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Microsoft published Security Advisory 2286198 on Friday of last week, confirming the existence of a critical vulnerability in all supported versions of Windows. The new zero-day vulnerability is easily exploitable via USB storage devices, network shares or remote WebDAV shares. All that is required for exploitation is for the contents of the USB device to be viewed in Windows Explorer. Specially crafted shortcut (.lnk) files are allowed to execute code when the shortcut’s icon is loaded to the GUI. An exploit targeting this vulnerability is currently in limited use and additional exploits are very likely in the coming weeks.

The shortcut vulnerability was discovered during investigation of the Stuxnet rootkit, which has been used in targeted attacks aimed at Siemens SCADA systems. Such systems are used for supervisory control and data acquisition in industrial facilities such as power plants. The shortcut file used in this case is detected as Exploit:W32/WormLink.A.

The situation is now more critical because a publicly available proof of concept was posted to several exploit database sites over the weekend. Proof of concept exploit code is now in-the-wild and F-Secure fully expects virus writers to utilize this method of attack in the near future.

Sean Sullivan, Security Advisor at F-Secure, said, “This shortcut worm is very dangerous and the seriousness of the situation will increase until Microsoft releases a fix. And because Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 is no longer supported, even the fix won’t fully resolve the issue. This is a major concern as F-Secure’s research shows that SP2 is still being used by many organizations.”

F-Secure strongly recommends that companies and organizations migrate to Windows XP Service Pack 3 as soon as possible, or implement Microsoft’s suggested workarounds.

Additionally, organizations need to create or review their USB device policy.

“This danger can be mitigated with best practices. If a company doesn’t have a security policy regarding USB devices, they’re at risk. Those that do have a policy should review it and make sure that it’s being followed. This is time critical as summer vacation season is approaching,” says Sullivan.

F-Secure Security Lab is continuing its research into the “shortcut worm” and the latest news will be available at our blog http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/

F-Secure – Protecting the irreplaceable
While you concentrate on what is important to you, we make sure you are protected and safe online whether you are using a computer or a smartphone. We also backup and enable you to share your important files. Our services are available through over 200 operators around the world and trusted in millions of homes and businesses. Founded in 1988, F-Secure is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.

f-secure.com I twitter.com/fsecure I facebook.com/f-secure

Domains include:
WhyCoQ10.com
WhatisCoQ10.com
CoQ10Review.com

More new domains and dedicated landing pages are on the way so I will post them here as they are completed.

This is great news for PPC affiliates. No restrictions on these domains! Text links are available in ShareASale and Commission Junction.

Provo, UT (PRWEB) July 16, 2010
When looking for the next growth opportunity online, the owners of Flirty Aprons decided it was time to launch an affiliate marketing program and hired Greg Hoffman Consulting to handle the project. Since last Fall, the wildly popular ecommerce site has seen a solid 30% growth through affiliate traffic.

Flirty Aprons first launched on the ShareASale network at the beginning of the Holiday season in early November, 2009. The affiliate management strategy was to recruit as many affiliates as possible and get them active quickly so as to capitalize on the holiday rush. Several weeks later, they launched another program on Commission Junction. Sales started immediately for affiliates in both networks and Flirty Aprons finished November with more than 100 sales combined at 4.5% conversion.

“Our total holiday sales in 2009 were fantastic but Mother’s Day 2010 trumped even those amazing figures,” said Joseph Hansen, CEO of Flirty Aprons. “We knew our sales were historically higher around Mother’s Day (than other non-holiday months) but they were really over the top this year. The affiliate channel helped us grow tremendously by adding thousands of new customers.”

Melea Johnson, owner of www.freebies2deals.com, was one of Flirty Aprons top performing affiliates this year.

“Mom’s love a cute and fun product, but they also love a great price,” she said. “And, that is exactly what Flirty Aprons is all about.”

Affiliate marketing isn’t usually this easy for merchants but Hansen and his team worked hard on fine tuning conversions on each product page and made the sales process very simple for customers, according to Greg Hoffman, President of Greg Hoffman Consulting. “Their aprons are unique gifts for mom, priced well and fun for affiliates to promote,” he added.

To combat seasonality, Hoffman is working with Flirty Aprons to come up with powerful affiliate-based promotions to keep the traffic coming. Through a combination of special sales, coupons and deals along with individual communication and intense recruiting of affiliates, Hoffman is preparing the program to be one of the hottest products for Cyber Monday 2010 and Mother’s Day 2011.

Flirty Aprons can be found on the ShareASale, Commission Junction and Pepperjam networks. The program pays 15% with a 60-day cookie. The program conversion rate ranges between 3% – 7% and the typical Earnings Per Click (EPC) is around $30. The datafeed is updated regularly and is available in Popshops and other popular tools for affiliates.

Flirty Aprons was founded by two married couples: Joseph and Heather Hansen, and Spencer and Jamie Taylor. When the owners initially met they discovered they each had a strong passion for business. They knew that their partnership would be enriched with a variety of skills that would allow them to create a successful and enjoyable business. Their products include aprons for women, children and men.

Greg Hoffman Consulting is an outsourced program management agency with merchants in the top affiliate networks. The GHC team consists of two experienced affiliate managers and a recruiter. Visit www.greghoffmanconsulting.com to learn more about our style of affiliate management.

Here are the new banners:

Buying lobster can be a little intimidating. Here are a few tips for landlubbers and first time lobster shoppers. Follow these simple suggestions for picking out the perfect lobster for cooking at home. Better yet, have live lobsters (all-sizes), lobster tails or a complete lobster dinner shipped to your from www.lobsteranywhere.com.

Buy Lobster at a Busy Spot
Whether you are buying lobster at a seafood store or lobster pound, make sure it’s busy and has lots of turnover. We are not talking about the supermarket! Lots of customers and traffic mean the lobsters are coming in and going out—a good sign the lobsters are fresh.

Buy Maine Lobster
Maine lobster (Homarus americanus) is also known as the American lobster, the Massachusetts lobster, the Canadian lobster or the North Atlantic lobster. Maine lobsters are caught off the Atlantic coast of the northern United States and Canada. It is the lobster with two claws, one large and one small. The lobster with no claws is called the Spiny lobster (commonly called rock lobster). The spiny lobster is found in the waters off Florida, Southern California, and Mexico. The meat is firmer, stringier and not quite as sweet as that of the Maine lobster. You’ll usually find these lobsters in the form of frozen tails. Always try and buy cold-water Atlantic lobster tails. You will pay a little more, but it will be worth it. Fresh lobster tails are available in a variety of sizes direct from www.lobsteranywhere.com

Buy Fresh, Lively Lobster
A good sign of a healthy lobster is one that it is active—even mad! A healthy lobster should raise their claws, and flap their tail when pulled out of water. Feisty lobsters are always fresh lobsters. Lobsters whose claws droop when picked up and appear sluggish have spent some time either out of water or in a lobster tank. Check the lobster for two long antennae. Lobsters with missing or chewed antennae have also spent time in storage.
You also do not want to buy a lobster with a cracked shell or claw.

Buy Hard-Shell Lobster
The shell of a lobster is a good indicator of how much meat it contains. Hard-shell lobsters are packed with more meat than soft-shell ones. They are also stronger and can survive shipping. The only way to tell is to squeeze their bodies for shell hardness. Pick it up firmly from the back of the body (carapace), not the claws, and gently squeeze the body section. The soft shell lobster will yield to pressure, while the hard shell will be firm. Be careful you can easily crush or crack the shell of a soft-shell lobster. A lobster with a firm or even rock hard shell is the keeper. Hard shell lobsters are available year-round from http://www.lobsteranywhere.com/, however, in the summer and autumn months the warmer waters of the North Atlantic affect the overall supply and price. Generally, hard-shell lobsters are reasonably priced from Mother’s Day through the Fourth of July.

Buy a Male or Female Lobster?
You can identify a male or female lobster by checking the underside of the tail. The first pair of swimmerets on a male lobster are hard, whereas on a female lobster, they are soft and feathery. There is really no taste difference. If you are looking for larger tails, you’ll want a female lobster. The female lobster carry unfertilized eggs or roe in the tail. Some consider the lobster roe a delicacy like caviar. Note when cooked the “coral” or roe will turn a bright red. They will be black when the lobster is uncooked.

About LobsterAnywhere.com
For over ten years, LobsterAnywhere.com has shipped live lobster, lobster tails, and fresh seafood gifts coast-to-coast. Test the waters and search for a coupon from one of our great affiliates!

Patrik Sallner, VP, of F-Secure’s Mobile Business Unit, said, “F-Secure Mobile Security is the world’s leading smartphone security solution and we are very pleased to make it available for Android alongside other popular mobile platforms. This means our operator partners can now provide their customers with comprehensive IT security covering both smartphones and computers.”

F-Secure Mobile Security 6 provides complete security for smartphones, protecting against malicious software and safeguarding confidential data even if the phone is lost or stolen. Its innovative Browsing Protection makes Internet use and mobile financial transactions safer than ever for smartphone users.

Sallner said, “Today’s smartphones are designed for surfing the web and financial transactions such as online banking and shopping. In our recent survey* we found that over a third of users surf the web with their smartphones and just over ten percent use them for online banking. F-Secure’s advanced technology provides peace of mind for smartphone users so they can enjoy their devices to the fullest without worrying that sensitive information may fall into the wrong hands.”

Browsing Protection identifies which websites are safe to enter and blocks harmful sites that try to spread malware or steal confidential information, such as banking details. The Anti-Theft feature makes it possible to remotely lock the phone or erase data on the phone if it is lost or stolen. It can also inform you of the new number if the SIM card is changed and can show you the phone’s location, so you can track down who has your smartphone. F-Secure Mobile Security 6 also protects smartphones against malicious software, including spying tools, viruses and trojans. Frequent automatic updates, immediate reaction times and fast cures during new and emerging threats are guaranteed by the F-Secure Labs, which operate 24 hours a day worldwide. F-Secure is a pioneer in mobile security and has already been protecting mobile devices for a full ten years.

F-Secure Mobile Security 6 is now available for Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms through the F-Secure eStore http://www.f-secure.com/en_US/products/mobile/mobile-security/. A free seven-day trial version of Mobile Security is available at: https://shop.f-secure.com/cgi-bin/dlreg/ml=EN?ID=FSMAVTB&desid=MOBILE&APX=SITE-EN

F-Secure – Protecting the irreplaceable

While you concentrate on what is important to you, we make sure you are protected and safe online whether you are using a computer or a smartphone. We also backup and enable you to share your important files. Our services are available through over 200 operators around the world and trusted in millions of homes and businesses. Founded in 1988, F-Secure is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.

f-secure.com I twitter.com/fsecure I facebook.com/f-secure

* The survey was carried out by independent third party Zoomerang in May 2010 across 1,439 Internet users in the United States, Germany, UK, Finland, Sweden, Poland and Malaysia. There were approximately 200 persons surveyed per country.

I’d like to invite you to an exciting new program on Commission Junction and a top 100 Powerank ShareASale member – Polka Dot Design. Active affiliates should expect conversion up to 7%, with average orders around $75 and 30 Day EPC at $50. No ppc restrictions. Monthly newsletter. Dedicated management team. Full product datafeed coming soon. 10% commission.

Polka Dot Design Stationery & Invitation Co., was established in 1999 and continues to be a leading online stationery company. Along with our growing line of Exclusive Designs, we also represent many well-known invitation brands. Customers are sure to find a design they love whether the need is for baby announcements, birthday invitations, wedding invitations, shower invitations, photo cards or Christmas Cards. Between modern and traditional, cute and simple, we provide the perfect designs for all of life’s special occasions.

We have a large variety of product categories to choose from covering many niches that may interest you. Below are just a sampling of some of the product categories for you to choose from.

* Party Supplies
* Pre-inked Custom Stamps
* Shower Invitations
* Graduation Announcements
* Birthday Invitations
* Party Invitations
* Birth Announcements
* Wedding Stationery
* Return Address Labels
* Personalized Notepads
* Personalized Stickers
* College and Greek Gifts
* Twins Announcements & Invitations
* Personalized Favor Gift Tags

Here is the link to join CJ.

Here is the link to join ShareASale.

It’s not just soccer fans around the world who are interested in the FIFA World Cup, which is kicking off in South Africa on Friday, June 11. The huge global interest in the event also attracts cybercriminals who see it as a major opportunity to make money by selling fake tickets, attracting soccer fans to drive-by download websites (websites that download malware without the users knowledge) and carrying out phishing attacks camouflaged with a World Cup theme.

Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer at F-Secure, said, “I urge soccer fans everywhere to give cybercriminals the red card by refusing to be fooled by their dirty tricks. In addition to online vigilance against World Cup spam, scams and hoaxes, it’s also crucial to keep computers patched and up-to-date to avoid getting hit by drive-by downloads from dubious websites.”

World Cup tickets are hot property at the moment and desperate fans looking for last minute bargains make an ideal target group for online fraudsters. Unfortunately, many of the seemingly attractive ticket deals offered outside the official World Cup website, www.fifa.com, are bogus and fans end up losing their money.

A survey commissioned by F-Secure* conducted in Germany, Sweden and the UK asked how likely Internet users would be to click on a link promising information about cheap tickets for the World Cup. An average of 28 percent of respondents in the three countries were tempted to some degree, with about 8 percent of respondents saying they would be very likely to click on the link.

With World Cup fever taking over the planet, hundreds of millions of people are also visiting all kinds of websites that purport to give the latest results and breaking news from the tournament. In anticipation of all this web traffic, cybercriminals have been setting up bogus websites designed to appear near the top of search engine results for the World Cup, ready to infect visitors. Spam email about star player scandals, sensational sports news reports from South Africa and fraudulent World Cup tickets are also certain to multiply as the tournament gets under way.

Soccer fans should also be on the look-out for phishing attacks disguised as competitions or surprise lottery wins that attempt to steal their credit card numbers, online banking details, personal passwords, and other confidential information.

Mikko Hypponen’s top tips for staying safe online during the World Cup:

- Don’t believe the spam – you have not won a lottery for free tickets for the World Cup final.

- Only buy online tickets and merchandise from www.fifa.com and authorized vendors. More information is available on the FIFA website.

- Get your World Cup news from reputable websites.

- Use the free F-Secure Health Check (www.f-secure.com/healthcheck) and Online Scanner (http://ols.f-secure.com) to check if your computer is secure or get full protection with a free 30-day trial of F-Secure Internet Security 2010 (www.f-secure.com/is2010).

F-Secure’s free online Health Check and Online Scanner can pinpoint any security issues that need to be fixed so you can enjoy the World Cup to the full. Health Check lets you know if you are using the latest software versions – this way criminals cannot exploit vulnerabilities that exist in out-of-date programs. Online Scanner scans your computer for known malware. F-Secure is also offering a free 30-day trial of F-Secure Internet Security 2010, which provides comprehensive protection for your computer – perfect for the duration of the World Cup.

F-Secure – Protecting the irreplaceable
While you concentrate on what is important to you, we make sure you are protected and safe online whether you are using a computer or a smartphone. We also backup and enable you to share your important files. Our services are available through over 200 operators around the world and trusted in millions of homes and businesses. Founded in 1988, F-Secure is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.
f-secure.com | twitter.com/fsecure | facebook.com/f-secure

Patrons can now lounge about California Tea House by uploading their personalized avatars, socializing live with fellow tea drinking enthusiasts and divulging in earthly conversations, all while earning Tea Token rewards for interactions, feedback and purchases. The Tea Token rewards program allows participants to redeem their earned Tea Tokens to purchase tea at the online tea store.

Visitors can also navigate throughout the site while jamming to original, lounge-style music, akin to a local cafe’s “open-mic” night. They can even tip their favorite artists with Tea Tokens to show their appreciation.

A few more features of interest: job-seekers can check the site’s “Opportunities” bulletin for openings at coffee and tea shops in a variety of positions around the nation; health buffs can read about the scientific links between individual types of tea and health; gypsys’ can learn about and exchange various home remedies utilizing tea.

“As a small business owner starting out, I want to be as personal to my clients as possible, by making them feel as cozy about the website as they would while visiting a cafe’,” says founder Ani Bailey.

Ani Bailey has been passionate about tea ever since she was a child. Her interest in starting a tea company brush-fired when she visited the Moorish tea houses (teterias) of Spain while studying abroad. Bailey became fascinated by the incredible variety and decadent flavors of loose leaf tea and herbal blends at the teterias that she knew it was time to act.

Prior to establishing her tea brand, Ani Bailey first debuted her tea collection at local California farmers’ markets where her custom teas were welcomed with open arms.

California Tea House is highly selective in its collection of world wide gourmet loose leaf tea, blooming tea and herbal tea blends, thereby currently carrying only 34 types of loose leaf teas. CTH prides itself in presenting its teas through environmentally conscious means by utilizing biodegradable peanuts, recyclable bags and offering promotions to charitable organizations.

What especially makes California Tea House stand out from the competition is its superior quality teas, competitive prices and that it provides free shipping on every order within the US.

Join the California Tea House Affiliate Program on ShareASale and earn top commissions.