Blaster Worm! (August 15, 2003)

A new network worm has been discovered that takes advantage of a security flaw in Microsoft Windows operating systems.

If a machine is a target of the currently available exploit program for the MS03-026 vulnerability, it will in some cases pop up a window titled "System Shutdown" with the text:

This system is shutting down. Please save all work in progress and log off. Any unsaved changes will be lost. This shutdown was initiated by NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM

Time before shutdown: 00:00:59

Message:
Windows must now restart because the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service terminated unexpectedly

(The machine then reboots in 59 seconds.)

This indicates an unsuccessful exploit attempt on an unpatched machine. If customers see this message, they should most likely save their work and then disconnect from the network, or else patch the machine immediately after it reboots.

Microsoft released a patch July 16th to secure the affected operating systems. If you have or use one of the following operating systems, it is highly recommended that you go to Microsoft’s web site and download the available patch. Click Here to download the patch.

Affected Operating Systems:

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Services Edition
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows Server 2003

More news about the topic:

http://www.nipc.gov/warnings/advisories/2003/Potential7302003.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/07/31/internet.atttack/index.html
http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.blaster.worm.html

Tip: Please run Windows Updates periodically on your computer in order to alleviate some issues such as the Blaster Worm.

Road Runner Web Mail is Here! (June 20, 2003)

Late last week Road Runner made the necessary updates in order to offer web mail! Web Mail is an application that runs in Internet Explorer so you can access your email anywhere you can access the Internet. Everyone that has a Road Runner email address has access to Web Mail.

To access your email via the web go to https://webmail.new.rr.com and use your current user name and password (i.e. username: jdoe).

For more info on using web mail go to the Using Road Runner Web Mail tutorial at help.rr.com under Tutorials.

Remember, if you have forgotten your password, go to help.rr.com then click on Account Management and follow the prompts.

THE DANGERS OF PEER TO PEER FILE SHARING

Peer to Peer File Sharing (or P2P) has become a very popular activity on the Internet. But, most users simply don’t understand the risks involved when they install peer to peer file sharing programs on their desktops.

Popular P2P programs include KaZaa, Bearshare, WinMX, Fileshare, E-Donkey, Limewire, XoLox, and DCC etc..

One of the greatest threats regarding file sharing is the propagation of viruses, Trojan horses and malware (malicious software). P2P software serves as the perfect medium to spread these files and infect your PC or network. By using P2P software you increase the opportunity for these threats to infect your system greatly. The inherent danger results from the fact that when users downloads files, they really don’t know what they are getting. That free copy of Photoshop, or the latest Eminem mp3 may really be a Trojan horse or virus. After executing (opening) the infected file, nothing happened. Or did it? You probably just infected your PC or it opened up a backdoor which can allow a hacker into your system. Your sensitive or important personal information is now at risk.

How do you protect yourself from these dangers? The safest choice is not to install these programs or fileshare at all. If you do decide to use P2P applications, we recommend that every user have updated anti-virus software and a firewall installed. These products can provide real time protection and be effective in stopping the spread of worms and viruses.

Here are a few helpful links that will keep you updated on Internet security:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/
http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/enterprise.htm
http://www.mcafee.com/anti-virus/default.asp

NEW - ROAD RUNNER TUTORIALS - ALL INTERACTIVE!

Turn up your speakers and hang on to your mouse! Road Runner now has over 70 tutorials online and they are all interactive! Use these interactive step-by-step tutorials to learn "how to" create sub-accounts, change your password, configure your browser and e-mail client, subscribe to newsgroups, set up a personal home page, and more! Check Out Our Tutorials.

ROAD RUNNER WIDENS HIGHWAY TO THE INTERNET!

Road Runner has recently tripled our connections to the Internet! This is benefiting you with increased speed while on the Road Runner network and out on the Internet. This newly added capacity will ensure the best possible Road Runner or Internet experience for our growing community of users.

WHAT AND WHERE IS THE NETWORK STATUS PAGE?

The Network Status Page is where Road Runner subscribers can look to see if there are any planned outages in their area that may affect their connection to Road Runner and Time Warner Cable. The Network Status Page also contains a history of recent past outages. This page is maintained and updated Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Planned outages are normally posted 48 hours prior to system work. If you are planning any extensive time on Road Runner be sure to check here in advance to see if your service area may be affected. You can get to the Network Status Page by clicking on the Help button and looking in the left side column for the Network Status link. You can also get to the Network Status Page while in Around Town by on the Network Status button located in the horizontal menu bar found under the banner at the top of your screen. Go There Now.

Road Runner users have reported connectivity issues after installing AOL 6.x. Recently, AOL version 6.x was released to the public. With your Road Runner installed PC, be cautious about installing AOL 6.x should you receive an AOL installation disk. Several Road Runner customers have reported issues with connecting to the Internet after installation of this product on some Windows Operating Systems. Currently, AOL has not released a work around for the issue. If you encounter this problem please contact AOL directly.

If you use Win9x/NT/Me/2000, did you know you can easily customize your default pointer settings? It's easy! Just click the Start button > Settings > and Control Panel and double click the Mouse icon which will open the Mouse Properties dialog box. Now, click the Pointers tab and you'll see list of active pointers and functions that they are assigned to. Click on the arrow next to the Scheme field and highlight one of the pointer schemes in the Windows default list. Also, Win98/Me/2000 users can set up other pointers through Desktop Themes on the Control Panel. When you access the Desktop Themes window and make a selection, your mouse pointers will change to reflect the theme's subject.Other adjustments to your pointer can be made by accessing the Motion tab in the Mouse Properties window. Here you can vary the speed at which your pointer moves and also adjust other pointer movement settings. There you have it!

USB or ETHERNET?

The cable modem in your home offers you the choice of either an Ethernet or Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection. The choice of which type of connection is right for you is sometimes confusing, but having a good understanding of both technologies will hopefully take some of the mystery out of your decision.

USB was designed for use with low cost peripherals like printers, joysticks, keyboards, and low speed scanners. USB allows users to connect up to theoretically 128 "plug and play" devices making it a very easy and cost effective solution for connecting peripherals. The USB ports on your computer have a maximum speed of 12 Mbps to share with all USB devices. This means if you have USB speakers and a USB printer, the printer will operate slower when using the speaker.

Ethernet utilizes a network interface card, which is an expansion board that you insert into your computer. Although Ethernet requires additional hardware to be installed in your computer, it provides an exceptionally stable option for your cable modem connection.

Have you received an urgent virus e-mail lately that claimed a large corporation (IBM, Microsoft, etc.) has released information about a virus infecting computers worldwide? Did that e-mail instruct you to forward this message to everyone in your address book? This message was probably a virus hoax.

Virus hoaxes can be more damaging then actual viruses. Virus hoaxes lead some users to ignore messages pertaining to genuine viruses. Virus hoaxes also slow e-mail delivery by flooding the Internet with mass mailings of the urgent virus e-mail.

Keys to protecting yourself:
- Never open an e-mail attachment unless you know what it is, even if it comes from someone you know.
- Update you virus protection software and virus definitions frequently.
- If you receive an urgent virus e-mail, check with your virus protection software manufacturer and find out if it is a genuine virus or a hoax.

FINDING YOUR WAY BACK TO AROUND TOWN!

Finding your way back to Around Town (the local content area of Road Runner) is easy if you follow some simple steps. You will now find when you first go into a specific Road Runner Channel such as News, Sports, Lifestyles, etc., the Channel bar on the left is still on the page. When you click on any of the highlights within the channel you are taken to that page and the channel bar goes away. In most cases you will still be under the Road Runner banner bar when you get to your destination page or the browser may open a new page. To get back to Around Town simply go to the menu bar and click on the blue button labeled Around Town Home. This will bring you back to the home page of Around Town where you will once again find the channel bars on the left of the page. A very simple way to get back to Around Town is to go to the banner bar, look for the Wisconsin scene with the text over it that reads, 'NorthEast Wisconsin' and click on it.

Another way to find your way back to the Around Town page is to use the Back or Forward buttons on your browser. You may also find your way back to Around Town by clicking on the History drop-down menu. In most browsers it is usually found just to the right of the Address field. With Internet Explorer 5.X click on the down arrow, the History bar opens, displaying a record of all the sites you have visited in the last 20 days, including HTML pages on your computer. Remember that you can simply go to the address field of your browser, type in www.new.rr.com, click go, and you'll be taken right back to Around Town.

Be sure to add Around Town to your Favorites. To do this click the Favorites button on the browser toolbar. This opens the Favorites bar, which contains shortcuts to all of your favorite items. Be sure to come back often to get the latest information and happenings going on throughout Northeast Wisconsin.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN YOU ARE ON A SECURE WEBSITE

How many times have you been shopping on the Internet and wondered just how secure is this site? Do I dare submit my credit card number here? One of the first things to look for, whether you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape, is a little padlock in the lower right hand corner of the browser. If the padlock is closed the site is secure. If the padlock is open, unlatched, or not showing, you are on an unsecured site. For further peace of mind you should also look for documentation that addresses how the web merchant has taken steps to make their site, and your confidential information, secure.

ROAD RUNNER SECURITY!

As a Road Runner customer, you are probably aware that the Internet is a shared resource, with many people using it at any given time. One popular, but risky, feature of the Internet allows you to share your files and printer with other subscribers. However, file and print sharing increases the risk that other Internet users could gain access to any of the files on your computer's hard drive. Therefore, Road Runner recommends that subscribers disable file and print sharing. Note: This information should not to be construed as an attempt to provide legal, security, or other such professional advice.

To find out how to Enable/Disable File and Print Sharing. Click Here.

TIPS AND SHORTCUTS (for Windows users):

Whether you're a computer neophyte or an old pro, here are some helpful keyboard tips to make your computing and Road Runner experience even more productive and enjoyable. These shortcuts apply to most Microsoft products.

ALT + TAB -- Cycles through open applications
CTRL + ESC -- Brings up Start menu
ALT + F4 -- Shuts down the selected program.
CTRL + Z -- Undo
CTRL + Y -- Redo
CTRL + A -- Select All
And finally...F1 -- Help