internet

Infopackets Reader Sherrie R. writes: " Hi Dennis, I am currently using Windows 2000 and Outlook Express. Sometimes when I receive an email, I see a lightly outlined small box with a red X in the center where a picture should appear. The red X also ... appears (but less frequently) with some web sites I visit. Why does this happen? Many of my friends report this has happened to them too, but they don't know why either. I would appreciate any and all help/advice you can give. " My response: There are a number of reasons why a red X may appear on your screen, and is not necessarily a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bill C. writes: " Dear Dennis, After reading your review, I downloaded and installed WinOptimizer Platinum Suite . So far, it freed up almost 1.5 gig of space on my system. I was impressed. I also happened to come across another ... program called PowerUp XP Platinum, and was wondering if you would consider writing a review? It looks equally as good. Thanks in advance! PS: I have been enjoying your newsletters for quite some time. They're always informative and to the point. Please keep up the good work! " My response: Thanks for the kind words. I did a bit of ... (view more)

Earlier this week, I informed Readers that our web server was assaulted with a Distributed Denial of Service ( DDoS ) attack. After writing Tuesday's article, I invited some comments from Readers concerning the attack. Infopackets Reader Steve S. ... writes: " Dear Dennis, The likelihood that the DDoS attack was a result of your recent article on web security is most likely not the case. I would tend to look at this issue from a more statistical point of view by mapping out the available data on who gets attacked, where and when. For this reason, I believe that the attack on your server was ... (view more)

Have you ever stopped to read the headlines that make news on the Internet? Fact: Almost one in every three Internet users in the United States has been hit by either a computer virus or a hacker in the past two years.(1) Fact: In just 24 hours, the ... 'MSBlast' Internet worm exploded onto some 120,000 Windows computers around the world.(2) Overall, MSBlast has infected an estimated 8 million PCs,(3) while damage from the worm is about $525 million USD.(4) Fact: Internet security and privacy issues frequently dominate news headlines as hackers repeatedly infiltrate computers connected to the ... (view more)

Most programs I review only do one or two specialized things, and they're usually pretty good at what they do. However, today I came across a multi-purpose optimization utility program that impressed the pants off me. The utility I'm referring to is ... called WinOptimizer Platinum Suite, and it contains an incredible package of cleanup tools designed to keep Windows lean, mean, and running smoothly. WinOptimizer Platinum Suite: a New Successor Ashampoo WinOptimizer Platinum Suite is the new successor to the already hugely popular Ashampoo WinOptimizer Suite. With an all-new interface and many ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Captain HRY' asks, " I would like to send files over the Internet to my son. Any ideas how I can go about doing this? " My response: There are a number of ways to send files to someone over the 'net. The easiest way to send a ... small file is by email attachment or through an Instant Messenger [chat] program. I use both MSN Messenger and ICQ and happen to know that MSN will only allow 1 file transfer at a time. On the other hand, ICQ can send multiple files, providing that the files reside in the same folder on your hard drive. If you're looking to share large files ... (view more)

I've got some good news and some bad news. First, the bad news: I've just received word that my favorite privacy protection / cleaning utility (Window Washer) will be increasing in price starting January 5th, 2004. The official word from David Dunn ... @ Webroot is: " ... We have raised the price of Window Washer to $39.95. This updated pricing actually rolled out on Webroot.com with the release of Window Washer v.5.0 ... The added functionality of this new release [has been] combined with the addition of a free copy of My Personal Favorites [an innovative tool for securing and organizing ... (view more)

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)

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)

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)