Safety on Computers

[Louisiana Night]

Then I don't know what he means.

[dew7]

Must have been someone else who did not have a firewall.

Also, see Feb. 2, 2005 Wall Street Journal about problems with web-cameras and how hackers can hack them without safe-guards.  It is in the last section.

I told you some people on this forum that web. cams are a security risk but no one would listen to me and so here is proof.  :<  Anyway, just a quick stop in because I have to get back to Microsoft beta testing and other security considerations.  

[racx_00]

Everyone with a webcam is aware of that and don't really give a s*** , thats a risk you take when getting a webcam

And whats wrong with them seeing your face, they can't identify you or find out where you live because there are so many people in this world

[Jafar]

Can't you just unplug your webcam when you're not using it?

[Jeysie]

I suppose the operative question is, what sort of things can be done after hacking into a webcam?

If all that can happen is that the person can see your picture feed, then yeah, that's a rather frivolous thing to worry about. If you're going to be doing embarrassing, private, confidential, or incriminating things in front of your webcam, then hackers are the least of your worries, IMHO.

There are a number of other perfectly good reasons not to use a webcam, I will say. I'm just a bit dubious about this one.

Peace & Luv, Liz

[Storm]

Even more fun with IE6 vulnerabilities:

Extremely High-Level IE6 Vulnerability Found

Stop using Internet Explorer! Now!

Um, ouch.

Funny, those vulnerability tests didn't work for me, though I am using both WinXP SP2 & IE6

[GravityMX]

Can't you just unplug your webcam when you're not using it?

Or just face it away from you (into a wall) like I have always done way before this hacker alert    

[dew7]

Well, my employee id was stolen once from my work and I had to get a new one and so I am done with that. I see our society becoming like 1984 by George Orwell where everyone is told what to do.  If you like being spied upon then fine and to each his own and now moving on because neither of us are going to change each other's mind and so it is pointless to argue anymore. (I hope the Shadow will come and back me up on this but even if he doesn't I am not changing my view on this so there)

[racx_00]

I don't think anyone is trying to change your opinion, we are just trying to explain that we don't give a s*it

[Jeysie]

If you're using a webcam, it's because you *want* people to be able to see you over the Internet. That's a far cry from the *forced* surveillance of 1984. If you really want to be spied upon, just walk into any department store with closed-circuit cameras...

Yeah, the thought that someone other than the person you're chatting with might see you could potentially be embarrassing. But it's not a security risk unless, as I said, you're dense enough to have something private in front of your webcam.

I mean, people offline see you all the time, mostly without you knowing, and they'll have a far easier time getting to you to hurt you if they wanted to. Why get so bent over online people seeing you, especially since you're more in control of when you want to be seen with a webcam?

Peace & Luv, Liz

[Jafar]

Well put, Jeysie.

[dew7]

Well neither of us will change our views so forget about it like they say in Donnie Brasco.

FYI:  Patches via Windows Update on 8 February 2005
          Also the Cell () :~

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1093&e=16&u=/pcworld/119593


http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1761412,00.asp

[Jeysie]

Not really security-related per se, but a warning about Microsoft's Automatic Updates feature...

Bizarre Windows Behavior

Peace & Luv, Liz

[dew7]

New attacks on Antispyware tool of Microsoft

[Jeysie]

I forgot that I had found this site the other day:

Parasite (Spyware) information database

Peace & Luv, Liz

[Oldbushie]

You are both crazy, imo to not use a firewall.  Listen up to MVP Gary Terhune of Microsoft from 98 general newsgroup if you will not listen to me.  He is pointing out to a user called jane why it is insane not to have a firewall.

Consider yourself "told off". You *can't* keep an eye, strict or otherwise, on most of the things that a firewall protects you against.
They happen invisibly. And, unlike antivirus, you can't just "be good" and avoid getting infected. If you are connected to the internet, or any network for that matter, and you don't have a well-configured firewall,
you are essentially living in a house with hundreds of doors, none of them locked, and all of them invisible to you. You won't know something is wrong until it is *way* too late--in fact, you won't even know it
then.

Special thanks to Gary Terhune MS MVP Shell/User

I'm a masochist. That would explain things.

Seriously, I have nothing worth stealing on my computer.

[Jeysie]

Firewalls don't just protect data, they also protect people from using your computer.

Try doing a Google or Wikipedia search for "zombie computer", and you'll find a large number of explanations of many computers being used as spam relays or for DoS attacks and similar things.

So you always have something worth stealing if you have a computer and a high-speed connection... namely, the sneaky use of that computer and connection for untoward purposes.

Besides, firewalls are easy to deal with. Heck, my DSL modem has one built in that works just fine, according to GRC's test...

Peace & Luv, Liz

[Oldbushie]

True, but I'm a minimalist computer user; if it's not absolutely necessary it will not be running in my computer's background.

Besides, if I do suspect someone's been using my computer (excessive slowdown for no apparent reason) Spybot's pretty good at finding the hidden processes that can't be seen in Task Manager.

[Yonkey]

Try doing a Google or Wikipedia search for "zombie computer", and you'll find a large number of explanations of many computers being used as spam relays or for DoS attacks and similar things.

Heh, my next door neighbours had a zombie computer.  They asked if I could help clean up some viruses.  I went there and found out that their system was plagued with spyware, and that their ISP literally cut off their service, because they had some worm that sent massive virii/spam to others, clogging up the ISP's mail server.  

[dew7]

Thanks for your support, Jeysie and Neil.  Everyone these two people as well as Chris Quirke, Microsoft MVP and Gary S. Terhune, also Microsoft MVP from Microsoft 98 general newsgroup know what they are talking about.  I was stupid and silly when I tried defending Internet Explorer and Jeysie showed me the light and how Mozilla Firefox does not have Active X vulnerability as well as tabbed browsing and I have discovered that you can discover a lot more information through properities and advanced settings of Mozilla Firefox and users can get it at:

getfirefox.com

It is a free browser and based on open-source technology.  I think the latest market share shows Mozilla Firefox at 7% which is an awesome percentage.  In short and I know I will piss people like rac-x and maybe oldbushie as well as some others off by saying this but it must be said.  If you do not use a firewall such as the free software firewall available from ZoneAlarm then you are being selfish by allowing your PC to become a Zombie PC as Neil has graciously given us an example of.  In addition, even dial-up users are now under siege from hackers but if you truly care then get protected now by having a software firewall as a bare minimum.  People it is FREE!!!  Now I will shut up and take the expected abuse that will be hurled at me by the anti-firewall establishment.  I say "BRING IT ON"