Scumware Warning: Xupiter Toolbar   Windows XP/2000/ME/98

Wired News–Xupiter is an Internet Explorer toolbar that installs itself without users’ permission, and is designed to be difficult to uninstall. Once active in a system, it periodically changes users’ designated homepages to xupiter.com, redirects all searches to Xupiter’s site, and blocks any attempts to restore the original browser settings.

The program attempts to download updates each time an affected computer boots up, and has been blamed for causing system crashes. Several versions of Xupiter also appear to download other programs, such as gambling games, which later appear in pop-up windows.

Xupiter offers an uninstall utility, but many said that it didn’t work, and in some cases made things worse.

“When Xupiter first appeared, we spent a week trying to figure it out,” said Mike Healan, of SpywareInfo. “There’s a monstrous thread with over 26,000 page views where a couple dozen of us tested it until we figured what it did and how to deal with it.”

“Xupiter seems to have the ability to reinstall itself if each and every component is not removed,” Olexa said. “Computer novices might never really get rid of it.”

Healan recommended Spybot Search & Destroy to eradicate the program.  more…

Radio Stream: Personal Info on Used Hard Drives

A friend of mine purchased a used computer and discovered that it contained medical records belonging to our city’s Mayor. I thought it was pretty funny until I realized that the Mayor and I went to the same doctor…

NPR Radio– “Guest host John Ydstie talks with Simson Garfinkel, a graduate student at MIT. Garfinkel and another MIT student recently purchased 158 used hard drives and found more than 5,000 credit card numbers, detailed personal and corporate financial records, numerous medical records, gigabytes of personal email and pornography.”

 Listen here.  Requires Real Audio Player

Human 1, Computer 0

NEW YORK – Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov broke a spell in his contests against computers on Tuesday when he drew the second game of his 6-game match in New York against world champion program Deep Junior.

In the contest pitting human intuition and experience against the calculating power of the machine, Kasparov convincingly won the first game on Sunday. He leads the $1 million match, which is sanctioned by the International Chess Federation, by 1-1/2 points to a 1/2 point with the third game scheduled for Thursday. One point is awarded for a win and a 1/2 point for a draw.  more…