-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- Regarding the posts farther below on FBI, hacking, security, etc... I recommend that no one use Norton products - I've seen much more difficulty CREATED with them than solved. Probably at least 10 tech support calls in the past year where the customer "installed Norton tools" and started having problems ... solution: remove Norton stuff; problem gone. My computer sits behind a firewall / proxy server, prob'ly this is the reason for the relatively "safe" report below. Even so, it'd be silly to think that anything on computer is "secure." Store all sensitive information on removeable media; make off-site copies. I've also heard from several sources that Macs are considerably less susceptible to "break-ins" ... but what a sacrifice... ;) (report from http://www.grc.com on my main computer ) ************************ Shields UP! is checking YOUR computer's Internet connection security . . . currently located at IP: 208.133.46.39 Please Stand By. . . Attempting connection to your computer. . . Shields UP! is now attempting to contact the Hidden Internet Server within your PC. It is likely that no one has told you that your own personal computer may now be functioning as an Internet Server with neither your knowledge nor your permission. And that it may be serving up all or many of your personal files for reading, writing, modification and even deletion by anyone, anywhere, on the Internet! Please Note: On highly secure systems this may take up to one minute. . . Your Internet port 139 does not appear to exist! One or more ports on this system are operating in FULL STEALTH MODE! Standard Internet behavior requires port connection attempts to be answered with a success or refusal response. Therefore, only an attempt to connect to a nonexistent computer results in no response of either kind. But YOUR computer has DELIBERATELY CHOSEN NOT TO RESPOND (that's very cool!) which represents advanced computer and port stealthing capabilities. A machine configured in this fashion is well hardened to Internet NetBIOS attack and intrusion. Unable to connect with NetBIOS to your computer. All attempts to get any information from your computer have FAILED. (This is very uncommon for a Windows networking-based PC.) Relative to vulnerabilities from Windows networking, this computer appears to be VERY SECURE since it is NOT exposing ANY of its internal NetBIOS networking protocol over the Internet. ************************* Dave Hartley http://www.Asheville-Computer.com/dave -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Dana Redding Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2000 3:26 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [ncndiscuss] Fwd: Is your computer being used remotely by hackers? Hello, Personally when I heard this story, the thought did cross my mind that those FBI goons are at it again trying to make a use for themselves--now they are hacking computers, geez.. Dana ----Original Message Follows---- From: Wes Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [MC] Is your computer being used remotely by hackers? Is your computer being used by hackers remotely to implement the current distributed denial-of-service attack that has paralyzed several large Web sites? Would you know if it were? (Probably not.) Go to www.grc.com and run the Shields Up test to find out how open your computer is to the world. You may be amazed (I was). To be safe from having your privacy violated or your computer being used in such attacks (and thus vulnerable to an FBI investigation), you should install a personal firewall on your computer. Some free products are listed on grc.com. I recommend Norton Internet Security 2000 (not free), which includes Norton Antivirus. Janet Reno advised the public on CNN in a press conference today to download protection software from the FBI site http://www.fbi.gov/nipc/trinoo.htm (Reno apparently isn't aware the software is for computer network owners and organizations, not individual users). Reno also revealed that "just this week" the FBI made "a $37 million request to address cyberattacks." What a coincidence. Of course, I'm not suggesting that FBI-sponsored hackers were involved in raising the paranoia level to achieve funding (the standard procedure to achieve such funding), or that the free software offered on the FBI's site has an NSA back door that allows the feds to sniff packets sent by your ISP. :) Interesting that CNN just ran two hours on this subject, including a one-hour Talkback Live, and never once informed the audience how they can defend themselves. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
