Twitter Suffers Second Wide Spread Outage.

First Google Talk, Google’s Instant Messengers Platform, went on the fritzs this morning and now Twitter seems to be having problems of it’s own.

We’ve got a Tweet Down, We’ve got a Tweet Down!

“Users may be experiencing issues accessing Twitter. Our engineers are currently working to resolve the issue,” the San Francisco-based company wrote in a blog post shortly after 8:30 a.m. Pacific time.

Affected users are unable access the site at all – even the site’s iconic Fail Whale image is not loading for some Tweeters.

“Users may be experiencing issues accessing Twitter. Our engineers are currently working to resolve the issue,” Twitter has written on its Status page. No details beyond that have been revealed.

During an outage on 21 July, users around the world were unable to log into the service for nearly two hours. That’s believed to have been the longest-lasting crash in the social network’s history, despite its reputation for frequent, inconvenient crashes.

That episode revived fears that stability issues may once again be plaguing Twitter, which suffered frequent outages in its early years, but has claimed to have improved its infrastructure.

What’s Going on with Google Instant Messenger?

Many Google users have reported seeing error messages or experiencing unusual behavior when logging in to Google Talk. The company responded to complaints earlier this morning, but doesn’t have an explanation just yet.

The issues were upgraded from a service disruption to a full service outage at 6:50 a.m. EDT. The best Google could promise was another update within an hour.

In the company’s Apps Status Dashboard, Google wrote:

We’re aware of a problem with Google Talk affecting a majority of users. The affected users are able to access Google Talk, but are seeing error messages and/or other unexpected behavior. We will provide an update by 7/26/12 7:50 AM detailing when we expect to resolve the problem. Please note that this resolution time is an estimate and may change.

One hour later, a similar message appeared:

We are continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 7/26/12 8:50 AM detailing when we expect to resolve the problem.

And again:

Our team is continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 7/26/12 9:50 AM with more information about this problem. Thank you for your patience.

Hopefully, they’ll be up and running soon.

UPDATE: At 10:50 a.m. EDT, Google announced that service for Google Talk had already been restored to some users. The company added, “We expect a resolution for all users in the near future. Please note this time frame is an estimate and may change.”

By 11:25 a.m. EDT, Google finally resolved the issue. “The problem with Google Talk should be resolved,” they wrote. “We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better. If you are still experiencing an issue, please contact us via the Google Help Center.”

It seems quite strange that Google Talk and Twitter would both go down on the same day. What are your thoughts?

Image: Shutterstock

Resource: Ruters.

What is DNSChanger?
DNSChanger is a Trojan horse malware with many variants. It changes an infected computer’s DNS settings to point to rogue, bad guy-controlled servers. These then show you ads that look real, but aren’t. Basically, it redirects your legitimate Web surfing to malicious Web sites that then attempt to steal personal information and generate illegitimate ad revenue.

What does DNSChanger do?
DNSChanger changes your Domain Name System settings without your permission. This is bad because DNS is basically the Internet’s phone book crossed with a map. DNS links a URL, such as DigitalLifeCEO.com, to an IP address. (An IPv4 address would be something like 192.1.56.10, while an IPv6 address would look like 1050:0:0:0:5:600:300c:326b.) DNSChanger changes that and redirects search results and URLs to malicious sites that are designed to either serve you ads to malicious sites, or intend to illegitimately collect your login information.

If the bad guys have been caught already, why does DNSChanger still affect people?
Simply put, the malware was exceedingly effective and infected hundreds of thousands of computers. Prior to the bad guys being arrested, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and German Federal Office for Information Security created a redirect of the redirect, so that many people infected by DNSChanger would still go to the legitimate Web sites that they intended to visit.

After the arrests, the two governments agreed to keep the rogue DNS servers running until March. Then they learned that there were still around 450,000 active DNSChanger infections, and so the servers got a reprieve until Monday, July 9.

If your computer’s been infected and you haven’t fixed it by July 8, your Monday morning will be even worse than normal.

So the Facebook alerts and Google warnings about DNSChanger were legit?
Yep. And around 330,000 people were still infected with DNSChanger as of the end of May, with about 77,000 of those in the U.S.

Google’s warning that appeared at the top of search results.(Credit: CNET)

How can I tell if I’m infected?
If you’re in the United States, go to dns-ok.us or its parent site, the DNSChanger Working Group for computers based outside of the U.S. Click on the URL appropriate to your country, and you’ll see an image with a green background if you’re clean. A red background means you’re infected.

Help! My computer’s infected with DNSChanger. How can I fix it?
The DCWG has a list of free tools to download and instructions on how to clean a computer infected with DNSChanger.

How can I avoid malware like DNSChanger in the future?
Security suites aren’t perfect, but they will protect you from the vast majority of threats out there including DNSChanger. Whether you’re on Windows or Mac, Andriod or iOS, you really ought to have some kind of security program installed. And always double-check the URL before entering personal information into any kind of online text field or form, no matter what operating system or device you’re using.

Hey Anderson, any recommend security software?
Sure, first of all no security software can protect your computer if you don’t keep it up-to-date. When you see the update   up date available icon, STOP IGNORING IT!  If you are looking for some great free security software for your computer. You might want to check AVG internet security or Avast Antivirus  which scores high on CNet editors choice.

Credit : CNet

The email, which went out Friday, says in part:

We are currently investigating increased attempts by hackers around the world to access accounts on BestBuy.com and other online retailers’ e-commerce sites. These hackers did not take username/password combinations from any Best Buy system; they appear to be using combinations taken elsewhere in an attempt to gain access to BestBuy.com accounts.

If you’ve gotten such an email, pay special attention to this part:

Our investigation indicates that your account may have been accessed by these hackers. We are taking action now to help protect your account; we have disabled your current password, and ask that you take a few minutes to reset it.

Best Buy says to reactivate your account, go to BestBuy.com Password Reset, set up a new password, then validate that your personal information is correct.

via: MSNBC

Verizon Wireless revealed it’s much speculated shared data plan pricing today after months of speculation about the plans structure.

Verizon’s new share plans officially named “Share Everything” will officially launch on June 28 and will include unlimited voice minutes, unlimited text, video and picture messaging and a single data allowance for up to 10 Verizon devices. In addition, the carrier’s Mobile Hotspot service on all the devices is included in the Share Everything Plans at no additional charge.

With rumors of AT&T also working on it’s own shared data plans. Verizon is trying to sweeten the pot by offering the new Share Everything Plans without any plan change fees or contract extension.

The plans will be broken down in two ways. First, customers pay a monthly fee for each device on the account: smartphones cost $40 per device, basic features phones cost $30, USB modems, Jetpack mobile hotspots and netbooks cost $20 and tablets cost $10, and can be added on a no-contract basis. Then, customers choose how much data they want to share. The data options break down as follows on a per month basis:

• $50 for 1 GB
• $60 for 2 GB
• $70 for 4 GB
• $80 for 6 GB
• $90 for 8 GB
• $100 for 10 GB

Currently, if  you are a Verizon Wireless customer and want to have several data plans, each device requires its own separate data plan. Under those plans, Verizon charges $30 per month for 2 GB, $50 for 5 GB and $80 for 10 GB.

So, for example, a family of three with three postpaid smartphones would pay at least $30 each for 2 GB of data for each line, for a total cost among the three customers of $90 for 6 GB. Adding unlimited calling would add an additional $170 per month and adding unlimited messaging would cost an additional $30 per month for a grand total of $290.

Under the new plans, each smartphone would cost $40 per month ($120 for three) and 6 GB of data would run $80, for a total cost of $200 per month. The plans produce more savings as more devices like tablets are also added to the mix. Additionally, families where some members use much more data than others are also likely to benefit.

Now if you are looking for t-mobile to also jump on the bandwagon, you may be disappointed. T-Mobile just did a refresh of their data plan with a lot of emphasis on prepaid data plan. There is no reports of shared data plan coming the T-Mobile camp.

For more info on the new Share Everything Plans, check out Verizon’s press release and video below.

VERIZON WIRELESS UNVEILS NEW SHARE EVERYTHING PLANS FOR BASIC PHONES, SMARTPHONES, TABLETS AND MORE

Share Data with up to 10 Verizon Wireless Devices; Unlimited Minutes, Unlimited Messages and Mobile Hotspot Included in All Smartphone Plans

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless today announced Share Everything Plans that will forever change the way customers purchase wireless services. Share Everything Plans include unlimited voice minutes, unlimited text, video and picture messaging and a single data allowance for up to 10 Verizon Wireless devices. In addition, the Mobile Hotspot service on all the devices is included in the Share Everything Plans at no additional charge. The groundbreaking Share Everything Plans debut on June 28 and will be available to new, as well as existing, customers who may wish to move to the new plans.

“Customers asked, and today Verizon Wireless delivered an industry first,” said Tami Erwin, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Share Everything Plans are the new standard for wireless service. They are simple; customers no longer have to think about their voice and message plans, because both are unlimited. Share Everything Plans are convenient; customers purchase one data plan and they share it with up to 10 mobile devices. And, they are worry-free; customers can connect their 3G or 4G devices wherever and whenever they want on America’s most reliable network.”

 

How Share Everything Plans Work

To get started on a Share Everything Plan, customers first select the devices they want on their accounts. The next step is to choose a plan that includes unlimited minutes, unlimited messages and a shared data allowance that begins at 1 GB for $50. Customers adding a tablet on their Share Everything Plans can do so for an additional $10, with no long-term contract requirement. The following matrix shows pricing for an account with several different devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet and a basic phone, billed to the same individual.

“When developing these plans, we first asked customers what they wanted in a wireless service plan. We also looked at the technology and how customers were using it to manage their lives. And last, we took into consideration the evolution of the technology and how customers would use wireless in the future,” Erwin added. “Share Everything Plans are the outcome of that research. They cover every device Verizon Wireless offers, from basic phones to smartphones, from tablets to Jetpacks and more. Share Everything Plans represent a tremendous shift in how customers think about wireless service.”

Switch to a Share Everything Plan

Customers are free to keep their existing plans, but there is no fee or contract extension to move to the new Share Everything Plans. To help customers determine the best Share Everything Plan option, Verizon Wireless has created an easy to use online tool atwww.verizonwireless.com/ShareEverything

Source: Fierce Wireless.

On Wednesday morning a Russian hacker was able to steal close to 6.5 million LinkedIn user passwords. One saving grace is that user’s names and/or profile names were not included in the list so the hacker was only able to acquire user passwords. However, users should still be concerned because passwords can be dumped into a hacker’s database and used with collected user names and email address to try and access other sites and soical networks.

Why would this work?

Hackers know that most people use the same username and password for most of their website log-ins.

Vicente Silveira, a Senior Director at Linkedin confirmed that some passwords had become compromised on the website’s blog. Here are some excerpts from his post:

• Members that have accounts associated with the compromised passwords will notice that their LinkedIn account password is no longer valid.

• These members will also receive an email from LinkedIn with instructions on how to reset their passwords. There will not be any links in this email. Once you follow this step and request password assistance, then you will receive an email from LinkedIn with a password reset link.

• These affected members will receive a second email from our Customer Support team providing a bit more context on this situation and why they are being asked to change their passwords.

Even if your password was not one of the stolen, you should change your LinkedIn password anyway for good measure. Once you have changed your password, keep in mind any app or programs that posts or pulls data from your LinkedIn account will no longer work, ie Hootsuite, Buffer, Empire Avenue, Tweekdeck, and any Mobile application that links to your account will need the new password.

If your password is confirmed as being stolen, things can be a bit more dire. Besides the changes listed above, you will also want to change the password for any account using that password including your email account. As stated in the beginning of this post, hacks will try to match your password with any user names or email address acquired from other places or user sniffer bots. They will try to access as many websites as they can including social networks, banking, credit cards sites, and many others.

Now is the time to consider forming good online habits by using unique passwords and users names for each of your websites.

Photo via of Mashable.

Our friends at Make Use Of created this awesome cheat sheet and user guide to help you get the most out of DropBox. Look for the download under the image below.

Click here to download.

Team WordPress released today it’s latest update for the WordPress CMS platform. This is not a major release but more of a security fix to address the following issues.

Three external libraries included in WordPress received security updates:

• Plupload (version 1.5.4), which WordPress uses for uploading media.
• SWFUpload, which WordPress previously used for uploading media, and may still be in use by plugins.
• SWFObject, which WordPress previously used to embed Flash content, and may still be in use by plugins and themes.

WordPress 3.3.2 also addresses:

• Limited privilege escalation where a site administrator could deactivate network-wide plugins when running a WordPress network under particular circumstances.
• Cross-site scripting vulnerability when making URLs clickable.
• Cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in redirects after posting comments in older browsers, and when filtering URLs.

If you have modified any of your WordPress core files, here are the file that will be affected with this update.

wp-comments-post.php
wp-includes/version.php
wp-includes/js/swfobject.js
wp-includes/js/plupload/plupload.html4.js
wp-includes/js/plupload/plupload.silverlight.xap
wp-includes/js/plupload/plupload.html5.js
wp-includes/js/plupload/changelog.txt
wp-includes/js/plupload/plupload.silverlight.js
wp-includes/js/plupload/plupload.flash.js
wp-includes/js/plupload/handlers.dev.js
wp-includes/js/plupload/plupload.flash.swf
wp-includes/js/plupload/plupload.js
wp-includes/js/swfupload/swfupload.swf
wp-includes/wp-db.php
wp-includes/formatting.php
wp-includes/capabilities.php
wp-includes/kses.php
wp-includes/script-loader.php
wp-includes/ms-functions.php
readme.html
wp-admin/about.php
wp-admin/includes/update-core.php
wp-admin/plugins.php
wp-admin/press-this.php
wp-admin/setup-config.php

Here are some things you should consider before hitting the update button in WordPress.

1. Have you made a backup of your WordPress database and site?
2. Have you checked with your Webmaster or site designer to see if it’s ok to update?
3. Have you plug-in developers released updates that support V3.3.2 for your site.?
4. Has Your theme developer released and update that supports V3.3.2?

If you answered no or I’m not sure, then I would wait and see other site owners response to the update. Also make sure you have backup your site and database and know how to restore it if anything goes wrong.

Back on April 11, 2012, RIM announced  they would be releasing revamps and upgrades to some of their most popular apps. The biggest enhancement will be the integration of Facebook for BlackBerry, Twitter for BlackBerry, and other apps into BBM. Here’s what RIM has to say about the new BlackBerry Messenger integrated apps.

Press Release

More BBM-Connected Apps Set to Launch

Series of BlackBerry App Updates Will Make It Easier to Keep Your BBM Community In The Know

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – April 11, 2012) – A series of updates of popular BlackBerry® apps will be released over the coming days to make it even easier for users to stay connected with their BBM^TM (BlackBerry® Messenger) community. Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced that Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones, Twitter® for BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry® Travel^TM, BlackBerry App World^TM and BBM Music will now include BBM connectivity, making it even easier for users to stay in touch with their contacts, share experiences and content, and discover new things from their BBM community.

“Since we provided developers the means to build BBM connectivity into their apps, we have seen more than 800 new BBM-connected apps come to market, which has been followed by a huge uptake by users – about one of every five apps being downloaded on BlackBerry App World is a BBM-connected app,” said Alec Saunders, VP of Developer Relations at RIM. “Today we’re excited to announce that RIM has also integrated BBM connectivity into a number of our own popular apps and the BBM-connected revolution continues to grow.”

 

Facebook and Twitter Apps Integrated with BBM

Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones (version 3.0) and Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones (version 3.0) now allow users to automatically share their Facebook status or latest Tweet with their BBM friends right from within the app.

BlackBerry Travel Goes Social

It is now easier than ever to update those who matter most about your travel plans. The new BlackBerry Travel app (version 2.5) is now BBM-connected, allowing users to share their travel plans and flight changes directly with select BBM contacts or with their entire BBM community.

App Sharing Made Simpler

With BBM (version 6.2) and BlackBerry App World (version 3.1.2), users can easily update their BBM profile to let their friends know about the great new app they’ve just downloaded on BlackBerry App World. With this updated version of BlackBerry App World, users can also instantly share info about their favorite app or a list of their installed apps with friends using BlackBerry® Tag*.

BBM Music – Music Discovery Made Better

With the enhanced BBM Music (version 1.2), discovering music and making friends is easier than ever. New BBM Music friends can be recommended to users right from within the BBM Music app itself, making it easier for users to connect and expand their music collection. The new feature even allows users to sample others’ songs before accepting new contacts on BBM Music.

BBM Made Better

In addition to integration with BlackBerry App World, BBM (version 6.2) offers a polished, enhanced and more personal experience. It includes a new selection of animated avatars, a simpler way of updating one’s personal message in their profile, and now allows users to quickly send voice notes.

Availability

Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones version 3.0 is available now and Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones version 3.0, BlackBerry Travel version 2.5, BlackBerry App World version 3.1.2, BBM Music version 2.1 and BBM version 6.2 are scheduled to be available for download over the next ten days on BlackBerry App World (www.blackberry.com/appworld)**. Stay tuned to BlackBerry social channels to confirm when each app becomes available.

* BlackBerry Tag requires an NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphone running BlackBerry® 7.1 OS or higher.

** Some apps may not be available in some countries.

Professional social network LinkedIn announced an update to its People You May Know feature, which is highly utlized by power networkers and the social-influencer elite. 

Not only has LinkedIn modified the appearance of the suggested users, it has also improved the accuracy and relevance of those recommendations by adjusting its algorithm and the way it identifies potential connections.

LinkedIn’s algorithm will now increasingly base its People You May Know suggestions on a user’s existing network including past workplaces and where they’ve gone to school, as well as making it easier to narrow searches by filtering results down to a specific company or school by simply clicking on an institution’s logo at the top of the page.

The social network is also introducing an endless-scroll feature that will present People You May Know recommendations in a seamless two-column flow as users scroll down. Even the presentation of these potential LinkedIn contacts has changed, adding emphasis on displaying the users’ photos.

Credit : Website Magazine.

For a services that offers a free newsletter services for up to 2,000 subscribers. MailChimp is on the march with a promise to users that they will launch new enhancements and features every 4 weeks. Keeping true to their word, Mailchimp has roll out version 6.9 with a whole slew of goodies. Let’s take a look at what’s new in v6.9

Drag and Drop Image Editor

You can now just drag and drop images from your desktop into MailChimp:

and they get uploaded. No need to hit the “browse…upload” button! (but that’s still available for people who prefer that). There’s also an all new image gallery that’s been designed to make file management a lot easier. For starters, there’s a very spiffy, fast new search tool to help you sift through all those images you’ve uploaded over the years:

Aviary Integration

MailChimp is now working with the guys over at  Aviary to build a much more customized image editing interface. You can now crop, resize, rotate, and enhance your images right inside MailChimp:

Reports: Filter by list

Under the Reports tab, there’s a nice, big graph showing your open and click rates over time. This is nice if you only manage one email list. But if you have tons of different lists and lots of different campaigns, this graph becomes totally useless, because all your stats get jumbled into one big timeline:

Some of those lists up there are 10 years old, while some are only one year old. Not quite apples to apples. So MailChimp has added the option to sort that graph by list.

This should make things more sane for you.

Lots of New Free Templates!

According to MailChimp, every 4 weeks they add new sets of HTML email templates to their gallery. In this release, over 30 new templates have been added that include sport and even iPad templates.

Some templates for school announcements:

and templates for iPhone and iPad app developers:

According to Mailchimp, templates are all designed to be fairly flexible. You can tweak colors and logos and graphics to better match your own brand.

Target by default language

You can now send targeted emails based on your recipients’ default language:

This makes it easier to write custom-translated email campaigns for your customers (consider using their Straker integration).

Target by email client

You can also send targeted campaigns to people based on what email app they use (this is pulled from our user-agent stats):

So you can send campaigns designed specifically for people who use, say, mobile email clients, or get specific and target Blackberry users, or Postbox users.

Browse member profiles

Let’s say you launch a cool new app, and you get a flood of new subscribers who want to know more about it. You’re probably very interested in who those people are. You just want to sit back and browse your list to learn more about these early adopters and promoters. You care more about who those people are than you care about opens and clicks. MailChimp never had a really easy way to let you browse through your list and “meet” your subscribers, one by one. So we added little “next” and “previous” buttons. Very simple, but very powerful:

Using this new feature is great.  You can browse your list and if you see an interesting gravatar. When SocialPro is activated, I you see their klout score.  Or even view their public twitter timeline. If they’re someone you think is a VIP, just mark them as a “Golden Monkey” like this:

Which will then automatically sync up with the Golden Monkeys iPhone app, and will send you push alerts if/whenever they engage with your emails.

MailChimp is promising even more new feature and  new tutorials in the upcoming weeks.

Source: MailChimp