ip address

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says that computers infected with a particular type of malware could lose their Internet connections this coming summer. Fortunately, there appears to be relatively simple solution for the problem. According ... to the FBI, computers infected with the malware called "DNSChanger," which first emerged in 2007 and which has since infected millions of computers worldwide, could go offline in July, 2012, until repaired. Cybercriminals Have Re-Routed Internet Traffic Normally, when a computer user enters a web address into their browser, their computer ... (view more)

In computer science, session hijacking is the exploitation of a valid computer session (commonly known as a "session key") used to gain unauthorized access to information or services in a computer system. For example, when a user logs in to a web ... site, the user's PC is tagged with a session key using a browser cookie (a cookie is a small file stored on the users PC that the browser reads). Any time the user requires access to a restricted area of a website (usually requiring login), the session key is extracted from the users' PC and compared to the key stored on the web server. If valid, the ... (view more)

Until recently, courts of law have had the power to force Internet Service Providers to hand over customer details based on IP (Internet Protocol) address information, which is used to identify a user connected to the Internet. But now one judge has ... refused to make such an order, questioning the accuracy of the method. An IP is a number that identifies a particular device such as a computer or a router connected to a network. In theory, there is a straight correlation between one device and one IP address. In practice, though, a single IP address does not necessarily mean one computer or one ... (view more)

The current address system for computers connected to the Internet (TCP/IP version 4) is entering its twilight. And while the process of introducing a successor is ready to go, critics suggest it is a complex and challenging undertaking. The ... addresses in question are not website addresses: those have many more unused possibilities, albeit many of them hardly memorable or corresponding to common words. Instead, the problem is with Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, which correspond to an individual machine connected to the Internet, whether that be a standard computer or a server hosting a ... (view more)

A security researcher says hackers could take control of millions of routers. Craig Heffner, of security firm Seismic, says half of the models he tested were vulnerable to a recently discovered hack. Routers, which allow an Internet connection to be ... shared among multiple computers, are extremely common -- especially for those of us who use high-speed Internet. Even if you own only one computer and don't share your connection with others in your household or office, chances are you're using a router of some kind. In short, the router acts as a gateway to the Internet and directs traffic back ... (view more)

A recent "Which? Computing" (magazine) investigation reportedly found that hundreds of innocent people are being accused of software piracy crime, despite the fact that many have never used file sharing services. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) The case ... against one Scottish couple falsely accused by Atari Corporation was dropped, but Which magazine estimates that there are hundreds of others in similar situations. Before the case was dropped, a letter was sent giving them a chance to pay 500 GBP compensation or face a court case. Atari has not commented on why their case was dropped. It's estimated that ... (view more)

Five years after the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, SPAM still runs rampant across the Internet. According to SpamCop.net for July 24, 2008, there are approximately 3 million SPAM messages milling through the Internet during any given 24 hour period. The ... average active email address will be sent between 300 and 500 spam messages each day. Many, of course, are blocked or filtered, but those numbers are still 5 to 10 times higher than in 2003 when the CAN-SPAM Act first went into effect. The odd thing? According to anti-SPAM activists Spamhaus.org there are 100 known SPAM operators that are responsible ... (view more)

Internet Protocol addresses (IP) are used to identify computers and the actions they take on the Internet. IPs are routinely stored by search companies and other online businesses to help improve search results and provide advertisers with complete ... billing data. While this practice has been questioned before, with Google's pending bid to purchase advertiser DoubleClick, European leaders are taking a hard look at these business practices. Peter Scharr, Germany's data-protection commissioner, believes that IPs are not just a tool for companies to use, but a form of personal identification that ... (view more)

An Indian man has spent 50 days in prison after his Internet service wrongly accused him of posting images that insulted a historical figure. Police swooped on the home of Lakshmana Kailash K, a 26 year old technology worker, after offensive ... pictures appeared on Orkut, a social networking site run by Google. The images depicted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the 17th century founder of India's Maratha empire. Officials asked Google to hand over the IP address of the poster, then checked with ISP Airtel to find the person behind that address. Airtel incorrectly told them it belonged to Kailash. ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Jennifer' writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently received an email from an unknown person via Yahoo. I think I understand how the email got to me but I'm not sure. Would the email headers help to tell me this? I'd really like to know ... how this person sent me the email. Can you help? " My response: To sum it up the answer briefly: email headers are often forged by spammers, so it's plausible that the email you received came from somewhere else (other than what is stated in the email header). Having said that, most big-name ISP (Internet Service Providers) have an onslaught of ... (view more)