An Internet Marketing Tutorial for the rest of us

Newfie Girl!
Mood:  happy
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
Greetings to our newest blog tenant, Newfie Girl! Check her out in the link on the top right below the BlogExplosion tag! She is self-described as a "Writer. decorator. photographer. comic book villian. Newfoundland. Canada. Wife. Mommy to furbabies. geek."



Now really, she's not that bad. She actually has some pretty cool things to say and is currently showing a really awesome cheescake recipe, complete with pictures and a link to a video of her cooking it.



So go ahead and visit Newfie Girl. You'll be glad you did!

CIAO for now,
Randy

Tags: blogs, cooking

How to Block MySpace in 3 Easy Steps
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
MySpace has become a hotbed of contention in my house. My children lie about their ages and give way too much information on their profiles. This worries me because just a few weeks ago a teen was kidnapped and murdered near my home due to information a predator gathered about her from her MySpace account. Older child predators can lie about their ages, too.



So I decided to block MySpace on my computer. Here is how to do it:

You will be modifying the Hosts file by hand.

First, open the following file with Notepad. (Note: The Hosts file does not have a file extenstion, this is by design so don't give it a file extenstion because you think it needs one)

Note: You should make a backup of the Hosts file and put it somewhere safe in case you mess up.

Windows XP
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

Windows 2000
C:\WINNT\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

Windows 98
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

Panda Antivirus Platinum: Kills more than 63,000 viruses. Dead.

Second, copy the following IP's...

# block myspace.com
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.219
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.24
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.25
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.28
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.40
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.41
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.42
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.43



Third, paste the IPs into the Hosts file after 127.0.0.1 localhost

It should look like this...

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost

# block myspace.com
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.219
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.24
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.25
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.28
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.40
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.41
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.42
127.0.0.1 63.208.226.43



Then save the Hosts file and you're done.

Please let me know if you run into any difficulties or have any questions. I can be reached at randy@internetmarketing4.us.

CIAO for now,
Randy

Tags: MySpace, internet security

Islamic Hacker Nabbed
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
On Tuesday, 2/21/06, the Paris PJ arrested the Morroccan hacker known as Yanis. Yanis would hack into sites and leave "cyber-graffitti."



Yanis allegedly hacked 1,161 sites during his "career," which included sites for the Universities of Strasbourg and Toulouse and the website for the city of Lyon.



Yanis is accused of "Apology of war crime and incitation to racial hate", because he hacked Danish websites due the Prophet Muhammad cartoons. The accusation centers on his boycott campaign against Danish products.



John Stith adds,
With thousands of websites hacked and defaced just last week, this issue is far from over and many more individuals other than Yanis are involved. This is just the beginning as well. One can only expect this defacement process to continue.

CIAO for now,
Randy

Sources: SecurityProNews, zone-h news

More Security Problems with Apple
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
On the heels of the discovery of the Inqtana virus, three new variants have cropped up. In addition, a serious security hole has been discovered in the way Apple handles downloaded files.



This bug is similar to the one that plagues Windows systems with spyware and adware. It was discovered by University of Ulm student Michael Lehn. So far, no actual incidents of compromised OS X systems have been reported, though this makes three security alerts for Apple in less than a week.



CIAO for now,
Randy

Source: BBC News

Tags: Apple, OS X, security, Michael Lehn

Teens Fined for Spreading Computer Viruses
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
Two Finnish teens, aged 17 and 19, were sentenced to fines on Monday for creating internet pages that spread computer viruses and Trojan horses.



The teens allegedly copied these harmful programs from elsewhere on the Internet. Their web pages also contained links to other harmful pages. According to Finnish law, publishing these links is illegal.



The 19-year-old also allegedly broke into the websites of 2 organizations, using passwords obtained from the 17-year-old. Both were found guilty of "causing a potentially dangerous IT situation, unlawful use of websites, and criminal mischief, among other things."



The teens have received fines of 360 and 300 Euros. The 17-year-old received the 360 Euro fine. They also have to pay 250 Euros for the additional work they caused the Internet service provider of the two companies they infiltrated. They committed these crimes in 2004.



Again muchos kudos to the international cybercrime-fighting agencies, such as the one in Finland. Although the teens allegedly just wanted to "test out their skills," not meaning any damage, if they were not prosecuted, a dangerous precedent would be set for their adult lives, when, presumably, their hacking/phishing skills would increase and they would become a real danger.

CIAO for now,
Randy

Source: Helsingin Sanomat
Tags: security, Finland, hacking, phishing, cybercrime

Anniversaries Galore!
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Wedding
Good afternoon, my faithful readers! So glad you joined me, whether from an internet search, Blog Explosion, or an autosurf! Today is my 3rd wedding anniversary, and while that may not seem like a long time, the travails we have been through over the past 3 years would have broken up many couples.



I won't bore you with the details...suffice it to say things haven't been nearly as entertaining as a night with Tony from Fugetaboutit. Please visit him for a good laugh. Also, if you have an anniversary or wedding coming up, please visit either our sponsors in this post or The Perfect Wedding.



Instead of doing something extravagant as we have in the past, instead we went to a marriage seminar at church. It began with a formal dinner at a country club Friday, followed by a half-day of inspirational seminars at church on Saturday. We had a really wonderful time!



CIAO for now,
Randy

Brazil Nuts and Phish - YUM!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
The latest international cyber-crime news, courtesy of our dear friend John Stith: Brazilian police broke up a phishing scam in which they arrested some 55 people, led by a 19-year-old and utilizing several minors. These "kids" allegedly stole some $4.6 million from several banks and numerous accounts.



Starting in May of 2005, this gang used Trojan horses to steal information from users of internet bank sites. Thankfully the international community at large is no longer tolerating cybercrime in any of its guises, as we have demonstrated here in the past several weeks. Many congratulations go to the Brazilian authorities on their fine police work.



CIAO for now,
Randy

Apples, Instant Messaging, Bluetooth and You
Mood:  surprised
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
Sophos Labs announced the first-ever virus for the Mac. The virus, named OSX/Leap-A (or OSX/Oompa-A) spreads via instant messaging systems.

Store, access, share and use your digital documents. With complete privacy!

This worm spreads through the iChat IM system, forwarding itself as a file called latestpics.tgz to the infected users' buddy list. When the latestpics.tgz archive file is opened, it disguises its contents with a JPEG icon trying to convince people it is harmless.



A second worm targeting the Mac, called OSX/Inqtana A, has also been discovered. This worm exploits a Bluetooth vulnerability. Apple released a patch for this vulnerability in mid 2005, so it likely will not affect many. Keep your software updated and you should be fine.



CIAO for now,
Randy

AMCP Tech Blog
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
Good Afternoon and welcome to our newest blog renter, the AMCP Tech Blog!!! Like An Internet Marketing Tutorial for the rest of us, this blog focuses on technology, computing, the Internet, business, consumers, spyware, adware, trojans, computers, viruses, and tech news! So glad to have them along for the next week! They are one year old! Please pay them a visit by clicking the box to the right!



As an additional note, the webmaster of AMCP Tech Blog, Morganis101, also runs Spyware Informer. Both sites are top-notch and worthy of a visit. Spyware Informer is hosted on Yahoo 360, so if you would like an invite, please visit and click the invite link.

CIAO for now,
Randy

2006 Cyberthreats and What to do about them!
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Create + Promote Blogs
Courtesy of our good friend John Stith, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Cyber Security Alliance, here are the emerging threats for 2006 and what to do about them:

1) Instant Messaging used by hackers to spread viruses and worms

2) Phishing becomes even more prevalent

3) Cell phones and PDAs get attacked by viruses

4) Online brokerage accounts get hacked

5) Cybercrime goes unreported



What can you do about these emerging trends? There are five basic steps, which we have covered in more detail in earlier posts:

1) Install, configure, regularly update

2) Don't open emails from people you do not know

3) Don't open attachments in emails from people you do not know

4) Protect your mobile devices

5) Report cyber-crimes to authorities



Again, if you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line (randy@internetmaketing4.us). Please visit my blog tenant and some of my sponsors.

CIAO for now,
Randy