Security

Tue
02
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Can't open email attachments?

Infopackets Reader Jim D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I use Windows 98 and Outlook Express to read my email. A buddy of mine thought he was helping me by 'tweaking' my computer system, but now I cannot open any email attachments! What can I do? PS: How ... may I retrieve a file that has been deleted? " My Response: It sounds like your friend "tweaked" your computer by upgrading you to the latest version of Outlook Express -- version 6. By default, Outlook Express 6 will not allow you to open email attachments on the assumption that the email may contain an malicious attachment ( ... (view more)

Tue
02
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Web PopUps, Messenger PopUps, and Spyware PopUps

Infopackets Reader Gaye B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm a newbie on the computer, and I have a big problem with popup advertisements. When I first got my PC, I let a friend use it to surf the web (unsupervised). Since that day, my computer has been ... infested with despicable ads appearing on the screen. What can I do to stop this from happening? " My response: The first thing you should do is tell your friend to mind where he surfs because it has caused you and your PC a lot of trouble! The next thing you should do is download some software that can remove / block popup advertisements ... (view more)

Thu
27
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Digital Steganography: The art of Hiding Files, Part 2

Continuing our conversation on Steganography from Tuesday's edition of the Gazette, Infopackets Reader Mike D. exclaims how he downloaded a .WAV sound file that also contained a Trojan: " Hi Dennis, As part of a talk I gave some time ago on IPSec ... [the IP Security Protocol Working Group], I wandered into the area of Steganography. The topic was of particular relevance to me because I had only just discovered (thanks to PestPatrol ) that a Star Trek sound file that I downloaded from the Internet contained a Trojan!" Side note: Digital Steganography is the ability to hide a file inside ... (view more)

Tue
25
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Digital Steganography: The art of Hiding Files

I received a fascinating question the other day from Infopackets Reader John B. He writes: " Dear Dennis, I just read about a new privacy program which is able to hides files inside jpeg image files. My question is: If I downloaded a jpeg file from ... the Internet, can it have a virus hidden inside? The reason why I ask is because I found a jpeg image file in my temporary Internet file folder. When I tried to open it, I was told that the file .exe could not be located. I immediately deleted the jpeg and am worried that my PC is now infected. What do you think? " My response: What you ... (view more)

Thu
20
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Trace the origin of an email abuser?, Part 2

Since yesterday's article on Tracing the Origins of an Email Abuser through IP addresses, I have received two interesting comments from Readers. The first message comes a user named 'Luvaas', who writes: " Dear Dennis, I suspect that someone has ... accessed my online cell phone account and has snooped around my phone records. I have a pretty good idea who did it, but the phone company tells me that they have no way they can trace this individual. Any ideas? " Side note: IP address stands for Internet Protocol. All computers connected to the Internet have a unique IP address, which is ... (view more)

Thu
20
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

The Dangers of File-Sharing Software, Part 2

Two weeks ago, I wrote an article based on the dangers associated with file sharing software (such as Kazaa). In a nutshell, the article explains how file sharing programs compromise computer security and open a gateway to viruses, Remote Access ... Trojans (RATs), and hacker s. At the end of the article, I provided a link to PestScan, which is free program people can use to scan their computers for malicious software -- all through a web browser interface and without having to download or install anything. I suppose it must have completely slipped my mind when I wrote the article, but, I forgot ... (view more)

Tue
18
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Trace the origin of an email abuser?

Over the weekend, I received a fascinating question from Infopackets Reader Ric J.: " Hi Dennis! I just read your email regarding the eBook, 'Email For Newbies v2.1', and have a question about email headers. I know that email headers show persons IP ... address, but, is there anyway that I can find out where a person lives? The reason I ask is because I been having a problem with a person and the only thing I have is the IP address of the individual. Any help would be great; thanks! " My response: The answer is that, yes, you can track the origin of an email to a certain extent -- ... (view more)

Thu
13
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Remove traceable objects from PC?

Infopackets Reader Ric J. asks: " Dear Dennis, If I [load Internet Explorer and then] go into Tools -> Internet Options and clean out the History, Temp Files, and the Web Cookies, will that take care of things I might not want [others to] trace ... or pull up [on my computer]?" My Response: Unfortunately, clearing out your Internet History, Temp Files, and Cookies aren't enough to 'clear your tracks', per se. Virtually anyone can hop on your PC and trace where you have been by accessing your Most Recently Used Files history (MRU), such as: Media Player history, Document history (MS ... (view more)

Thu
06
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Stop Nasty PopUp ads?

Damyanti L. from the United Kingdom writes: " When I go on the Internet, there are some nasty ads popping up on my computer. I also have children using this system. Can you advise me on how I can stop these extremely rude pictures from popping up? ... Many thanks. " My Response: First of all, let me say that there are 3 types of "PopUp" advertisements that exist: Web PopUps, Spyware PopUps, and Messenger PopUps. Web PopUps only occur when the browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc) is loaded. In contrast, Spyware PopUps can appear even if you aren't connected to the ... (view more)

Tue
04
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

The Dangers of File-Sharing Software

Is your computer safe from the dangers of file-sharing? I know mine isn't. Just this past Monday, I received a message stating that the file I received (through Kazaa) was infected with malicious code that could harm my computer. I was lucky that my ... anti-virus program caught the malevolent program from infecting my machine, otherwise I would have launched the file completely blind that my actions may have corrupted my entire hard drive. Indeed, a scary thought. At this point, I paused for a moment and thought to myself, "Could there be other nasty software lurking on my computer that may ... (view more)

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