Security

A firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your computer. In fact, that's why it's called a firewall. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading from one area to the next. Firewalls use one or more ... of three methods to control traffic flowing in and out of the network: Packet filtering: Packets (small chunks of data) are analyzed against a set of filters. Packets that make it through the filters are sent to the requesting system and all others are discarded. Proxy service: Information from the Internet is retrieved through the firewall and then ... (view more)

If you ask the consumers who have been unlucky enough to encounter software created by Direct Revenue -- and the New York Attorney General -- both would agree that the company's sole purpose is to create Spyware. Located in an unexceptional New York ... apartment, Direct Revenue is a modest corporation cleverly run. So well, in fact, that this humble NYC abode has seen an astounding $100 million dollars in sales since 2002. Profits for Patience Direct Revenue boasts that its Spyware programs -- the weeds that essentially infect a computer with incessant advertisements -- have wormed their way ... (view more)

Users of Excel's immensely popular spreadsheets are increasingly having to look over their shoulder. Insiders are today reporting that a new security leak -- for the third this month -- has been discovered within the program. Excel 2000, 2002, 2003 ... and Office 2000, XP and 2003 are all affected, and the fallout is driving accountants into the fetal position. The most recently reported flaw allows attackers to carry out their own commands by convincing a user that a repair is needed on a specific file. Once that file is opened, hackers can do what they wish to an affected users' system. Caught ... (view more)

Calling some of the bugs affecting Windows and Office "critical", Microsoft today announced that it will be releasing a free update/download on Tuesday to correct such problems. Four updates will be issued for Windows, with three on the way for ... Office. At least one download for each application have been placed in Microsoft's "highest-risk" category, and the company encourages users to make the necessary changes as soon as the updates become available next week. (Source: news.com ) The download itself will be detectable through the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and the Enterprise Scan ... (view more)

If you have children and own a computer with an Internet connection, there's a good chance your kids are on MySpace.com. MySpace is a popular online community where users can post personal information about themselves, including: Age Gender Location ... Pictures Where they work Where they go to school ... almost anything at all! And that's the problem. MySpace is an easy way for people to connect with current friends or rekindle old relationships. Unfortunately, it's just as simple for sexual predators. A quick search for "Chris" (my name) on MySpace yields at least a few under-18 profiles. That' ... (view more)

As tension mounts over Microsoft's use of the anti-piracy install Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), headlines today are reporting that Spyware goons have caught on and are circulating a program that poses as WGA. The new malware imitates WGA in its ... file name, and is allegedly found most frequently on file transfer sites and through spam emails. The new Spyware, acting upon the segment of the tech population that isn't already avoiding WGA at all costs, can be found in at least two different ways. The first pops up in peer-to-peer file transfer programs, such as Kazaa, and prompts the user to ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Rosalind H. writes: " Dear Infopackets Team, My teenager recently downloaded Limewire onto our computer. As I am very wary of shareware programs, I would like to know whatever you can tell me about this and similar popular ... programs. Is it safe? Thanks for your response. " Doug's Response: Limewire is a peer-to-peer ("P2P") application that permits the user to download files from a server community. The general usage is to download music files to be played on iPods (or other MPEG3 players) or computer systems. If misused by copying/downloading copyrighted material ... (view more)

Here's yet another good reason to pick up Spyware Doctor : a new Trojan has been sweeping the Internet via spam emails. The spam messages actually contain attached MS Word documents, offering information about popular laptop sales from companies ... such as Apple, Sony, and HP. Typically, the document contains specs on laptops, such as processing speed, RAM, and even product dimensions. The malware, named "Kukudro-A", is a host Trojan which attaches itself to the MS Word documents. Once Kukudro-A infects a PC, it presents messages with content like "worth to see", "prices", and even a ... (view more)

The Anti-Christ's dark influence may have already poisoned "Left Behind: Eternal Forces," a new real-time strategy game based on the best-selling Christian book series. The game allows you to "conduct physical and spiritual warfare: using the power ... of prayer to strengthen your troops." (Source: LeftBehindGames.com ) But the power of prayer won't protect you if you install Left Behind: it comes bundled with a special bonus feature: hidden Spyware that cannot be blocked or uninstalled. It tracks your every move: How often you play The duration of each game session What time of the day you play ... (view more)

I have most wonderful news! Over the past few weeks I've been in contact with PC Tools (the makers of Spyware Doctor, Registry Mechanic, and Privacy Guardian); after explaining our current funding situation , PC Tools has agreed to discount Spyware ... Doctor by an incredible 20% off the retail price to help raise funds for our web site. Reminder: What is Spyware Doctor? In short, Spyware Doctor is a multi-award winning Spyware removal utility that can instantly remove thousands of Spyware and adware traces, Trojans, keyloggers, tracking threats, and other nasty Spybots from your PC. Last year, ... (view more)