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Millions of Avast users infected
THE BIGGEST BLUNDER IN HISTORY
Avast, one of the leading security software provider based on Prague with 75 million users on Thursay 3/12/2009 released a VPS update 091203-0 which started flagging hundreds of innocent files of high profile products like Adobe, sound card drivers and even other security programs like IObit Security 360 and Malwarebytes as a ‘ Win32:Delf-MZG ‘ Trojan or ‘ Win32:Zbot-MKK’.
However, the company managed to hide this issue from the main stream and at at 5:50 AM GMT , another VPS update 091203-1 was released, fixing the issue.
Hordes of users had their programs deleted and many of them had to format their PCs.
Many millions of users are still unaware that their files and programs were not really infected by a Trojan but by Avast itself.
Users are advised to update their defenitions as quickly as possible and visit http://support.avast.com
We at ‘Early Today’ were also affected
We are reinstalling Windows itself as a result
This is the biggest blunder in the history of security softwares
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Summit to address Islamic radicalism
WND
Attacks now facing authorities across widespread region
Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin,the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.
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The Taliban and al-Qaida long have been the reason for instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but neighboring nations in Central Asia now are facing increasing activities by radical Muslims, from Xinjiang province in China to the North Caucasus, according to a report fromJoseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
The uptick in Islamic militant terrorist and insurgency attacks throughout the regions of the North Caucasus and Central Asia has prompted an emergency meeting in Tajikistan where clashes between police and Islamic militants are on the rise.
The meeting to be held in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe is to include Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon, who is hosting the emergency terrorism summit.
In recent weeks, there has been increased unrest on Tajikistan’s southern border with Pakistan, particularly in the remote area of Rasht, close to the Afghan border.
Security experts believe the increased violence in Tajikistan is due to intensified efforts by Pakistan’s army against the Taliban and its supporters in the Afghan-Pakistan border area.
From Tajikistan, militants likely will renew attacks in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan. There have been numerous past militant attacks in Uzbekistan’s breadbasket and industrial center of the Fergana Valley and in the mountains that are only two hours from the Uzbek capital of Tashkent.
Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.
In the past, members of the group Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, or IMU, have staged in Tajikistan to launch attacks into Uzbekistan. It appears the IMU is regaining strength and is ready to resume its attacks. Tajik officials report that a senior IMU militant recently was killed.
The IMU actually is a coalition of Islamic militants from the Central Asian countries opposed to Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov. Regarded as a terrorist organization even by Russia, the IMU fought in the Tajikistan civil war from 1992 to 1997. After the war, the IMU moved into Afghanistan and joined forces with the Taliban.
The IMU’s last spectacular strike occurred in February 1999 when militants exploded five car and truck bombs almost simultaneously in Tashkent in an effort to kill Karimov, an old Soviet communist who was elected its first president after the fall of the Soviet Union. He has been Uzbekistan’s president ever since, running the secular Muslim country with an iron fist against militants.
For the complete report and full immediate access to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, subscribe now.
Clinton: U.S. Will Extend ‘Defense Umbrella’ Over Gulf if Iran Obtains Nuclear Weapons
FOX NEWS
Secretary of state warns Iran that the United States would extend a “defense umbrella” over its allies in the Persian Gulf if the Islamic Republic obtains a nuclear weapons capability.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Iran Wednesday that the United States would extend a “defense umbrella” over its allies in the Persian Gulf if the Islamic Republic obtains a nuclear weapons capability.
Appearing on a Thai TV program, Clinton said the U.S. would also take steps to “upgrade the defense” of America’s Gulf allies in such an event, a reference to stepped-up military aid to those countries.
Clinton’s reference to a U.S. “defense umbrella” over the Persian Gulf represented a potentially significant evolution in America’s global defense posture. Washington already explicitly maintains a “nuclear umbrella” over Asian allies like Japan and South Korea, but seldom, if ever, has any senior U.S. official publicly discussed the concept in relation to the Gulf.
The secretary’s remarks also suggested the course the Obama administration might pursue if, as many analysts predict, an unchecked Iran succeeds in obtaining a nuclear weapons capability before President Obama’s term expires — in effect, how the United States might live with a nuclear-armed Iran. Clinton’s comments evoked a vision of the U.S. countering such a threat by bolstering regional defenses and reminding Iran of the dangers of mutually assured destruction — but not by seeking regime change in Iran or by taking military action to destroy the country’s nuclear apparatus.
“We want Iran to calculate what I think is a fair assessment that if the United States extends a defense umbrella over the region, if we do even more to support the military capacity of those in the Gulf, it’s unlikely that Iran will be any stronger or safer because they won’t be able to intimidate and dominate as they apparently believe they can once they have a nuclear weapon,” Clinton said.
A senior aide to Clinton, speaking to reporters on background while the secretary’s traveling party flew from Bangkok to Phuket, said Clinton’s comments did not reflect her acceptance of a nuclear-armed Iran nor a literal accounting of what the U.S. would do if Tehran did acquire nuclear weapons.
Rather, the aide said, the secretary was only articulating what arguments the Obama administration makes to influence Iran’s calculus. The aide also said Clinton’s use of the term “defense umbrella” was not synonymous with the term “nuclear umbrella,” even though the context of her comments centered on Iran’s potential acquisition of nuclear weapons.
In Jerusalem, though, Dan Meridor, Israel’s Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy, told Army Radio: “I was not thrilled to hear the American statement from yesterday that they will protect their allies with a nuclear umbrella, as if they have already come to terms with a nuclear Iran. I think that’s a mistake.”
Asked about the Obama administration’s attempts to engage Iran, Clinton said she “had hoped we would get a positive response … but then their elections happened.” Clinton told her Thai TV interviewers there was “no doubt” that “irregularities” occurred in Iran’s disputed presidential election and that the regime then “brutally repressed” those citizens that protested the announced outcome.
Because of these events, the secretary said, the Iranian regime has been “preoccupied” and thus not responded to American overtures. “The nuclear clock is ticking,” she said, noting that Tehran has continued to pursue its nuclear programs and adding that the U.S. and its allies in the nuclear diplomacy surrounding Iran “will not keep the window open forever.” She repeated previous pledges to work to impose “crippling” sanctions if Iran does not halt its enrichment of uranium.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
HOW TO TWEAK YOUR PC
MORE THAN 100% INCREASE IN COMPUTER SPEED
There are simple steps to increase the speed of your PC….I have found these methods myself after trial and error methods.
STEP 1
FOLLOW THESE SEQUENCE
Click START, CONTROL PANEL, ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS,SERVICES…..Scroll down and right click on the following service names and click on properties and then change the startup typeto“Disable”
Here are the following service names
· ALERTER
· AUTOMATIC UPDATES ( IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED TO UPDATE YOUR WINDOWS)
· CLIPBOOK
· COMPUTER BROWSER ( ONLY IF YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT CONNECTED TO OTHER COMPUTERS )
· ERROR REPORTING
· EVENT LOG
· HTTP SSL
· INDEXING SERVICE
· HELP AND SUPPORT ( WHO NEEDS HELP)
· HUMAN INTERFACE DEVICE ACCESS
· NET MEETING REMOTE DESKTOP SHARING ( ONLY IF YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT CONNECTED TO OTHER COMPUTERS )
· MESSENGER (NO PROBLEM….THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YAHOO OR MSN)
· PRINT SPOOLER( ONLY IF YOU DON’T USE A PRINTER)
· REMOTE DESKTOP HELP SESSION MANAGER ( ONLY IF YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT CONNECTED TO OTHER COMPUTERS )
· REMOTE REGISTRY ( ONLY IF YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT CONNECTED TO OTHER COMPUTERS )
· REMOTE PROCEDURE CALL (RPC) LOCATOR
· ROUTING AND REMOTE ACCESS ( ONLY IF YOU DON’T HAVE WIRELESS INTERNET)
· SECURITY CENTER( ONLY IF YOU REMEMBER TO UPDATE YOUR ANTI VIRUS AND ANTI SPYWARE APPLICATIONS)
· SSDP DISCOVERY SERVICE ( ONLY IF YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT CONNECTED TO OTHER COMPUTERS )
· VOLUME SHADOW COPY
· WINDOWS IMAGE ACQUISITION (WIA) ( ONLY IF YOU DON’T USE A SCANNER OR CAMERAS)
· WINDOWS AUDIO ( ONLY IF YOU DON’T HAVE SOUND CARD)
· SMART CARD
· SERVER ( ONLY IF YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT CONNECTED TO OTHER COMPUTERS )
· WINDOWS ZERO CONFIGURATION ( ONLY IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANY WIRELESS CONNECTION)
· TASK SCHEDULER ( ONLY IF YOU DON’T SCHEDULE ANYTHING)
· TELNET( IF YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT CONNECTED TO OTHER COMPUTERS)
· UNIVERSAL PLUG AND PLAY( ONLY IF YOUR USB PORTS ARE FREE, YOU DON’T PLUG ANY THING IN)
· UNINTERPRETABLE POWER SUPPLY (UPS) Most computers don’t have ‘UPS’. Before disabling this service please check whether you have this or not. PLEASE CLICK ‘ START ‘, ‘CONTROL PANEL ‘,’ POWER OPTIONS’ , CLICK ‘ UPS ‘, IF ITS WRITTEN ‘UPS SERVICE IS CURRENTLY STOPPED’ OR ‘NOT WORKING’ OR ‘NO DEVICE’ THEN ONLY DISABLE THIS SERVICE
· WORKSTATION
STEP 2
FOLLOW THESE SEQUENCE
· Click ‘START’,
· ‘CONTROL PANEL’,
· ‘SYSTEM’,
· ‘ADVANCED’,
· UNDER ‘PERFORMANCE’(WRITTEN IN BLUE), CLICK ‘SETTINGS’,
· CLICK ON ‘ADVANCED’,UNDER ‘VIRTUAL MEMORY’(WRITTEN IN BLUE),
· CLICK ON ‘CHANGE’ SELECT ‘CUSTOM SIZE’,
· INSERT 800 MB AS THE ‘INITIAL SIZE’ AND 900MB AS THE ‘MAXIMUM SIZE’,
· CLICK ON ‘SET’,
· CLICK OK, OK AND OK
STEP 3
FOLLOW THESE SEQUENCE
If you don’t use the floppy drive then you must consider disabling it.
· Click ‘START’,
· ‘CONTROL PANEL’,
· ‘SYSTEM’,
· ‘HARDWARE’,
· ‘DEVICE MANGER’,
· EXPAND FLOPPY DRIVE CONTROLLER,
· RIGHT CLICK STANDARD FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER
· CLICK DISABLE.
You must consider removing the computer frame and manually removing the power and data connections from the floppy drive.
STEP 4
· Click ‘START’,
· ‘RUN’,
· ENTER msconfig.exe and click ‘ok’.
· Click ‘SERVICES’,
· UNDER THAT UNTICK IMAPI CD-BURNING COM SERVICE (ONLY IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CD WRITER),
· UNTICK NETMEETING REMOTE DESKTOP SERVER ( ONLY IF YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT CONNECTED TO OTHER
COMPUTERS),
· UNTICK SMART CARD, UNTICK SYSTEM RESTORE SERVICE (ONLY IF DON’T USE SYSTEM RESTORE),
· UNTICK WINDOWS IMAGE ACQUISITION (WIA) (ONLY IF YOU DON’T USE A SCANNER OR A WEB CAM),
· UNTICK INDEXING SERVICE. THEN CLICK APPLY.
1. CLICK ON ‘START UP’ NEXT TO ‘SERVICES’.
2. UNTICK SERVICES OF SOFTWARE’S YOU DON’T USE NOW LIKE APPLE UPDATER, GOOGLE UPDATER, OR THAT OF SOFTWARE’S THAT YOU MANUALLY START UP LIKE YAHOO MESSENGER, GOOGLE TALK, MSN, ETC.
THIS WILL INCREASE YOUR START UP SPEED OF YOUR COMPUTER
STEP 5
MAINTAING YOUR PC
· Please install essential applications like Ccleaner (www.ccleaner.com) to clean up your system and the registry. Run clean up every month of your system and registry.
· Also ensure to defragrament your drives. CLICK START, PROGRAMS,ACCESSORIES, SYSTEM TOOLS, DISK DEFRAGAMENTOR, CLICK DEFRAGAMENT IN THE DISK DEFRAGAMENTOR PROGRAM….PLEASE DON’T SHUT DOWN YOUR COMPUTER WHEN ITS RUNNING…IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN 30 MINUTES DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF YOUR HARD DRIVE. SO BE PATIENT AND DON’T GO BUST.PLEASE DEFRAGEMENT YOUR COMPUTER ONCE IN 3 MONTHS. THIS WILL ENSURE THE SPEED OF ACCESSING FILES DRAMATICALLY.
· PLEASE RUN A FULL SYSTEM SCAN OF YOUR COMPUTER WITH YOUR SECURITY SOFTWARE BOTH ANTI-VIRUS AND ANTI-SPYWARE ONCE IN 3 MONTHS. AND ACTIVATE ITS RESIDENT SHIELD OR LIVE SCANNER TO PREVENT INTRUSION BEFORE IT HAPPENS. REGURALLY UPDATE YOUR SECURITY APPS
· CHECK DISK FOR ERRORS ONCE IN A BLUE MOON. BY DOUBLE CLICKING MY COMPUTER, RIGHT CLICK THE HARD DISK DRIVES, CLICK PROPERTIES, CLICK TOOLS AND UNDER ERROR CHECKING CLICK CHECK NOW. TICK THE TWO OPTION OF FIXING THE ERRORS AUTOMATICALLY AND SCAN FOR AND ATTEMPT RECOVERY OF BAD SECTORS.
STEP 6
STRIPING DOWN YOUR PC
If you prefer performance more than appearance then you must consider this step.
· Click ‘START’,
· ‘CONTROL PANEL’,
· ‘SYSTEM’,’
· ADVANCED’,
· ‘PERFORMANCE’ (WRITTEN IN BLUE),
· SETTINGS,
· UNDER SETTING, TICK ADJUST FOR BEST PERFORMANCE AND CLICK OK
If you lose your XP theme then there is no problem. Go to desktop, right click the empty screen, click on properties, and under the themes scroll down to Windows XP and click apply
(Any problems caused due to the loose adherence of the sequence or any other issue is not my responsibility or that of EARLY TODAY (www.earlytoday.net). Contact me christarzan@gmail.com or info@earlytoday.net for any suggestions or problems or testimony. This manual is not yet completed and the other steps are under study)
Version 0.6 beta
