HCS’s and Gen’s Place

F-Secure: News from the Lab

The Inquirer’s post

Please DO NOT USE Windows media player right now. Also do not surf via ANY browser to any sites that are not known to be safe. This includes Outlook since quite a few e-mails are sent HTML. Do not double-click any e-mails in Outlook until this security issue is patched. Also you can get infected via a dos prompt or by simply using windows explorer to browse your hard disks.

*edit* An unofficial patch has been issued to fix this problem. Download it here. This is only for windows 2000, windows XP, and windows 2003. Windows NT, ME, 98, and 95 users are out of luck. No fix will be coming. Time to upgrade to XP or server 2003.

*update* microsoft has released their patch. run windows update to get it.

*update2* Leo Laporte and Stever Gibson talk with Ilfak Guilanov the producer of the unofficial patch for the WMf flaw. It’s a great listen.

Map Database Upgrade

Well this is almost nuts..:) My clan has just upgraded their maps database to 8000 maps. Right now with 3400 mpas a maps listing can take 30 seconds. It should be interesting to see how long it takes for 8000 maps rofl!

A growing number of fellow conservative blogs are buying the adminstrations constant assertions that the Patriot Act is alone responsible for stopping another terrorist attack. Unfortunatly the loudness of the conservative blogs is growing, along with the post i am using to track it. Frankly, I think my fellow conservatives are totally wrong on this one.

“Analog hole” legislation introduced

This will instantly criminalize me as i will use whatever i have to do use the content in ways i wish to. i will not share it illegally with other folks but telling me that i cannot timeshift, record, save, or whatnot while inside my home..well..to heck with them.

FOXNews.com - Politics - Congress Taking Action in Weekend Session
A fresh controversy flared when House Republicans, in a move designed to hinder Democratic-aligned political groups, pressed a last-minute bid to pass legislation limiting individual donations to independent groups.

Now then..where’s Congress’s concern for our Constitutional rights?

At Stake: The Net as We Know It
BellSouth, for one, wants to guarantee that an Internet-TV viewer doesn’t experience annoying millisecond delays during the Super Bowl because his teenage daughter is downloading music files in another room.

this is not a problem caused by google or other websites. This is caused by sharing your internet connection at the end user. This is simply a money grab by ISP’s and large corporations, nothing more, nothing less.

Well,

Emmanuel Computer Consutling just recieved it’s first BIG contract. Mind you this is a volunteer one but still it’s big. The total cost is $15,000 is hardware and software. The scope is to take the entire facility of approximatly 25 machines and one server and relicense the facilty. The clients are a mix of xp, 2k, and 9x with the server 2k advanced server. The reson for this massive overhaul is record keeping was not properly done so proof of licensing is unattainable. Keep me in your prayers as i begin to migrate the entire network over to the standrd configuration of:
Windows Server 2003 Small Business Edition
Windows XP Professional
Diskkeeper pro
Trend Anti-virus
Other accouting packages.

I am intentionally leaving out details to protect the client’s privacy and security. I have already install a linux firewall machine to protect the network. Keep an eye on this post for updates.

*UPDATE*

Well politics have come into play..kinda. The Board of Directors wants justificaton for every machine and staff employee. Of course they had to ask for this AFTER they approved the expenditure..:) However it appears we will be able to standardie on one accounting package instead of two. I am having to also add VPN access so i can remotely administer the network..:) Next up, the yearly budget for IT Services.