I’ve Been Infected By An Auto-Dialer Virus
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The Auto Dialer Virus Strikes Again - Here at Defending The Net, we receive hundreds of e-mails daily regarding various computer security issues. Because we receive so many e-mails and requests for information, we typically write an article that provides the answer. However, from time to time, we receive requests that seem important, or critical in nature, and do our best to try and help.

On October 4th, we received an e-mail from a visitor we felt compelled to assist. This person appeared to have a home computer infected with the Auto-Dialer virus, a malicious piece of Malware that can cost you a tremendous amount of time, and more importantly, money.

An Unwelcome Letter From a Long Distance Carrier
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Unfortunate results of the auto dialer virus - Our visitor received a letter from a well known long distance carrier indicating they had blocked all long distance calls from their telephone number, the reason; there were hundreds of phone calls to 1-900 numbers with fees in excess of $1,500. Our visitor had contacted his internet provider, explained to them what was going on, and the Internet provider directed them to and article located here at Defending The Net on auto-dialers.

The long distance carrier who contacted him was not even his provider, they represented the company with the 1-900 number. He contacted the long distance provider and explained to them that he had no idea what was going on and that he has never dialed a 1-900 number. They explained that there was nothing they could do for him and they were going to turn over the charges to his local service provider for collection.

As you can imagine, this was a very strange and stressful time. The fact of the matter is, these auto-dialers can be quite stealthy, masking themselves as legitimate software, or installing themselves in a way that keeps you unaware it has infected your system. These nefarious pieces of software can even re-program your modem to turn off the speaker so you are unaware that it is making unauthorized calls. I cannot stress how dangerous and how much of a negative impact something like this can have on your computer, and your checkbook.

How Do I Protect Myself
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One thing you must always be aware of is what type of sites you are visiting. If the sites you visit have tons of pop-up’s and banners, some of which may be less than moral / ethical, you can bet there is a high chance of getting infected with something. There are other things you should keep in mind or do on a routine basis:

1) Make sure you have anti-virus software installed and keep the virus signatures up to date. Out of date virus signatures are a major cause of computer infection;

2) Install spyware detection software, keep it up to date, and run it regularly. I run mine at least twice a day. Some of these software packages have real-time protection similar to anti-virus software;

3) If you now have high-speed internet access, like cable or DSL service, and you no longer need the internal modem for faxes or anything else, remove the phone cable from the modem or remove the modem from the computer altogether. Many people leave these devices connected and are at risk for auto-dialer impact; And,

4) If you are on a site that has a lot of pop-ups do not just click ok when they present themselves. You may be agreeing to something that can cause you problems.

Conclusion
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If you think you have become infected with an Auto-Dialer, or receive a letter from a long distance carrier stating you owe them money for 1-900 or like calls, contact your telephone service provider right away. Also, disconnect your modem to make sure no additional calls can be placed and run your anti-virus / spyware detection software to try and locate the problem. If you can’t locate the malicious software, you will need to back up all your data and reinstall your computers operating system. This is the only "real" way to feel confident you have eradicated the Auto-Dialer that infected your computer.

You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included.

About The Author
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Darren Miller is an Information Security Consultant with over sixteen years experience. He has written many technology & security articles, some of which have been published in nationally circulated magazines & periodicals. If you would like to contact Darren you can e-mail him at Darren.Miller@ParaLogic.Net. If you would like to know more about computer security and auto-dialer virus please visit us at http://www.defendingthenet.com

A USA Today article that ran in July 2005 cited findings from a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. They found that during the school year, kids between the ages of 8 and 10 years old spent an average of 6 hours per day watching television, playing video games and/or using computers.

Since more than half of America’s 100 million households have Internet access, I can only assume that some of their computer time is spent in online activities. My question is how safe are these kids? Do they know what to look out for? Do they know how to handle themselves online?

Here are some topics to discuss with your children. Keep in mind that each family has their own rules for Internet use. Some parents don’t allow their children to be on the Internet at all, others will monitor their child’s Internet use, and still others have no concern and let their kids surf wherever and whenever they want.

Strangers.

The Internet is a wonderful place to meet people from all around the world. I remember having a pen pal when I was young and would check the mail every day to see if I got a letter. Now all one has to do is turn on the computer and check their Inbox! Friends who are separated by a move can still talk every day through email, chat rooms and Instant Messaging (IM).

The drawback to this is that no one knows who you really are on the Internet. Even in so-called “safe” chat rooms someone can be posing as a teenager and they are really a predator. Just as you wouldn’t want your kids to tell a stranger on the street where they live, you don’t want them to do so online either. Teach your children to never tell anyone online their names, addresses or other pertinent information.

If you decide to allow your children to use IM or chat rooms, monitor their activity. Set up their profile yourself and give as little information as possible. It may be helpful for you and your child to watch the short movie “Tracking Teresa” on the Kidsmartz.org website (http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm#realTeresa).

Commercialism.

Just like TV, there are lots of ads on the Internet. Unlike TV, we don’t get a break from them! They are everywhere! They show up as pop-up ads, banners, hover boxes, games and they are even disguised as articles or information items. They warn you that your computer is infected, you have new mail, you are the umpteenth-million visitor to this site or they may look like a survey or poll. And ads on sites geared for kids are often very inviting and intriguing.

Along with ads we also have adware. Microsoft defines adware as “Advertising that is integrated into software. Adware is often combined with a host application that is provided at no charge as long as the user agrees to accept the adware.” So a child could download a “free” game or screensaver that has adware attached to it. This adware will install itself on your computer, track all of your Internet activity and show you advertising in the form of annoying pop-ups or banner ads. If your kids are like mine, they don’t always read the fine print and just click on the “I accept” button to get their freebies!

Talk to your kids about Internet advertising and Adware. Let them know that they are the same as ads on TV. Someone just wants you to buy their new product. Take your kids to PBS’ Don’t Buy It! website (http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/ ) for great information on Internet and other media advertising.

Inappropriate Content.

The Internet is a great place to find information for any school science project or report. Just type in a phrase or topic in any search engine and you will get loads of links with useful information. But there are also many sites that contain inappropriate content under presumably innocent searches.

My friend was looking up information for her daughter’s animal report and typed in “horse lovers” in a search engine, figuring that she may get horse enthusiast sites dedicated to providing information on their favorite animal. She got sites with horses on them, but they were horse lovers of a COMPLETELY different kind… And not too long ago, there was a site at www.whitehouse.com that was of an adult nature. (The real White House site is at www.whitehouse.gov.)

The only way to be sure that your child does not inadvertently find themselves on the wrong site is to be with them and guide them in their searches. It is also helpful to use a search engine specifically designed for children such as www.yahooligans.com or www.askjeeveskids.com.

Regardless of how much or how little your kids are on the Internet, take a minute to talk with them about the benefits and dangers involved in being online. Let them explore some sites that will help them learn about Internet safety. Here are a few that are extremely helpful when teaching Internet Safety to kids:

Netsmartz.org – Teens – www.netsmartz.org/netteens.htm
Netsmartzkids.org – Kids – www.netsmartzkids.org/indexfl.htm
IKeepSafe.com (this site is specialized for each state) – www.IKeepSafe.com
Disney’s CyberNetiquette — http://disney.go.com/cybersafety/

And remember – be involved in your children’s Internet activity. Teach them to use this powerful tool responsibly. It will save them time and you headaches as you travel the World Wide Web.

Lisa Workman is the author of Tokens for TV: A Sensible Approach to Balancing Television, Video Game and Computer Activities. How much time does your child spend “plugged in” to some sort of electronic device? Get your FREE worksheet at http://www.tvtokens.com

"I’ve heard conflicting reports on whether or not I should be using a firewall. Some people say they are only needed for dialup users. Others say you MUST have a firewall if you have a highspeed DSL or cable connection. Can you give me some advice on this?"

What Happens When You Yell "MOVIE!" in a Crowded Firehouse?

Well all the firemen go running into the streets, of course. Okay, it’s a bad joke. But it illustrates the point that even people who are supposed to be experts in computer safety are often confused about firewalls. Here’s the scoop on WHO needs a firewall, WHAT they do, and WHY you might be wasting your money on firewall software.

First, let’s look at what a firewall is supposed to do. A firewall is hardware or software that limits access to a computer from an outside source. If your computer will ever be connected to the Internet, a firewall is an essential tool needed to prevent malware and hackers from accessing or damaging your computer.

So YES… you do need a firewall. Without a firewall, your computer can be compromised within SECONDS after connecting to the Internet. If you’re a dialup user, it might take a little longer, but it will happen. The reason for this is the automated hacking drones that are constantly scanning Internet-connected computers, looking for any vulnerability. What Kind of Firewall Do I Need?

The real question is "Do I need a software-based firewall or a hardware-based firewall?" If you have a highspeed Internet connection such as DSL or cable, and you have a router between your DSL/cable modem and your computer, most likely you already have a hardware-based firewall, and that’s all you need. If your router has NAT (network address translation), or your modem has a built-in router with NAT, you have a hardware firewall which effectively makes your PC invisible to the attacking hordes. If you’re not sure if you have a NAT router, do a web search for your router’s make and model and you should be able to find the manufacturer’s specs or a review that answers the question.

If you have a highspeed modem that is connected directly to your computer (no router in between), chances are you do NOT have a hardware firewall in place. And if you have a dialup connection, you definitely don’t have a hardware firewall. So in the absence of a hardware firewall, you absolutely need a software-based firewall.

What About the Windows XP Firewall?

If you have Windows XP, and the SP2 security updates have been applied, then you probably have a software firewall in place. Not sure if you have the essential SP2 updates? Click on Help/About in Internet Explorer and look for "Update Versions: SP2" on the info popup. If you don’t have SP2, drop everything, click on Tools/Windows Update in Internet Explorer and get the latest fixes from Microsoft. Yes, it’s that important.

To verify that the Windows XP firewall is turned on, click on Start / My Network Places / View Network Connections, then click on Change Windows Firewall Settings. On the next screen, you can turn the firewall ON or OFF. If you have a hardware firewall, there is no need to run a software firewall in addition. If you do turn off the Windows firewall, you should tell Windows that you have your own firewall solution, or it will nag you about the firewall every time you start up your computer. To do so, click Start / Control Panel / Security Center. Then under Firewall, click the Recommendations box. On the next screen, check the box labeled "I have a firewall solution that I’ll monitor myself." Other Software Firewalls

I know there is heated debated on this topic. Some people claim that you MUST have a software firewall to protect you from malware that might be trying to make an OUTBOUND connection for nefarious purposes. My position is that anti-virus and anti-spyware programs should be installed to remove and prevent the malware in the first place. Sure, you can install ZoneAlarm, Black Ice, or Norton Internet Security, but my experience shows that many users are confused and unnecessarily alarmed by the constant stream of "warnings" that these programs present. Lots of good programs DO need to make outbound connections (ie: your browser, email client, FTP, media players, etc.) so if you’re not very careful you’ll end up blocking them, and then they don’t work correctly. I’ve also seen cases where software firewalls malfunction and either interfere with certain programs or end up blocking ALL connections. And don’t get me going about all the times when my software firewall prevented me from using a shared folder or a networked printer… arrgh!

A Word About Laptops

If you have a laptop that’s connected to the Internet through your home network, thre’s no difference in terms of the firewall setup. But if you take that laptop on the road and make a wired connection (as in a hotel room with a network cable) or go wireless (in the airport or a coffee shop), you are no longer protected, so it’s a very good idea to turn on the software firewall.

To summarize, YES you need a firewall. My personal opinion is that if you have a hardware firewall, don’t bother with a software firewall. Can you run both? Yes, but the "benefits" may be outweighed by the problems.

BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

"I love your site and your Tourbus Newsletter! I would like to know how a virus propagates over a network? If you get a virus on one computer - do other users on the network have to do anything to get infected? Is there a good way to protect against this?"

Great question! There are several ways for a virus to spread from one computer to another. Let’s look at those, and ways to prevent the propagation of pestiferous programs.

Careful With That Paperclip…

The most common is via an email attachment. I’m not aware of any current exposures in popular email software that allow a virus to spread simply by opening or reading an email.

But plenty of people are still willing to open anything that pops into their inbox. Opening an attachment without verifying its contents with the sender is asking for trouble. Never run a program that you save to disk from an email attachment without anti-virus protection in place. The same goes for Word documents, which can have viruses in embedded macros.

Dubious Downloads

Another common way for a virus or spyware to spread is by piggybacking on other software that you download. If you just can’t resist the latest toolbar, file-sharing gizmo, coupon dispenser or email enhancer, you may be at risk. Often these and other downloads come with malware, free of charge. Running a good anti-spyware program will reduce your risk.

Just Click NO!

Ever been to a website and gotten one of those "Click here to install and run {Whatever}" popups? Just click NO! Unless you know for sure that you need to press OK (such as when downloading security updates from Microsoft) then treat these popups as threats to your computer.

Sometimes It’s NOT Nice to Share

If you are on a network, and you allow your hard drive to be shared (enabling other network users to read and write your files) then you are WIDE OPEN to the stupidity of the other users on the network. If any one of them got a virus, there’s nothing to prevent it from copying itself to your computer via the network share. Unless you absolutely have to share your hard disk, don’t. You can check to see if you have enabled sharing by right clicking on the drive icon in My Computer, then select Sharing.

The SneakerNet Menace

And don’t forget portable media, such as floppies, CDROMs, and those nifty little flash drives that connect to a USB port. Assume that any file you copy from external media could be infected. Keeping your anti-virus protection enabled and updated should protect you here.

BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

Breaking and Entering On the Internet!

I like to make analogies between the online world and our physical world. The similarities are becoming more recognized every day. Here’s my favorite…

"If you are not taking the security of your home or business computer seriously, it is like leaving the front door of your home open all day and all night whether you are home or not."

The Internet is a big place with every imaginable character out there, many of whom are happy to intrude on your private domain and use it to their benefit. In addition to that, there is a constant battle for your desktop from many of the seemingly trusted software companies including Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and others, large and small. When you start up your computer, they want you to see their stuff and they are constantly fighting over what you see. This creates software conflicts that, over time, can bog down the performance of your computer and slow your productivity. Be an active participant in the management of your computer workspace by taking the time to install these essential protections and following the best practices shown below.

After years of working online, we have put together a set of programs and practices that have allowed us to use the Internet in relative safety and with minimal intrusion from evil doers. By the way, these are our favorite picks. Our objective is to save you the time of analyzing several various solutions on your own.

1. Basic Computer Security To Protect You From Viruses.

McAfee Virus Scan - We like this solution the best. It simply has worked best for us with the least intrusion on our workspace and time. Virus protection, by its very nature is somewhat intrusive. It must update itself every so often to keep up with spammers and virus writers. This one does it in a way that has not gotten in the way of our own work.

We consider McAfee an absolute must. Cost = About $60.00 per year (subscription). www.mcafee.com

2. Basic Spam Protection

CloudMark Spam Filter - CloudMark stands out to us as the best method of keeping up with spammers. You can’t stop them, but you can control what you are willing to view. This very successful method uses the collective, real-time knowledge of millions of email subscribers to manage an ever changing database of spammers so it can filter them out before they get a chance to invade your mailbox.

The program creates a spam folder in your Outlook or Outlook Express so you can look through the junk in case a good email message gets caught, but then once you’ve browsed it, you can dump them all in one fell swoop. Very easy.

In addition, if you receive a spam that was not caught by the filter, you can report to the database with one click which will block it forever more from your good email box and alert the millions of others in the community of this spammer. We consider this a must as well. Get CloudMark here. www.cloudmark.com - Cost - $39.95 per year per user.

3. Basic Spyware and Adware Protection

Ad and Spyware are programs that are (often without your knowledge, unless you like reading lots of fine print) automatically installed on your computer. These programs change the way your computer sees advertisements on the web and often are the reason that you get uncontrollable popups.

There are two programs that we’ve used successfully to protect our computers from Adware and Spyware. The good news is that they are free. They also offer paid upgrades, but we’ve gotten by pretty well using both of these free versions.

Spybot Search & Destroy - This is a free program that we’ve used and it seems to have worked well for us. Get it here. http://spybot.safer-networking.de/en/

Ad-Aware Personal - Catches some of the adware and spyware programs that others don’t. Get it here. http://www.lavasoft.com/software/adaware/

4. Update Your Windows Software

It’s our opinion that MS Windows has become easier to use and more secure over the years. If you’re not running Windows XP or above you are missing out on much easier computing. It’s not that expensive to upgrade and the benefits are real.

More important however is that you must update your version and install the latest patches when they come out from time to time. The good news is that the latest MS Windows software does much of this automatically for you.

Remember, there are virus writers out there every day trying to invade your computer. Fortunately, there are just as many good guys fighting them and keeping up with them. By keeping your software updated, you are reducing your chance of being exploited. The crooks have plenty of easy pickings to take advantage of. You don’t have to be one of those easy pickings. Just update regularly. Get it here… http://www.microsoft.com

Important Personal & Procedural Policies to Follow

5. Never, Never, Never Believe or Accept Unsolicited Email Offers

If you buy something from an email that was sent to you out of the blue, you are a.) encouraging spam, b.) putting yourself at risk for viruses or bad software, and c.) putting yourself at risk of getting ripped off. Just say no to all Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE).

In many states, it is illegal. If you don’t have a problem with spam now, the surest way to get started having problems is to begin buying from those that send it. You only have to get on one list for your email address to sold and traded all over spam circles and I assure you that it will become a problem for you once you get started.

You may publish this article free of charge in your ezine, web site, ebook or print publication so long as the copyright notice and the resource paragraph (at the end of the article) are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Copyright (c) 2005 Joe Salvatore

Joe Salvatore runs an Internet marketing and domain name consultancy called Personaweb and is the North Amerian Marketing Manager for a London based Domain Registry.

Website: http://www.personaweb.com
Phone: 909-590-5660

Internet today is a place where you can find information on any topic from anywhere in the world. Internet is also fast becoming the most preferred medium for education and entertainment - recent reports suggest Internet is fast replacing television.

Surfing on the internet can be both fun as well as informative. But watch out, not everything on the internet is safe and fun. Internet can be a dangerous place if you do not take necessary precautions. There is a growing trend of identity theft on the internet, Is your personal information safe? What steps you can take to validate a website before you submit your personal information? Let’s examine simple steps you can take to protect your identity online.

First thing you should do before you submit your personal information on any website is to look for their privacy policy, make sure they are committed to protect sensitive information. Look for an contact address and telephone number on the website - serious businesses always encourage you to contact them and have no reason to be secretive of their existence. Be wary of websites with no privacy policy or contact information.

One of the most popular ways to validate a business online is through the use of security certificates.

A security certificate is a statement that verifies the authenticity of a person or an business online. A private key is provided to owner of certificate using which he will create digital signatures - which basically works as an digital identity card. So when you visit any secure page (pages with https) digital id card is sent to your computer. Security certificates encrypt your information and only the owner of the certificate is able to decrypt it through the unique private key provided to him by the security ceritifcate. Therefore your personal information cannot be tampered.

There are two types of security certificate - personal security certificate and Web site security certificate. Personal security certificate authenticates you as what you say you are. This information is used when you send personal information via the Internet to a Web site that requires a certificate verifying your identity.

Web site security certificates authenticates web sites as genuine and secure. It also ensures no other web site can assume the identity of this particular web site. Ensure web site security certificate exisits and is valid before you submit any personal information on the Internet. When you download software look for an certificate to ensure it is coming from a reliable source.

How do I keep those prying eyes out my computer?
List of things you can do to ensure your provacy is protect online.

Make sure your turn Windows Firewall ON

Install Anti-Virus software

Validate Internet Web sites

Do not open email messages from unidentified addresses

Never post your email or contact information online or on chat rooms

David Manson is a successful internet entrepreneur and also works as an independent consultant for many Internet companies and has helped numerous home based web businesses become successful online. For more information visit http://www.greatlineproducts.com

About a year back, I was impressed by the offer of one established internet marketer who styled himself as an search engine optimisation expert and was offerring a mentoring program on website creation and promotion for Adsense, for an entire year, with a full return of payment guarantee if his services were unsatisfactory within the 12 months.

Since he belonged to a member of an established forum and was an active member who had posted well over 1,000 forum posts he was not someone who was a newbie or unknown.

I ran a check on him for his experience and discovered he had made numerous other contributions as articles to some online web sites.

Here was a model online marketer who was keen to help others succeed online. Like many others who joined him on his offer, and who paid his susbcription fees for the mentoring regularly, I was shocked and dismayed that this established online marketer "disappeared" suddenly one day, together with his hosting facility, so that we lost not only our websites hosted with him, but also out trust in him.

Of course, this incident dented the trust of many who believe in the whole community called the internet and many of its operators…the online marketers.

Is it really a wild jungle out there? Where are the ethics that rule the community? What is in place to ensure guarantees made are to be fulfilled?

Without a stated code, the internet community is self-regulating to a great extent where users need to apply caution and to check the background of any online marketer thoroughly before hand.

Run a search of the person you wish to check by putting his name into the major search engines such as Google search and check for any reported occurrences of fraud, scam or complaints. Check his name against any forum on the internet, again using search engines, to make sure there are no grouses in any forum relating to the marketer. Also ask opinions of others on the program he is promoting. Form a reasonable opinion of the marketer and his programs.

Although doing so cannot guarantee you that the marketer will not disappear, you will have removed a large part of the possibility that he will abscond without fulfilling his commitments to you.

In my particular case, there was really no warning that this marketer would disappear without a word and without a trace. All I knew was that he had "retired" to an island somewhere in the far east, with a satellite dish hooked up and wired up to the internet and enjoying himself on the tropical beach.

But then we know, his entire online career is already gone to the dogs. Unless he resurfaces, and adopt a psuedonym or another identity, he cannot hope to find others believing him or his name.

An online marketer is as good as his name. His name is his reputation, and when he has a bad record, he cannot command any trust from wary buyers.

Is there any ethical code on the internet? Until there is, it is to our best interests to be just extra careful in vetting any claims from any online marketer, and be safe rather than to be sorry.

Peter Lim writes often on internet marketing topics and provide free resources for niche marketing at http://www.cashflowpc.biz/niche-marketing He researches often into these niche markets and put up the best ideas on the website http://www.cashflowpc.biz for free referral by the online community.

As a computer technician and tutor, I get asked a lot of questions about technology and computers in general. The one question that out-ranks all the others in the number of times I’ve been asked is this: “Why do people hack?”

Myth: Hackers are bad. Actually, hackers are merely computer programmers who go in to someone else’s code and reorganize it somehow. The term is well charted and defined by Wikipedia and doesn’t directly refer to anything malicious. Quite the opposite; hackers are programmers to whom we owe a lot of thanks for working out troubles in software and the Internet.

Truth: Hackers actually lay claim to a Manifesto from 1986 that inspires curiosity and fairness and being accountable for one’s actions. The manifesto was written just after the author’s arrest for “Bank Tampering.” His best lament is, “my crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.” Indeed, the pressure of being constantly watched forced "The Mentor"’s resignation in 1990. To all hackers, he is considered a living legend.

The Answer: The damage that’s done on the Internet and perhaps to your computer or your neighbor’s computer isn’t done by true ‘hackers.’ Would you call a graffiti vandal an artist or a ‘painter’ in the classical sense? Little folks spray paint buildings because they can. Sometimes it may feel that it’s the only way to leave any mark with a life that feels too small for anyone to notice.

Peers notice though. The greater the achievement, the greater the coverage. It’s a dark fame from a malicious act with no definite target. YOU weren’t meant to suffer from an attack; the attack was meant to be seen, however. The first Internet Worm in history was actually a good experiment that grew systemically accidentally crashing every computer it came in touch with. Many malicious code writers and ‘crackers’ begin honestly enough just learning how to write code.

With any knowledge comes a tipping point where a decision has to be made. You eventually get better than the average person and able to do things that bend outside what was meant to happen. Most skills don’t leave one wondering if they can damage other people’s property (the cook doesn’t graduate culinary school wondering if they should poison people for example), but computer programing reveals that there’s an awful lot of stuff out there that’s ready to break or corrupt with a little push in the wrong direction.

When you learned to walk, did you step on ants? Why? “Because I could; because they were there; because I wanted to; because it looked like fun.” I’ll bet your answer isn’t because you like hurting or killing things. As you matured, you used those same feet to take you somewhere. In time, all the modern crackers will mature and most likely become brilliant members of programming society.

There is no one magic answer. It’s something that happens and you aren’t the target. You don’t understand it because you don’t do it. It is a crime, but it’s often just a juvenile act of poor choice and misdirected skills. Defend yourself with anti virus softwares, don’t fall for e-mail scams and know that someday those mischievous feet will be somewhere good.

Bryan Applegate has learned a lot about computers in the last two decades. In teaming up with Dinarius, Inc he uses his powers to do good by being a tutor. More free lessons and advice can be found at Dinarius.com

Isn’t life grand? Most everyone is somehow able to move into this new century with technology sitting in their laps… It’s a new found crush for misunderstanding simple things. What I mean by that is when you were little, one touch told you not to paw at the stove. As a teenager, one car accident may have put seat belts on your mind. Now you have a wireless network at home! What will it take to consider networking safely?

Think of all the strange and forgotten information in your computer – some of it, not surprisingly, you’ve forgotten about. Sure you delete your cookies and wipe the Internet History clean from time to time. You ask your computer not to remember passwords too, but you’re still a target in two possible ways that are as easy to fix as not touching hot things and putting on a seat belt.

Briefly, wireless networks consist of three things: The signals, the broadcaster and the receiver. Your Internet connection is the signal. Your modem feeds into the router which acts as the broadcaster. The network adapter in your computer is then the receiver. With those items, you can surf the Internet without inhibitions; and with no passwords or hurdles for novice hackers to stumble on, they can surf your computer without inhibition.

The open door, even for modest hackers, is that broadcaster. It says, “here I am!” Your receiver is tuned in to it. Other receivers can be tuned in to it from beyond your walls. Once on the same router, they can query for other computers (that’s YOU) on that router. Your defense is simple but certainly not fool-proof for real professional cyber evil-doers. When you set up your wireless network, 9 times out of 10, you’re asked to create a password so that users may sign on – it’s often called a WEP.

This is not a busy-task to waste your time. If a casual user with an infected computer shares your router, your computer too will share in the joy of infection with zero hacking required on the part of the casual user. They were just looking for a free ride that you offered by NOT creating that WEP. You don’t need a hard word but definitely don’t use an easy word that creates the ‘key’…

The computers in the router and in your lap will most likely do the rest. This is a one-time procedure UNLESS your router is reset. To reset the router is to force it to forget everything it knew. All your Internet Settings and magic high speed Internet access numbers will have to be re-entered. A router is reset internally or externally by pushing a button generally on the back. It’s labeled too.

Internal settings can be accessed by entering the IP of the gateway which will soon be common knowledge. If you’ve not placed a password there, anyone can change anything – especially that computer-savvy kid coming home from school who always messes your stuff up as a thank you for room and board. Change the default password to avoid the thanks. And in extreme cases, you can physically HIDE the router to keep that reset button from being pushed thereby defeating all your modest counter measures!

The strongest reason to employ any simple safety here is to eliminate neighborly free-rides from machines that may be infected. Like buckling up, ten seconds setting a router with passwords can save you a lot of grief.

Bryan Applegate spends his time with Dinarius, Inc. repairing networks that were never secured. While the money’s good, there’s other things in life like teaching. Other free lessons and advice can be found at Dinarius.com

When you are using spy bugs, it is important that they are properly disguised. It is a good idea to make sure that they look like ordinary items that aren’t normally associated with spying. These items can be nearly anything, and the greatest thing about disguised spy bugs is that they often fulfill their “normal” functions in addition to helping you gather information or evidence.

The use of spy bugs is very helpful because most of the information you get as a result of using them is information that someone would not normally just tell you. The whole point of using covert listening devices is to be able to listen in when the subject’s guard is down, and when she or he might reveal something of use to you. When you are serious about making sure that you are not being kept in the dark, it is time to use disguised listening devices.

Spy bugs come in many guises. They can be in the form of pens or other similar objects. Pens are portable, so your subject may take them along, allowing you to listen in on a variety of settings. Other small and ordinary seeming objects that can be used as bugs include reading glasses, buttons, and makeup compacts. You can leave them laying around to pick up what is going on in a room, or you can actually slip them into a backpack, purse, or briefcase.

Another disguise that works well as far as spy bugs are concerned is the cell phone. You can have a cell phone that does not work, but looks innocent enough, sitting in a drawer or “charging.” Or you can have a phone that allows you to pick up on subject’s conversations if they are within 50 yards of you. The best cell phone spy bugs actually work like real cell phones and allow you to listen in on what is going on in the room, or even connect you to a conversation between different parties, as long as one of the parties has the cell phone bug.

No matter how you disguise them, however, anyone interested in surveillance needs to be well-versed in how to use various spy bugs.

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