1 percent of all PCs infected with ID theft malware
Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:44AM EDT
One in 100 PC users -- about 10 million PCs total -- are infected with malware designed to steal bank, investment, and other financial information from your PC, according to an extensive study undertaken by Panda Security.
Like many antimalware vendors, Panda runs an online scanner to let you freely look for viruses and the like infecting your PC, without your having to install special software to do the job. Panda collects information on what it finds after those scans are run, aggregating the results into reports about the state of security on the world's computers. Panda says it's scanned 67 million PCs, a significant chunk of the billion or so computers in the world.
And the numbers may be considerably worse than Panda lets on, as the machines most likely to be infected are the least likely to actually run security scans like this one.
As InfoWorld notes, ID theft is a huge and growing problem in the U.S., one which affects 9 million Americans yearly and creates incredible financial and regulatory headaches for its victims. The conventional wisdom has been that malware-based ID theft has actually been less of problem than more traditional attacks like dumpster diving and outright theft of laptops or paperwork from financial institutions, but it's becoming clear that attacking users directly through malware like this is now shaping up as a more attractive way to abscond with sensitive information.
Where's your financial information likely to end up? Again as the report notes, China and Russia (and most of Eastern Europe) have long been the source of most malware apps, but Brazil and Korea are now emerging as additional malware powerhouses.
Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 134 Location: United Kingdom Country:
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:52 am Post subject:
I've recently got a Samsung NC10 netbook, and it's fantastic. As it's just a bit bigger than a large paperback book and only 1.3Kg, it's perfect to stick in your backpack and carry around with you all day. The keyboard is just a little smaller than usual but excellent, as is the 10" screen non-glossy screen. It has a 6-7 hour battery life which is ideal for catching up on j-dramas throughout long haul flights.
I mainly use it for websurfing, code hacking, ssh logins for work and videos. The atom procesor isn't the fatest thing on the planet so anything too intensive is out of the question, but I didn't buy it for playing games.
The only problem was that it came with XP, but now I've nuked that in favour of Arch Linux, I'll say it's pretty much perfect. It's the only laptop I use now. The best purchase I've made in a long time.
Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 603 Location: United States Country:
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 12:42 am Post subject:
Okay, I have yet another question. I have an Internal Pioneer DVR 104 - DVD-RW drive, and the burning program that I've currently downloaded is Convertxtodvd. The encoding process always works out perfectly, but the actual writing always fails. The message says something along the lines of "Wite failed. Cannot find write strategy at sector 16". Then where I click for more details, it says "Either the dics that you are using is not compatible with your burner, or some other software is attempting to access this drive." I'm using Maxwell DVD-RW's, which have worked fine in the past. My firmware is also as up to date as it can be, because it's a pretty old burner. So does anybody have a clue what might be wrong?
Does anyone suggest that I simply use another burning software other than Nero and convertxtodvd?
I've asked around on other forums, but you guys are usually the only one's who are willing to help me out _________________
Okay, I have yet another question. I have an Internal Pioneer DVR 104 - DVD-RW drive, and the burning program that I've currently downloaded is Convertxtodvd. The encoding process always works out perfectly, but the actual writing always fails. The message says something along the lines of "Wite failed. Cannot find write strategy at sector 16". Then where I click for more details, it says "Either the dics that you are using is not compatible with your burner, or some other software is attempting to access this drive." I'm using Maxwell DVD-RW's, which have worked fine in the past. My firmware is also as up to date as it can be, because it's a pretty old burner. So does anybody have a clue what might be wrong?
Does anyone suggest that I simply use another burning software other than Nero and convertxtodvd?
I've asked around on other forums, but you guys are usually the only one's who are willing to help me out
Like you said, try another burning program like Nero.
Or try different media instead of the Maxells... Or maybe try burning at a slower speed.
Seems like other people have had burning issues with ConvertX as well.
Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 1351 Location: Davis, CA
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:15 am Post subject:
So, it's been about a week and a half since I got the Radeon HD 4850 and it's been good for the most part. Got a new power supply on its way because I'm really pushing it with the current one.
Good:
- Left 4 Dead looks much better
- Crysis no longer looks like a PS1 game
- 1080p files, if supported, run smoothly
- Divx support
- ATI's Overdrive makes overclocking easy, too bad...
Bad
-...the darn cooler doesn't work that well even at 100% fan speed
- and fan gets loud
- and the room gets warm
- leaving little to no room to overclock, unless i wanted to set the place on fire.
- No x264 offload from CPU, and most high def vids I have use x264
The fan and heat issues had me thinking of getting something else, but I couldn't pass up on the price. I just don't like the fact that I'll have to buy a new cooler eventually because the temp readings make me feel a little uncomfy. I'm accustomed to seeing 40C-50C readings, so 80C worries me. The inability to the accelerate x264 on the GPU is a downer as well.
Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 1351 Location: Davis, CA
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:52 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
80C????
Yow... You definitely need a bigger heatsink.
Did the videocard come with a heatsink/fan? If it did and it's still hot, that's pretty lame...
The card came with a single-slot fan setup, and I agree it's pretty lame. I just did another temp check and it's at 63C at 55% fan speed and all I'm doing is typing this. A better heatsink/fan is something I'll be getting soon. I just need to find out which ones are compatible.
Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1969 Location: Newbury Park, CA Country:
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:03 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
80C????
Yow... You definitely need a bigger heatsink.
Did the videocard come with a heatsink/fan? If it did and it's still hot, that's pretty lame...
My "old" 8800GTS gets up to about around 82 degrees C at load in warm weather. Graphics processors keep getting bigger and bigger... but that does sound warm for a 4850, decipher - what kinda case you using? Good ventilation? You got in-flow and out-flow fans? Big CPU/Mem overclocks?
But.. really if you're not getting artifacting and the fan is working, it may be in the normal range. You used ATITool with it yet? _________________
"Actually, I don't have bones. I'm supported
by a system of fluid-filled bladders"
Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 1351 Location: Davis, CA
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:12 am Post subject:
phlargo wrote:
My "old" 8800GTS gets up to about around 82 degrees C at load in warm weather. Graphics processors keep getting bigger and bigger... but that does sound warm for a 4850, decipher - what kinda case you using? Good ventilation? You got in-flow and out-flow fans? Big CPU/Mem overclocks?
But.. really if you're not getting artifacting and the fan is working, it may be in the normal range. You used ATITool with it yet?
Using a Cooler Master case with a couple of fans. No overclocks, as much I want to, as any attempt will probably result in the GPU melting away There are no artifacts though, so perhaps you're right and that it's within normal range. I haven't tried ATITool but I'll be sure to look into that. Thanks for the info.
Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1969 Location: Newbury Park, CA Country:
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:19 am Post subject:
deseipher wrote:
Using a Cooler Master case with a couple of fans. No overclocks, as much I want to, as any attempt will probably result in the GPU melting away There are no artifacts though, so perhaps you're right and that it's within normal range. I haven't tried ATITool but I'll be sure to look into that. Thanks for the info.
Yeah.. do some testing with ATITool - it'll scan for artifacts and it'll let you check to see if your fan is properly seated - you run a burn in, wait for the temps to stabilize at load (probably ~80C) and then stop it an see how fast it goes down. If it stays high too long, you may have a heatsink seating problem or a ventilation problem. _________________
"Actually, I don't have bones. I'm supported
by a system of fluid-filled bladders"
Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1969 Location: Newbury Park, CA Country:
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:27 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Hmm... The operating temperature range for commercial semiconductors is 0C to +70C... And the industrial temp range is -40 to +85C...
The most recent iterations of nvidia cards definitely hang above 80C.. I've heard people running them up to 90C for more than a year. Remember.. these don't need to last for 10 years.. just like 2 or 3 _________________
"Actually, I don't have bones. I'm supported
by a system of fluid-filled bladders"
Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 1351 Location: Davis, CA
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:34 am Post subject:
phlargo wrote:
The most recent iterations of nvidia cards definitely hang above 80C.. I've heard people running them up to 90C for more than a year. Remember.. these don't need to last for 10 years.. just like 2 or 3
Given how fast the GPU market moves, 2 or 3 years seem much longer, especially when you try to play a game like Crysis on a 3+ year old Geforce 6800GS It looked horrible even at 640x480 with low settings.
Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1969 Location: Newbury Park, CA Country:
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:50 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Then you have a full-blown core meltdown.
Actually, at 3 years the replacement cost of one of these parts is next to nothing.. I paid about $225 for my card in Mid 2007 (I got it for about $50 less than it was going for elsewhere at the time). You really can't even find them anymore, but today you can get one that's quite a bit faster next gen part the 9800 GTX (higher end) for around $150 already. They're pretty much disposable nowadays.
And honestly, it really doesn't make sense to buy the high end parts, either. Kinda like digital cameras - if you get an entry level DSLR today it's like a medium-top end one from 3 years ago. And it costs 1/5th the price. _________________
"Actually, I don't have bones. I'm supported
by a system of fluid-filled bladders"
Joined: 19 Jul 2003 Posts: 2200 Location: United States Country:
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:30 am Post subject:
yeah, computer parts DRASTICALLY come down in parts every few months or so...
I splurged on a gfx card last december...
Bought a GT260 - was on sale $100 off, now, its almost same price as what I bought it and its not even 4 months yet... _________________
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There are no artifacts though, so perhaps you're right and that it's within normal range. I haven't tried ATITool but I'll be sure to look into that. Thanks for the info. 
