For those who check this site from time to time, you may have noticed that we experienced a little down-time for the past week or so.

Good times!

There was a problem. A big problem. After much debate and a ton of work on Jess’s part (I have no idea what I’m doing), we’re slowly coming back online. Of course, it took a format of the old server to make sure we had gotten rid of thus said problem (all I’m gonna say is: I hate Brazil!), adding a few more servers to the mix, and a couple of visio diagrams to keep it all straight.

The end result is… we’re back online (well… partially!).

I still need to get my forum up and running as well as every other blog I host… but at least it’s working.

THANK YOU JESS!!!

This weekend, my sons had friends over. These friends used my computer.

While I’m not sure where they went on the internet, I’m fairly sure it wasn’t a truly wholesome and family friendly joyride.

When I fired up my PC on Saturday night, I was greeted to the joys of SpyAxe being installed and a few extra special links added to my favorites. While the favorites are easy enough to clean up, removing SpyAxe is not.

For those unfamiliar with SpyAxe, let me give you my experience with it.

In my opinion, it’s extortion ware. It installs on your computer just by viewing a website, then appears in your tool pallet (by the system clock) and starts whining about how your machine is infected with spyware (yes it is… it has SpyAxe on it now!). The only way to fully remove it is to purchase their spyware removal tool. Finding the removal tool is easy enough, because your web browser is hijacked to go there, regardless of what you’ve set your default webpage to, every time you launch your browser. If you have the audacity to click on a link from your favorites, it tells you that you can’t go there because YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED WITH SPYWARE!

I truly hope there’s a special place in hell for people who write software like that… a place that involves stinging nettles being rammed into the orifice du jour with red hot pokers. Repeat daily for eternity.

I did find some tools to remove this little gem with, but they were sadly lacking. They would remove one part of the problem, but not another. Both Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware were also unable to correct the issue. I finally ended up scrubbing my C: drive and reinstalling windows.

The authors of SpyAxe claim that they don’t engage in such practices, but rather, some of their affiliates with less than shining morals are responsible. Why are they still affiliates then?

*sigh*

Apparently, as of November 25th, they’ve ported this little gem to affect the latest version of Firebox as well… so it doesn’t much matter what browser you use. I’ve now installed TeaTimer on my machine, which protects my registry and system files from being modified without my permission. Sure… it’s a pain in the ass, but it’s far easier than scrubbing my hard drive when things like this happen (and I would rather spend the afternoon formatting and reinstalling than give one cent to a software company that does such things).

For the love of God, people… read the fine print!!

There are a few auctions going on right now in ebay with the title of XBOX 360 Premium Game System – Box Only

Be the first to own this years hottest Holiday gift box!

This is the PREMIUM BUNDLE BOX, and it would include a wireless controller, 20 gigabyte hard disk drive, high definition component video cables, remote control, and a headset communicator if it were the console, but it is only the box, and will not come with these items. The XBOX 360 PREMIUM system was the ultimate gift this holiday season, people stood in lines for over 12 hours for these wonderful game consoles, i know i had to stand in line for almost 13 to get this box. 13 hours for a game console! Everyone should have one. This is a great gag gift, and in case you are not clear, you are getting an empty XBOX PREMIUM BUNDLE box without accessories or the console. Also, please be aware that this is not for the original xbox package, it is a box i have made with scanned images of the original taped to it for a simple gag gift. Image is only representative of what you will recieve, not the actual thing. You will be reported to Ebay if you do not follow through with the purchase if you bid. This is a binding contract, so only serious bidders, and i have been clear on the contents, so please, no questions!

These have sold for over $600… for a cardboard box… that says “XBOX” on the side (hand written.. it’s not even a real XBOX box).

Click the thumbnail for a larger image:

For those who are hunting for one of these things… be careful. For those who were stupid enough to not read what they were buying… well… good luck!

EDIT: My cousin found the link to the auction mentioned above.

Again with the Sony/BMG blues.

If you were unlucky enough to stick one of their XCP protected disks into your windows PC… do not, and I mean DO NOT make a second mistake and run the uninstaller to remove the rootkit it installs.

It’s now been discovered that the patch released by Sony to “uninstall” the copy protection software can open up a whole new can of worms on your PC.

“Alex Halderman and I have confirmed that Sony’s Web-based XCP uninstallation utility exposes users to serious security risk. Under at least some circumstances, running Sony’s Web-based uninstaller opens a huge security hole on your computer. We have a working demonstration exploit. … In the meantime, we recommend strongly against downloading or running Sony’s Web-based XCP uninstaller.”

In a nutshell… it allows any website to install and execute software on your PC via a webpage. This is beyond bad.

Another way to explain it: running this application to remove something bad will make things far worse. It will unleash the hounds and let slip the gates of hell.

Sony… if you’re looking for a Senior Applications Engineer who can tell you when you’re doing something insanely stupid… you should hire me (though I’m not sure I’d accept… I’m kinda funny about things like company stability and job security).

Apparently, an email based virus is out that exploits the Sony/BMG DRM software.

That didn’t take long.

A class action lawsuit has also been filed in California against Sony/BMG, one may be filed in New York later today.