Don't you just hate spam?

Not the reconstituted meat variety, but the tons of unsolicited mail that carries a message of mischief, malice and downright criminality. The biggest insult is that they are hoping you will be vulnerable to their clumsy advances... The bank that I don't have an account with, and doesn't even know my name is telling me that my fictional account has been compromised... For that reason alone, I have vowed never to have a HSBC bank account, just so I don't even have to filter the emails that have HSBC in the title...

What can we do about it? Well, so far the best defence I have found is to have a gmail account - I have had a gmail account with googlemail for a couple of months now and have not had a single bit of junk mail. I do not leave the email address 'lying around' in forums and other places that might allow it to be picked up by spammers, this of course helps...

I like the way that gmail presents emails as 'threads' like in a form, and I also like that you can forward your mails (for free) and even filter mails and just have selected mails forwarded. So, in return, I am posting in favour of gmail - for free!

Hijack this - free software

HijackThis log file analysis as recommended by LinkyLove

Hijack this is a free program that I used to use more often when I was using Windows 98 Operating system. It is a program that scans your system and reports on all the processes that are running. It scans selected zones of the registry and hard-drive to detect any settings that might not be as expected - reporting all findings in a list. This list can be saved as a log file, to be opened in a text editor. There is a guide on how to use the program online here.
I found it easier to take the contents of the file and post them here. The 'HijackThis.de' website is not officially part of the software, but is a service provided by a third party. This site is able to automatically analyse the contents of the text file, giving you a report that you can examine for malware. If you find setting that need removing, go back to the original anlaysis screen and check the boxes next to the items you want to remove. Be aware though, that this is a powerful tool and you should be really sure you want to alter these settings - if you're not sure get some advice from one of the many HijackThis forums - I found a good one here...

I should say that I advise everybody who uses free software to abide by the rules of use, and if you find something really useful, you should support the product or service by donating where appropriate.

Spy sweeper - break the code

When we pretended to be spies when we were kids we used all sorts of codes and message systems. Today Spy-sweeper software has set us the task of deciphering the following secret code:
SHX OGUONPR ZI RWP MAEJ ZUSBO-VCJSFPX OPKJCBLUSBP SGDURMPR
Now, you are going to need some help, so pay a visit to the code-breaker:
http://www.secretcodebreaker.com/autokey.html
find the key to unlock the following message (clue: start at the beginning of the alphabet!)
SPY SWEEPER IS THE MOST AWARD-WINNING ANTISPYWARE SOFTWARE.

I am old enough to remember the days before anyone but the most geek-some even knew what the internet was…then everyone was on it and the revolution began. Soon everyone had an email address and a homepage, and then came the computer virus… not everyone took the threat seriously until they were hit!
Then came spyware, now a lot of people don’t appreciate the difference and think that if they have anti-virus software then they are covered but NO… Spyware is not a virus and is generally not detected by anti-virus software and that is why we specifically require anti-spyware software too.

Spyware will not delete your hard drive, email all your friends and post rude messages on your screen, but it WILL record your keystrokes and lift your passwords/financial information and slow your PC right down in the process.

Don't be caught out by spyware working away in secret on your PC, please, please make sure that you have anti-spyware software on your PC and get it right now. You can start by visiting the Spy Sweeper website. They offer the most complete solution to rid your PC of all the unwanted spyware, and I bet that you will be shocked just how much you find!!