Security

Wed
16
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Remove lop (lop.com, C2 Media) from Internet Explorer, Part 2

Yesterday's article, which details how to "Remove lop (lop.com, C2 Media) from Internet Explorer", prompted quite a few responses from readers. Remove lop (lop.com, C2 Media) from Internet Explorer Robert S. writes: " I Just received the latest ... Infopackets and was reading about the lop.com and C2 media. You mentioned SpyBot Search and Destroy (SBSD) ... [from my own experience,] the latest version (1.2) has a problem with [Lop] ... SBSD has issued a fix, but it still does not work on my Windows 2000 Operation System. " I also received the below email from Michael A. Woods ... (view more)

Tue
15
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Remove lop (lop.com, C2 Media) from Internet Explorer

Last week, David R. told me about a program called Lop that was installed on his machine: " I've installed Lop on my computer and now every time I go online, an annoying browsing toolbar that pops up. Now I can't get rid of it! Can you help? " My ... Response: After some digging, I found some excellent resources on Google. A web site called doxdesk.com provided a very complete picture of what Lop is and how to combat it. http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/lop.html Here are some snippets from the doxdesk.com web site: Description Lop is a family of programs that set your start page and IE's ... (view more)

Thu
10
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Disable Windows Messenger pop-ups?, Part 2

Yesterday, I wrote about a new spam problem associated with Windows Messenger. Recall: Messenger pop-ups are a new form of spam that exploit a feature of the Microsoft Windows operating system intended for use by network administrators. These ... pop-ups can appear even if you aren't surfing the web (ie: a web browser), and are not related to MSN Messenger. The remedy: Yesterday I detailed instructions I used when searched Google for a solution. Unfortunately, the instructions for Windows XP were not complete and I received a few emails from folks who were not able to complete the "fix ... (view more)

Wed
09
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Disable Windows Messenger pop-ups?

Not long ago, I received an email from 'Rezzy46', who has been plagued by a new form of spam: Windows Messenger popup advertisements (note: these are not MSN Messenger chat pop-up messages). He writes: " Is there a simple way to stop those messenger ... service advertisements? Is it possible to disable the popups without disabling any core Windows components? Speak of the devil -- two just popped up while I was typing this message! " After searching Google, I found that Messenger popups are a new form of spam that exploit a feature of the Microsoft Windows operating system intended for ... (view more)

Thu
13
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

How to visually trace hackers and find out more about them

Wouldn't it be great if you could visually trace back the path of a hacker? A little while back I received an email from Infopackets Reader, J. Noway with a freebee software title that does just that. VisualZone and VisualIce analyze log files from ... Zone Alarm and Black Ice (two popular anti-hacker firewall programs) and give users the option of finding out more about any PC intruder. J. Noway writes: " The software interprets firewall log files by date and gives the user an idea of whom and what time someone is pinging them or attempting access. It is designed specifically to work with ... (view more)

Thu
06
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Disable Internet Explorer Script Debugging messages

A few days ago I received a question which pertains to Internet Explorer Script Debugging messages. I get asked this question a lot, so I thought it would be worth mentioning in the newsletter. Infopackets Reader 'Grumble' asks: " I'm running ... Windows XP with a high-speed Cable Internet connection. When I sign on to AIM [AOL Instant Messenger], I keep getting an error message from Internet Explorer: Internet Explorer Script Error Line 77 Char: 1 Error: Library not registered Code: 0. Do you want to continue running scripts on this page? I have been running aim for several months and this ... (view more)

Tue
28
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

Using a software firewall and hardware firewall in tandem, Part 3

Last week's question was about using a hardware and software firewall in tandem, and whether or not a [Laptop] PC would be protected through a firewall if it was daisy-chained to another [Desktop] PC which used a software firewal l. Yes -- this is a ... very technical question, but certainly very worth-while to know the answer to. Here is what the connection might look like if it was daisy chained: Internet connection -> Router, 1 port [hardware firewall] -> Desktop PC [software firewall] -> Laptop [no firewall: is it protected from the Desktop PC's software firewall?] This type of daisy ... (view more)

Thu
23
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

Using a software firewall and hardware firewall in tandem, Part 2

I'm stumpe d. A while back I received a question which dealt with anti-hacker protection ... with a bit of a twist. Infopackets Reader John S. asks: " I just had my Laptop networked to my Desktop PC. I'm using a DSL connection to the Internet. I use ... a Linksys Cable/DSL Router, and already have Black Ice (software firewall) installed on my Desktop PC. Should I also add Black Ice to my Laptop? " Something similar to this question was discussed in a previous Gazette issue, way back in November of 2002. RE: Using a Software Firewall and Hardware Firewall in Tandem In brief, this article ... (view more)

Wed
15
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

Jdbgmgr.exe Virus Chain-Letter Hoax

I was planning to continue my ongoing discussion on Disk Imaging in this issue of the Gazette, but my mail box has been inundated with emails from folks who have fallen prey to a chain-letter virus hoax. C'est la vie. I've decided to take this ... opportunity to let you know about this hoax before you go deleting the wrong file from your system. Virus Hoax: jdbgmgr.exe. On the weekend I received multiple email chain-letters from users who have my email address on their Contact List / Address Book, and decided to pass on the message. The start of the message varies, but it all boils down to the ... (view more)

Thu
19
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

FriendGreetings.com -- Helping to send Spyware to loved ones

Did you mail all your Christmas cards out yet? I've got a small collection starting on top of the mantel, but I'm surprised that I haven't received any (tangible) Holiday cards yet from Infopackets Readers! Sending an e-greeting is nice to receive, ... but it's hard to differentiate the spam mails from the legit. Sometimes when I write a newsletter, I get up to 200 emails in a day! That can get kind of nutty after a while. And, that brings me to my next point. MBMaser emailed me the other day and told me about a web site called FriendGreetings.com which is allegedly responsible for incorporating ... (view more)

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