Deadly Viruses Of The Year You Should Know About

“VIRUS” – This single one word menace is enough to give you sleepless nights. Deadly viruses get embedded deep into the roots of the computer. Malicious software, worms, trojan and computer viruses, are on the rise. Hackers, spammers and identity thieves, seek new ways to steal information that can be used to empty bank accounts or spread electronic pandemonium. Well, as if right now, there are millions of viruses and they get more and more every day. Here a look at the top 5 and deadliest viruses of the year.

1. 2007 Storm Worm

Storm Worm is known by a number of names, which is a Trojan that can manipulates and harm Microsoft based computers. This virus is distributed through emails, reading “230 dead as storm batters Europe”. This Trojan horse virus can not just infect your computer but also connect it a bot-net, giving access of your PC to a network of computers that are controlled remotely. Bot net computer can be huge in number, however the exact number was never found.

2. Melissa

Miami has been always famous for its beaches and its beauty. Apart from that Miami is also known for a deadly electronic threat, a macro virus, which was named after a beautiful Miami stripper. In 1999, this macro virus generated a tidal wave affecting gigantic companies like Intel and Microsoft, causing them to close their email servers. The virus appeared as Word document named as List.DOC attachment to email offering access to a number of porn sites.

This virus soon took over a huge number of PC. As soon as the email is opened by the user, the virus sends the infected Word attachment to user’s first 50 contacts in address book. Melissa earned success in causing huge destruction because email was sent using name from recipient’s address book as disguise. Moreover, it contained or referenced a document allegedly requested by the user.

3. The Anna Kournikova Virus

Attributed to Jan de Wit, a Dutch programmer on 11, Feb 2001, this virus was designed to trick recipients with Anna Kournikova picture that comes attached with the message. Clicking the message makes recipient trigger a malicious program. This is yet another virus that exploits Microsoft Outlook mail contacts of the user. Email is labeled with subject: “Hi: Check This!”, with a picture file named “AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs,” which not a JPG attachment, but social engineering and transmission mechanism.

4. MyDoom

It earned fame as one of the fastest spreading viruses, which came into being in 2004 and started appearing in in-boxes. It hit the web breaking the records set by the ILOVEYOU and Sobig worm. The recipient receives an email mentioning delivery failure of the email, which is quite common with internet users. While trying to investigate, user triggers the worm.

Once the file gets activated, the worm would travel to email addresses in user’s address book along with leaving a copy in shared folder. Though, it could spoof email, is able to produce traffic placing huge load on search engines. MyDoom is also known for DDoS attack on the SCO group. The origin of the virus is expected to be Russia, but there is no confirmation.

5. Sasser & Netsky

It tops the chart of being the most popular and creative variant of computer worms. Not only was it famous for effectiveness, but also because it was designed by Sven Jaschan, an 18 year-old German. He later confessed about writing that and other worms.

These are only a few to name. More updates coming ahead. Stay in touch for more updates of Tech-world.

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Basic Tips for Better Maintenance of Printers

Like other hardware devices, the printer also needs to be taken care of properly. For good performance, it needs adequate maintenance. The following basic tips are recommended in this context: 

• Clean dust and junk: Junk, dust and other debris can create a layer inside your printer which can jam the cartridge nozzles or streak of unwanted ink on the paper. Use the small vacuum cleaner to remove the dust particles instead of canned air duster because it’ll not spray the junk around the machine; rather, it’ll suck and store it in its pouch. Or, if you’re cleaning cartridges with a wet cotton swab and water read the instruction provided by the manufacturer beforehand. 
• Clean printer heads: If you have inserted the paper properly and cartridge is full and still, while printing the paper is showing running white lines across graphics or text, it means that the printer head is blocked and needs cleansing. To clean the printer head, check out the user guide or explore the manufacturer’s site. 
• Don’t let the ink dry up: In case you have not used your printer for long, it could be that its ink has dried up. In order to avoid such a condition, it’s best to check the ink of your printer or use it at regular intervals.
• Turn it off properly: You must turn off the machine if not in use for its proper functioning. But, don’t turn off the device if you’re in middle of a work as it may jam the machine or cause other problems. 

If you can fix all printer issues by following the aforementioned tips, it’s well and good otherwise you can call for AOL tech support where experts will troubleshoot your problems instantly.

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10 Cool YouTube Tricks You Should Know

Now, YouTube is the biggest video streaming site over the globe. Indeed, it is a good medium to enjoy music, videos, movies, and cricket match in best quality. It is the most popular video streaming website on the web but there are still lots of tricks and features which are hidden. Therefore, here is a brief description of some tricks for YouTube.

1. Change the Default Video Playback to Best Quality 

If you are bored of watching all the YouTube videos in the blurry 240p or 360 p quality, then you need to change your settings to play all videos in the highest quality depending on Internet connection. In order to change the settings, you need to follow the below steps. 

• Firstly, click on avatar in the top-right corner and then go to the settings.
• Now press Playback in the left panel. 
• In Video Playback Quality, enable “Always choose the best quality for my connection and player size. 
• It will play the videos in higher quality depending on Internet speed. 

2. Advanced Keyword Searching in YouTube

There are billions of videos on YouTube and often it gets irritating to search that particular video on the service. When you search a specific video and forget the exact title even then, you can search that video with the keywords. There are two commands to find your favorite video. 

• allintitle: keywordA keywordB, etc

You can use this command to search certain videos which have your keyword in the title. 

• You search term –keyword

With the help of this keyword, you can search different videos and omit certain keyword that you identify. 

3. Specify Video Start Time

When you share your video with your friends or others and don’t want them to see the complete video instead show them the video from certain time then, you can easily do. Only follow some simple steps. 

• Press the share button below the video.
• Select “Start at:” and enter the specific time.
• After that, share the link with anyone you want. When they will open the link, video will start automatically from the specific time. 

4. Customize YouTube Video Ads

Every time you watch your favorite video and that time you annoying 30 second ad before playing the video. And these ads can get irritating because they are totally irrelevant for you. Now, through Ads Settings, you can customize the type of ads you see on YouTube. Besides, you can add your interest and Google makes sure that you are shown ads according to your interest. 

5. Bypass YouTube’s Regional filtering

It can get irked when you are too excited to watch your favorite video and that time, YouTube shows a message “The following YouTube video is not available in your country/region”. But now, don’t worry! Because a simple URL trick will enable you to watch video that is blocked in your region. 

“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VideoCode” to 

“https://www.youtube.com/v/VideoCode”.

6. Check Out The Latest YouTube Redesign

If you are fed up of the old YouTube layout and the ordinary video player then, you feel glad to learn that YouTube has a fully new and redesigned layout. Through YouTube Test Tube, you can choose the new player to allow the latest player. The new video player renders an un-intrusive playback with minimal buttons and features. 

7. Get Lyrics for Favorite Songs on YouTube

Now, it is right time to read the lyrics and learn the words of your favorite songs. Download the new Chrome extension as Musixmatch. After installed, you will get lyrics at the top of all music videos. 

8. Now watch YouTube Videos Offline

If you are an eager YouTube user from Philippines, India or Indonesia then you are lucky because you can watch your videos offline on your Android mobile phone! All the locally updated video contents will be available for offline download. You need to press the button below the video to add to your offline library! 

9. Access YouTube TV

If you want YouTube in a complete TV mode and control it with a keyboard then, you can do through visiting YouTube TV. It is a customized version which is suitable for you. If you connect your device to your TV, then this mode is best for your TV. 

10. YouTube Kids App

If you want that your kids don’t watch any objectionable content on You Tube then, you can get the kids friendly version of YouTube from iTunes or Google Play store. The kids’ app features nice large buttons and voice search capability for those who can’t type accurately.

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Causes to Create Problems in Windows PC

Windows is the most popular operating system World Wide. Even though, its users face a lot of problems created by several factors. In fact, if you’re an expert then also it’s not certain that you won’t a face slow down problem. Windows systems may suffer slowdowns and error messages. A slow computer are the worst machines to deal with. It may take too long to turn-on and turn-off system, to open an email attachment or any document or any media. Slow speed can increase PC boot times, corrupt or delete stored files, degrades computer performance, etc. 

Below few reasons are written which may the reason to slow down the performance of your computer:

Excessive Usage of Memory Resources

Excessive memory consumption is the prime reason to boil down your system resources and speed because it requires more power to access a particular application or document from the entire storage space. When the internal memory and CPU reaches to its maximum limit start starts to freeze and lag. And this problem reduces the life span of your machine and parallel creates other problems like overheating. Lately it may be the reason of your hardware failure. By the combination of three keys Ctrl+Ali+Delete, you can know how much power is consumed by CPU and RAM, and if the percentage is more than 25%, you’re having an unobvious resource problem. 

Junkware, Clutter and Other Intrusions 

To perform users usual tasks machines rely on a hard drive along with the CPU, Operating System, and RAM. If your hard disk equipped with intrusive files, junkware and other clutters, they make the device messy and unresponsive. This situation complicates the search task for your system when you’re looking for a particular document because these messy agents consume the space and degrade the performance. 

Registry Issues

The Windows registry is a very crucial part of your system, but most of the users don’t know what Widows registry is. They remain unknown about this fact that computing machines depends heavily on the registry as it keeps the record of all activities of the users and changes made by them. It stores details of all applications installed onto your system, your personal preferences and massive information inside its database. 

Viruses and Other Infections

Apart from the above listed causes viruses and malware are the biggest reason to slow down or physically damage your computer. These complex utilities infect your system and turn it on to steal its information. They steal the parental controls on it and perform their nasty activities. They send illegal agents and programs from the foreign servers and applications to penetrate your defense layer.

Above very frequent problems of Windows system are discussed and they can be cured and avoided. There are various antivirus applications to take care of your device but for the complete protection your awareness also plays equally important role.

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A Note to Dispel Security Myths

You believe or not, but your data need security. The Internet is so wide in terms of usage and scope and when hackers are always there to find attack vectors using automated tools, then it become an utmost subject to take care of. But if you think that your device is new, everything saved on needs not to be encrypted and there is no need of using an antivirus application to stay protected from potential threats, you’re not right at all. This document is dedicated to unravel the fact what unaware users think about the security of their information and system. Generally, what people think about the security and why they ignore the protection parameters are defined below:

There is Nothing to Steal

The Internet is so huge that no one will attack on my system. You may think that since you’re not a famous or rich personality, you don’t have anything to steal. So, why to take pain about tough security? May be on your important accounts like bank accounts, email and other accounts, you’ve placed strong security and now you don’t need to be extra careful about your social media accounts because you use them very rarely. But hackers are so smart that they can turn even your little mistake into a disastrous one. With your social media accounts, they cam misuse your identity in the way you can’t even think of. With the help of them, they can hijack your mail, including checks, pre-approved credit cards, and sensitive information to know details of other accounts and files.

Nothing will Happen to Me

You can calculate the chances of being attacked by intruders, but you may be a random victim even if you’re not a very active user. Hackers have their own targets and they automate their operations as much as possible to sneak through your system to access your confidential and financial information. Even if you’re not the Internet user then also your financial details may be hijacked and funds can be transferred from your account because every bit of unsecured information can open the way for hackers from one or other source. 

You Think You’ve Enough Security

A strong password for every account doesn’t mean that you’re secure and now you don’t need to make changes in anything. If you think that one password is forever, then you’re wrong. To make it tough for the hackers to guess your password keeps it unique and change it at regular intervals. When you have multiple accounts, it’s very tough or almost impossible to remember them all particularly the unique ones. To secure all of your passwords, the best solution for you is a password manager as you can secure all your passwords behind a master password manager and you need to remember only one password. 

Security is the Concern of Technocrats Only

It’s a wrong assumption that security lives and made for technical domains only. Security is a very sensitive concern for all types of businesses at multiple levels. Every organization and business requires a rigid layer of protection if they don’t want to experience a heavy loss. When technology is for all then it’s not only about the techies and technology, it’s for people, process and technology. 

Antivirus and Firewalls Programs will Provide Complete Protection

New viruses are invented everyday and spread on the web to attack computer users. In course of protection, you also have discovered security flaws like even if you have saved your all IDs and password in password manger then also your confidential information is leaked. To stay aware against uninvited and newly launched risks or viruses, keep your antivirus program updated otherwise your antimalware application won’t be able to identify new infections. 

Sensitive Information has been Deleted so, there is no Risk Now

As soon as your antivirus software or you find some sensitive data, you delete it so that it can’t be a risk for you in future. Now the deleted file name is no longer there in the folder you’ve stored it and also not in the data blocks on your local hard drive. But file deletion will be complete if you’ve actually erased it otherwise it can be very challenging for the security of your system. Before disposing the device or data, it’s advised to read the guidelines before. 

In composite sense, even if you are using an efficient antivirus program, then also you’re not completely secure. You have to place strong security for the complete protection as this is the only way to keep risks at bay.

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Way to Fix Computer Issues and Errors

Windows registry is a very crucial component of the operating system as it’s the only component responsible for software and information storage used by Windows OS. It’s responsible to support the OS to organize and manage system resources for every application installed on your device. But over time improper or infected installations, invalid entries, corrupted files, and viruses may chock or overload your system and it can work slow, crash, freeze permanently, show unusual behaviour, and display error messages. If you face any of such symptoms fix the issue as soon as possible otherwise your complications will be increased.

To fix your computer errors, here is a list of simple tasks which can be beneficial for you:

Clean the Hard Drive

If malware, viruses, bloatware, junk files and other unwanted programs have attacked on your system, they may fill up the space on your hard disk unnecessarily and fragment its files. And if the hard disk is equipped with fragmented data, it’s required to scan its head otherwise they may be the cause of physical of your system. 

To keep your hard disk secure, you can adopt two tools which are shipped your Windows OS, i.e. Disk Defragmenter and system-Disk Clean-up. Disk Clean-up is the tool which is used to clean-up irrelevant files and details like browser history, deleted Recycle Bin’s files, temporary file folders, corrupted programs and files, and outdated updates. Once disk is cleaned, defragment the disk using Disk Defragmenter tool to consolidate all files saved on it and gets back your system’s speed.

Scan Device for Virus

Virus and malware are the infected programs which are the main reason of error. They add malicious codes on to your system and if your computer is under their infections, it behaves erratically. They not only deteriorate your system performance but also steal and pass your confidential information to other external sources. So, install and run antivirus and antispyware application to stay protected against latest virus definitions.

Scan Registry Component

When any invalid or corrupt entry takes place in your system, it causes errors related to EXE, DLL and Driver files in the registry. These invalid files extensions damage your system registry, make it unstable, dramatically slow down your computer, and also cause various other issues. To stay protected from registry errors, regularly scan your registry components by using an advance registry tool to detect and remove infection from it. Additionally, registry tools are capable of performing registry repairing and maintenance tasks like registry defrag, registry backup, etc.

Use Boot CD to Fix Boot Problems

It may be possible that a faulty or infected program can make your system’s boot sector impaired which may halt you to boot your computer. To rescue the PC boot sector, boot your computer with Windows Operating system CD and repair your Windows installation. Once booting operation is completed and your PC is on, all the above listed three operations can also be performed on your system.

Every computer whether it’s operating on Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, all needs proper care and maintenance to run smoothly. A little concern about their health can resolve all the problems you face as a computer user.

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