Here's something new. I don't know where to put it so I'll just put it here. If you ever use a strange computer (like at a cybe cafe) to log on to an important site, say your bank, there is a risk that a keystoke logger program may save all your keystrokes and get your user names, passwords, ETC. HERE is a cool way to defeat keyboard loggers. It doesn't work on everything but it's something to think about!
OK, so now I'm really safe. Right ? Well, not really...
It seems a lot of people sit down at their computers to surf the internet, and think they are totally anonymous to everyone else on the net. Well, NOTHING could be further from the truth ! Windows 98 has, they tell me, something over 65,000 ports. That's not a typo... 65,000 of those little beggars, and any one of them can let someone into your computer.
Yeah, how does that grab you ? When you are online, anyone who wants to and knows how can come right in... check out your files... see where you've been surfing... you made that much last year, did you ?... nice family pictures... you wear size 38 underwear, huh !... bought three pair from K-Mart, eh ?
Well, you get the idea. Is that OK with you ? It's sure not OK with me. It's not illegal for them to do it. So they do it. Who are they ? Well, the evil empire (MS) has tried to get into my computer and there are a lot of others. On some free software programs there is hidden spyware that takes information from your computer and sends it "Home" every time you are on the internet. Sometimes the SpyWare comes on the computer when you buy it ! I've got two Compaq computers, and they are always trying to " call home " (to Compaq). I have heard of some games, that you pay money for, that also install spyware in your computer. Windows XP is really unreal about this. Full of security holes, it phones home to the evil empire all the time and it seems that if you don't let it (with Zone Alarm) it gives you trouble connecting to sites on the Internet. I hate XP... ah, but it is more stable... ? ? ?
I first learned about this stuff from an E-Mail list I am on that talks about building web pages. The author said he had installed a FireWall ( ZoneAlarm ...FREE ) and found that he was being probed several times an hour ! So I installed ZoneAlarm and found there were things in my computer trying to get out and things trying to get in. I did not like this one bit. ZoneAlarm will give you the IP address if you want. Then type the numbers in the " Check this domain " box at CheckDomain.com, and click Enter. This will give you the ISP ( Internet Service Provider ) of whoever is trying to get into your computer. Not that this will do you any good. I E-Mailed a bunch of them... some even wrote back... most did not, but none of that did me any good. So I figure it's best to just keep as many of them out ( or in ) as possible.
I put on ZoneAlarm, and one called " IDecide "...(FREE) to keep the thieves out and let me know who wants in. IDecide works with your browser to let you know if the web site you are visiting is tracking you.
If you want to learn more about this and test your computer to see if anyone can get in, go to Shields UP. If you want to test your computer to see if someone is in there, check out OptOut. Another Free SpyWare Remover is AD-aware. Also SpyBot. Still another one is Spywareblaster. (Be careful, there's someone else called spywareblaster.com. I've never used them because their site just didn't "Feel" safe !) I use all three, all the time and they work good. Only one problem with the spyware removers. Some spyware actually changes critical files on your computer. If you remove the spyware (Like Web3000) you can screw up your internet connections. It's not the spyware removers fault. It's the fault of the pigs who fool you into loading the spyware in the first place. This is just another good reason to have image back up files like the kind that Drive Image or Norton Ghost make.
Did you know some web pages can actually change your home page without you knowing and make it VERY hard for you to undo the change ? StartPage Guard 2.0 will stop them and it's free. Some e-mails and webpages can run Scripts changing things in your computer. Script Sentry Will stop them. It's free too !
Now, how about cookies ? If you want to learn all about cookies as in what, and why they are there, go to Cookie Central. Personally, I just let cookies come and delete them manually. I do this because some web sites will not work unless they can put a cookie in your computer. So I just delete them every once in a while. A real good Free program to quickly delete cookies and temp files is Windows Clean Up!
Another Free Program to remove Temp Files, Cookies and History is " Clean-It " from SkyLark Utilities, It can be downloaded, as a 46 KB zip file by clicking HERE. Another free way to control cookies is Cookie Jar.
One last word, if you are running a real slow machine like a 486 or even a P133, the virus checkers can really slow you down. However, on my 333 and 500 they run great...something to think about !
Spam, unwanted and unrequested E-Mail, can drive you crazy. About 95% of the E-Mail I get is Spam. Never buy anything from a spammer. What to do about it ? I use MailWasher to clean my mail and bounce any Spam. It also has a Blacklist I can put spammers on, and a Friends list, to put friends on.
One way you get on the spam lists is buy signing up for things that require your E-Mail address. Sometimes, to get free software off the net, sites send you a password or key to the software in an E-Mail. That way they figure you have to give them the right E-Mail address. AH, but there is a way around that. Simply get a self-destructing, disposable, email address from The Spam Gourmet Use it to get your password or key and it will then self destruct after reciving up to 20 E-Mails (You choose how many) that are forwarded to your real E-Mail. Cool, huh ! All free, of course.
SpamMotel will give you a FREE Custom E-Mail address that you can give out. It will then forward all e-mail sent to this address, to your real e-mail address. Very easy and very cool !
Of course, you can always get one (or a dozen) of my E-Mail addresses too. All FREE !
Spyware and Malware is just getting worse and worse ! No one program gets everything. You need to study up on Spyware and protect yourself. If you do not, your computer will not last long on the Internet. Here are some sites with lots of information.
Here are some more programs that I use regularly.
Now, I do one more thing that, as far as I can see, no one else does. Ah, your not going to like this but, well, I ah... I NEVER install ANY operating system updates from MicroSoft. Nada, nothing. Now check this out. I have never had any real problems with viruses, spyware, whatever. Whatever I get hit with, the anti-virus and anti-spyware programs seem to take care of it all.
There is a reason to my apparent madness. The way I understand it, all software made now-a-days is made with other software. Very few people write programs in basic machine language. You know, 01100111010110, that sort of thing. Using software to write software makes things a lot easier for the programmer but, there is a big problem. These programs add a lot of goofy code that is not really necessary. I found this out while using a little HTML program to write a web page. When I made the page and looked at the code the program made I was amazed. Compared to the code I personally would write, there was maybe ten times as much code. With all this extra code comes... Ta Da... BUGS. The addition or subtraction of even one jot or tiddle (One character) in the code can change things tremendously.
I figure that when they redo the code to eliminate a security hole they probably have created another one, maybe even more then one, and maybe, even a worse one. The hackers just haven't found the new hole yet, so you think your secure, and you are ... At least till they find the new hole ! So why not cover the holes you do have and live with it ?
Just to give you some history. I have four different computers in daily use. A 1.5 mhz AMD laptop running XP, a 2.8 gig Celeron desktop running XP, a 336 mhz AMD laptop, running Win98, and a 533 Celeron desktop running Win98se. I get E-Mails asking motorcycle questions from all over the world. I've gotten e-mails from Australia, Japan, USA, England, South Africa, Italy, Singapore, Sweden, Iran, Columbia, and all over the world, but I never open attachments... not ever... not from anyone ! I have over nine CDs full of different freeware programs and I collect more every day. I don't download much, if any, music. I go to all kinds of weird web sites. If anyone would get hit with viruses and spyware it's me. Now, I do lots CD backups and I make numerous Images of my C drive (with Drive Image and with Ghost) that I can reload if I do get hit but, so far, no problems.
I'm putting this up purely to help you. If you don't like what I say, no problem, don't do what I say, OK ? If you have an interesting alternate theory, that disagrees or agrees with me, well, I'd like to hear it
Bottom line... use Zone Alarm, an up to date virus checker, and lots of spyware checkers, NEVER open E-Mail attachments and NEVER update your Operating system. That's the ticket !
I'm still running a virus checker (AVG Free), lots of anti spyware stuff and I'm still not updating. if it works... don't fix it!
