Downadup
Largest Worm Infection Since 2001 Hits Corporate Networks

Westelcom Alerts
Please read!

Ask The Help Desk
What Should I Do When My Computer Screen Freezes Up?

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In February

Short Tutorial
Setting Up AutoComplete In Your Browser

Valued Westelcom Customers

The month of February can be especially cold in many parts of the U.S. In that spirit, this issue includes information to help all of us (regardless of local weather) hang onto more of our cold cash. We begin with a report on the Downadup worm that's spreading rapidly through corporate networks and affecting millions of PCs. Also in this issue, you'll find Great Sites containing money-saving tools for refinancing your mortgage, planning a budget vacation, and avoiding fake check scams. Speaking of cold, don't miss the Help Desk advice on what to do when your computer screen freezes. And we've also included a short tutorial on how to save time by setting up AutoComplete on your browser.

The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. We think you'll find this information interesting. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click here.

To see what's inside this issue, simply scroll down the eNewsletter or click on the links within the index to the left. Thanks for reading!

- The Westelcom Internet Team
 

Downadup - Largest Worm Infection Since 2001 Hits Corporate Networks

A sneaky, fast-spreading computer worm known as Downadup (or Conficker or Kido) is exploiting a security hole in Microsoft Windows to infect millions of PCs in mainly corporate networks. It is considered the largest and most serious corporate virus outbreak since Nimda unleashed its fury in 2001. It appears Downadup may have been created to generate income for people who get paid to install rogue antivirus software called "scareware."

The worm can spread three ways:

• It attacks a vulnerability in the Microsoft Server service. Computers without the latest Microsoft security patch can be remotely attacked and taken over.
• It can scan company networks and attempt to guess passwords.
• It can infect USB data sticks (also known as thumb drives). While almost all of the Downadup occurrences have involved corporate networks, it is possible for a home computer to be infected by the user's corporate PC via the connection of a thumb drive.

Microsoft released a patch to stop the Downadup worm in October 2008 called MS08-067. To download this patch, visit:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx

In January 2009, the high number of Downadup infections led Microsoft to enable its anti-malware utility, Microsoft Software Removal Tool (MSRT), to detect the worm. This optional component is updated monthly and can scan for and remove some of the most prevalent threats in circulation today. For details, go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

As always, we recommend you use antispam and antivirus software, install a firewall, and keep operating system and browser software updated.

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Westelcom Annoucements!

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Ask The Help Desk - What Should I Do When My Computer Screen Freezes Up?

Question: Sometimes when I'm working on my computer, the screen just freezes up and I'm not sure why. What should I do?

Answer: Some common causes of a screen freeze are:

• Your computer is using up every bit of its RAM (random access memory) at that point in time
• Running multiple applications simultaneously
• A computer virus

For a Vista PC, restart your computer by simultaneously pressing the "Control" (ctrl), "Alt" (alt), and "Delete" (delete) keys. This is called a warm boot. Pressing this key combination on a Windows Vista PC will bring up a screen containing five functions to choose from. Scroll down to the "Start Task Manager" option. When the Windows Task Manager window opens, click on the "Applications" tab to see what applications are currently running. Highlight the applications and click on the "End Task" button. If quitting the frozen application does not unfreeze the screen, you will need to repeat the process. Close the Windows Task Manager screen and press the "Control" (ctrl), "Alt" (alt), and "Delete" (delete) keys again. This time when the screen appears containing the five functions, look in the lower right corner and you will see a red button that looks like a "power" key. You can shut down the computer by pressing it, or if you click on the triangle next to it, you will see a pop-up menu that lists other options including "Restart," "Sleep," "Hibernate," and "Shut Down."

If this fails, perform a cold or hard reboot, which is turning the computer's power off and then on. To complete this operation, press and hold the "power" button until the computer shuts off (usually about five seconds). Wait a minimum of five seconds before turning the computer back on.

For a Windows XP PC, restart your computer by simultaneously pressing the "Control" (ctrl), "Alt" (alt), and "Delete" (delete) keys. This will bring up the Windows Task Manager window. Click on the "Applications" tab to see what applications are currently running. Highlight the applications and click on the "End Task" button. If this fails to unfreeze the screen, click on the Shut Down Menu and select "Restart" to restart the computer. If this fails, you will need to perform a cold or hard reboot by following the instructions in the paragraph above.

For a Mac, the first step is to force quit frozen applications by simultaneously pressing the "option" (alt), "command" (apple), and "escape" (esc) keys. When the Force Quit Applications window opens, highlight the applications you want to quit and select the "Force Quit" button. A pop-up box will appear asking if you want to force the selected application(s) to quit; click the "Force Quit" button. If this doesn't work, simultaneously press the "control," "command," and "power" keys to restart your computer. Your Mac should start up automatically after a brief delay. You can also shut down an unresponsive Mac by holding down the "power" key for a few seconds. Wait a minimum of five seconds before turning the computer back on.

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Sites Of The Month - Great Sites To Check Out In February

To Refi or Not To Refi?
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/calc_vml/refi/refi.asp - With the current economic crisis, you may be wondering what, if anything, you should be doing differently with your finances. Should you sell stocks? Put off retirement? Pay down debt? If refinancing your mortgage is a move you're considering, use the “Should You Refinance Your Mortgage Calculator” on this site. By entering basic information, you'll find out your new monthly payment, monthly savings, difference in interest, total cost, and months to recoup costs.

Cute Overload
http://www.cuteoverload.com - Here is one place you can go for a guaranteed smile in stressful times. Photos and videos of adorable animals are posted, along with cute comments from submitters and viewers. The site allows you to find your favorite kind of cuteness by searching categories. In addition to checking out the photos, you can browse for cute products, find a cute pet, get a daily cute e-newsletter, and submit your own cute shots.

Trip Advisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ - Recommendations from friends always help when traveling. But what if your friends haven't been where you're going? This website offers millions of reviews from travelers who have visited a wide selection of destinations worldwide. Get information on hotels, attractions, and restaurants; get suggestions for your next trip; or look for bargain travel ideas.

Coming Soon
http://www.film-releases.com/film-release-schedule-2009.php - Winter is the perfect time for indoor entertainment, and many movies (both big screen and DVD) will be released in the coming weeks to provide it. This site lists release dates chronologically, or you can search for the film you've been dying to see by title, actor, or genre. Click on film titles to get summaries, cast and director information, and other details. The site also allows you to download movies to view on your computer, TV, or portable player.

Jam the Scam
http://www.fakechecks.org/about.html - This site educates visitors about fake check scams that require you to wire money to the scammer after depositing a bad check into your bank account. The site's main message: You are responsible for the missing funds! Take the Fraud Tests to find out if you are susceptible to being a victim of these scams, watch the Fake Out and victim videos to learn more, and review the prevention information to find out how to avoid these costly mistakes.

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Short Tutorial - Setting Up AutoComplete In Your Browser

The AutoComplete (or AutoFill) feature of a browser is designed to streamline the process of Web searches as well as make it faster and easier to fill out online forms. In the case of Web searches, this feature provides a drop-down list of suggestions for websites when you begin typing a URL into the Address bar. AutoComplete can also automatically complete information such as your name and address when you begin to enter them on forms for website registration or online purchases. You can customize the AutoComplete settings on your browser or turn them off completely by following these steps:

Setting Up AutoComplete When Using ...
- Web Browser: Internet Explorer 7
- Computer Operating System: Windows XP and Windows Vista

1.      With Internet Explorer open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" in the menu bar. Select "Internet Options" from the resulting drop-down menu.

2.      When the Internet Options window opens, choose the "Content" tab.

3.      Under the "AutoComplete" section, select the "Settings" button.

4.      The AutoComplete Settings window will open. Select the check boxes for the AutoComplete options you want to use under the "Use AutoComplete for" section.

5.      Click the "OK" button in both windows to save your changes and close each window.

Setting Up AutoComplete When Using ...
- Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 3.0
- Computer Operating System: Windows XP and Windows Vista

1.      With Mozilla Firefox open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" in the menu bar. Select "Options..." from the resulting drop-down menu.

2.      When the Options window opens, choose the "Privacy" tab.

3.      Under the "History" section, click on the box next to "Remember what I enter in forms and the search bar."

4.      Click the "OK" button to save your changes and close the window.

Setting Up AutoComplete When Using ...
- Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 3.0
- Computer Operating System: Mac OS 10.4

1.      With Mozilla Firefox open, click your cursor arrow on "Firefox" in the menu bar. Select "Preferences..." from the resulting drop-down menu.

2.      When the Preferences window opens, choose the "Privacy" tab.

3.      Under the "History" section, click on the box next to "Remember what I enter in forms and the search bar."

4.      To accept and save your changes, click on the red circle in the upper left corner of the window to close it.

Setting Up AutoComplete When Using ...
- Web Browser: Safari
- Computer Operating System: Mac OS 10.4

1.      With Safari open, click your cursor arrow on "Safari" in the menu bar. Select "Preferences..." from the resulting drop-down menu.

2.      When the Preferences window opens, choose the "AutoFill" tab.

3.      The AutoFill window will open. Select the check boxes for the options you want to use in the "AutoFill web forms:" section.

4.      Next to the option that you selected, click on the "Edit..." button. Here you can view or change your saved information.

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Best regards,

Westelcom




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©2009 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

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