Internet privacy - are you being spied upon?

[sdtPikachu]

Do you use MSN messenger? Try visiting this site...

http://raburton.members.easyspace.com/msn/

If your address and the addresses of your friends appear at the bottom, then you are vulnerable to any sinlge website on the internet discovering these addresses and selling them to advertising agencies so they can spam you... something you might not be happy about...

You can check out more info here. (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/23936.html)

Those of you who use trillian (http://www.trillian.cc) for chatting won't be affected, neither anyone who uses Opera (http://www.opera.com) or netscape (http://www.netscape.com) as their browser... but IE and AOL users need to be careful...!

Anyone on the internet can have access to YOUR computer if they wish... it's up to you to protect it so that they can't use it to harm you or anybody else!

Sorry for the rampant paranoia chaps, but my friend just had her computer hacked by her ex-boyfriends ex-girlfriend who now has her address and phone number and email address, and is now getting abuse from her all the time... if she'd have done what I asked and installed a firewall such as the free zonealarm (http://www.zonelabs.com) then none of it would have happened...

[Cyrax9]

I'm using the full version of the ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall, which I paid for, after MacAfee gave me a crappy one that didn't work. Also when I got ZoneAlarm Pro, I got their "Pest Patrol" spyware blocker free, I still use MacAfee VirusScan, and while I'm protected, I still keep a watch on my stuff, and folders that I allow access to are Scanned for Viruses much more frequently than those which aren't.

In other words I'm not letting my guard down. I know about spyware, and I've deleted a bunch of stuff that may contain it, such as cookies for websites.

Either way I'm safe as I can be for now.

[sdtPikachu]

Cool.

I can't afford ZAP at the mo, so am still using the free version, but it still works a treat. Great thing is some of the sofware they bundle with ZAP on occasion... there's one prog hich will trace you back to the address/location of everyone who scanes your machine, which is cool.

I use F-Prot antivirus, which works on a neural network... which is also cool.

A big security step most people can make is moving away from software known to be insecure, such as Internet Explorer (with Java and ActiveX enabled) and Outlook Express (best thing that ever happened to viruses). There are dozens of free alternatives out there.

It's a bit sad to see so few replies to this very important issue... if anyone running a cable or DSL connection reads this, could you do me a favour? Shut down your chat progs (messenger, IRC, ICQ, AIM, whatever). Call up a DOS prompt and type in the follwing:

netstat -an | find ":6667"

then hit enter

and then type in: netstat -an | find ":113 "

and hit enter

I'd like to see what results come up...

[Xantar]

I'd be happy to oblige, sdtPikachu, but as you know, I use a Mac. And my college provides me with a firewall.

But is this supposed to also detect my address, phone number and such? Good thing I always give out false phone numbers and addresses!

Nonetheless, it doesn't surprise me one bit that MSN users have their information sold to advertisers who spam them. Just one look at the junk mail box in my Hotmail account is enough to convince me of that.

I wish GameSquad would hurry up and launch already...

[Cyrax9]

I'd love to ditch Outlook Express, unfortunatley my cable company requires an e-mail address used through Outlook express, to use my cable modem. I'd also love to get Netscape instead of IE, but those arses at M$ made it s it won't run well on my machine, belive me, it's times like this when I wish I had PC's and Macs.

As for the DOS Prompt, I'll try it when I sign off, AOL keeps AIM integrated. At least I'm able to block spyware as much as possible, I'm probably going to purchase and Update plan from MacAfee for VirusScan DAT files to be automatically DLed onto my PC, so I can keep on top f those who want to destroy my computer. I also hate the fact that to defrag my HDD, I have to shut off the firewall, because it doesn't defrag properly with it on, even in locked mode.

[The_Dunadan]

i use the free ZA at the moment and norton 2000 antivirus. when we get roadrunner i'll prob get neowatch and trace.

[sdtPikachu]

Lucky Xantar... as Macs are "unpopular" (although it has to be said although I think OSX is very pretty it's nowhere near as good an OS IMO as OS9), most people don't bother trying to find ways to hack them.
Plus your college is almost certain to use a good hardware firewall, which are usually better than software ones... unfortunately, they cost a fortune.

"Nonetheless, it doesn't surprise me one bit that MSN users have their information sold to advertisers who spam them."

M$ included this "feature" in order to keep a track of people who visited microsoft websites... as anyone who's tried getting to windows update with Netscape or Opera will tell you, they make it almost impossible. Opera is even designed to replicate IE5 in every way (including the bugs), even so M$ have found ways of telling what it really is, and making it impossible to use M$ sites without IE. That alone should make anyone suspicious.
Other sites can merely exploit this and obtain the email addresses of you and your friends, along with whatever other information they can find.

Cyrax - why can't you use Eudora instead of Outlook Express? It has just the same functionality as OE (more in fact), and it shouldn't be a problem using that... it'll even import all your settings from OE (including POP/SMTP settings)... what is it with OE that you NEED to have...?
Even if you need to use OE, I'd recommend using Eudora in tandem... it's so much more secure.

Netscape... used to be the best browser on the planet, now it's little more than a browsing joke IMO. I much prefer Opera... faster, easier to use, skinnable, more secure... I love it. Oh yeah, also free, though like Eudora I'm going to buy it, cos it's just such a great piece of software.

Sounds like you've got a prettty f**ked up computer IMO... not being able to defrag with a firewall? WTF?!
AOL invade privacy more than M$ IMO. If they do get their hands on Redhat, I've no idea what'll happen. The whole GNU thing will end up going down the pan I suppose.
Can you not turn off AOL? From what I've read, it seem slike a totally psycho piece of software. It's due to AOL being ****e that Rach got her computer so badly mullered.
Which cable company do you use anyway?

Bah, all these bastard corporations. Roll on the internet anarchy.

[sdtPikachu]

Even more MSN crap - it has been shown that a malicious user can now gain total control of MSM messenger thourgh IE now.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/24004.html

So they'll be able to send people messages as you, as well as have access to your files and such.

Vulnerable systems include:

Windows 98 SE with IE6 final (fully patched as of Feb 9) and MSN Messenger 4.6.0073
Windows 98 SE with IE6 final and MSN Messenger 3.6.0024
Windows ME with IE6 final (fully patched as of Feb 9) and MSN Messenger 4.5.0127
Windows 2000 with IE6 final (fully patched as of Feb 9) and MSN Messenger 4.6.0071
Windows 2000, IE5.5, MSN Messenger 4.6.00.73

Just thought you might like to know...!

[Cyrax9]

OK, The Cable company is a local company called CableVision. Personally I hate the company, but DSL isn't availible, and I already have Cable. Second, they require Outlook Express for some reason, and it come with there installation software, also since I have the master account, everything has to be changed by me, it's not my PC that's F***ed up, but rather Cablevision. As far as IE6 goes, I hate it with a passion, but I'm not in the mood to switch browsers right now, and I don't know if Eudora is available in the USA, I've never heard of it. I'm using AOL still, because I needed to keep my old E-mail address. My Outlook express stuff isn't even used, and anything that comes in is almost always deleted.

As for the HDD Defrag, that wasn't only on my computer, according to a worker at the Computer Camp I'll be working at this summer, Windows PC's require you to disable your firewall to Defrag the HDD, he said it's pretty F***ed up too, but he does it for clients, and then scans for viruses, usually with MacAfee VirusScan, which is what I'm using. It works great, but it's firewall sucked, so I bought ZoneAlarm Instead.

About AOL buying Redhat, I have one thing to say, it's not nicknamed AOHell for nothing. AOL has more problems than a math book, but I use it for a lot of my stuff. Most people couldn't install AOL 7.0 without there PC crashing, but it works fine for me.

Finally, don't blame me for getting stuck with Outlook Express, blame the idiots at Cablevision, who are the same @$$holes that took away Turner Classic Movies as a regular channel. :mad:

[LeonMagnolis]

Here's somethign to try on a rainy day. Go to the dos prompt and type "netstat -n". Now take a note of what you see. Direct connect with someone using aim and type that same thing again. The new number there will be their IP address...

Now to really scare the hell outta them, type their IP address in the box here (http://www.buddyinfo.net/tools.asp) and get their approximate location-- it's loads of fun when you're bored.

[The_Dunadan]

i don't think that is the right link....

i go to another site anyway when i want to know the persons location.

[LeonMagnolis]

Link!!! (http://visualroute.visualware.co.uk/)