If you are like most Joomla! users, you've tried to log in to your site's administrator account only to see the "username and password not not match" error. You've forgotten your password, or the one you were so sure it was is not working. Joomla!, it turns out uses a one-way hash to store passwords and that means it does not provide the usual password recovery tools like email password recovery, or the option to reset your password. The easiest way to go about resetting your password is to create a new one and then use the useful tool on this site (requires JavaScript) to generate a new MD5 hash to plug into your SQL database.

Basically, you make up a new password, navigate to the website above and generate a new hash code. Then you copy the new code and log in to your account at your hosting provider's site. Most of the providers use CPanel or VDeck. Look for your database account and access the management interface through phpMyadmin. In phpMyAdmin, click on the "SQL" button to bring up the query window and paste your new code in there. Click on "Go" and after a few seconds, there will be a message letting you know that your changes have been made.

You can now log in to your admin site with the new password. Complicated? Maybe, but that is a good thing.

Malware is described as malicious software that can be invasive and nasty on business and home computers. They are usually in the form of worms, spyware, trojan horses (software that pretends to be useful) and net or web bots which hackers use to gain access to and control remote computers. With the explosion in internet usage and the availability of high bandwidth internet access tools like cable, DSL and T1, T3 etc., the writers of malware are also constantly evolving in the dispersal of their software. The recent trend is the localization of SPAM with the intention of making a message that could be flagged as junk email look like it came from your local chamber of commerce, the mayor's office or the youth soccer league, for example. These localized spam emails usually have catchy and very tempting headliners like "free t-shirts, tickets, baseball cap" if the unsuspecting user clicks on a link. Of course the link usually has an attachment that could be disguised as a PDF file where it is really an executable virus. Banner ads are also potential carriers of malware especially in social networking sites. We also see malware in software that offers to scan a computer for "security updates", "security threats" and "registry fixes" and "performance optimizers". Sometimes, malware is seasonal. So you may see a lot of IRS related malware during the tax season, or football related trojans during the football season. The recently concluded China Olympics saw a lot of maware offering all kinds of Olympic related "goodies". Malware writers have also been known to use variable data in their software whereby they personalize the attacks. In this case you may receive an email that promises John Doe season tickets to a local game from the local high school coach.