Facebook tricks, Windows trick, Google trick, Internet hacking, Ethical Hacking, gmail tricks, Technological news, Software Crack, Mobile Tricks, Blogging Trick, ebay Trick, Computer program, LAN hacking, WAN hacking, cookies stealing, Email Tracing
This week we debunked some pesky exercise myths, figured out if the Man is monitoring us at work, removed embarrassing and/or annoying autocomplete entries from your browser's address bar, and more. Here's a look back.
"No pain, no gain!" "You'll never bulk up without supplements." "Crunches are the key to six-pack abs!" It seems there are more questions and half-truths in the market about healthy exercise than there are clear, definitive facts-but the exercise industry is a multi-billion dollar business... More »
Dear Lifehacker, I'm concerned that I'm being monitored at work, but I'm not sure how to tell. I don't think my employers have installed anything on my computer, but does that matter? More »
So your job sucks. You could resign yourself to a life of dull (or even miserable) days in the office or you could set aside some time and get a better job. More »
So you've set up an awesome home theater, but you're still using outdated DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. If you're tired of hearing all the talk about PC-based media centers, take some time this weekend and set one up for yourself-you won't be disappointed with the results. More »
We think Facebook's new Timeline layout is pretty sweet, if only for its awesome customizability. If you're adamant about wanting the old Facebook back, though, a simple Chrome extension can abolish the Timeline for good. More »
For years, the 40-hour work week was recognized as the sweet spot for workplace productivity and profits, a system, which AlterNet's Sara Robinson points out, is backed by 150 years of research. More »
Streaming music is great, but if you're somewhere without a data connection, like a flight or underground on the subway, some of our favorite cloud services won't do you much good. More »
Wine is often perceived as a stuffy, fussy thing, but it doesn't have to be. Sure, different flavors may go better with different foods, but in the end everyone's palate is different, and there's no reason you need to be a sommelier-in-training to order a decent wine with your meal. More »
A great portrait involves attention to many details, including camera, framing, color, and lighting. But you can help a shooter out by doing a few photogenic things: More »
This week on Ask Lifehacker we're not talking about the new iPad, but what we'd buy instead. Firefox 11 finally brings add-on sync and March Madness proves that piracy isn't always the best option when you want to watch TV online. Also, we extend a Wi-Fi signal from a house to a barn, figure out a use for OS X's dashboard, and start training for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
You can watch the episode by clicking the play button above, but there are plenty of other ways to get it:
This week we're not talking about the new iPad, Firefox 11 finally gets add-on sync, Dropbox offers another 3GB of free space to beta testers, and paying to watch March Madness online is actually better than stealing it.
00:34 The new iPad comes to stores (but here's what you can buy instead) The iPad still dominated the news cycle a week after its announcement, but we're not going to talk about it. Instead, we discussed what we'd buy instead. Pash picked a new Apple TV ($99), Whitson went for the Nook Simple Touch ($99), Dachis opted for home improvements ($?), Melanie picked a fancy new bicycle ($500), and Alan decided it was time for a souped-up home theater PC. (Some of us actually did upgrade to the new iPad, though.)
02:25 Firefox 11 Keeping with its rapid upgrade schedule, Firefox 11 was released and came with a highly-desired feature: add-on sync. Firefox users have been missing this option for quite awhile, as it has been glaringly present in Chrome for over a year, but it has finally arrived.
03:58 Get 3GB free Dropbox space! Love Dropbox as much as we do? They're offering 3GB of free space if you want to beta test a new version. You get to check out the latest Dropbox app and get free space? That seems like a pretty sweet deal. The only downside is that if you nabbed some free space the last time they offered it to beta testers you won't be able to take advantage this time around.
06:52 Paying for March Madness is better than stealing it! A shocking surprise: a media company has actually provided a way to consume media online that's a better alternative to piracy. For $4, you can watch all the March Madness games. If you're a cable subscriber, you may not have to pay at all.
Each week we answer five questions from readers and listeners. Here's what we tackled this week.
11:51 How can I extend the range of my router through a hill and to a barn? Not without a repeater! But you can make one out of an old router easily. Also, installing custom firmware DD-WRT will allow you to boost your router's transmit signal a little bit. You can also boost that signal slightly with a cooking strainer, but that's not going to help you get past the hill and to the barn. Your best bet is probably going to be buying an industrial router and using the old one as a repeater, actually extending Ethernet cable to the barn, or getting cellular internet by tethering your phone or just using an independent device.
15:30 How can I get an app made with no coding skills? You should be careful about trying to make an app when you don't know how. You should at least learn the basics so you understand how programming works and be informed when you're discussing plans with a developer you hire. Since you only have the idea, you want to be able to communicate as effectively as possible with your developer(s) and that involves knowing at least a little bit about programming. If you want to hire a developer, of course, you're going to need some cash. Kickstarter is often a good way to raise it.
You want to avoid hiring just anybody, though. If you seek out a developer simply looking for work you'll end up hiring someone who is pretty much in it just for the money. Ideally you want someone interested in your idea as well. To find someone like that, go where the developers go. Join developer forums online and get to know people. You might just meet the person for your project.
But if you really want to do it yourself and won't learn how to code, tools like AppMakr will create apps with no coding skills required. What you can do with these apps is pretty limited, but it might be better than nothing. Alternatively, if you are just afraid of learning Objective C or Java and want a framework to help, Corona uses a very simple language called Lua to create iOS and Android apps. Alternatively, Adobe Flash can create iOs and Android apps as well, but you're slightly limited by how much you can really do.
18:30 How can I put OS X Lion on my Core Duo MacBook? Not easily, but it is do-able! Basically, you need to trick your MacBook into thinking that it's a Lion-friendly machine or remove its hard drive and install it via another computer. This OS X Daily Article will walk you through the whole process.
21:08 Are there any OS X widgets that sync well with iOS apps? While most of us feel the OS X Dashboard is becoming a little obsolete in a world of widget-friendly mobile devices, there definitely are widgets worth adding. DashNote adds Simplenote functionality, which will let you sync notes from your computer to virtually any other machine, mobile device, and (of course) the Simplenote webapp. On top of that, Dachis likes Delivery Status for package tracking and Whitson likes iStat for system monitoring (even though he doesn't use OS X anymore). Also, never underestimate the usefulness of web clips. If you can't find the widget you're looking for, see if you can clip the same functionality from a web site.
24:12 How do I host a website from Dropbox? Put the files in your public folder and copy the public links. (Details here.) DropPages and Pancake can help make the process a little easier, and Scriptogr.am can turn your Dropbox into a blog.
Each week we talk about our favorite downloads. Here are our picks for this week.
27:17 Social Fixer (Web Browser) Whitson discovered that Facebook can be a whole lot better with one browser extension called SocialFixer. Last week he detailed all the great things it can do, but he really loves how it fixes the way Facebook hides some of the messages you receive in an inbox buried deep within the user interface. You can also use it to find out who has unfriended you, turn off the chat bar, filter stuff, and much more. It pretty much works with whatever web browser you use, so if you want a better Facebook you should have no trouble using Social Fixer to get just that.
Download SocialFixer (Free)
30:07 Zombies, Run! (iPhone) Dachis spent this week training for the inevitable zombie apocolypse with a game called Zombies, Run!. It throws you into a story where your helicopter crashes in the small village known as Abel Township. You're then required to run as fast as you can—literally—to escape the zombies that are after your brains. It works by tracking your GPS location as you run to judge distance and pace. You'll pick up items and earn achievements as you go. The farther you run, the farther you'll move along in the story. If fear motivates you, this app is a great way to get off your butt and exercise.
Download Zombies, Run! ($8)
32:38 Sparrow (iPhone) Pash started using Sparrow for iPhone and found it to be everything you'd want from a mobile email client even though it can't send push notifications. Everyone agreed that push notifications aren't all that necessary, since you can just make the built-in Mail app offer notifications and then just view the message in Sparrow instead. On the other hand, sometimes it's nice to not be notified at all and just check your email when you want to check it. If you do want real push notifications in Sparrow, however, you can use this jailbreak tweak.
Sparrow offers proper Gmail support and plenty of features that make your inbox much more manageable. Check out our review for more information.
Are you a hackerspace member with an event you’d like to publicize? Send it to johnb@makezine.com or tweet me at @johnbaichtal and I’ll post it. Also feel free to subscribe to my hackerspaces Twitter list. Hackerspace Happenings runs weekly(ish).
3D Thursday at Brooklyn’s Alpha One Labs Join us every Thursday for 3D printing and free pizza! RSVP if you’d like some pizza. See you there!
Fun with Abstract Origami and Tyvek at LA’s CRASH Space
Origami has become an increasingly meditative and metaphorical practice in my life. When I need to slow down, I take origami breaks and turn my mind off to tessellate patterns into paper, molding peaks and valleys from a single plane. Let’s get away from our carpal tunnel inducing daily lives for a moment to learn the art of abstract origami. I’ll be teaching you the beautifully simple zig zag accordion fold (pictured above) and providing Tyvek material for us to reuse. I find that Tyvek is soft to the touch and it takes to creases well. This workshop will be free to everyone, including materials (but donations are always welcome).
The origami workshop will take place Saturday, March 24th at noon.
“Evil Hacker” Photoshoot at Mountain View’s Hacker Dojo
Hackerspace Charlotte’s Grand Reopening — March 23rd and 24th
Mark your calendars for March 23rd and 24th! Hackerspace Charlotte will be having their grand re-opening. Bring your friends and family for 2 days of non-stop fun. We will have: Quadcopters 3d Printers Rockets Dry Ice Liquid Nitrogen CNC Machines RC Airplanes and much more!
Printed Circuit Board Class at Glen Ellyn’s Workshop88
Jim is going to be running our Printed Circuit Board class again. Last time this class was offered it was really well received by those in attendance. This class will cover a variety of etching techniques. If you have any small circuits for which a PCB would be appropriate, let Jim Williams know right away. We might be able to add your boards to the class!
The class will take place on March 27th and you can sign up via Eventbrite at the above link.
Lima, OH Hackerspace Forming
Pete Binkley wrote in:
My names pete and i was wanting to start up a makers group here in Lima Ohio was hoping that i can get my email out to anyone else that would like to participate.
Pete’s email handle is binkleypeter and he uses gmail. Hit him up if you’re interested!
Intro to iOS Development Class at NYC Resistor
NYC Resistor will be offering an iOS Development Class on Saturday, March 31:
Come learn the basics of iPhone and iPad development! This 3-hour class will introduce you to the high-level concepts of the iOS SDK, the Objective-C language, the Xcode IDE including Interface Builder and the iOS build system, MVC using UIKit, Apple’s most common and useful frameworks, networking using web services, and much more!
Eugene Maker Space’s First Full Membership Meeting
Eugene Maker Space will hold its very first full membership meeting on Wednesday March 21, 2012 starting at 8:00PM at Eugene Maker Space. All members of Eugene Maker Space are invited to attend this meeting. Topics up for discussion so far include:
1) Transferring hosted services to EMS owned accounts/servers 2) There was a proposal to use phpBB instead of the current forums 3) Formalize a process for making proposals 4) Post the minutes directly into the wiki rather than as attachments to the wiki 5) Updates on the Comcast Internet situation and 501c3 status
Seedbombing Night at Vancouver Hack Space
come one, come all to the second evar vhs horticultural night. i will be bringing supplies and instructions on how to make seed bombs. i have the red clay powder, compost and an interesting selection of westcoast non-invasive seeds. i will also bring some seedling racks on which we can dry the bombs.
seed bombs are one half inch diameter models of the living world. they can be made by anyone anywhere in the world where there is clay, soil, seed and water. seed bombs work on all scales, small to large, and can be air dropped over broad areas, or scattered by hand into vacant lots! hundreds of kinds of mixed seeds, soil humus and dry powdered red brown clay, form the solid components of seed bombs.
Seedbombing Night will be held on Tuesday, April 17th at 7pm and the cost is $2.
Jax Locksport at Hacksonville Hackerspace
We’re having a Jax Locksport meeting on Friday, April 6. We’re meeting at Tijuana Flats in San Marco (5635 San Jose Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL, 32207) on the first Friday of every month at 6:30pm, with the Jax2600/DC904 group. We will continue to combine the two groups until we have enough members and are stable enough to branch it off into a separate meeting.
We’ve got plenty of locks and picks, people who are eager to help teach others, and we’re planning on having some kind of competition/giveaway. It should be a lot of fun, and I hope to see a lot of people there!
The event is being organized by Jess Hires, who can be reached at @hacksonville on Twitter.
We have all read the articles that tell us how much time and money is wasted during March Madness. Chances are our supervisors have also read those articles as well and will be keeping closer watch on us. Or, perhaps you can’t let March Madness interrupt you. Here are some ways to stay productive during the month of March.
This may or may not work for you depending on how a hardcore fan you are. You might want to know what’s happening when it’s happening if so a DVR of the game won’t work. Also, if you are connected to other people who share your passion for your favorite team on social networks it will be very easy to be spoiled unless you declare a social media blackout till the end of the game.
Use an app like TuneIn Radio Pro to find a radio station that broadcasts the game. The good thing about TuneIn Radio Pro is that you can pause live radio to attend a meeting or take a phone call and pick up the action right where you left off. In effect it’s a DVR for radio. This approach has the added benefit if your team is not local and you your local stations will not carry the games. Plan your “mundane” tasks for the time you’ll be listening to the game to avoid distraction.
Now, if you’re a supervisor reading this consider using the practice of filling out brackets as a staff development tool. People are going to fill out their brackets at work even if frown on it. Instead of being the stuffy place to work why not be the fun place to work? Schedule a time for your staff who are interested to get together and fill out their brackets. Offer fun prizes for the people who were the best and the people who were the worst. Allowing your staff a little time to breathe is a good thing for both office morale and your bottom line.
Everyone needs a break every once in a while to regroup and recharge the batteries before working again. Consider giving yourself mini breaks to check in on how the game is going via social media. As long as they are not excessive and don’t hinder your work in anyway it should be fine.
Plan your lunch break during the game if the time of the game and or your time zone allow. Everyone should be taking a lunch break anyway so why not use it to watch your team? If it’s feasible go home and watch the game at home for a while to give yourself the break you deserve. If you can’t make it home at least go somewhere other than your work space to watch or listen to the game. If your team is local consider going to a sports bar that might have the game for some like minded human interaction.
March Madness should not be a productivity killer, rather it should boost your energy because you’ll be rooting for your team.
This week we fixed nearly every Facebook annoyance you've run into, learned a few tricks and handy skills you can pull off one-handed, supercharged our home networks, and more. Here's a look back.
With each update, Facebook has gotten incrementally more cluttered, perplexing, and ornery-and I'm not even talking about all your annoying acquaintances flooding it with inane status updates. More »
You know what's cooler than having lots of skills? Having skills you can use with one hand tied behind your back. Here are our top 10 tricks that only take 25% of your limbs to accomplish. More »
Home networks can be great or they can be a huge pain in the butt. Set aside some time this weekend to fix your annoying network issues, boost your Wi-Fi reception, and add some great new features. More »
Money. You need it to live, but whether you're a spendthrift or a miser, money can make you do foolish things. You'll waste it trying too hard to save, spend it on things you don't need, and simply overpay on regular expenses every month. More »
WD-40 was first used by the military in the '50s to clean up Atlas missile parts. Today, it's used by people everywhere to clean up virtually everything in need of a gleam. More »
Bell peppers and onion rings make ingenious ring molds for eggs in the skillet. Not only do they impart wonderful flavor to the egg and keep the egg contained, they also look so beautiful. More »
I've always wondered why Blu-Ray cases had that annoying flap on the side. All they seem to do is make the case harder to open. Here's how to fix that (without just breaking it off). More »
iOS: Not motivated to start running? Would it help if you were trying to escape a pack of brain-hungry zombies? If the possibility of a gruesome death is enough to get your legs moving, Zombies, Run! is an app that will get you going. More »
Most people know that the lottery isn't a great way to spend money, but if you're doing it anyway, you might as well do it right. Scientific American breaks down the best practices for betting your cash so you only spend it when it matters. The basic idea is to only buy tickets for small, state... More »
If you missed out on the last free online storage space offer from Dropbox, here's another one you can grab: a total of 3GB of extra space just by using the Camera Upload feature to put photos and videos into Dropbox. More »
Laundry is easily my least favorite chore out of all of them-mostly because it always takes so long to sort, wash, fold, and iron all of my clothes. More »
I like oranges, but don't like getting my hands sticky with orange juice afterward. I just tried a simple peeling method from Instructables user eggmix that worked great. More »
Dan Boneh of Stanford University is teaching a free on-line cryptography class . If you are interested in Cryptography and want to learn more this may be a good resource. It looks like this is the first of several classes that Stanford will be releasing online for free. They don’t count for credit but they still give you knowledge.
Course Overview
Cryptography is an indispensable tool for protecting information in computer systems. This course explains the inner workings of cryptographic primitives and how to correctly use them. Students will learn how to reason about the security of cryptographic constructions and how to apply this knowledge to real-world applications. The course begins with a detailed discussion of how two parties who have a shared secret key can communicate securely when a powerful adversary eavesdrops and tampers with traffic. We will examine many deployed protocols and analyze mistakes in existing systems. The second half of the course discusses public-key techniques that let two or more parties generate a shared secret key. We will cover the relevant number theory and discuss public-key encryption, digital signatures, and authentication protocols. Towards the end of the course we will cover more advanced topics such as zero-knowledge, privacy mechanisms, and other forms of encryption. Throughout the course students will be exposed to many exciting open problems in the field.
The course will include written homeworks and programming labs. The course is self-contained, however it will be helpful to have a basic understanding of discrete probability theory.
The Internet could go dark for millions of users as early as March 8 because of a virus that has corrupted computers in more than 100 countries.The computer script, called DNSChanger Trojan, taps into fraudulent servers, sending users of the Web to unintended - and sometimes illegal - sites.
The primary impact of this infection is that it caused web surfers to be sent to fraudulent websites by changing what is called the DNS settings on compromised computers.The Domain Name System (DNS) is the backbone of the Internet's address scheme and DNS servers are special computers around the world that act as Internet traffic cops providing directions to websites that you wish to visit.
Though the FBI has shut down the DNSChanger network and put up surrogate servers, they warned the solution was only temporary - and the court-ordered deadline is March 8. When the FBI pinched this group, if they had shut down the rogue DNS servers, everyone that was infected would have instantly been cut off from the Internet so the FBI chose a different strategy.They decided to get a court order allowing them to replace the rogue DNS servers with legitimate stand-ins so that all the infected computers wouldn't get cut off without warning giving them time to get the word out.
Both Windows and Mac OS users are at risk for this infection because it exploits your browser, not your operating system. If you are somewhat technical, you can do a self-check of your computer to make sure you're not infected by comparing your computer's DNS setting to the list of rogue DNS servers
85.255.112.0 through 85.255.127.255 67.210.0.0 through 67.210.15.255 93.188.160.0 through 93.188.167.255 77.67.83.0 through 77.67.83.255 213.109.64.0 through 213.109.79.255 64.28.176.0 through 64.28.191.25
The FBI has published a pretty decent guide to performing the self-check here. If you are infected by the DNSChanger Trojan, the FBI reminds us that this malware also disables security updates which could have further exposed you to other malware.
Those of you that have ditched cable often have to resort to less-than-legit means to get your sports fix online. When it comes to this year's NCAA championship, though, you can stop looking. Unlike many TV outlets that do everything they can to gouge you for money, CBS and Turner have made watching March Madness free for most, and undeniably cheap for everyone else.
March Madness may have been 100% free last year, but this year's legal options are almost as good—and, perhaps more interestingly, are actually better than just pirating it. Essentially, the games will be airing in two places: Some on CBS, and some on Turner's cable channels like TBS, TNT, and truTV. You can stream all the CBS games from CBSsports.com for free, but the cable games are a bit more complicated. Here's how it works:
If you already subscribe to cable (or know someone who does), you can stream the non-CBS games online on their respective websites—TBS.com, TNT.tv, and truTV.com —all you need is the account number on your cable bill. Stick it in your favorite syncing note-taker so you have it on hand throughout the month.
We're not sure exactly how the system will manage multiple streams for the same account—that is, we don't know if you and a friend could use the same credentials to watch the game at the same time. However, chances are you have a close friend with no interest in sports that might be willing to lend you a hand. If not, though, see your options below for streaming the games.
If you don't subscribe to cable, you can still stream all the games, but from NCAA.com instead. It isn't free, but you only have to pay $4 to watch the entire month-long tournament—which is hardly something to whine about. That $4 will also let you stream the games on your iOS and Android devices, which is particularly awesome.
At the moment, Coke Zero is offering a promotion for this setup that'll get you full NCAA Live streaming for free. You can find the details over at Slickdeals, but it essentially involves texting the name of an NCAA team's mascot to 2653 to get a promo code for free access. Just be sure to unsubscribe from all the other texts Coke Zero might send you afterward (heck, I'd pay $4 just to not have to deal with all that nonsense).
Frankly, we see no reason not to pay the $4. Yeah, we know, we're usually the ones trying to buck the system, but that's because the system is usually so unbelievably stupid. Turner and the NCAA have succeeded where other TV companies fail miserably: they've actually made it just as easy, if not easier, to stream legally—and with a price that is very worth the product.
That said, if you somehow get enjoyment from crappy, sometimes unreliable live streams—we expect the usual suspects at UStream Sports, First Row Sports, and Stream2Watch will find streams of the games (though we can't verify their reliability since there aren't any games streaming at the time of this writing). No matter what your desires, though, you have a lot of options for catching the tournament all month long, no matter where you are. Plus, if you don't need to actually watch the games, our friends over at Deadspin have a few other solutions for keeping an eye on the games—no computers or $4 fees required.
Any of you sports fans out there got other tips for tuning in to the games this month? Be sure to share them with us in the comments.
This week we learned some healthy options for folks who hate cooking, fixed up our privacy holes, learned what happens to our Gmail accounts when we expire, and more. Here's a look back.
One of the barriers for healthy eating is the time it takes to actually prepare a healthy meal. If you already don't like the idea of cooking, making a well-rounded meal is even more of a daunting task. More »
When its time to buckle down and get some serious work done, we would hope that you have a go-to productivity method or technique that works best for your workflow. More »
Google released a new privacy policy this week, reminding us that the services and apps we use aren't free-we pay for them with our privacy. This weekend, take a look at your digital life and audit your privacy settings to keep your personal information as locked down as possible. More »
You use a handful of web services every day, but perhaps none holds more of your personal information than your Gmail account. So what happens to your Gmail account should you end up in that big archive folder in the sky? More »
Think about it: Peeling boiled eggs is really unnecessary, when you can just cut right through it and spoon it out. This time-saving tip is brought to you by Kami from the NoBiggie blog. More »
Web development and design are two great skills to have because they allow you to work from anywhere and create amazing, beautiful sites and apps. Nonetheless, it can be hard to get started when you don't know what to do. More »
In the past couple of days, a charitable campaign called Kony 2012 has spread across the internet with a momentum normally reserved for cats, mostly due to a compelling 30-minute viral video condemning an unambiguously evil figurehead. More »
One of the biggest complaints or obstacles people have about starting a side business or moonlighting is they just don't have any free time. They have full-time jobs, families, school. More »
Apple unveiled the next-generation iPad tablet today, with a super-sharp display (2048 x 1536 pixels, which is 1 million more pixels than HDTV) and quad-core graphics-four times the performance of the iPad 2. More »
Whether the protective toilet-seat covers found in public restrooms are all that effective or just provide a little peace of mind, if you've ever used one, you know keeping one in place while you sit down often requires some significant body contortions. More »
Microsoft has made available the security patches for March 2012. The patches are already being distributed via Windows Update, but at the time of writing not at Microsoft’s Download Center. A total of six security bulletins have been released, of which one has received the highest severity rating of critical. Four of the remaining updates received a severity rating of important, and one a moderate rating.
The bulletins address vulnerabilities and issues in Microsoft Windows operating systems, Visual Studio and Expression Design. Microsoft recommends that company and end-users focus on deploying the patches for the critical vulnerability first, before they move on to the important and moderate issues.
Take a look at the Bulletin Deployment Priority chart, and the Severity and Explotability Index below (via the MSRC blog)
Bulletins
Here are the executive summaries for the bulletins, and links that point to each bulletin’s page on the Microsoft website.
MS12-020 – Vulnerabilities in Remote Desktop Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2671387) – This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in the Remote Desktop Protocol. The more severe of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if an attacker sends a sequence of specially crafted RDP packets to an affected system. By default, the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is not enabled on any Windows operating system. Systems that do not have RDP enabled are not at risk.MS12-017 – Vulnerability in DNS Server Could Allow Denial of Service (2647170) – This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow denial of service if a remote unauthenticated attacker sends a specially crafted DNS query to the target DNS server.MS12-018 – Vulnerability in Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (2641653) – This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker logs on to a system and runs a specially crafted application. An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability.MS12-021 – Vulnerability in Visual Studio Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (2651019) – This security update resolves one privately reported vulnerability in Visual Studio. The vulnerability could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker places a specially crafted add-in in the path used by Visual Studio and convinces a user with higher privileges to start Visual Studio. An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability could not be exploited remotely or by anonymous users.MS12-022 – Vulnerability in Expression Design Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2651018) – This security update resolves one privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Expression Design. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a legitimate file (such as an .xpr or .DESIGN file) that is located in the same network directory as a specially crafted dynamic link library (DLL) file. Then, while opening the legitimate file, Microsoft Expression Design could attempt to load the DLL file and execute any code it contained. For an attack to be successful, a user must visit an untrusted remote file system location or WebDAV share and open a legitimate file (such as an .xpr or .DESIGN file) from this location that is then loaded by a vulnerable application.MS12-019 – Vulnerability in DirectWrite Could Allow Denial of Service (2665364) – This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in Windows DirectWrite. In an Instant Messager-based attack scenario, the vulnerability could allow denial of service if an attacker sends a specially crafted sequence of Unicode characters directly to an Instant Messenger client. The target application could become unresponsive when DirectWrite renders the specially crafted sequence of Unicode characters.
You may need to run a manual update check in Windows Updates for the system to detect the updates right away.
