Our community will be hosting 50 young people from CHINA for an Academic Home Stay this summer. They are here to learn English. So you don't have to speak Chinese!

They arrive July 15th and depart Aug. 5th.

As part of the program they attend school at St. Mary’s in Stayton, most every day from 9am to 12pm. There is help with commuting them to school for those who need it!

There are three all day sight seeing & shopping excursions and many afternoon activities planned for them also. We will end on those days at 5pm.

That leaves them free to just be part of your family the rest of the time and share in this very enriching experience.

We need families who would be willing to supply them with a bed, meals, love, and encouragement! There are three adults that come with them. An interpreter and teacher who need housing also.

For more information, and answers to any questions please call KATHY MILEY at 503-551-2013.

Madrid, April 4, 2008 - During the last week, the Virtumonde spy program has been the threat that has infected most computers according to data compiled by PandaLabs, the malware detection and analysis laboratory at
Panda Security. The Bagle.HX worm and the adware NaviPromo are in second and third place in the week's Top 10 ranking.

Top 10 - TotalScan
1 Spyware/Virtumonde
2 W32/Bagle.HX.worm
3 Adware/NaviPromo
4 Adware/Comet
5 W32/Bagle.RP.worm
6 W32/Puce.E.worm
7 Adware/Zango
8 Adware/Lop
9 W32/Bagle.QV.worm
10 Adware/Starware

This week, over 23% of computers protected with a security solution were infected, while the figure for unprotected computers was over 32%.

From the malicious codes that have appeared over the last seven days, this week's PandaLabs report focuses on the QQHelper.Z Trojan, the adware AntispywareMaster and the Rungbu.D worm.

QQHelper.Z is designed to drop two rootkits on computers in order to hide its processes, thereby making it more difficult to detect. This Trojan connects to a web page and also makes a series of modifications to the system including adding a link in the Favorites folder.

The AntispywareMaster adware simulates an antispyware program to trick users into installing and running it on their computers. This adware also creates shortcuts in the Start menu and on the Desktop. When run, it appears as if it is scanning the computer for malicious code, displaying random 'detection' results.

"When we analyzed this malicious code we found a file containing information about the infections to display. So, seemingly, this 'antispyware' already knows the malicious code it will detect, before it has even begun to scan the computer! Evidently, this is a malicious program", explains Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs.

Once the supposed scan has finished, if users try to disinfect their computers, they will be taken to a web page from which they can buy the product.

The Rungbu.D worm is designed to copy itself to all system drives. It also modifies certain Windows registry keys in order to carry out malicious action including hiding file extensions, changing Microsoft Word icons for another icon included in the worm's code and executing itself on every system restart.

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Madrid, March 21, 2008 - According to data gathered at the Infected or Not website (http://www.infectedornot.com) this week, 25.41% of computers with a security solution installed were infected.

"Given the vast amount of new samples of malware in circulation every day, security laboratories are saturated and solutions can no longer be updated in time. That's why traditional solutions need to be complemented with online tools capable of accessing a larger knowledge base and detecting much more malicious code," explains Luis Corrons,
Technical Director of PandaLabs.

Among the thousands of malicious codes that have appeared this week, the present PandaLabs report focuses on the Bankolimb.AF Trojan and the Autorun.RS worm.

When it is run, Autorun.RS releases two files on the computer designed to steal passwords for online games.

"The use of worms that can steal passwords, a feature more often associated with Trojans, is a growing trend. The reason is that worms, unlike Trojans, can spread by themselves, which represents a real advantage for cyber-crooks", says Luis Corrons.

Theft of passwords for online games is motivated by the potential financial returns that this can generate. In these games, there are levels and items that can only be achieved through skill and experience. However, many users are willing to pay for them on forums, web pages, etc. Cyber-crooks readily profit from this situation.

The Bankolimb.AF Trojan drops several libraries on the computer, one of which is registered as a BHO (Browser Helper Object). This allows it to monitor the Internet activity of the user, monitoring when they access online bank pages, and adding fields to forms that users see on these pages, in order to collect additional information.

The Trojan captures keystrokes to steal passwords entered into these pages. It then sends the information to its creator, uploading a file with the data to a server.

Madrid, March 28, 2008 - According to the data gathered at the Infected or Not website (http://www.infectedornot.com) this week, 21% of protected computers were infected by malware.

"Traditional solutions are no longer enough to combat the increasing number of new malware samples that appear every day. The solutions need to be complemented with online tools that access a larger knowledge base and detect more malware," says Luis Corrons, Technical Director of
PandaLabs.

The Comet adware, designed to display ads while users surf the Web, is the malicious code that has infected most computers this week. The Puce.E and Bagle.RP worms are next on the list.

Top 10 TotalScan

1 Adware/Comet
2 W32/Puce.E.worm
3 W32/Bagle.RP.worm
4 Adware/OneStep
5 W32/Archivarius.A.worm
6 Adware/Zango
7 Adware/Starware
8 W32/Bagle.RP.worm
9 Trj/Downloader.SZW
10 Adware/SpyAxe

Regarding new strains of malware that have appeared, the weekly report from PandaLabs looks at the Nakuru.A and Selex.B Trojans, and the RenameLoi.A worm.

When run, Nakuru.A slows down the infected computer's Internet connection. It also modifies the Internet Explorer windows by including the title: "Welcome to Your New Home Page".

Selex.B on the other hand, is a Trojan designed to capture system information and send it to its creator; it steals email addresses from the infected computers to them.

To fool users, the first time it runs, it displays a page which looks like it's downloading a download manager called: "Fastlane Downloader 3.34b".

When run for the first time, the RenameLoi.A worm displays a beeping Internet screen with a green background and a religious text, which it establishes as the Internet Explorer home and search page, and which it displays every time the PC is restarted. .

When the computer is started, it shows another screen, with the text "[Day of judgment]". To spread, this worm copies itself to the removable drives on the computer and to the system. .

Additionally, it modifies the Internet browser home and search page and carries out annoying and malicious actions like hiding files with system file attributes.

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Madrid, March 14, 2008 - According to data gathered at the Infected or Not website (http://www.infectedornot.com) this week, 26.05% of protected computers are infected with some type of malicious code.

"Many users think that having an antivirus installed is enough to protect them. However, not all solutions protect the same nor is it enough to have a solution installed on the computer", explains Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs. "To be more protected, traditional security software must be complemented with on-demand scans
performed by online solutions that offer greater detection capacity".

Regarding the most prevalent malicious codes last week, the list is headed by the Comet adware, which shows ads while users surf the Internet.

The Bagle.RP and Puce.E worms take second and third place respectively. These malicious codes use their own means to spread from one computer to another.

Top 10 TotalScan

Adware Comet
Worm Bagle.RP
Worms Puce.E
Adware Starware
Spyware Virtumonde
Worm Archivarius.A
Worm Bagle.SB
Trojan Rebooter.J
Worm Bagle.RC
Adware SaveNow

As for the thousands of new codes that have appeared this week, the PandaLabs report looks at EbayRob.B and WinFake.A.

EbayRob.B is a Trojan designed to steal data entered in online forms on sites like eBay. This data is later on sent to the malware creator by email.

The Trojan modifies the Windows Registry in order to register itself as a service, which allows it to run automatically every time Windows is started up. It also edits the hosts file to redirect access to a series
of websites to the affected computer. By doing this, the Trojan will be able to monitor access to those addresses.

When run by the user, EbayRob.B displays a series of cars photos.

Winfake.A is a worm that infects all available drives. It also prevents certain utilities, functions (like regedit) or the Windows console from being run, and hinders the normal use of the clipboard.

The worm appears as a Microsoft Word icon called Love. Once run, it makes several copies of itself on the system and names them after songs to entice users to run them.

More information in PandaLabs' Encyclopedia
(http://www.pandasecurity.com/spain/homeusers/security-info/about-malware/encyclopedia/?sitepanda=particulares)

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