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| ABN 23 114 975 772 | newsletter@quarkgroup.com.au | www.quarkgroup.com.au | issue 15 | december 2005 |
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Update Zone |
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The Latest Crimeware Information |
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What's wrong with being sober? As the "silly season" approaches and we all look forward to taking a well earned break and getting rather tipsy on Aunty Beryl's very, very rum balls, we need to keep an eye out for those around us who are still sober and help them recover from this unfortunate condition. We also need to keep a close eye out for the latest rash of Sober.Y worms that have been infiltrating the Internet, spreading via those poor, unfortunate souls who are using an inferior (if any) antivirus product. Of course, our clients running a properly maintained NOD32 antivirus have not suffered any ill effects from this worm at all. Like its previous incarnations, Sober.Y will scour an infected computer for email addresses contained in a number of files (such as Word, Excel and text documents, email stores and Access databases) and then use these email addresses as targets for sending infected emails. If you see an email from the CIA, about Paris Hilton, something claiming that an email couldn't be delivered because of an SMTP_Error or something claiming that an account and password are attached then this is likely a copy of the Sober.Y worm. If you are running NOD32, you will notice that the malicious attachment has been replaced with a text file explaining that a virus has been deleted before it got to you. Sober.Y is quite sophisticated, as far as malicious code written by criminals goes. It not only has a list of email addresses it won't send to, but it also looks to ensure your system time is correct by synchronising it with various Internet-based time servers to ensure that it operates in a virtual environment and that an active Internet connection is available for its use. |
In addition to this, Sober.Y will patch some low-level operating system files to allow it to infect computers with a greater efficiency. It also creates a number of files with names very similar to standard Windows services to cause the casual observer to overlook its malicious files. It then locks the files it is using so that nothing can (easily) remove its files. As I said, it is rather clever (and you can read that as difficult to detect and remove properly). Basically, this is one worm you *really* don't want to get infected by. NOD32 has detected this before it was released due to its heuristics engine that can look at what a piece of computer code is doing and determine if it is legitimate or malicious. NOD32 currently leads the antivirus market with regard to the likelihood to detect and clean viruses and worms (and, after all, what else really matters?) and this shows with NOD32's 35 VB100% Awards from Virus Bulletin, a highly regarded independent antivirus test site. If you have any friends or colleagues that have been infected by this latest Sober.Y worm, please contact Quark IT and we will gladly evaluate their network and data protection needs. |
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Licensing: Version Upgrades |
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Version Upgrades vs Crossgrades Let's clear some terminology up right at the start of this. If you have bought, say, Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition and want to upgrade it to Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Edition, then this would be a version upgrade. If you had previously purchased Microsoft Works Suite 2000 and wanted to upgrade it to Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Edition, then this would be a crossgrade - you are not just upgrading a software version, but crossing over from one application to another, different one. The same situation can apply equally to operating systems as well as applications. Version Upgrade Policies You will generally find that the vast majority of manufacturers will allow you to upgrade from a full packaged product, a previous version upgrade, a previous crossgrade or even an OEM License to a later version by purchasing a version upgrade. Sometimes, however, this is not the case and unfortunately the software manufacturers seem to change these conditions at random. The best way to ensure that your version upgrade is legally valid is to check the full terms and conditions as well as the pre-qualifying products before purchasing any version upgrades. Crossgrades Many manufacturers are willing to reduce the up front price of their latest version of an application or operating system if you already own a competitor's product. For example, Symantec offers a special crossgrade pricing if you want to move to their Symantec AntiVirus Enterprise Edition license - though I have no idea why you'd want to run Symantec AntiVirus. Nope, I never said I wasn't biased against a product with poor performance. |
OEM License Upgrades As I mentioned last month and also a little earlier in this article, you can often upgrade from an OEM License (such as Windows 98 SE OEM) to a later product by purchasing a version upgrade, say to Windows XP Professional. You will need to be fully aware that the OEM License limitations are carried through to your upgrade if you do this - the OEM License is locked to the hardware on which it was originally sold, as is the Upgrade License. If you want to replace the computer and keep using the Upgrade License, you cannot do this by using the Windows 98 SE OEM License you originally bought for another computer and you'd need to purchase a Windows XP OEM License for the new computer. Upgrades to OEM applications, such as an earlier OEM version of Office can sometimes be transferred to a new computer if the new computer comes with an OEM License of, say, Works Suite (as it is a pre-qualifying product to an Office 2003 Professional Upgrade). Aargh!!! Yes, I agree. Licensing is not the easiest of concepts to get your head around, and this is mainly because of the number of different Licensing schemes employed by a number of different manufacturers. Licensing agreements are like standards - they are great because everyone can have their own. If you have any concerns about the number or type of Software Licenses that you have purchased, please contact Quark IT and we can assist you to determine if you are correctly and adequately licensed. |
Xbox 360 - Much More Than Just A Toy |
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Xbox, the sequel  Continuing our Windows Media Centre Series, we introduce the concept of the Media Centre Extender. You may be wondering what a Media Centre Extender is and I'm so glad you asked!  To put it simply it lets you extend the Windows XP Media Centre experience to a different location from where the Media Centre PC is. For example in a high end dedicated home theatre environment you would most likely have all of your equipment housed in a rack, in a cupboard or in the basement. A Media Centre Extender could be installed in the master bedroom and used to access all of your music, movies, pictures, DTV and any other digital media. This would all be done using the same user-friendly interface that we have all come to love from Windows XP Media Centre Edition. You might be thinking that this all sounds too good to be true, unfortunately (for now) you would be right. For reasons beyond our comprehension, Microsoft and its hardware manufacturing partners chose to only make 1st generation Media Centre Extenders available in North America. Fortunately there is a light at the end of the tunnel... all this will change in March 2006 with the Australian launch of the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 is not only the most powerful gaming console to date BUT it also unlocks the full potential of a Windows XP Media Centre Edition PC for use in a truly multi-zone environment. For some technical information please see the "Technical Overview" at the end of this article. With the Xbox 360 you get a 2nd generation Media Centre Extender device that can be accessed using the standard Microsoft MCE remote controller or the Xbox 360's own wireless gamepad. The other main advantage of the Xbox 360 over the standard run of the mill MCE extenders is, that it delivers a true high definition gaming experienced that rivals even the fastest PCs and all of this is done in true 16x9 widescreen and 5.1 channel surround sound. Up to 5 MCE extenders can be connected to an MCE PC at any one time with all independently able to access any available media. This will make the Xbox 360, when it becomes available, the ideal component not only for the gamers out there but for true home theatre enthusiasts alike. For more information on how a Windows XP Media Centre Edition PC coupled with an Xbox 360 could benefit your home theatre experience, please don't hesitate to contact Quark AudioVisual or, for a truly integrated digital lifestyle system, please contact Quark Automation. |
 Xbox 360 Technical Overview For the propeller heads out there, here's the Xbox 360 specs. If you don't understand some of this stuff, I suggest you ask your kids. :)
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Christmas Lights |
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We have all seen those houses with a string of lights draped around the front door and they think that this is getting into the Christmas spirit. Lame! Then we've seen those houses who drape their front porch and the tree in the front yard with blinking lights. Not as lame, but still not really that impressive. Well, not these days. Now, here's what Christmas Lighting Lunacy is all about! If you really want to go nuts at Christmas time and join in the long established tradition of getting one up on your neighbours, then what you need is a kit from either Animated Lighting or Light-O-Rama and a lot of spare time. |
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Signing off |
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That's it for both our December, 2005 Quark Group Newsletter and also for the year that was 2005. We trust that you had a good year and that you'll have at least an equally prosperous and - more importantly - enjoyable 2006. Please remember that both safety and security are moving goals - you will never, ever achieve total safety nor total security but you have to keep working to ensure that you are both as safe and as secure as you can be. Security is a Risk Management procedure. We have enjoyed working with you this past year, maintaining your networks, installing and programming your home theatre systems, designing and implementing your home and office security systems, designing and implementing your automation systems, and everything else we do in between. We enjoy our work and we enjoy working with those of you we are proud to call our clients and friends. The Quark Group Pty Ltd extends its warmest wishes for you and yours during this holiday season and hopes to see you back rested, healthy and happy in 2006. If you know anyone else who would like to receive this Newsletter, please feel free to forward this edition to them and also ask them to email us asking to subscribe. Please contact us if you would like Quark Group to assist you in ensuring that your home as well as your office computing environment is as functional as it can be. | |
