a Window on top with a handy AutoHotkey script
• Turn Non-Resizeable Windows into Resizeable Windows
• Multitask Like a Pro with AquaSnap
• Easily Add Facebook Chat to Pidgin

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• Interview Techniques that Don’t Work
• Another Way to Pay For the New iPad
• Spammers in Outer Space
• Virus Miracles
• If Only I’d Thought of Facebook First