Security Update for April 7, 2007 | Gongol.com

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"[A] man raised from the station of a private citizen to the rank of chief magistrate, possessed of a moderate or slender fortune, and looking forward to a period not very remote when he may probably be obliged to return to the station from which he was taken, might sometimes be under temptations to sacrifice his duty to his interest, which it would require superlative virtue to withstand. An avaricious man might be tempted to betray the interests of the state to the acquisition of wealth. An ambitious man might make his own aggrandizement, by the aid of a foreign power, the price of his treachery to his constituents. The history of human conduct does not warrant that exalted opinion of human virtue which would make it wise in a nation to commit interests of so delicate and momentous a kind, as those which concern its intercourse with the rest of the world, to the sole disposal of a magistrate created and circumstanced as would be a President of the United States." - Federalist Paper No. 75

site content: Brian Gongol

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Security Update for April 7, 2007
Brian Gongol

Urgent this week:

Get the emergency patch that Microsoft released this week for the animated-cursor flaw. It's extremly important. If you're using Firefox, be extremely cautious about what sites you visit. In either case, make sure your antivirus software is up-to-date.
Another Patch Tuesday is on the way. Make sure to get your Microsoft Updates.

Important to do every week:

Run a backup of your important computer files and store it in a safe location.
Update your anti-spyware software and run it. If you need free anti-spyware software, download Spybot Search and Destroy.
Update your anti-virus software and run it. If you need free anti-virus software, download AVG Anti-Virus.

Other recommended security measures:

Set up a limited-access user account on your computer and use it for most purposes. Only use administrator mode when installing and uninstalling programs.
Use Firefox, Opera, Safari, or another web browser other than Internet Explorer. They're easy to install.

Online crook of the week:

Sometimes the bad guys make mistakes:

It's from these "gimme" mistakes that we can learn safely what to look for when criminals attempt identity theft.
For the record: 663 spam messages received in twelve hours on Friday, for a Spam Index of 9282.

Other helpful links:

Listen to the WHO Radio Wise Guys Saturdays from 12:00 to 2:00 Central via streaming audio or on 1040 AM.
Get a professional website for under $500 at NorthernRepublic.com.