The Road to Know Where

Today - The Department of Homeland Security issued a Press Release telling you to update your Microsoft Windows NOW!

"The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is recommending that Windows Operating Systems users apply Microsoft security patch MS06-040 as quickly as possible. This security patch is designed to protect against a vulnerability that, if exploited, could enable an attacker to remotely take control of an affected system and install programs, view, change, or delete data, and create new accounts with full user rights.

 

Windows Operating Systems users are encouraged to avoid delay in applying this security patch. Attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems routinely occur within 24 hours of the release of a security patch. This vulnerability could impact government systems, private industry and critical infrastructure, as well as individual and home users."

 

DOWNLOAD HERE:

 

• Enterprise Users: Download & Apply Security Patch MS06-040
  
  
• Home Users:  Go to Windows Update and select “express” to install critical security updates (including MS06-040)

Parallels Desktop Features:

 

• Unmatched Ease of Use - Parallels Desktop for Mac is easy to download, install and use. Download the program and install it with a single click. Build a virtual machine in seconds using helpful wizards. Configure virtual machines on the fly using a simple, web-inspired interface.
  
  
• Run any OS at the Same Time as Mac OS X - Use any full version of Windows (3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT, XP, 2003), any Linux distribution, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2, eComStation, or MS-DOS in secure virtual machines running alongside – not instead of - Mac OS X.
  
  
• Build virtual machines that work exactly like stand-alone Windows computers - Use applications, access the internet, and work with any piece of hardware just like you would on a real computer, without the hassle of shutting down or booting up OSes or switching between terminals.
  
  
• Easily share files and folders between Windows and Mac OS X - Using the Parallels Shared Folders tool, you can easily share documents and folders, or cut and paste data, between any Windows XP, 2003 or 2000 virtual machine and your Mac OS X machine. No networking or complicated set up required!
  
  
• Optimize virtual machine performance and save storage space with built-in Parallels Compressor technology - Parallels Desktop for Mac includes Parallels Compressor, a powerful built in tool that can improve virtual machine performance and conserve hard drive space by reducing the size of virtual hard disk images by 50% or more.

 

--> Download the Latest Mac Beta Here <--

Additional Support Resources:

 

• Parallels Desktop User Guide (PDF - 3,91Mb)
  
  
• Parallels Desktop Quick Start Guide (PDF - 686kb)
  
  
• Frequently Asked Questions
  
  
• Online Support & Feedback

• Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.2.6 Update - This update fixes vulnerabilities in Office 2004 that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code. (Prerequisite: Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.2.5 Update)

--> Download Microsoft Office 2004 Update Here <--

• Microsoft Office v. X for Mac Security Update - This update fixes product vulnerabilities in Office v. X that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code. (Prerequisite: Microsoft Office v.X for Mac 10.1.7 Update)

--> Download Microsoft Office v. X for Mac Update Here <--

After Setting up a New Dell Computer for a friend – I thought I’d document all of the software needed to be first uninstalled!

1. AOL - Removed (Required Restart)
2. Adobe Acrobat 6.02 – replaced with current secure version 7 (Required Restart)
3. CorelPhoto Album – Removed (the Dell was specifically ordered without WordPerfect Suite)
4. Dell Game Console (Advertisements) – Removed (lame redundant toolbar)
5. Dell Games, Music & Photo Launcher – Removed (lame redundant toolbar)
6. Dell Document & Support Launcher – Removed (lame redundant toolbar)
7. Dell EducateU (Support Advertisement) – Removed
8. Dell Support 3.1 (Support Advertisement) – Removed
9. Digital Content Portal (Dell Advertisement) – Removed
10. EarthLink (ISP Advertisement) – Removed
11. ESPNMotion (Advertisement) – Removed
12. Get High Speed Internet (ISP Advertisement) – Removed
13. Google Desktop – Removed (Forced Question Asking “Why?”)
14. Google Toolbar – Removed
15. Internet Service Offers Launcher (Advertisements) – Removed
16. Intel Matrix Storage Manager – Replaced with current version 6 (the provided version was incompatible!)
17. Java 2.1 – removed & replaced with current secure version 5 (Required Two Restarts)
18. Learn2Player (Training Advertisement) – removed (Required Restart)
19. McAfee Trial – Removed (the Dell was specifically ordered without McAfee)
20. Microsoft Windows – 34 High Priority Updates (Required Two Restarts)
21. MusicMatch Jukebox – Removed
22. MusicMatch for WIndows MediaPlayer – Removed
23. NetZero Installer (ISP Advertisement) – Removed
24. Otto – I’ll never know  . . . when I click on Change/Remove to see what it was – it “removed” itself *poof*
25. QuickTime 6.5 – replaced with current version 7 (Required Restart)
26. RealPlayer 8 – replaced with current version 10 (Required Restart)
27. Roxio 2.4 CD/DVD Authoring – required various updates
28. WebCyberCoach 3.2 (Dell Advertisement) – Removed
29. WordPerfect Office 12 – Removed (the Dell was specifically ordered without WordPerfect Suite)

My Final Opinion? While this Dell was brand new, and configured without the software mentied above -- the setup process took a great deal of time. After changing or removing 29 programs, applying 34 Windows Updates, and rebooted the comptuer 9 times I can only come to the conclustions that the Macintosh advertisements ARE indeed correct when they say:

"There’s WAY too much crap software preinstalled on these Windows computers!"

"It finally happened: WEP is dead. A paper recently published by Andreas Bittau, Mark Henley (both researching at the University College of London) and Joshua Lackey (Microsoft) describes a new, devastating attack. (Download: Research Paper)

 

Basically it is so efficient it renders WEP useless. Totally useless.

 

The method described in the paper breaks WEP in seconds. That said, mechanisms like EAP, changing WEP keys every few minutes, are useless as well. To proof their point, Andreas Bittau published a tool called "wesside". The paper claims it can break most WEP keys in seconds. (Download: Source Code using Atheros WLAN card)"